Episodes
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This podcast is being published on April 30, 2023, and is dedicated to the memory of Rabbi Harold Kushner, of blessed memory, who died on April 28, 2023 at the age of 88. Rabbi Kushner is best known for his best selling book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People. He wrote a total of 14 books, many of which were also best sellers. While known world-wide for his writing and lecturing, Rabbi Kushner was a beloved pulpit rabbi and served 25 years as the spiritual leader of Temple Israel, a Conservative synagogue in Natick, MA and many more years as their Rabbi Laureate. For more information about Rabbi Kushner's illustrious career, see his New York Times obituary.
In January 2014, Rabbi Kushner gave a lecture at Temple Torah (now Temple Torat Emet) in Boynton Beach, FL, where Rabbi Ed Bernstein was then serving as spiritual leader. A few months earlier, Rabbi Bernstein and Rabbi Kushner both attended the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Biennial Convention in Baltimore, MD. During the convention, they recorded a brief interview that served as a teaser for Rabbi Kushner's upcoming visit to Boynton Beach. The conversation touched on When Bad Things Happen to Good People as well as two other books by Rabbi Kushner, When Children Ask About God and Living a Life That Matters. Rabbi Kushner had a gift for speaking and writing about sophisticated subjects in an accessible way. In this 10-minute interview a decade later, he distills complex issues in clear and vivid terms and in such little time. Here is Rabbi Ed Bernstein's conversation with Rabbi Harold Kushner on October 13, 2013, which you may also find on YouTube. May the memory of Rabbi Harold Kushner be for a blessing.Rabbi Bernstein is grateful to Barbara and Jay Wiston for introducing him to Rabbi Kushner and for envisioning Rabbi Kushner's public lecture in Boynton Beach in 2014.
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Special thanks to Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, President and Dean of Valley Beit Midrash, and his team for their invitation and for granting permission to distribute this podcast on the My Teacher Podcast feed.
Check out the rich selection of Jewish educational offerings at valleybeitmidrash.org, where you will find recordings of some of the most distinguished teachers in the English speaking world. Find their calendar of upcoming events and subscribe to the several VBM podcasts: Jewish Ideas to Change the World; Pearls of Jewish Wisdom on Living With Kindness; and Social Justice in the Parsha.
Watch this talk on YouTube.
Source sheet for this talk: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/407988
See Rabbi Edward Bernstein's essay: "The Roar of the Cat Rabbi: The Vital Role of Introverts in the Congregational Rabbinate, originally published in Keeping Faith in Rabbis: A Community Conversation on Rabbinical Education, Rabbi Hayim Herring and Elie Roscher, Eds., Avenida Books: USA: 2014, pp. 130-147.
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Rabbi Everett Gendler (August 8, 1928 - April 1, 2022) was an American rabbi, known for his involvement in progressive causes, including the civil rights movement. He has also been widely referred to as the founder of the Jewish environmental movement. About ten years ago at the Rabbinical Assembly Convention in Atlanta, he recorded a conversation with Rabbi Ed Bernstein on Jewish environmentalism. At the time Rabbi Bernstein was Spiritual Leader of Temple Torah, now Temple Torat Emet, of Boynton Beach, FL. Rabbi Bernstein was experimenting with podcasting and recorded interviews with various thought leaders that were then published on Temple Torah’s podcast. That feed is no longer online. Rabbi Bernstein's interview with Rabbi Gendler from that series is presented here.
A transcript of Dr. King’s public dialogue at the RA Convention with Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Rabbi Everett Gendler was published in Conservative Judaism Journal, 22:3, 1968, pp. 1-19. This was one of Dr. King’s final major public appearances prior to his assassination ten days later on April 4.
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Rick Recht is one of the top touring musicians in Jewish music playing annually in numerous venues in the US and abroad. Rick has revolutionized and elevated the genre of Jewish rock music as a powerful and effective tool for developing Jewish pride and identity in youth and adults across the US. Rick is the national celebrity spokesman for the PJ Library and is the Executive Director of Songleader Boot Camp – a national songleader training immersion program held in various cities around the U.S. Rick is also the founder and Executive Director of Jewish Rock Radio, the very first high-caliber, 24/7 international Jewish rock online radio station! Rick is also the Executive Director of JKids Radio. Rick’s music is available through iTunes and other major music sellers. Rick's songs played during this episode are used with permission of Rick Recht.
