The Bridging Connections Podcast showcases the organizations and leaders in the Jewish community who are reinventing and reinvigorating Jewish life. In the podcasts, you will hear about the organizations and individuals innovating and impacting the Jewish community in North American and how you can participate. They will share their stories and tips on how they are engaging people in the richness of Judaism. The Bridging Connections Podcast is a project of Bridges 613 which introduces and co ...
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Telling the stories of non-profit leaders, consultants, and philanthropists and sharing their organization’s mission with the world to help them grow. Hosted by growth hacker and social entrepreneur Dr. Bradley Caro Cook, Executive director of CareerUpNow.org and Growth Exponential, co-founder of the Next Beverly Hills Entrepreneurship Incubator, and countless other endeavors. Since an early age Bradley has been dedicated to repairing and inspiring the world. Welcome to Growth Exponential Po ...
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Jewish Engagement Through Farmers / Modern Farmers Ancient Wisdom
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Jewish Farmers Network (JFN) Featuring: Shani Minsk, Co-Founder and Executive Director Jewish Farmer Network mobilizes Jewish agricultural wisdom to build a more just and regenerative food system for all. We connect Jewish farmers to each other and to the surprisingly relevant technologies, rhythms, and ethics of Jewish agriculture. We believe that…
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JIFA: Jewish Initiative for Animals Featuring: Rabbi Jonathan Bernhard, Executive Director and Melissa Hoffman, Director of Programs The Jewish Initiative for Animals supports innovative programs to turn the Jewish value of compassion for animals into action while building ethical and sustainable Jewish American communities in the process. Jewish t…
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What is Jewish Farming? Featuring: Dr. Adrienne Krone Adrienne Krone is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and past Director of Jewish Life at Allegheny College.Her research focuses on communal Jewish farms and the sustainable Jewish farming movement in the United States. Her expertise ranges from the history of religion in the U.S., to moder…
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Kavod v’Nichum Featuring: Sarit Wishnevski, Executive Director Their Mission: Kavod v’Nichum provides the Jewish community resources, education, and training about the end of life, from serious illness through dying, death, bereavement, and mourning. Their Vision is to transform the final life transition for every Jewish person so that it is unders…
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Haggadot.com Featuring: Eileen Levinson, Founder and Executive Director Haggadot.com is part of Custom & Craft, a nonprofit design lab using technology, art and new media to imagine new formats for engaging with ancient traditions. Founded in 2011, our online platforms Haggadot.com and Custom and Craft make home-based Jewish ritual accessible, mean…
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Caring, Cohesive, Community for Cultural Jews
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41:38
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Secular Synagogue Featuring: Rabbi Denise Handlarski, Founder What is Secular Synagogue? Secular Synagogue is a digital Judaism, online community, engaged and meaningful learning and practice. Their goal is two-directional: explore how Judaism can be an enriching force in your life and, in turn, make you a more kind, just, and effective force for g…
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Fat Torah Featuring: Rabbi Minna Bromberg, Founder and President Fat Torah’s Goals Smashing the idolatry of fatphobia and leading ourselves from Narrowness to Freedom 1. ending weight stigma in Jewish communal life and training Jewish professionals, lay leaders, and community members to confront fatphobia wherever they encounter it (including in th…
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Connecting to Israeli Culture through Song
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21:09
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The Yeladim Project Featuring: Sagit Sol Epstein and David Epstein Including a special interview with Yarden, Eli and Lilah Sagit Sol Epstein, an Israeli living in in the United States saw an opportunity to help bridge the culture gap between American Jew and Israelis. She with the help of her husband, David created The Yeladim Project. It’s a comp…
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Project Zug, founded by Benjamin Ross and Hagit Bartuv. Benjamin and Hagit connected in 2012 in Jerusalem, and developed a shared goal of using Jewish learning to connect Jews in Israel and America. Their vision became a reality, leading to more than 2,000 participants in Project Zug! Project Zug’s mission is to empower Jews to take ownership over …
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Strength to Strength Featuring: Sarri Singer, Founder The Bridging Connections Podcast deals in a variety of topics. There are light-hearted topics, educational topics and very serious topics. This podcast is the most serious and possibly triggering topic explored so far. This conversation caused both crying and laughter in under an hour. In a perf…
