Jewish Ideas to Change the World

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Samuel Fleischacker About The Event: We will take a look at some of the religious and political writings of the Israeli chemistry professor, philosopher, Torah-commentator, and gadfly, Yeshayahu Leibowitz. Our focus will be Leibowitz’s conception of idolatry: what idolatry is, for him; how halakha enables us to struggle against it; and the special danger it poses when it shows up as nationalism, including Jewish nationalism. About The Speaker: Sam Fleischacker is LAS Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of Illinois in Chicago (UIC). He works on moral and political philosophy and the philosophy of Judaism. His most recent book is From Idolatry to Holiness: A Modern Ethical Framework for Understanding Jewish Law (Cambridge, 2026); previous books include Being Me Being You: Adam Smith and Empathy (University of Chicago, 2019), The Good and the Good Book (Oxford, 2015), and Divine Teaching and the Way of the World (Oxford, 2011). He has also written short pieces for TheTorah.com, including “Hearing God’s Voice” and “Making Sense of Revelation.” ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Aryeh CohenAbout The Event: Rabbi Aharon Shmuel Tamares is probably the most passionate Jewish voice against nationalism, militarism, and, most of all, war. A prolific writer in the first four decades of the twentieth century, he articulated an opposition to war and violence rooted in a theological vision which saw war as modern idolatry, or in another formulation, war as the service to the idolatry of nationalism. Rev. James Lawson was, according to his friend and colleague Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the foremost theorist of nonviolence in this hemisphere. Lawson’s understanding of nonviolence was rooted in his understanding of Christianity and the thought of Mahatma Gandhi. He was the driving force—both theologically and philosophically, and practically—of the training and workshops which led to the Nashville and Memphis movements and whose impact was felt throughout the civil rights movement. He understood nonviolence as a way of life that operated on and affected the personal, communal, national, and ultimately international stages. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. needs no introduction. His career, cut short by the politics of assassination, changed the way that Americans viewed political dissent and the possibility for change in this country. Nonviolence was central to his thought and fueled his demand for justice in the United States, and to curb the violence that the United States was inflicting on other countries. The class will deal with the following questions posed to each of our thinkers: 1. What is the difference between not being violent and nonviolence as a way of life? 2. What is the role of suffering in the nonviolent demand for justice? 3. Are there not “good” wars or at least “just” wars? 4. What are the religious roots of nonviolence or anti-militarism/anti-nationalism? How do Tamares, Lawson, and King differ on this question? About The Speaker: Aryeh Cohen is a Rabbi and Professor of Rabbinic Literature at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, American Jewish University. He serves as Vice-President of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission and is a co-convener of the Black Jewish Justice Alliance. He is a past president of the Society of Jewish Ethics and served on the inaugural interfaith advisory board of the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office. He is the author of Justice in the City: An Argument from the Sources of Rabbinic Judaism and has published widely in academic and public forums. He is also a poet. ★ Support this podcast ★

An event presentation by Rabbi Marc GitlerAbout The Event:Truth, Media, and Propaganda – A timely look at misinformation, lashon hara, and the ethics of communication—especially in an age of social media and AI.Session 2: “Lashon Hara in the Information Age” — Speech, Gossip, and Viral CultureBuilding on the first class, this session applies Jewish laws of speech to modern media ecosystems. What happens when gossip becomes algorithmic, and outrage becomes profitable?About The Speaker:Rabbi Marc Gitler serves as Senior Jewish Educator for Valley Beit Midrash and is the visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The founder of Fast for Feast, he lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife Sarah and their four children. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Marc Gitler The event was co-sponsored by Kavod Senior Life About The Event: This class will examine the history of sacred Jewish ritual objects sent from Dubrovnik, Croatia, to Yeshiva University for safekeeping during a time of danger, and the story of what happened to them afterward. We will explore questions of ownership, preservation, and responsibility, and consider what it means to safeguard religious treasures. About The Speaker: Rabbi Marc Gitler serves as Senior Jewish Educator for Valley Beit Midrash and is the visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The founder of Fast for Feast lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife Sarah and their four children. ★ Support this podcast ★

