Shows
All Else is CommentaryThe Jewish Pedlar - with Tony KushnerThis week, Elliott is joined by Prof. Tony Kushner (Southampton University) to talk about his new book, The Jewish Pedlar, in which he tells the story of a triple murder. But it's not just about murder - they talk about a number of themes in Jewish history, and British Jewish identity over the last two hundred years.You can buy Tony's book here: https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526178022/ (you can receive a discount with the code 'Event30')That was the last episode of our first series, and we will be taking a break...2025-07-211h 17All Else is CommentaryQueen Ataliah - with Student Rabbi Yael TischlerThis week, Elliott is again joined by Student Rabbi Yael Tischler to discuss another woman of the Hebrew Bible of whom we may not have heard. This week, they discuss Queen Ataliah - the only woman to reign in Israel as sovereign. You can follow the texts they are reading here: https://www.alyth.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Athaliah-Sources-All-Else-is-Commentary.pdfIf you want to find out more about Leo Baeck College, and what it takes to study for the rabbinate, and how you can support the college, please check out their website: www...2025-07-1452 minAll Else is CommentaryThe Witch of Ein Dor - with Student Rabbi Yael TischlerStudent Rabbi Yael Tischler returns to discuss another woman of the Hebrew Bible of whom we may not have heard. This week, she and Elliott discuss the Ba'alat Ein Dor, the Witch of Ein Dor.You can follow the story they are reading here: https://www.alyth.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Source-Sheet-All-Else-is-Commentary-Baalat-Ov.pdfIf you want to find out more about Leo Baeck College, and what it takes to study for the rabbinate, and how you can support the college, please check out their website: www.lbc.ac.uk. Next w...2025-07-071h 02All Else is CommentaryThe Disagreeing Community – with Erev Rav Dr Hannah AltorfTwo special episodes this week, each featuring an incredible rabbi being ordained by the Leo Baeck College on Sunday 6 July. In this episode, Elliott speaks to Student Rabbi (Erev Rav) Dr Hannah Altorf about the Jewish idea of machloket (disagreement) - is it good thing? And what does it mean for our communities?If you want to find out more about Leo Baeck College, and what it takes to study for the rabbinate, and how you can support the college, please check out their website: www.lbc.ac.uk. Next week: Student Rabbi Y...2025-07-0346 minAll Else is CommentaryThe Theology of the Cloud - with Erev Rav Andrea KulikovskyTwo special episodes this week, each featuring an incredible rabbi being ordained by the Leo Baeck College on Sunday 6 July. In this episode, Elliott speaks to Student Rabbi (Erev Rav) Andrea Kulikovsky about the theology of the cloud - what does it mean to live our Jewish lives online?If you want to find out more about Leo Baeck College, and what it takes to study for the rabbinate, and how you can support the college, please check out their website: www.lbc.ac.uk. If you have any comments or questions, or i...2025-06-3054 minAll Else is CommentaryProgressive Sermons of the Last 50 Years: Defending Progressive Judaism - with Rabbi Josh LevyIn this episode, Elliott speaks to Rabbi Josh Levy about a sermon he gave about the judicial reforms in Israel on Kol Nidrei in 2023, just a few days before the 7 October attacks. Elliott asks him about the context of the sermon, how things have changed since then, and Rabbi Josh tells the subsequent story of the formation of the Movement for Progressive Judaism.To read the sermon along with us, you can find it here.You can find out more about the Movement for Progressive Judaism here: https://pathtoprogressivejudaism.org.uk/ 2025-06-2348 minAll Else is CommentaryBritish Jews since 1945 - with Gavin SchafferThis week, Elliott is joined by Prof. Gavin Schaffer (Manchester Metropolitan University) to talk about his new book, An Unorthodox History, in which he approaches the history of the Jewish community in the UK from the margins.You can buy Gavin's book here: https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526165473/ If you have any comments or questions, or if there is a sermon that you remember that you would love us to talk about, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join th...2025-06-1644 minAll Else is CommentaryComing Up on All Else is CommentaryWe're taking a couple of weeks' break, so this is just a short episode to let you know what is coming up. In particular, we are welcoming Rabbi Josh Levy and Rabbi Hannah Kingston to talk about two important sermons from the last 50 years. And we want to hear from you if there are sermons you heard or heard about, and would like us to discuss on the podcast. You can write to allelseis@alyth.org.uk – or join the conversation on Facebook, or Bluesky. We are looking forward to all kinds of ot...2025-05-2603 