Vocabulary:
The following Hebrew/Yiddish words were mentioned in conversation but not immediately translated:
Tzimtzum: Literally, "reduction." In Kabbalistic literature the word describes God holding back the Divine Presence to give space for humanity and the rest of the world to function at their own natural pace. Rick was referring to holding himself back to give space for others to shine.
B'shert: Yiddish for "meant to be."
T'fillah: Jewish prayer; refers to a single specific prayer or to the wider activity of prayer.
For questions and comments, email Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected].
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On February 25, 1996, a terrorist suicide bomber detonated himself on the No. 18 bus in Jerusalem, killing 26 innocent people, including Matthew Eisenfeld and Sara Duker. Their loss devastated everyone who knew them, and the attack that took their lives had geopolitical ripple effects that are evident still today. The personal example of Matt and Sara continues to inspire those who knew them.
In this special two-part series of My Teacher Podcast, Rabbi Ed Bernstein is joined in conversation by Mike Kelly, an award-winning journalist and columnist for The (Bergen) Record of New Jersey and the USA Today Network, who did extensive reporting on this attack. In Episode 11, Ed interviewed Mike on the arc of his career and his reporting on this story that led to his acclaimed book, The Bus on Jaffa Road. In this work, Mike chronicles a single act of terrorism and what happened as the American families of the victims attempted to seek justice through U.S. courts. The book, which was published in 2014, has been described by reviewers as “destined to become a literary classic”, “non-fiction at its very best” and a “masterpiece” that “goes deep below the rhetoric on the ‘war on terror’.”
In this episode, Mike interviews Ed on his relationship with Matt and Sara and their legacy as recorded in part in the book that Ed edited: Love Finer Than Wine: The Writings of Matthew Eisenfeld and Sara Duker. The book was recognized as a 2016 National Jewish Book Awards Finalist in the category of anthologies and collections. It received coverage in various publications including The Forward, Florida Sun-Sentinel, The Jewish Ledger of West Hartford and the Cleveland Jewish News. Here's a photo of Ed editing the JTS Memorial Volume that would eventually become Love Finer Than Wine.
Mike Kelly is the author of many prize-winning projects and columns. Prior to The Bus on Jaffa Road, he wrote two other non-fiction books. His first book, Color Lines: The Troubled Dreams of Racial Harmony in an American Town, published in 1995, tells the story of one town’s struggles to achieve racial harmony after a white police officer shot and killed an African-American teenager. The Washington Post called the book “American journalism at its best.”His second book, Fresh Jersey: Stories from an Altered State, a collection of his columns about New Jersey, published in 2000, was described as “wonderful, touching, funny, perceptive” by best-selling novelist Mary Higgins Clark.
Mike Kelly’s newspaper journalism has taken him to homeless colonies, drug dens, prisons and courtrooms as well as assignments in Iraq, Africa, Cuba, Malaysia, Israel (including the West Bank and Gaza) and Northern Ireland. He has covered many major stories, including the 9/11 attacks, the Clinton impeachment, Hurricane Katrina and the Bridgegate scandal. He has provided analysis for NPR and major TV news programs. He lives in Teaneck, NJ. For more on Mike Kelly, visit www.mikekellywriter.com and follow him on Twitter @MikeKellyColumn.
For questions and comments, email Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected].
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On February 25, 1996, a terrorist suicide bomber detonated himself on the No. 18 bus in Jerusalem, killing 26 innocent people, including Matthew Eisenfeld and Sara Duker. Their loss devastated everyone who knew them, and the attack that took their lives had geopolitical ripple effects that are evident still today. The personal example of Matt and Sara continues to inspire those who knew them.
In this special two-part series of My Teacher Podcast, Rabbi Ed Bernstein is joined in conversation by Mike Kelly, an award-winning journalist and columnist for The (Bergen) Record of New Jersey and the USA Today Network, who did extensive reporting on this attack. In this episode, Ed interviews Mike on the arc of his career and his reporting on this story that led to his acclaimed book, The Bus on Jaffa Road. In this work, Mike chronicles a single act of terrorism and what happened as the American families of the victims attempted to seek justice through U.S. courts. The book, which was published in 2014, has been described by reviewers as “destined to become a literary classic”, “non-fiction at its very best” and a “masterpiece” that “goes deep below the rhetoric on the ‘war on terror’.”