An event presentation by Rabbi Marc GitlerAbout The Event:This is the first session in a four-part series. Participants may register for one, multiple, or all four sessions – attendance at every session is not required. Each session relates to the main theme but will stand on its own, allowing participants to join at any point in the series. All sessions will also be recorded and made available to those who would like to catch up on any content they miss or revisit the material later.Truth, Media, and Propaganda – A timely look at misinformation, lashon hara, and the ethics of communication—especially in an age of social media and AI.Session 1: “What Is Truth?” — Torah, Narrative, and the Power of FramingAn opening exploration of how truth is constructed, presented, and sometimes distorted. The class would examine biblical and rabbinic cases where facts, interpretation, and perspective blur together.*Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JNPbR8_vGmhuxcy7MET6B9KvRy3hMAg0/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118303465191084699356&rtpof=true&sd=trueAbout The Speaker: Rabbi Marc Gitler serves as Senior Jewish Educator for Valley Beit Midrash and is the visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The founder of Fast for Feast, he lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife Sarah and their four children. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Joshua Garroway About The Event: Jews have viewed Christians alternately as friends and as enemies, as partners in salvation and as pitiable idolaters. Why such contrasts? Learn how Jewish perspectives on Christianity have developed from ancient to medieval to modern times. Hopefully, you’ll come away with some combination of amused, disgusted, and inspired! About The Speaker: Rabbi Joshua Garroway is the Sol and Arlene Bronstein Professor of Judaeo-Christian Studies at the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles. Raised in Rochester, New York, Rabbi Garroway earned a BA in Religion from Duke University in 1998, rabbinical ordination from the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in 2003, and a PhD in New Testament Studies from the Religious Studies department of Yale University in 2008. While his academic books and articles focus on the origins of Christianity, and specifically the life and writings of Paul, his teaching and popular writing deal with Jewish texts and history more broadly. Professor Garroway lectures widely in synagogues, churches, and other public venues. He is also engaged in several interfaith ventures, including the Los Angeles area InterSem program and the Jewish-LDS Academic Dialogue. Rabbi Garroway currently lives in Pasadena, California, with his wife, Professor Kristine Henriksen Garroway, and their three teenage boys. For fun, he enjoys chess, tennis, opera, period pieces, and taking his kids to Dodgers games. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Marc Gitler The event was co-sponsored by Shalom ParkAbout The Event: Rebecca is one of the most active and decisive figures in the Torah — yet her voice is often heard only in fragments. In this class, we will explore the tension between speech and silence in Rebecca’s story: when she speaks boldly, when she remains silent, and what those moments reveal about power, prophecy, family, and identity. From her first appearance at the well to the dramatic struggle over Isaac’s blessing, we will examine how Rebecca navigates a world in which influence is not always exercised openly. Together, we’ll uncover the hidden depth and complexity of one of the Bible’s most misunderstood matriarchs. About The Speaker: Rabbi Marc Gitler serves as Senior Jewish Educator for Valley Beit Midrash and is the visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The founder of Fast for Feast, he lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife Sarah and their four children. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Professor Elias Sacks About The Event: What can Jews learn from Christianity, and what can Christians learn from Judaism? What might we gain from interreligious dialogue, and what challenges can such conversations pose? To what extent does a commitment to Judaism or Christianity benefit from—or perhaps even require—learning about the other tradition, and what sorts of risks might arise from these encounters? We will explore diverse answers to these questions, examining the changing ways in which Judaism and Christianity have interacted, and wrestling with sources from the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament to works of post-Holocaust theology. About The Speaker: Elias Sacks is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Jewish Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he studies Jewish thought, philosophy of religion, Jewish-Christian relations, religious ethics, and religion and politics. He is the author of Moses Mendelssohn’s Living Script: Philosophy, Practice, History, Judaism (2017), as well as articles on medieval and modern thinkers, including Mendelssohn, Moses Maimonides, Baruch Spinoza, Nachman Krochmal, Hermann Cohen, Franz Rosenzweig, and Jacob Taubes. Previously, Sacks served as Director of The Jewish Publication Society. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz sits down with the Rabbi of the Jewish Community of Japan, Rabbi Scheer.Rabbi Andrew Scheer was born and raised in Woodmere, New York. He studied at Yeshivat Sha’arei Mevaseret Zion and earned his BA in Jewish History from New York University.Between college and seminary, Andrew taught English in the Japanese countryside and Sunday School at the Jewish Community of Japan.While studying at YCT, Andrew was a Wexner Graduate Fellow. He had the privilege of serving as Rabbinic Intern at Congregation Sherith Israel in Nashville, Tennessee, and Congregation Orach Chaim on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Andrew served in the United States Army Reserve for five years, during which he was assigned to the United States Military Academy at West Point.Following ordination, Andrew worked on Rikers Island as a Jewish Chaplain with the New York City Department of Correction. Andrew completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education at VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, after which he assumed the role of Senior Rabbi for the hospital. Andrew is married to his lovely wife, Tali, who originally hails from Denver, Colorado, and works as a software engineer.*Bio from: https://jccjapan.jp/about-our-rabbi/ ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Professor Sylvia Barack Fishman The event was co-sponsored by Congregation Or Tzion About The Event: This class will draw on recent American and Israeli novels that portray what it’s like to be a Jew in each country, as well as changing relationships between Jews in America and Jews in Israel, as Jews in both countries feel threatened by unanticipated challenges. About The Speaker: Sylvia Barack Fishman, Ph.D., is the Joseph and Esther Foster Professor of Judaic Studies, Emerita, in the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies Dept at Brandeis University, and was the Founding Co-Director of the Hadassah Brandeis Institute. She is the author of eight books and numerous articles and book chapters on contemporary Jewish life and culture, and received the Marshall Sklare award from the Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry. Prof. Fishman served on the JOFA Board for many years and continues her active involvement. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Sid Schwarz About The Event: America is suffering from a spiritual “deficit”. It has been made worse by social media, ideological polarization, and an erosion of key parts of the American ethos. Rabbi Sid has been at the forefront of the synagogue transformation movement ever since the publication of his groundbreaking book, Finding a Spiritual Home: How a New Generation of Jews Can Transform the American Synagogue (2000). This talk will offer a formula for turning synagogues into “covenantal communities” that can be transformational for individuals and for society. About The Speaker: Rabbi Sid Schwarz is a social entrepreneur, author, and teacher. He is currently a Senior Fellow at Adamah: People, Planet, Purpose (formerly, Hazon). Rabbi Sid directs the Clergy Leadership Incubator (CLI), a program that trains rabbis to be visionary spiritual leaders. He also created and directs the Kenissa: Communities of Meaning Network, which is identifying, convening, and building the capacity of emerging spiritual communities across the country. Rabbi Sid founded and led PANIM: The Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values for 21 years. Its work centered on integrating Jewish learning, Jewish values, and social responsibility. He is also the founding rabbi of Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation in Bethesda, MD, where he continues to teach and lead services. Sid was awarded the prestigious Covenant Award for his pioneering work in the field of Jewish education and was named by Newsweek as one of the 50 most influential rabbis in North America. Sid’s most recent book is Jewish Megatrends: Charting the Course of the American Jewish Future (Jewish Lights, 2013). His book, Finding a Spiritual Home: How a New Generation of Jews Can Transform the American Synagogue (2000), is one of the seminal works in the field of synagogue transformation. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by David Shyovitz About The Event: Classical Jewish texts are chock-full of demons, monsters, incantations, and other occult and fantastical contents. But these elements are often treated dismissively or deemed embarrassing or “superstitious” — when they are even acknowledged at all. In this session, we will analyze a cryptic series of texts about the monstrous “Children of Cain” and explore the profound spiritual lessons Jewish authors have drawn from them — lessons that remain relevant today. About The Speaker: David Shyovitz is Associate Professor of Jewish History at Northwestern University and Director of NU’s Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies. He is the author of the award-winning A Remembrance of His Wonders: Nature and the Supernatural in Medieval Ashkenaz. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Michael Fishbane About The Event: Primacies begins with the assertion that our earliest preverbal experiences are accompanied by a primary language—tears, cries, and laughter—offered long before we learn our ordinary languages. In this virtual book talk, Michael Fishbane explores how ancient, medieval, and modern literature and poetry express and transform these primal sensations into powerful articulations of sorrow, joy, and fulfillment. Building on his theological work in Sacred Attunement and Fragile Finitude, Fishbane presents a radically new lived hermeneutics that reimagines the relationship between experience and language. About The Speaker: Dr. Michael Fishbane is the Nathan Cummings Distinguished Service Professor of Jewish Studies, emeritus, at the University of Chicago. The author of numerous books on the Hebrew Bible and Jewish Thought, his writings cover the entire span of Jewish thought and theology, from antiquity to the present. Among his major interests is the history of Jewish Bible interpretation and Jewish theology over the centuries. Chief among these publications is his book: Biblical Interpretation in Ancient Israel (Oxford University Press, 1985), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking (Oxford University Press, 2003); and Piyyut: Midrashic Epic and the Poetics of Tradition (Oxford University Press, 2026). Fishbane has also written many works for the Jewish community and the public at large. Among these is his Song of Songs: A Commentary (Jewish Publication Society, 2015). Fishbane has also written books in the area of contemporary Jewish theology. These include Sacred Attunement. A Jewish Theology (University of Chicago Press, 2008); Fragile Finitude: A Jewish Hermeneutical Theology (University of Chicago Press, 2021); and Primacies: Experience, Expression, and the Jewish Religious Imagination (University of Chicago Press, 2024). Among many awards, he has received a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Foundation of Jewish Culture. Michael Fishbane is a fellow of the American Academy of Jewish Research and The American Academy of Arts and Sciences. ★ Support this podcast ★

