PODCAST · religion
Hashivenu
by Reconstructing Judaism
Hashivenu is a podcast about Jewish teachings and practice around resilience. Cultivating resilience in challenging times, both individually and collectively, is an essential path to personal renewal. Support Hashivenu Find out more about the show at About (https://hashivenu.fireside.fm/about), and learn about our theme song at Theme Song (https://hashivenu.fireside.fm/theme-song). Subscribe by Email This podcast is produced by Reconstructing Judaism. Visit us at ReconstructingJudaism.org (https://ReconstructingJudaism.org)
Episodes
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Series Finale: Rabbi Deborah Waxman & Incoming President Rabbi Elliott Tepperman
In the final episode of Hashivenu, Rabbi Deborah Waxman closes out her run as host, and thirteen years as president of Reconstructing Judaism, with her most frequent guest: incoming president Rabbi Elliott Tepperman. The two dig into what drew Tepperman to the role, tracing his path from a DIY,...
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Penultimate Episode: Looking Back at Hashivenu Through the Years with Producer Sam Wachs
Just weeks before her tenure as President and CEO of Reconstructing Judaism comes to a close, Rabbi Deborah Waxman is joined by Hashivenu's longtime producer and editor Sam Wachs to look back on the podcast's evolution, from its 2017 launch and resilience-focused first season to its later...
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The Jewish Way to a Good Life: A Conversation with Rabbi Shira Stutman
What does it really mean to live a good life and how can ancient Jewish practices help us get there? Rabbi Deborah Waxman sits down with her teacher, colleague, and friend Rabbi Shira Stutman, author of The Jewish Way to a Good Life, for a wide-ranging conversation about meaning, resilience, and...
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Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie returns to discuss Jewish chosenness, love, and his film Sabbath Queen
Rabbi Deborah Waxman continues her conversation with Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, founder of Lab/Shul and subject of the documentary The Sabbath Queen. They explore how to hold complexity in polarized times, discussing "both/and" thinking around Israeli and Palestinian identity, the theology of love...
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Hope Is a Muscle: The Hatikvah Slate with special guest Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie
Rabbi Deborah Waxman is joined by Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie for a vital conversation about the complexities of Zionism, Israeli identity and progressive Jewish values. As delegates on the Hatikvah slate in the World Zionist Congress elections, Waxman and Lau-Lavie discuss the intersection of…
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Why Voting for the Hatkivah Slate in the World Zionist Congress Matters: A Conversation Across Generations
In this special episode of Hashivenu, Rabbi Deborah Waxman welcomes Rabbi Jodie Siff and her son Aaron Siff-Scherr to discuss their deep personal and political commitments to progressive Zionism. Together, they reflect on how Jewish education, family experiences, and time in Israel shaped their...
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Reconstructionist Values, Covenantal Community and War in the Middle East
In preparation for Reconstructing Judaism’s December 15 movement-wide virtual convening, Rabbi Elliott Tepperman and Rabbi Rachel Weiss join Rabbi Deborah Waxman for a deeply thoughtful and nuanced conversation about the difficult and rewarding work of maintaining unity within Jewish communities...
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Building Covenantal Community in the New Year and Beyond
With the High Holiday season underway, Deborah welcomes Justin Rosen Smolen, Reconstructing Judaism's Vice President for Thriving Communities and Partnerships, for a wide-ranging conversation about covenantal community. They explore how the idea of covenant, from biblical narratives to…
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Rabbi Elyse Wechterman, CEO of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
Rabbi Elyse Wechterman recently announced that she will step down from her position as CEO of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association (RRA) in June after leading the organization for the past nine years. Elyse stops by Deborah’s office to look back on her tenure and look ahead to what’s…
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Cheryl Cook, CEO of Avodah
Rabbi Deborah Waxman welcomes Cheryl Cook, CEO of Avodah, for a wide-ranging conversation. The two longtime friends and hevrutah partners recall their early conversations about Israel and Palestine (3:00). They discuss the nature of leadership in general as well as their own perspectives as women...
