Fran Ostendorf

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Have you made a commitment to your health and well-being? Are you keeping yourself healthy? While your answers to these questions have always been important, they’ve taken on extra meaning … more

Fran Ostendorf | 1/7/21

Ending a dark year with the Festival of Lights

Putting together the annual “Year in Review” article every December is like taking a short trip down memory lane. It’s always an interesting exercise to take a look back at a year, … more

Fran Ostendorf | 12/3/20

Giving thanks during a November like no other

As I sit down to write this column, Election Day 2020 is still several days in front of us. As you open this issue of Jewish Rhode Island, the election is behind us – but the outcome may … more

Fran Ostendorf | 11/6/20

A call to action: Make your voice heard

Do you have election fatigue? Left vs. right; accusations, fake news and lies; Russian and Chinese misinformation; sorting through mixed and confusing messages. Are you ready to shut down and … more

Fran Ostendorf | 10/2/20

Rosh Hashanah in the time of pandemic

Every year, I take some time for reflection right about now. We are, after all, in the month of Elul, which leads us to the High Holy Days. Reflection and introspection are part of what many of … more

Fran Ostendorf | 9/3/20

Embrace the new normal – for now

I wish I could assure you that this will be my last correspondence about life on hold. But I’m pretty sure there will be more in the months to come. Regular readers might notice that from my … more

Fran Ostendorf | 8/7/20

Keeping up with the news

In past years, July marked the beginning of the lazy, hazy days of summer. Warm temperatures and the vacation season sent us outdoors to crowd parks and beaches. Sneak a day off from work to go to a … more

Fran Ostendorf | 7/3/20

Hope amid the horrors

What a month it’s been. In Rhode Island and Massachusetts, we continued to stay home to help flatten the curve during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a community, we tried to stay connected online … more

Fran Ostendorf | 6/5/20

Just another day in quarantine

I am happy to stay at home and do my part to stop the spread of that nasty coronavirus. But have you noticed how the days seem to blend together? I occasionally find myself stopping to ask, … more

Fran Ostendorf | 4/30/20

We are down, but not out

Last month, when I started my column by asking if spring would ever be the same, I had no way of knowing what that question would come to mean. When we started to put together last month’s … more

Fran Ostendorf | 4/3/20