A hybrid event presentation with Rabbi Marc Gitler and Austin SwaffordAbout The Event:When we study Torah, are we uncovering truths that have always existed—waiting to be discovered like treasures buried in ancient text? Or are we active creators, bringing new meaning into the world through our interpretations and questions? Join Rabbi Marc Gitler and Dr. Austin Swafford for a dynamic Beit Midrash-style lecture exploring this fundamental tension in Jewish learning.Through collaborative text study and guided discussion, we'll examine classical and contemporary Jewish sources that grapple with the nature of Torah study itself. Is meaning inherent in the words on the page, or does it emerge from the community gathered around them? What does our answer mean for how we approach tradition, authority, and our own role as learners?This is not a lecture—it's a conversation. Bring your questions, your insights, and your curiosity as we learn together in the spirit of Shavuot, the festival celebrating the giving of Torah and our ongoing relationship with sacred text.About The Speakers:Marc Gitler is the visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The founder of Fast for Feast, he lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Sarah, and their four children. Dr. Austin Swafford is a Denver-based scientist and Jewish educator who leads weekly study groups at Congregation Rodef Shalom exploring Jewish texts, ethics, and contemporary life. He cares deeply about strengthening communities through serious learning, thoughtful dialogue, and justice-oriented engagement.  ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Leah Cohen Tenenbaum and Rabbi Douglas Kohn About The Event: In his clarion call for ethical behavior, Rabbi Hillel tells us, “In a place where there is no humanity, strive to be human.” But what exactly does it mean to be human, especially in an age of rapid transformation? Striving to Be Human: Jewish Perspectives on Twenty-First-Century Challenges confronts this question with boldness, hope, and a foundation of Jewish wisdom. The volume begins with “Challenges from Within Us,” addressing such topics as moral justice, belonging, queer theology, and good and evil. In part two, “Challenges from Beyond Us,” the authors delve into artificial intelligence, robotics, reproductive technologies, and the animal-human relationship. The result is a profound conversation about Jewish values and human dignity in our evolving landscape. About The Speakers: Rabbi Leah Cohen Tenenbaum, DMin, BCC-PCHAC (HUC-JIR 2000), serves as the inpatient palliative care chaplain and as a member of the Ethics Committee at Yale New Haven Hospital. She is a faculty member of FASPE (Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics) and has served on the CCAR Board of Trustees, the CCAR National Ethics Taskforce, and currently the CCAR Press Council. She has written chapters for The Sacred Struggle: Jewish Responses to Trauma (CCAR Press, 2025) and Fragile Dialogue: New Voices of Liberal Zionism (CCAR Press, 2018) and is the coeditor with Rabbi Douglas Kohn of Striving to Be Human: Jewish Perspectives on Twenty-First-Century Challenges. She frequently teaches and presents on spirituality, serious illness, and medical ethics. Rabbi Douglas Kohn serves Temple Beth Jacob in Newburgh, New York, having previously served congregations in Buffalo, Baltimore, Chicago, and Southern California, and is happily busy in all aspects of congregational and community endeavors. In addition to coediting Striving to Be Human with Rabbi Leah Cohen Tenenbaum, he is the editor of two other volumes, Life, Faith, and Cancer: Jewish Journeys Through Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery (URJ Press, 2008) and Broken Fragments: Jewish Experiences of Alzheimer’s Disease Through Diagnosis, Adaptation, and Moving On (URJ Press, 2012), and has written and spoken widely on the themes of illness, medical ethics, and being human. Rabbi Kohn has served on numerous CCAR, URJ, and communal commissions, committees, and boards, while still savoring time to read, write, and paint, as well as exercise, cook, and travel with his wife, Cindy, and their children and grandchildren. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz sits down with comedian Benji Lovitt. Comedian Benji Lovitt brings a unique and uplifting presentation that blends humor with insight. In this fun and educational presentation, Benji Lovitt explores how Israelis have always turned to humor during even the darkest times, not to be insensitive, but as a coping mechanism. People often say that Hamas celebrates death and Jews celebrate life, but what does that really mean? Through standup, TV/Youtube videos, social media clips, and more, we’ll discover a perspective that’s both hilarious and therapeutic, a morale boost that gives people “permission to laugh”. ★ Support this podcast ★

An event presentation by Moishe Steigmann, The Mindful Rabbi, and Rabbi Noah Chertkoff About The Event: In celebration of Lag Ba’Omer, a day of celebration, music, and weddings, an engaging learning session co-facilitated by Moishe Steigmann – The Mindful Rabbi, and Rabbi Noah Chertkoff, Senior Rabbi of Congregation Shalom. About The Speakers: Moishe Steigmann, The Mindful Rabbi, is the founder and director of Own Your Judaism and is the director of Ohel Ayalah. He seamlessly blends ancient Jewish wisdom with contemporary mindfulness practices. Through his teachings, writings, and workshops, he continues to influence and lead the conversation on mindful living within and beyond the Jewish community. He also speaks, hosts livestream conversations, and offers Jewish Life Coaching and organizational consultation. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Rabbi Steigmann is a proud father of two children, loves sports, is passionate about living gratefully, and enjoys almost all puzzles and games. Rabbi Noah Chertkoff joined Congregation Shalom after three years as the Assistant, then Associate Rabbi of Temple Kol Ami Emanu-El in Plantation Florida. A native of Toronto, Canada, he graduated from York University with a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies. He received his Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters and Rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion on May 31, 2008 from the Cincinnati campus. Before entering rabbinical school, Rabbi Chertkoff worked at Seeds of Peace International Camp which is dedicated to empowering young leaders from regions of conflict with the leadership skills required to advance reconciliation and coexistence, served as a Special Assistant to a Federal Cabinet Minister in the Canadian Government and worked as the National Social Action Coordinator for the Canadian Council for Reform Judaism. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Moishe SteigmannAbout The Event:The rabbis once made a bold, audacious choice that changed the course of Jewish history and saved Judaism. In this class, we’ll trace that pivotal moment and discover how their courage and ingenuity can still guide and inspire us today.About The Speaker:Moishe Steigmann, The Mindful Rabbi, is the founder and director of Own Your Judaism and is the director of Ohel Ayalah. He seamlessly blends ancient Jewish wisdom with contemporary mindfulness practices. Through his teachings, writings, and workshops, he continues to influence and lead the conversation on mindful living within and beyond the Jewish community. He also speaks, hosts livestream conversations, and offers Jewish Life Coaching and organizational consultation. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Rabbi Steigmann is a proud father of two children, loves sports, is passionate about living gratefully, and enjoys almost all puzzles and games. ★ Support this podcast ★

A hybrid event presentation with Rabbi Ed Feinstein About The Event: Over 2,000 years of the Jewish diaspora, no place has welcomed us and offered us more opportunities and freedom than America. And in turn, we offered America the gifts of our cultural genius. As we prepare to celebrate the 250th year of America, let’s look back at the wonders of American Jewish life. Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1za3Tdn6NIZYgw-ToxzTo9ZFdwgPltCvG/view?usp=sharingAbout The Speaker: Rabbi Feinstein serves the Valley Beth Shalom community as a teacher, pastor, and visionary leader. He also serves on the faculty of the Ziegler Rabbinical School of the American Jewish University, the Wexner Heritage Program, and the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, and lectures widely across the United States. He is the author of several books, including: Tough Questions Jews Ask – A Young Adult’s Guide to Building a Jewish Life, (Jewish Lights, 2003), Jews and Judaism in the Twenty-First Century: Human Responsibility, the Presence of God and the Future of the Covenant (Jewish Lights, 2007), Capturing the Moon (Behrman House, 2008) and most recently, Chutzpah Imperative! – Empowering Today’s Jews for a Life that Matters (Jewish Lights, 2014). Rabbi Feinstein was raised in the back of his parents’ bakery on the frontiers of the West San Fernando Valley. He graduated with honors from the University of California at Santa Cruz, the University of Judaism, Columbia University Teachers College, and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, where he was ordained a rabbi in 1981. Most recently, he received his Doctorate in Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) at Park Avenue Synagogue in New York for his dissertation: Rabbi Harold Schulweis and the Reinvention of the American Rabbinate. An engaging lecturer and storyteller, Rabbi Feinstein unites the ancient Jewish love of ideas with the warmth of Jewish humor. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Marc GitlerAbout The Event:In this class, we’ll explore the complex reality the Israelites faced after leaving Egypt, when liberation gave way to uncertainty in the wilderness. Drawing on the biblical narrative of their journey through the desert, the class examines how sudden freedom can be disorienting—marked by fear, lack of direction, nostalgia, and the struggle to build a new identity.About The Speaker:Marc Gitler is the Senior Jewish Educator at Valley Beit Midrash and visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The founder of Fast for Feast, he lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Sarah, and their four children. ★ Support this podcast ★