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How to become our fullest, most expressive selves? Practice, practice, practice
Weeks ago, Rabbi Deborah Waxman and founder Yoshi Silverstein scheduled this discussion about embodied Jewish practice and antiracism. Did it make any sense to have this conversation in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre of Israeli civilians and hostage taking, the subsequent and unfolding war…
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Yom Kippur: A Celebration of Collective Release
In ancient times on Yom Kippur, the high priest of Israel presided over an elaborate, mystical service atop the Temple Mount. Today, many traditional synagogues recount this ritual with the avodah service. In this episode, Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., speaks with Rabbi Vivie Mayer about what the...
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S4 Ep. 9: Season of Reflection and Repentance
In this special episode, Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D and Rabbi Sandra Lawson discuss their respective processes of preparing for the High Holidays. This isn’t about leading services, but about how, as human beings, they undertake an accounting of the soul, leading to repentance for their own…
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S4 Ep. 8: Songs of Joy and Mourning
Reconstructing Judaism board member and Tikkun Olam Commission co-chair Shahanna McKinney-Baldon opens up with Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D. and Rabbi Sandra Lawson about her time singing for the ska and reggae band Highball Holiday. The educator, activist and artist, who comes an African American...
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S4 Ep. 7: The Smooth River
On Sept. 3, 2019, Richard Cohen’s wife, Marcia Horowitz, was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. Horowitz lived 160 more days. In his acclaimed 2021 book, The Smooth River: Finding Inspiration and Exquisite Beauty during Terminal Illness, Cohen, a lawyer and Reconstructionist leader,...
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S4 Ep. 6: Being an Ally with Empathy, Humility and Courage
There’s an increasing focus in popular discourse on allyship, particularly when it comes to people of color and other marginalized groups. What does it mean to be an ally, both to individuals and to groups? How can one begin to do that work in a way that is meaningful and is about helping others...
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S4 Ep. 5: JewAsian
Helen K. Kim is Professor of Sociology at Whitman College and in 2019 assumed the position of Associate Dean for Faculty Development. She is also the co-author of JewAsian: Race, Religion, and Identity for America's Newest Jews along with her husband Noah Leavitt. In this interview, Kim discusses...
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S4 Ep 4: In the Same Place, As the Same Person
Amanda Mbuvi, Ph.D., is the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College’s new vice president for academic affairs. Mbuvi, a Hebrew Bible scholar and nonprofit leader, is the first Jew of Color to hold such a leadership position at an American rabbinical seminary. We delve into Mbuvi’s desire to deepen…
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S4 Ep. 3: Creating a Jewish Community Where All Can Thrive
Marcella White Campbell is executive director of Be'chol Lashon -- a pioneering organization that strengthens Jewish identity by affirming the racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the Jewish people. We discuss her multiracial Jewish family's own experiences as a window into the Jewish...
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S4 Ep 2: Paradox, Complexity and Liberation: A Conversation with Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
We're joined by Professor Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, one of fewer than 100 Black American women to earn a doctorate in physics -- and a Reconstructionist! We discuss the insights she draws from her background as a Black and Ashkenazi Jew, and the richness, complexity, and fruitful challenges that...
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S4 Ep. 1: Judaism, Resilience, and Racial Justice - Beginning the Conversation
We begin a new season focusing on Judaism, resilience, and racial justice, and welcome a new co-host: Rabbi Sandra Lawson, director of racial diversity, equity, and inclusion for Reconstructing Judaism. We dig deeply into the complexities of engaging in racial justice work within the Jewish...
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S3 Ep. 12: Writing Ourselves into the Book of Life — The High Holidays and Choosing Life
At this extraordinary High Holiday season, so many people are experiencing losses of many kinds. We speak with Rabbi Margot Stein about the lessons she learned about resilience while navigating profound loss -- the death of her eldest son, Aryeh. We discuss the practices that sustain her, and...
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S3 Ep. 11: Creativity and Counterculture
Rabbi Michael Strassfeld has made a life and career at the core of Jewish counterculture, combining a deep connection with Jewish text and tradition with a passion for creative experimentation with new, accessible and relevant forms of Jewish community and practice. In our conversation, we…
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S3 Ep. 10: Moments of Wholeness
When our world falls apart, what sustains us? We recorded this conversation with Rabbi Shira Stutman, senior rabbi at 6th and I Historic Synagogue in Washington, D.C, in early April 2020 — shortly after coronavirus response had brought face-to-face communal gatherings, and indeed most people's...