In the next episode, Mike interviews Ed on his relationship with Matt and Sara and their legacy as recorded in part in the book that Ed edited: Love Finer Than Wine: The Writings of Matthew Eisenfeld and Sara Duker.
Mike Kelly is the author of many prize-winning projects and columns. Prior to The Bus on Jaffa Road, he wrote two other non-fiction books. His first book, Color Lines: The Troubled Dreams of Racial Harmony in an American Town, published in 1995, tells the story of one town’s struggles to achieve racial harmony after a white police officer shot and killed an African-American teenager. The Washington Post called the book “American journalism at its best.”His second book, Fresh Jersey: Stories from an Altered State, a collection of his columns about New Jersey, published in 2000, was described as “wonderful, touching, funny, perceptive” by best-selling novelist Mary Higgins Clark.
Mike Kelly’s newspaper journalism has taken him to homeless colonies, drug dens, prisons and courtrooms as well as assignments in Iraq, Africa, Cuba, Malaysia, Israel (including the West Bank and Gaza) and Northern Ireland. He has covered many major stories, including the 9/11 attacks, the Clinton impeachment, Hurricane Katrina and the Bridgegate scandal. He has provided analysis for NPR and major TV news programs. He lives in Teaneck, NJ. For more on Mike Kelly, visit www.mikekellywriter.com and follow him on Twitter @MikeKellyColumn.
Here is the photo of Matt and Sara that sits on Mike's desk.
For questions and comments, email Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected].
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Dr. Shuly Rubin Schwartz is the eighth Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, and, with her appointment in 2020, she is the first woman to lead the institution in its 134-year history.
Dr. Schwartz, who earned her PhD at JTS, was instrumental in the addition of Jewish gender studies to the JTS curriculum. As a scholar of American Jewish history, she brought to light the previously overlooked contributions of women to the development of American Judaism and expanded our understanding of modern American Jewish society and culture. During her career, she has taught courses exploring Jewish identity, the Jewish family, the depiction of Jews in American popular culture, and Jewish gender studies. Her award-winning book, The Rabbi’s Wife, examines the role of rabbis’ wives in the development of American Jewish life. She is also the author of The Emergence of Jewish Scholarship in America: The Publication of the Jewish Encyclopedia and numerous articles on modern Jewish life, including pioneering research into the founding of the Ramah Camping Movement.
Dr. Schwartz’s teacher, Dr. Ismar Schorsch, was the sixth Chancellor of JTS. Read his bio here.
Dr. Schwartz’s immediate predecessor is Dr. Arnold Eisen, the seventh Chancellor of JTS.
Dr. Schwartz’s grandparents Morris and Edith Rubin owned the historic Rubin’s Delicatessen in Brookline, MA, the only kosher deli in New England. After 90 years of operation, the deli closed in 2019. Read more here.
See Dr. Schwartz’s 2020 High Holidays message on YouTube.
Listen to Dr. Schwartz’s interview “Mourning in Public” on JTS’s “What Now?” Podcast with Sara Beth Berman.
For questions and comments, email Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected].
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Rabbi Amy Eilberg is the first woman ordained as a Conservative rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. She serves as a spiritual director, kindness coach, and peace and justice educator. She recently served as the Coordinator of Jewish Engagement for Faith in Action Bay Area, a multi-faith, multi-racial social justice organization in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to that she served as the director of the Pardes Rodef Shalom (Pursuer of Peace) Communities Program, teaching Jewish civil discourse to rabbis, synagogues and Jewish organizations. Her book, From Enemy to Friend: Jewish Wisdom and the Pursuit of Peace, was published by Orbis Books in March 2014. She received her Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities in 2016.
See Rabbi Eilberg interviewed in: And the Gates Opened: Women in the Rabbinate, a 2005 JTS retrospective produced on the twentieth anniversary of Rabbi Eilberg’s ordination.During the interview, Rabbi Eilberg discusses her teacher Sylvia Boorstein. Here is an interview of Sylvia Boorstein on the program “On Being” with Krista Tippett. Rabbi Bernstein cites Sylvia Boorstein’s work in his 2019 Yom Kippur sermon, "Don't just do something, sit there! And other ways to confront mortality."
