I spent a beautiful and enriching weekend in Connecticut recently, kvelling as my niece led a full congregation in worship as a Bat Mitzvah.
No matter that Rosie is 15, the rabbi told us. She had …
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Fran Ostendorf
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5/6/22
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Much is going on in the world around us. And in this issue of Jewish Rhode Island, which focuses on Passover and celebrates freedom, I can’t help but look at what’s happening in the world …
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Fran Ostendorf
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4/1/22
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Like many of you, I have been glued to coverage of the war in Ukraine – in print, online and on TV.
Yes, I have my favorite media outlets. But I tend to flip from one to another during this …
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Fran Ostendorf
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3/6/22
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As I sit down to write this column, Rhode Island is in the midst of a blizzard, the first in a number of years.
The pre-storm hype had whipped our friends and neighbors into a frenzy. Grocery …
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Fran Ostendorf
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2/6/22
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Putting together the January newspaper presents a time to look back and think ahead. What a year it was. What a year we hope it will be!
In 2021, we had a roller-coaster of ups and downs. That new …
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Fran Ostendorf
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1/10/22
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Have you listened to the first podcasts from Jewish Rhody Media? It’s a terrific series on leadership called Chutzpah! There’s a new episode every other Thursday, featuring Adam Greenman, …
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Fran Ostendorf
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12/4/21
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There will be no more weeping for the willow in my backyard.
Sometime in the wee hours of a recent Wednesday morning, what was left of the once majestic, multi-trunk tree came crashing down.
No …
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Fran Ostendorf
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11/7/21
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Life is in transition again.
Nature is doing its annual shift from long, hot summer days to dark, cool fall evenings.
As I write this, our backyard is showing a scattering of yellow and brown …
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Fran Ostendorf
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10/9/21
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Sometimes, when I sit down to write this column, I stare at a blank page on my computer screen and I wonder where to begin.
My aim isn’t to be scholarly or to impart wisdom based on years of …
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Fran Ostendorf
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9/6/21
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I had time for some real moments of reflection this month as I rooted through a couple of boxes in my parents’ basement. They have lived in the same house since the mid-1960s and, as you can …
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Fran Ostendorf
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8/5/21
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