In this deeply personal and thought-provoking episode, Robert Philipson traces the intertwined threads of family, faith, and identity, beginning with his great-uncle, Reform Judaism leader Rabbi David Philipson, and winding through his own complex upbringing in mid-century America. From the unlikely honor of portraying Shylock in a high school English class to confronting assimilation, antisemitism, and inherited legacies, Philipson reflects on what it means to be Jewish in a world that often demands forgetting. At once humorous, poignant, and historically rich, this episode explores the weight of ancestry, the power of literature, and the unfinished work of defining oneself.
Host Info
Hosted by Dr. Robert Philipson
Robert is a former professor of African-American studies with a passion for jazz and art. A published author and Harlem Renaissance historian, he has produced multiple films about the intersectionality of race, music, and sexuality.
RESOURCES
Literature:
The Jewish Encyclopedia (Vol. X, 1905)
Philipson, David. My Life as an American Jew
Philipson, David. The Reform Movement in Judaism
Philipson, David. The Jew in English Fiction
Philipson, David. Max Lilienthal, American Rabbi
Encyclopedia Judaica
The Pittsburgh Platform (1885)
Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice
Dr. Seuss. Horton Hears a Who!
Music:
A Gesang Fun’m Berditchever Rebbe - Mordechay Hersman
Oboe Concerto In D Minor: 1. Andante e Spiccato - Marcel Ponseele & Il Gardellino
La Rosa Enflorece - The Jewish Starlight Orchestra
Misirlou & The Flatbush Waltz - Budapest Cafe Orchestra
Due Tramonti - Ludovico Einaudi
Follow Shoga Speaks shogafilms.org/podcasts
Sign up for our newsletter at our website shogafilms.com
Instagram: @shogafilms
Facebook: facebook.com/shogafilms
Twitter: twitter.com/shogafilms
Website: www.shogafilms.com;
Instagram: shogafilms;
Facebook: facebook.com/shogafilms;
Twitter: twitter.com/shogafilms