minAll Else is CommentaryProgressive Sermons of the Last 50 Years: the healing power of ritual – with Rabbi Miriam BergerIn this episode, Elliott speaks to Rabbi Miriam Berger about a sermon she gave in 2017 about second-child infertility, and the power of ritual to help us nagivate those things in our lives over which we have no control. They speak about how rabbis are uniquely placed to accompany us through such moments, and to provide Jewish ways in which to frame life's journeys.If you want to read Rabbi Miriam's sermon, click here. We are grateful to have been able to use (with permission) the recording of 'Ki Hinei Kachomer' by Daniel Cainer, sung by Cantor...2025-05-1956 minAll Else is CommentaryLAG B'OMER SPECIAL: Rabbi Akiva and Rachel - with the Alyth YEH TeamA very different episode of the podcast, to mark Lag B'Omer.Elliott is joined by Abi, Izzie and Phoebe, educators in the Alyth Youth and Education Hub (YEH) as they study a story from the Babylonian Talmud. We eavesdrop on their learning, snacking, banter and scholarly insights into the story of Rabbi Akiva and his wife, Rachel.You can read along with us here: https://www.alyth.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Rabbi-Akiva-and-Rachel.pdf If you have any comments or questions, or if there are any particular topics you would like...2025-05-1557 minAll Else is CommentaryThe Art of the Book of Ruth - with Rabbi Deborah Kahn-Harris and Tilla CrowneElliott is joined by his teacher Rabbi Deborah Kahn-Harris (Principal of Leo Baeck College) for a series delving into the Book of Ruth (the book that Jews traditionally read at Shavuot). Having read through the whole of the Book of Ruth, Elliott and Deborah take time to look at the artwork of the book - and welcome special guest Tilla Crowne, who provided the artwork for the cover of Deborah's book. You can see the images they discuss in this episode here: https://www.alyth.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Art-of-the-Book-of-Ruth.pdfYou can...2025-05-121h 10All Else is CommentaryThe Book of Ruth, Chapter 4 - with Rabbi Deborah Kahn-HarrisElliott is joined by his teacher Rabbi Deborah Kahn-Harris (Principal of Leo Baeck College) for a series delving into the Book of Ruth (the book that Jews traditionally read at Shavuot). This episode is on chapter 4, the final chapter.You can read along with them in any bible, or you can use Sefaria: https://www.sefaria.org/Ruth.4?lang=biYou can find out more about Rabbi Deborah's book here: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781666932102/Polyamory-and-Reading-the-Book-of-RuthIf you want to find out more about Leo Baeck College, and what it takes...2025-05-051h 02All Else is CommentaryThe Book of Ruth, Chapter 3 - with Rabbi Deborah Kahn-HarrisElliott is joined by his teacher Rabbi Deborah Kahn-Harris (Principal of Leo Baeck College) for a series delving into the Book of Ruth (the book that Jews traditionally read at Shavuot). This episode is on chapter 3.You can read along with them in any bible, or you can use Sefaria: https://www.sefaria.org/Ruth.3?lang=biYou can find out more about Rabbi Deborah's book here: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781666932102/Polyamory-and-Reading-the-Book-of-RuthYou can listen to the song Elliott mentions here: https://open.spotify.com/track/7w4WB28CPszmOVQaHEcGhx 2025-04-281h 10All Else is CommentaryThe Book of Ruth, Chapter 2 - with Rabbi Deborah Kahn-HarrisElliott is joined by his teacher Rabbi Deborah Kahn-Harris (Principal of Leo Baeck College) for a series delving into the Book of Ruth (the book that Jews traditionally read at Shavuot). This episode is on chapter 2.You can read along with them in any bible, or you can use Sefaria: https://www.sefaria.org/Ruth.2?lang=biYou can find out more about Rabbi Deborah's book here: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781666932102/Polyamory-and-Reading-the-Book-of-RuthYou can watch The Story of Ruth (1960) herehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG5UASouE9k2025-04-2151 minAll Else is CommentaryThe Book of Ruth, Chapter 1, Part 2 - with Rabbi Deborah Kahn-HarrisElliott is joined by his teacher Rabbi Deborah Kahn-Harris (Principal of Leo Baeck College) for the second in a series delving into the Book of Ruth (the book that Jews traditionally read at Shavuot). This episode is the second installment of their discussion of chapter 1.You can read along with them in any bible, or you can use Sefaria: https://www.sefaria.org/Ruth.1?lang=biYou can find out more about Rabbi Deborah's book here: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781666932102/Polyamory-and-Reading-the-Book-of-RuthIf you want to find out more about Leo...2025-04-171h 08All Else is CommentaryThe Book of Ruth: Chapter 1, Part 1 - with Rabbi Deborah Kahn-HarrisThis is the first of a series in which Elliott is joined by his teacher Rabbi Deborah Kahn-Harris (Principal of Leo Baeck College) to take a deep-dive