Stories,photos
33 results total, viewing 1 - 10
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When I wrote a column in March and headlined it “The Long Goodbye,” I had no idea how prescient that really was. Honestly, it was supposed to encapsulate my years as a journalist before retiring.
Instead, lots of my friends and co-workers have...
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Fran Ostendorf
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6/9/26
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Jewish Rhode Island readers love their pets. Just look at the pages in the middle of this issue, and you can see that. Dogs, cats and even a lizard! And our clergy love their pets too. This year, we are featuring a few pets from the pulpit.
I am...
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Fran Ostendorf
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5/7/26
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I read this column in the Forward that I think merits consideration by all our readers. We are all Jews and we all are concerned about our Jewish future. As a Jewish journalist, I’ve written about people’s reactions to conversations both difficult...
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Fran Ostendorf
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4/10/26
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In March 2014 I wasn’t really looking for a job, but Jeffrey Savit (the Alliance president and CEO at the time) suggested I try taking on the editor role at the then Jewish Voice for a few months. The paper was without an editor, and I was...
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Fran Ostendorf
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3/5/26
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I used to like winter. At least in small doses. A dusting of snow. A nip in the air. For a while.
But this winter is different.
As I look out of my living room window at the piles of snow surrounding my house, my thoughts turn to spring. I’m...
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Fran Ostendorf
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2/5/26
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Listen. Do you hear someone coughing or sneezing?
I hear it everywhere I go this season. It seems like everyone I know has a sick family member.
All our family holiday plans and gatherings – Hanukkah and New Year’s – had to be canceled. Flu...
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Fran Ostendorf
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1/15/26
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As we usher in December and are solidly in the month of Kislev, we can feel the changing of the seasons here in Rhode Island. It’s suddenly too cold! But it’s all part of the rhythm of life that drives our familiar seasons.
And big changes are...
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Fran Ostendorf
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12/4/25
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There is a difficult, ongoing event in our community.
In Smithfield, there were accusations that several football players trapped a Jewish teammate in a bathroom. The details, reported in the weeks since the incident, are now being disputed and...
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Fran Ostendorf
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11/5/25
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I spent the High Holy Days immersed in family.
Rosh Hashanah was celebrated with children and grandchildren. My son and his wife hosted us for dinner. What a change to not have the family at our house as we are accustomed to doing. Yom Kippur...
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Fran Ostendorf
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10/9/25
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You know the expression “Those lazy, hazy days of Summer”?
Well, it’s been the crazy days of summer for me this year.
It turns out the original expression is part of a song made popular by Nat King Cole, “Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy days of Summer.” I...
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Fran Ostendorf
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9/3/25
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