The Vibe of the Tribe: Recent Episodes
JewishBoston.com
JewishBoston.com’s The Vibe of the Tribe podcast explores Jewish arts and culture, history, Israel, tradition and so much more. Hosted by Boston Jews Miriam and Dan, with special guests.
The Vibe of the Tribe recently asked you, our listeners and members of the community, what questions you’ve always had about Judaism. Turns out, you had a lot of questions, like: Where do Jewish prayers come from? What really makes food kosher? What’s the difference between Jewish denominations? Why do many Jews cover their heads, and why such a sartorial variety of hats, scarves, snoods and wigs? What do acronyms like Z”L and B”H stand for? And, really, what’s up with the celebrity obsession with Kabbalah?
Extremely qualified guest expert Rabbi Vanessa Harper, an educator at Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley and the genius creator of https://www.instagram.com/lechlechallah, joins Miriam and Ashley on this episode to answer these questions, and more!
Please note: The Vibe of the Tribe podcast is going on hiatus. It’s been a true joy to share these episodes and learn along with you. Our wish is that this podcast, and knowledgeable experts like Rabbi Harper, will continue to inspire you to learn more about the incredible diversity and array of Jewish culture, heritage and history that connects us all as one people. To reach out to us, email podcast@jewishboston.com.
Produced by Miriam Anzovin and edited by Miriam Anzovin and Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
When she was a child, human rights activist and educator Dr. Shula Mola and her family fled Ethiopia for Israel. As they and other members of the Beta Israel Ethiopian Jewish community embarked on this harrowing journey through Sudan, Dr. Mola dreamed of their goal—a return to Jerusalem, and reuniting in community with other Jews at the Beit HaMikdash (holy temple) in Jerusalem.
The gap between the dream and the reality of coming to the State of Israel as refugees was massive and often deeply traumatic. Dr. Mola, now a post-doctoral fellow at the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University focusing on preserving and elevating Ethiopian Jewry in Israel, joins The Vibe of the Tribe for an important episode on a unique community in the Jewish diaspora. Looking back at that time from her current vantage point, she discusses what happened when her community’s self-perception and identity encountered the realities of Israeli society, and the ongoing struggle the Beta Israel have faced to be “recognized” as part of the Jewish people by the rabbinical establishment—despite practicing Judaism for thousands of years.
Tune in to hear Dr. Mola’s riveting personal narrative and illuminating overview of the issues the Beta Israel community faces. As the co-founder of Mothers on Guard, a group of mothers that protests police brutality against youth of Ethiopian origin, Dr. Mola discusses fighting for her community and how the discourse around race in Israel differs from that in America. Dr. Mola also shares how aspects of the Beta Israel community’s traditions, like the post-Yom Kippur holiday of Sigd, are finally being officially recognized in Israel and what it means for Beta Israel inclusion.
Dr. Mola will also be speaking on Sunday, Nov. 21, at 10 a.m. about the struggle of Ethiopian Jews in Israel for “normality” and the variety of ways to deal with exclusion and racism. Register for the event, hosted by Temple Emunah, CJP and Schusterman Center for Israel Studies: https://www.jewishboston.com/events/i-am-completely-normal-the-struggle-of-ethiopian-israelis
To reach out to us, email podcast@jewishboston.com.
Produced by Miriam Anzovin and edited by Miriam Anzovin and Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Spooky season is upon us, and that means it’s time for The Vibe of the Tribe’s annual Halloween episode with author and occult and sci-fi expert Peter Bebergal! This year, we’ve left our usual haunted graveyards and golem attics to explore the horror themes, Jewish parallels and otherworldly allure of science fiction for Jewish writers and creators.
Tune in to this discussion of how the sci-fi genre has been influenced by Jewish hopes and fears by writers and artists like Isaac Asimov and Jack Kirby. We examine the assimilationist Borg of “Star Trek,” the immigrant story of Superman (a true “stranger in a strange land”) and graphic novel Jewish representation in characters like Magneto and Wanda Maximoff (“WandaVision”).
If you are also captivated by the horror of alternative histories, or are intrigued about aliens in Jewish scripture and wonder how you can practice Judaism in space, this episode is for you!
In addition to being a four-time podcast guest (check out previous episodes below!), Bebergal is the author of “Strange Frequencies: The Extraordinary Story of the Technological Quest for the Supernatural,” “Season of the Witch: How the Occult Saved Rock and Roll” and “Too Much to Dream: A Psychedelic American Boyhood.” He’s also the editor of the anthology “Appendix N: The Eldritch Roots of Dungeons and Dragons.”
This episode is dedicated to Ilan Ramon (z”l), the first Israeli astronaut and a Jewish pioneer who sought answers to questions we asked during this episode. The son of a Holocaust survivor, Ramon was killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.
Further reading:
”6 Must-Read SFF Books by Jewish Authors From Around the World” by Carly Silver: https://www.tor.com/2020/10/14/6-must-read-sff-books-by-jewish-authors-from-around-the-world/ “Wandering Stars: An Anthology of Jewish Fantasy & Science Fiction” edited by Jack Dann: http://www.jewishlights.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=JL∏_Code=978-1-58023-005-6&Category_Code= “Jews in Space: On the Unsung History of Jewish Writers and the Birth of Science Fiction” by Lavie Tidhar: https://lithub.com/jews-in-space-on-the-unsung-history-of-jewish-writers-and-the-birth-of-science-fiction/
To reach out to us, email podcast@jewishboston.com.
Produced by Miriam Anzovin and edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
How much do we really know about the lives of our parents and the secrets they’ve kept in their past? How do we delineate fiction from fact in our family histories? What parts are real and what parts have we needed to be real? Many people may wonder, but few actually embark on a quest to uncover the truth. Judy Bolton-Fasman, one among the rare few who have done it, was brave enough to recount in a gripping memoir her search for the familial mysteries that have haunted her life.
The beloved arts and culture writer for JewishBoston.com, Bolton-Fasman joins her colleagues Miriam, Ashley and Kali to speak about her mesmerizing book debut, “Asylum: A Memoir of Family Secrets.”
Tune in as we discuss the juxtaposition of her Sephardic and Ashkenazi identities, the jaw-dropping revelations she discovered about her parents and what it’s like to become a 60-year-old literary debutante.
Learn more at https://www.judyboltonfasman.com and https://www.jewishboston.com/profile/judybf.
To reach out to us, email podcast@jewishboston.com.
Produced by Miriam Anzovin and edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
In “a long-expected” episode, The Vibe of the Tribe celebrates the 20th anniversary of the cinematic release of the iconic fantasy film “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.” Join Miriam and guest Jesse Ulrich of Pod4Good as they harness the power of their mutual nerd interests (Judaism and fantasy literature) to set forth on a quest to understand the world of author J.R.R. Tolkien through a Jewish lens.
They explore Tolkien’s own words on how Jewish history, culture and language influenced his creation of Middle Earth, his use of Jewish stereotypes and how he responded to the rise of Nazism.
They also discuss how Tolkien is, at heart, a writer of (Anglo-Saxon) midrash and how characters, events and locations throughout “The Lord of the Rings” films and books embody Jewish values and ethics. From Frodo’s deep mesiras nefesh (self-sacrifice), Boromir’s teshuva (repentance/returning), the Entish love for Tu B’Shvat to who should be the last person in the “Fellowship Minyan,” they discuss it all.
Grab your second breakfast, settle into your comfortable hobbit hole and press play on this gloriously nerd-tastic episode!
To reach out to us, email podcast@jewishboston.com.
Produced by Miriam Anzovin and edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
We exist in an era when the Jewish rituals around mourning—such as sitting shiva and saying kaddish—make frequent appearances in popular culture, from Marvel TV shows to films to Broadway plays. There is, however, significantly less attention paid to the other rituals around death, ones that are fundamental to understanding how Judaism sees the role of the living in caring for the dead.
The Hevra Kadisha, or holy society, comprises highly-trained volunteers who take care of the deceased with a profound level of respect and commitment. Jewish tradition offers ancient and beautiful customs and rituals to guide us through loss, and serving in the Hevra Kadisha is not only considered a privilege, it is an act of ultimate loving-kindness and respect toward our fellow Jews.
To discuss these important and meaningful mitzvot, Miriam and Dan are joined by two members of the Community Hevra Kadisha of Greater Boston (https://www.hevrakadisha.org). James Cohen (he/him), co-president, is deeply involved in the community, having previously worked at Keshet and currently at Jewish Family & Children’s Service.
Emily Fishman (they/them or she/her), who goes by the name EmFish, has been a member of the Community Hevra Kadisha of Greater Boston for about five years. Alongside Cohen, they co-led the Hevra Kadisha’s trans tahara project (https://www.keshetonline.org/resources/toward-a-gender-inclusive-hevra-kadisha). They have also been teaching and consulting with hevras in other metro areas for more than a year.
Tune in to this episode to learn about burial rituals, the importance of inclusivity in the work of the Community Hevra Kadisha (https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/blogs/241299/taharah-gender-emily-fishman-emfish) and how lessons from the tahara (ritual purification) room can ripple out to positively impact the Jewish community at large.
Want to learn more? Listen to our discussion with a professional medium about communicating with departed loved ones and the soul’s journey (https://www.jewishboston.com/read/the-vibe-of-the-tribe-podcast-making-contact-beyond-the-veil-of-death, and our episode about heaven and hell in Judaism (https://www.jewishboston.com/read/the-vibe-of-the-tribe-podcast-heaven-and-hell-in-judaism).
To reach out to us, email podcast@jewishboston.com.
Produced by Miriam Anzovin and edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Antisemitism: What’s new with the oldest hatred? It’s a difficult question to ask, but we did it anyway. Dr. Rachel Fish (https://rachelfish.com), a nationally recognized expert on how to confront Jew hate, joins us on The Vibe of the Tribe as Greater Boston and the rest of the country have experienced a surge in anti-Israel actions and hate crimes against Jews.
Dr. Fish discusses tips for students of all ages returning to school amid the ongoing rise in anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist sentiment, navigating hate on social media, how to channel anger into productive action, the cyclical nature of hatred toward Jews and why “antisemitism” should be retired as a term. Join us for this can’t-miss conversation.
Resources for combating antisemitism:
If you have experienced or witnessed an incident of antisemitism, bias, bigotry or hate, report it using the Anti-Defamation League’s incident form: https://www.adl.org/reportincident
Learn about CJP’s antisemitism initiative: https://www.cjp.org/antisemitism-initiative
Read this recent article co-authored by Rabbi Marc Baker of CJP, Jeremy Burton of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston and Robert Trestan of the ADL: https://jewishjournal.org/2021/07/29/this-is-a-critical-moment-for-our-jewish-community-what-can-we-do/
Produced by Miriam Anzovin and edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
As a Jewish podcast, it’s only natural we want to be BFFs with other Jewish podcasts. After all, we’re a small corner of the podcast universe, and us Jewish podcasters need to stick together!
On this episode, we welcome local rabbis Jen Gubitz and Jodie Gordon, co-hosts of the new podcast “OMfG: Jewish Wisdom for Unprecedented Times,” a project that came into being from text message exchanges of ideas, fears and humor during the darkest moments of the pandemic. Their new podcast—whose title means exactly what you think it does—is lovingly irreverent, rooting our human experiences today in the story of Jewish peoplehood throughout history.
Join us for hot Torah takes on subversive female characters, overthinking what we would have worn at Mount Sinai, the realization that the pit from “Parks and Recreation” is the best metaphor for life, celebrating Judaism in all of its beauty and weirdness, the importance of swearing for clergy and, why, if you happen to notice someone pushing a stroller in which there is a Torah scroll wearing a onesie, you should try not to stare.
Read “The Millennial Parsha: Balak” parody Torah mentioned by Miriam in the episode: www.jewishboston.com/read/the-mille…l-parsha-balak
Produced by Miriam Anzovin and edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
To say that we all collectively could use a laugh is a vast understatement. Luckily, rabbi, humorist, author, interfaith leader, academic, community activist and “disciple of joy” Reb Moshe Waldoks joins us to lift our spirits.
The author of the classic and comprehensive “The Big Book of Jewish Humor,” Reb Moshe takes The Vibe of the Tribe mic (and doesn’t let go) to share his story and philosophy.
Tune in and laugh along as he describes building a vibrant community at Temple Beth Zion in Brookline using the power of “Yom Kippur jokes” and meditation, his explanations of what is and is not “Jewish humor” and the importance of finding the joy—not just the oy—of Jewish life. You don’t want to miss this hilarious episode as Reb Moshe—and, to a lesser extent, Miriam and Dan— cover everything from Bernie Sanders mittens memes to inadvertent Talmud hilarity, plus a vociferous disagreement about the merits (or lack thereof) of Larry David.
Produced by Miriam Anzovin and edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
From the time she wrote her 2015 essay that went viral, “A Letter to My Son Jacob on His 5th Birthday,” Mimi Lemay became more than the mother of a young trans boy—she became an activist, fighting for his rights and thousands of others facing misunderstanding at best and outright harassment and discrimination at worst.
Her son Jacob, born “Em” (a pseudonym), knew before he was 3 that his birth gender didn’t match who he was. Through his transformation to his true self, he took a journey that was a reflection of Lemay’s—a woman raised in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community within a rigid framework of rules and roles defined by her gender.
