Episódios
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This conversation took place on November 4th, 2024 — the day before the election — (or, what we now know as the "Nakba" of the Democratic Party) . . .
I met David Hilfstein as my sound engineer at a gig at Bethel Woods (where the infamous Woodstock Music Festival was held) — the day after Yom Kippur; and the day before leaving for Japan.
We bonded over how refreshing it was to meet a friendly Jewish face in a musical space since 10/7, where we had both been feeling increasingly unwelcome lately. One thing led to another — including my mentioning I had a podcast, and David revealing that as a lifelong Democrat, he would be voting for Trump this election.
This episode is the culmination of my many lingering questions after the "homework" David assigned me while in Japan:
Maher Bitar, Ariene Tabatabai, Robert Malley
(look up these names if they're totally unfamiliar)
With the results of the election behind us, my hope is that this episode can provide insight into the perspective of the "other side" — whichever "side" you happen to find yourself on.
When the world turns upside down, you can either resist it — or turn with it.
Just don't forget to pack your critical thinking.
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A candid conversation with my non-Jewish, Zen-practicing husband, on the evening of October 7, 2024.
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Join me as I sit down with activist, DEI-alternative start-up entrepreneur, and musician Chloé Valdary (@chloevaldary @theoryofenchantment @beatsbyparadox), and we discuss her Theory of Enchantment as an alternative approach to DEI that doesn't dehumanize anyone or assume anyone's lived experience (read: white people). We then delve deeper into how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was actually the impetus that inspired her to create the Theory of Enchantment — waaaay before 10/7.
Unique as well about the Theory of Enchantment approach is that it incorporates music and pop culture; so, naturally, we pivot to some of her own, including an original song Chloé wrote about the sophisticated (and in my opinion, hilarious) paradox of the words "Israel" and "Jihad" actually having the same meaning.
"Israel, Palestine, Wrestle, Strive"
All the things that I said, they're a'coming, they're a'coming
All the things that I read, they're a'coming, they're a'coming
All the words that I wrote down, they're a'coming, they're a coming.
I'm gonna wrestle
With my ego
Call me Israel!
Call me Jihad!
Oh wait, that's a fabulous paradox
They both mean wrestle,
Yeah I wrestle!
Said I'm gon' wrestle
With my ego!
Call me Israel!
Call me Jihad!
Wait what a sophisticated paradox
I know, I, I,
Made it,
I'm coming for you!
I'm coming for you!
Tired of your foolishness
I heard a long time ago
They said you were brothers!
You had the same father
and different mothers.
I heard a long time ago
There was a family feud
Ishmael, Isaac!
I'm calling on, calling on you!
What a sophisticated paradox!
What a fascinating paradox!
What a sophisticated paradox!
I'm coming for you, I'm coming for you!
https://www.theoryofenchantment.com/
https://soundcloud.com/beatsbyparadox/
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I'm going to Israel tomorrow and I'm too lazy to write a description. Let this episode speak for itself.
(and maybe that's a hint as to what Zen is)
J
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In part 2 of my conversation with Will Van Den Broeck, I bring in my very own Vander-husband, Eric Vanderzee, where we continue our discussion of the unexpected challenges of intermarriage in a post-Oct. 7 world. Tune in for an unfiltered interview between a single Jew who thinks he needs to marry Jewish, and a married Jew who didn't. (Me).
My argument: What if intermarriage doesn't "dilute" Judaism, but rather, "distills" it?
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In this episode, I sit down with Paris-born Flemmish-American Jew, Will Van Den Broeck, who I was initially excited to interview because of the similarity of his last name to my non-Jewish husband's: Vanderzee. (Van Den Broeck meaning "from the creek" and Vanderzee meaning "from the sea").
But I was just as excited to dig in to his perspective on his own Jewish upbringing - having been raised between France, Belgium, and NY - and having spent time in Israel living in Lod, for Fellowships and a deeper understanding of Israeli/Arab/Palestinian relations within and without.
Join us for a dynamic conversation discussing interfaith relationships, Israel's intermarriage law and the meaning of "democracy", tradition vs. modern interpretation, what it means to be a "secular Jew" in Israel, deep love for the country despite "Separation of Synagogue and State," unfiltered midrash on the previous episode on Jewish Indigeneity - and a variety of other passionate tangents.
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I thought I understood my feelings towards Israel and its significance to the Jewish People before... but Lani Mekeel broke my brain about it.
I always felt Jewish indigeneity to Eretz Israel on a deep level - that it went without saying (how could anyone deny this?) - I had no idea there were so many people out there seriously debating this obvious truth and actively working to convince the world otherwise.
Lani opened my eyes to the similarities between Jewish and Native struggles of assimilation and erasure, colonization and reconnection - and a crash course on indigeneity.
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Join me and recent rabbinical school graduate, Tori Greene, as we discuss our parallel Miami-Jewish upbringings and reflections on developing our own Jewish Identities in adulthood.
We also talk activism and advocacy (are we making it worse?), liberal Zionist social media strategy, the intertwined-ness of music and Judaism, and a handful of nuggets of rabbinic wisdom on various topics from alternative Torah interpretation to kol isha, “a woman's voice”; (we end this episode with Tori’s original song, “Ariel,” the first song she has written since October 7th).
Also, tefillin are sexy.
