Episódios
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It’s been six months since Hamas attacked Israel, killing nearly 1200 people, kidnapping around 250, and triggering Israel’s devastating war on Gaza. The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed, the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters without Borders say more than 100 journalists, and more than 200 aid workers according to the UN, have also been killed, including seven World Central Kitchen workers.
This episode was recorded before a lot of things happened: Sen. Chuck Schumer’s speech on the Senate floor, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu’s response, Biden and Bibi’s phone call, the Al Shifa hospital raid and the IDF pulling troops out of Khan Younis, to name a few. So, while these items aren't in the episode because they hadn’t happened yet, the larger conversation about what faces us as people committed to a safe and sustainable future for Palestinians, Israelis, and Jews the world over has not become less relevant. This conversation was held and is being published in the spirit of not just trying to keep the light of hope alive, but to look some of the obstacles before us in the face; concepts, pain and trauma through which any future solution must pass.
In the meantime, we try to fight the sense of helpless horror with what little we can do from a distance while trying to make sense of the pain and stay in touch with our humanity with conversations like this one. Find Part 1 here.Donate to World Central Kitchen here. UN Crisis Relief here. Help the International Rescue Committee here. Find more on Vivian Silva, Women Wage Peace, Israeli societal resilience, Progressive Labor Zionism and HaNoar HaOved
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It's Purim! So when Baby Brother Zev and his girlfriend Osnat came down to DC to peep some cherry blossoms, I made them come to tell you all what is Purim, the super-fun Jewish dress-up party where we celebrate a narrow escape from mass murder and eat cookies named for the bad guy's hat. Or ears. Or pockets apparently. Depends who you ask.
Get to the bottom of what the heck Hamantaschen are supposed to be, what is the story of Esther, what to wear for Purim, how they do it in Israel, and who really said "Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History." (It was Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and Harvard professor Laurel Thatcher Ulrich) Also featured: the Israeli tradition of Michloach Manot, why Esther is not in the Torah, and whether Esther and Mordecai are really from the Enuma Elish.GLOSSARY:
Chag Purim Sameach: Happy Purim! “Chag” means holiday, “sameach” means happy, and Purim is the name of the holiday
Tanach (also spelled Tanakh): the name of the full Hebrew bible, is an acronym for the Torah (the Five Books of Moses), the Nevi’im (the Prophets) and the Ketuvim (the Writings, also known as the Hagiographa)
Abba: Hebrew for Dad, it’s what Zeb and I call his dad, my stepdad.
Megillah/megillot (plural): meaning scrolls, it refers to the five scrolls included in the Ketuvim, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther
Adloyada: to drink until you can’t tell the difference, also the name of the big Carnivalesque parades in Israel.
Mitzvah: means “commandment”, it often also refers to “good deeds” in general but means a thing you should do.
Vashti: The first wife of King Achashverosh (aka Ahasuerus) whose banishment or execution for refusing to dance nude in front of his friends clears the way for Esther to marry the king.
MORE:
https://www.exploringjudaism.org/holidays/purim/esther/16-facts-about-purim-and-the-book-of-esther/
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-book-of-esther/
Jews not bowing when it constitutes some form of worship: https://torah.org/torah-portion/mikra-5772-purim/
Sushan Purim: https://reformjudaism.org/what-shushan-purim
Bonus: Origins of Halloween, from Throughline and Moses, as seen on South Park
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An American, a Canadian and an Israeli Jewish educator walk into a….well a discussion. About the Israel-Hamas war, the state of Gaza and state of mind of Israelis, no less. So, this conversation is really no joke. Huge thanks to Yair Alon, Adam Levi and Zev Dever for this sometimes hard, always thoughtful, and very nuanced and compassionate conversation, and the healing and shared understanding they are working to reach.
You may remember my baby brother Zev from Season 1, when he taught us about how much of modern Western Judaism formed into what we see in places like the U.S. today. He's recently back from Israel, and he and his colleagues Adam and Yair squeezed in a late night podcast recording with me while in D.C. on a listening and discussion tour for their NGO Hechalutz, exploring what American Jewish communities are experiencing in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attack. They bring us clear-eyed assessments of what Israelis and American Jews alike are experiencing, and how those might create challenges or hopes for a peaceful resolution to the war. Listen in to hear what Israel was like in the immediate aftermath of October 7, how Israelis are feeling now, and the implications of coping--or not--with the destruction of some of their most basic concepts of safety and security.
This was a long conversation, and cutting too much would have damaged the depth of the discussion, so we've divided it into 2 parts. Please be sure to come back for part 2, where we'll get a deep dive into the huge differences in the discourse for American and Israeli Jews, and hear about the individual, and yet sadly universal, experiences of these three on October 7, and how they personally are working to process all that has happened and all that remains to be faced.GLOSSARY:
Kibbutz: traditionally agrarian, these communal living settlements now take various forms around an "intentional", voluntary social contract.