In this moving episode, we talk to Lemay about her beautifully written memoir, “What We Will Become: A Mother, a Son, and a Journey of Transformation,” how trans visibility has changed since 2015 and how the fight for the rights of trans and nonbinary people has been central in her life. From the joy of seeing Jacob’s “gender euphoria” upon finally living as his true self to the pain of seeing discrimination of trans people leveraged for political gain across the country, Lemay talks about what she has learned in the past six years and what we can all do to help ensure every person is cherished.
Resources:
Find a local PFLAG chapter: https://pflag.org
Track anti-transgender legislation: https://freedomforallamericans.org/legislative-tracker/anti-transgender-legislation
Learn about gender fluidity in the Jewish tradition: https://www.keshetonline.org/resources/gender-fluidity-in-the-jewish-tradition
Produced by Miriam Anzovin and edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Did you know that much of Judaism’s calendar cycle, rituals and practices grew from ancient Israel’s agricultural rhythms? As Jews in New England, we can sometimes feel disconnected from those seasonal patterns (lookin’ at you, Tu BiShvat in January!). Luckily, Leora Mallach, co-founder and executive director of Beantown Jewish Gardens, is here to give us all the dirt on Judaism’s ecological backstory.
Beantown Jewish Gardens builds Jewish community through experiential education rooted in Jewish text, tradition and culture, breathing new life into Jewish practices by connecting Jews to the agricultural and food traditions of our people. Mallach joins Miriam and special guest co-host Jesse Ulrich of Pod4Good to discuss the work of this unique organization. Learn how Beantown Jewish Gardens launched its Jewish Volunteer Gardening Brigade during the pandemic, how Shabbat and sacred rest underpins Jewish environmentalism, the importance of sustainable farming and food justice, and how you can get involved right here in the Greater Boston Jewish community.
Jake Cohen loves food. We love food. And we love Jake Cohen. Hailed as “the creative, youthful future of Jewish food” by icon Joan Nathan, Cohen is known for, among many other things, his zesty Instagram presence and blending his Ashkenazi food heritage with his husband’s Persian Iraqi Jewish traditions.
The nice Jewish boy, culinary creative genius and New York Times bestselling author behind the new “Jew-ish: A Cookbook: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch” joins us to discuss the power of intergenerational cooking, discovering and reuniting the Jewish diaspora through food and how he and his husband are creating their own authentic Jewish experience.
Feeling hungry? Get an exclusive recipe for Cohen’s everything bagel galette at https://www.jewishboston.com/read/everything-bagel-galette.
Learn more about Cohen at https://www.wakeandjake.com.
Produced by Miriam Anzovin and edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
It has taken the Jewish communal world a long time to reckon with intermarriage. And the evolution of attitude—from gloom and doom to gradual, partial acceptance—has been decades in the making and is ongoing.
For generations, the health of the Jewish population in America was measured largely by one statistic—the percentage of Jews intermarrying. And it’s a number that has steadily increased since 1970. Yet one historian noted, “Statistical data inform us of structure, not content.” The “interfaith panic” led to a history of stigmatization and marginalization for interfaith couples based on fear of Jews disappearing, their offspring lost to intermarriage and spouses’ faiths and traditions.
Many people in interfaith relationships have stories to tell, including The Vibe of the Tribe co-host Dan, who has been in such a relationship for more than half his life and which, in recent years, has resulted in two Jewish children. From off-hand comments from other Jews at work or home to declarations from rabbis about how they would “never officiate” an interfaith marriage ceremony to relatives who have threatened to “never speak to” or “disown” children or grandchildren who intermarry, the bias is as real as it is hurtful. There are several problems with this mindset, in addition to the obvious. Interfaith Jews aren’t lost, but anecdotally speaking, they don’t respond well to being stigmatized.
Dr. Keren McGinity, the first interfaith specialist at the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, is here to change the long-held perceptions of intermarriage as a “threat” to Judaism. She is an educator-activist specializing in Jewish intermarriage and gender roles, teaches at Brandeis University and is the author of “Still Jewish: A History of Women and Intermarriage in America” and “Marrying Out: Jewish Men, Intermarriage, and Fatherhood.” Her website, https://loveandtradition.org, is dedicated to opening hearts and broadening minds about intermarriage to build a fully inclusive Jewish community.
In this episode, Dr. McGinity provides the historical and gender context of the intermarriage panic, offers tips on how to be an ally, discusses implications in Jewish law and completely flips the script on everything we’ve been led to believe about what “doing Jewish” really means.
Produced by Miriam Anzovin and edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
If you have yet to pick your jaw up from the floor after watching “Shtisel” Season 3, you’re not alone. Join a completely verklempt Miriam and Dan for a spoiler-filled recap with special guest Dr. Shayna Weiss, associate director of the Shusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University, and an expert in Israeli culture and entertainment (and definitive “Shtisel” authority!).
We deconstruct the entire season, from the shocking premiere plot twist a la “The Sixth Sense” to the emotional finale, examining the magical realism, romance, Yiddish, longing, loss, multiple Shiras, familial mishegas and the “fourth wall”-breaking in between. Don’t just “lie there like a dolphin!” Mix up a mocktail of soda with a little bit of Shabbat grape juice and tune in to this episode of The Vibe of the Tribe to learn everything about “Shtisel” Season 3.
Want to learn more about “Shtisel” from Dr. Weiss? Read “Shtisel’s Ghosts: The Politics of Yiddish in Israeli Popular Culture” (https://ingeveb.org/blog/shtisel-s-ghosts-the-politics-of-yiddish-in-israeli-popular-culture) and listen to “Jewish History Matters: Ultra-Orthodox Jews on Israeli TV with Shayna Weiss” (https://www.jewishhistory.fm/ultra-orthodox-jews-on-israeli-tv-with-shayna-weiss).
Further reading mentioned in the podcast:
“Conceiving Agency: Reproductive Authority among Haredi Women” by Michal S. Raucher: https://iupress.org/9780253050021/conceiving-agency
“Holocaust Memory in Ultraorthodox Society in Israel” by Michal Shaul: https://iupress.org/9780253050816/holocaust-memory-in-ultraorthodox-society-in-israel
Missed our recap of Seasons 1 and 2? Catch up here: https://www.jewishboston.com/read/the-vibe-of-the-tribe-podcast-episode-76-frum-here-to-eternity-watching-shtisel
Produced by Miriam Anzovin and edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
The list of great Jewish-themed horror films is woefully short. But there’s a new front-runner in this niche category—a legit horror film that is religiously accurate, sprinkled with Yiddish and leave-the-lights-on-don’t-watch-alone scary.
Meet “The Vigil.” Steeped in ancient Jewish lore and demonology, writer and director Keith Thomas’s debut feature film tells the story of a young man named Yakov (Dave Davis of “The Walking Dead” and “Logan”) who is persuaded to watch over the body of a deceased member of his former Orthodox community. As his night unfolds, Yakov finds himself trapped with a malevolent entity.
Thomas, Davis and co-star and associate producer Malky Goldman (“Unorthodox”) join an extremely hyped Miriam and Dan to discuss cinematic inspiration, the deeply authentic representation of ultra-Orthodox life and characters, how trauma and pain are reflected in the film and how “The Vigil” is charting new, very scary territory in Jewish cinema.
Please note: This episode contains adult language.
Find out how to watch “The Vigil” here: https://www.thevigil.movie/watch-at-home
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Special thanks to IFC Films and Tamar Simon from Mean Streets Management.
The JewishBoston crew observes a sacred Jewish tradition as old as, well, as old as 1998. To get in the Passover spirit, Miriam, Dan and Ashley, joined by former colleague and The Vibe of the Tribe founder Jesse Ulrich, rewatched the animated musical film “The Prince of Egypt.”
We discuss some very notable differences between the Torah text and the cinematic story, ask if everything really needs to be a musical montage and admit that the golden calf we worship is, in fact, Jeff Goldblum.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
If there was ever a time when comfort food was important, it’s right now, in the interminable miserable pandemic year. Luckily, chef Paula Shoyer, also known as “The Kosher Baker,” joins Ashley and Miriam on this episode to teach us how to “eat our feelings” in a nourishing way that connects us to each other and our culinary traditions—despite the distance.
Shoyer also shares what people have been craving most during the pandemic (hello, babka!), practical advice for both new and seasoned home cooks and how her latest release, “The Instant Pot Kosher Cookbook,” will save your sanity and revolutionize your kitchen.
Shoyer is the author of “The Healthy Jewish Kitchen,” “The Holiday Kosher Baker,” “The Kosher Baker,” “The New Passover Menu” and “The Instant Pot Kosher Cookbook.” She has a French pastry degree from Paris and does cooking events all around the world. A freelance writer, cookbook editor and influencer, she competed on Food Network's “Sweet Genius” and has appeared on TV over 45 times.
Find more information on Shoyer’s cookbooks, exclusive recipes and upcoming classes at https://thekosherbaker.com, and see what she’s whipping up on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kosherbaker.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
February is Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month, a unified effort among Jewish organizations worldwide to raise awareness and foster acceptance and inclusion of people with disabilities and mental health conditions and those who love them. To mark the month, The Vibe of the Tribe spoke with one of the most prominent leaders of the disability rights movement—Judy Heumann. If you’ve benefited from building ramps, extended time on tests or even standing desks, Heumann and her friends are the reason.
Heumann, who contracted polio at 18 months old, was denied her teaching license just because she was paralyzed. After suing the New York Board of Education, she, along with other advocates, launched a prolonged battle against discrimination ignored by institutions and government on every level, all of which saw access like building ramps as an expensive annoyance serving a few long-marginalized people. Exclusion was a de facto national policy.
Through protests, sit-ins and other non-violent actions, this team of young adults, along with their families, allies and partners, forced the federal government to hear their demands and to grant long-denied civil rights to people with disabilities. Their action led to the passage of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Heumann co-founded and worked at several nonprofits and advocacy groups, was appointed to positions in the Clinton and Obama administrations and served as the World Bank Group's first advisor on disability and development. Her book, “Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist,” was published last year, and her story is highlighted in the award-winning documentary “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution,” produced by former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
We were honored and humbled to welcome Heumann to The Vibe of the Tribe to discuss the power of community, her pivotal role in American history, her indelible mark on civil rights around the world and the work that’s left to do.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
In our recent episode “Heaven and Hell in Judaism” (jewishboston.com/the-vibe-of-the-tribe-podcast-heaven-and-hell-in-judaism), co-hosts Miriam and Dan dove into Jewish teachings about the afterlife with guest Rabbi Baruch HaLevi. That conversation led us to another question: If the soul endures, can we make contact with departed loved ones? And how might that fit into Jewish ideas about the journey of our souls through this world and “the world to come”?
So, we are happy to welcome Rabbi HaLevi back to the podcast, this time with his sister, Rebecca Rosen, a professional spiritual medium. Rosen views herself as an ambassador between “the spirit world and our day-to-day world.” For two decades, she’s been relaying messages from the dead to loved ones and others seeking to communicate with them and receive wisdom and healing. Rosen is the author of several best-selling books, including “Spirited: Unlock Your Psychic Self and Change Your Life,” “Awaken the Spirit Within: Ten Steps to Ignite Your Life & Fulfill Your Divine Purpose” and “What the Dead Have Taught Me About Living Well.” She recently launched her own podcast, Small Medium at Large, with the goal of empowering people to live with intention by reminding them that they are never alone, that they are divinely guided throughout their life journey.
Rabbi HaLevi is the former rabbi of Congregation Shirat Hayam in Swampscott. He’s the author of “Spark Seekers: Mourning With Meaning; Living With Light” and co-author of “Revolution of Jewish Spirit: How to Revive Ruakh in Your Spiritual Life, Transform Your Synagogue & Inspire Your Jewish Community.” He is also the co-founder and executive director of Soul Centered, a spiritual center for individuals seeking meaning, purpose and healing in midlife and beyond.
Join us for this wide-ranging discussion that touches on grief, doubt, faith, validation, hope and tikkun hanefesh (repairing the soul). We sweep back the veil on the paranormal, reincarnation and the soul’s journey.
Please note that this episode includes a brief mention of suicide that some may find upsetting. If you are struggling or need support, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
On Jan. 5, 2020, Miriam and Dan embarked on a seven-and-a-half-year journey simultaneously with tens of thousands of people across the world. Their collective quest? To participate in Daf Yomi (literally “daily page”), the ongoing daily sequential study of the Babylonian Talmud.
Does studying one page of Talmud each day seem easy to you? Pardon Miriam and Dan while they laugh and cry hysterically. The Talmud is a multi-generational codification of Judaism’s oral Torah, with crammed analysis, deep thought and frequent whiplash-inducing non-sequiturs from an enormous cast of rabbis discussing everything—and we do mean everything—of significance to Jews of the post-Temple era. It’s a window into the daily lives of our ancient ancestors in Judea, the Galilee and Babylonia.
With one year of Daf Yomi behind them, Miriam and Dan talk to two dynamic Talmud experts, Rabbi Avi Killip and Rabbi Avi Strausberg, both of Hadar. Tune in for a lively discussion that is—just like the Talmud—inspiring, fascinating, entertaining (just wait until you hear Rabbi Strausberg’s brilliant haikus!), deeply weird and even profoundly NSFW. (Really. Some passages of this episode are R-rated.)