Rabbi Eilberg's mentor at Brandeis University, Rabbi Al Axelrad, will be recognized by readers of Mitch Albom's best-seller Tuesdays With Morrie, the ultimate "My Teacher" story. Dr. Morrie Schwartz, Albom's beloved teacher, was a sociology professor at Brandeis and was a friend of Rabbi Axelrad. After Schwartz succumbed to ALS, Rabbi Axelrad conducted his funeral in 1995. On the last page of Tuesdays With Morrie, Albom writes:
"The funeral was held on a damp, windy morning. The grass was wet and the sky was the color of milk. We stood by the hole in the earth, close enough to hear the pond water lapping against the edge and to see ducks shaking off their feathers.
"Although hundreds of people had wanted to attend, Charlotte kept this gathering small, just a few close friends and relatives. Rabbi Axelrad read a few poems. Morrie’s brother, David—who still walked with a limp from his childhood polio—lifted the shovel and tossed dirt in the grave, as per tradition.
"At one point, when Morrie’s ashes were placed into the ground, I glanced around the cemetery. Morrie was right. It was indeed a lovely spot, trees and grass and a sloping hill.
“'You talk, I’ll listen,' he had said. I tried doing that in my head and, to my happiness, found that the imagined conversation felt almost natural. I looked down at my hands, saw my watch and realized why.
"It was Tuesday."
Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays with Morrie (p. 206). Crown. Kindle Edition.
For questions and comments, email Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected].
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Rabbi Susan Talve is the founding rabbi of Central Reform Congregation, the only Jewish Congregation located within the city limits of St. Louis. When other congregations were leaving the city for the suburbs, Rabbis Susan joined with a small group to keep a vibrant presence in the city to be on the front line of fighting the racism and poverty plaguing the urban center.
During the conversation, she refers to her relationship with choreographer and social activist Katherine Dunham who made her home in East St. Louis. In 1992, the then 82-year-old Dunham staged a hunger strike to protest the US Government’s denial of asylum to Haitian boat people. Rabbi Talve describes her interaction with Dunham at that time.
Rabbi Talve discusses her congregation providing sanctuary to protesters during a 2017 demonstration. Here is coverage in St. Louis Jewish Light: Central Reform Congregation of St. Louis provides shelter during protests.
Rabbi Talve discusses her involvement in the movement to close the Medium Security Institution, commonly known in St. Louis as “The Workhouse” , a jail housed in a decaying building whose inmates are often held there because they cannot pay bail. The St. Louis Board of Alderman voted recently to close The Workhouse later this year.
As Rabbi Talve discusses, she and Central Reform Congregation commissioned an artist to create a mosaic floor inspired by mosaic floors found by archeologists in ancient synagogues in Israel. See the artwork here and read more about it here.
December 9, 2015, Rabbi Talve was a guest of President Obama at the White House Hanukkah Reception, along with Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin. Click here to watch her remarks and blessings.
For questions and comments, email Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected].
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Ruth Messinger is Global Ambassador of American Jewish World Service, having served nearly two decades as its president. Prior to her tenure at AJWS, she had a career in New York City politics. She served on the New York City Council, was Manhattan Borough President and was the Democratic nominee for Mayor in 1997.
Ruth cites many teachers throughout her extensive career including her mother, Marjorie Wyler, who had her own distinguished career in broadcasting production and public presentation for the Jewish Theological Seminary, including the Emmy Award-winning program, The Eternal Light .
For a thorough history of The Eternal Light, see: Jeffrey Shander and Elihu Katz, “Broadcasting American Judaism: The Radio and Television Department of the Jewish Theological Seminary,” Jack Wertheimer, Ed., Tradition Renewed: A History of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, Volume 2: Beyond the Academy (New York: Jewish Theological Seminary, 1997), pp. 365-401.
In The Eternal Light’s run of more than 40 years on radio and television, one of the most memorable programs featured the 1972 interview of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel filmed shortly before Rabbi Heschel’s death. Ruth discusses Rabbi Heschel as another one of her most influential teachers.