A hybrid event presentation with Rabbi Mike Feuer About The Event: The difference between leading yourself and becoming the hero of your story isn't just semantic - it's spiritual. This talk presents seven questions from the Torah of Jewish heroism that transform personal growth into something greater: a journey of moral courage, service, and sacred purpose. They are a guide for those seeking to lead themselves and others toward a larger narrative of meaning, courage, and purpose. About The Speaker: Rav Mike Feuer is an educator, content creator, and spiritual counselor. Through the Jewish Heroism Project, he brings a Torah of Jewish heroism to leaders, educators, activists, and idealistic Jews seeking to develop courage, capacity, and spiritual strength for our time. ★ Support this podcast ★

A hybrid event presentation with Rabbi Mike Feuer About The Event: On the day after Israel’s Independence Day, this talk explores how certain models of Jewish heroism - the warrior and the public leader - have made sovereignty possible, yet cannot by themselves fulfill its deeper promise. Drawing on the Torah of Jewish heroism, we will ask what fuller independence requires today. The answer points to different forms of Jewish heroism: the judge, the healer, and the storyteller - those who shape conscience, restore wholeness, and give meaning to power on the road toward redemption. Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QUrBy2g1WxrKtn7fn-rkw6ULA791P-J6/view?usp=sharingAbout The Speaker: Rav Mike Feuer is an educator, content creator, and spiritual counselor. Through the Jewish Heroism Project, he brings a Torah of Jewish heroism to leaders, educators, activists, and idealistic Jews seeking to develop courage, capacity, and spiritual strength for our time. ★ Support this podcast ★

A hybrid event presentation with Rabbi Ed Feinstein The event was co-sponsored by the United Jewish Federation of Utah and hosted by Temple Har Shalom. About The Event: A child asks innocently, Where is God? Where did Grandma go when she died? Why do bad things happen? The language may be childlike, but the questions are profound. These are the questions that grow from being human. And Judaism offers answers, profound and moving answers. So let’s open our tradition and share these deep insights into the human condition. Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NxVE26x_gZgnoqQf3G1skPXCWdQH_ftJ/view?usp=sharingAbout The Speaker: Rabbi Feinstein serves the Valley Beth Shalom community as a teacher, pastor, and visionary leader. He also serves on the faculty of the Ziegler Rabbinical School of the American Jewish University, the Wexner Heritage Program, and the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, and lectures widely across the United States. He is the author of several books, including: Tough Questions Jews Ask – A Young Adult’s Guide to Building a Jewish Life, (Jewish Lights, 2003), Jews and Judaism in the Twenty-First Century: Human Responsibility, the Presence of God and the Future of the Covenant (Jewish Lights, 2007), Capturing the Moon (Behrman House, 2008) and most recently, Chutzpah Imperative! - Empowering Today's Jews for a Life that Matters (Jewish Lights, 2014). Rabbi Feinstein was raised in the back of his parents’ bakery on the frontiers of the West San Fernando Valley. He graduated with honors from the University of California at Santa Cruz, the University of Judaism, Columbia University Teachers College, and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, where he was ordained a rabbi in 1981. Most recently, he received his Doctorate in Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) at Park Avenue Synagogue in New York for his dissertation: Rabbi Harold Schulweis and the Reinvention of the American Rabbinate. An engaging lecturer and storyteller, Rabbi Feinstein unites the ancient Jewish love of ideas with the warmth of Jewish humor. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Sara Tropper About The Event: In this book talk, I will present the forging of “White Heat” and read select poems from the volume. I will share what spurred me to write the book, define haiku and its interesting history, and discuss the sumi-e (Japanese pen-and-ink) artwork that accompanies the poems. The talk is designed to give the audience time to absorb the poems and images. About The Speaker: Sara Tropper lives in Israel with her husband, children, grandchildren, and a large, affectionate dog. When she is not editing books for scholars, she enjoys losing on the soccer field to her grandsons. She wrote “White Heat” on the hillside with her canine sidekick. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Martin Herskovitz About The Event: Eighty years after the Holocaust, a new narrative is taking its place alongside the heretofore trauma-based narratives: the artistic narratives of the Second and Third Generations. It is no longer just the atrocities themselves that are at the center of attention, but also how the heirs of the victims, the Second and Third Generations, are taking ownership of these stories and transforming them. The narrative of the Second and Third Generation is a story, not of devastation, but of family connection, allowing the possibility of grieving, compassion, and healing. This new testimony of postmemory transforms Holocaust remembrance from a narrative of destruction and restoration to a personal journey of healing. The listeners are invited to join Martin Herskovitz, a poet and a child of survivors, on his journey. Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MipgxvBueVP1ulYTj4ovCqH6uwsbi3BB/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118303465191084699356&rtpof=true&sd=trueAbout The Speaker: Martin Herskovitz, from Rehovot, Israel, is a child of Holocaust survivors. He is a public fellow at the Finkler Institute for Holocaust Studies at Bar Ilan University and a poet. Via his poetry and his endeavor, Creating Memory, he propounds a more personal and emotionally resonant approach to Holocaust remembrance. ★ Support this podcast ★

A sit-down conversation with Mayim Bialik and Rabbi Shmuly. Mayim Bialik is best known for her lead role as Blossom Russo in the early-1990s NBC television sitcom Blossom. She played the role of Amy Farrah Fowler on the critically acclaimed CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory, for which she received 2 Critics’ Choice Awards, 4 Emmy nominations, and a SAG Award nomination. She served as host of Jeopardy! for 2 seasons, earning her fifth Emmy nomination for her contributions to the iconic show, which won its first primetime Emmy the year she hosted. In 2021, Bialik wrote and directed the feature film As They Made Us, starring Dustin Hoffman, Candice Bergen, Dianna Agron, and Simon Helberg. She hosts a popular mental health podcast, Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown, with over 100 million downloads. Bialik holds a BS and PhD in Neuroscience from UCLA, and she has authored four books, two of which are on the New York Times Best-Sellers list (Girling Up: How to be Strong, Smart and Spectacular and Boying Up: How to be Brave, Bold and Brilliant). ★ Support this podcast ★

