Best Rabbi Ilan Podcasts (2024)

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Episode 61: Turning Sorrows into Songs (with Rabbi Ilan Glazer) 1:04:26

28d ago1:04:26

1:04:26

This week, we are honored to bring your our interview with Eliana and Rabbi Ilan Glazer. Rabbi Ilan is the founder of Our Jewish Recovery, author of the award-winning And God Created Recovery: Jewish Wisdom to Help You Break Free From Your Addiction, Heal Your Wounds, and Unleash Your Inner Freedom, and a Shatterproof Ambassador and Family Program …

1
Episode 6: So.Informed - The account with 3.1 million followers and why it supports Palestine | UNAPOLOGETIC 52:03

1h ago52:03

52:03

“It became almost part of American values, post 9/11, to demonise the Middle East.” Jess Natale created the Instagram account So.Informed in 2020 so that she could keep her colleagues who were campaigning for Bernie Sanders up to date with information and facts that were well sourced. Once Bernie dropped out, the account became a reference that sou…

1
Episode 5: The story of the orthodox Jews that oppose Israel | Rabbi Elhanan Beck | UNAPOLOGETIC 1:37:49

5d ago1:37:49

1:37:49

Rabbi Elhanan Beck has lived outside of Israel since he was three years old, this is despite the fact that his family lineage in what he calls “Palestine” goes back seven generations. Beck stands with what he says are the vast majority of Orthodox Jews who strongly oppose Israel. Their reason: The Jewish religious principle that Jews need to live i…

1
Episode 62: SPARK - Pesach 1:02:14

8d ago1:02:14

1:02:14

Welcome to our spring SPARK! A more free-wheeling, connective conversation between our hosts that we hope sparks something new in you. In this SPARK, Eliana and Ellen explore our journey on the way to enoughness, binding our wounds, & the furry shapes prophets sometimes inhabit. Plus, we listen to some of our favorite songs for the season! Check ou…

1
Episode 4: Youmna El Sayed’s harrowing journalistic account of what is unfolding in Gaza | UNAPOLOGETIC 2:45:42

16d ago2:45:42

2:45:42

This is Al Jazeera’s Youmna El Sayed’s harrowing, nearly three hour account of all that she witnessed while covering Gaza. Youmna El Sayed has reported from Gaza for more than a decade. She was in Gaza on 7 October when Hamas attacked Israel and then remained in Gaza covering Israel's assault on the strip. In this in-depth conversation over nearly …

1
Episode 3: Mustafa Barghouti - how his life changed in 1967, how he was short in the arm and the "terrible racism" he has faced in the media about Gaza | UNAPOLOGETIC 1:27:29

1M ago1:27:29

1:27:29

Over the course of a lengthy discussion, Mustafa Barghouti recollects his life from growing up as a child in Ramallah, which was then controlled by Jordan, to the present Israeli assault on Gaza. Topics covered include how the 1967 War and subsequent Israeli occupation changed his life and propelled him to become a medical doctor and into political…

1
Episode 2: Ilan Pappe - how he became an Israeli dissident and on why Zionism will fail soon | UNAPOLOGETIC 49:42

1M ago49:42

49:42

“I saw evidence that really challenged everything that I knew” Ilan Pappe shares how he came across historical documents back in 1978 that debunked Zionist myths and set him off on his journey to becoming an Israeli dissident, why what is going on in Gaza is a ‘genocide’ that is much worse than the Nakba of 1948, and why he thinks Zionism is near i…

1
Episode 60: Open-Source Judaism (with Aharon Varady) 1:12:06

2M ago1:12:06

1:12:06

This week, we are delighted to bring you our interview with Eliana and Aharon Varady. Aharon is the founding director and primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project. We explore the alchemy of a minyan, taking responsibility for your prayer, and how to make a container to cross-pollinate our own liturgical wisdom with other people. Check out this we…

1
Episode 1: Munther Isaac: Palestinian pastor speaks about his life, Gaza, Christian Zionism, Palestinian Christians, and the future | UNAPOLOGETIC 1:39:20

2M ago1:39:20

1:39:20

‘I mean from October we were saying this is ethnic cleansing and these are war crimes… If you follow the statements from Israeli leaders and the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza…. It was clear what they doing…they were eliminating Gaza, making sure that life in Gaza would never be back [to] the same way it was.’ In an extended interview, Reverend Dr …

1
Episode 59: Praying with One Kahal (with Batya Levine) 57:05

2M ago57:05

57:05

This week, we are ecstatic to bring you our interview with Eliana and Batya Levine. Batya (they/them) is a communal song leader, musician, shaliach tzibur (Jewish prayer leader), cultural organizer, and co-founder and the Director of Programs at Let My People Sing! We explore adversarial relationships with t’fillah, modeling pouring-out-your-heart …

1
Episode 58: Shabbat at Home - Kiddush 1:13:12

3M ago1:13:12

1:13:12

This week, in our Shabbat at Home series, Eliana and Ellen explore the Kiddush. Topics include the opening the Shabbat space/time portal, toasting time, and how to exercise our awe and wonder muscles. Plus, we listen to our favorite interpretations of the Kiddush! Check out this week’s show notes and transcript @ lightlab.co/episode-58-kiddush Foll…

