Open Search form

Sura Jeselsohn

Apply for a Blog

Apr 30, 2018, 7:04 AM

Shiva — A Celebration of a Meaningful Life

The last day of Pesach 2018, I left the synagogue during the Yizkor memorial prayer in keeping with the custom (minhag) of not being present during your parents’ lifetime. That Thursday, I was attending the funeral of my father,...

Mar 22, 2018, 7:04 PM

Israelites in Egypt – An Historical Review

Anyone who has been to a Seder or grown up on Bible stories has formed some mental image of ancient Egypt. As a teenager, I had the great fortune to run across the book Mara, Daughter of the Nile...

Jan 21, 2018, 5:41 PM

Enough is Enough — Part IV

So what has Rosenblatt been doing with his time since he parted from the Riverdale Jewish Center? All materials below come from publicly available sources. The first public airing concerning Rosenblatt’s activities with teenage boys and young men was printed...

Jan 18, 2018, 4:05 AM

Enough is Enough — Part III

Since I had no luck persuading the old administration at Yeshiva University to take down Rosenblatt’s shiurim on YUTorah.org, I decided to approach the new president, Rabbi Ari Berman, who was starting in June 2017. On June 4, 2017,...

Jan 14, 2018, 8:39 AM

Enough is Enough-Part II

Yeshiva University has been an important institution within the framework of the educational network of the Modern Orthodox Jewish community. We have always expected the highest moral stance from such an institution. In the name of the school –...

Jan 9, 2018, 10:28 AM

Enough is enough!

It is now 2½ years since Riverdale convulsed with the exposure of Jonathan Rosenblatt’s unacceptable behavior with teenagers and young men by the New York Times on 5/29/15. Anyone not familiar with that article, or subsequent ones, can put...

Dec 4, 2017, 6:40 PM

Thanksgiving Shabbos

It is now over a week since Thanksgiving but we are still celebrating. Although we all try to be equitable about sharing the holiday, most of us are lucky to have assorted parents and other relatives all of whom would...

Nov 23, 2017, 10:54 PM

Exploring the Herbariun at Hebrew University-Givat Ram Campus in Jerusalem

Having written two articles about the herbarium at the New York Botanical Garden, I began to wonder about herbaria in Israel. With Google as my guide, I found two Israeli herbaria -- one at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and one...

Nov 2, 2017, 12:06 AM

Finding ancient trees, and stories, in Israel

It all started with a swing through the book section of the gift shop at the New York Botanical Garden. I have always considered browsing through bookstores to be a special treat, and have been known to cancel trips...

Aug 19, 2017, 2:18 AM

Gardens Here and There

Say “garden” and a mental image bursting with flowers appears. But outdoor space that provides visual interest can be far more varied. Sculpture gardens, though set in sweeping lawns, are primarily devoted to static figures or structures. I remember my...

Load more

About Me

Sura Jeselsohn has a background in science and is an avid gardener. Her weekly column, Green Scene, is published in the Riverdale Press.