By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
A new subgenre of detective fiction features alternative versions of our world. For example, in “Sunset Empire: A Morris Baker Novel” by Josh Weiss (Grand Central), while World War II and the Holocaust did take pl…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Minor historical figures can have an unusually large impact on history. Take for example, David Reubeni. In his introduction to “Diary of a Black Jewish Messiah: The Sixteenth-Century Journey of David Reubeni through Africa, the Middle East, and Europe” (Stamfor…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Is there a difference between Jewish humor and humor about Judaism? Jennifer Caplan, author of “Funny You Don’t Look Funny: Judaism and Humor from the Silent Generation to Millennials” (Wayne State University Press), certainly thinks so, which is why she does…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. That’s what I thought after asking for samples of Mightylicious Cookies. Taste testing cookies so readers will know if they are any good is an important part of my job. (If you’re wondering if I’m finding it hard…
By Bill Simons
Traditional Orthodox Judaism is patriarchal, evidenced by restricting the rabbinate, minyan and Torah study to men as well as gender separation in the synagogue. The 1983 Barbra Streisand movie “Yentl” dramatized these barriers. In America, Jews encountered a more open so…