For questions and comments, email Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected].
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A full bio of Rabbi Vernon Kurtz appears here. He was born in Toronto, Canada, received his BA from York University (1971), his MA and Rabbinic Ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary (1976), and his Doctor of Ministry degree from the Chicago Theological Seminary (1981). He also received a Doctor of Divinity degree (Honoris Causa) from the Jewish Theological Seminary (2003).
From 1976 to 1988, Rabbi Kurtz served as Assistant Rabbi and Rabbi of Congregation Rodfei Zedek in the Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. Rabbi Kurtz then served 31 years as Rabbi of North Suburban Synagogue Beth El in Highland Park, IL, where he is now Rabbi Emeritus. He is an internationally recognized rabbi, scholar and Jewish communal leader. Rabbi Kurtz now lives in Jerusalem after he and his wife Bryna made aliyah (immigration) to Israel in 2019.
Publications:
Read blog entries by Rabbi Kurtz posted in the Times of IsraelRabbi Vernon Kurtz honored at 2010 JUF Annual MeetingEncountering Torah, Reflections on the Weekly Torah Portion, by Rabbi Vernon Kurtz – This special book was published by Rabbi Kurtz in honor of the 25th Anniversary of his rabbinate at Beth El. He has chosen two sermons on almost every Torah portion and assembled them in this book. It represents his understanding not only of the lessons of Torah, but the lessons of life. It is a beautiful example of Jewish thought and contemporary book publishing. See Rabbi Kurtz’s bio at NSSBE web site for information about how to purchase book.
Rabbi Ralph Simon (1906-1996) spent 44 years as Rabbi of Congregation Rodfei Zedek in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, IL.
His Chicago Tribune obituary appears here.
Rabbi Simon’s granddaughter Susannah Hoffs of the band The Bangles paid tribute to her grandfather on Instagram in 2019 with a photo of Rabbi Simon with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on March 25, 1968 at the Rabbinical Assembly Convention at which Rabbi Simon presided as president of the RA. A transcript of Dr. King’s public dialogue at the RA Convention with Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Rabbi Everett Gendler was published in Conservative Judaism Journal, 22:3, 1968, pp. 1-19. This was one of Dr. King’s final major public appearances prior to his assassination ten days later on April 4.
André LaCocque is Professor Emeritus of Hebrew Bible at Chicago Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois, and the founding Director of the Center for Jewish-Christian Studies at CTS. He is the author of numerous books and articles, including Ruth: A Continental Commentary (Augsburg Fortress), Esther Regina: A Bakhtinian Reading (Northwestern University Press), and the trilogy on innocence in the Hebrew Bible, The Trial of Innocence: Adam, Eve and the Yahwist (Wipf and Stock), Onslaught Against Innocence: Cain, Abel and the Yahwist, Jesus the Central Jew and The Captivity of Innocence: Babel and the Yahwist (both from Cascade). He also coauthored Thinking Biblically:Exegetical and Hermeneutical Studies with Paul Ricoeur.
Dr. LaCocque discusses his book Jesus the Central Jew in this 2015 symposium.Here is Rabbi Kurtz’s review of Prof. Andre Lacocque's "Jesus, the Central Jew".
For questions and comments, email Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected].
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Rabbi Elliot J. Cosgrove, PhD, has served as the Spiritual Leader of Park Avenue Synagogue in New York since 2008.
Ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1999, Rabbi Cosgrove earned his PhD at the University of Chicago Divinity School. His dissertation, Teyku: The Insoluble Contradictions in the Life and Thought of Louis Jacobs examines the life and legacy of one of the leading Anglo-Jewish theologians of the 20th century and reflects his own passion for the intersection of Jewish scholarship and faith.
Rabbi Cosgrove is the author of ten collections of selected sermons, In the Beginning (2009), An Everlasting Covenant (2010), Go Forth! (2011), Hineni (2012), A Place to Lodge (2013), Living Waters (2014), Stairway to Heaven (2015), Rise Up! (2016), A Coat of Many Colors (2017), and Provisions for the Way (2018). He is the editor of Jewish Theology in Our Time: A New Generation Explores the Foundations and Future of Jewish Belief, hailed as a provocative and inspiring collection of essays by leading rabbis and scholars.
