Shows
EvolveBoard Covenants and the Fate of DemocracyIn times of chaos and turmoil, how can we overcome our differences to tackle problems? How can we move from our own individual thinking into the thinking of what's the common good? Rabbi Joshua Lesser discusses the vital importance of nonprofit boards to Jewish and American life. By helping Jewish communities formulate and adopt board convenants, Lesser seeks to use Jewish wisdom to interject a bit of the sacred into the seemingly mundane business of running an organization. Healthy boards, he argues, are not just important for Jewish organizations. They are one of the arenas where people can participate...
2025-08-2846 minEvolveI’m Right, You’re Wrong: What Data Reveals About North American Jewish Opinion on Israel, Zionism and Anti-ZionismWhat do North American Jews think and feel about Israel and why do they feel it? As researcher Matthew Boxer explains, we have, at best, an incomplete understanding of opinion. That's had a harmful impact on discourse and planning. So to find out, Boxer surveyed some 1,800 North American Jews. In this episode, he shares his findings and what he believes they mean. Among his major takeaways: he disproves the-oft sited statistic that 95 percent of American Jews identify as Zionist, even though most American Jews have attitudes that one would associate with Zionism. Many on the left and right feel...
2025-07-241h 03
Mudville#73 - Jacob Wilson's WAR starring Tom Hanks and Julia RobertsWe take a look at the Home Run Derby participants (before they announced Matt Olson would replace Ronald Acuna Jr) and All-Star Game rosters, discussing who got snubbed, who should be starting, and other general stuff from the first half of the season. Also some trade deadline talk, a farewell to DJ Lemahieu, and a hello to Cam Schlittler.Subscribe to the Mudville Patreon for updates anytime we release new content!Produced and Edited by Nolan RabineCover Art by Brody Staub
2025-07-121h 31
Leben ist mehrNicht zu bändigenWer hätte das für möglich gehalten? Ein Tornado im Landkreis St. Wendel! Niemand ist darauf vorbereitet, als am 12. Juli 2023 der Wind in einer Schneise von 100 m durch das saarländische Asweiler pflügt und dabei 30 Häuser beschädigt. Glücklicherweise wird niemand verletzt, doch der Schrecken sitzt tief.Wieder wird deutlich: Wir haben die Natur nicht unter Kontrolle. Allem Fortschritt zum Trotz erwischt sie uns kalt und oftmals unerwartet mit ihrer Urgewalt, ein ums andere Mal. Wir können sie einfach nicht bändigen. Und den, der die Natur geschaffen hat, schon gar nicht. Er...
2025-07-1204 minEvolveAli Michael, Ph.D., on Whiteness, Race and AntisemitismResearcher-educator Ali Michael, Ph.D., who has written about concepts such as Whiteness and White Privilege, unpacks what they mean, responding to common critiques. Michael defends educational investment in DEI programs as the U.S. federal government has actively sought to dismantle this work. Also, after spending more than a year meeting with American educators who whose work was impacted by the Oct. 7 attacks and the war in Gaza, she shares some surprising themes that emerged. She also shares how differences over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict surfaced in the early years of her marriage and how she and her partner...
2025-06-1959 minEvolveRabbi Sid Schwarz on World Jewry, Zionism and the State of IsraelIn this month’s episode of Evolve, Rabbi Sid Schwarz, driven by a deep love for Israel, makes a powerful case for spiritual Zionism— the commitment to an Israel that nurtures Judaism’s deepest cultural, religious and ethical foundations, beyond just politics or military strength. It’s a timely and nuanced conversation for anyone wrestling with the complexities of Jewish peoplehood and the future of Israel.
Theme song, “Ilu Finu” by Rabbi Miriam Margles. Her album This is the Day is available for purchase at CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/miriammarglesandthehadarensemb
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2025-05-221h 05EvolveRoan Boucher on Anti-Trans Legislation and Christian NationalismActivist and organizer Roan Boucher details the unprecedented surge in anti-trans legislation across America and its connection to Christian Nationalism. Despite addressing these troubling developments, Boucher discusses sources of hope and resilience, pointing to mutual aid networks and Jewish spiritual practices. This compelling dialogue weaves personal experience with sharp political analysis. It’s essential listening experience for anyone trying to understand our current moment. Boucher also addresses deep divisions within Jewish communities and stresses Jews need to work across divides to oppose antisemitism and assaults on human rights.
Theme song, “Ilu Finu” by Rabbi Miriam Margles. Her album...
2025-04-241h 11
The Holy ClubErika Stalcup: "Methodism has no fixed theology nor liturgy, we're flexible and I like that!"🎙️ English Episode!Join us as Dr. Erika Stalcup—ordained Deacon, Pastor, Scholar, and Musician—invites us into her world of Methodism. Erika is a pioneer in many ways:⛪ Pastor at the oldest Methodist chapel in Switzerland in Lausanne✨ Leader of a Fresh-X Project called Village Mosaique, which embraces diversity & unity📚 Lecturer at the Methodist Cliff College in England🎓 Academic Coordinator at the eAcademy, an educational initiative providing theological courses for the United Methodist Church across Europe and much more!Erika is deeply rooted in the Methodist understanding of grace for all and social holi...