1
Episode 57: Nerding out on T’fillah (with Rabbi Josh Cahan) 53:49

3M ago53:49

53:49

This week, we are proud to bring you our interview with Eliana and Rabbi Josh Cahan. A t’fillah (prayer) educator in NYC, Josh compiled and edited the Yedid Nefesh bencher and is introducing the new Yedid Nefesh Haggadah this Spring. We explore the origin story of a t’fillah nerd, praying at sleepaway camp, and the challenges and opportunities of t…

1
Episode 53: Shabbat at Home - Shalom Aleichem 55:18

4M ago55:18

55:18

This week, in our second episode of our Shabbat at Home series, Eliana, Ellen, & Josh explore the liturgy of Shalom Aleichem. Topics include angels of good and evil at the table, different melodies used for the text, and what this poem sparks in us. Plus, we listen to our favorite versions of Shalom Aleichem! What is your favorite Friday night Shab…

1
Episode 56: Shabbat at Home - the Family Blessing 1:11:29

4M ago1:11:29

1:11:29

This week, in our third episode of our Shabbat at Home series, Eliana and Ellen explore the family blessings. Topics include the origin of this tradition, the Human-G?d-Compassion triumvirate of blessings, why should we want our kids to be like ephraim and Menashe, and how to choose your spouse anew each week. Plus, we listen to our favorite family…

1
Episode 55: The Origins of Liturgy (with Ruth Langer Ph.D) 1:10:23

4M ago1:10:23

1:10:23

This week, we are proud to bring you our interview with Eliana and Rabbi Doctor Professor Ruth Langer. Professor Langer is a liturgy scholar and director of graduate studies at Boston College's Theology Department. We explore how liturgical change gets squashed, how the Talmud set the course for future liturgical halacha, and how prayers emerged th…

1
Episode 54: SPARK - Hanukkah Edition 59:57

5M ago59:57

59:57

Welcome to our second SPARK! A more free-wheeling, connective conversation between our hosts that we hope sparks something new in you. In this SPARK, Eliana, Ellen & Josh explore Hanukkah gematria, rituals that light up our lives, and spiritually exercises for the heart muscle. Plus, we listen to some of our favorite songs for the season! Are there…

1
Episode 52: Shabbat at Home - the Candles 54:40

6M ago54:40

54:40

This week, in our first episode of our Shabbat at Home series, Eliana, Ellen, & Josh explore lighting the Shabbat candles. Topics include why we light, different melodies used for the blessing, and what this blessing sparks in us. Plus, we listen to our favorite songs about lighting Shabbat candles! When does it start to feel like Shabbat for you? …

1
Episode 51: Under the Torah and Dreaming (with Rabbi Jill Hammer) 53:15

7M ago53:15

53:15

This week, we are privileged to bring you our interview with Eliana and Rabbi Kohenet Jill Hammer, PhD. Hammer is an author, teacher, midrashist, mystic, poet, essayist, and priestess. We explore where to look for g?d, how to call on g?d, and the venn diagram of poetry and liturgy. Plus, we dive into Hammer’s new book, Undertorah! How can dreams im…

1
Episode 50: ORAH HI - Behind the Music 1:02:34

7M ago1:02:34

1:02:34

This week, Eliana, Ellen, & Josh go behind the music with Eliana’s new album: ORAH HI. Topics include how to make an album with friends, making Hebrew songs accessible, and accessing vulnerability through song. Plus, we learn about the magic behind these sweet new tracks! Is it more important to correctly conjugate g?d language or let the prayer fl…

1
Episode 49: SPARK - High Holidays 1:03:34

7M ago1:03:34

1:03:34

Welcome to our first SPARK! A more free-wheeling, connective conversation between our hosts that we hope sparks something new in you. In this SPARK, Eliana, Ellen & Josh explore re-returning, joyful prayer at Yom Kippur, and the courage to bring g?dly acts into the world. Plus, we listen to some of our favorite songs for the season! What is the sti…

1
Episode 48: Elohai N’tzor - End of the Amidah Journey 53:15

8M ago53:15

53:15

This week, Eliana, Ellen, & Josh explore the end of the Amidah journey. Topics include the Amidah as a personal AND communal experience, symbolism in the shape words take in our mouths, and license to create our own prayers. Plus, Josh and Coleen Dieker perform Elohai N'tzor live! Do written prayers inhibit your extemporaneous prayer experience? Ch…

1
Episode 47: Shock-arit (with Billy Jonas) 1:19:34

9M ago1:19:34

1:19:34

This week, we are elated to bring you our interview with Billy Jonas. For over thirty years, Billy Jonas - performer, singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, educator, and playful pray-er extraordinaire - has perfected the art of the neo-tribal hootenanny with audiences around the globe. Using voice, guitar, and industrial re-percussion…

