Lauryn Smith

“people. Esther didn’t choose her moment; it chose her. And when the moment came, she put herself on the line, threw her lot in with her people, and rallied them to action. A heroine for her time. A heroine for our time.”
― Elliot Cosgrove, For Such a Time as This: On Being Jewish Today

“muster, I explained to her the post-October behavior of her Jewish families, making sure she knew she had a resource in me, should she ever need one.”
― Elliot Cosgrove, For Such a Time as This: On Being Jewish Today

“Not joyfully; nor, for that matter, by our own volition. After October 7th, being a Jew became an identity defined by others, by those who ignore our pain, exclude us, hate us, threaten us, and in some cases kill us.”
― Elliot Cosgrove, For Such a Time as This: On Being Jewish Today

“Mordecai advises Esther to keep her Jewishness secret when she enters the king’s palace. Why she must do so he never states, but Esther understands that her life will be easier or safer (or both) if she hides her identity. Was it easy or hard for Esther to keep her secret? Did she comply under duress or in hope of advancement? The text never really says.”
― Elliot Cosgrove, For Such a Time as This: On Being Jewish Today