2025-04-0726 minEvolveRabbi James Greene on Aiding Refugees Despite Government Resettlement PauseJewish tradition emphasizes welcoming the stranger. Many organizations like Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts live that value by helping to resettle refugees. But what happens when government policies make that nearly impossible? Rabbi James Greene, CEO of Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts, shares how his organization supports refugees —despite legal and financial obstacles. Greene discusses the impact of recent policy shifts, the power of community-driven advocacy and why helping newcomers to the country is central to Jewish tradition. Tune in for a powerful conversation on justice, resilience and the fight for a more welcoming world.
Th...
2025-03-2757 minEvolveRabbi David Jaffe and Yehuda Webster on Anti-Racism and the Balance of CareWhat does it mean to apply the concepts of Mussar (Jewish ethical teachings) to everyday life? What about to confronting racism in the world, at a particular institution or even in oneself? Rabbi David Jaffe, author of Changing the World From the Inside Out and Yehuda Webster, a noted activist and teacher, point to examples of how this can work. Each shares how Mussar taught them how they could have behaved differently in certain situations and where drawing on its lessons led to more positive outcomes. They also discuss anti-racism work in the broader Jewish community, addressing the post...
2025-02-2758 minEvolveIlana Kaufman on Jews of Color, Racism and AntisemitismIn a conversation both deeply personal and grounded in history and sociology, Ilana Kaufman, CEO of the Jews of Color Initiative, shares her mission and why the work has been so challenging in a post-October 7 world. Kaufman explains why it’s been so counterproductive to consider Blacks and Jews as separate groups — erasing a sizable population identifying as both. She talks about why statistics and demographic matter for Jews of Color and the entire Jewish community. She shares how she came to write the afterward to Marc Dollinger’s book, “Black Power, Jewish Politics.” The conversation also touches on the Civil...
2025-01-301h 06EvolveRabbi Sandra Lawson and Rabbi Alex Weissman on Dismantling Racism“Dismantling Racism from the Inside Out.” The idea is deceptively simple and strongly rooted in Jewish tradition. To change society, individuals must first address their own attitudes, biases and inner lives. Easy to say, much harder to carry out. With funding from the Wabash Center, Rabbi Sandra Lawson and Rabbi Alex Weissman decided to try this approach at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, which is committed to anti-racism. Working with faculty, Lawson and Weissman led a year-long process grounded in mussar (Jewish ethical practice.) The work was set to begin in earnest on Oct. 17, 2023. In this episode, Weissman and Lawson talk...
2025-01-1656 minEvolveMyra Sack on Traumatic Loss and Living with GriefIn losing her two-year-old daughter, Havi, Myra Sack suffered the kind of loss most people cannot even fathom. By telling her Havi’s story, Sack discovered she can help others live with grief. Sack is the author of Fifty-Seven Fridays: Losing Our Daughter, Finding Our Way, an excerpt of which appears on the Evolve website. She discusses the important role ritual played after Havi’s diagnosis and following her passing. Sack traces her journey into grief literacy and how she has used her own painful experiences to help others process grief. She talks about the tragic consequences of a doct...
2025-01-0252 minEvolveFormer Rep. Andy Levin on Courage, the Election, AIPAC and GazaFormer Congressman Andy Levin sits for a truly wide-ranging interview about the election, his concerns about the incoming Trump administration, Israel and so much more. The passionate Reconstructionist also discusses his Jewish identity, spiritual practice and how he has cultivated courage in public life. He offers honest assessments of his 2022 losing reelection bid and what lessons Democrats can draw from November’s defeat. He also offers a refreshingly candid take on courage in politics and the calculations politicians often make.
Theme song, “Ilu Finu” by Rabbi Miriam Margles. Her album This is the Day is available for purcha...
2024-11-261h 17EvolveThe Reconstructionist Connection to Democracy: Past, Present and FutureDemocracy holds a special place in Reconstructionist teachings, liturgy and practice — though most Jews have embraced American democracy as hospitable to Jewish life. Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., and Rabbi William Plevan, Ph.D., dive deep into Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan’s — the founding thinker of Reconstructionist Judaism — thinking on democracy and pluralism and why it matters today. Each shares thoughts on the prospects for liberal democracy at a time when the form of government is under strain across the world — and what it might mean for Jewish communities. As a bonus, Rabbi Jacob Staub, Ph.D., who directs the Evolve pod...
2024-10-311h 07EvolveA Palestinian Scientist and Reconstructionist Rabbi Are Working Together to Rebuild GazaTareq Abu Hamed, Ph.D., and Rabbi Michael Cohen talk about the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Israel’s Negev region. The nearly 30-year-old academic and research institution brings together students and faculty from Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan and elsewhere to build relationships and solve pressing environmental challenges. Arava is partnering with a Palestinian organization on a new plan to meet needs for water, sanitation, hygiene and energy in a devastated Gaza Strip that’s years away from being rebuilt. Abu Hamed and Cohen each share how they hold on to hope in a seemingly hopeless time...
