Best Judaica Podcasts (2024)

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Episode 442: Pushcart Judaica - Ollie Schwartz 56:14

12d ago56:14

56:14

Ollie Schwartz is the founder of Pushcart Judaica, which offers accessible Jewish ritual objects, books, zines, and art that reflect liberatory values, handcrafted beauty, and queer brilliance. Schwartz joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about the power of Jewish objects, reflections on why “people of the pushcart” might be as good a moniker as “…

1
Episode 444: Tales of the Unbound III - We go HAM 46:29

3h ago46:29

46:29

This week, we’re bringing you an episode of our newest podcast, Tales of the Unbound! In its inaugural season Tales of the Unbound follows the Jewish journey of two incarcerated individuals, their chaplain, and the community they co-created in the most unlikely of places. Tales of the Unbound: Episode 3 — We go HAM follows Josh’s spiritual journey …

1
The Mitzvah of Voting, Encore 27:28

3h ago27:28

27:28

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-mitzvah-of-voting-edited-encore.html TRANSCRIPT: https://otter.ai/u/ql3_Vi81NBwkvNT97SKZiyh8_yM?utm_source=copy_url Four years ago in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, I ran a 3-part series called The Mitzvah of Voting. Here we are in 2024 in a presidential election year again and defending…

1
Jackpot Summer! a conversation with Elyssa Friedlander 35:00

1d ago35:00

35:00

Whether you play the lottery or not, I think that all of us dream about what we would do if we won a major jackpot. This is what happened to three out of the four Jacobson siblings. Matthew, Laura, Sophie, and Noah were gathered to pack up the family summer house on Long Beach Island, when Noah announced he was going out and would be buying a lotte…

1
Episode 443: Maimonides -- Judaism for the Perplexed - Lenn Goodman 46:09

4d ago46:09

46:09

Perplexed? About Judaism, and God, and life generally? Us too. Maimonides (also known as Rambam) wrote a book specifically for us called The Guide to the Perplexed, a bit more than 800 years ago, and it still has much to teach us today! Lenn E. Goodman, co-author of The Guide to the Perplexed: A New Translation (with Phillip I. Lieberman) joins Dan…

1
The State of Middle Grade 35:25

12d ago35:25

35:25

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-state-of-middle-grade.html I love middle grade books! But what defines a middle grade book? What are the challenges to publishing for this age group? What is the state of middle grade literature today? To learn more, I invited 2 experts on the genre: ~ Librarian Karen Jensen, author of "Treat…

1
David Biale Z"L: A Re-Release of Episode 411 - Jewish Counter-History 50:38

14d ago50:38

50:38

Just a few days ago, one of the leading luminaries of Jewish Studies scholarship, David Biale, died at the age of 75. He was a 3-time winner of the National Jewish Book Award, and a committed scholar-activist who devoted his life not only to intellectual pursuits – but also to justice. His work had a profound influence on the ways we understand Jud…

1
Episode 441: Judaism is People! - Dan and Lex 46:34

21d ago46:34

46:34

Dan and Lex conclude their series of episodes on disability and Judaism. They discuss the wisdom from these episodes, including strategies for imagining accessible Jewish futures, how to navigate a tradition that contains both harm and insight, and how we make choices about editorializing our tradition in order to speak to who Jews are in the prese…

1
Episode 440: Tales of the Unbound 2 - Yes Way! 40:57

26d ago40:57

40:57

Tales of the Unbound is a new addition to the Judaism Unbound family of podcasts! Its first season follows the stories of Ari and Josh, two men pursuing Jewish conversion while incarcerated. Despite facing obstacles and judgments, they find belonging and community within Judaism. “Tales of the Unbound: Episode 2 – “Yes Way” explores the role of pri…

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Episode 439: Interfaith Weddings - Ari Saks 1:05:28

1M ago1:05:28

1:05:28

Ari Saks recently completed an 11-year career as a full-time pulpit rabbi, and is currently focused on reaching out to interfaith families, primarily through his podcast called Interfaithing. He joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about co-officiating interfaith weddings, how he thinks about presiding over meaningful marriage rituals, and the impo…