Aaliya: from the Hebrew word meaning "to rise" or "to go up", this is the term for becoming a citizen of Israel. "Olim" is the plural noun for people who have done this, like Zev.
Diaspora: a general term for peoples living outside their homeland. Generically often refers to Jews living outside Israel.
Habonim D'ror:
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:Ezra Klein Show: She polled Gazans on Oct. 6. Here's what she found.
Effects of the war on Israeli and Palestinian economies.Hostage families protest the Israeli government
Israel's far right on resettling Gaza
Learn about the Rise of the Israeli Right and Hamas from one of the very best in the biz, NPR's Throughline.Support the Show.
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Have you ever wondered if your “quirks” might actually be manifested trauma? Or more like…that they probably ARE? Victoria Dozer was curious about her mom’s pretty typical Jewish-mom-quirk of stashing huge amounts of things, like dishes and toilet paper--stuff that's useful in principle, but that you probably don’t need 20 of--and uncovered that this behavior, inherited and then passed down to Victoria, is a legacy her mom inherited from her Holocaust-survivor father. She nicknamed the habit Holocaust hoarding, and went down a path of exploration; how does the trauma of our elders and ancestors affect our lives each day? And how do we honor them, their struggles and legacies, while working to see it for what it is, and turn towards healing without betraying their suffering? Jews are certainly not the only people who have been targets of genocide throughout their history, and it's so ingrained in Jewish identity that many don't even think about it consciously, but it felt very important to explore how such deeply ingrained existential fear can show up in Jewish life, including in reactions to world events. Victoria's approach in her article for Hey Alma, and our conversation, compassionately recognizes some very Jewish things that might be inherited trauma. She explores accepting the pain of our past without letting it define us, or be an unconscious force shaping our reactions, futures, and the lives of those around us. Victoria is also a planetary scientist, and you will be grateful for her thoughtful perspectives on the weight of generational trauma, hoarding vs environmentalism, and how to greet our own and others’ trauma with loving acceptance, and heal without discarding a legacy we treasure.
GLOSSARY:
M.O.T.: Short for “Member of the Tribe,” a tongue in cheek term Jewish people sometimes use for one another, especially when meeting for the first time, i.e. “Oh hey! Another M.O.T.!”
HSOs: Holocaust Survivor Offspring as referred to in medical literature researching generational trauma.
Eugenics: The misappropriation and inaccurate application of scientific theories such as Darwin’s theory of evolution to justify a belief in the genetic superiority of one race or people over another, ultimately leading to attempts to exterminate entire races and types of people, including the Jews by the Nazis, and mentally ill or otherwise neurodivergent populations in the United States.
Tu BiShvat: See previous episode for a whole TuBishvat lesson!
“Do not destroy”: “bal tashchit” in Hebrew, the principle stems from the idea that the earth belongs to God and careful stewardship of it is therefore our responsibility.
Tikkun Olam: “world repair,” is a concept that all human beings are responsible for one another and the world, and for repairing harm and damage through their actions, big or small.
Find Hey Alma on Instagram!Support the Show.
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What is Tu Bishvat (also spelled Tu BiShevat)? Well it's the birthday of the trees, also called the New Year of the Trees, so happy new year to you, and happy new year to the trees, and welcome back to Jew-ish!
Trees have a very special place in Jewish life. We call the Torah, our holiest text (also known as the Five Books of Moses and the Pentateuch) the Tree of Life, and we plant trees to celebrate life events like the birth of a new child. Yep, trees are kind of a thing for Jews, and no one loves them more than Tobin Mitnick, who is probably better known by his IG handle, JewsLoveTrees. When you love something, why beat around the bush, amirite?
Tobin is the perfect guest for this tree-centered episode, but he's so much more than his charming social media personality; he's a dad, an actor, a comedian, and avid reader and of course, a huge nerd (like me). So, this episode is a bit of a wild ride, but it's hilarious and you will definitely learn a lot, especially about trees. And, just a heads up: some of the stuff we talk about in this one might not be considered kid-friendly to some, Tobin is a comedian, after all, so give it a listen before playing with kids in the car.
Don't forget to pick up Tobin's book: Must Love Trees!
But as far as Tu BiShvat knowledge....well, we got a little distracted, so here's some knowledge for ya:
The word “Tu” is actually a number, because in Hebrew, numbers are represented by letters, kinda like Roman numerals. Originally, the 15th day of the Hebrew month, Shevat, marked the age of trees for assessing tithing (taxes, essentially), and when it was ok to eat the fruit. But now, it marks the unofficial start of spring, we all get to eat lots of fruit, and some communities even have a seder (a ritual meal) modeled after Passover.
More about Tu BiShevat:https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/tu-bishvat-ideas-beliefs/
https://www.shalomdc.org/tu-bshevat-let-trees-teach-us-to-have-roots-and-wings/#:~:text=Some%20celebrate%20with%20a%20special,the%20peak%20of%20their%20power.
https://www.jewfaq.org/tu_bshevat
In this episode:
Kabbalah (also spelled Kabalah, Cabala, Qabala): Jewish mysticism, based on mostly medieval commentaries on the Torah, primarily the Zohar.Hasidic (also spelled Chassidic): A branch of Orthodox Judaism originating in 18th-century Eastern Europe based on the teachings of Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, also known as the "Baal Shem Tov," which means "Master of the Good Name." Jewish people who follow this tradition are known as Hasidim.
