By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
This column isn’t going to make anyone happy, including myself. My reactions have been all over the place, so writing this is supposed to help me define my thoughts, but I’m not sure it’s going to help.
The issue? The headline on the JTA breaking news e-mail …
I wouldn’t call my desire an obsession. Let’s use the term “dream.” For years, I have been wanting to go to Cherry Springs State Park. Have you heard of it? Located in Northwest Pennsylvania, about a two and a half hour drive from Binghamton, it is one of only a handful of places on …
“I pledge to be funny.” Those are the words my son Joshua wrote several years ago when he was asked to sign a behavior contract before going to sleep-away camp. Not satisfied with just committing himself to respecting others and following the camp rules, he made a commitment that to keep…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
I don’t usually write about my rabbinical work in this column, but, although there are numerous political and social issues of importance I could discuss, it’s personal ones that are haunting me this week. On June 16, for the first time, I did the funeral of a p…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
“Thinking I really have to write about antisemitism, although I’m not sure how much more anyone can say. Maybe I will say just that.” The impetus for my statement was reading commentators asking where was the outrage about the antisemitism that has flared up i…