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Building on the theme of the previous episode, "The Eternal Optimist," the Jew Gone Zen podcast welcomes Masha Sokol, musician and Russian-Jewish immigrant (or should I more accurately say refugee?) for a candid conversation on the American-Jewish perspective and the Eastern-European Jewish perspective — where we overlap, as well as where we miss each other.
We delve deeper into Tragic Optimism - a term coined from the book, "Man's Search for Meaning," by Victor Frankl - and how music and Judaism seamlessly intertwine with respect to finding meaning in one's suffering.
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Got it in before midnight. Shabbat Shalom, I'm proclaiming my new Shabbat the 18th of every month, right after I release this podcast, whichever day of the week it happens to fall... time for my day of rest to begin...
In this episode, we explore the relationship between the Eternal Optimism that is Judaism, "Tragic Optimism", a term coined by Victor Frankl in his book, "Man's Search for Meaning," the first book of the Jew Gone Zen book club (DM @jewgonezen or email [email protected] to join), and how these mindsets subliminally carry us through our modern-day Jewish lives - whether we're aware of it or not - including how it informs our approach to navigating complicated feelings about Israel/Palestine.
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This is a word I’ve been meditating on lately. What does it mean to “justify,” and who are we as observers to make that call?
This word has been coming up a lot this week — from unhinged comments from people I know irl to randoms sliding into my DMs, everyone has been demanding to know whether I think that ::insert atrocity:: is “JUSTIFIED” — guess that’s just what happens when you start a podcast dedicated to understanding multiple perspectives (I might even say it’s ‘justified’…)
As I have immersed myself deeper and deeper into the perspectives of each “side” of the conflict, I can say that I deeply understand how this vicious circle culminated in this way. I feel profound sadness and compassion for the reactions of the “other” – it is truly an impossible, yet understandable, situation. To “justify” would imply that anything in this life is “just” in the first place.
Nothing “justifies” the idea of one people living at the expense of another… but if the feeling is mutual?
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Shalom & Gassho everyone, I had not planned on putting out yet another part of this “We Live in the World of the Words we Use” Episode but… HINENI, Here I am…
And since we’re talking about words... “Hineni” is a Hebrew word that means “Here I am”, but it has an even more profound significance as it’s used in the Torah (it’s the response Abraham gives when God calls on him to sacrifice his son, Issac - and when Moses stood before the burning bush and was called by name from within, he too responded, “Hineni.”)
But it’s more than an indication of being physically present in a location. The word “Hineni” is more of an existential expression - I’m not only here, but I’m here - Spiritually, I’m all in; I’m prepared to reflect on who I am, what’s important to me, and how I can effect change for others.
And that’s what this podcast is to me.
It’s my version of “Hineni” - or at least, I thought it was - because I have to admit, after listening back to parts 1 and 2 of this “We Live in the World of the Words We Use” episode… I wasn’t all in. I wasn’t HINENI. I was scared. I am scared.
As much as I truly desire to express myself, my thoughts, my struggles, my incredibly raw conversations with my non-Jewish husband in this time of absolute confusion and loss and loneliness for the Jewish community, there’s this fear I have…
What if I’m making it worse?
But then I thought, what if I'm not? What if I'm just scared? So HINENI!
In this episode, we discuss the evolution of the word "Zionism" - my definition of the word, the dictionary definition, and everything in between.
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Due to how heated the discussion got in the last episode, I had to put out a part 2 in order to reassure the world that my husband Eric and I indeed do not hate each other - and to get back on topic to the title, "We Live in the World of the Words we Use."
(Oh, and I got Eric to admit that he WOULD in fact be inclined to save the Jewish people over any other group if he somehow HAD TO, due to the fact that I am Jewish and I would be included in that group by default, even though "playing favorites" towards any particular group of people goes against Zen philosophy).
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This one got... exciting....
"We Live in the world of the words we use" was one of my Dad's favorite quotes (by Wittgenstein, he can't take credit for it).
But with regards to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, we can see how limited we are by words -- not only words surrounding the conflict (Zionism, genocide, apartheid, refugee, terrorist), but even everyday words that restrict us to dualistic thinking.
Then, listen as Eric and I passionately debate the costs & benefits of tribalism, and how our views influence the people we are today.
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While sitting zazen at a 5-day Zen meditation sesshin that happened to coincide with Yom Kippur, the words "Jew Gone Zen" kept circling around in my head. I didn't know what it meant or what it would become, but one week later, in a post-October 7th world, it became clear.
I was going to start a podcast - and question... EVERYTHING - including my own Jewish identity.
In this introductory episode, I discuss the apparent overlap between Jewish and Zen practice (did you know that Jews make up a disproportionate percentage of the Zen community?), tell the story of my non-traditional Jewish upbringing and adulthood (like becoming a Bat Mitzvah at 28), and reveal stealth recordings of conversations with my newlywed non-Jewish husband, (who I am forever grateful to for asking questions that most non-Jews would be afraid to ask, and is the reason I was introduced to Zen in the first place). Plus like a million tangents.
New episodes the 18th of every month at sundown.
Follow @jewgonezen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Jew Gone Zen YouTube channel
Music in this episode:
"Hey There Gentile" on Instagram / YouTube
"Within Yourself" by Janna Pelle on Spotify
