Best Union For Reform Judaism Podcasts (2024)

1
Noa: The Beauty of Taking Up Space 20:48

3+ y ago20:48

20:48

On the season finale of Wholly Jewish season 2, we are joined by NYU student and college organizer Noa Baron (they/them)! Noa shares the personal and Jewish and significance of their name (and their Jewish name-changing ceremony), the importance of deep listening to the queer community, their aspirations as a trans Jewish leader, and the beauty LGB…

1
Denis: Coming Out and Showing Up 19:47

3+ y ago19:47

19:47

For LGBTQ+ Jews, coming out stories differ from person to person, and the story of Denis Victorovich Kurmanov (he/him) is no exception. This week, Denis shares his experience immigrating from Moldova at a young age, the pressure he faced to present as straight, how Judaism strengthened him to come out as gay and work as at organizer in his Jewish c…

1
Dara: From Parliament to the Bimah 24:55

3+ y ago24:55

24:55

Jewish innovation thrives on different perspectives, and it’s so vital that queer Jewish leaders be empowered to share their own. This week, Rabbi Dara Lithwick shares her experience wrestling both with God and coming out as a lesbian. She talks about her work with the Canadian Council for Reform Judaism and the Canadian Parliament, and embracing T…

1
J: Breaking Down the Gates of Queer Judaism 21:45

3+ y ago21:45

21:45

Being queer and Jewish means something different to everyone, and those differences deserve to be celebrated. This week, J Collins (they/them) talks about being a Jewish storyteller and teacher; their connection, as a Jew-by-choice, to Rabbi Akiva’s teachings;, repairing the world in an oppressive political climate; and the dangers of “gatekeeping”…

1
Laura: Creating Peace Out of Wholeness 20:17

3+ y ago20:17

20:17

With so much turmoil and uncertainty happening around us, finding wholeness – with oneself and one’s community – is especially important. This week’s guest, Cantor Laura Stein, shares her perspectives on how we can best care for those around us, the (lack of) tension between being Jewish and being a lesbian, and how her spiritual leadership inspire…

1
Max Antman: The Queerness and Politics of Torah 21:37

3+ y ago21:37

21:37

How can we embrace Judaism from not only a queer perspective, but also a “political” one? Max Antman (he/him), a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, discusses how being a gay man influences his reading of Torah, how his Reform synagogue empowered his gay identity, and the sacred relationship between activism and…

1
Caroline: Forming a Sacred Queer Community 24:31

4y ago24:31

24:31

Being wholly Jewish means not having to hide parts of who we are when we enter Jewish spaces - including our queer identities. Caroline Dorn (she/her) discusses the importance of such a community; why Jewish congregations must hold intentional communities for marginalized folks; combining her improv skills with her “extracurricular Judaism"; and th…

1
Leonard: Creating Seats at the Queer Jewish Table 24:51

4y ago24:51

24:51

Judaism is in a constant state of reform, and our approach to LGBTQ+ inclusivity should be, too. Leonard Slutsky (he/him), a Union for Reform Judaism lay leader and college admissions counselor, shares his experiences as a gay cisgender Jewish man; how Reform Jewish spaces affirmed his gay identity; how Judaism inspires his work as a suicide hotlin…

1
How Are We Better? 5:55

4y ago5:55

5:55

For three years, this podcast has brought you a new episode nearly every single week, adding up to more than 160 stories designed to bring a little bit of joy and wisdom into your lives. For now, we're taking a little break – but Rabbi Leora Kaye has one final story to share. Want more Jewish content while we're on pause? There are lots of ways to …

1
God's Miracle 5:20

4y ago5:20

5:20

After 40 years in the desert, the Israelites reached the Land of Canaan. When they got there, they saw wheat and trees and fruit—things they had never seen before after spending their lives in the desert. But one woman remembers her mother describing plants and how they grow, so how does she explain it to her daughter? Cantor Rosalie Will retells t…

1
The Sultan's Horns 5:46

4y ago5:46

5:46

The sultan hated getting haircuts because of his big secret: He had horns on top of his head! He was so afraid that people would find out that he threw every barber who cut his hair in prison. Finally, the only barber left in town was summoned to the sultan. Would he be thrown in prison like the barbers before him? Rabbi Mark Kaiserman retells the …

1
Mo: Standing in the Closet Doorway 22:22

4y ago22:22

22:22

Being queer means something different to everyone who identifies this way. Mo Selkirk (she/her), a queer Jewish mother, spouse, and activist, to name a few, discusses how her grandparents inspired her to embrace Judaism, what it means to be in a queer family, and how presenting as straight has been a blessing and a curse. “My [queer] invisibility i…

1
L’hitraot, for Now... 1:51

4y ago1:51

1:51

After four years of bringing you a new episode nearly every week, this podcast is taking a little break. Listen to this episode to learn more about our hiatus and where to find us in the meantime.