Kaddish: One of the most important prayers in Judaism, the name translates to "holy." Different forms of the Kaddish are said at different times, including the Mourners Kaddish to remember the dead.
The tradition of burying foreskins does indeed exist! Who knew?
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Introducing our sister podcast, the Curl Code!
Hosted by Wafaya Abdallah, owner of Curly Oasis, a curl salon and education platform in Rockville, MD, the Curl Code explores individual stories of how learning to embrace our natural hair can be the start of a journey to embracing and empowering our most authentic selves. Each episode reveals a unique story of the day someone acted on a decision to learn about caring for their curls, and started a process of transforming how they view the world, society, and themselves.
On this episode, Wafaya interviews her dear friend and warrior for the sake of humanity, Luby Ismail founder of Connecting Cultures, which works to fight Islamophobia and ignorance, and teach intercultural exchange. Luby and Wafaya grew up in the same era in Egypt, longing for straight, silky hair, wielding hot irons and chemical relaxers to try and meet the beauty “ideal.” In adulthood, Luby became an intercultural educator and public speaker, and realized that she couldn’t be authentic in her teaching if she wasn’t authentic in herself. That was when her journey to embracing her curls began, with Wafaya as her guide. Her journey also includes living with multiple sclerosis, and in this episode, she educates us on how even when we have the best intentions, we can fail to see the fullness of lives that differ from our own, or the narrow-mindedness of our own point of view.Luby’s whole family is committed to dispelling prejudice and building bridges; from her son's environmental activism to her husband, Alex Kronemer's film company, Luby has devoted her life to making the "foreign," "familiar," and working for the betterment of humanity.
Find the Curl Code on:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curl-code/id1706416262
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1rKdhcNpk3PyE8Ig567fWK?si=8b5207ddd93c4144
And wherever you get your podcasts.Support the Show.
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There’s polarization, and then there’s toxic polarization. We all know what that feels like, especially at this moment around Israel and Palestine. For many of us, the temperature of the rhetoric is so incendiary that even though we might have deep and nuanced feelings, let alone education, experience, or personal ties to the issue, the thought of wading into what seems like a totally polarized conversation feels frightening and pointless. But, we still want to be able to engage in our world, and maybe even dip our toe into conversation with people we believe to be well-intentioned, even if their views might seem extreme or uninformed to us. But how can we do that without turning up the temperature and the volume by adding our voice?
Thankfully, Rabbi Rachel Schmelkin is here to help. Rabbi Schmelkin specializes in navigating toxic polarization and crossing divides. In this episode, she helps us understand what’s happening to people–including ourselves–when we encounter or engage in polarized or potentially polarizing topics, and reminds us that we have choices in how–and if–we engage.
TERMS:
Havdalah: Hebrew for “separation”, the Havdalah service marks the end of Shabbat and the return to the "normal" week.
Rabbinate: The office or function of being a rabbi
Motive misattribution: Assuming that the motivations of others are negative in a situation where we would accept our own motives as perfectly reasonable. This is related to motive asymmetry, where people assume the motives of those on the other side of a conflict are diametrically opposed to ours, creating an intractable conflict.
Musar (or Mussar): A movement to use Jewish ethics, as opposed to rules, to guide behavior and character. Mussar facilitators use these principles to guide challenging conversations.
Sacred Value: A value that is impervious to material incentives to change.
Backfire effect: Digging in on an existing belief in response to information that disproves it.
4-7-8 breathing: a breathing technique to reduce anxiety where one inhales for a count of four, holds the breath for a count of seven, and exhales for a count of eight.
Beginner’s Mind: A mindset that releases any previously existing knowledge or conceptions to allow for maximum curiosity and openness, approaching like a total beginner on the topic.
b'tzelem Elohim: Hebrew for “in the image of God”, it refers to all humans being created in the image of God and therefore being of equal value.
ken y'hi ratzon: Translated as “let it be so”, it literally means “let it be God’s will”
MORE:
One America Movement: https://oneamericamovement.org/
*Quick disclosure: The One America movement is a catalyst partner of Stand Together, which is my employer in my day job. They have no involvement in this podcast, which does not represent them or their interests in any way.Over Zero: https://www.projectoverzero.org/
Beyond Conflict: https://beyondconflictint.org/
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Many of us are deeply affected, probably more so than we even know, by the suffering in Israel and Gaza. I didn't release the last episode (though I did have one ready) because it felt bizarre not to address or at least acknowledge the situation, but I was absolutely drained. I was scared for the Hamas hostages, worried about my brother in Israel, terrified for the Palestinians...in short, there was no energy left over and I had nothing to say outside of the small circle of family and few loved ones checking in. This mini-sode is just an acknowledgment, a moment to ask us all to pause, not fill the silence we may be seeing from others with our own assumptions, respect one another's grief and pain, try not to add to the violence rhetorically, emotionally, or otherwise, and be a source of light if and where we can.