Rabbi Cosgrove is a recognized leader in Conservative Judaism, the broader Jewish community, and the community-at-large. He sits on the Chancellor's Cabinet of JTS and on the Editorial Board of Conservative Judaism. A member of the Executive Committee of the Rabbinical Assembly, he is also an officer of the New York Board of Rabbis and a member of the Board of UJA-Federation of New York. He serves as Rabbinical Advisor on Interfaith Affairs for the ADL and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Rabbi Cosgrove also serves on the Board of Trustees of Hillel at the University of Michigan and on the National Board of Governors of Hillel at the University of Pennsylvania.
Rabbi Cosgrove was honored to represent the Jewish community at the National September 11 Memorial Museum during the visit of Pope Francis to New York in September 2015.
Rabbi Louis Jacobs was born July 17, 1920.
An overview of his illustrious life can be found in Rabbi Louis Jacobs' New York Times Obituary by Ari L. Goldman, July 9, 2006.
Another recent overview of his biography and scholarship, that draws on Rabbi Cosgrove’s dissertation, is: “Louis Jacobs: We Have Reason to Believe,” by Prof.Marc Zvi Brettler,Prof.Edward Breuer in TheTorah.com.
The website louisjacobs.org makes available resources pertaining to the life and work of Rabbi Jacobs including an extensive archive of essays, articles and videos.
The clip featured in the podcast is taken from this video retrospective in which Rabbi Jacobs surveys the nearly 50 books he wrote.
Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove delivered a lecture on Rabbi Jacobs at Oxford in 2010.
For questions and comments, email Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected].
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Jonathan Wolf, a Jewish educator and activist based in Evanston, IL, reflects on the life and legacy of his father, Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf, of blessed memory, in an extended My Teacher Podcast Father’s Day edition.
Additional Resources:
The Prophetic Voice of Rabbi AJ Wolf--Civil Rights, Study Guide compiled by Rabbi Ed Bernstein
The Prophetic Voice of Rabbi AJ Wolf--Zionism, Study Guide compiled by Rabbi Ed Bernstein
New York Times Obituary for AJ Wolf
Rabbi Wolf recalls Dr. Martin Luther King's visit to Solel (This clip of an interview from circa 1996 is the only piece of this interview that can be found on YouTube as of publication of this podcast. Rabbi Ed Bernstein is seeking footage of this entire interview and information about its filming. Please contact Rabbi Bernstein at [email protected] if you have any information.)
Here’s an article about Solel’s commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s address at the congregation on June 30, 1966, during a year in which Dr. King resided in Chicago to advocate for fair housing.
Rabbi AJ Wolf calls for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, filmed shortly before his death December 23, 2008.
"My Neighbor, Barack"
Additional Suggested Reading:
Wolf, Jonathan, Ed., Unfinished Rabbi: Selected Writings of Arnold Jacob Wolf (Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 1998).
Glossary of Hebrew/Jewish terms, acronyms and organizations in podcast:
CLAL (Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, promoting pluralism and cooperation among Jewish denominations)
New CAJE (Coalition for the Advancement in Jewish Education)
Kibitz: Speak informally; chat
HUC: Hebrew Union College, Reform Judaism’s rabbinic seminary. Rabbi Wolf was ordained at HUC’s first—and at that time only—campus in Cincinnati. HUC now has additional campuses in New York, Los Angeles and Jerusalem.
Lashon Hara—literally, an “evil tongue,” refers to gossip and slander.
Sh'ma: A Journal of Jewish Ideas
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It is traditional on Shavuot, "the season for the giving of the Torah" to study Torah throughout the night on Shavuot night in a ceremony called "Tikkun Leil Shavuot." This year, due to COVID-19, most communities are not able to gather in synagogues for Shavuot beginning Thursday night, May 28.
The Rabbinical Assembly, the association of Conservative Rabbis, produced a series of pre-recorded video study sessions. Here's the full playlist.
Here is Rabbi Bernstein's video.
Here is Rabbi Bernstein's study sheet.
The Rabbinical Assembly will also broadcast a live Tikkun Leil Shavuot: Thursday, May 28, 9 PM - Friday, May 29, 9 AM EDT broadcast on YouTube Live at www.tinyurl.com/RATikkun
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Fred Rogers' 2002 Commencement Address at Dartmouth College
For questions and comments, email Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected].