1
What Will be Found in the Cave of Secrets: a Conversation with Lynne Golodner 28:25

1M ago28:25

28:25

Eve is only looking for some shelter from the rain, but what she finds will change her work, her heart, and her life. In a small cave in the Scottish highlands, Eve finds a journal written in as a series of letters from a woman named Shira to her lover Benjamin. Eve realized that the letters contain secrets about the family of her new love Mac. Wha…

1
Episode 438: Certifiably Unbound - Rena Yehuda Newman 48:38

1M ago48:38

48:38

Rena Yehuda Newman (They/Them) is a Jewish, transgender writer, educator, independent publisher, and illustrator living and working in Brooklyn, NY. Rena Yehuda is also the new Director of the UnYeshiva Certificate Program. They join Lex on the podcast for a conversation about the UnYeshiva Certificate Program and how creative, collaborative learni…

1
"Espionage! Secrets! Suspense!" Holocaust Books with Adam Gidwitz & Steve Sheinkin 1:03:08

2M ago1:03:08

1:03:08

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2024/07/espionage-secrets-suspense-holocaust.html Two incredible authors, Adam Gidwitz and Steve Sheinkin, joined me to talk about their most recent books, Max in the House of Spies and Impossible Escape. As many listeners know, I tend to avoid Holocaust books because I've kind of overdosed on them durin…

1
Episode 437: Amen - Sharon Brous 1:01:08

2M ago1:01:08

1:01:08

Sharon Brous is the senior and founding rabbi of IKAR. Her book, The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Heal Our Hearts and Mend Our Broken World, is a national bestseller, and her 2016 TED talk, “Reclaiming Religion,” has been viewed by more than 1.5 million people. Brous was named #1 on the Newsweek/The Daily Beast list of most influential Rabbis in …

1
Episode 436: My Body's Keeper - Sharoni Sibony 54:37

2M ago54:37

54:37

Sharoni Sibony is a multi-talented Jewish educator, and the artist behind an exhibition entitled My Body’s Keeper: Provocations and Possibilities. Sibony joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about Jewish ritual technologies, art, disability Torah, and more. This episode is the 7th in an ongoing series of Judaism Unbound episodes exploring Disabilit…

1
The Hebrew Teacher: three novellas by Mara Arad 30:47

2M ago30:47

30:47

Often we just want to connect with all the people around us and fix any problems we see. In the Hebrew Teacher, a collection of three novellas, people attempt to do this in very different situations. But sometimes, other people see the problem from a different perspective, or the problem is not what it seems. And to connect with someone else, they …

1
Episode 435: Tales of the Unbound 1 - Jewish Enough 29:45

2M ago29:45

29:45

Tales of the Unbound is a new addition to the Judaism Unbound family of podcasts! This new series follows the spiritual journeys of folks who leave one way of being for another, claiming agency as they embrace revolutionary Jewish innovation. They build circles of belonging and imagine new ways to engage with their emergent communities. With every …

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Episode 434: Shavuot 2024 - Dan, Miriam, and Lex 48:34

2M ago48:34

48:34

It’s almost time… for Shavuot! Dan, Lex, and Miriam come together for a conversation about what Shavuot will look like this year at Judaism Unbound. They explore the connections between Shavuot and conversion, renewing our commitment to Judaism through ritual, and how we can meaningfully experience Shavuot in new and ancient ways. Click HERE to reg…

1
Joyful Song: Lesléa Newman & Susan Gal 54:48

2M ago54:48

54:48

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2024/06/joyful-song-with-leslea-newman-susan-gal.html Joyful Song: A Naming Story is Lesléa Newman's newest picture book, and once again she's paired up with the amazing Susan Gal. This dynamic duo brought us Here Is the World in 2014 and Welcoming Elijah in 2020. Their new 2024 book is about a baby nami…

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Episode 433: Judaism is About Love - Shai Held 1:01:14

3M ago1:01:14

1:01:14

Shai Held, one of the most influential Jewish thinkers and leaders in America, is president and dean of the Hadar Institute in New York City. Held received the prestigious Covenant Award for excellence in Jewish education, and has been named multiple times to Newsweek’s list of the most influential rabbis in America and to the Forward's list of the…