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S3 Ep. 9: The Power of Ritual
Is Harry Potter a sacred text? According to our guest, Casper ter Kuile, Ministry Innovation Fellow at Harvard Divinity School and the co-founder of the Sacred Design Lab, it is if you bring that approach to the series. His study of the ways in which people find meaning through text, community…
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S3 Ep. 8: Whole-Body Judaism
Yoshi Silverstein’s passions — which include Jewish outdoor and environmental education, as well as fitness and movement — each strive toward creative embodied Jewish practice. We explore how these approaches can contribute to a resilient Jewish community, and conclude by applying them to the...
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S3 Ep. 7: Including Everyone
It's a fundamental Jewish belief that all human beings are created in the divine image. But society all too often treats those with disabilities as second-class citizens. In our conversation with Jay Ruderman, we discuss his family foundation's work to advocate for and advance the inclusion of...
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S3 Ep. 6: Spiritual Leadership in Times of Crisis
As the coronavirus pandemic took hold, Rabbi Joshua Lesser created a Facebook group to support and connect clergy of all faiths struggling to respond to the crisis. Over five thousand people joined within the first two weeks. We discuss the exponential growth of the multifaith community he…
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S3 Ep. 5: Catching Our Breath
As the current pandemic disrupts our lives and everyday connections, we each face the dual challenge of saving lives and caring for our souls. Rabbi Deborah Waxman reflects on the Jewish spiritual imagery that unites these concerns and shares a practice of breath work that can sustain us in...
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S3 Ep. 4: Despair to Awakening
As our lives are disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, we speak with Dr. Ameet Ravital, a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating trauma. We reflect on personal experiences of anxiety and grief, and discuss strategies he uses to support an orientation toward joy even in the hardest times....
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S3 Ep. 3: The Song of Community
We speak with Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann, Rabbi of the SAJ: Judaism That Stands For All. Our conversation explores the importance of placing joy and connection at the center of vibrant Jewish community, even (or especially) one deeply committed to social justice and activism. We also discuss...
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S3 Ep. 2: Living in Beloved Community
We speak with Rabbi Sara Luria, co-founder of Beloved, a home-based spiritual community in Brooklyn. Our conversation explores the power of putting love, nurturing and acceptance at the center of community life. We also explore what Beloved Brooklyn can teach the broader Jewish communal world…
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S3 Ep. 1: Finding Sustenance in Covenantal Community
Rabbi Sid Schwarz has devoted his career to the practice and study of building rich and engaging Jewish communities. In our conversation, we talk about the groundbreaking congregation he built, Adat Shalom, which continues to serve as a laboratory for innovation to this day. And we ask the...
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Season 3 Intro: Resilience Through Community
In this upcoming season of Hashivenu, we’re going to talk to a lot of people who are thinking about and practicing how to create community. Many of them will be talking about synagogues, since that is a primary location of Jewish community, but this isn’t a pitch for synagogues. It’s a pitch for...
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S2 Ep. 8: Halleluyah: Fueling Our Social Activism through Gratitude and Praise
What drives us toward justice? Often, we're driven by a sense of the world's brokenness that keeps us up at night. In our conversation with Rabbi Alex Weissman, we explore an alternative motivation: what gets us up in the morning? In a conversation based on his essay for Evolve, Halleluyah, and…
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S2 Ep. 7: Discernment and Renewal at the High Holidays
The holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur call us to deeply individual reflection while embedded and connected with community, and to a humility that nevertheless acknowledges that our choices matter. We speak with Rabbi Barbara Penzner about the spiritual dynamics of the High Holiday days…
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S2 Ep. 6: Portraits of Resilience
Daniel Jackson is an MIT professor and award-winning photographer who edited an extraordinary collection: Portraits of Resilience pairs images and first-person accounts of MIT community members who have struggled with mental health issues. We dig deeply into Judaism's powerful psychological and...
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S2 Ep. 5: Raising Our Voices
Dr. Koach Frazier is an audiologist, an activist, a rabbinical student and a powerful musician. We speak about singing and drumming, and explore how music can support us, uplift us, and lead us to transformation personally and collectively. Subscribe by Email This podcast is produced by...
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S2 Ep. 4: The Spiritual Activist
Claudia Horwitz's life's work has focused on integrating spiritual practice with the work of social change. In this conversation, she shares the strains that social justice work can inflict on activists, and articulates the importance of deep inner work in anchoring and sustaining individuals and...