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BaMidbar Featuring: Jory Hanselman Mayschak, Founder and CEO Through a variety of modalities, BaMidbar supports mental health and wellness and envisions a Jewish community that actively supports its members in building the resilience to thrive. BaMidbar has a 6-14 week summer residential therapeutic program that focuses on using the environment to …
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Challah Back Girls Featuring: CoFounders Sara Loffman and Marni Loffman It’s amazing what beautiful things can come out of uncertainty and isolation. The four Loffman Siblings, Elana, Hannah, Marni and Sara, found themselves all back at home together at the beginning of the pandemic. This togetherness brought them to baking challah. Although the ch…
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Living Tree Alliance Featuring: Co-Founders Koehenet Sephira Oshkello and Melanie Kessler Meaningful Earth-Based Living Living Tree is a modern kibbutz-inspired community designed for joyful, adventurous earth-based living in Vermont’s great outdoors. They are a cohousing curator, event producer, and education center dedicated to connecting partici…
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Jewish Free Loan Chicago Featuring: Leah Greenblum, Founder and Executive Director In the Middle Ages Moises Maimonides (1), great philosopher, physician and rabbi, outlined eight levels of tzedakah (charitable giving). He describe the highest form of giving is to give a gift, loan, or partnership that will result in the recipient becoming self-suf…
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Shomer Collective Featuring: Rabbi Melanie Levav, Executive Director Inspiring End-of-Life Conversations and Experiences, Guided by Jewish Values Who am I? What’s the meaning of life? What’s my legacy? What do I have left in the next portion in my life? These are all age old questions. Quite possible you have contemplated some of these in during yo…
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Cultivating Leaders, Nourishing Communities
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34:35
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Nazun (formerly Challah for Hunger) Featuring: Rebecca Bar, Executive Director and Rabbi Lily Solochek, Director of Programs and Education Food insecurity is prevalent throughout the United States. According to the USDA over 10% of American families were food insecure in 2019 and it is estimated that this has doubled since the onset of Covid. This …
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GatherDC Featuring: Alexandra Tureau, Managing Director GatherDC’s Mission and Vision GatherDC helps Jewish 20s/30s connect to Jewish life and to each other. GatherDC is a Jewish nonprofit that serves as the one-stop-shop for everything 20s and 30s need to live their best Jewish life. Whether you’re looking for Jewish events, people, synagogues, ho…
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The Eden Center Featuring: Dr. Naomi Marmon Grumet, Founder & Executive Director Jewish identity is based on three foundations, according to Dr. Naomi Marmon Grumet, the Sabbath, the laws of kashrut and mikvah, ritual bath. In fact, our sages tell us that it is incumbent on a community to build a mikvah before building any other communal structure …
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The Gender Equity in Hiring Project Featuring: Sara Shapiro Plevan, Founder & Executive Director The Gender Equity in Hiring Project started in 2018 to have deep conversations regarding respectful, equitable workplaces. They established a growing network of female partners and thought leaders across our community to listen and collect data. With th…
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Sacred Spaces Featuring: Shira Berkovits, President & CEO The Torah charges us to be an or l’goyyim (light unto the nations). We can not fulfill this important charge without looking inward. Looking within ourselves, our communities and institutions to do what is necessary to create safe surroundings. The need and desire for safe environments is un…
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Blue Dove Foundation Featuring: Gabrielle Spatt, Executive Director Blue Dove provides mental health education awareness and outreach through a Jewish lens and for the Jewish community. Mental illness often causes people to feel alone and separate. During this interview, Gabby Spatt, Executive Director of Blue Dove Foundation, vulnerably shares her…
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Mitsui Collective : Featuring Yoshi Silverstein How often in your life do you look at things through a Jewish lens? That’s how Yoshi Silverstein has lived his life from a young age. His career path has brought him to creating Mitsui Collective. While attending the JPro Conference earlier this month, I had the opportunity to meet Yoshi Silverstein, …
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Tzedek America Featuring: Avram Mandell, Founder & Executive Director The words L'taken olam, meaning to repair the world are are found in the second paragraph of the prayer Aleynu which is included in almost all Jewish worship services. The term Tikkun Olam is perceived as a core Jewish value and a hallmark of progressive Judaism. Tikkun Olam char…