If you’ve always wondered what the Talmud says, or perhaps are a Daf Yomi participant yourself, this is the episode for you!
Rabbi Avi Killip is Hadar’s vice president of strategy and programs. A graduate of Hebrew College Rabbinical School, Rabbi Killip also holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brandeis University. She was a Wexner Graduate Fellow and a Schusterman Fellow. Rabbi Killip teaches as part of Hadar’s faculty and is the host of Responsa Radio (https://www.hadar.org/torah-collection/responsa-radio).
Rabbi Avi Strausberg is director of national learning initiatives at Hadar. She received her rabbinic ordination from Hebrew College Rabbinical School, is a Wexner Graduate Fellow and holds a master’s degree in Jewish education. Rabbi Strausberg served as a rabbinic intern at Congregation Kehillath Israel and Temple Sinai in Brookline and also worked as a chaplain intern at Hebrew SeniorLife. Energized by engaging creatively with Jewish text, she has written several theater pieces inspired by the Torah and maintains a Daf Yomi haiku blog (https://inhaiku.wordpress.com), in which she writes daily Talmudic haikus.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Project Zug’s class on “Talmudic Personalities: Get to Know the Rabbis”: https://www.projectzug.org/course/3343/talmudic-personalities-get-know-rabbis
Hadar’s Virtual Beit Midrash winter programming: https://www.hadar.org/virtual-beit-midrash
Rabbi Killip’s “Siyyum on Massekhet Eruvin” (“Expanding the Boundaries of Home”): https://www.hadar.org/torah-resource/expanding-boundaries-home
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Nearly 320,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. It’s a number that can be difficult to wrap one’s head around. Imagine losing half of Boston’s population, or every resident of Pittsburgh. These statistics can inform us of the scope—but they cannot convey the cost.
Among those we’ve lost are loving parents, children, friends, colleagues and neighbors; teachers who inspired their students; health care workers who exhausted themselves to save others from the virus before contracting it themselves; grandparents and community leaders who died alone; adored siblings taking their last breaths as some of their family members said goodbye over FaceTime.
Yet, as the death toll increases, so too does the numbness to the enormity of the pandemic. Reeling from the daily reports of new cases and deaths, Boston-based Alex Goldstein wanted to find a way to honor and memorialize those lost. The victims are, in his eyes, “more than a statistic,” so he created the FacesofCOVID Twitter account (https://twitter.com/facesofCOVID) to remember them as unique people, with names, photos and news reports.
In this episode, Goldstein discusses his mission nine months into the pandemic, the responses he’s received from the friends and families of the people whose stories have been shared, the role misinformation and divisive politics have played in the coronavirus death rate in America, and how his efforts and commitment to honor the dead will continue.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Have you ever found yourself in that conversation? The one where someone mentions something about death, and someone else chimes in with, “Jews don’t believe in an afterlife!”
Some of us have definitely experienced that conversation, especially after the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (z”l). As messages about the Jewish icon being reunited with her husband and other departed heroes were casually tossed around on social media, some well-meaning folks clapped back: “That’s offensive! Jews don’t believe that!”
What if we told you that Judaism has plenty to say about the afterlife? And yes, Judaism has detailed descriptions of both heaven and—you guessed it—hell.
Our article, “Do Jews Believe in Hell?” by Rabbi Dr. Baruch HaLevi (https://www.jewishboston.com/ive-always-read-that-jews-dont-believe-in-the-concept-of-hell-is-that-true/), has been read almost a half-million times and continues to be the most popular piece of content on the site.
Rabbi HaLevi joins Dan and Miriam to revisit his article and discuss why people are so intrigued—and confused—about Judaism’s teachings on life after death.
Tune in to learn all about the soul’s journey through Gehenna (the “way station” hell in Judaism), the rewards of olam habah (“the world to come”), reincarnation, resurrection, communicating with the dead and more.
Rabbi HaLevi is the former rabbi of Congregation Shirat Hayam in Swampscott. He’s the author of “Spark Seekers: Mourning With Meaning; Living With Light” and co-author of “Revolution of Jewish Spirit: How to Revive Ruakh in Your Spiritual Life, Transform Your Synagogue & Inspire Your Jewish Community.” He is also the co-founder and executive director of Soul Centered, a spiritual center for individuals seeking meaning, purpose and healing in midlife and beyond.
Further reading mentioned in this episode:
“Does the Soul Survive? A Jewish Journey to Belief in Afterlife, Past Lives & Living with Purpose” by Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz: https://www.amazon.com/Does-Soul-Survive-2nd-Afterlife/dp/1580238181 “Spirited: Unlock Your Psychic Self and Change Your Life” by Rebecca Rosen: https://www.amazon.com/Spirited-Unlock-Your-Psychic-Change/dp/0061766259 “Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion” by Joshua Trachtenberg: https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Magic-Superstition-Study-Religion/dp/161427407X/ MaNishtana’s Twitter thread about the seven realms of heaven and hell: https://twitter.com/MaNishtana/status/1308226126339346433
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, people all over the world have been sleeping and dreaming differently. Including us. This is one reason it was the perfect time for The Vibe of the Tribe team to publish a podcast episode exploring something we’re all fascinated by: dreams.
Venture into the realm of dreams with Miriam, Dan, Ashley and expert dream-worker Linda Yael Schiller, MSW, LICSW, author of “Modern Dreamwork: New Tools for Decoding Your Soul’s Wisdom.” Schiller shares the transformational, multi-layered system of interpreting dreams she developed based on scripture study. We also discuss the importance of dreaming, its role in Jewish text and mysticism, where our souls go when we fall asleep and how to protect against and process nightmares.
If you’ve ever woken up from a dream unsure of what it meant or even what you experienced, this episode is for you!
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
This Halloween, get spooked by monsters of Jewish lore as occult expert Peter Bebergal returns to The Vibe of the Tribe, escorting Miriam, Dan and Ashley on their ongoing quest into the Jewish supernatural world.
Discover your new favorite monster in Jewish tradition, what the Talmud recommends doing if you suspect you’re infested by demons and how Solomon, King of Israel, and Ashmodai, King of Demons, became frenemies with the help of a magic worm. And, wait, does Lilith really sell cursed wedding dresses on Craigslist?!
In addition to being our “Dante’s Inferno” Virgil-esque guide to the underworld and a three-time podcast guest (check out previous episodes here and here), Bebergal is the author of “Strange Frequencies: The Extraordinary Story of the Technological Quest for the Supernatural,” “Season of the Witch: How the Occult Saved Rock and Roll” and “Too Much to Dream: A Psychedelic American Boyhood.” He’s also the editor of the upcoming anthology “Appendix N: The Eldritch Roots of Dungeons and Dragons.”
AppleTV+ knows how to make a beautiful thriller, no question. But have they made a good one that lives up to the hype? We take a deep dive into Iranian-Israeli espionage—as imagined by Moshe Zonder of the smash hit “Fauda”—and see just how binge-able this new, visually stunning 4K series is.
“Tehran” follows Tamar, a female Mossad agent (played by Niv Sultan) who gets trapped in Iran during a mission gone wrong. Join The Vibe of the Tribe pod squad, with guest Jesse Ulrich, producer and co-host of Pod4Good, as we ask the most vital questions about the latest Israeli TV show to enter the zeitgeist: On a scale of Maxwell Smart from “Get Smart” to Sydney Bristow from “Alias,” how skilled is our protagonist in spy craft? Can “Tehran” build on the legacy of the "Fauda" effect? How does the show represent the history of Iranian Jews? Are we hooked enough to watch the rest of the season? Tune in for our not-so-undercover hot takes!
This episode contains spoilers and adult language.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
For many of us, Yom Kippur is the most significant and profound holiday in the Jewish calendar year. It’s 25 hours of prayer, fasting and afflictions of the self to better focus on apologizing and repenting for sins against each other and God.
This festival of forgiveness (hopefully, anyway!) has been observed for thousands of years, but what’s the origin story of this most important day? How did the wilderness of the biblical desert shape the Jews as a people? How has history shaped how Yom Kippur evolved to its present incarnation? And what, or who, is Azazel?
Join Miriam and Dan as they explore all these questions and more with guest expert Hannah Kearney.
Kearney is pursuing her master’s degree in Jewish educational leadership through Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion and is the director of Havayah, the teen community at Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley. You can tune in to her podcast-style recordings with Rabbi Alan Ullman, called “Text Messages,” at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/text-messages/id1510882131.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Water has always been an essential part of Jewish ritual for marking a life change, a rite of passage or a new beginning. Immersing in a mikveh, or ritual immersion pool, is one of the oldest Jewish practices—one often done right before Rosh Hashanah.
Mayyim Hayyim (which means “living waters”) is a Greater Boston mikveh rooted in ancient tradition and reinvented for the 21st century to serve the Jewish community of today. Join hosts Miriam and Dan as they wade further into understanding this Jewish ritual with three experts from Mayyim Hayyim: Carrie Bornstein, executive director of Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters Community Mikveh and Paula Brody & Family Education Center, Jessica Rosenberg, director of Rising Tide Open Waters Mikveh Network, and rabbinic intern Amalia Mark.
If you're familiar with the mikveh or only learned about it recently from watching Netflix’s "Unorthodox," this episode is for you! Tune in as we dive into the unique challenges Mayyim Hayyim has faced during COVID-19, the creative process of developing new rituals for new challenges, and debunking myths and misunderstandings about the mikveh.
Learn more at https://www.mayyimhayyim.org.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
The traditional Jewish deli, once ubiquitous, has since become a rare treat.
In New York City in the 1930s, there were over 1,500 Jewish delis. Today, that number has dwindled to around a dozen. Although new deli-inspired restaurants and shops have popped up, adding modern flair and twists on classics, the traditional delis that remain are treasured by loyal customers for both their nostalgia and delicious food.
Greater Boston is lucky to still have a handful of traditional Jewish delis, pickle- and rye-scented, with all the knishes you can eat (and, of course, the perfect mustard on the side).
In honor of National Deli Month (yes, it’s a thing!), we spoke with local restaurateur Steven Peljovich, owner of Michael’s Deli in Brookline, about the comfort that beloved beige and brown food provides, how he keeps old-school deli tradition thriving and why he’s considered “The Corned Beef King.”
Learn more at https://michaelsdelibrookline.com.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
In every generation, there comes a film that redefines how American Jews see themselves.
“An American Pickle” is not that movie.
But it is a fun, time-traveling romp starring Seth Rogen. Rogen shines as Herschel, a Jewish immigrant spared from the pogroms of Eastern Europe, only to arrive in America and promptly fall into a pickle vat for 100 years. Upon waking up in the 21st century, Herschel is united with his only living descendant, his great-grandson, Ben (also played by Rogen). Ben, an app-developing dreamer, can’t seem to get it together, much to hard-working Herschel’s frustration. It goes without saying that unorthodox hijinks ensue.
Join The Vibe of the Tribe crew Miriam, Dan and Ashley, along with our podcast founder Jesse, as we dive into the briny depths of HBO Max’s “An American Pickle” to discuss immigration and assimilation, cancel culture, the controversy surrounding the film’s star and how much we all hate Cossacks. Will we give this movie 10 out of 10 pickles? Tune in to find out!
This episode contains spoilers and adult language.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
TribeHerald—a new media site geared toward centering the experiences of Jews of color—was launched last month by activist, entrepreneur and musical artist Yitz Jordan (also known as Y-Love) and his co-founder, Rabbi Shais Rishon (also known as MaNishtana).
Jordan joins us to discuss how this site and media company came to be, the importance of Jewish diversity and inclusion, and how we can all apply the framework of “ahavas Yisroel,” loving one’s fellow Jew.
From highlighting the voices of Native American Jews to sharing guidelines on how to be an anti-racist Jewish parent, TribeHerald brings authentic and necessary perspectives to the American Jewish media landscape.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Learn more: https://tribeherald.com https://tribeherald.org https://twitter.com/ylove
Bread is, arguably, the official food of the COVID-19 pandemic. And, without a doubt, challah is the official bread of the Jewish people for the last 4,000 years or so. It seems that the longer we’re staying at home, the more people are making challah, with varying degrees of success.
We found a challah expert right here in Greater Boston: Mandy Silverman of Mandylicious Challah is pushing the braided loaf in entirely new directions, constantly adding shapes, fillings, toppings and colors that offer new twists on an ancient culinary tradition.
The Sharon native and self-described “carbologist” joins us to discuss how she thought “inside the braid” to launch her business and an Instagram community of over 25,000 aspiring challah bakers.
Follow Silverman and her magical challah and babka creations on Instagram at instagram.com/mandyliciouschallah.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
We know we say it all the time, but this really is a very special episode. And no, it’s not hyperbole: This is our 100th episode of The Vibe of the Tribe!
We’re excited to celebrate with an interview with Josh Gondelman (www.joshgondelman.com), an award-winning television writer, comedian, author and podcast host—and a mensch after our own hearts.
A Stoneham native and Brandeis University alum, Gondelman is a writer for Showtime’s late-night hit “Desus & Mero.” He has also won several awards, including four Emmys, for his work on “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.” He hosts his own podcast called “Make My Day,” is a regular panelist on NPR’s “Wait Wait...Don’t Tell Me!,” penned two books and so much more.
Our wide-ranging conversation includes Gondelman’s childhood in the Boston ‘burbs, his undying love for The Beastie Boys, behind-the-scenes moments from his shows and how to stay positive during apocalyptic times.