into the Book of Ruth (the book that Jews traditionally read at Shavuot). They thought they could get through the whole of chapter 1 in just one episode, but it is so rich that they will actually need two. The second installment will be out on Thursday.You can read along with them in any bible, or you can use Sefaria: https://www.sefaria.org/Ruth.1?lang=bi2025-04-1445 minAll Else is CommentaryPESACH SPECIAL: How did Moses know he was a Hebrew? - With Rabbi Jonathan MagonetWe're here on a Thursday for a special Pesach episode of All Else is Commentary. This week, Elliott is joined by another of his former teachers from Leo Baeck College, Rabbi Professor Jonathan Magonet, to discuss the question of when Moses knew he was a Hebrew.You can buy Rabbi Jonathan's book here.If you have any comments or questions, or if there are any particular topics you would like us to about, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can al...2025-04-1035 minAll Else is CommentaryPhilip Roth's The Ghost Writer - with Toby LloydThis week, Elliott is joined by the author Toby Lloyd, to talk about one of Philip Roth's most Jewish novels: The Ghost Writer (1979).There will be spoilers, so if you want to buy and read the book first, you can do so here.You can find out more about Toby's own book, Fervour here.If you're interested in reading Roth's article from 1963 on writing about Jews, you can do so here: https://www.commentary.org/articles/philip-roth/writing-about-jews/If you have any comments or questions, or if there...2025-04-0757 minAll Else is CommentaryLeo Baeck and the Essence of Judaism, Part 2: The Task of Progressive JudaismThis episode is a continuation of Elliott's lecture on Rabbi Dr Leo Baeck, including some of the things he wasn't able to get to in the original talk. To read the sermon Elliott is referring to that he gave about Progressive Judaism, click here.If you have any comments or questions, or if there are any particular topics you would like us to about, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on Facebook page, and we ha...2025-03-3122 minAll Else is CommentaryLeo Baeck and the Essence of Judaism, Part 1Back in February, Elliott gave a lecture to the Progressive Judaism Education Hub about Rabbi Dr Leo Baeck. This is a recording of the first part of that lecture, giving an account of Baeck's life and times. Next week will be an additional lecture that dives into Baeck's writings, specifically his most famous work, The Essence of Judaism (originally published 1905, then re-published in expanded form in 1922). If you have any comments or questions, or if there are any particular topicx you would like us to about, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org...2025-03-2449 minAll Else is CommentaryAbraham: The First Jew - with Anthony JuliusThis week, Elliott is joined by Anthony Julius, the author of a new book on the biblical figure of Abraham. It's not just a biography though - the conversation gets to the heart of what it means to be a Jew.You can buy Anthony's new book here: https://yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300266801/abraham/If you have any comments or questions, or if there are any particular topicx you would like us to about, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You ca...2025-03-1748 minAll Else is CommentaryPURIM SPECIAL: Esther in Victorian Literature - with Dr Sherry AshworthWe are here on a Thursday to bring you a special Purim episode! Elliott is joined by Dr Sherry Ashworth, who has recently finished her PhD in the study of the story of Esther and how the characters from Purim seem to pop up all over the place in Victorian novels.If you have any comments or questions, or if there are any biblical stories you would like us to about, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on Fa...2025-03-131h 12All Else is CommentaryRabbinic Power in the Talmud, Q & A - with Rabbi Kath VardiRabbi Kath Vardi returns for a Question and Answer session on all the rabbinic legends she and Elliott have talked about over the last few months. Together they respond to questions posed by listeners, as well as returning to some of the disagreements they had in the first four episodes. If you have any comments or questions, or if there are any talmudic stories you would love Elliott and Kath to talk about, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the co...2025-03-101h 07All Else is CommentaryEveryday Jews - with Keith Kahn-HarrisThis week, Elliott is joined by Keith Kahn-Harris, sociologist, Jewish researcher, and one of Elliott's teachers from his time at Leo Baeck College. Keith is here to talk about his new book: Everyday Jews. He argues that we should be celebrating the mundane, and not be so obsessed with the search for grander meaning.You can find out more about Keith on his website: https://kahn-harris.org/And you can still book for his book launch event at JW3 here: https://www.jw3.org.uk/whats-on/celebrating-everyday-jewishness-seriously-playful-eveningA reminder that...2025-03-0343 minAll Else is CommentaryComing Up on All Else is CommentaryWe’re taking a break from regular episodes this week, but we wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about some of the exciting things that are coming up.In particular, in March we welcome back Rabbi Kath Vardi for a Q & A about rabbinic power in the Talmud – and it is not too late to submit your questions for that. You can write to allelseis@alyth.org.uk – or join the conversation on Facebook, or Bluesky. We would really love to hear your questions. This week, Elliott will be teaching a session...2025-02-2403 minAll Else is CommentaryRitzpah - with Rabbi Robyn Ashworth-SteenThis week, Elliott is joined by Rabbi Robyn Ashworth-Steen, rabbi, podcaster, and academic, to talk about the biblical character of Ritzpah. They talk about the story of this courageous woman, its biblical context, and how it is relevant to politics today.You can follow the story on Sefaria by clicking here.You can find out more about Rabbi Robyn's podcast, 'Rabbiting On' (which she co-hosts with Rabbi Miriam Berger and Rabbi Debbie Young-Somers) by clicking here.Next week we are taking a break – there won’t be a full podcast, but...2025-02-1754 minAll Else is CommentaryProgressive Sermons of the Last 50 Years: The Falklands Crisis - with Rabbi Colin EimerIn this episode, we are moving away from the texts of the ancient Jewish world, and jumping to the twentieth century. Elliott speaks to Rabbi Colin Eimer about a sermon he gave back in 1982, at the height of the Falklands Crisis. They talk about the context in which the sermon was given and how we go about writing our sermons. We think about what remains relevant today, and also how this sermon might have been different if it had been delivered in 2025.If you want to read Rabbi Colin's sermon, including some explanatory footnotes, click here.2025-02-1039 minAll Else is CommentaryThe Talmud, Emmanuel Levinas, and Messianic Times – with Rabbi Daniel LichmanIn this episode, Elliott sits down with Rabbi Daniel Lichman to talk about a particular Talmudic reading by the French Jewish philosopher, Emmanuel Levinas. They talk about the question of when to expect the messiah, and what we are being called to do during these extreme times. If you want to read the section of Levinas's work that Elliott and Daniel are talking about, you can find it here. If you have any comments or questions, or if there are parts of the Jewish rabbinic or philosophical tradition you would love us to...2025-02-031h 00All Else is CommentaryRabbinic Power in the Talmud, part 4 - with Rabbi Kath VardiThis episode is the second part of Elliott's discussion with Rabbi Kath Vardi about the legend of Rabbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish. Together they address the human desire for autonomy, the Rabbis' use and abuse of Scripture, and whether the rabbis really like the idea of disagreement.Click here to read the legend on Sefaria.org.This is Elliott's last discussion with Rabbi Kath until the beginning of March, when they will be back with a special Question and Answer episode - so please email in your questions to: allelseis@alyth.org.uk...2025-01-3040 minAll Else is CommentaryRabbinic Power in the Talmud, Part 3 - with Rabbi Kath VardiIn this episode, Rabbi Kath Vardi returns for a discussion about one of the most famous stories in the Babylonian Talmud: the legend of Rabbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish. We were hoping to get through the whole episode in one sitting, but time got the better of us, so we will be bringing out Part 2 of this episode on Thursday.Click here to read the legend on Sefaria.org. If you have any comments or questions, or if there are any talmudic stories you would love Elliott and Kath to...2025-01-2739 minAll Else is CommentaryRabbis who kill with their eyesAll Else Is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas from a curious, progressive and critical perspective, hosted by Rabbi Elliott Karstadt.In this special solo episode, Elliott delves into legends from the Talmud in which rabbis kill with their eyes, and considers what it says about rabbinic power, and whether there is a possibility that – in a small way at least – the rabbis are laughing at themselves.Click here for a source sheet to accompany this episode.If you have any comments or questions, or if there are any talm...2025-01-2329 minAll Else is CommentaryDevorah and Yael - with Student Rabbi Yael TischlerAll Else Is Commentary is a new podcast of Jewish ideas from a curious, progressive and critical perspective, hosted by Rabbi Elliott Karstadt.In this episode, Elliott is once again joined by Kohenet Yael Tischler, who is a student rabbi in her fourth year at Leo Baeck College in London. After the last two episodes, Elliott asked Yael if they could talk about some women who fought back. Yael thought about it, and