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No Shame On U (NSOU) Featuring: Miriam Ament, Founder & Executive Director The most impactful organizations often come from one person who has lived through a traumatic experience and recognizes that they could be a catalyst for the solution. This conversation with Miriam Ament, the founder and executive director of NSOU is a great example of the p…
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Jewish Addiction Awareness Network (JAAN) Featuring: Marla Kaufman, Founder/Executive Director Today’s topic is much more serious than most of the other topics that we deal with on this podcast. At the same time it may be one of the most important topics. We are grateful to amplify the voice of JAAN and its founder Marla Kaufman. The important work…
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Tlaim Patchwork Cookbook Featuring: Alana Chandler T’laim’s Mission: A project supported by Be’chol Lashon, is cookbook aims to celebrate the racial and ethnic diversity within the Jewish community. We want to celebrate the myriad unique experiences that each of us has as a product of our identities. We will pair recipes with poems, stories, essays…
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THE KOHENET HEBREW PRIESTESS INSTITUTE Featuring: Keshira HaLev Fife, Executive Director Mission: Kohenet Kavannah (Organizational Intention): Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Institute reclaims and innovates embodied, earth-based feminist Judaism. Kohenet's spiritual leadership training, ordination programs, publications and community offerings center rit…
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The Den Collective Featuring: Rabbi Aderet Drucker, Executive Director & Community Rabbi Offering cozy, collaborative, accessible Judaism all around DC the Den is a collective of people creating a Judaism that is relevant, accessible, and deeply rooted in tradition throughout the greater DC area. We seek to build spaces of meaning that invite peopl…
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Save a Child’s Heart Featuring: Brianna Fowler “I hope that people feel that they have Save A Child’s Heart in their back pocket as a story to tell to shed light on the good that is happening in Israel,” explains Brianna. 1 IN EVERY 100 CHILDREN IS BORN WITH A CONGENITAL HEART DEFECT. Save A Child’s Heart mend hearts regardless of race, religion, g…
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Or HaLev: Transforming Jews, Judaism, and the world through contemplative Jewish Practice Featuring: Rabbi Dr. James Jacobson-Maisels, Founder Or HaLev is a Jewish Path to a more vibrant, whole and awakened life through mindfulness and innovative Jewish practice. Or HaLev believes that Judaism is a precious resource for crafting a meaningful life, …
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“I think part of the exciting challenge and possibility in contemporary Jewish life is how do we celebrate our diversity? How do we be that mosaic? and how do we share identity?” — Joshua Krug, Founder, Opening Doors Featuring: Josh Krug, Founder, Opening Doors Opening Doors is an educational intervention that deploys the power of text, context, an…
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Ariele Mortkowitz is passionate about working with and for women. She creates communities that help women interact with each other, their families and their faith. Ariele has dedicated herself to the pursuit of fulfilling female spiritual and communal experiences. Prior to the creation of SVIVAH, she created the Agam Center to establish a Jewish co…
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Featuring: Dr. Rabbi Kerry Olitzky Rabbi Dr. Kerry Olitzky explains, “parents access religion through their children…books like these allow people to transcend institutional borders and access Jewish thought.” Rabbi Olitzky tells us in the podcast that he is optimistic for the future of Jewish life. He explains that the Jewish community requires ad…
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Featuring: Anne Lanski, Founding Executive Director of The iCenter “We’ve created a new Israel education paradigm…where Israel is really understood as integral to Jewish identities,” explains Anne Lanski, the founding executive director of The iCenter. The iCenter’s tagline is “Inspiring Meaningful and Enduring Connections to Israel.” Throughout he…
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Wilderness Torah Featuring: Rabbi Zelig Golden, Co-Founder and Executive Director When discussing the concept of retreat into the wilderness, Rabbi Zelig suggests, “The Torah is teaching us that there is a powerful and essential medicine in the wilderness and that when we go and receive that medicine…it has the power to fundamentally change who we …
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Kabbalah Experience Featuring: David Sanders, Founder and Melanie Gruenwald, Executive Director “Our world is so challenging and we can’t and don’t want to tune it out, we have to really pay attention. So one of the things we try also develop…is looking at what are our shared experiences, what is it about the human narrative that challenges us to r…
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Featuring: Madison Jackson, Founder and Executive Director “I realize there needed to be some program, some organization, just some way, of connecting individual people from around the world because the human level is where we grow more accepting, meaning when we get to know a person face to face, get to know their own story, and feel that emotiona…