This milestone episode—coming at a difficult time for our country and our communities—managed to lift us up and give us some much-needed laughs. We hope it does the same for you!
Here’s to our next 100 episodes!
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Join Miriam, Dan, Kali and Ashley as we talk about Season 3 of the thrilling Netflix series “Fauda.” If you want something to binge to get your mind off the stress of quarantine by stressing out in completely different ways, “Fauda” is the show to watch! (Listen to our recap of the first two seasons here.)
Tune in as we dissect the nerve-wracking plot lines, discuss the characters’ evolutions and share our frustrations and hopes for this fan-favorite Israeli series.
Please note: This episode contains spoilers and some adult language.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Hit shows with Jewish themes or Israeli casts are certainly nothing new for Netflix. But perhaps none have been as controversial and widely discussed as “Unorthodox,” a four-episode series based on the memoir of a woman who left a large Satmar Orthodox community in Brooklyn.
Some see the show as an entertaining and fascinating look at a community many of us know little about. Others say it’s an inaccurate and even dangerous simplification of a complex group, sensationalizing and “othering” Satmar Chassidic Jews without the context necessary to understand their way of life.
And that’s just what the hosts of this podcast say! Dozens of articles and webinars have featured debates over the virtues of the show. But we thought it was time for a fact-check from the experts—two women who have personal experience with Chassidic Judaism: Layah Kranz Lipsker, a Chassidic educator in Boston, and Miriam Anzovin, The Vibe of the Tribe co-host and former Orthodox Jew.
Tune in as they discuss the wigs, hats, Brooklyn and Berlin plot lines, the real challenges of leaving Orthodoxy and answer burning questions from show viewers.
There was a time when interacting with parents, grandparents or friends was as regular as a weekly trip to a grocery store or restaurant. But these are different times, and nothing is normal anymore, including our ability to be with many of the people we love, particularly those who face the possibility of severe complications from the coronavirus.
Showing respect to the elders in our community is an incredibly important value in Judaism. The Torah says, “You should rise before the elderly and honor the aged." But now, because of social distancing, interacting with and honoring our elders looks quite different from what we’re used to.
For some families, that means weekly baking for their grandparents or showing them how to order groceries online. For others, heartbreakingly, it means recording an audio track of family voices so hospitalized elders are virtually “surrounded” by their loved ones.
On this episode, you’ll hear from expert guests Kara Baskin, JewishBoston.com’s parenting writer and a feature writer for The Boston Globe, and Karen Wasserman, founding director of Your Elder Experts, a program of Jewish Family & Children’s Service. They offer insights as well as practical advice and innovative ideas to stay in touch with older people in your life.
Find more coronavirus community resources at JewishBoston.com/coronavirus.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
The coronavirus has triggered an unprecedented wave of changes to day-to-day life in Greater Boston and beyond.
But existing in a state of crisis is nothing new to the Jewish people. History can be our guide during difficult times. What does the past tell us about how we will emerge from the era of COVID-19? How might Jewish life, including how we gather and how we learn, change after this extended period of radical social distancing and economic turmoil?
Listen to our timely conversation with two experts: Dr. Jonathan Sarna, a historian, author and Brandeis professor who provides the context of the time we’re in, and Rabbi Marc Baker, president and CEO of CJP, a large Jewish organization at the forefront of responding to a community in crisis.
Find coronavirus community resources at JewishBoston.com/coronavirus.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Israel “Izzy” Arbeiter was only 14 when he was imprisoned by the Nazis. Originally from Płock, Poland, Izzy survived six concentration camps before being liberated on his 20th birthday in 1945.
We sat down with Izzy and his wife, Anna Arbeiter (also a Holocaust survivor), in early March to hear his story of survival, loss, love, resilience and strength. After sharing his testimony, Izzy answers some of our questions, with occasional commentary from Anna and their daughter, Fran Rotman.
One more thing: We would like to help Izzy solve a 75-year-old mystery—the identity of a U.S. Army major or colonel stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, immediately after the war. This officer, who was Jewish, obtained papers from Gen. Eisenhower that allowed Izzy free passage and shelter to find Anna and his brother Aaron. He has always wanted to thank the officer—whose name he never asked for—and we want to try to help connect him with this man or his relatives. If you have any information, please email podcast@JewishBoston.com.
Watch our video with Izzy at jewishboston.com/the-izzy-arbeiter-story.
Edited by Tyler M. Andrews: https://tylermandrews.myportfolio.com
With music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
The coronavirus pandemic has altered life in profound ways for all of us. But perhaps it is most acutely felt in communities housing the elderly. For these high-risk adults, visits with family and friends are no longer an option, and casual afternoon Zoom calls are not always possible.
With Passover approaching, many Jewish seniors face a year unlike any other. The seder calls us together, yet this year, for many, it’s simply not feasible.
On this episode, we talk with Rabbi Marc Baker, president and CEO of CJP, and Amy Schectman, president and CEO of 2Life Communities, which helps seniors age affordably and live well. They discuss how their organizations are responding to the coronavirus crisis, the importance of connection and community, and what gives them hope in the days leading up to Passover.
Want to help?
Support the CJP Coronavirus Emergency Fund here: jewishboston.com/cjp-coronavirus-emergency-fund
Support the 2Life Communities Response & Readiness Fund here: 2lifecommunities.org/covid19
For volunteer opportunities, email volunteer@2lifecommunities.org.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
A Christian teen, Muslim teen and Jewish teen walk into a recording studio...
Join us for a conversation with local teens Isabel, Reynad and Shalev as they discuss their year-round efforts building bridges between people and working for social justice.
The organization that brought them together, Kids4Peace, trains and inspires Muslim, Christian and Jewish youth from seventh through 12th grades to become peace leaders.
Sindy Wayne, executive director of Kids4Peace Boston, also provides an overview of the organization.
In our current time of uncertainty, we hope this podcast (recorded before the coronavirus) brings levity and inspiration.
Find more information about Kids4Peace Boston, including its school-year programming and middle school peace leader summer camp, on their website (http://kids4peaceboston.org) and Facebook page (facebook.com/kids4peaceboston). To learn more about Kids4Peace in other cities, visit the Kids4Peace website (https://k4p.org) and Facebook page (facebook.com/Kids4Peace).
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
If modern Judaism had an opening for a speechwriter, The Vibe of the Tribe would enthusiastically recommend Sarah Hurwitz.
A senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama and head speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama, her recently published book, “Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life – in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There),” is arguably the best work on Judaism in recent memory.
In 300 highly engaging pages, Hurwitz gives us a thorough look at Jewish tradition, prayer, ritual and even notions of the Divine, all while revealing what reconnecting with Judaism has meant to her.
In our timely conversation, Hurwitz discusses how Judaism can help provide guidance and connection—virtually, as necessary—through the coronavirus pandemic.
Learn more at sarahhurwitz.net.
For more coronavirus community resources, visit JewishBoston.com/coronavirus.
Journalist, researcher, explorer, author and…memory champion? Joshua Foer has seemingly done it all!
Whether it’s co-creating a site digitizing thousands of years—and pages—of Jewish text, exploring some of the most fascinating and least-known places on the planet or entering the U.S. Memory Championship and accidentally winning the title, Foer’s broad array of expertise makes him a must-listen.
In this episode, we discuss how Sefaria, the website he co-founded, has contributed to democratizing Jewish learning, as well as his tips for the strangest destinations on earth through Atlas Obscura. And, of course, how you can build your own “memory palace” to recall vast amounts of information.
Find more information:
https://twitter.com/joshuafoer https://www.sefaria.org https://www.atlasobscura.com
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
When Vincent Petryk opened J.P. Licks in 1981, he wanted to make people happy through the power and comfort of ice cream. Today, the award-winning ice cream shop has 17 locations in and around Greater Boston, all of which are certified kosher.
Petryk, who is not Jewish, has made it his mission to connect with the people who live in the eclectic neighborhoods that house his stores. From experimenting with pad thai ice cream to offering home-roasted coffee grounds for composting to donating thousands of dollars to countless charities, J.P. Licks continues to support the community.
Petryk was joined by Adele Traub, J.P. Licks’s marketing manager, to discuss their new hamantaschen, catering to the tastes of Boston’s ethnically diverse community, their mutual love of kugel and, of course, ice cream.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
For our third-ever live podcast, we went big—a big crowd and a big-time Hollywood celebrity.
A live audience of more than 450 people joined hosts Miriam and Dan at CJP’s annual Chai in the Hub celebration as they interviewed Alicia Silverstone, “Clueless” star, animal rights activist, author and entrepreneur.
In between her appearances at New York Fashion Week and the Oscars, Silverstone shared her views on Jewish values and parenting, kindness on a global scale, the importance of plant-based diets and the healing power of food.
Learn more about Chai in the Hub at cjp.org/chai-in-the-hub-2020.
Learn more about Silverstone at thekindlife.com.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Warning: This episode will make you hungry! JewishBoston, Jewish Arts Collaborative and four celebrated Boston chefs teamed up for a live podcast recording about the history and evolution of Israeli food.
Live from a packed but cozy Mamaleh’s Delicatessen after hours comes a fascinating discussion about the creation of Taste of Israel Restaurant Week, how raisins do not belong in kugel (prove us wrong!), exciting food trends from Israel and the secret to baking Israel-level pita in Greater Boston.
Featuring:
Michael Leviton, eight-time James Beard Foundation Award nominee, chair of Taste of Israel Restaurant Week and co-founder of Craigie Burger Rachel Sundet, owner and pastry chef at Mamaleh’s Delicatessen Avi Shemtov, owner and chef at The Chubby Chickpea and Simcha Ilan Barniv, owner and chef at BONAPITA Mediterranean Bakery & Grill
This live recording was part of Taste of Israel Restaurant Week 2020.
See photos from the event here: http://bit.ly/2Of5mr7
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Lior Lev Sercarz is a chef, author, IDF veteran and royalty, of a sort. Well, at least he’s titled that way. With a globally acclaimed expertise in creating incredible flavors, Sercarz has become known as “The Spice King of New York,” no easy feat in one of the world’s top food cities.
At his store, La Boîte, Sercarz and his team create hundreds of spice blends used in kitchens ranging from Michelin-starred restaurants to that apartment down the hall that always smells amazing.
We caught up with Sercarz to discuss his new venture, the Galilee Culinary Institute by the Jewish National Fund; his new cookbook, “Mastering Spice: Recipes and Techniques to Transform Your Everyday Cooking”; and how he keeps the spice throne through mind-blowing flavor combinations.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
This episode is deeply personal and touches upon an experience that many people have dealt with: divorce.
Join Miriam Anzovin and Kali Foxman as they share their own experiences of getting divorced in the Jewish tradition. With the help of two experts, they demystify the Jewish divorce process, including the get (Jewish divorce document), and what it means as a woman to receive one—or not—both in the United States and in Israel.
Our guests on this episode are Layah Lipsker, a Jewish educator and director of the Boston Agunah Taskforce, which is devoted to research, education and advocacy for fairness in the Jewish divorce process, and Dr. Susan Weiss, founder of the Center for Women’s Justice, which is leading the legal battle for women’s equality, dignity and justice under Jewish law in Israel.
Resources mentioned in this podcast:
In need of help and resources in Boston? The Boston Agunah Task Force can help (brandeis.edu/hbi/research-projects/gcrl/boston-agunah-taskforce/help.html). To learn more about the get process and send your questions to a consultant, visit getyourget.com. Find information for divorcing couples and their attorneys at getyourget.com/home-2. To learn more about the halachic prenuptial agreement and download the Center for Women’s Justice “Agreement for a Just and Fair Marriage,” visit cwj.org.il/en/568.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Join Dan and Miriam as they speak with the inspiring Rabbi Susan Abramson of Temple Shalom Emeth in Burlington. Abramson—the longest-serving female rabbi in Massachusetts—is co-founder of Burlington Area Clergy for Justice, an interfaith group of clergy and supporters who stand for immigrant rights and protest a local ICE facility each month.
Abramson also hosts “Spiritually Speaking,” a YouTube series in which she highlights the faith traditions and houses of worship in and around Burlington. She is also the author of the “Rabbi Rocketpower” series of Jewish children’s books.
Tune in to hear about the importance of learning about different faith traditions and why taking action is the best way to protect your mental and emotional health when it sometimes feels like the world is going to hell in a hand-basket.
Learn more: https://shalom-emeth.org/category/cbe/about-us/our-clergy https://www.facebook.com/groups/BAC4J https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbv7N6fny5oJJHftEa_Sngw http://www.rabbirocketpower.com
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Cooking a brisket in under two hours is nothing compared to an eight-hour TV binge! Are you verklempt over the new season of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”? The Vibe of the Tribe gets you more than Lenny Bruce gets Midge. We watched Season 3 as quickly as we could to give you our takes on the most popular fictitious Jewish comedienne of mid-century America.
Are Midge and Joel going to be a thing again? Can Susie manage the unmanageable Sophie Lennon? How crazy will the Maisels drive the Weissmans this season? Will anyone notice those children? Ever?!
Tune in for our spoiler-laden conversation about the occasionally marvelous but usually meshuggah Mrs. Maisel!