May the Source of Peace send peace to all who mourn,
And comfort to all who are bereaved.
May the Source of Strength, who blessed the ones before us,
Help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing.
And let us say, Amen.
MORE:
The Mourner's Kaddish is a very holy prayer, dating back almost 2000 years to the time of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
Mi Sheberach is the traditional prayer said for healing, and to bring to mind those who are suffering, and need divine goodness. Here is Debbie Friedman's rendition of the beautiful and soothing prayer, in the tune I and many others grew up with.Support the Show.
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Erick Cloward was raised in the Mormon Church in Utah, in a not-always-happy home. He talks about it a lot on his podcast, The Stoic Coffee Break (which is an absolute must-subscribe, by the way) and the parts of that culture that eventually led him to leave the church, and Utah altogether. In episode 181 of his show, he digs into "asking" vs. "guessing" culture, and the contrast between what was the norm in his lived experience in the Church of Latter-day Saints, and cultures—dare I say, like Judaism??—that normalize directness. I immediately saw myself, and reflections of a million little skirmishes I've had over the years in that episode, and naturally had a million things to ask, got cheeky, and emailed him. Our conversation reflects on what "asking" vs "guessing" culture means, how it manifests, different approaches and why such things might exist. And of course, I peppered him with a bunch of questions he should not have been tasked with answering, but graciously did anyway. Thank you so much, Erick, for giving this wee podcast a bit of your Big Deal Podcaster time!
Make sure you also check out his episode on being a people pleaser, which we also talk about in this episode!GLOSSARY:
Glasnost Perestroika: meaning “openness” and “restructuring,” this was a period of reforms at the end of the Soviet era initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev after becoming head of the Communist Party in 1985.
Midrash: both a noun and a verb, midrash means commentary (or commenting) on aspects of Jewish law or scripture. Interpretations from rabbis over the centuries have been gathered into a collection of writings often referenced to help understand or give depth of meaning to readings in the Torah or Jewish law.
Pesach: the Hebrew name for Passover, the ritual meal which commemorates the Exodus from Egypt, when Jews followed Moses out of slavery after the Ten Plagues.
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Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, followed by Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and together with the 10 days of deep contemplation between them, they are known as the Days of Awe, or the High Holy Days–but apparently only in the U.S. Also–spoiler alert!--it’s not the actual “new year” on the Jewish calendar. Or at least not since ancient times…but we’ll get into all that. This episode is here to help, you, me, whoever, understand how to “do” Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, or just a bit more about them. Listen in to learn what to say and not say to your Jewish friends, a short list of sins you should be thinking about, and some of the ways our oddball family approaches the major themes and responsibilities of the season, including repentance, reflection, forgiveness, celebration (or not).
GLOSSARY
Chag Sameach: Translates to “Happy Holiday”, the generic expression to share well-wishes on any holiday.Talmudic period: Referring to the time between approximately 64-70 and 500-640 CE, beginning with the first Jewish revolt against Roman rule and including the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple that resulted in the exile of the Jews, and the eventual rise of great rabbis such as Akiva and Hillel, whose writings, along with other scholars of this period, were eventually compiled into the Mishnah and Gemara, which, together, comprise the Jewish book of law known as the Talmud. During this period, Hillel also created the lunar Jewish calendar commonly used today.
Yom Hazikaron: Translates to “Day of Remembrance” and is observed in Israel to remember fallen soldiers, in the same way as Memorial Day in the U.S. is.
Yom ha'atzmaut: Israeli Independence Day
Madrichim: Translated as “teachers,” “leaders,” or “guides,” madrichim are generally teenagers trained in Jewish leadership programs.
Sitting Shiva: The practice of mourning death for seven days including customs such as sitting low to the ground and covering mirrors, during which the immediate family of the deceased receives guests to care for and bring them food so they can sit and be present in their grief.
Machzor: A Jewish prayer book arranged in specific liturgical order for the High Holidays.
Shulchan Aruch: The Jewish legal code compiled in the 1500s by Sephardic rabbi Joseph Caro.
Mitzvot: Often translated as “good deeds,” the word actually means “commandments.”
Shofar: The horn of a kosher animal, often a ram, ceremonially blown on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
More:
Check out the Stoic Coffee Break on your favorite podcast app and listen for Erick Cloward's episode on Jew-ish!Support the Show.