2024-10-161h 00EvolveThe Anniversary of October 7 and BINA: the Jewish Movement for Social ChangeIt’s not easy to talk about and process the first anniversary of Oct. 7, 2023, when war continues to widen, hostages remain in Gaza and a ceasefire seems less and likely. This episode aims to model such a conversation. In a wide-ranging interview featuring Rabbi Mira Wasserman, Ph.D., interim vice president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and Elliott Glassenberg, senior educator at BINA: the Jewish Movement for Social Change, they and Bryan discuss Oct. 7 and how Israeli and American Jews have been impacted. They also explain the relationship between RRC and BINA and how it may be more important th...
2024-09-261h 01EvolveHuman Rights Attorney Turned Rabbinical Student Maria Pulzetti on Confronting Problematic Torah Verses and Examining Reproductive Justice Through a Jewish LensIf we embrace Judaism, what do we do with passages from Torah and elsewhere that seem to directly undermine our worldviews and values? Human rights attorney turned rabbinical student Maria Pulzetti makes a compelling case that we should deal with these problematic biblical passages head-on. Maria and Bryan also examine reproductive justice, as well as the legacy of slavery and systemic racism, through a Jewish lens. Later, they discuss what motivated Maria to become a rabbi, her opposition to the death penalty and her time, in the early 2000s, as a human rights worker in Russia.
Theme song, “Il...
2024-08-291h 04EvolveMarc Dollinger on Black Power and Jewish Politics Before and After October 7Marc Dollinger has seen a thing or two. In his academic career, the historian of American Jewry has been labeled a “self-hated leftist Jew” and “right-wing Zionist colonialist.” He’s been criticized for failing to capture the full nuance of black-Jewish relations and been abandoned by his publisher for suggesting that Jews bear some responsibility for the continuance of American racism. And, while he studied leftist anti-Israel sentiments for decades — focusing on its origins after the Six Day War — he’s been utterly shocked by the virulence of anti-Israel sentiment on campuses since Oct. 7, 2023. In this packed interview, Dollinger addresses the na...
2024-08-011h 04EvolveReligion Scholar Louis Newman Discusses Shattered Faith, the War in Gaza and Antisemitism on College CampusesFor a certain generation of Jewish Americans, Israel and the memory of the Holocaust represented twin pillars of civil religion, argues Louis Newman, a scholar of Jewish ethics and religion. While these pillars may have shown cracks for decades, Newman says they came crashing down on Oct. 7,2023. Israel had failed its most basic function: keeping Jews and all its inhabitants safe. What does a people do when its faith is shattered? What can we learn from our history? Where do we go from here? Newman discusses all this and more in a thought-provoking interview. The author of a new...
2024-07-111h 11EvolveRabbi Katie Mizrahi on being a Zionist and calling for a ceasefire, working for Palestinian rights and the anti-Israel upsurge on college campusesRabbi Katie Mizrahi is a Zionist who was beyond devastated by Hamas’ mass killings, rape and kidnapping on October 7th. She reaffirms Israel’s right to defend itself. And she explains why she is opposed to how Israel has conducted its war and why she joined calls for a bilateral ceasefire. She expands on this line from her essay, “But here is the heart of the matter. I am not ready to become monstrous to defend my people from monsters.” We talk about the difficulty of interpreting events and the deluge of information and making informed decisions about where one stan...
2024-05-301h 17EvolveA Supersized Passover Episode: Rabbi Nathan Kamesar on the Israel-Hamas War; Rabbi Maurice Harris on his starring role in the new Netflix series Testament: The Story of MosesIt’s a supersized Passover edition of Evolve! First, Rabbi Nathan Kamesar drops by to discuss his recent essay, "The Legitimacy of the State of Israel: Surviving in a Hostile Region." Bryan and Nathan reflect on their respective relationships with Israel and Israeli politics. Nathan opens up about what it’s like being a pulpit rabbi and spiritual leader during wartime and how he’s been approaching his job the last few months (5:00). Nathan and Bryan offer some of their personal opinions about the Israel-Hamas war and war in general. Nathan shares which of the many unknowns he would most l...
2024-04-251h 21EvolveRabbi Haviva Ner-David on Life and Death in War and Advocating for PeaceRabbi Haviva Ner-David, an activist and author, shares what it is like to live in Israel – and be a parent - right now, with all the heartbreak, confusion and glimmers of hope. In this conversation, the author and spiritual director discusses the personal losses she suffered on October 7 and after (9:18) She also shares anxiety about living in Israel’s north and how and why she’s recommitted herself to interfaith peace activism (22:10) and her work with the Standing Together, the grassroots movement mobilizing Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel in pursuit of peace . With views on the conflict becoming ever m...
