*Interview conducted in November, 2024.*

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: When was the last time you went to synagogue, Rick?

Rick Rosner: The last time was for my mom’s memorial, over two years ago. Besides that, I haven’t been back. But we did watch No One Will Watch This, which is about Jews and stars Kristen Bell and Adam Brody on Netflix.

Jacobsen: Why the transition from the memorial to Kristen Bell?

Rosner: Because that’s the most Jewish thing I’ve done in years. It’s a show where Kristen Bell plays a young-ish woman with a sex and dating podcast who falls in love with a rabbi, played by Adam Brody, known from The OC years ago. It was pretty good.

Jacobsen: I see. So, what do you think are the requirements for Reform Judaism in terms of synagogue attendance?

Rosner: Not much, really. You should go on the High Holy Days—Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Jacobsen: But you haven’t even gone for those lately, have you?

Rosner: No, we haven’t. The last time I went for Rosh Hashanah was decades ago. We used to attend services when we were members of a temple so that Isabella could go to Sunday school. But that was about 15 years ago.

Jacobsen: So how do you celebrate the High Holy Days outside of the synagogue?

Rosner: This year, I went to a Rosh Hashanah dinner at cousin Kenny’s house, and we said a couple of prayers.

Jacobsen: What did you pray for?

Rosner: They weren’t personal prayers; we just said blessings for the holiday.

—

Rick Rosner, American Comedy Writer, www.rickrosner.org

Scott Douglas Jacobsen, Independent Journalist, www.in-sightpublishing.com

License & Copyright

In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. ©Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing 2012-Present. Unauthorized use or duplication of material without express permission from Scott Douglas Jacobsen strictly prohibited, excerpts and links must use full credit to Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing with direction to the original content.

Photo by Victoria Strukovskaya on Unsplash