1
The Secret to Eliana's Fabulous Hair 3:31

4y ago3:31

3:31

During Shira’s conversation with Eliana Rubin (check out our June 2nd episode, if you missed it), many topics came up – including Eliana’s beautiful, curly hair! In case you couldn’t get enough from episode one, check out this bonus episode all about how she creates those perfect curls.

1
A Crack in the Water Bucket 4:55

4y ago4:55

4:55

Back in the days before indoor plumbing, water carriers would bring water to those who needed it. One water carrier carried the same two buckets each day, and even though one of them had a leak, he never seemed to do anything about it. The reason why teaches an important lesson about finding blessings, even when things may seem broken. Cantor Ellen…

1
Eliana: Gender Diversity is So Jewish 21:28

4y ago21:28

21:28

On the premiere episode of Wholly Jewish: Season 2, we hear from Eliana Rubin (she/her). Eliana (who went by Elias at the time of this episode’s recording) talks about when she first connected with her nonbinary transfemme identity and her desire to create more queer-inclusive classrooms. "I find that identifying as a Reform Jew and a queer person.…

1
The Antidote to Kvetching 9:22

4y ago9:22

9:22

Most of us today aren’t tasked with wandering through the desert, like the ancient Israelites were... but we still find plenty to kvetch about! What if, instead of focusing on small annoyances, we turned to community-building and togetherness? This episode first aired in May 2018.

1
The Old Torah 8:43

4y ago8:43

8:43

How important is the history of your family? Maybe you have a family ledger or an old book that carries the events, wisdom, and dreams of those who have passed on. This week, author and puppeteer Marilyn Price tells a story about such a book in “The Old Torah” and shows just how priceless our families’ stories truly are.…

1
The Blessing of Blessing One Another 10:05

4y ago10:05

10:05

Parashat Naso, the longest of all the Torah portions, features a famous blessing – but what does it mean for us to bless one another? Is it a power reserved for clergy, or is it something any of us can do? In this episode, which first aired in May 2017, Rabbi Rick Jacobs talks about what kind of actions constitute a blessing and who, exactly, we ha…

1
The Spoonful of Oil 4:13

4y ago4:13

4:13

There was a young man who wanted to learn the secret of happiness. He sought out the advice of a wise man, who was too busy to talk with him at that moment but gave him a task: walk around and carry a spoon with two drops of oil and be careful to not let them spill. Listen to find out how this seemingly strange assignment taught the boy an importan…

1
B'ruchim Haba'im - Welcome Back to Wholly Jewish: Season 2! 2:30

4y ago2:30

2:30

Welcome to the first episode of Wholly Jewish: Season 2! Hosted by Jewish performance and ritual artist Shira Kline (she/her), a.k.a. ShirLaLa, this season features interviews with LGBTQIA+ Jews from the Union for Reform Judaism's JewV'Nation Fellowship. Follow along as they share their experiences in Jewish spaces, how their queerness and their Ju…

1
How the Book of Ruth Connects Us All Today 22:31

4y ago22:31

22:31

Chag Sameach and welcome to a special Shavuot edition of On the Other Hand! On this week’s holiday episode, Rabbi Rick Jacobs talks about Ruth, her connection to this unique Jewish festival, and what her story of unity and bridge-building means for us as we celebrate Shavuot today.