Find more related content at jewishboston.com/package/the-marvelous-mrs-maisel.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Rachael Cerrotti had a close relationship with her grandmother, Hana. She knew Hana was a Holocaust survivor who evaded Nazi capture numerous times, and she savored her time with the family matriarch, hearing her tell stories about her past and reading her writing.
After Hana’s death in 2010, Rachael began to explore her story in more depth. She decided to take an incredible journey in which she followed her grandmother’s footsteps more than 70 years later, connecting with descendants of families that saved Hana’s life in Denmark and Sweden.
Throughout her travels, Rachael used her camera, podcasting equipment and journals to capture the story she tells on the multimedia website “We Share the Same Sky,” presented by USC Shoah Foundation. At its center is a riveting and moving seven-episode podcast series—the first produced by the foundation—that brings the past into the present through Rachael’s decade-long journey to retrace her grandmother’s story of survival. The episodes use history and current events to help listeners grasp themes, including discrimination and dehumanization, the impact of physical and metaphorical walls, and how to find hope and redemption in tragic circumstances.
On this episode of The Vibe of the Tribe, Rachael joins Dan and Miriam to talk about her unique project, how she reimagined the ways in which testimony can be used to tell stories and how “We Share the Same Sky” offers a compelling tool for Holocaust educators.
“We Share the Same Sky is produced by Rachael Cerrotti and co-produced by Erika Lantz. You can find the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play and other podcast apps. Learn more at http://sharethesamesky.com.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Spread among the nearly 150,000 square miles of pastures, snow-capped mountains and lakes of Montana is a small Jewish community. Rabbi Chaim Bruk—of the Chabad Lubavitch movement—relocated from Brooklyn with his wife, Chavie, and their adopted children with the ambitious goal of affixing a mezuzah to the door of every Jew in the Big Sky state.
Bruk’s endeavor drew the attention of two Boston-area filmmakers, Amy Geller and Gerald Peary, who followed him on his journey and discovered a story much larger and more complex than just the tale of a man doing a mitzvah. Their new documentary film, “The Rabbi Goes West,” will premiere in New England at the Boston Jewish Film Festival on Sunday, Nov. 17. The film is a thoughtful, compelling look at the joys and challenges of Jewish life in rural America.
Amy and Gerald join us on this episode to talk interdenominational cooperation and competition, growing anti-Semitism, the Jews of Whitefish (yes, that’s a real place!) and the resilient Jewish community they found in Montana.
Learn more about the film: https://www.therabbigoeswest.com
Buy tickets to the New England premiere: http://bit.ly/32jJLSD
This Halloween, we’re resurrecting the (Jewish) history of the undead: ghosts, vampires, zombies and demons. Occult expert Peter Bebergal returns to discuss hauntings, warding off spirits and practical advice for those in the midst of a demonic possession. Plus, Peter tells Miriam, Dan and Ashley a ghost story that will forever change the way you think about geese. If demons are interrupting your private cemetery conversations with ghosts, this episode is for you.
Peter Bebergal is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School and the author of “Season of the Witch: How the Occult Saved Rock and Roll,” “Too Much to Dream: A Psychedelic American Boyhood” and “Strange Frequencies: The Extraordinary Story of the Technological Quest for the Supernatural.”
Have comments or ideas for us? Email podcast@jewishboston.com.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
For the first time in modern history, cannabis in its many forms is not only available and accessible, it’s legal in many states, including Massachusetts.
What does this brave new world mean for the Jews? It’s high time we asked some blunt questions about Jews and cannabis, from Tanach to tetrahydrocannabinol.
The Vibe of the Tribe team consulted an expert on this burning issue: Rabbi Dr. Baruch HaLevi (aka Rabbi B) is a serial “cannapreneur” (cannabis entrepreneur)—in 2014 he co-founded Green Partners Investments, establishing Sira Naturals, one of the state's largest cannabis cultivation facilities and dispensaries, then in 2015 co-founded Vitruvian Research, an Israel-based cannabis research company. Today he is the director of corporate social responsibility for ONE Cannabis Group.
Tune in to hear Rabbi B discuss Israel’s global leadership in medicinal cannabis research, how cannabis is viewed in the Torah, Talmud and Jewish tradition, and how this growing industry can follow ethical guidelines to support social justice initiatives.
Find more information here: https://www.rabbib.com https://www.jewishboston.com/am-yisrael-high-cannabis-in-jewish-tradition
Have comments or ideas for us? Email podcast@jewishboston.com.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
The Vibe of the Tribe crew binged the new six-part series “The Spy,” starring Sacha Baron Cohen as real-life Israeli spy Eli Cohen. The Netflix limited series—which we highly recommend—focuses on how Cohen, an Israeli Jew of Egyptian descent, managed to infiltrate the highest echelons of Syrian society in the 1960s and provide valuable intel to Israel.
As you can imagine, hosts Miriam and Dan, plus special guest Kali, have some thoughts. Shaking off troubling “Borat” flashbacks, the team discusses training montages, spy craft in the ‘60s, the strategic importance of the Golan Heights, Sacha Baron Cohen’s remarkable mustache and the recurring symbolism of bread and butter.
Join us for this nearly spoiler-free review. (It’s based on a true story, after all!)
Have comments or ideas for us? Email podcast@jewishboston.com.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Twenty years ago, when David Chevan, raised in a Conservative Jewish household, met Warren Byrd, an African American pianist who grew up singing in a church choir, they had an idea: to fuse the music of their two musical and cultural heritages into something completely new.
The result, The Afro-Semitic Experience, is a sophisticated musical mash-up of styles and influences, from fresh takes on Jewish liturgical music to funk, jazz and gospel. In their words, “It’s Charles Mingus sitting in with a klezmer band.” Throughout this episode, you’ll hear highlights of their work—featured songs include “Adon Olam,” “Shout Out From The Mountain,” “The Road That Heals The Splintered Soul,” “Fon Der Khupe,” “The Creator Has a Master Plan” and “We’ll Understand It Better By and By.”
It’s more than music, however. For Chevan and Byrd, The Afro-Semitic Experience is an experiment in bringing people together. On Sept. 15, the band will perform at the JCC of the North Shore in Marblehead. To get us ready for the “experience,” they spoke with us about their long-term collaboration, wide array of musical influences and how the creative approach of iconic filmmaker Akira Kurosawa shapes how they view their process.
Get tickets to their Boston concert at jewishboston.com/events/concert-on-the-hill, and learn more at https://afrosemiticexperience.net.
Have comments or ideas for us? Email podcast@jewishboston.com.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Becoming a parent changes you. It upends your schedule, interests and priorities, and seriously infringes on increasingly scant sleep opportunities. Kids are unpredictable masters of manipulating their parents and seem to know instinctively how to push their buttons. The mitzvah of “honoring thy parents” is, admittedly, kind of a complex one to grasp at a young age. The result is that parents can get majorly stressed out and lose their sh*t sometimes.
But there’s hope! On this episode we’re joined by Carla Naumburg, Ph.D., a writer, speaker, clinical social worker, mom and author of the brilliant new book “How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t With Your Kids: A Practical Guide to Becoming a Calmer, Happier Parent.” Naumburg’s funny, authentic approach is the antidote to the stress of parenting—she’ll help you maintain your sanity and stop meltdowns before they start.
Please note: This episode contains some adult language. (No sh*t!)
Find more information about Naumburg and her book at www.carlanaumburg.com.
Have comments or ideas for us? Email podcast@jewishboston.com.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
“Shtisel” has none of the trappings of a hit TV show. It’s a slow-moving, small-budget, often melancholy exploration of the lives of an ultra-religious Haredi family, tackling themes like death and grief, marital strife, child marriage, artistic struggles and…kugel. Surprisingly, the show has become a global phenomenon, despite lacking the more common Israeli television themes of political conflict, terrorism or PTSD.
In two seasons, the show won a slew of Ophirs—the Israeli Emmys—including for best drama and for best actor, best directing and best script in a drama series, and was recently renewed for a third season. While the show, produced by the Yes network in Israel, has been streaming worldwide on Netflix since last December, The Vibe of the Tribe team finally finished the first two seasons ourselves.
Tune in as Miriam and Dan, along with JewishBoston colleagues Kali and Ashley, review, rehash and emotionally process our epic “Shtisel” binge.
Nearly four years and 20,000 streams after JewishBoston.com launched The Vibe of the Tribe, we’re celebrating our milestone 75th episode!
Join JewishBoston director Kali Foxman as she flips the script and turns the questions on co-hosts Miriam Anzovin and Dan Seligson. Miriam and Dan discuss everything from their personal Jewish journeys to favorite episodes of the podcast and guests that have influenced them the most. There’s also a fun and illuminating speed round, plus a blooper reel! (With, um, kind of a lot of F-bombs. Dan just can’t help himself, apparently.)
Have comments or ideas for us? Email podcast@jewishboston.com.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Find all podcast episodes at https://www.jewishboston.com/podcast.
Israel. Election. Those two words on their own can induce panic attacks among certain segments of the population. Put ‘em together and they trigger a veritable onslaught of political thoughts, feelings and emotions.
Now picture yourself as an Israeli. (Or, if you are one, go to a nearby mirror.) Imagine having a high-stress, hotly contested national election after a particularly brutal campaign. Throw in allegations of voter intimidation, a legal dark cloud over the country’s prime minister and a glaring international spotlight.
Freaked out yet? Yeah, we thought so. With one election just barely over, another is set for September. That’s right—Israel is going to have a second national election. Why is this happening, what’s at stake and what might happen during Israel’s election re-do?
We turned to the experts for help. Rachel Fish, senior advisor and resident scholar of Jewish and Israel philanthropy at the Paul E. Singer Foundation, and Yehudah Mirsky, professor of Near Eastern and Judaic studies and a faculty member of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University, offer their analyses, observations and hot takes on the myriad factors that got us here. Plus, they thoughtfully suggest why Americans, and American Jews in particular, should care.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Television! You love it, we love it. We especially love if it’s Israeli and, even better, if it stars Michael Aloni. Open Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO, Showtime or Hulu and you can find a plethora of great Israeli shows like “Fauda,” “When Heroes Fly” and “Shtisel,” or American adaptations of Israeli shows including “Homeland” and “In Treatment.”
If, like us, you’re a non-casual viewer of Israeli TV in the United States, it all seems to be happening so fast, and with so many quality choices. What’s behind the abundance of ridiculously good television emerging from the Holy Land?
In this episode, Miriam and Dan sit down with Israeli pop culture expert Shayna Weiss from the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University. They chat about the history and impact of the Israeli television industry in today’s binge-focused world, and how TV can help us gain a greater understanding of the different aspects of Israeli society. Plus she tells us what we should all watch next!
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Five years and three Super Bowl championships ago, New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman started a years-long process of exploring his Jewish identity.
After a 10-day trip to Israel with CJP in 2015, the Super Bowl LIII MVP emerged as a proud and passionate advocate for the Jewish faith. He posts holiday messages on social media, speaks weekly with a rabbi just before Shabbat and, most recently, donned cleats honoring the victims of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh.
CJP’s Dan Seligson, who met Edelman on the Israel trip, caught up with him at his Boston home to talk about his whirlwind offseason, his faith and, of course, football.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Three Israeli artists had a goal: Harness the power of music to bring together fractured communities. The result—Koolulam—is a social-musical initiative that has brought tens of thousands of people around the world together in song.
Listen as Dan and guest co-host Matty Burns from israel360 chat with Koolulam founders Or Taicher, Michal Shahaf and Ben Yaffet about this innovative project centered around mass singing events.
Want to experience the magic yourself? To celebrate Israel’s 71st birthday, you are invited to join Koolulam in Boston on June 2 for a one-of-a kind, immersive musical experience. This special event, which will unite hundreds of people from Greater Boston, is brought to you by CJP, Israeli American Council and JewishBoston.com, in partnership with the Consulate General of Israel to New England.
Find more information, including tickets, videos and photos, here: https://www.jewishboston.com/celebrateisrael
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Yom HaShoah—Holocaust Remembrance Day—is observed this year on May 1. To mark this important date, Miriam and Dan sat down with local Holocaust survivor Michael Gruenbaum, who reads a powerful selection from his memoir, “Somewhere There Is Still a Sun,” about his time in the Terezin concentration camp in the Czech Republic.
Gruenbaum answers questions about his life before, during and after the Holocaust. He describes his mother’s incredible love and tenacity in the face of horror, and explains the poignant title of his book. Gruenbaum’s resilience is inspiring—we are grateful to have the opportunity to hear his testimony in his own words.
Find more information at www.michaelgruenbaum.com, and read more about his experience in “Nesarim: Child Survivors of Terezin,” written by his late wife, Thelma Gruenbaum.
Book links: https://michaelgruenbaum.com/somewhere-there-still-sun https://michaelgruenbaum.com/nesarim
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Anti-Semitism is a scourge manifesting globally in every facet of society, from politics to sports. How can we push back against this hatred to promote equality and tolerance? Two soccer teams—New England Revolution from Major League Soccer and Chelsea Football Club from England’s Premier League—are playing a charity match at Gillette Stadium on May 15 to raise awareness about fighting hate crimes and anti-Semitism.
In this powerful episode, Miriam and Dan talk about this unique match with Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta, Revolution captain Michael Mancienne and Revolution goalie Matt Turner, a Jewish player. They’re also joined by Anti-Defamation League New England regional director Robert Trestan and Revolution president Brian Bilello, who discuss the power of sports to provide a platform for both extremists and those seeking to create a better world.