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Finally, the basic question: What is being “culturally Jewish”? Getting at the difference between a culture and religion, how identity manifests in modernity and how it came to be this way is heady stuff, and of course, in true Jewish fashion, the answer is: it’s complicated. Thank goodness for my brilliant baby brother, Zeb, who is a professional Jewish educator like my mom, but also a largely secular Jew, like me, and his specialty in and nuanced thinking about modern Western Jewish history. Some light topics up for discussion include: the birth of nation-states, assimilationism, responses to modernity, what “identity” means, and how, lucky us, we came to be part of the "global cabal." Don't worry, there's plenty of snark too, this ain't grad school! Also, love you Mom, sorry in advance! Tons of terminology in this one, so hit the glossary below, and check previous episode notes for more.
GLOSSARY:
Rebbe: Largely used by Hasidic Jews, a Yiddish-German term for "rabbi," also referring to a person educated in and who educates, guides or mentors others in Judaism.Assimilationism: The act or desire to be absorbed culturally and socially into the dominant or majority group.
Zionism: A poitical movement founded by Theodor Herzl in the 1890s to create a Jewish homeland, based in an assimilationist philosophy and cemented by antisemitic incidents like the Dreyfus affair (the false accusation and imprisonment of a French Jewish military officer that came to symbolize Jews' supposed disloyalty).Ghetto: Likely derived from Italian, in the early 1500s it referred to the area of Venice where the Jews were required by law to live. It is most broadly used in the Jewish to refer to the walled-in parts of cities where Jews were imprisoned under Nazi occupation, often before being sent to death camps.
Humanism: A philosophical approach with a long history, generally centered on placing importance of the human experience, and well-being of humankind over deities or states.
Haskala: A late 18th- and early 19th-century European Jewish intellectual school of thought integrating Judaism and modern European life.
Yiddish: Translated to mean "Jewish" in Yiddish, a German-derived dialect integrating Hebrew and parts of the local language generally considered the language of Askenazic Jewish communities in central and eastern Europe. Yiddishkeit: a Yiddish word describing a quality of "Jewishness."
Ladino: Sometimes called Judeo-Spanish, it has Castilian origins and is considered the language of Sephardic Jews, who originate in Spain and Portugal, but blends broad languages including Arabic or Greek.
Nebbish: Yiddish for a meek, pitiful person.
Freedom Seder: https://religiondispatches.org/take-history-into-your-own-hands-why-i-wrote-the-freedom-seder-and-why-its-still-necessary/
Reform Movement: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/reform-judaism/
Pale of Settlement: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-pale-of-settlementSupport the Show.
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Robert Markowitz was a nice Jewish boy just trying to do what he thought he was supposed to, building on the legacy of his immigrant grandfather to rise to fulfill his mother’s dream of becoming a lawyer. But, like many of us who do things ultimately for others, he discovered it made him absolutely miserable.
So, he swung the pendulum all the way from being a super-serious lawyer to becoming a literal clown. He says that started a thaw that allowed him to “feel” again, and resurrected his inner child. Despite thinking he “wasn’t that Jewish," he says in the end, it was Jewish themes that interest him, like redemption, or “teshuva,” which means to “return.” His own journey of teshuva allowed Robert to rediscover how to seek and spread joy. He became a children’s musician and then a writer, and has a novel about a lawyer who left lawyering to save his soul, called…."Clown Shoes” of course. What else?
Glossary:
Shyster: often defined simply as meaning an unscrupulous scam artist or unprofessional lawyer, the term is generally used as–and therefore has taken on the meaning of–an antisemitic slur or coded reference to the stereotype of the “greedy Jew.” It’s often also associated with Shakespeare’s deeply anti-Semitic character of Shylock.
Teshuva: Literally meaning “return”, it is often used to mean “redemption” or “repentance,” in the sense of “returning” to the goodness or Godliness innate to us all.
Ner Tamid: Meaning “eternal light,” it is a literal light that is kept lit at all times in front of the ark, where Torah scrolls are kept, and is also a symbol of the eternal presence of God.
Shtetl: Yiddish for “little town,” the term refers to Ashkenazi Jewish enclaves primarily in Russia and Poland, and in fact housed many Gentiles as well as Jews. They were market towns with synagogues, churches and merchants, and were ultimately destroyed when the Holocaust wiped out most of Eastern European Jewry.
More on the Jewish lawyer trope and other “positive stereotypes”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVO6lErmy84&ab_channel=KatzCenterforAdvancedJudaicStudieshttps://jeffreykass.medium.com/jews-are-the-best-lawyers-50d33738249e
https://www.heyalma.com/rapping-jewish-lawyers-history/
https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/21/books/even-good-stereotypes-can-be-bad-myriad-subjects-with-common-thread-images-we.html
https://www.jta.org/2019/02/19/ideas/an-idiots-guide-to-anti-semitic-tropes-2
More on the term “antisemitic” and “anti-Semitic”:
https://www.adl.org/spelling-antisemitism-vs-anti-semitism
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/anti-semitism-or-antisemitism
https://www.holocaustremembrance.com/antisemitism/spelling-antisemitism
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Judaism takes a very different view of sex than much of mainstream culture in the U.S. Mischaracterization or misunderstanding of some of these differences may have evolved into some of the many anti-Semitic stereotypes (including conflicting ones…goes to show the solid reasoning behind stereotypes), but the general discourse among modern American Jews at least is, overall, pretty sex-positive. My views of sex were always a bit different, a bit more nuanced, perhaps, from my peers, so I went to the source: my mother. She’s a pretty unusual sort in her own right, and has diligently passed along some of our rule-bending values and family traditions I didn’t even know about. We’ll learn how her parents talked to her about sex in the ‘60s, her youth as a “flower child,” and how that informed her dealing with my own and my siblings' high school hijinks. Join me and my little old Jewish mother for some laughter and insight, and maybe even a fresh perspective of how sex, love, and responsibility for one another are a perfectly natural—and often wonderful—part of life.