2024-03-2854 minEvolveRabbi Elyse Wechterman on the State of the Reconstructionist RabbinateThe Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association was founded in 1974 to serve as the professional association of the small but growing number of rabbis affiliated with the Reconstructionist movements. These rabbis were trained with a very different approach than their peers in other movements. Rabbi Elyse Wechterman, the RRA’s CEO for roughly the past decade, discusses the transformation of the rabbinate and why it matters to everyone who cares about Jews and Judaism (5:00). She shares how disparate factors ranging from COVID to the emergence of the gig economy have shaped the rabbinate in unexpected ways (31:50). The discussion turns to how the ev...
2024-02-2958 minEvolveBestselling author Jay Michaelson on his new book of fiction, covering the Israel-Hamas war, campus antisemitism, and moreAfter 20 years of work, Jay Michaelson —scholar, rabbi, lawyer, activist, meditation teacher —has published his first book of fiction, “The Secret That Is Not a Secret: Ten Heretical Tales” (03:30). The linked short stories focus on a range of Jewish characters: Men and women, Orthodox and secular, straight and gay, Israeli and American. Yet each carries a secret desire that could be described as queer, and their stories explore the nature of heresy, queerness, kabbalah, mysticism and the sometimes-thin line between erotic desire and religious yearning. Michaelson would probably have preferred we discussed “The Secret That Is Not a Secret” for the full...
2024-01-251h 04EvolveLovingkindness in a Time of WarCan individual acts of loving-kindness really make a difference with Israel and Hamas at war? Rabbi Amy Eilberg, a longtime peace activist, says yes. Eilberg, the first woman ordained by the Conservative movement, believes that nearly everyone with a connection to Israel and Gaza — and maybe even those without such a direct connection — are experiencing pain and trauma. In this podcast, Eilberg explains that so many of us are consuming every op-ed and podcast about the conflict as a means to avoid deep pain. She shares her decades-long journey into metta meditation and how she turned to it after Octo...
2023-12-211h 07EvolveFor Us, By Us: The Trans Halakhah ProjectHalakhah is for Orthodox Jews. It means Jewish law: what you can do and can’t do. Right? Not according to Laynie Soloman, a passionate teacher of Jewish text and thought at SVARA: A Traditionally Radical Yeshiva. Soloman says that Halakhah isn’t law, per se, since law – especially when it comes to queer and trans folks – can serve as an instrument of oppression. Rather, Soloman speaks of Halakhah as “Jewish practice and its surrounding discourse,” i.e. what Jews do. Soloman discusses SVARA’s Trans Halakhah Project, which seeks to empower trans Jews. Soloman talks with hosts Bryan Schwartzman ab...
2023-11-3051 minEvolveChat GPT, Artificial Intelligence and Jewish Ethical Wisdom“I’m sorry Dave, I can’t do that.” That’s the famously chilling line spoken by HAL, a sentient computer, in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. By refusing orders, HAL sets out to kill Dave. Will artificial intelligence do something like this in reality (something on the scale of the Terminator or the Matrix?) Will A.I. put most of us out of work? Or are these concerns overblown? To address these questions, we sit down with Mitch Marcus, a computer scientist and linguist who has been studying A.I. since the 1970s. We discuss how programs like Chat GP...
2023-10-261h 01EvolveSukkot: What’s Divorce Got to Do with It?Divorce may be normal, but, in too many Jewish communities, it hasn’t been normalized. This episode features Ariel Collis and Reb. Ezra Weinberg, who each have experienced divorce and been underwhelmed by the response within their Jewish communities and are advocating for change (12:40). In the conversation, Collis and Weinberg imagine what more embracing responses might look like: from organizing meal trains and Shabbat invitations to, possibly, including divorce announcements in synagogue bulletins. Weinberg talks about his work with the group he’s founded: Revoice, a Journey of Discovery for Jewish Families After Divorce. At the top of the show...
2023-09-281h 11EvolveHigh Holidays: Making Your Soul a Vessel for ChangeIn this pre-High Holidays episode, Bryan Schwartzman asks Rabbi Nathan Kamesar how he prepares to lead Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services. They discuss ways people can the most out of the holidays, whether they go to synagogue or not. Although as a congregational rabbi, Kamesar does make a pitch for showing up in-person or virtually. He also discusses his own contemporary theology as it relates to the High Holidays and also addresses the existential dread many may be feeling from climate change, the perils facing democracy and so much more. More broadly, he offers a defense of Jewish...
2023-08-311h 07EvolveReconstructionist Jews and the Struggle Over Israel’s FutureConfused, angered, and heartbroken by the push to weaken Israel’s independent judiciary? Not sure what to think? Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., Reconstructing Judaism's CEO, and Rabbi Maurice Harris, its Israel affairs specialist, don't claim to have all the answers. Yet, they’ve each just spent extended stays in the country immersed in conversations about its future as well as its relationship with Diaspora Jewry. In conversation, they make an impassioned, moral defense of sustained engagement with Israel, even as they take a principled opposition to the government's attempts to strip away the country’s democratic character.
Harr...
