All Else is Commentary: A Podcast of Jewish Ideas

Last week we re-released the conversation Elliott had with Toby Lloyd about Philip Roth's novella, The Ghost Writer. This week, Toby is back to talk about another book in the Nathan Zuckerman series: American Pastoral (1997).Toby's novel, Fervour, is now out in paperback, and you can find out more here: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/toby-lloyd/fervour/9781399724616/As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back with Jewish novels, and for the next two weeks Elliott is talking to the author Toby Lloyd about Philip Roth. This week, we are re-releasing a conversation they had about Roth's The Ghost Writer (1979) and next week they are talking about American Pastoral (1998).As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott is joined by his teacher, Rabbi Prof. Deborah Kahn-Harris as we prepare for Tisha b'Av by reading the Book of Lamentations.Also featuring Cantor Sarah Grabiner, chanting Lamentations in its distinctive trope.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 if there are any particular topics you would like us to about, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on Facebook page, and we have just arrived on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary. Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott is joined by his teacher, Rabbi Prof. Deborah Kahn-Harris as we prepare for Tisha b'Av by reading the Book of Lamentations.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 if there are any particular topics you would like us to about, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on Facebook page, and we have just arrived on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary. Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott is joined by his teacher, Rabbi Prof. Deborah Kahn-Harris as we prepare for Tisha b'Av by reading the Book of Lamentations.Also featuring Cantor Sarah Grabiner, chanting Lamentations in its distinctive trope. 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 if there are any particular topics you would like us to about, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on Facebook page, and we have just arrived on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary. Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two special episodes this week, as we celebrate the ordination of Student Rabbi Yael Tischler at the Leo Baeck College on Sunday. She joins Elliott to talk about the subject of her rabbinic thesis: the character of Lilith. In this episode, they answer the question that Yael posed at the end of part 1: what to do with Lilith's monstrousness. 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 if there are any particular topics you would like us to about, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on Facebook page, and we have just arrived on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary. Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two special episodes this week, as we celebrate the ordination of Student Rabbi Yael Tischler at the Leo Baeck College on Sunday. She joins Elliott to talk about the subject of her rabbinic thesis: the character of Lilith. In this episode, they explore Lilith's origins in midrash and in the Alphabet of Ben Sira. Part 2 will come on Thursday.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 if there are any particular topics you would like us to about, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on Facebook page, and we have just arrived on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary. Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The first live episode of All Else is Commentary, recorded in front of an audience at Hineinu: the inaugural conference of the new Movement for Progressive Judaism.Featuring special guests:Rabbi Charley Baginsky (Co-Lead of the the Movement for Progressive Judaism)Rabbi Josh Levy (Co-Lead of the the Movement for Progressive Judaism)Rabbi Lea Mühlstein (Senior Rabbi at the Ark Synagogue; Chair of the European Union for Progressive Judaism)Lesley Sachs (Chair of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism)As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott is joined by the historian Alexander Lee, to talk about his new book on the history of the Venice Ghetto. You can find out more about the book here: https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/alexander-lee/the-first-ghetto/9781529066500As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, Elliott was joined by Student Rabbi Yael Tischler to talk about the story of the biblical character of Dinah. This week, they discuss Anita Diamant's bestselling novel, The Red Tent.You can buy the Red Tent here: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-red-tent-anita-diamant/3830233 For the interview from the Guardian in 2002: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2002/mar/30/fiction.alexclarkFor the interview Elliott refers to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ai0x-SLmKkIf 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 if there are any particular topics you would like us to about, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on Facebook page, and we have just arrived on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Student Rabbi Yael Tischler returns to talk about a woman from the Hebrew Bible you may not have heard of: Dinah, daughter of Jacob and Leah.Next week, our focus stays on this story, but we read it from the perspective of Anita Diamant's novel, The Red Tent.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 if there are any particular topics you would like us to about, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on Facebook page, and we have just arrived on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary. Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott speaks to his colleague, Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah (Rabbi Emeritus, Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue), to talk about her new book, Breaking Binaries.You can find out more about Rabbi Elli’s book here.Next week: Student Rabbi Yael Tischler is back to talk about another woman from the Hebrew Bible you may not have heard of: Dinah.As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we return to our Jewish Novels series, and Elliott is joined by PhD student Elon Julius to talk about Saul Bellow's novel, Mr Sammler's Planet.As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we return to our Jewish Novels series, and Elliott reads The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens.Next week, we continue with Jewish novels, and Elliott is speaking to the scholar Elon Julius about Saul Bellow's novel, Mr Sammler's Planet.As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are on a bit of a break at the moment, but will be back soon, and here is some info about what is coming up! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we return to our Jewish Novels series, and Elliott reads The Chosen by Chaim Potok.Next week, we continue with Jewish novels, and we come to Bernice Rubens's Book Prize-winning novel, The Elected Member.As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott speaks to his colleague, Rabbi Jonathan Romain, to talk about the issue of Assisted Dying.To find out more about Rabbi Jonathan's book: https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/a-better-deathNext week, we return to our series on Jewish novels, and Elliott will be speaking about Chaim Potock's classic, The Chosen.If you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott concludes his series of 3 episodes looking at the Jewish idea that human beings are created b'tzelem Elohim - in the image of God.Next week: Elliott speaks to his colleague Rabbi Jonathan Romain about Assisted Dying.If you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott continues a series of 3 episodes looking at the Jewish idea that human beings are created b'tzelem Elohim - in the image of God.Next week: Elliott concludes the discussion of B'tzelem Elohim by seeing how the idea is developed in modern times.If you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.This week, Elliott begins a series of 3 episodes looking at the Jewish idea that human beings are created b'tzelem Elohim - in the image of God.Next week: Elliott continues the discussion of B'tzelem Elohim by seeing how the idea is developed in rabbinic literature: Talmud and Midrash.If you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.A special Thursday episode this week, as Elliott is joined by Rabbi Mark Goldsmith (Edgeware and Hendon Reform Synagogue) to talk about a special anniversary. This year is 100 years since the foundation of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, and Rabbi Mark is part of organising a celebratory conference. Find out more about the 2026 conference here: https://events.eupj.org/ (the early bird rate closes on 1 March!)As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.This week we return to our ocassional series of Progressive Sermons from the last 50 years. Elliott speaks to Rabbi Rebecca Birk (Finchley Progressive Synagogue) about a sermon she gave this Rosh Hashanah, imagining British Jews coming together to talk about their differing views about Israel/Palestine.Next time in our regular Monday slot: Elliott begins a short series on the idea that human beings are created in the image of God. Before that, on Thursday, Elliott is speaking to Rabbi Mark Goldsmith about the history of the World Union for Progressive Judaism.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 [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on Facebook or on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary. Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.This week, Elliott speaks to the contemporary author, Tamar Hodes, to talk about her new book, Mixed.You can find out more about the book here: https://www.legendpress.co.uk/mixedAs always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.This week, we return to our Jewish Novels series, and Elliott reads The Assistant by Bernard Malamud.Next week: Elliott speaks to the contemporary author, Tamar Hodes, about her new novel, Mixed. As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.This week, we return to our Jewish Novels series, and Elliott reads Gentleman's Agreement by Laura Z. Hobson.Next week: Elliott talks about another book set in New York, but this time in the 1950s: Bernard Malamud's The Assistant.As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.This week we stay on the theme of Jewish novels, but take a slight diversion into stage and screen. Last week, Elliott spoke about Christopher Isherwood's Goodbye to Berlin. This week he looks at the stage show and the film inspired by the book: Cabaret.You can watch the 1993 production here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOs82ubFyFQA key to the name changes:Christopher Isherwood (book) > Cliff Bradshaw (show) > Brian Roberts (film)Fraulein Schroeder (book) > Fraulein Schneider (show and film)Clive (book) > Max (film)As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.This week, we return to our Jewish Novels series, and Elliott reads Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood, a novel about Berlin at the beginning of the 1930s, its decadence, its complacency, and its descent into Naziism. Next week: Elliott talks about the muscial inspired by Goodby to Berlin - Cabaret.As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.This week was supposed to be a week off - and then Elliott went to see the new film Marty Supreme, and just had to talk about its Jewish themes.You can see a trailer for the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9gSuKaKcqMAs always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're taking a break this week, but here's a trailer to let you know all the exciting things coming up on All Else is Commentary.As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.We promised an episode looking at Wicked through a Jewish lens - but we didn't have the chance to do it in time for Chanukah. But here it is today! Elliott is joined by Rabbi Hannah Kingston to talk about all the Jewish themes they identified in the musical and the film.As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas. In this special Thursday episode, Elliott speaks to Rabbi Daniel Lichman and Professor Gavin Schaffer as 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of the first book written by Rabbi Lionel Blue: To Heaven with Scribes and Pharisees. You can find out more about the book (and buy it) here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Heaven-Scribes-Pharisees-Suburbia-Jewish/dp/0232512892On Monday, we return to the 'Through a Jewish Lens' series for a special one-off episode on Wicked, for which Elliott is joined again by Rabbi Hannah Kingston.As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.Following Chanukah, we return to our regular weekly episodes coming out on Mondays. This week we return to our ocassional series of Progressive Sermons from the last 50 years. Elliott speaks to Rabbi Hannah Kingston (Alyth) about a sermon she gave in 2018 inspired by the #metoo movement. To read along with Rabbi Hannah's sermon, click here: https://www.alyth.org.uk/sermons-writings/publication/sermon-chayyei-sara-metoo-speaking-out-against-the-silence/Before our next Monday episode, a special Thursday episode, in which Elliott speaks to a rabbi and a historian to mark the 50th anniversary of the first book published by Rabbi Lionel Blue: To Heaven with Scribes and Pharisees.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 [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on Facebook or on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary. Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.The final of our Chanukah specials.For this episode, Elliott is joined by Mike Mendoza (of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee) to talk about the Plant of the Apes franchise. As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.The seventh of 8 Chanukah specials - one for each night of Chanukah.For this episode, Elliott is joined by the Alyth Youth and Education Hub Team past and present: Abi Brunner, Phoebe Decker, Izzie Marcuson-Stafford and Ezster Toth. They talk about Shrek through a Jewish lens.As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.The sixth of 8 Chanukah specials - one for each night of Chanukah.This episode is a continuation of the conversation about the Neflix hit, Nobody Wants This - for which Elliott is joined by Rabbis Deborah Blausten (Finchley Reform Synagogue) and Jordan Helfman (Oaks Lane Synagogue).As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.The fifth of 8 Chanukah specials - one for each night of Chanukah.This episode is about the Neflix hit, Nobody Wants This - for which Elliott is joined by Rabbis Deborah Blausten (Finchley Reform Synagogue) and Jordan Helfman (Oaks Lane Synagogue).As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.The fourth of 8 Chanukah specials - one for each night of Chanukah.This is the second of two episodes on Lord of the Rings, for which Elliott is joined by Rabbi DY Stern (Radlett Reform Synagogue).Here is the article Elliott mentions: https://share.google/90rsWDhSKwtrBjnoW As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.The third of 8 Chanukah specials - one for each night of Chanukah.This is the first of two episodes on Lord of the Rings, for which Elliott is joined by Rabbi DY Stern (Radlett Reform Synagogue).As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.The second of 8 Chanukah specials - one for each night of Chanukah.This is the second of two episodes on Harry Potter, for which Elliott is joined by Student Rabbi Yael Tischler.As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.The first of 8 Chanukah specials - one for each night of Chanukah.To kick off, two episodes on Harry Potter, for which Elliott is joined by Student Rabbi Yael Tischler.As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.This week, Elliott reads Barren Metal by Naomi Jacob, the story of the rise and fall of Meyer Pardo, the Jewish tailor who becomes filthy rich - but at what cost?Coming up for Chanukah: We bring you 8 little podcast presents - Elliott is joined by guests to read and watch different cultural phenmena through a Jewish lens, starting with Harry Potter.As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas.This week, Elliott reads Reuben Sachs by the Victorian poet and novelist, Amy Levy. We see how this novel responds to George Eliot's Daniel Deronda, but also holds its own place in the history of writing by Jews and about Jews.You can buy Reuben Sachs here: https://persephonebooks.co.uk/products/reuben-sachsOr read it for free here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/74419You can find out about more about Amy Levy through the book by Linda Hunt Beckman: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amy-Levy-Letters-Victorian-Studies/dp/0821413309Next week: We move forward into the twentieth century, as Elliott reads Naomi Jacobs's novel, Barren Metal.As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/Episode CreditsIzzie Marcuson-Stafford ......... as ........ Amy LevyWe are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The second part in Elliott's lecture on George Eliot's Daniel Deronda.Next week: Elliott finally gets to the novel he aimed to start with: Ruben Sachs by Amy Levy.As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we finally come to our first Jewish novel: Daniel Deronda by George Eliot. There was too much to talk about in just one episode, so this discussion will be split into two parts. Look out for part 2 on Thursday.As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott begins a new series on Jewish novels. He begins this week with a discussion of why he is choosing to look at novels, and why he has made the particular selection he has.There are a couple of good articles on Harry Kemelman's Rabbi/Detective series. From the Los Angeles Review of Books (https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/rabbi-knew-much/) and the Jewish Journal (https://jewishjournal.com/culture/arts/books/378025/sixty-years-ago-a-crime-solving-rabbi-appeared-remembering-harry-kemelmans-rabbi-small-series/)Next week: Elliott begins to delve into novels, starting with George Eliot's Daniel Deronda.As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott speaks to Dr Jeremy Smilg about his research into the Jews of England during the time of the French Revolution (1789-1815).You can find out more about Jeremy's book here.Next week, we are finally beginning our series on Jewish novels, and to begin with Elliott is taking some time to explain why he wanted to talk about novels – why novels have something to tell us in particular, and what they can help us learn about Judaism.As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott concludes his series of 3 episodes looking at the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam - the repairing of the world.This week we reach the Lurianic tradition and Elliott brings us fully up-to-date, even thinking about tikkun olam of the future.Next week: A recording of a conversation Elliott had recently with historian Dr Jeremy Smilg about the Jews in England at the time of the French Revolution. If you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott continues his series of 3 episodes looking at the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam - the repairing of the world.You can read the Jewish sources Elliott talks about here. You can read Avi Shafran's piece in the Jerusalem Post here, and Thomas Friedman's Op-Ed in the New York Times here. Next week: Elliott finishes the series by considering the idea of tikkun olam we find in Lurianic Kabbalah, and finally reflects on what ideas from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries we might want to keep.If you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott begins a series of 3 episodes looking at the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam - the repairing of the world.You can read the transcript of Obama's full speech at AIPAC here.To listen to the BBC World Service Programme about Tikkun Olam, click here.To read the section of the Mishnah that Elliott is talking about, you can visit Sefaria: https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Gittin.4.2?lang=biNext week: Elliott continues the discussion of Tikkun Olam by looking at the Aleinu prayer and reading some of the texts of the Maharal of Prague.If you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at [email protected] – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.