1
Episode 432: Radical Spiritual Care - Elliot Kukla 49:04

3M ago49:04

49:04

Elliot Kukla (he/they) is a rabbi, author, and activist. Elliot has worked at the intersection of justice and spiritual care to those who are ill, dying and bereaved since 2007. They are currently on the faculty of SVARA, where they also direct the Collective Loss Adaptation Project (CLAP). Elliot joins Lex Rofeberg and Dan Libenson for a conversat…

1
Bonus Episode: The Dybbukast, Season 4 Episode 4 - At Newport 33:27

3M ago33:27

33:27

This bonus episode of Judaism Unbound is presented in partnership with Theatre Dybbuk. We are proud to feature their fourth season's fourth episode as a bonus episode here on Judaism Unbound's feed. In each episode, they bring poems, plays, and other creative texts from throughout history to life, all while revealing their relationships to issues s…

1
Episode 431: Disability Justice Torah Circle 51:42

3M ago51:42

51:42

Jess Belasco is the founder and director of The Disability Justice Torah Circle, a space in which Jews with disabilities can build community around Torah, engage Jewish text through a disability justice lens, and nurture and amplify their voices to impact the broader Jewish community. They join Lex Rofeberg and Dan Libenson for a conversation about…

1
Two Girls: One Lives in Manhattan, the Other in a Parable. A discussion about To and Fro with Leah Hager Cohen 34:48

3M ago34:48

34:48

. Annamae lives in New York with her brother and linguist mother. She yearns for connection and feels that someone will show up to take her away to where she is supposed to be. In the meantime, she pours her thoughts and dreams into her diary. Ani lives on a homestead which is a safe place for misfits and homeless. One day, the Captain, one of the …

1
Episode 430: Zines are Torah - Chava Shapiro 57:51

3M ago57:51

57:51

Chava Shapiro is the founder of the Jewish Zine Archive, an archival collection of Jewish zines and a digital Jewish cultural space. They join Lex Rofeberg and Dan Libenson for a conversation related to their upcoming UnYeshiva mini-course, Unraveling Jewish Zines: From Rashi to the Haggadah to Instagram, which will explore the intersection of Jewi…

1
Episode 429: The Jewish Calendar - Dalia Marx 53:04

3M ago53:04

53:04

Dalia Marx, an author, teacher, and activist who promotes liberal Judaism in Israel, is the Rabbi Aaron D. Panken Professor of Liturgy and Midrash at Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem. Her book, From Time to Time: Journeys in the Jewish Calendar, uses a progressive approach to explore each Hebrew month and its holidays alongside art and literature.…

1
Across So Many Seas, with Ruth Behar 35:35

4M ago35:35

35:35

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2024/05/ruth-behar-on-across-so-many-seas.html Lucky Broken Girl, Letters from Cuba, Tia Fortuna's New Home, and now, Across So Many Seas. Award winning author Ruth Behar keeps finding new ways to share her Sephardic and Ashkenazi Cuban Jewish heritage with us, and it's fresh and fascinating every time. …

1
Episode 428: Reading with Our Hands and Ears - Livia Thompson 51:10

4M ago51:10

51:10

Livia Thompson serves as the Executive Director of JBI (formerly Jewish Braille Institute): an organization enabling access to Jewish life through audio, braille, and large-print texts. She joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about JBI and its powerful work. This episode is the 4th in an ongoing series of Judaism Unbound episodes exploring Disabil…

1
Episode 427: Rabbi on the Spectrum - Tzemah Yoreh 57:51

4M ago57:51

57:51

Tzemah Yoreh is a rabbi, scholar, and liturgist who recently wrote a book entitled So Compassionate It Hurts: My Life as a Rabbi On the Spectrum. He joins Judaism Unbound for the third episode in an ongoing series exploring Disability Torah. There are some amazing mini-course offerings beginning at the end of April in the UnYeshiva. Check out these…

1
RAS Award Winner: Early Jewish Cookbooks: Essays on Hungarian Jewish Gastronomical History 50:24

4M ago50:24

50:24

Every year the Research, Archive, and Special libraries division of the Association of Jewish Libraries (otherwise known as RAS) gives awards for excellence in Reference and in Bibliography. Since these are obviously not fiction, they wouldn’t ordinarily be a candidate for this podcast. But I got an opportunity to share the interview with last year…

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