2023-07-201h 05EvolveHow to Talk with Kids About RaceHave you ever struggled to explain racism to your kids? Flubbed conversations at the dinner table? Unsure how racism and antisemitism fit together, or how to process the 2020 racial reckoning and subsequent backlash? Then be sure to catch our conversation with Buffie Longmire-Avital, Ph.D., a psychology professor who identifies as a Black American Jewish woman. She shares her research about Jewish families as well as her own perspective as the mother of two biracial sons. She shares the implications of a recent incident at her son’s school, in which white and Black students split into opposing football te...
2023-06-291h 08
Mudville#13 - Live from the Apocalypse (You Hurt My Feelings)We record through carbon monoxide poisoning to mourn the season of Jacob deGrom, rave over Elly De La Cruz, and discuss Brody's experience working of Nicole Holofcener's excellent new film YOU HURT MY FEELINGS starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies. Nolan talks about getting invited to Bluesky and draws a few odd similarities between this movie and Ben Affleck's AIR. Follow us on Twitter @mudvillepod @stuckinthecoil @Bordguy23 and Nolan on Bluesky at @nolanr.bsky.social
2023-06-081h 14EvolveAn Activist's Journey: From Marching Against Nukes to Empowering Jewish Women in UkraineIt all started with a nightmare. The Midwest had been obliterated by a nuclear attack. Sallie Gratch awoke and realized it wasn’t too late and got to work in the anti-nuclear movement. Gratch is the recipient of the 2023 Keter Shem Tov, or “Crown of the Good Name” award, given at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College’s graduation. In in this interview, Gratch traces her path as an activist, detailing her first encounters with Jews in the Soviet Union. She shares the story of the organization she founded, Project Kesher and its mission to empower Jewish women in the former Soviet U...
2023-05-1954 minEvolveA Cry for Help: Breaking the Stigma on Mental IllnessThough Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann’s son, Mint, had faced anxiety and depression before, his cry for help was as alarming as it was unexpected. The teen was thinking about ending his life. Yet by going to his parents, Mint was able, ultimately, to get the help he needed. On Rosh Hashanah, this past year, Rabbi Herrmann shared this most personal of stories to make a larger point: there’s an ongoing stigma around mental illness. As long as the stigma pervades, people's lives are at risk. (The stigma, and concerns for her son’s privacy, were reasons she hadn’t...
2023-04-281h 01EvolvePassover (and Judaism) DisruptedThis Passover, please support the work of Evolve and Reconstructing Judaism with a donation so we can continue to build participatory, joy-filled communities that engage Jews, seekers, and our loved ones: https://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/make-your-impact-this-passover/
Half a century ago, Rabbi Michael Strassfeld — a leader of the countercultural Havurah movement — co-edited “The First Jewish Catalog.” The book, which sold an astounding 300,000 copies, presented tangible practices for do-it-yourself Judaism. His new book, “Judaism Disrupted: A Spiritual Manifesto for the 21st Century” argues that, some 2,000 years after the birth of rabbinic Judaism, it’s time to fashion Judaism into something new...
2023-03-291h 03EvolveThe Grand Canyon, Evolution and Pope FrancisA rafting trip got Rabbi Daniel Swartz — a longtime environmental activist — thinking about the way the human experience relates to the processes of the natural world. How do people live absent the belief that things are getting better, and could quite possibly be getting much worse? How do we muster the resilience to try to make a difference — especially on Climate Change — while simultaneously preparing for real losses, both to the natural world and human civilization? The director of the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life talks about the philosophical and theological questions he’s wrestled with as he’s marsh...
2023-02-2758 minEvolveThe Israeli Government’s War on WomenThis Israeli government is different, unprecedented, more religious, and righter wing than any before. At least, that’s what countless headlines and pundits are saying. According to two Israeli legal scholars and activists, Gila Stopler and Yofi Tirosh, this really is a moment of crisis for Israel. Stopler and Tirosh detail how the dramatic drop in women represented in government — two Orthodox coalition parties have no women representatives — is shaping an agenda that could dramatically curtail women’s rights. Rather than the cosmopolitan place in which women thrive and lead, they warn of a sobering future in which men and wome...
2023-01-3157 minEvolveThe State of Democracy in Israel and the U.S.Like many progressive Jews living outside Israel, Marc Overbeck watched the most recent Israeli election returns with mounting concern regarding the future of a democratic Israel. He feared the incoming government – described as the most right-wing in Israel’s history – could turn the country into something unrecognizable. For example, one of Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition partners, Itamar Ben Gvir, has said Arabs should be expelled from Israel. Overbeck, a Reconstructionist leader who has worked in government in two countries, sat down to write his thoughts. What came out was an impassioned defense of the longed-for ideal of Israel as a Jewish s...
2022-12-2955 minEvolveThe Heretic: Why an 18th Century Opponent of Rabbinic Authority Matters TodayThis episode features polymath Jay Michaelson, a rabbi, journalist, scholar, LGTBQ activist and meditation teacher. Michaelson spent 20 years researching Jacob Frank for his new book, "The Heresy of Jacob Frank: From Jewish Messianism to Esoteric Myth". In 18th century Poland, Frank led the largest mass apostasy in Jewish history. He was the most notorious Jew in Europe and, not without good reason, history has remembered Frank as something of a scoundrel. However, Michaelson separates myth from fact and explains why Frank’s radical philosophy may have been a precursor to how many non-Orthodox Jews relate to the tradition today. We...
