Shows
Your People Will Be My PeopleIs This the End of the Golden Age of American Jews? With Miriam BodianThe easiest time to become Jewish may already be behind us.Becoming Jewish has never been simple. History shows that people often choose Judaism at moments when it carries real risk. This episode explores why conversion happens across centuries, how antisemitism shapes who feels drawn toward Jewish life, and why recent events have reignited identity questions for people standing just outside the Jewish world.Through historical examples and modern reflections, the conversation traces conversion from medieval Europe to post-October 7 America, revealing how belief, love, danger, and belonging intersect. Along the way, it challenges the idea...
2026-02-0847 minYour People Will Be My PeopleWhy Fashion Writer, Kaitlin Kehler, Felt Pulled Toward Orthodox JudaismThis episode is about choosing Judaism when it would be easier not to.Choosing Judaism today is not a passive decision. It is a conscious step toward identity, community, and responsibility in a world that often misunderstands Jewish life. This episode explores what happens when curiosity becomes commitment and when learning turns into belonging, especially during a time of rising antisemitism and cultural fear.Through an honest conversation about faith, family, and visibility, this episode examines why Orthodox Jewish life can feel both intimidating and deeply grounding. It offers insight into how...
2026-01-1447 minYour People Will Be My PeopleWalking With a Convert: How Faith Reshaped the Gersen FamilyThis is the rare story of a family who became more Jewish not through tradition, but through reinvention.In this conversation, Jacob Gersen opens up about his family history, upbringing, marriage, his childrens journeys and what it meant to support Jeannie Suk Gersen through an Orthodox conversion. He speaks honestly about feeling like an outsider, the vulnerability of joining an Orthodox community later in life, the shift toward public Jewish identity after October 7 and how Jeannie’s boldness reshaped his own relationship to Judaism. A rich, thoughtful and moving portrait of modern American Jewish life.
2025-12-0147 minYour People Will Be My PeopleFrom Interfaith Marriage to Full Belonging - The Bregman JourneyI thought religion might divide us. Instead, it shaped everything we became.This episode dives deep into love, faith, and identity — following a couple who built a Jewish family that didn’t fit the mold. It’s a story about the tension between devotion and tradition, how community can both challenge and embrace, and what it really takes to belong. You’ll hear how one family redefined what “Jewish continuity” looks like in today’s world — and what we can all learn about courage, compassion, and connection from their journey.Key TakeawaysReal inclusion in faith communities requires courage, convers...
2025-11-1154 minYour People Will Be My PeopleFrom Interfaith Marriage to Full Belonging - The Bregman JourneyI thought religion might divide us. Instead, it shaped everything we became.This episode dives deep into love, faith, and identity — following a couple who built a Jewish family that didn’t fit the mold. It’s a story about the tension between devotion and tradition, how community can both challenge and embrace, and what it really takes to belong. You’ll hear how one family redefined what “Jewish continuity” looks like in today’s world — and what we can all learn about courage, compassion, and connection from their journey.Key TakeawaysReal inclusion...
2025-11-1154 minYour People Will Be My PeopleWhat Really Happens When You Convert—Twice with Danielle TomsonWhat happens when your conversion is accepted in one community but rejected in another?This episode dives into the remarkable journey of Danielle Tomson, a scholar of political communication and Jewish convert, who shares how her path to Judaism reshaped her life, identity, and spirituality. From her early encounters with Jewish friends in Pittsburgh to deep involvement at Yale and New York’s Orthodox communities, Danielle reflects on how she found her place within Jewish tradition—even navigating the complexities of undergoing two conversions.She also explores the meaning of Yom Kippur, describing how the High...
2025-09-1248 minYour People Will Be My PeopleFrom Minister to Mikvah: A Journey Few Could ImagineThis is the story of how a Christian minister became Jewish—and why it felt like coming home.In this deeply personal and moving episode, listeners are invited into the extraordinary journey of Eleanor Harrison Bregman—a Christian minister from Savannah, Georgia—whose decades-long interfaith marriage, commitment to raising Jewish children, and deep engagement with Jewish community life ultimately led her to Orthodox conversion. This is not just a story of religion, but of love, identity, and the courage to step fully into a place where the heart has long lived.Eleanor shares how her path w...
2025-08-2050 minYour People Will Be My PeopleWhat happens when you finally find your communityWhat happens when you fall in love and find your community.What does it mean to convert to Judaism—not just ritually, but spiritually, emotionally, communally? In this episode, we explore the raw and revelatory journey of Sina, an Iranian-born, thinker who found family in an ultra orthodox community. From early feelings of displacement to the powerful sense of being welcomed, Sina’s story isn’t just about religion—it’s about identity, belonging, legacy, and parenting in a deeply Jewish context.Joined by Jewish activist Meredith Berkman and hosted by Rabbi Adam Minz, this conversati...
2025-07-1648 minYour People Will Be My PeopleWhat Happens When a Lifelong Jew Is Told She’s Not “Jewish Enough” with Tiffany HarrisShe was born Jewish—but not “Jewish enough” to get on the synagogue email list.What happens when a committed Jewish leader—steeped in Jewish life, identity, and service—is told she's not halachically Jewish enough to even join her synagogue’s email list? In this deeply personal and powerful episode, the conversation explores the tensions between identity, legality, and belonging in Jewish communities around the world.Tiffany Harris, Chief Program Officer of MEM Global and a former Biden White House Jewish Leaders Council member, shares her unexpected journey into Orthodox conversion despite being born to a Jewish...
2025-07-0248 minYour People Will Be My PeopleWhat Happens When Rabbis Say No to Conversion?What happens when being ‘Jewish enough’ depends on who’s asking?Orthodox conversion is no longer just about halacha—it’s become a battlefield of power, conformity, and hidden gatekeeping. This episode explores the deep fractures within modern Orthodox institutions that quietly decide who gets to be part of the Jewish people, and who doesn’t.Featuring insights from Rabbi Isaac Schulman and Rabbi Leead Staller of Project Ruth—an organization championing inclusive, halachically sound Orthodox conversions—we examine what happens when the community is ready for change, but its leaders aren’t. This episode isn’t just about con...
2025-06-1845 minYour People Will Be My PeopleWhat Happens When You Rethink Jewish Conversion?Orthodox conversion rules are less about faith—and more about politics.In an age where Jewish identity is more fluid and fragmented than ever, this episode dives deep into the soul of Orthodox conversion—and why it's at a pivotal turning point. Listeners will hear how Project Ruth is building not just programs, but pathways—redefining what it means to truly belong in the Jewish peoplehood while staying deeply rooted in halachic integrity. The discussion spans global Jewish communities, questions of legitimacy, and how to prepare for a Jewish future that honors both heritage and inclusion.Rabb...
2025-06-0447 minYour People Will Be My People1. Conversion in a Post-October 7 WorldOn October 7th, the world changed—and for some, so did their decision to embrace Judaism.Conversion to Judaism is a deeply personal journey, but it’s also a subject of intense debate within Jewish communities. In this episode, legal scholar and New Yorker writer Professor Jeannie Sook Gerson shares her own conversion experience, detailing the complexities of Jewish identity, religious law, and the surprising ways October 7th influenced her decision.This discussion explores the challenges faced by converts—navigating family expectations, denominational differences, and the unspoken tensions around Orthodox vs. Reform conversion standards. With insigh...
2025-03-0750 min