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Featuring: Gen Slosberg, Co-Creator & Producer “I would say that the primary purpose and core reason that Lunar exists is to serve Asian-American Jews…We are like a love letter to our community. We want our community to feel seen and (feel) like they belong,” explains Gen Slosberg. LUNAR’s Purpose is to cultivate connection, belonging and visibilit…
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Featuring: Carrie Bornstein, CEO, Mayyim Hayyim “I found out about Mayyim Hayyim before it opened actually…I was really drawn to the idea of taking something that seemed like it should be one way and flipping it on it’s head to make it better and more relevant and accessible,” explains Carrie Bornstein about her path to working at Mayyim Hayyim. Ma…
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Reinvigorating Jewish Life Across the Globe
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Featuring: Aharon Ariel Lavi, Founder and Executive Director “What communities give to people is invaluable…they give a sense of belonging, sense of friendship, and of support and of identity. It’s something that is at the core of our lives,” explains Aharon Ariel Lavi when sharing his passionate journey toward working with and supporting intention…
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Featuring: JGirls Magazine with Elizabeth Mandel, Founder and Executive Director Elizabeth Mandel defines attributes of feminist leadership as “…to be able to think expansively, holistically, and generously, to be able to create space for other’s ideas, really listen to those ideas…to be able to use positions of authority, to create space for a mul…
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Featuring: Institute for Jewish Spirituality with Rabbi Josh Feigelson “In my experience, spirituality is about…presence, being present with what is and not judging it and awareness, living with awareness and intention,” says Rabbi Josh as he shares his definition of spirituality. He goes on to teach us Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Breditchev’s (Bio here…
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Featuring: Tkiya with Carla Friend, Founder and Executive Director “The music really transformed me in a number of ways. I felt an instant and deep connection to my father and also to my Jewish heritage in general,” reflects Carla Friend about attending Shabbat Services. Tkiya’s mission is to use participatory music experiences to help people of al…
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Featuring: Craig Dershowitz, Cofounder & CEO My driving force is ‘how do I do the most good with my work?’ …and I can’t think of a better way than supporting (Israel) the country that helps the causes about which I am passionate, explains Craig Dershowitz, Cofounder and CEO of Artists 4 Israel. Artists 4 Israel prevents the spread of anti-Israel bi…
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Featuring: Deborah Fishman Shelby “Shared meals around Jewish values and holidays is a really powerful way for people to connect to something larger than them and with each other….when people break bread together in this way it transcends boundaries and it allows people to really connect on a deep level.” FED is a platform for ideas built into an i…
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Featuring Educator and Musician: Eliana Light “Prayers were written by people… in response to what was going on in their lives and the universe at that time…we have been given the incredible gift and challenge of using other people’s words for our prayer practice and on the other side we have the challenge of bring our own selves to it, our own wor…
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Featuring Rabbi Drew Kaplan “Judaism has a lot of wisdom on life and, since drinking alcoholic beverages has been a cornerstone of humanity for thousands of years, Judaism has a lot to say about this topic,” explains Rabbi Kaplan on his website. JewishDrinking.com is the #1 English-speaking resource for Jewish wisdom, history, textual, and other si…
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Maya McNulty, Founder at Covid Wellness/ UpTheBiz
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Interview with Maya McNulty/ Organization’s Name: Covid Wellness/ UpTheBiz/ Organization’s Mission: UpTheBiz marketing and advertising agency offers customized solutions to effectively solve problems and exceed client’s results./ Organization’s Website: www.upthebiz.comBy Bradley Caro Cook, Ed.D.
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Featuring: Rabbi Adina Allen, Co-founder & Creative Director “The world isn’t lacking more information. What we need is a way to process and hold and to integrate that information so it can actually have an effect on us and can shift our actions,” are the thoughts that led Rabbi Adina to realize that both with art making and Judaism are ways that c…
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Featuring: Todd Shotz “You may not remember necessarily every single thing that they (your educators) taught you but you remember how you felt in the learning process and that has stayed with you,” explains Todd Shotz. He says that our (Hebrew Helpers’) process helps to create “the feeling, that connection, that engagement which comes from showing …
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