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Episode 2: Austin Kaufman
Austin Kaufman is the International President of United Synagogue Youth.
He lives in Irvine, CA. He plans to study in the Nativ College leadership gap year in Israel program in 2020-2021, followed by Harvard College.
Since this interview was recorded in April, USY announced cancellation of its summer travel programs for Summer 2020.
Read Austin Kaufman’s full campaign speech: The Three C's of USY
Clips from “My First Standup Routine,” by Austin Kaufman provided to My Teacher Podcast by Austin Kaufman.
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Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields has served as Executive Director of the Women’s League for Conservative Judaism since 2018. Prior to that, she led congregations in the Chicago area and in Tom’s River, NJ. She is a member of the Rabbinical Assembly’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, which sets policy on Jewish legal matters for Conservative Judaism. She graduated the Double-Degree Program between Barnard College and the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) and received Rabbinic ordination from JTS.
Rabbi Wolintz-Fields has also served as the co-chair of the Rabbinical Assembly’s Women's Committee and is the Women’s League representative to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
She has been invited to deliver opening prayers at the United States House of Representatives, the New Jersey Senate, the New Egypt Speedway, and the Ocean County College Commencement. She can often be found reading, catching up on Daf Yomi (Daily Talmud study), cheering her daughter at her high school varsity basketball games, and during NASCAR season - watching with her son who is an avid fan!
Together with her husband Jonathan, they are the proud parents of three children, and live in Ocean Township, New Jersey.
A biography of Rabbi Wolintz-Fields’s teacher, Rabbi Benjamin Z Kreitman appears here: Obituary of Rabbi Benjamin Z. Kreitman
Editor's note: Subsequent to the publication of this episode, My Teacher Podcast received the following message from Jamie Kreitman, daughter of Rabbi Benjamin Z. Kreitman, that her father's date of birth noted in the Masorti Olami obituary and cited in the podcast discussion is incorrect. She said:
"[Rabbi Kreitman was born on] Dec. 27, 1918 in Warsaw, Poland. He emigrated with his mother when he was 3 years old and settled in Louisville, KY. His father, a rabbi and schochet, had already settled there with the rest of the Kreitman family."
Glossary of Hebrew and Yiddish terms used in this conversation that were not promptly translated during interview:
Bashert—Yiddish term referring to a person's soulmate, especially when considered as an ideal or predestined marriage partner.
Bimah—platform or stage in synagogue from where prayers are led.
Kaddish—the Mourner’s Kaddish, a prayer traditionally recited at a funeral and in synagogue services during prescribed periods of mourning or on the anniversary of the death of a loved one.
Mesader Kiddushin—The officiant (usually a rabbi) presiding at a Jewish wedding
Madrikh—literally, “leader.” Also refers to a rabbi’s manual, a book with a collection of prayers for various occasions that rabbis carry with them for lifecycle events. Both usages included in this conversation.
Shul—synagogue, synagogue services
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Emily McDonnell recently graduated Arizona State University with a master's degree in public administration. Emily actively pursues opportunities to merge her Navajo and Jewish identities and enjoys facilitating and participating in discussions related to Judaism and race. She is a 2017 Humanity in Action fellow and co-facilitated an intercultural dialogue between Jews and Native Americans on the topics of historical trauma and collective resistance for her action project. Until the COVID-19 pandemic, Emily was an intern at the Heard Museum.
Emily's April 2020 essay “My Community’s Uphill Battle Against COVID-19” was published by Humanity in Action.
In the podcast, Emily discusses wisdom she received growing up in Navajo Nation, as well as the influence of her current spiritual mentors Rabbi Yonatan Halevy and Sarah Elisheva (pseudonym). To respect the privacy of her community, Emily chose to not publicly name anyone on the reservation.
For questions and comments, email Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected].
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Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! In upcoming pilot season of the My Teacher Podcast, we will meet three engaging leaders, Emily McDonnell, Austin Kaufman, and Rabbi Ellen Wolintz-Fields, each with stories to tell about their inspiring teachers. Episodes with full interviews drop in major podcast distribution channels May 24. Subscribe today.
