‘Useful’ indiscretion
I want to thank Johanna Ginsberg for a thoughtful and enjoyable interview (“‘I’m a person who bridges worlds’: Home from California, Rabbi Debra Orenstein takes a pulpit in NJ,” July 22). She was a delight to talk to and I enjoy reading her work in the Jewish News.
We had one miscommunication, however, which made me laugh. I said that my parents are “still youthful and active,” but she obviously heard “still useful and active.” This led to a lot of joking at the dinner table when I visited my folks. “What do you mean ‘still’ useful? Useful for what? No ice floes please!” My parents have countless ways of making themselves useful, but I want to clarify that I love them unconditionally, and not from any utilitarian motives!
Rabbi Debra Orenstein
Congregation B’nai Israel
Emerson
comments