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In an article about Jewish Comedy Sarah Groustra writes:
"Arguably, the most important aspect of Jewish comedy is release. Judaism is diasporic, which brings with it a legacy of restlessness, fear, and loneliness. The diaspora leaves in its wake the stereotype of neurotic Jewish parents who instill fear of persecution in their Jewish children. Jewish comedy serves to mitigate the tension of living in a world where your background is not always accepted. Jewish comedy is a break, a chance to breathe—a release. I see it as a specific form of catharsis, the 'cleansing' or 'purging' of emotions that we feel in the wake of consuming art. Although the idea of catharsis was originally used by Aristotle to define audiences’ feelings of renewal after witnessing tragedy onstage, comedy can certainly renew us in similar ways."
Comedian Avi Liberman has been making audiences laugh for decades. In the Jewish community he is well known for his comedy for Koby shows, where he brings mostly non-Jewish comics to Israel to raise funds for the Koby Mandell Foundation. Avi was in Israel on October 7th, and shortly thereafter started performing for soldiers and parents of soldiers.
In this conversation, he and I discuss whether comedy is appropriate during times of tragedy, how comedy can help us cope, and even sometimes show that we won’t let those who hate us defeat us.
We also talked about how a comic develops his material, what it feels like to make people laugh, and much more. Join us for a serious talk about comedy.
Make sure you go to comedyforkoby.com to get your tickets for the October shows in Israel . All funds go to the Koby Mandell foundation, which helps bereaved mothers, fathers, widows, orphans and siblings to rebuild their lives and create meaning out of suffering.
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The recent killing of 12 Druze children playing soccer in Majdal Shams by a Hezbollah missile sent shock waves throughout Israel. That’s only the most recent tragic event, as many Druze soldiers have been killed in the current war, where they have served with distinction in the Israeli army. The Druze are obviously giving and loyal members of Israeli society, and I learned this first-hand when I, along with many others, visited Majdal Shams to pay a condolence call.
But who exactly are the Druze, and how do they view the Jewish people and the State of Israel? How can we broaden our horizons in order to become better neighbors and friends with our Druze neighbors, and why should we? In this episode of Defining Moments I host Rabbi Yaakov Kermaier, a former pulpit rabbi in America who upon his Aliya founded Yakir, an organization that seeks to raise awareness about the Druze and foster greater friendship and cooperation; and Shakib Shinan, a member of the Druze community who was a member of Knesset and served in the IDF, and whose son was killed in a terror attack while trying to protect worshipers on the Temple Mount in 2017.
Join me to participate in a fascinating conversation, as we take a deep dive into the Druze community.
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Rabbi Jonathan Sacks wrote, "Hope is one of the very greatest Jewish contributions to Western civilisation, so much so that I have called Judaism 'the voice of hope in the conversation of humankind.'"
But what exactly is hope ? Is hope synonymous with optimism- that everything will turn out alright at the end?
Today we welcome to the podcast world renowned physician Dr. Ben Corn. As an oncologist at Shaarei Tzedek Medical Center, Dr. Corn has sometimes had to give people very bad news. But along with bad news, Dr. Corn also tries to give his patients hope: hope that they can live a life of meaning, and accomplish their goals despite their prognosis. Hope is not a character trait with which we are born but rather something we can learn and develop over the course of our lives. Dr. Corn is at the forefront of the study of Hope theory - a fascinating and relatively new area of research. Join us as we discuss hope - what it is and what it isn’t, how it can give us better quality of life, and how it can even improve our health. The value of hope transcends medicine, and can be learned and utilized by anyone. Especially during these very difficult times which we are currently living through, Dr. Corn's message of hope is critically important.
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Since October 8, Rabbi Bentzi Mann has been involved in one of the most difficult yet most meaningful roles in the IDF: identifying and caring for the bodies of the fallen. Join Rabbi David Fine for a fascinating and important behind-the-scenes look at what Rav Bentzi and his unit have been doing.(Please note that this podcast deals with a very sensitive subject, and may be triggering to some. Listener discretion is advised.)
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We are living in a unique historical moment of great import, and experiencing defining moments every day. In this podcast, you will gain greater insight as to why this time in the history of Israel and the Jewish people is so significant by meeting the heroes who imbue us with pride, inspiration and optimism.