2022-11-2355 minEvolveThe Need for Affinity Spaces for Jews of ColorImagine if there were a digital yeshiva where Jews of Color could gather to learn Torah and Jewish practices in a safe, supportive atmosphere in which no one’s Jewishness is questioned. Good news, Ammud: The Jews of Color Torah Academy already exists! In this episode, we speak with Ammud's executive director, Alexandra Corwin, a noted educator and organizer with Ashkenazi, Peruvian, and Quechua heritages. We delve into why Jews of Color need affinity spaces and how such spaces can benefit all Jewish communities. We discuss the nuts and bolts of the digital yeshiva: how it operates, what it te...
2022-10-2657 minEvolveWhitewashing Biblical CharactersFrom the time she was a young girl, Rev. Wil Gafney knew something was wrong. Every major biblical figure, in both art and popular culture, was represented as white. Now a scholar and Episcopal priest, Gafney paints a more accurate picture of our Afro-Asiatic forebearers, making a case that engaging with the racist history of biblical criticism and western art is key to forging a more just future. Gafney also briefly discusses her love of sci-fi and Star Wars and tries to dissect the animus aimed at black actors that ventured into the Star Wars universe. She also discusses...
2022-09-1454 minEvolveRethinking the Circumcision Part 2, with Rabbi Kevin BernsteinA friend once told Rabbi Kevin Bernstein that he’s the most anti-circumcision mohel they’d ever met. Bernstein isn't against circumcision; he’s performed hundreds of brit millah ceremonies. But he is sympathetic to people’s concerns, questions and downright discomfort with it. In this episode, the veterinarian turned Reconstructionist rabbi offers a Reconstructionist take on this most ancient of Jewish conventual ceremonies. He responds to critics who question the continued relevance and, yes, the safety of circumcision, including our two prior guests, novelist Gary Shteyngart and business consultant Max Buckler. And he attempts to demystify the process and expl...
2022-08-1756 minEvolveRethinking the Circumcision Part 1, with Gary Shteyngart and Max BucklerPopular culture and Jewish humor are rife with circumcision jokes. Remember Mel Brooks explaining the practice to Robin Hood and his Merry Men? Seinfeld and Shakey the Mohel? Yet serious examinations of circumcisions and brit millah and what it means today — and why non-Orthodox Jews keep up the practice — are much harder to come by. In this first of a two-part series, we talk with critics — if not outright opponents — of circumcision. The first needs no introduction: Bestselling novelist and memoirist Gary Shteyngart. His New Yorker article about his own botched circumcision as a 7-year-old sparked conversation across the Jewish w...
2022-07-271h 09EvolveWarm and Welcoming?Have you ever heard a Jewish organization refer to itself as “warm and welcoming” but, on some level, fail to live up? Walked into a Jewish space and felt like you might as well have been invisible? Or yearned to see LGBTQ Jews, Jews of Color, interfaith families, those with disabilities and so many other fully embraced and at home in Jewish communities? Then listen to Bryan's conversation with Miriam Steinberg-Egeth and Warren Hoffman, Ph.D., about their book “Warm and Welcoming: How the Jewish Community Can Become Truly Diverse and Inclusive in the 21st Century.” The two, longtime friends...
2022-05-1957 minEvolveSpecial Live Episode: Addressing Global Climate Disruption Through TorahWhat if the central purpose of the Torah is to ensure was to ensure that people live in harmony with the environment and other living things? That is exactly what Rabbi David Seidenberg teaches, and he believes that Jews have strayed from the Torah’s message for thousands of years. Seidenberg also believes Jews can return to the Torah’s teaching and play a key role in combating climate change – before it is too late.
Seidenberg spoke with podcast host Bryan Schwartzman live from B’Yachad: Reconstructing Judaism together, the movement-wide convention, in late March in Northern Virginia...
2022-04-1451 minEvolveBen & Jerry’s, Amnesty International, and the Debate Over Boycotting IsraelEvery week, it seems, there is another controversy related to efforts to boycott Israel and its policies vis-a-vis the Palestinians. When Ben & Jerry’s announced last year that it would cease selling its products in the Occupied Territories, it touched off a brouhaha that lasted months. Rabbi Maurice Harris, Reconstructing Judaism’s lead staff member on Israel affairs, explains why this story garnered such attention and what he thinks it all means. He also delves into a recent Amnesty International report accusing Israel of Apartheid and narrates Reconstructing Judaism's response, both in terms of process and substance. While analyzing the...