these were the two women she chose: Devorah and Yael.Click here for a source sheet with the texts they...2025-01-2047 minAll Else is CommentaryShe'ilah bat Yiftach - with Student Rabbi Yael TischlerAll Else Is Commentary is a new podcast of Jewish ideas from a curious, progressive and critical perspective, hosted by Rabbi Elliott Karstadt.In this episode, Elliott is once again joined by Kohenet Yael Tischler, who is a student rabbi in her fourth year at Leo Baeck College in London. They discuss the story of She'ilah, the daughter of Yiftach, who is sacrificed by her own father after he makes a frivilous vow to God. They talk about the way in which her story has been told and retold, and why it’s important to us to...2025-01-1351 minAll Else is CommentaryShelomit bat Dibri - with Student Rabbi Yael TischlerAll Else Is Commentary is a new podcast of Jewish ideas from a curious, progressive and critical perspective, hosted by Rabbi Elliott Karstadt.In this episode, Elliott is joined by Kohenet Yael Tischler, who is a student rabbi in her fourth year at Leo Baeck College in London. They discuss the story of Shelomit bat Dibri, the only woman to be named in the book of Leviticus. They talk about the way in which her story has been told and retold, and why it’s important to us today.Click here for a so...2025-01-0644 minAll Else is CommentaryRabbinic Power in the Talmud, part 2 - with Rabbi Kath VardiAll Else Is Commentary is a new podcast of Jewish ideas from a curious, progressive and critical perspective, hosted by Rabbi Elliott Karstadt.In this episode, Elliott is again joined by Rabbi Kath Vardi, in the second episode looking at rabbinic legends in the Babylonian Talmud - legends that cause us to reflect on the power of the rabbis and the boundaries they put in place around learning. This week, Elliott and Kath read the story of Rabbi Eliezer, who is excommunicated by the other rabbis. It’s a story about what happens when an individual ch...2024-12-301h 01All Else is CommentaryRabbinic Power in the Talmud, Part 1 - with Rabbi Kath VardiAll Else Is Commentary is a new podcast of Jewish ideas from a curious, progressive and critical perspective, hosted by Rabbi Elliott Karstadt.In this episode, Elliott is joined by Rabbi Kath Vardi, in the first in a series of episodes looking at rabbinic legends in the Babylonian Talmud - legends that cause us to reflect on the power of the rabbis and the boundaries they put in place around learning. This week, Elliott and Kath read the story of Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabban Gamliel. It’s a story about what happens when individual leaders can be...2024-12-261h 07All Else is CommentaryToby LloydThis is the very first episode of All Else is Commentary, a new podcast of Jewish ideas from a curious, progressive and critical perspective and presented by Rabbi Elliott Karstadt, and in this first episode he is joined by the author, Toby Lloyd, to talk about his highly acclaimed new book, Fervour, described by Jonathan Coe as 'A fearless look into the dark heart of family politics' and by the New York Times as 'Magnificent, indelible [...] a lasting allegory of our dark historical time.' It’s a book full of Jewish references from biblical stories to the Zohar. El...2024-12-2337 minAll Else is CommentaryIntroducing All Else is CommentaryAll Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas, hosted by Rabbi Elliott Karstadt. Elliott is part of the rabbinic team at Alyth Synagogue in London. In this podcast, he is joined by other rabbis, writers and academics to delve into texts as diverse as the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud, to contemporary Jewish novels. All Else is Commentary takes deep dives into Jewish texts, considering how they responded to the times in which they were written, as well as what they might say to us today about what it means to live in the world. This is the...2024-11-0702 min
Remarkable Retail PodcastThe Remarkable Rise of Retail Media with Melanie Brown, VP of Home Depot's Orange Apron Media + MonetizationJoining us for the second of three episodes recorded in the Bambuser remote podcast studio/beach cabana at Mandalay Bay during Shoptalk is Melanie Brown Vice President of Orange Apron Media and Monetization for The Home Depot. In a special two segment interview Melanie unpacks The Home Depot's retail media journey, highlighting the company's unique approach, which recently culminated in a doubling down and re-branding of its efforts. We've had analysts and consultants on to explore the rapidly growing retail media world, now we get a deeply experienced practitioner's in-depth perspectives.As usual we open by dissecting th...2024-04-1658 min
Progressively JewishS2E41 Ki Teitzei - HomeHost: Rabbi Debbie-Young-Somers (Edgware and Hendon Reform Synagogue)
Guests: Sara Nathan (Co-Founder, Refugees At Home,) & Rabbi Elliott Karstadt (Alyth Synagogue & Trustee, Together in Barnet)2021-08-1927 min