GLOSSARY:Kibbutznik: A resident of a kibbutz, a type of communal agricultural settlement founded in Israel at the beginning of the 20th century where members shared income, meals, housing, duties and decision-making responsibilities. Kibbutzim (the plural of kibbutz) have changed a lot since the first one was founded in 1909; there are only about 250 today with about 125,000 members, and individuals and families often have personal income and property.
John Birch Society: A far-right anti-communist group founded in 1958 by businessman Robert Welch, named after an American Baptist missionary and Army officer who was killed by the Red Army in China in 1945.
Tonsure: a hairstyle where a priest or monk’s scalp is shaved bare on top,
Other sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/12/06/how-marvelous-mrs-maisel-fights-against-jewish-stereotypes/
https://icsr.info/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/ICSR-Report-Sleeping-with-the-Enemy-Sex-Sexuality-and-Antisemitism-in-the-Extreme-Right.pdf
https://www.britannica.com/topic/kibbutz
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How does a gay man raised in a Southern Black church end up the Executive Director of Washington DC’s LGBTQA synagogue, Bet Mishpachah? Growing up attending the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Josh Maxey always had a relationship with God and religion, but after hearing his pastor talking about how gay people are destined for hell, he started pulling away from Christianity. As a religious studies minor, many routes for exploring his spirituality were available.
He found his connection to Judaism during a chance encounter with the legendary Temple Emanu-El in New York City, established in 1845, when a loving stranger invited him to sit and pray, and he found himself in tears, and at peace. Josh says that in Judaism, he found a home, where he could be 100% authentic, live his values, and follow his purpose, surrounded by diverse people and their diverse beliefs and ways of being Jewish in the world. We talk about the importance of diversifying leadership and the continual efforts needed to create a fair and equitable space, and the relationship between American Black and Jewish communities. Josh's story is more than an enlightening conversation; it is a testament to the beauty of diversity within the Jewish community and the power of authenticity in faith. Join us for a refreshing viewpoint on faith, race, and identity.
GLOSSARY:Mishpachah: the Hebrew word for “family”.
Siddur: the Hebrew word for prayerbook, derived from the root meaning “order”, as in, the order of the words and prayers in the service.
Tikkun Olam: meaning “world repair,” is a concept that all human beings are responsible for one another and the world, and for repairing harm and damage through their actions, big or small.
Hadassah: meaning “myrtle tree” in Hebrew, it is a relatively common Jewish girl’s name and the Hebrew name of Queen Esther from the Purim story.
Kvetch: Yiddish for “complain,” meaning both to complain, and what a person who complains is called.
Halachically/halakha: Jewish law code based on the Talmud, which is the central text of Rabbic Judaism
Hebrew Israelites: Commonly called “Black Jews” until the mid-1960s, the Hebrew Israelite movement gained a following in the late 1800s and comprises people of color, primarily African Americans, “who view the biblical Israelites as their historic ancestors.” Some may not necessarily identify as Jews, and the larger group should not be confused with the “Radical Black Israelites” which the SPLC identifies as an antisemitic hate group.
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Temple Emanu-El is the first Reform Jewish synagogue in the United States and an architectural landmark in the Lower East Side.
Bet Misphachah, founded in 1975, is DC’s only LGBTQA synagogue. Join them for services on Fridays and the 2nd and 4th Saturdays.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington is a community organization that provides support for the Jewish community through social action, impact grants and other connecting and educational activities.Support the Show.
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Rabbi Eliana Fischel might not claim the title "The Cool Rabbi" (or think it very likely any rabbi would), but the Washington Hebrew Congregation Associate Rabbi does a lot of the fun stuff. She runs the young professionals group, works with LGBTQ and Jews of Color cohorts, and is involved in something like 40 conversions a year.
Who knew there were so many!? Well, no one, unless the convert themself chooses to talk about it. Rabbi Fischel explains why, and gives some insight into what she's witnessed in many of these deeply personal journeys. She busts some myths we grew up with (are we really turning converts away three times?), gives insight and identifies some of the trends she's seen and learned about over the years of helping people find themselves, and their Jewish soul.
Don’t worry, you won’t come out of this a shiny new Jew, or have any Sunday school flashbacks (unless you liked Sunday School?), but we’ll have a few laughs, and hit some of the nuts and bolts and basic questions you probably have about conversion....or, at least, that I had.