Please note that some of the audio in this episode contains deeply offensive and troubling language.
Find more information about the “Final Whistle on Hate” match here: https://www.revolutionsoccer.net/final-whistle-on-hate
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
You might be surprised to learn that your Passover wine doesn’t have to include the same sugar content as a Jolly Rancher. In fact, there is no halachic prohibition on consuming drinkable—even excellent—wine on the holiday.
Sandy Block, one of the foremost wine experts on the East Coast, has been vice president of beverage operations for Legal Sea Foods for the past 15 years. A certified master of wine (and one of only 279 people worldwide to earn this title!), Sandy knows a thing or two about the subject—especially Israeli vino. In 2016, he visited some of the country’s top wine producers and has suggestions for must-try alternatives to that cough syrup-style red that’s been sitting on your shelf since last April.
Listen as Miriam, Dan and Sandy discuss the best pairings for your Passover seder. And for more suggestions, read Sandy’s list of the best Israeli wines, both kosher and non: http://beveragebusiness.com/2016/06/israeli-wine/
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
In honor of National Poetry Month, Boston-based poet and national haiku champion Janaka Stucky joins us to talk about his new book-length poem, “Ascend Ascend.” Written over the course of 20 days in trance states, “Ascend Ascend” is rooted in the Jewish occult, Kabbalah and ascent to God’s chariot (also known as hechalot, or “ascension” literature).
Tune in as Stucky reads a powerful selection from his poem and discusses his inspiration and process, his past work as an undertaker, plus mysticism, meditation and heavy metal.
As an added bonus, if you’ve never heard a competitive haiku poet put on the spot, make sure you stick around until the end to hear Stucky freestyle and crush the competition.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Learn more: http://janakastucky.com
Author Nathan Englander’s latest novel, “kaddish.com,” hits bookstores and online retailers this week. Englander, who has written about challenging Jewish questions in his books “Dinner at the Center of the Earth,” “What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank” and “New American Haggadah,” introduces us in his latest book to a secular character who has decided to use an online service, kaddish.com, to relieve him of the 11-month obligation of daily kaddish recitations for the spirit of his recently deceased father.
This fast-paced novel is part thriller, part morality tale and part exploration of Jewish faith and tradition. From Brooklyn to Jerusalem to a table in the afterlife, “kaddish.com” is a memorable journey that raises key questions of Jewish faith: What obligations do Jewish mourners owe the dead—and the living? In an age of almost limitless innovation, how does technology interact with ancient tradition?
In this special episode, Englander reads the first chapter of his book and discusses his work with hosts Miriam and Dan.
Englander will be discussing his novel and signing copies at Harvard Book Store on April 1 at 7 p.m.: http://www.harvard.com/event/nathan_englander2
Learn more: https://www.kaddishdotcom.com
Arguably the most prestigious road race in the world, the 2019 Boston Marathon will bring together 30,000 runners and more than a million fans who will line the course from Hopkinton to Boylston Street on April 15. While elite runners will compete for nearly $900,000 in prizes, many more runners will be doing the opposite—running the race to give money to causes they care about.
We spoke to two Jewish young adults, Larry Tobin, a two-time marathoner, and Haley Friedler, running in her first Boston Marathon, about their passion for philanthropy that will propel them through the grueling 26.2-mile course.
Feeling inspired?
You can help fund Larry’s cause—PAIR Project—at https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/pair2019marathon/larrytobin.
You can help fund Haley’s cause—The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health—at https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/team-brookline-2019/therunawayfriedler.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Chef Avi Shemtov’s vision of a warm, welcoming home for cutting-edge Israeli cuisine made with local, New England ingredients opens this week in Sharon. A pop-up project for more than a year, Simcha, Hebrew for “joy,” has a new home at 370 South Main St. in Sharon. Avi plans on bringing joy and “globally inspired Israeli soul food” to Greater Bostonians with classics such as shakshuka and baba ganoush, and some less-common cultural mash-ups—“alt” hummus made with locally grown heirloom bumble bee beans and (trigger warning: not kosher!) za’atar lobster rolls.
Avi’s personality is plainly evident in the new space—wallpaper that looks like Jerusalem stone has a graffiti-style portrait of his beloved grandmother, named, you guessed it, Simcha. The warmth you’ll feel isn’t just on the inside; there’s a wood-burning oven that produces what Avi says is the best pita this side of Tel Aviv’s Carmel Market.
Learn more about this exciting new restaurant as we talk to Avi and Kyle Crusius, executive chef of The Chubby Chickpea, Avi’s food truck and catering company.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Learn more:
https://www.simcharestaurant.com https://www.thechubbychickpea.com https://twitter.com/chefavishemtov
Do you have taste buds and live in the Greater Boston area? If so, you’ve probably heard of Tatte Bakery & Café or visited one of its 11 locations in Brookline, Boston and Cambridge. With a new location right near the JewishBoston office downtown, Miriam and Dan couldn’t resist checking out the abundance of delicious Israeli food, from tartines and shakshuka to krembo and halvah bombs.
In this episode, Tatte founder Tzurit Or fills us in on her incredible career path, how Israeli food culture influences her work, the reasons Bostonians have embraced Tatte, why each location is totally Instagram-worthy and which of her dishes is most near and dear to her heart.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
It’s the season for Israeli TV on Netflix, so we couldn’t pass over the latest offering—“When Heroes Fly.” Sure, it’s no “Fauda,” but nothing will be, except, we hope, Season 3 of “Fauda.” Instead, it’s a deliberately paced rescue mission deep in the Colombian jungle as four emotionally damaged, battle-scarred and perpetually sweaty Israeli men try to find a woman presumed dead in a car crash.
Join Miriam, Dan and Kali as they offer their takes on “When Heroes Fly,” debate its merits and flaws, discuss the importance of group therapy, contemplate what drives people to join inexplicable drug cults (and where they get their cult attire), wonder about the wisdom of nicknaming your Jewish friend “Himmler” (yes, after that Himmler…), evaluate battlefield ethics and emphasize how vital it is to designate a portion of any TV production budget toward quality hair extensions.
Please note that this episode contains spoilers and adult language.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Greater Boston is home to more than 300,000 Jews. Among that group is an enormous diversity of practice (or lack thereof), belief, connection and self-identification. Boston’s got a new squad of Jewish professionals, CJP’s Community Connectors, whose mission is to find young adults who might be seeking a way in to the vast array of Jewish programming, organizations and social opportunities in our area.
These three social mavens, armed with Starbucks credit (they’ll always meet you for coffee) and wallets full of business cards, are singly focused on supporting young adults in the community as they map their Jewish journeys.
Join Miriam and Dan for a chat with Caleb Alemany, Amanda Friedman and Rachel Zylberfink about their origin stories and how they’re building relationships, connecting people with one another and with the community, and helping others deepen their Jewish experience.
Learn more: https://www.cjp.org/meet-the-connectors https://www.jewishboston.com/creating-connections-for-bostons-jewish-young-adults https://www.instagram.com/communityconnectorsbos
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Violence, vendettas, double-crossing, triple-crossing and bowling shirts—it truly is the golden age of television, if you don’t plotz from watching.
Israel’s hottest export is a fast-paced, utterly addictive thriller, “Fauda.” Join JewishBoston’s Miriam, Dan and Kali as we relive the highlights and anxiety of binge-watching both seasons of this blood-pressure-raising roller coaster of a show.
And if you’re obsessed like us, you’ll have a chance to hear from “Fauda” creator and star Lior Raz at CJP’s Chai in the Hub on Feb. 9. Find information and tickets here: http://bit.ly/2RYuSDX
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
A four-day binge of Season 2 of the hottest (OK, most Jewish) show on Amazon, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” led to some questions, which triggered a conversation, which inevitably had to be recorded for The Vibe of the Tribe. Listen as hosts Miriam (not Midge…never call her Midge), Dan and JewishBoston’s parenting writer, Kara Baskin, tackle the biggest questions of Season 2: Are those children just a character development device? (That seems cruel.) Can we forget Paris? (We hope so.) Must the Catskills summer end? (Never!) Will Abe’s romper make a cameo appearance next season? (Um, hopefully.) Is Joel still a thing? (No, just no.) Join us for insight, PG-13 hot takes and tons of spoilers.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Ahoy, listeners! Join podcast captains Miriam and Dan as they talk to Arnon Shorr, director of “The Pirate Captain Toledano.” This short film is the first about the little-known world of Jewish pirates in the Caribbean. The film will be screened at the inaugural Waltham Film Factory Shorts Fest from Dec. 15-16. Arnon, a Waltham native, attended Gann Academy and Brandeis University, so it’s particularly meaningful to have this local premiere take place in his hometown.
Tune in to find out all about the real-life inspiration for “The Pirate Captain Toledano,” explore the challenges and rewards of filming on historically accurate ships, and wager on the likelihood of Miriam and Dan trying to stow away with the professional troupe of pirate actors who appear in the film.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Learn more:
https://www.facebook.com/JewishPirates
http://arnonshorr.com
https://www.charlesrivermuseum.org/events-list/2017/12/9/waltham-film-factory-shorts-fest
Two years ago, ESPN called Israel’s entry into the World Baseball Classic, the World Cup of hardball, a team of “has beens, wanna-bes, and never-will-bes.” This rag-tag group of Jewish current and former Major League Baseball players donned the blue-and-white Israel uniforms for the first time in the country’s history on an international stage.
“Heading Home,” a documentary about the team and its bonding trip to Israel, opens right here in Greater Boston on Friday, Dec. 14, at West Newton Cinema. Get ready for the big debut by listening to Dan and Miriam talk hardball, Israel and Mensches on Benches with the two Jeremys—Jeremy Bleich, a relief pitcher on Team Israel, and Jeremy Newberger, co-producer and co-director of the film.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Learn more: http://www.ironboundfilms.com/headinghome
Hanukkah is the most badass Jewish holiday this side of Purim. During Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, Jews recount the tale of Judah Maccabee, the warrior priest who led a successful rebellion against King Antiochus of the Syrian-Greek empire. Waves of troops attempted to put down Judah and his army, but their fighting spirit and faith in the Jewish people were so strong that the Maccabees liberated Jerusalem and the Temple from the forces of Antiochus in 164 BCE, ushering in a period of Jewish independence in Judea.
This special episode features eight stories, as told by Miriam and Dan. Each story features one of our favorite Jewish warriors, from ancient to modern times, from the Middle East to the Caribbean. Get ready for some inspiration, perspiration and ass-kicking celebration!
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
In this episode of The Vibe of the Tribe, Ashley sits down for a candid, one-on-one conversation with Boston Ballet soloist Isaac Akiba. Isaac began dancing at the Boston Ballet School when he was 9 years old and joined the main company in 2009. One of the two Jewish dancers in the Boston Ballet, Isaac has performed in the fantastic winter production “The Nutcracker” for 18 years.
Listen in as Ashley and Isaac discuss his Jewish journey, the summer he spent teaching dance in Israel, the lack of Jewish influence in classic ballet and what Jewish ballet they’d love to see made today.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Beginning this month, Rabbi Marc Baker, CJP’s first new president and CEO in more than three decades, will tour Greater Boston with one goal: to listen.
In fact, Marc predicts he’ll listen to a thousand people—or more—in the Jewish community as he embarks on a year-long project called “The 360Five.” The CJP-sponsored initiative will focus on five questions and draw from a 360-view of the Jewish community—young adults, “less young” adults, religiously observant, decidedly secular, the Russian-speaking community, Jewish day school alum, the completely unaffiliated with anything Jewish but still “culturally Jewish” Jews, Boston’s Israeli community and more.
The goal will be to build more connected Jewish community and to strengthen Jewish life. Sounds easy, right?
Marc explains how, when and why he’s hitting the road and how you can get involved in a Jewish communal conversation unlike any we’ve had before.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
Learn more: https://www.cjp.org/cjp-event-calendar/360-five-tour
The 30th annual Boston Jewish Film Festival kicks off Nov. 7 with two weeks of storytelling, music, human connection and Jewish identity told through 50 films.
Perhaps no movie character will be more adorable, small, reckless or innocent than the star of Steven Spielberg’s first animated production, “An American Tail.” This 1986 feature, which will be screened at the festival’s BJFF Jr! event on Nov. 11, follows a reluctant hero, the young Jewish mouse named Fievel Mousekewitz. Fievel and his family flee Russia amid rising persecution from cats and escape to the rough-and-tumble New York City streets because, as his father sings, “There are no cats in America.”
If only that were true.
Fievel’s adventures, which mirror the struggles of waves of Jewish immigrants arriving in America, take him from Ellis Island to the Statue of Liberty to Lower East Side sweatshops to Manhattan’s sewers. Can he find his family again? Can they ever escape feline oppression and cruelty? Is there one righteous cat among the feline gangs?
Listen in as Miriam, Dan and Ashley explore the Mousekewitz family’s immigrant journey to America, wax nostalgic about the beautiful hand-drawn animation, wonder if Jewish mice received their own tiny Torah at a tiny Mount Sinai and discuss if the streets of America were ever truly “paved with cheese.”