An event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Armin Langer and Rabbi Moishe SteigmannAbout The Event: This year, we explore what freedom meant for the Israelites, who were included—and who were left out—in the Torah’s vision of liberation. We’ll reflect on how the call for freedom is both aspirational and incomplete and consider how its message resonates today. Together, we’ll imagine ways to carry forward the radical, unfinished work of freedom in our own lives and communities. This session will be co-taught by Rabbi Dr. Armin Langer of Congregation Shir Hadash and Own Your Judaism’s Moishe Steigmann, The Mindful Rabbi.*Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yxCsRJ6bzxYCemejgqN57ijfZUpN6LEI2aXu77kXvko/edit?tab=t.0About The Speakers: Rabbi Dr. Armin Langer serves Shir Hadash as a teacher and community builder, committed to creating a welcoming, intellectually curious, and spiritually grounded Jewish home. Born in Germany to a family of Hungarian immigrants, he brings a deep awareness of Jewish diversity, memory, and resilience to his rabbinate. Before moving to Milwaukee, he taught and led prayer in diverse Jewish communities across Europe, the United States, and Mexico. Ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, he holds a PhD in Sociology from Humboldt University of Berlin. His writing appears in academic journals and public-facing outlets, including The Forward, Evolve, and The Conversation. He believes in a big-tent Judaism that brings Jewish tradition into conversation with contemporary ethical and social challenges.Moishe Steigmann, The Mindful Rabbi, is the founder and director of Own Your Judaism and is the director of Ohel Ayalah. He seamlessly blends ancient Jewish wisdom with contemporary mindfulness practices. Through his teachings, writings, and workshops, he continues to influence and lead the conversation on mindful living within and beyond the Jewish community. He also speaks, hosts livestream conversations, and offers Jewish Life Coaching and organizational consultation. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Rabbi Steigmann is a proud father of two children, loves sports, is passionate about living gratefully, and enjoys almost all puzzles and games. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Wendy Zierler About The Event: This class will trace the origin of my feminist Kaddish / COVID memoir and the related Shir Hadash project, as well as the title “Going Out with Knots,” and will cover some thematically related poems. *Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tT11EayuMRuXhgqP7FBTjAePMCHQCWG1/view?usp=sharingAbout The Speaker: Wendy Zierler is Sigmund Falk Professor of Modern Jewish Literature and Feminist Studies at HUC-JIR in New York. She received her Ph.D. and her MA from Princeton University and her BA from Stern College of Yeshiva University and an MFA in Fiction Writing from Sarah Lawrence College. In June 2021, she received rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva Maharat. Her most recent book, Going Out with Knots: My Two Kaddish / COVID Years with Hebrew Poetry (Jewish Publication Society), was named to Zibby Owens’ list of most anticipated books of Fall 2025. She is the author, previously, of Movies and Midrash: Popular Film and Jewish Religious Conversation (SUNY Press, Finalist for the National Jewish Book Award in Modern Jewish Thoughtand Experience, 2017) and of And Rachel Stole the Idols: The Emergence of Hebrew Women’s Writing (Wayne State UP, 2004), and many articles in the fields of Jewish literature and Jewish Gender Studies. Most recently, she served as a consultant in the writers’ room of the Fox Prime Time TV Show The Faithful, a dramatization of the lives of biblical women, set to air in March 2026. As a fiction writer, she has written two collections of linked short stories as well as a middle-grade Jewish fantasy novel entitled The Return of Gerda Wertheimer. She is married to Daniel Feit and has three adult children. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Shmuly has a sit-down interview with the founder of The Mussar Institute, Alan Morinis as they talk about the intersection of religion and spirituality in Judaism.Alan Morinis received his doctorate from Oxford University, which he attended on a Rhodes Scholarship. He is one of the leading lights in the revival of the Jewish spiritual tradition of Mussar and is the author of Climbing Jacob’s Ladder (2002), Everyday Holiness (2007), With Heart in Mind (2014), and now The Shabbat Effect (2026). He is a student of Rabbi Yechiel Yitzchok Perr, zt”l, and in 2004 founded The Mussar Institute, which has grown to become the world’s leading provider of contemporary Mussar resources and instruction, offering courses, facilitator training, curricula for congregations and organizations, special events, speakers, and retreats. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Steven GotlibAbout The Event: What does Judaism REALLY believe about magic and divination? Join Steven Gotlib, an experienced magician/mentalist and former Tarot-reader, to delve into this fascinating and under-appreciated topic.*Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sKlv6niYx2BOjjCQvslDf5mI22PgST3V/view?usp=sharingAbout The Speaker: Steven Gotlib is the Associate Rabbi at Mekor Habracha/Center City Synagogue and Director of the Center City Beit Midrash in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.*There were technical difficulties with the video for this class, and only the audio is accessible.* ★ Support this podcast ★

A hybrid event presentation by Alan Morinis The event was co-sponsored by BMH-BJ About The Event: The topic of this session will be the forthcoming book, The Shabbat Effect. The point of the book is to outline how observing Shabbat with the intention of developing certain inner traits germane to a Shabbat practice will prove useful all seven days of the week and is a step toward the ultimate human purpose of becoming whole and holy. About The Speaker: Alan Morinis received his doctorate from Oxford University, which he attended on a Rhodes Scholarship. He is one of the leading lights in the revival of the Jewish spiritual tradition of Mussar and is the author of Climbing Jacob’s Ladder (2002), Everyday Holiness (2007), With Heart in Mind (2014), and now The Shabbat Effect (2026). He is a student of Rabbi Yechiel Yitzchok Perr, zt”l, and in 2004 founded The Mussar Institute, which has grown to become the world’s leading provider of contemporary Mussar resources and instruction, offering courses, facilitator training, curricula for congregations and organizations, special events, speakers, and retreats. ★ Support this podcast ★

A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Rabbi Ed FeinsteinThe event was co-sponsored by: The Hammerman Family & Congregation Or TzionAbout The Event:Each year we recite the story, with Pharaoh and Moses, frogs here, frogs there, and the splitting sea. It is our story, the foundation of our faith and vision of history. Buried in the story, beneath the songs and symbols of the holiday, is a message about the human condition and our mission in the world. Join us as we explore the message and its significance for our generation.*Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BJhJuROhpUab2YSlWxRJmG0dpjvdYEHg/view?usp=sharingAbout The Speaker:Rabbi Feinstein serves the Valley Beth Shalom community as a teacher, pastor, and visionary leader. He also serves on the faculty of the Ziegler Rabbinical School of the American Jewish University, the Wexner Heritage Program, and the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, and lectures widely across the United States. He is the author of several books, including: Tough Questions Jews Ask – A Young Adult’s Guide to Building a Jewish Life, (Jewish Lights, 2003), Jews and Judaism in the Twenty-First Century: Human Responsibility, the Presence of God and the Future of the Covenant (Jewish Lights, 2007), Capturing the Moon (Behrman House, 2008) and most recently, Chutzpah Imperative! – Empowering Today’s Jews for a Life that Matters (Jewish Lights, 2014).Rabbi Feinstein was raised in the back of his parents’ bakery on the frontiers of the West San Fernando Valley. He graduated with honors from the University of California at Santa Cruz, the University of Judaism, Columbia University Teachers College, and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, where he was ordained a rabbi in 1981. Most recently, he received his Doctorate in Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) at Park Avenue Synagogue in New York for his dissertation: Rabbi Harold Schulweis and the Reinvention of the American Rabbinate.An engaging lecturer and storyteller, Rabbi Feinstein unites the ancient Jewish love of ideas with the warmth of Jewish humor. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz sits down with Rabbi Ed Feinstein to talk about Passover. Rabbi Feinstein serves the Valley Beth Shalom community as a teacher, pastor, and visionary leader. He also serves on the faculty of the Ziegler Rabbinical School of the American Jewish University, the Wexner Heritage Program, and the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, and lectures widely across the United States. He is the author of several books, including: Tough Questions Jews Ask – A Young Adult’s Guide to Building a Jewish Life, (Jewish Lights, 2003), Jews and Judaism in the Twenty-First Century: Human Responsibility, the Presence of God and the Future of the Covenant (Jewish Lights, 2007), Capturing the Moon (Behrman House, 2008) and most recently, Chutzpah Imperative! – Empowering Today’s Jews for a Life that Matters (Jewish Lights, 2014). Rabbi Feinstein was raised in the back of his parents’ bakery on the frontiers of the West San Fernando Valley. He graduated with honors from the University of California at Santa Cruz, the University of Judaism, Columbia University Teachers College, and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, where he was ordained a rabbi in 1981. Most recently, he received his Doctorate in Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) at Park Avenue Synagogue in New York for his dissertation: Rabbi Harold Schulweis and the Reinvention of the American Rabbinate. An engaging lecturer and storyteller, Rabbi Feinstein unites the ancient Jewish love of ideas with the warmth of Jewish humor. ★ Support this podcast ★