2022-02-151h 11EvolveBeyond AntisemitismJust days before a horrifying hostage standoff at a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, we recorded an episode about antisemitism. Our guest: Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D, president of Reconstructing Judaism. Her Evolve essay, “Beyond Antisemitism,” brings a distinctly Reconstructionist perspective, one that calls upon a full understanding of the movement’s evolution. In this piece, she lays out a positive call to action. Rather than give in to fear, Deborah argues we should lean into Jewish identity, community and coalition-building and link efforts to combat antisemitism with fighting racism, Islamophobia and other forms of intolerance. Rabbi Jacob Staub, Ph.D., th...
2022-01-3155 minEvolveThe ReconstructionistRabbi Jacob Staub, Ph.D., has been among the Reconstructionist movement’s most influential thinkers, writers and teachers over the past 50 years. Yet, on the eve of his bar mitzvah, Jacob – raised in his Orthodox home – decided that Judaism just wasn’t for him, he didn’t believe in any of it. In this special episode celebrating his career, guest host Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., president and CEO of Reconstructing Judaism, traces how Jacob went from being a secular college student, intent on pursuing a literary life, to the rabbinate. As we learn about Jacob’s embrace of Reconstructi...
2021-12-291h 03Evolve'Adoption Isn’t a Bad Thing, It’s a Tricky Thing'In the public imagination, the practice of adoption is often thought of as children in need of a loving home being matched with couples who get to fulfill deferred dreams of becoming parents. And as a bonus, society lifts one more child out of poverty. It’s a win-win, right? Minna Scherlinder Morse, a writer and editor as well as an adoptive parent, says the reality and the history is far more nuanced. In this episode, timed for National Adoption Month, Morse examines adoption from a Jewish ethical lens and raises many questions. Are birth parents pressured to give up...
2021-11-2940 min
The Chilled Samples PodcastEpisode 025 - AarigodAarigod is an artistically insightful, thought provoking, and musically talented producer who is currently based in the UK. Jacob, the artist behind the Aarigod project, is a multi-instrumentalist and audio engineer who has years of experience playing in rock centric bands, while simultaneously creating beautifully crafted beats for consistent releases with Chillhop Music.On today's episode we discuss:- How to stay gritty & persistent as an artist- The importance and complexities of building creative confidence- The art of finding your soundYou can connect with Aarigod on Instagram: @aarigod
2021-10-251h 12EvolveLiberation from Opioids: One Rabbi’s JourneyRabbi Michael Perice made a startling revelation to his congregation: For four years, he’d been addicted to opioids. Now, celebrating 10 years of liberation, Perice decided it was time to share his story with his community and the wider world. His goal: to lift the stigma surrounding addiction and bring further attention to the epidemic within the Jewish community and beyond. In this interview, the 2020 Reconstructionist Rabbinical College graduate shares the circumstances that found him dependent upon a highly addictive substance, how he finally recognized his life had spiraled out of control and how he has approached his recovery. He...
2021-10-121h 04EvolveHidden Jews in the 21st CenturyTo many, the Spanish Inquisition calls to mind one of countless historical examples of the persecution of the Jews. Or maybe it conjures Mel Brooks’ macabre, comedic roost in “History of the World, Part I.” Yet, for hundreds of thousands of people, the Inquisition represents a historical drama that continues to shape their lives. In the past few decades, a growing number of the descendants of Jews who had been forced to flee, convert, or hide Jewish practices during the Inquisition have been seeking to reconnect with their Jewish roots. At times, they have been embraced, other times shunned, and, t...
2021-08-171h 02EvolveHope as an Ethical ImperativeIn Barbara Breitman’s telling, hope isn't "some fluffy thing." It's an essential Jewish practice. Hope enables leaders to imagine a different world and work to bring it out about no matter what obstacles stand in the way. Breitman, a spiritual director, therapist and scholar of religion, cites Moses, Noah and Mordechai as Biblical characters who embody this kind of hope. How can ordinary people emulate these examples?
Theme song, “Ilu Finu” by Rabbi Miriam Margles. Her album This is the Day is available for purchase at CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/miriammarglesandthehadarensemb
Visit our ho...
2021-07-2252 min
Open My Heart: Living Jewish Prayer"God Lifts All Who Fall"Rabbi Jacob Staub recalls a teaching of his "rebbe" Sylvia Boorstein: whatever is happening, however you feel, whatever you know to be true, no matter how frightening, no matter how painful, no matter how difficut -- "Don't Duck!" But, how? Jacob leans into the arms of God, who lifts all who fall -- even him, even you. He invites you to join in this warm-hearted, loving prayer.
2021-03-1524 minEvolveHuman Composting: Good for the Environment, But Is It Kosher?Natural Organic Reduction — or, more colloquially, human composting — is not only legal in Washington State, but also happening, right now. People are choosing to have their remains rapidly converted into soil. How will Jewish leaders and communities respond to a practice that, on some level, is challenging to Jewish law, to centuries of burial practices, and, maybe, to people’s sensibilities?
In this live episode, recorded as part of the 2021 Big Bold Jewish Climate Festival, we speak with Rabbi Seth Goldstein and Rabbi Adina Lewittes, two religious leaders who’ve thought deeply about human composting, the green burial m...