Learn more:
https://www.jewishboston.com/series/boston-jewish-film-festival-2018
https://www.jewishboston.com/events/bjff-jr-presents-an-american-tail
On this special Halloween episode of The Vibe of the Tribe, Miriam, Dan and Ashley welcome supernatural expert Peter Bebergal to initiate us into the Jewish occult. Peter, a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, is the author of “Season of the Witch: How the Occult Saved Rock and Roll,” “Too Much to Dream: A Psychedelic American Boyhood” and the new “Strange Frequencies: The Extraordinary Story of the Technological Quest for the Supernatural.” He even attempted to construct his very own golem here in Boston.
Gather your protective amulets, check under your bed for Lilith and listen in as Peter guides us through the spooky Jewish supernatural underworld of demons, dybbuks, death curses and more.
Find Peter on Twitter at https://twitter.com/peterbebergal.
Some seven-plus decades ago, two sisters growing up in Winthrop learned how to cook from their beloved mentor, their mother. The young Brass sisters tailed her around the kitchen, learning family recipes and tricks of the trade that launched their culinary careers. Now, with over 130 years of combined cooking experience, Marilynn and Sheila Brass have become a cultural phenomenon, publishing three books and starring in their own show on PBS, “The Food Flirts.”
We could think of no better guests for our first podcast before a live audience than Marilynn and Sheila. As enchanting as they are illuminating, the Brass sisters describe their childhood memories of their mother’s kitchen, their upbringing during challenging times and their enduring partnership in business, in the kitchen and in life.
Together, they truly are a culinary institution with deep ties to Boston’s Jewish community.
Listen to the warm and witty Marilynn and Sheila as they make us laugh, shimmy in our chairs, learn about “age-appropriate flirting” in the age of #MeToo, and even get a little misty with their stories and memories.
Learn more:
http://www.thebrasssisters.com
http://www.pbs.org/food/shows/food-flirts
For Rabbi Becky Silverstein, the issue of gender rights and Jewish teaching is personal—and increasingly political. As a trans man and ordained rabbi, Becky applies his Jewish values daily to questions of identity and rights. On Nov. 6, Massachusetts residents will be asked to vote on trans rights on ballot Question 3, an initiative that asks if voters wish to uphold non-discrimination protections for transgender people in public spaces, including restaurants, parks, shops and even medical facilities, or repeal the existing law granting those protections.
Rabbi Becky talks to us about his own journey of self-identity and the very real threat of discrimination and bias he and many other trans people in the state will face if the initiative fails to be upheld. In fact, as Becky notes, what voters decide here could have implications for trans people all over the country.
Learn more:
https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2018/09/26/massachusetts-ballot-questions-2018-question-3
https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/ele18/ballot_questions_18/ballot_questions18.htm
https://www.freedommassachusetts.org/safety/
https://www.jewishboston.com/jewish-community-vote-yes-on-3/
https://www.jewishboston.com/why-i-want-you-to-vote-yes-on-3/
https://twitter.com/rabbibecky
As Beyoncé sang in “Lemonade,” “Sorry, I ain’t sorry/No, no, hell nah!” We live in the age of #SorryNotSorry. From the “sorry if you were offended” statements from celebrities’ press agents to the “mistakes were made” verbal obstacle course taken by politicians to the mealy-mouthed, stumbling excuses and non-apologies from the many men implicated in the #MeToo movement, the art of apologizing seems to have been lost.
But we can find it again! Each year, Judaism gives us an opportunity for self-reflection and accountability. In fact, in the lead-up to Yom Kippur, Jews have the responsibility of apologizing to anyone we may have wronged in the past year. Apologizing won’t get any easier, but it can become more heartfelt. To help understand how to atone in a sincere and meaningful way, Miriam and Dan are joined in this episode by Carla Naumburg, Ph.D., a clinical social worker, speaker and author of multiple articles and books about parenting, including the forthcoming “How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t With Your Kids.”
Tune in to hear Carla’s take on Judaism’s guidelines for apologizing, the Jewish process of forgiveness and her great suggestions for High Holiday resolutions to help us all make better choices in the coming year (Becky with the good hair, take note!).
Learn more about Carla at http://carlanaumburg.com.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
SorryWatch: http://www.sorrywatch.com
Actress Mayim Bialik on apologizing to our kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI5dxedQ96g
MyJewishLearning’s “Ask the Expert: Apologizing”: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/ask-the-expert-apologizing
“How To Say You’re Sorry” by Marjorie Ingall: https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/185193/how-to-apologize
“The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness” by Simon Wiesenthal: https://www.amazon.com/Sunflower-Possibilities-Forgiveness-Expanded-Paperback/dp/0805210601
The small, humble bee has always loomed large in Jewish tradition. From the Torah describing Israel as a land flowing with milk and honey to the tradition of dipping apples in honey to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, Judaism certainly appreciates the handiwork of these complex, tireless insects. Lately, science has come to understand the urgent importance of healthy bee populations, as well as feeding the world through pollination of plants and improving crop yields.
In fact, JewishBoston’s Miriam and Dan decided that beekeeping should be a new mitzvah and sought out two beekeepers—CJP staffers Brielle Berman and Cara Littlewood—to tell us more about how and why they keep colonies of bees and how they handle—with care—harvesting the liquid gold that is fresh, homemade honey.
Join Miriam and Ashley as they speak to photographer Diana Levine, creator of Photo Shoot for a Cure, a photography-inspired cocktail party benefitting The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. An estimated 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s disease, and there is no cure. Learn about Diana’s personal journey after her mother was diagnosed with the disease, what the Jewish community should know about genetic testing for the disease, and how everyone can harness their unique creativity for tikkun olam (repairing the world).
Want to attend or support Photo Shoot for a Cure on Saturday, Sept. 22?
Learn more: http://www.photoshootforacure.com
Get tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018-photo-shoot-for-a-cure-benefiting-the-michael-j-fox-foundation-tickets-42338537706
Make a donation: https://fundraise.michaeljfox.org/tf-2018/photoshootforacure
Love summer? Love camp? Us too!
Miriam and Dan are joined by Carine Warsawski, founder of Trybal Gatherings, the leading provider of Jewish camp experiences for young adults (yes, summer camp for adults!). Carine shares why camp is an important rite of passage for Jewish youth and discusses the magic of immersive Jewish experiences. Gather ‘round the campfire to hear all about the benefits of connecting in nature and gaining a sense of community by (gasp!) putting down our phones.
Interested in attending Trybal Gatherings’ experience in the Berkshires Sept. 6-9? Find more info here: https://www.jewishboston.com/events/jewish-summer-camp-for-adults-2
Learn more about Trybal Gatherings here: https://www.trybalgatherings.com
Join Miriam and special guest cohost Kali as they talk to renowned cookbook author Joan Nathan about her new cookbook, “King Solomon’s Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking from Around the World.” Find out why King Solomon was “the first foodie,” discover the diversity of the Jewish culinary experience and learn why genizah records are the key to unlocking our understanding of Jewish culinary history. Joan also reveals her favorite ingredient to cook with and shares her secret for baking the perfect challah.
Want to see Joan in person? Join her in Boston on July 26 for a cooking demo, book signing and reception at Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Cooking School. Register here and get 10 percent off your ticket with the code JEWISHBOSTON: https://www.jewishboston.com/events/master-class-king-solomons-table-with-joan-nathan
Learn more at http://joannathan.com.
Thirty-seven years ago, the world’s greatest—and arguably least ethical—archaeologist of all time was introduced to filmgoers. “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” about a fast-talking, artifact-stealing, bring-a-gun-to-a-sword-fight adventurer, opened to rave reviews. Described as “the perfect adventure” and an “out-of-body experience of glorious imagination,” the film was nominated for no less than nine Academy Awards, winning five.
Dan and Miriam were joined in June—on the 37th anniversary of the film’s 1981 premiere—by special guest and severe snake phobist Ashley to explore this face-melting adventure of snakes, Nazis, more snakes, legless lizards masquerading as snakes, and dangerous Jewish artifacts. (Trigger warning: This podcast contains explicit descriptions of snake-on-snake violence.)
In this special episode, Dan and Miriam are joined by Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld of Hebrew College, Marjean Perhot of Catholic Charities and Sarah Abramson of CJP to discuss the unique role faith-based organizations play in addressing the immigrant family separation crisis.
CJP’s Fund to Aid Children and End Separation (FACES) will offer immediate aid through three organizations: Catholic Charities, the Young Center and the Interfaith Welcome Coalition. Donate here: http://bit.ly/2tY1JLb
Read Rabbi Anisfeld’s prayer for immigrant children and families here: https://www.jewishboston.com/prayer-for-immigrant-children-and-families
In a few short weeks, CJP president Barry Shrage’s incredible three decades-long career at CJP will come to an end. But before he leaves, we catch up with Barry on our latest podcast to hear more about the next phase of his relentless pursuit to strengthen Jewish identity, community and learning at Brandeis University as both a professor and researcher.
What is Barry most proud of when he looks back at his career at CJP? What advice does he have for incoming president Rabbi Marc Baker? Will Johnny’s Luncheonette in Newton still see him four days a week? And what song is going through his head as he prepares to walk out CJP’s doors for the final time as leader of the organization? Listen now to hear these answers and more.
Peter Lerner—an author, retired Israel Defense Forces (IDF) lieutenant colonel, communications and strategy consultant, Israel advocate and former IDF spokesman—talks with us about the significance of recent events in Israel. Our conversation covers the ongoing riots on the border with Gaza, the unlikely developing relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and the intriguing and controversial suggestion on the need to engage with Hamas.
Find Peter on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/LTCPeterLerner
For two weeks in July, tiny, beloved Israel will be transformed into the center of the universe—at least the lacrosse universe. That’s because more than 48 nations, including Israel, are gearing up to participate in the quadrennial World Lacrosse Championships. The men’s home team, led by captain Jake Silberlicht and head coach Bill Beroza, have a real shot at winning a medal in the competition, which will be held in the beachfront city of Netanya.
We caught up with Jake and Bill just before the ball drops on lacrosse’s premier event to talk lax, playing team sports in the heat, how Israel landed a world sporting event, and pitching a North American game to Israeli boys and girls.
Learn more:
http://worldlacrosse2018.com http://lacrosse.co.il https://www.jewishboston.com/lacrosse-in-israel-six-years-in-and-still-chasing-a-dream
Did you know there are six genders in Judaism? Mason Dunn, executive director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition and co-chair of Freedom for All Massachusetts, and Ev Evnen, director of MaeBright Group, joined JewishBoston for a wide-ranging discussion on gender identity and expression. You’ll never read the “Song of Songs” the same way again!
Learn more:
https://www.masstpc.org https://www.freedommassachusetts.org http://www.maebright.com
Marblehead native Neal Hoffman had a problem to solve. His son, Jacob, looked at a Christmas toy—The Elf on the Shelf—and wanted one. Neal had a quick reply: “Jews don’t do elves on shelves. We do mensches on benches.”
From there, the gears were turning. Neal came up with designs, created a Kickstarter campaign and found himself on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” pitching a foot-tall plush doll, complete with a beard, tallit, black fedora and menorah, called “The Mensch on a Bench.”
The rest is (Jewish) history. Neal has created a modern Jewish icon with a back story, plush family members and a cartoon deal. Israel’s national baseball team adopted the Mensch as its official mascot, ordering a 5-foot-tall custom Mensch, who, quite literally, sat on the bench through the team’s improbably fantastic run in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
In early June, Neal’s creation will be the centerpiece of the celebration of Jewish Heritage Night at Fenway Park when the Red Sox play the Detroit Tigers on June 5.
Learn more at https://themenschonabench.com.
Liraz “Liri” Cohen Mordechai, Israeli fashionista and founder of Fashionating by Liri, talks to us about Israeli history through the lens of fashion. From the kibbutz to the runway, listen along as we explore the story behind the “intentionally effortless” Israeli style and the history of the Jewish state.
Learn more: https://www.fashionatingbyliri.com
Avi Jorisch, author of “Thou Shalt Innovate: How Israeli Ingenuity Repairs the World,” talks to israel360 and JewishBoston.com about how Israelis are helping to feed the hungry, cure the sick, protect the defenseless and make the desert bloom. Check out our third in a series of programs celebrating Israel’s 70th birthday.
Learn more about Avi and his book here: http://avijorisch.com
This year, Israel, a country with nine ski lifts, three skating rinks and winter temperatures hovering around 60 degrees, sent a record 10 athletes to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. Among them was AJ Edelman, a 26-year-old Orthodox Jew who attended Maimonides School and MIT in Boston. He has likened his sport to “taking a lunch tray, diving headfirst onto it and going 90 miles an hour down an icy chute.” We talked to AJ about his insane sport, representing Israel on the world stage and how he’ll be celebrating Israel’s 70th birthday.
Learn more about AJ here: http://www.israelskeleton.com/bio
Retired Israel Defense Forces Col. Miri Eisin, like many Israelis, is ready to party. That’s because this month Israel will celebrate 70 years of the modern state. For Miri, it’s a time of joy and reflection. We discuss the significance of the upcoming anniversary, the incredible 48-hour period between Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Independence Day), and Miri’s hope for the next 70 years of the Jewish state. (Also beer, the Kardashians, real estate and beach workouts.)
Learn more: http://www.mirieisin.com/en/index.html
You wouldn’t know that every step Nataly Zukerman takes is a deliberate act of will. She walks with a limp, but there’s no other indication that she was the victim of a catastrophic back injury at age 12 that nearly left her paralyzed. Now an actor in Tel Aviv, Nataly brings her audience with her on an exploration of beauty, perfection, disability and “othering.” Nataly, who is in Boston through April 9 as Israeli Stage’s 2018 artist-in-residence, shared with us her personal story of self-discovery, intimacy and subjects that are rarely addressed when talking about people with disabilities.