GLOSSARY
Minhag: A tradition that through long accepted use and custom has taken on an importance and force almost as strongly as law.Goy/goyish: non-Jew and non-Jewish (adjective), respectively.
Israel: The word, meaning "to struggle with God," was bestowed on the biblical character Jacob as his new name after wrestling with an angel all night in a match that left him permanently injured. In Judaism, it is used to refer the Jewish people, “Am Yisrael," meaning People of Israel, and the Land, "Eretz Yisrael."
Bubbe: Also spelled "bobe," Yiddish for "grandmother."
Seder: From the Hebrew word meaning "order," the ceremonial meal that takes place at Passover and is conducted in a specific order alongside the retelling of the story of the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. The ritual meal is believed by many to have been Jesus' Last Supper in Christianity, and Passover takes place in the spring, generally very near Easter.
Links:
https://www.reformjudaism.org/
https://www.whctemple.org/learn/adult-learning/classes/12-jewish-questions/Support the Show.
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Who knew there was such a thing? Well, Laurel Lehman discovered it along her conversion journey when, in college, her pastor told her there was a "well-trodden path" through the Episcopal Church to Judaism. And that's where she ended up. Apparently even though Bible study was never her thing, the intense pedantry we embrace and employ in our Torah study discussions really rang her bell. And so, while following an obsessive need to understand whether or not there was an “h” at the end of a transliterated Hebrew word, Laurel discovered her nascent Jewish soul. Laurel, welcome home.
Some of the names you heard in this episode include Rabbi Aaron Miller and Rabbi Eliana Fischel, whose rabbinical duties at Washington Hebrew Congregation include teaching adult education classes such as the 12 Jewish Questions Laurel mentions in the episode.
Abraham Joshua Heschel was a Polish rabbi and philosopher, deported from Germany by the Nazis in 1938, whose writings about Jewish spirituality, work on interfaith dialogue, and active presence in the American Civil Rights Movement made him well-known and respected among leaders across faiths during his lifetime.
GLOSSARY:Tsuris: Yiddish for aggravation or distress.
Pedantic: to be annoyingly concerned with minor details, formal rules, or correcting small errors, especially as a way to show off knowledge.
Minion: A group of 10 people, the minimum amount of Jewish adults (traditionally men) that is required to say certain prayers that must be said communally.
Challah: the braided egg bread especially traditional to Ashkenazi (of Central or Eastern European descent) Jews and eaten on holidays, especially Shabbat, the Hebrew word for "sabbath."
Tzedakah: often translated as “charity,” the word actually means “justice.” While “doing tzedakah” may involve giving money or time to charities, it’s based on the idea that everyone is entitled to certain things in life, like enough food to eat, shelter and dignity, and helping to provide those things is not charitable, it’s balancing the scales of justice.
Mitzvah: often translated as “good deed,” the word actually means “commandment,” but has expanded to impart the idea that doing good deeds or "doing the right thing" is not a favor; it’s not optional, it is required.
G’mar Chatimah Tovah: (also spelled “g’mar chatima tova”) the greeting said at Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) meaning “a good final sealing” to wish someone a good year to come by being sealed in the Book of Life.
Kabbalah: A form of Jewish mysticism that became widespread in Provence and Spain in the 12th and 13th centuries and, among other things, involves searching for secret knowledge and hidden meaning in texts.
Tikkun Olam: meaning “world repair,” is a concept that all human beings are responsible for one another and the world, and for repairing harm and damage through their actions, big or small.
Hanukkiah: the 9-branched candelabra used to celebrate Hanukkah
LINKShttps://reformjudaism.org/
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Nancy grew up in Savannah, Georgia, and like most people, was active in the church. But after having kids, she moved into the Jewish neighborhood of Savannah, wanting what she saw there for her family. That started her down a path of questioning and curiosity that ultimately led her to convert. We talk about her journey, what she studied to become a certified Jew, and how her before-and-after lives compare. This episode kicks off an informal mini-series exploring conversion to Judaism. We’ll hear a few personal stories, and a rabbinical perspective. This could be an endless series, because of course, every experience is unique. As many converts as there are in the world, that’s how many reasons and paths there are to conversion.
Synagogue: the Jewish house of worship and learning. Also called a "shul" or temple.
JEA: The Jewish Educational Alliance, is Savannah’s version of a JCC (Jewish Community Center). JCCs originated in Baltimore in 1854 and are community and event centers, often with gyms and child care, open to membership from anyone.
Proselytize: to recruit or attempt to convert someone to a faith.
Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights, recognizable to many by the 9-branched menorah, takes place anywhere from October to December, on the 25 of the Jewish month of Kislev (Judaism uses a lunar calendar). Not actually a religious holiday, it commemorates the victory of the Maccabee (meaning: hammer) tribe over the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
Zaydie: Yiddish for grandpa, also spelled “zaydeh” or “zaydee.”