2021-02-161h 06EvolveFixing Broken Policing: What Does Judaism Say?Does the Talmud offer a perspective on police reform, and whether it makes sense to, as the slogan says, defund the police? Rabbi Aryeh Cohen, a Talmudic scholar and an advocate for redirecting police funding, explains what ancient Judaism does and doesn’t have to say about policing. After a quick post-election debrief, Cohen lays out the case for a new approach to policing, one in which far fewer officers would carry arms. He addresses questions about armed guards protecting Jewish institutions during a time of rising antisemitism and touches on how his experience as a soldier in the fi...
2020-11-1948 minEvolveDisability JusticeIn our conversation with Rabbi Elliot Kukla, we discuss his essay for Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations about the profound and unexpected ways in which trauma can affect a person's health and overall spiritual wellbeing. In the piece and this interview, he shares some of what he's learned about life by being chronically ill. We discuss his heightened appreciation for the interdependence of people, and what that means for the responsibilities of societies and communities to care for their members, even the most vulnerable. We also talk with Rabbi Kukla about his recent New York Times piece, "My Life Is...
2020-07-1449 minEvolveSlavery and Its Atonement: The Jewish Obligation to Confront Slavery’s LegacySlavery has been described as America’s original sin. Abolished with the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865, slavery still casts a shadow over American life. Today, many Americans are seeking to better understand, and respond to, this tortured history. Can Judaism offer some guidelines for how to do that? Do Jews have to atone for the sin of slavery, even though mass Jewish migration to the United States didn’t happen until decades after the Civil War? Rabbi Toba Spitzer answers yes to both questions. In this episode, the religious leader of Congregation Dorshei Tzedek, a Reconstructionist congregation outs...
2019-12-2442 minEvolveReimagining Synagogues and CommunitiesThis inaugural episode features Rabbi Rachel Weiss of Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, Ill. The discussion focuses on Weiss’s Evolve essay “21st Century Judaism: Reimagining Synagogues and Communities” (You can find the link in show notes, below).
In this inaugural episode, we speak with Rabbi Rachel Weiss of Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, Ill. Weiss describes her community’s effort to remain relevant at a time of great change in Jewish life and North American life more generally. From deep and respectful dialogue on divisive issues, to the transformational use of post-it notes, Rabbi Weiss shares a window...
2019-09-1745 min
EvolveComing soon...Coming in late September, this new podcast brings Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations to life. In this preview trailer, Rabbi Jacob Staub, Ph.D., and Bryan Schwartzman, an award-winning journalist, offer a taste of what’s to come. How does Judaism continue to evolve?
Be part of the conversation: Visit our home on the web, Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations: http://evolve.reconstructingjudaism.org
Theme song, “Ilu Finu” by Rabbi Miriam Margles. Her album This is the Day is available for purchase at CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/miriammarglesandthehadarensemb
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2019-08-1602 minEvolve#TrendingJewish 21: Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish ConversationsRabbi Jacob Staub, Ph.D., who directs Reconstructing Judaism’s new Evolve project, explains why the website came into being. Structured around a series of essays that tackle questions that rabbis said were most pressing to their congregants, Evolve is meant to serve as a model for civil discourse at a time unprecedented societal divisions. As the former editor of the Reconstructionist, he explains how he hopes Evolve can emulate the level of discourse and innovative thinking that existed in the legacy print publication. Co-host Bryan reveals his fascination with Israeli historian and philosopher Yuval Noah Harari, and asks Ra...
2018-12-1345 min
HashivenuEpisode 1: ShabbatIn this episode of Hashivenu: Jewish Teachings on Resilience, Rabbi Jacob Staub, Ph.D., talks about one of the deepest and best known of Jewish practices, Shabbat. We read about this ancient practice in Genesis, with God creating the world in six days and then resting on the seventh—and from that, we get the concept of a day of rest.
Rabbi Staub is a professor of Jewish philosophy and spirituality at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. He’s written widely on many topics, including a beautiful extended chapter on the Jewish Sabbath in “A Guide to Jewish Practi...
2017-08-1022 min
The Lubetkin Media CompaniesJSA2016-18: Rabbi Jacob Staub, Reconstructionist Rabbinical SeminaryRabbi Jacob Staub, Chair, Department of Medieval Jewish Civilization, Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Spirituality, and Director, Jewish Spiritual Direction Program at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wynnewood, PA, is the guest on this week's Jewish Sacred Aging Podcast. [spp-player] About the Guest Rabbi Jacob Staub Rabbi Jacob Staub, Ph.D., graduated from RRC in 1977. Staub has served on the RRC faculty since 1983; he served as the College’s vice president for academic affairs and academic dean from 1989 to 2004. He was instrumental in developing RRC’s Spiritual Direction Program and has taught Jewish spiri...
2016-08-1234 min
Kehillat Israel PodcastsWhat makes a Reconstructionist Congregation different from other inclusive Jewish Communities?Rabbi Jacob Staub speaking at K.I. Nov. 8, 2014
2014-11-2645 min