Features

Off the Shelf: Exploring the Biblical Text

By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

“Turn it and turn it again, for everything is in it.” These words by Ben Bag Bag in Ethics of the Fathers (Pirkei Avot) refer to the Torah. The study of Torah is never ending because there is always something new to learn, at least for those who are open to nove…

Off the Shelf: Sewers and Sanitariums

By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

Even when I promise myself I’ll take a break from World War II novels, there are always some that grab my interest. For example, I’ve enjoyed Pam Jenoff’s work and, when I saw that her latest novel “The Woman with the Blue Star” (Park Row Books) was gettin…

Off the Shelf: Summer Novels

By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

Summer can be a wonderful time – filled with vacations, fun and romance. People travel to the beach or fancy resorts to escape their everyday lives. Yet, not everyone has enjoyable feelings about summer, as shown in two recent novels. A mostly light-hearted look a…

Jewish Online Resources 7/30/21

By Reporter staff

A variety of Jewish groups are offering educational and recreational online resources. Below is a sampling of those. The Reporter will publish additional listings as they become available. 

Ritualwell will hold the virtual class “Aligning Ourselves for the New Year” …

A Rainy Night in Pomona with Israel's Olympic Baseball Team

By Bill Simons

The Doppler radar weather map predicted a night of heavy rain and possible flash flooding. Nonetheless, several thousand people came to Palisades Credit Union Park, located in Pomona, a small village in Rockland County, NY, about 32 miles north of Manhattan. 

Pomona didn’…