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S2 Ep. 3: Changing the World from the Inside Out
This compelling conversation with Rabbi David Jaffe explores the essential relationship between the pursuit of justice and the spiritual growth that comes from self-knowledge. We discuss his personal experiences of moral and spiritual awakening, as well as the tension between experiencing the...
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S2 Ep. 2: Love Received, Love Extended
This wide-ranging conversation with noted teacher of spirituality Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg begins by recounting the influences that led her toward integrating meditation and yoga into Jewish spirituality. She then digs deeply into the essential interplay between spiritual experience (love...
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S2 Ep. 1: Trauma, Healing and Resilience
In this interview, Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg delves into her deep interest and growing expertise in the varieties of trauma and how trauma has informed Jewish experience on both the individual and the collective level. Equipped with this awareness, we then discuss ways to move beyond trauma and...
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Episode 21: Tikkun Middot
This conversation with Rabbi Marc Margolius explores the spiritual practice of Tikkun Middot, a mindfulness-based approach to cultivation of character traits. We explore how this practice can help us better live out our values in challenging times, navigating and learning from our inevitable...
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Episode 20: Choosing Life
This special episode was recorded before a live audience at the Reconstructing Judaism convention in November 2018. I interviewed Susan Levine, an extraordinary person and a member of the Board of Governors of Reconstructing Judaism. Trigger Warning: Susan and I discussed resilience in the...
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Episode 19: Gratitude
The recent shooting attack on a synagogue in Pittsburgh has been deeply traumatic. In its aftermath, Rabbi Deborah Waxman shares a personal Jewish practice that sustains her in difficult times, in the hopes that it might help cultivate resilience among our listeners. Also, in this episode you'll...
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Episode 18: Fitness
What's the connection between marathon training and prayer? Can CrossFit shed light on building meaningful communities? We speak with Rabbi Jason Bonder about the intersection between fitness and spirituality. Subscribe by Email This podcast is produced by Reconstructing Judaism. Visit us at...
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Episode 17: The High Holiday Season
The holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur drive us to make sense of what's truly important, and sustain us as we strive to recapture those ideals. In this conversation recorded days before Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi David Teutsch and Rabbi Deborah Waxman share the meaning they find in deep themes of...
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Episode 16: Multifaith Encounters
Multifaith dialogue has the power not just to build bridges of understanding, but to foster personal spiritual growth and transformation. We speak with Rabbi Nancy Fuchs Kreimer and Professor Sa'ed Atshan, a Palestinian Quaker Christian, about their experiences in multifaith work. Subscribe by...
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Episode 15: Singing Together
Singing together can be a profound and powerful experience. We speak with Rabbi Jeffrey Summit, an ethnomusicologist and a research professor at the music department at Tufts, about the role that music plays both in animating Jewish life and in helping us to cultivate resilience. Subscribe by…
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Episode 14: Midrash
The holiday of Shavuot is approaching. This year (2018) on the secular calendar it begins on Saturday evening, May 19. On Shavuot, we celebrate receiving the Torah, the foundational text of the Jewish people. "Torah" has multiple meanings in Jewish tradition. Most folks know it as the Five Books…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Hashivenu is a podcast about Jewish teachings and practice around resilience. Cultivating resilience in challenging times, both individually and collectively, is an essential path to personal renewal. Support Hashivenu Find out more about the show at About (https://hashivenu.fireside.fm/about), and learn about our theme song at Theme Song (https://hashivenu.fireside.fm/theme-song). Subscribe by Email This podcast is produced by Reconstructing Judaism. Visit us at ReconstructingJudaism.org (https://ReconstructingJudaism.org)
HOSTED BY
Reconstructing Judaism
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Hashivenu have?
Hashivenu currently has 64 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Hashivenu about?
Hashivenu is a podcast about Jewish teachings and practice around resilience. Cultivating resilience in challenging times, both individually and collectively, is an essential path to personal renewal. Support Hashivenu Find out more about the show at About (https://hashivenu.fireside.fm/about), and...
How often does Hashivenu release new episodes?
Hashivenu has 64 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Hashivenu?
You can listen to Hashivenu on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Hashivenu?
Hashivenu is created and hosted by Reconstructing Judaism.
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