Rossel Counseling & Consulting

10/10/2024

A brief message for the Jewish Day of Atonement. The story is apt for us all. In case it is difficult to read in the image, I will append it in the comments. Wishing all my Jewish friends and colleagues as easy fast and a happy, healthy New Year. Wishing all my friends a year free of disasters, wars, and ailments of every kind. We just need to keep supporting one another. There is no reason the human race can't be won.

30/09/2024

The Jewish New Year begins the evening of October 2 this year. It ushers in a season of returning and renewal with a kind of laundry metaphor: God gave us each a soul pure and clean and we have soiled it in little and large ways in the past year. We try to get it as clean and shiny as we can in this season by righting any wrongs we may have done and accepting responsibility for ourselves and our community and all our shortcomings. We make it as pure as possible and offer it to God on our day of Yom Kippur--the last day of the High Holy Days, the "Day of Repentance." Then we pray for the opportunity to be able to wear our restored soul, knowing we will soil it again in the coming year, hopefully a little less and with some worthier mistakes. You might say we are always wearing our best suit, the one that God gave us, so we try to keep it as clean as we can. But, being human, we are also thankful for that annual laundry day. Sharon Wechter and I offer you our best wishes for soul shining this year and every year.

16/09/2024

The Rossel family is very proud right now. We have a new Hall of Famer and a new Scholarship fund, too! The official announcement read:
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Posthumously MR. W***Y O. ROSSEL - On Friday, November 5, 1965, Braniff International appointed Chef W***y O. Rossel as the airline’s Executive Chef. The appointment of an Executive Chef was as a result of the overhaul of Braniff’s image and its desire to ensure that its inflight meal service was second to none in the industry.
On November 6, 1965, Braniff International presented to the public and media the carrier’s revolutionary new look and promotion campaign dubbed End of the Plain Plane created by the New York advertising think tank of Jack Tinker and Partners. A strategic part of the new campaign was to improve Braniff’s already exemplary Silver and Gold inflight service. To achieve this task, the Dallas-based carrier announced the appointment of famed Chef W***y Rossel as its Executive Chef.
With the arrival of Chef Rossel, Braniff International began a new era of providing the absolute finest onboard service and cuisine for its customers who were predominantly business travelers. In 1966, a Braniff International Board of Chefs was created and headed by Chef Rossel.
In loving memory of Chef de Cuisine W***y O. Rossel (1921-2015), the Chef W***y O. Rossel Culinary Scholarship Fund of the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation has been established by the Beverly and Cary Rossel Family and Rabbi Seymour Rossel Family to perpetuate the idea that anyone with passion can master the culinary arts.

30/08/2024

As Labor Day approaches again, especially in an election year, I yearn for a political cartoonist as adept as Walt Kelly. No matter your political affiliation, thinking ahead is a positive virtue. Here's to celebrating the work we do for one another and the great work we can do together when we are willing to compromise. Have a great Labor Day!

22/08/2024

As you can see, I am still working on X,Y,Z. In the meantime, I think you will find a lot here that is worthy of your attention. We are speaking of the tastes, smells, touches, sights, and sounds of a lifetime in Jewish literature and learning.

09/08/2024

If you have not yet read the Rossel rendition of *The Wise Folk of Chelm*, you have been denying yourself! Check it out at Chelm, The Wise Folk or order direct at http://tinyurl.com/Go-Chelm

05/08/2024

Looking for new ways to prepare for the High Holy Days? This is an out-of-the-box selection that sparks renewal and healing, comfort and blessing. You can quickly start new conversations with every turn of the page. But do not take my word for it--check it out for yourself at https://amzn.to/3yvv9FR

28/07/2024

The spirit of the Olympics is infectious. The stories in *The Essential Jewish Stories* are all gold, silver, and bronze medalists. Order a copy and see for yourself.

11/07/2024

We are saddened by the loss of our great friend, artist and calligrapher Mordechai Rosenstein. His works adorn Jewish homes, synagogues, boardrooms, and federations in this country and around the world. When Rossel Books needed a cover for a new commentary on Pirkei Avot with Jacob Neusner, Mordechai not only produced a spectacular cover featuring Mount Sinai in cloud and flame, but went on to produce an entire portfolio, one piece for each of the six chapters which we produced as a limited edition hardcover with the artwork tipped in by hand. His wonderful talent and sublime sensitivity will be sorely missed. May his memory ever be a blessing.

05/07/2024

29/06/2024

Just a gentle reminder. You can take your summer dip into a refreshing fount of wisdom. Here's a link: https://amzn.to/3cMVd1W but you can find it at B&N and any other source of fine books. Have a safe and enlightening summer.

19/06/2024

Definitely something new under the sun! Check out the Audible version of *The Holocaust: An End to Innocence* at Amazon.com and at Audible.com. We were selected for a beta AI recording experience. It's great to see it available for this essential subject (for ages 11+).

27/05/2024

In the Bible, we are commanded to "pursue peace" because peace is elusive and because peace is a sacred goal. Praying this Memorial Day for those who have fallen in the pursuit of peace, for in the wake of peace come justice, equality, and freedom.

24/05/2024

Memorial Day. We pause to reflect and to remember. We celebrate the sacrifices made by those who honored freedom, equality, justice, and liberty and gave their all to ensure we kept it. Let us strive to grant those same rights and values to the generations who follow us.

13/05/2024

A difficult Independence Day for the State of Israel. Under attack from Iran and its allied terrorist organizations, thinly supported by the free nations of the world, and with its democracy threatened by its own government. Of course, it is not the only nation that finds itself up against both external and internal enemies. And it is young still, as nations go. And it still has much promise in it. May the hostages soon be returned. May the state find peace at last and may it not be forced to continue killing the innocent to reach the guilty.

21/04/2024

Thank y'all for your support as folk who love stories as much as I love telling them. And for those about to embark on the Exodus from slavery by celebrating the story of Passover, may you have a successful retelling of the tale. And for those thinking that anticipating summer reading is too strenuous, here are two books to put a little bounce in your Spring.

28/05/2023

It began as "Decoration Day," calling on us to go out and "decorate" the graves of our fallen Civil War soldiers as a way of remembering them. The name shifted toward "Memorial Day" as decades passed and soldiers fell in other wars. Congress made it a national holiday in 1889. And, in 1968, LBJ signed a bill designating the name "Memorial Day" and setting it on the last Monday in May. Decorate or remember, just keep the fallen in your heart.