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: known as the High Holy Days, they are separated by ten days, collectively known as The Days of Awe. Rosh Hashanah means “head of the year,” but is not the calendar new year; it’s the anniversary of Creation. Tradition says that on Rosh Hashanah the Book of Life is opened, and on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) it is sealed. During the Days of Awe, you’re meant to apologize for, own up to, and forgive hurtful behavior from the previous year to be sealed in the Book of Life for a good year to come.
Mickve: a ritual bath, required in conversion, but also used in many rituals to signify cleansing, purification and a new start. Also spelled "mikveh," it is generally considered to be the origin of baptism.
Beit Din: meaning “house of judgment,” it is a rabbinic court, and in some historical periods and communities, was also the civil court. In conversion, it’s a panel representing the community the convert wishes to join.A note about Savannah’s Jewish community: In 1733, a small group of mostly Portuguese Jews arrived in the 5-month-old colony of Georgia. In 1790, Georgia, now a state, granted a charter forming Congregation Mickve Israel, the third in the entire U.S. Historical records mentioning the congregation include an exchange with President George Washington after his election. The congregation still gathers in the neo-Gothic sanctuary off Monterey Square, consecrated on April 11, 1878. Congregation Shearith Israel in New York was founded in 1654, and the first Jews in New Orleans arrived in 1724. The
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Just kidding we couldn’t possibly answer a question that big in one show. Or one lifetime.
But, in this first episode of Jew-ish, Rabbi Susan Shankman, Senior Rabbi of Washington Hebrew Congregation, will take our hand, and walk us through some of the basics, just in time for the end of Jewish American Heritage Month!
We’ll cover things like whatever the heck “identity and culture” is, to the formulaic structures of prayer, to things you’ve possibly never heard of (oh you’ve heard of keva and kavanah? Suuuuure..), and do some deeper dives into things you maybe thought you knew. And, there's a glossary below of terms you may hear in the show.We’ll cover some lighter fare, too of course, like what it really means to be “the Chosen People” (it’s probably not what you think) and how to repair all that is broken in the world. Ok but really, don’t worry, there will be giggles, and hopefully I didn’t say anything my mother is going to call me about.
GLOSSARY:
Beshert: a Yiddish word meaning “destiny.” It’s often used to talk about soulmates but works for anything that’s “fated.”
Torah: The first five books of the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament (AKA Pentateuch) Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. A physical Torah is a two-handled scroll on kosher animal hide parchment, hand-lettered by a trained scribe, and kept in the ark of a synagogue.
Bimah: also spelled bima, the raised platform from which services are led and the Torah is read.
Ark: also known as the Aron HaKodesh, the ark houses the Torah at the front of the synagogue and is usually ornately decorated and accompanied by an “eternal light,” or “ner tamid”
Confirmation: a ceremony primarily in Reform Jewish tradition for high-school age kids, usually in 10th grade, age 16-17, marking the end of their “formal” Jewish education and reaffirming their commitment as “adults” to Jewish learning and living.
Bar/Bat/B’nai Mitzvah: the name for both the ceremony, and what a person becomes (“bar” for boys, meaning son, “bat” for girls, meaning daughter, “b’nai” is plural) when they have “come of age” in Judaism and lead a Torah service for the first time.
Shul: a Yiddish word meaning “school” used interchangeably for “synagogue” and “temple” for the place of worship and learning in Judaism.
Pirkei Avot: Translated at the “Ethics of the Fathers” or “Chapters of the Fathers”, this is a collection of writings on ethics and education from great rabbis in history. It is part of the “Mishnah,” the code of Jewish law compiled in the early third century C.E.
A note on Jewish American Heritage Month: The month was first designated in 2006 by President George W. Bush, after the efforts of the Jewish American Heritage Month Coalition, and passage of a 2005 resolution introduced by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of FL and Sen. Arlen Specter of PA. Since then, presidents have made annual proclamations recognizing the designation and contributions of American Jews. Read President Joe Biden’s 2023 proclamation here, and learn more at the official website here.
A note on Washington Hebrew Congregation: Rabbi Shankman was unable to comment on events surrounding the Edlavitch-Tyser Early Childhood Center, but the congregation has a statement, here.
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The Jews.....we live among you, we often look, dress, eat, or party like you do, we may go to the same schools and restaurants, have the same interests, mutual friends. And yet, life is somehow different when lived through a Jewish lens.
This show offers everyone, Jews and non-Jews alike, a place to compare experiences, ask questions, explore and explain things to and about ourselves, from what Judaism might say about Jesus, to what we think about divorce, or sex, or atheism. So many of us participate in the rituals or trappings of the faith, but don't think of ourselves as "religious". Many of us may read and write Hebrew, have had a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, went to Sunday school for years, and still describe ourselves as "Jew-ish." So, what does that mean?
We talk to Jews of all different stripes, backgrounds, education levels--from rabbis to converts to my own Jewish mother--and explore what it means to be "Jew-ish." Congratulations; you've just found your new Jewish friend!Support the Show.