Learn more:
http://as-is-arts.com/item/nataly-zukerman
https://www.jewishboston.com/israeli-performance-artist-nataly-zukerman-comes-to-boston
Cecil B. DeMille’s magnum opus “The Ten Commandments” was released in 1956, and the world has cringed ever since. Join JewishBoston as Miriam, Ashley, Dan and Jesse try to make sense of Charlton Heston’s continuity beard, Yul Brynner’s polyester aesthetic, the predictably awful portrayal of female characters and the myriad perplexing additions to the plot that were definitely not from the Torah. Come for the bad special effects, stay for the remarkable wigs!
Amanda Berman co-founded the Zioness Movement after one of the leaders of the 2017 Women’s March claimed that Zionists could not be both feminist and progressive. Amanda refused to accept the idea that Zionists had no seats at the table, so she created Zioness, a grassroots feminist group of social justice activists. Hear Amanda in our joint podcast with israel360 discuss why maintaining Zionist and progressive identities is completely compatible, the recent controversy about Louis Farrakhan and anti-Semitic sentiments in the Women’s March leadership, liberal Zionism in the age of Donald Trump, and how to get involved with Zioness for the March For Our Lives in Boston and around the country on March 24.
Learn more:
https://www.zioness.org https://marchforourlives.com
Udi Goren had an age-old solution to personal stress—a walk. In his case, a really long one. Over 600 miles, actually. With a heavy pack, camera bag and a hiking partner, Udi set out from Israel’s far northern border and hiked all the way south over the next 2.5 months, becoming the first professional photographer to hike and document the entire Israel National Trail.
Learn more:
http://udigoren.com https://www.israeltrail.net
“The Big Lebowski” was released in 1998, and its influence has grown each year. From festivals to pop art, it has become one of the great pop culture phenomena of our time. It’s hilarious, quotable, lovable and, most important for JewishBoston, delightfully laced with Jewish ideas and references. The 20th anniversary of the release of “The Big Lebowski” is March 6, making this the perfect time to look back on the movie and discuss what it has to say about Jewish identity.
Lian Najami is an inspiring young adult from Haifa who became the first Arab-Israeli to be offered a Rhodes Scholarship. Lian is a disability activist and was featured in Forbes “30 Under 30” in 2016. Fluent in five languages (Hebrew, Arabic, English, German and Spanish), Lian graduated from the University of Haifa in 2016 and interned in the United States for Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii. JewishBoston and israel360 were thrilled to have her speak about her life, activism and what Arab-Jewish coexistence in Israel means to her.
Learn more: https://twitter.com/liannajami
Team Israel wasn’t expected to make much noise at last year’s World Baseball Classic. That was before they beat Cuba, South Korea, Taiwan and the Netherlands. In fact, this scrappy group of overachievers did the unthinkable in moving on from the “Group of Death” to the second round. Former Boston Red Sox player Ryan Lavarnway, who hit over .560 in four games, was dominant. JewishBoston and israel360 talk to Ryan about baseball, Israel and the forthcoming documentary “Heading Home,” the story of Israel’s surprising and inspiring baseball team.
Learn more:
Israel Baseball: http://www.baseball.org.il/en
Ryan Lavarnway: https://twitter.com/ryanlavarnway
“Heading Home” documentary: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/839615840/heading-home-a-documentary-film
An Israeli government plan to deport 20,000 single, male African asylum seekers has activists ready to take drastic steps to keep them in the country. Activist Susan Silverman, an Israeli rabbi, tells us about the efforts underway to shield the men from forced deportation in this timely podcast with our friends at israel360.
Learn more:
http://rabbisusansilverman.com
https://www.facebook.com/MiklatIsrael
https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-israels-new-plan-to-deport-africans-details-abound
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-begins-handing-out-deportation-notices-to-african-migrants
Tu BiShvat, which begins the evening of Jan. 30, is also known as the “New Year of the Trees.” What better time to check in on Israel’s environmental successes and challenges? We teamed up with our friends at israel360 to speak to Dr. Alon Tal, one of the country’s true green pioneers.
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” was perhaps the most controversial “Star Wars” film yet. We join forces with israel360 to look into hidden Jewish themes in what we thought was a great movie in this spoiler-filled podcast.
Bob Dylan wrote one song about Israel in 1983—“Neighborhood Bully”—but it really stuck with CJP president Barry Shrage. What led Bob Dylan to write about Israel? And 35 years later, does the song hold up?
Talleen Abu Hanna was born in an Arab village in Israel. She always knew she was born in the wrong body—wearing dresses was “cute” until she was 8, then demands to “act like a man” increased. She eventually moved to Tel Aviv, became a model and won Miss Trans Israel, Israel’s first transgender beauty pageant. An avid spokesperson for Israel’s LGBTQ community, she shares her inspiring story with JewishBoston and israel360.
Jesse talks with Harris Rollinger, senior program and development officer at CJP, and InterfaithFamily’s Rabbi Jillian Cameron, about the Boston Community Leaders Cohort, a new program that supports innovative leaders who are re-imagining community for rising generations. Designed and led in partnership with CJP and Angie Thurston and Casper ter Kuile of Harvard Divinity School, this cohort of 20 leaders spans the secular-sacred divide and brings people into soulful, transformative relationships at a time of crisis-level isolation.
Applications for the program will be accepted through Friday, July 28, 2017: http://www.bostoncommunityfellowship.com
Jesse and Ashley are joined by Rabbi Katy Allen, president of the Jewish Climate Action Network, to discuss how to combat climate change (and its deniers) on both individual and group levels, ways to build the energy necessary for action, and what her organization does to impact Boston’s Jewish community. In a nutshell: However overwhelming climate change may be, it is possible to live our lives in a sustainable way.
Jesse talks with actor, writer and director Stephen Tobolowsky about his brand-new book, “My Adventures With God.” They also discuss what growing up Jewish in the Southwest is like and how to find the awesomeness of God in everyday things.
Live in Boston? Hear from Stephen on May 1 at the Vilna Shul, where he’ll discuss and sign his book. Tickets, which include a signed copy of the book, can be purchased at http://www.vilnashul.org/events/event/tobolowsky2017.
Jesse and Jen are joined by Mara Bresnahan, director of the ReelAbilities Film Festival, to discuss the 2017 festival and films. The sixth annual festival runs March 29 to April 6 and features an incredible collection of documentaries that promote and appreciate the lives and stories of people with different abilities.
Jesse and Jen are joined by Gateways: Access to Jewish Education staffers Gary Alpert, educational specialist, and Nancy Mager, director of Jewish education programs, to discuss Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month and their work in the community. They discuss what defines a disability, what it means to be truly inclusive and what people in the community can do to make sure everyone feels included.
The episode also includes original music by Jeremiah Klarman (http://www.jeremiahklarman.com). The composition, titled “Open the Gates: Seven Variations on an Original Theme,” was written for the Gateways annual celebration and represents diversity, inclusion and transformation, three key aspects of the Gateways mission. You can listen to the full piece at https://soundcloud.com/user-881758535/open-the-gates.
For more information about Gateways, visit https://www.jgateways.org.
Jesse is joined by Laura Mandel, executive director of the Jewish Arts Collaborative, to discuss “Memory Unearthed: The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross” with Kristen Gresh, the Estrellita and Yousuf Karsh Curator of Photographs at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
This upcoming exhibition tells the story of Henryk Ross, the bureaucratic photographer for the Jewish Administration inside Poland’s Lodz Ghetto. Unofficially—and at great risk—Ross documented the complex realities of life under Nazi rule, from the relative privileges enjoyed by the elites to the deportation of thousands to death camps at Auschwitz and Chelmno. Hoping to preserve a historical record, Ross buried his negatives in 1944. He returned to them after Lodz’s liberation, discovering more than half of the original 6,000 survived. We talk about how Ross was able to save these photos, how he took them and what photography means to us today.
Find more on the exhibition here: http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/memory-unearthed
Jesse and Jen talk with Liana Mitman, director of program management at ShalomLearning.com, and Rabbi Danielle Eskow, rabbi-in-residence at ShalomLearning.com and founder and CEO of OnlineJewishLearning.com. We discuss the future of Jewish education, both formal and informal, how synagogues can harness the power of the Internet to help young Jews learn about their religion and culture, and how sites like ShalomLearning and OnlineJewishLearning are innovating in and disrupting the educational space.
Jesse and Jen talk with Katie Greenman, founder of Humanside, and Harris Rollinger, program officer for innovation at CJP, about trendy social-innovation buzzwords and what they mean. Plus, Katie discusses starting her own business, and Harris tells us about his amazing experience with the Millennial Trains Project. Most important, we discuss how to get started if you see something in the world you want to change.
Jesse is joined by Laura Mandel, executive director of the Jewish Arts Collaborative, and Ariana Cohen-Halberstam, artistic director of the Boston Jewish Film Festival. They discuss the 28th annual festival, which runs Nov. 9-21, whether Holocaust jokes are ever OK, their mutual love of all things Mel Brooks and if a documentary can really be animated.
Purchase tickets at http://www.bjff.org.
Read about three of the feature films at http://www.jewishboston.com/the-boston-jewish-film-festival-brings-jewish-experiences-to-the-big-screen.
Read about Jerry Lewis’ unreleased 1972 Holocaust drama at http://variety.com/2016/film/news/the-day-the-clown-cried-footage-jerry-lewis-holocaust-movie-online-1201798194.
And, lastly, Betty Boop for President (1932): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0-q_ZkDcsk
Jen and Jesse talk with William Daroff, senior vice president for public policy and director of the Washington office of the Jewish Federations of North America, about how to discuss Israel, anti-Semitism and other hot-button issues on Twitter and Facebook. Daroff, a social networking pioneer and evangelist, has twice been named by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency as being among the top five most influential Jewish Twitterers in the world, and was named by the National Jewish Outreach Program as one of the top 10 Jewish influencers in social media. Follow him at https://twitter.com/Daroff.
Bassam Aramin, a Palestinian, and Robi Damelin, an Israeli, talk with Jesse and Jen about their powerful experience with The Parents Circle Families Forum, a joint Palestinian-Israeli organization with over 600 families, all of whom have lost a close family member as a result of the prolonged conflict. Bassam and Robi share how they turned the loss of their children into a quest for understanding and peace. During the interview they mention several programs and documentary films, all of which are listed below.
The Parents Circle Families Forum http://www.theparentscircle.org
American Friends of the Parents Circle Families Forum http://parentscirclefriends.org
Two Sides http://twosides.today/?page_id=274⟨=en
Taking Steps http://steps4peace.org
“One Day After Peace” (documentary about Robi Damelin) http://onedayafterpeace.com
“Within the Eye of the Storm” (documentary about Bassam Aramin) http://withineyeofstorm.com
Harris and Jesse chat with Barnet Kessel, executive director of Boston’s Vilna Shul, about the history of this fascinating building, what they plan to do to celebrate their 100th anniversary, and the many amazing events they have planned this fall.
Jesse and Harris (subbing for Jen!) talk with Laura Mandel, executive director of the Jewish Arts Collaborative, about its exciting fall season, plus the recent death of Gene Wilder.
Jesse and Jen chat with Alexis Gewertz and Julie Judson about their entrepreneurial ventures with PresenTense Boston. As 2016 Fellows, Alexis further developed her business of creating and selling greeting cards for people in interfaith relationships and their families, and Julie created an app to help engage millennials in non-profit giving. We talk about what they’ve learned from their ventures, where they plan to go from here and what really defines a millennial.
Jesse and Jen talk with Matan Zamir, Israel’s Deputy Consul General to New England, about what it’s like as an Israeli living in Boston, the differences between a consulate and an embassy, the city’s Yom HaAtzma’ut celebrations, and whether Israelis or Bostonians are the worst drivers (yes, really!).
Jesse and Jen chat with Mara Bresnahan, director of the ReelAbilities Film Festival Boston, which runs April 3-14. They talk about what constitutes a disability, which films are her favorite and how best to see this year’s festival lineup.
Jesse and Jen chat with Harris Rollinger, program and development officer with CJP’s young adult initiative, about CJP’s PresenTense Boston Fellowship. Then Jen is forced to listen to Harris and Jesse talk about “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” (If you don’t want any spoilers, listen for when we tell you to stop the podcast, around the 30-minute mark.)
Jesse and Jen chat with Rabbi Josh Franklin of Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley about Hanukkah. Questions include: What role does Hanukkah play in the history of the Jewish people? What role does it play for modern Jews? How/why does it compete with Christmas?
In our third episode we talk with Dan Brosgol, director of Prozdor, the high school of Hebrew College, about the future of Jewish education, sports, and what being Jewish means today.
Jesse and Jen chat with Laura Mandel, executive director of the New Center for Arts & Culture, about “8 Nights, 8 Windows,” Boston’s first seasonal Jewish public art project, which runs Dec. 6-14.
This is the first episode of the JewishBoston.com podcast with Jesse and Jen. We discuss who we are and what our podcast will be about, plus we have a lovely chat with Ariana Cohen-Halberstam, artistic director of the Boston Jewish Film Festival, which starts Nov. 4.