Shows
The Jewish DiasporistAshkenazi Herbal Diasporism w/ Deatra Cohen and Adam SiegelIn this episode, we are joined by Deatra Cohen and Adam Siegel, authors of "Ashkenazi Herbalism" and recently: "Woven Roots; Recovering the Healing Plant Traditions of Jews and their Neighbors in Eastern Europe." Their new book expands on their earlier work by foregrounding the ways plant medicine served as a medium for coexistence in a land that's often only remembered as a place of Jewish suffering. Through concrete examples, we explored the implications of diaspora for herbal and medicinal traditions. These traditions, often considered backwards and lost to history, can continue to teach us about what it...2025-07-051h 31
Little DeathCommuning with Ghosts: Ancient Jewish Practices for Modern Times with Madison SlobinIn this episode, I am joined by local Queer Jewish ritualist, matchmaker and cultural connector: Madison Slobin. Divulging a once fearful relationship with ghosts and death, Madi vulnerably invites us into her subconscious to reveal ancestral encounters and the portals of connection that became possible once she was open to them. She offers her experiences with supernatural visitations from her Ashkenazi grandparents and the ancient Jewish divinatory practice of dream interpretation. During the pandemic, this led Madi along a hallowed path towards co-creating “the place/s” (hamakom) where she wanted to be. Elaborating on the concept of “spiritual technology”—ritual tha...2025-03-031h 07Little DeathTenderness as Liberatory Resistance: Immortalizing Ladino and Sephardic Heritage with Shaurie BidotIn this episode, I sit down with the tender and tenacious Shaurie Bidot as they invite us along a pilgrimage of ancestral wisdom, remembrance and blessings from their Latin heritage originating from the Indigenous Taíno tribe of Puerto Rico to their roots in the American South. From the context of growing up in the South as a queer Afro-Latinx Sephardi Jew, Shaurie offers their formative perspectives on death as a grounding practice and spiritual guide in how they approach personal relationships and liberatory politics. Informed by their multi-racial, multi-cultural and ethnically diverse landscapes, Shaurie explores grief practices as a...2025-02-171h 03
Evil Everywhere: A True Crime and Horror PodcastEpisode 33: The Legend of the Dybbuk BoxIn 2004, the LA times released an article regarding a possessed box deemed the dybbuk box. This item soon became one of the most coveted items in the paranormal world. But what is a dybbuk? Belief in the existence of a dybbuk has existed in Jewish folklore as early back as the 16th century. There have been many reports of dybbuk possession throughout the years, but the amount significantly declined with the advancements in medicine. A dybbuk box is said to contain a dybbuk, which seeks to possess an individual. However, the dybbuk box did not come about until the...2025-01-1454 min
The Five BooksJean Meltzer on ‘Jewitches’ and Jewish JoyIn Magical Meet Cute, Faye Kaplan is definitely happy alone. That is, until she finds her town papered with anti-Semitic flyers. Desperate for comfort, Faye drunkenly turns to her pottery. A golem protector is just what her town needs…and adding details to make him her ideal man can’t hurt, right? When a mysterious stranger turns up the next day, Greg seems too good to be true, causing Faye to wonder if his appearance might be anything but a coincidence. (Mira)Jean started her career in television where she w...2024-12-1053 min
Oddity ShopThe Dybbuk Box: Horrifying Haunted object, or Confirmed Fake?!Welcome To The Oddity Shop, Where The Bizarre is Always on Sale. This week, your curator Zach is finally covering the story of the famed Dybbuk BoxThings take an eerie turn as we unravel the chilling saga of the notorious Dybbuk box. This infamous antique has a dark reputation for leaving a trail of mysterious and unsettling events behind it. From Kevin Mannis' initial discovery of the box full of bizarre items like wheat pennies and locks of hair, to the spine-tingling experiences faced by its various owners, we trace the journey of this haunted object f...2024-11-1448 min