1
Where the Mishnah Meets the #MeToo Movement 14:09

4y ago14:09

14:09

Parashat Naso includes a passage about the sotah, the "errant woman" who is accused of adultery. It's a complex and problematic part of ancient Judaism, says Rabbi Rick Jacobs, so sometimes it's deliberately avoided. In this episode, though, which originally aired in June 2019, we deliberatly dive into figuring out what it means to us today.…

1
The Eagle Who Thought She was a Chicken 9:23

4y ago9:23

9:23

Who determines who you are? Is it the environment in which you’re raised, or is it what’s been inside of you your whole life? This week, we hear a story from Rabbi Rachel Greengrass of Temple Beth Am (Pinecrest, FL) about an eagle who thought she was a chicken, which asks us to think to when we had to determine who we truly are.…

1
Our Multiracial Jewish Community 14:27

4y ago14:27

14:27

The Torah commands us to take a census of the “whole Israelite community” – but who does the counting, and who, exactly, is counted? In this episode, which first aired in June 2019, Rabbi Rick Jacobs reflects on the Jewish community's chronic undercounting Jews of Color, as reported by a recent study. What does it mean to make equitable choices, an…

1
A Blank Letter 4:49

4y ago4:49

4:49

Is there someone in your life with whom you can share a thousand words without saying anything at all? Has there been a time, maybe in recent weeks, when all you needed was someone to just “be there” for you, or when someone needed you to just “be there” for them? This week, we hear a story from Rabbi Sari Laufer, director of congregational engagem…

1
Do You Really Care? 10:31

4y ago10:31

10:31

How much do you care about the environment? Yourself? Other people? Rabbi Rick Jacobs talks about our fundamental responsibility to care for God’s earth and attend to the neediest among us. It’s not a newfangled, 21st-century idea; it’s literally what our age-old biblical text calls for. So how do we do it? (This episode originally aired in May 201…

1
Grandma’s Challah 9:06

4y ago9:06

9:06

Food is such an important part of Jewish history and culture, and for many of us, there’s nothing quite like the food our grandparents made for us as children. This week, author and puppeteer Marilyn Price tells the story of a king who wants nothing more than to taste the challah his grandmother used to make for him, and how something as simple as …

1
What Is Blasphemy, Anyway? 13:02

4y ago13:02

13:02

In ancient times, crimes of blasphemy were punished by stoning - but what does it really mean today to blaspheme? Rabbi Rick Jacobs explains the biblical prohibition against Chilul HaShem, desecrating God's name, and talks about what we are called to do to combat it. (This episode originally aired in May 2019.)…

1
Two Frogs and a Little Encouragement 4:15

4y ago4:15

4:15

Has there ever been a moment when you wanted to give up on a goal because others said it was too hard? Has there ever been a moment when it seemed like all you could hear were cheers of encouragement to keep going? This week, we hear a story about two frogs who were in this exact same situation from Rabbi Rachel Greengrass of Temple Beth Am (Pinecr…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Union For Reform Judaism Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
Wholly Jewish

ReformJudaism.org

1
Stories We Tell

Union for Reform Judaism

1
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah

ReformJudaism.org

1
Noa: The Beauty of Taking Up Space 20:48

1
Denis: Coming Out and Showing Up 19:47

1
Dara: From Parliament to the Bimah 24:55

1
J: Breaking Down the Gates of Queer Judaism 21:45

1
Laura: Creating Peace Out of Wholeness 20:17

1
Max Antman: The Queerness and Politics of Torah 21:37

1
Caroline: Forming a Sacred Queer Community 24:31

1
Leonard: Creating Seats at the Queer Jewish Table 24:51

1
How Are We Better? 5:55

1
God's Miracle 5:20

1
The Sultan's Horns 5:46

1
Mo: Standing in the Closet Doorway 22:22

1
L’hitraot, for Now... 1:51

1
The Secret to Eliana's Fabulous Hair 3:31

1
A Crack in the Water Bucket 4:55

1
Eliana: Gender Diversity is So Jewish 21:28

1
The Antidote to Kvetching 9:22

1
The Old Torah 8:43

1
The Blessing of Blessing One Another 10:05

1
The Spoonful of Oil 4:13

1
B'ruchim Haba'im - Welcome Back to Wholly Jewish: Season 2! 2:30

1
How the Book of Ruth Connects Us All Today 22:31

1
Where the Mishnah Meets the #MeToo Movement 14:09

1
The Eagle Who Thought She was a Chicken 9:23

1
Our Multiracial Jewish Community 14:27

1
A Blank Letter 4:49

1
Do You Really Care? 10:31

1
Grandma’s Challah 9:06

1
What Is Blasphemy, Anyway? 13:02

1
Two Frogs and a Little Encouragement 4:15

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