An event presentation by Rabbi Ed FeinsteinAbout The Event:“Tradition!” sang Tevye, “that’s how we keep our balance!” Tradition is our superpower. We know that the words we say, the rites we practice, and the ethics we embrace have come down through the generations. But there is another source of our power, one not often recognized – our remarkable ability to re-invent, re-imagine, re-interpret our faith, our institutions, our identity in moments of crisis. This capacity for meeting catastrophe with spiritual creativity may be the real secret of our survival. At this moment of our history, we may need this capacity more than ever; we may need to call on our miraculous Jewish resilience.Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ax8KzpqoLsV4hVh0g6d1ztLidAXeo4Wx/view?usp=sharingAbout The Speaker:Rabbi Feinstein serves the Valley Beth Shalom community as a teacher, pastor, and visionary leader. He also serves on the faculty of the Ziegler Rabbinical School of the American Jewish University, the Wexner Heritage Program, the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, and lectures widely across the United States. He is the author of several books, including: Tough Questions Jews Ask – A Young Adult’s Guide to Building a Jewish Life, (Jewish Lights, 2003), Jews and Judaism in the Twenty-First Century: Human Responsibility, the Presence of God and the Future of the Covenant (Jewish Lights, 2007), Capturing the Moon (Behrman House, 2008) and most recently, Chutzpah Imperative! – Empowering Today’s Jews for a Life that Matters (Jewish Lights, 2014).Rabbi Feinstein was raised in the back of his parents’ bakery on the frontiers of the West San Fernando Valley. He graduated with honors from the University of California at Santa Cruz, the University of Judaism, Columbia University Teachers College, and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, where he was ordained a rabbi in 1981. Most recently, he received his Doctorate in Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) at Park Avenue Synagogue in New York for his dissertation: Rabbi Harold Schulweis and the Reinvention of the American Rabbinate.An engaging lecturer and storyteller, Rabbi Feinstein unites the ancient Jewish love of ideas with the warmth of Jewish humor. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Marc GitlerAbout The Event:Join Rabbi Marc for a thought-provoking exploration of one of Judaism’s most foundational questions. We remember the Exodus from Egypt every single day and celebrate it yearly on Pesach, recounting the story of our people’s liberation from bondage. But this raises a profound theological challenge: why did our ancestors have to endure the suffering of enslavement in the first place? In this session, we’ll examine classical Jewish texts and contemporary interpretations to wrestle with questions of divine purpose, human suffering, and the meaning we derive from our people’s most defining narrative.Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11YmCexpwsRdVJuuxt1zLQurL13LKyNJW/view?usp=share_linkAbout The Speaker:Marc Gitler is the Senior Jewish Education for Valley Beit Midrash and serves as the visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The founder of Fast for Feast, he lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife Sarah and their four children. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Benjamin David and Rabbi Lindsey DanzigerAbout The Event:In this session, we will uncover lessons from The Sacred Struggle: Jewish Responses to Trauma. This book is a powerful anthology of personal stories, offering a deeply moving exploration of how Jewish wisdom can help us navigate life’s most difficult moments.About The Speakers:Benjamin David is the rabbi at Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. He is a respected teacher, writer, and leader within the Reform Movement. The son of Rabbi Jerome and Peggy David, Rabbi David was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Muhlenberg College in 1999 before enrolling in the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion. As a rabbinic student, he taught widely and worked with students of all ages at Shaaray Tefila of Manhattan, the 92nd Street Y, the Jewish Guild for the Blind, and Temple Beth Am of Monessen. As a student, he won multiple awards in the fields of midrash and Talmud and co-founded a literary review, Davar Aher. He was ordained from the New York campus of HUC-JIR in 2004. Following ordination, he served for seven years as the associate rabbi at Temple Sinai of Roslyn in New York, where he worked closely with synagogue youth and on such causes as Israel, social action, and community organizing. Rabbi David is deeply committed to URJ Camp Harlam, where he spent time as a camper, counselor, and supervisor. He now serves each summer on the rabbinic faculty. A competitive runner, he has run 18 marathons, including the Boston Marathon twice and the New York City Marathon four times. He is also a co-founder of the Running Rabbis, which brings clergy together to run and walk in the name of shared causes. As a cancer survivor, he works with cancer patients and their families and is active both locally and nationally in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.His wife, Lisa, a fellow Camp Harlam alum, is the director of Camp Harlam. They are the proud parents of Noa, Elijah, and Samuel.Rabbi Lindsey Danziger is the National Director of Campaigns at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. She guides synagogues and clergy across the country in their work to organize and mobilize for justice. She leads the strategy and implementation of the Reform Movement’s national campaigns for democracy in the United States and Israel, including the World Zionist Congress Campaign of 2025 and the Every Voice Every Vote civic engagement and democracy protection campaign. She is also an adjunct professor at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where she teaches Community Organizing. She was ordained there in 2017 and also received a master’s degree in Religious Education. She has previously worked at Zioness as the National Director of Organizing and as Lead Organizer of RAC Ohio. She is on the board of the Jewish Federation of Nashville, where she chairs the P2G Israel Partnership and the Akiva Day School, where she co-chairs the Admissions Committee, and is an outgoing Board of Directors member of ACLU Ohio. Rabbi Danziger resides in Nashville, TN, with her husband, Rabbi Michael Danziger, and their three children – Ben, Aviva, and Noa, and puppy Leo. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Professor Beth Berkowitz About The Event: Family separation due to war, migration, and incarceration is a major public concern, but what about the animal families routinely separated by human agriculture and development? What is the impact on them, on us, and on the planet? Moving beyond debates about the ethics of animal consumption to focus instead on animal intimate lives, “What Animals Teach Us about Families: Kinship and Species in the Bible and Rabbinic Literature” takes on the Anthropocene and big animal agriculture to consider the fragmented animal families left behind in their wake. In this talk, I read the four “animal family” laws of the Bible alongside their rabbinic interpreters from ancient times to today, narrating how biblical writers and readers conceived of and constituted the ties that bind humans to animals and that bind animals to each other. Through the lens of biblical and rabbinic literature, this book reveals the combination of concern, cruelty, and curiosity that we humans bring to animal lives. My goal is not to restore family values so much as reimagine family to include new forms of life and alternative modes of kinship. About The Speaker: Beth A. Berkowitz is the Ingeborg Rennert Chair of Jewish Studies and Professor in the Department of Religion at Barnard College. She is the author of Execution and Invention: Death Penalty Discourse in Early Rabbinic and Christian Cultures (Oxford University Press, 2006); Defining Jewish Difference: From Antiquity to the Present (Cambridge University Press, 2012); Animals and Animality in the Babylonian Talmud (Cambridge University Press, 2018); and What Animals Teach Us about Families: Kinship and Species in the Bible and Rabbinic Literature (University of California Press, forthcoming 2026). She is co-editor of Religious Studies and Rabbinics: A Conversation (Routledge, 2017). Her area of specialization is classical rabbinic literature, and her interests include animal studies, Jewish difference, rabbinic legal authority, and Bible reception history. ★ Support this podcast ★

An event presentation by Rabbi Ben GreenfieldThe event was co-sponsored by Jewish NevadaAbout The Event:Reading the Bible’s only two works named after women as belonging to one sustained conversation reveals two vastly different portrayals of heroism, narrative arc and female power. In this comparative study, we argue for — and spell out the implications of — reading Esther and Ruth in light of each other.*Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k1CzBdhVTopQKPEho3GUG__m8DYhEISiGXGrZ_dTawU/edit?tab=t.0About The Speaker:Ben Greenfield serves as the Scholar in Residence of VBM Las Vegas and the Director of Jewish Learning at The Adelson Upper School in Las Vegas. Ben trained at Gush, Yeshiva University, Johns Hopkins, and Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, where he was a Wexner Graduate Fellow. His original studies in Jewish thought have received several national prizes and can be found on Tablet and the Lehrhaus. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event with Rabbi Marc Gitler About The Event: In this class, we'll explore the deeper layers of the Purim story that often go unnoticed. Together, we’ll look beyond the costumes, noise, and celebration to uncover subtle themes woven into the Megillah—hidden miracles, quiet acts of courage, and the power of human choice when God seems absent. Through close reading and reflection, this class will reveal how Purim speaks not only to ancient Persia but to our own lives, offering timeless insights about resilience, faith, and finding meaning beneath the surface. *Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1epMazCRxkJyPlebCqapWPUOxnBSQPRET/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118303465191084699356&rtpof=true&sd=trueAbout The Speaker: Rabbi Marc Gitler serves as the Senior Jewish Educator at Valley Beit Midrash and is the visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The founder of Fast for Feast, he lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Sarah, and their four children. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event with Rabbi Marc Gitler About The Event: Judaism contains 613 mitzvot, each shaping Jewish life in its own way. But are some more central than others? In this lecture, we’ll explore how the Torah and later Jewish thinkers have grappled with the idea of prioritizing commandments. By examining key biblical passages and rabbinic teachings, we’ll ask what it might mean to identify a “most important” mitzvah, or a core set of values that anchor them all. Along the way, we’ll consider how these debates can help us clarify what Judaism asks of us—and how those priorities might guide Jewish life today.*Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qNx5xPcV0qQwQwWtoCny4EPT2PBNw-gc/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118303465191084699356&rtpof=true&sd=trueAbout The Speaker: Rabbi Marc Gitler serves as the Senior Jewish Educator at Valley Beit Midrash and is the visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The founder of Fast for Feast, he lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Sarah, and their four children. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Melanie Gruenwald About The Event: In this session, we will take a psycho-spiritual, kabbalistic exploration of our multiple masks and identities, and explore the themes connected to the upcoming holiday of Purim. *Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DccDFTg4zbdz7e-SC_wusZRtcEy7NIoH/view?usp=sharingAbout The Speaker: Melanie Gruenwald, Executive Director of Kabbalah Experience, brings over 30 years of non-profit leadership and community-organizing to her position. Engaged with senior citizens, families, college students, and teens, Melanie has extensive professional experience with communal leadership and informal Jewish education. Melanie is energized by building relationships, understanding people’s needs, and finding ways to connect them. She loves the balance of organizational leadership and teaching, on a daily basis at Kabbalah Experience. She earned her B.S. in Psychology from Binghamton University (S.U.N.Y), and Masters in Social Work and Certificate in Jewish Communal Service from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University. Melanie has pursued additional Judaic and spiritual studies at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, the Conservative Yeshiva, and, most recently, Kabbalah Experience. Melanie is married to Rabbi Salomon Gruenwald and is mom to three children, Koby (z”l), Hannah, and Micah. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Sarah Mulhern About The Event: When we say we want to work for justice, what do we actually mean? In this class, we will dive into the question of whether a truly just outcome is about equity, equality, or is revolutionary in nature, and try to understand what the strengths and weaknesses of each approach to changemaking are. Through discussion and the study of rabbinic texts that advocate for each of these approaches in relation to economic justice, we will explore how each of us can best focus our work to change the world in our areas of passion. *Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ASFEXkmGB5dWVF50i9g0OFZxdGwC7zXH/view?usp=sharingAbout The Speaker: Rav Sarah Mulhern is a Rabbi, educator, and community builder. She serves as the Rabbi of Silverstein Base Lincoln Park, opening her home and her heart to young adults in Chicago. She passionately believes that Torah matters and that Judaism can enrich human life and better society. Rav Sarah is also a nationally-regarded Torah educator, frequently teaching in a wide variety of Jewish adult education settings, particularly on topics of ethics, gender, and Jewish practice. As a rabbi, some of her areas of focus include grief support, feminist and queer niddah education, and crafting joyful halachic egalitarian life cycle rituals. She is deeply committed to inspiring traditional prayer and is a passionate shaliach tzibur. Rav Sarah was ordained by the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College, where she also earned a Master's in Jewish Education, and received private rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Daniel Landes. She is an alumna of Brandeis University, Yeshivat Hadar, Pardes Institute, Drisha Institute, Beit Midrash Har El, the Wexner Graduate Fellowship, and the David Hartman Center Fellowship. ★ Support this podcast ★

A hybrid event presentation (in-person and virtual) with Shira Milgrom and David M. Elcott The event was co-sponsored by Congregation Beth Israel About The Event: In this traveler’s guide to spiritual practice, Milgrom and Elcott bring the reader to many paths that seekers of the sacred walk. What is the universal sevenfold path? Recognizing a spark of the divine; honoring the covenant with all living things; engaging in healing and growth; opening our lives to the divine presence; seeing where we are as a sacred place; seeking and pursuing justice; and taking time to enjoy a sabbath. They illuminate these paths through inspiring stories, both inherited and personal, drawn from a richly lived Jewish life and encounters with faith communities around the world. For while the universe emerged from one pinpoint of energy and life, it is only in its infinite diversitthatre God can be found. Indeed, “there is no place devoid of the Presence,” even in everyday. About The Speakers: Shira Milgrom served as Rabbi of Congregation Kol Ami in White Plains for thirty-seven years and is the editor of a unique prayer book used in Jewish settings across the continent. David M. Elcott, retired as the Taub Professor of Practice at NYU Wagner, is a Senior Fellow at Columbia’s Center for Justice and works with Hudson Link to teach classes to incarcerated individuals. He is the author of Faith, Nationalism, and the Future of Liberal Democracy. ★ Support this podcast ★

A hybrid event presentation (in-person and virtual) by Rabbi Dalia Marx The event was co-sponsored by Beth El Phoenix About The Event: Rabbi Dalia Marx, one of the most respected voices in contemporary Jewish thought and liturgy, will talk about how October 7 and the war since have brought profound and rapid changes to the world of Jewish prayer: the language, the focus, even the urgency. Rabbi Marx will also share her reflections on the Jewish responsibility to bring our hostages home, and the prayers—old and new—that have sustained her through this challenging time. Sources: Powerpoint: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qO5KjL6DBJvIauNX-mB3g0-Z9fkb5IqI/view?usp=sharingSource Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15df5BuTZIKE_jebc4Ko4NbJZ3BtSfvwW/view?usp=sharingAbout The Speaker: Rabbi Marx is the Rabbi Aaron D. Panken Professor of Liturgy and Midrash at the Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in Jerusalem. She is the first woman in Israel to hold a professorship in liturgy and is a trailblazer in both academic and spiritual circles. Her work bridges scholarship and lived practice, and she is the author of several books, including When I Sleep and When I Wake: On Prayers Between Dusk and Dawn. She’s also a contributor to the new Israeli Reform prayerbook and a leading voice in shaping how prayer responds to collective trauma, grief, and hope.Purchase Rabbi Dalia Marx's book here: http://time.ccarpress.org ★ Support this podcast ★

A hybrid event presentation by Rabbi Ben Greenfield About The Event: Did God lust after the Matriarchs? Did Jacob think he was Divine? Did Mordechai breastfeed Esther? The Midrash (the rabbinic expansion on Biblical stories) is too often read as a set of fables or children's stories. But in truth, the Midrash contains some of the most radical, imaginative, and philosophically astute readings of the Bible in our Tradition. Together, we will explore five midrashim that have yet to enter the popular Jewish conscience, but probably should. *Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rBNQd_iFUs-MDgF3P5VbsE4CpK8BYYwTj7PxYKaL0rk/edit?usp=sharingAbout The Speaker: Rabbi Ben Greenfield serves as Scholar in Residence, VBM Las Vegas, and as the Director of Jewish Learning at The Adelson Upper School, in Las Vegas. Ben trained at Gush, Yeshiva University, Johns Hopkins, and Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, where he was a Wexner Graduate Fellow. His original studies in Jewish thought have received several national prizes and can be found on Tablet and the Lehrhaus. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbanit Sharona Halickman About The Event: You may think that reduce, reuse, and recycle are modern concepts for saving the environment, but when we delve into the Talmud's insights into the Seven Species of Israel, we will find that these ideas are intrinsic in these Biblical fruits. *Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PJE9haKXAMUditgC1dczIVprxD-61sMo/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118303465191084699356&rtpof=true&sd=trueAbout The Speaker: Rabbanit Sharona Halickman holds a BA in Judaic Studies from Stern College and an MS in Jewish Education from Azrieli Graduate School, Yeshiva University. Sharona was the first Orthodox woman to serve as a clergy member as the first Congregational Intern and first Madricha Ruchanit at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, NY. After making aliya in 2004, Sharona founded Torat Reva Yerushalayim, a nonprofit organization based in Jerusalem that provides Torah study groups for students of all ages and backgrounds. ★ Support this podcast ★

A hybrid event presentation with Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz and Moishe Steigmann, The Mindful Rabbi. About The Event: As we approach Shabbat Shirah, the “Shabbat of Song,” and reflect on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we turn our attention to the sacred power of voice. From the Israelites singing at the sea to modern movements for freedom and justice, song has carried the Jewish spirit through moments of triumph, struggle, and hope. Join Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz and Moishe Steigmann, The Mindful Rabbi, for an evening of learning, dialogue, and inspiration. Through text study, reflection, and chevruta, we’ll explore how music and voice lift us—individually and collectively—toward liberation, connection, and praise. This program marks the official launch of the Cream City Beit Midrash, a partnership between Valley Beit Midrash and Own Your Judaism. *Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iD1y1-pBrlJlr10WktIVYhKEJlxg3ySR/view?usp=sharingAbout The Speakers: Moishe Steigmann, The Mindful Rabbi, is the founder and director of Own Your Judaism and is the director of Ohel Ayalah. He seamlessly blends ancient Jewish wisdom with contemporary mindfulness practices. Through his teachings, writings, and workshops, he continues to influence and lead the conversation on mindful living within and beyond the Jewish community. He also speaks, hosts livestream conversations, and offers Jewish Life Coaching and organizational consultation. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Rabbi Steigmann is a proud father of two children, loves sports, is passionate about living gratefully, and enjoys almost all puzzles and games. Shmuly Yanklowitz has twice been named one of America’s Top Rabbis by Newsweek and has been named by The Forward as one of the 50 most influential Jews and 28 books on Jewish ethics and his writings have appeared in outlets as diverse as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Guardian, and the Atlantic among many other secular and religious publications. He has served as a speaker at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and as a Rothschild Fellow in Cambridge, UK. Rav Shmuly received a Master's from Harvard University, a Master's from Yeshiva University, and his Doctorate from Columbia University. He was ordained as a rabbi by Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, along with 2 private ordinations in Israel. He serves as the President & Dean of Valley Beit Midrash (a global Jewish learning and action center). His wife Shoshana, and their four children live in Scottsdale, Arizona. They have also served as foster parents. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation with Dr. Shulamit Reinharz About The Event:In her book, Hiding in Holland: A Resistance Memoir, Dr. Reinharz offers a unique narrative by collaborating with her father, Max Rothschild, to share personal stories of survival and resistance during the Holocaust. Her insights offer an enriched understanding of history's impact on contemporary Jewish identity. About The Speaker: Shulamit Reinharz was born in Amsterdam and grew up in New Jersey. She has also lived in Israel for numerous one-year stays as well as in Utrecht and Oxford for research appointments. She earned her undergraduate degree at Barnard College and her graduate degrees at Brandeis University, followed by a faculty appointment at the University of Michigan from 1972 to 1982, when she returned to Brandeis as a professor of sociology. Hebrew College has conferred on her an honorary doctorate. Dr. Reinharz has published widely. Among her 17 books are the prize-winning Feminist Methods in Social Research (1992); American Jewish Women and the Zionist Enterprise (with Mark Raider, 2005); The JGirl's Guide (with Penina Adelman and Ali Feldman, 2005); Jewish Intermarriage around the World (with Sergio Della Pergola, 2009); One Hundred Years of Kibbutz Life (with Michal Palgi, 2011); Today I am a Woman: Stories of Bat Mitzvah around the World (with Barbara Vinick, 2011); One Hundred Jewish Brides (with Barbara Vinick, 2022); and Hiding in Holland: A Resistance Memoir (2024). The Jewish Review of Books invited her to write a piece about Hiding in Holland after it won the prize of a finalist in the category of Holocaust Memoirs. A sought-after lecturer, Shulamit Reinharz is currently working on a book about "gender and the holocaust," focusing on her mother's survival. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presented by Rabbi Marc Gitler About The Event: Anti-semitism has seemingly been around forever. In this lecture, we will explore its earliest expressions through stories in the Book of Genesis, focusing on the figure of the Ivri—the “Hebrew” who stands apart. By examining these foundational narratives, we’ll uncover how difference, otherness, and moral challenge can provoke hostility. Together, we’ll consider how these ancient dynamics continue to shape anti-Jewish hatred today and what insights they offer for understanding—and responding to—anti-semitism in the 21st century. *Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oRhbjD2ybtqlYVFZ1vb3XdR2IdaFzxEB/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118303465191084699356&rtpof=true&sd=trueAbout The Speaker: Rabbi Marc Gitler serves as the Senior Jewish Educator at Valley Beit Midrash and is the visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The founder of Fast for Feast, he lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife Sarah, and their four children. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Elliot DorffAbout The Event:Drawing from Chapter 3 of the book, Ethics at the Center: Jewish Theory and Practice for Living a Moral Life, this session will explore how Western, Christian, and Jewish traditions understand the nature of the human being, and how these differing perspectives shape a wide range of moral issues.*Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R8ev3vsjgm5n7wSKE9ekiLRtwHDVR_vM/view?usp=sharingAbout The Speaker:Elliot Dorff, Rabbi (Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1970), Ph.D. in philosophy (Columbia University, 1971), is Rector and Distinguished Service Professor of Philosophy at American Jewish University. From 1974 to 2020, he taught a course on Jewish law at UCLA School of Law. He has served on three United States federal government commissions — on access to health care, on reducing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, and on research on human subjects — and he currently serves on the State of California’s commission to govern stem cell research within the state. He has chaired four scholarly organizations: the Academy of Jewish Philosophy, the Jewish Law Association, the Society of Jewish Ethics, and the Academy of Judaic, Christian, and Muslim Studies. He has served as a member of the Conservative Movement’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards since December 1984, as its Vice Chair from 1997 to 2007, and as its Chair from 2007 to 2022, writing 30 responsa approved by the committee and several concurring opinions. In Los Angeles, he is a Past President of Jewish Family Service and remains on its Board, and he is a former member of the Board of the Jewish Federation Council.  He has been a member of the Priest-Rabbi Dialogue sponsored by the Board of Rabbis of Southern California and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles since its inception in 1973 and has co-chaired it since 1990. In addition to awards given by several communal organizations in Los Angeles, he was awarded four honorary doctoral degrees, the Leve Award of the UCLA Center for Jewish Studies, and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Journal of Law and Religion. H has published over 200 articles on Jewish thought, law, and ethics, and has written fifteen books on those topics and edited or co-edited fourteen more. Since 1966, he has been married to Marlynn, and they have four children and eight grandchildren, who, he thinks, are more important than anything listed above. ★ Support this podcast ★