1
Episode 46: Comfort and Courage (with Rabbi Sarit Horwitz) 1:04:48

9M ago1:04:48

1:04:48

This week, we are elated to bring you our interview with Rabbi Sarit Horwitz. Rabbi Sarit serves as clergy at Beth Shalom Synagogue in Memphis, TN. We explore creating opportunities for deep experiences in our communities, vulnerability in being a leader and pray-er, and that T’fillah is not meant to be a spectator sport. Did you learn your prayers…

1
Episode 45: Shalom Rav (with Cantor Jeff Klepper) 1:05:41

11M ago1:05:41

1:05:41

This week, Eliana, Ellen, & Josh explore the afternoon and evening peace prayer, Shalom Rav, with our very special guest, Cantor Jeff Klepper! Topics include Burt’s bees, the 1960s, and Jeff’s Jewish journey. Plus we get to listen in to the composing of the classic melody for Shalom Rav. What a treat! Where are you feeling abundance in your life? C…

1
Episode 44: g?d is Here (with Rabbi Toba Spitzer) 59:54

11M ago59:54

59:54

This week we’re grateful to bring you Ellen and Eliana’s conversation with Rabbi Toba Spitzer, author of the book “God is Here: Reimagining the Divine.” Rabbi Spitzer takes us on a journey that includes Jewish liberation theology, playing dead (as in the grateful dead), liturgical gymnastics, and the three kinds of metaphors. Rabbi Spitzer’s work h…

1
Episode 43: Sim Shalom (with Rabbi Noah Diamondstein) 1:02:55

12M ago1:02:55

1:02:55

This week, Eliana & Ellen are joined by very special guest Rabbi Noah Diamondstein to explore Sim Shalom! We talk about “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once,” Paul Simon, the Force, and what “Shalom” is anyway. Plus, Noah shares the story behind his own beautiful melody for Sim Shalom and plays it for us live. What a treat! How is your “Shalom” tod…

1
Episode 42: What’s Next? (Amidah- V’al Kulam and Threefold Blessing) 52:02

1y ago52:02

52:02

This week, Ellen, Eliana, and Josh explore “v’al kulam” and the threefold blessing, bridging the gratitude and peace sections of the weekday Amidah. Topics include Glinda the good witch, gematria, Siddur differences (it’s a full bingo board!), g?d’s face, and the ancient art of duchenning. What is your blessing? Check out this week’s show notes @ l…

1
Episode 41: Joyous Justice (with April N. Baskin) 1:12:20

1y ago1:12:20

1:12:20

This week, we are honored to bring you our interview with organizer, coach, and leader April N. Baskin. April is the founder and CEO of Joyous Justice, a “multiracial community-powered social justice and spiritual transformation organization that seeds and leads systemic change and healing.” We explore the intersection of justice work and spiritual…

1
Episode 5: Thanks-Giving (Modim) Re-run 46:04

1y ago46:04

46:04

This week we’re re-airing episode 5 so “Modim Anachnu Lach” can take its rightful place in our Amidah journey! Josh, Ellen, and Eliana nerd out on Jewish-people-monikers, intertext, and gematria (numerology,) plus share our favorite melodies and Thanksgiving traditions. What a great excuse for gratitude! Check out this week’s show notes on our new …

1
Episode 40: Co-Shepherding (live at Temple Isaiah Lexington with Cantor Lisa Doob and Rabbi Darryl Crystal) 52:19

1y ago52:19

52:19

It’s our first in person live episode! Join us at Temple Isaiah in Lexington MA as Eliana interviews Cantor Lisa Doob and Rabbi Daryl Crystal. We explore their respective spiritual journeys, what prayer means to them now, and their unique roles; Cantor Doob has been at Temple Isaiah many years, while Rabbi Crystal has served 17 congregations in 19 …

1
Episode 39: Pleas and Please (Amidah middle blessing 13 & R’tzei) 1:00:33

1y ago1:00:33

1:00:33

This week, Eliana, Ellen, and Josh explore the last of the petitionary prayers of the Amidah and the transitional section, “r’tzei.” Topics include our favorite sounds, g?d (not) as vending machine, sacrifice and service, and the present (and presence) of present tense. Plus we share some favorite melodies! What does it mean to hear our prayers? Ch…

1
Episode 38: Words from my Heart (with Evelyn Goldfinger) 44:50

1+ y ago44:50

44:50

We’re so honored this week to be joined by educator extraordinaire Evelyn Goldfinger! Evelyn is a spiritual leader, performer, storyteller, and author, most recently of “Words from my Heart,” a hands-on prayer book for kids. In addition to sharing insights into her incredible new book, Ms. Eve also delivers her t’fillah journey in four acts, explor…

1
Episode 37: [Re]Build (Amidah Middle Blessings 11&12) 51:39

1+ y ago51:39

51:39

Our Amidah journey continues! This week Ellen, Eliana, and Josh explore and wrestle with blessings on rebuilding Jerusalem and salvation through messiah. There is so much variation amongst prayer books on these two! Topics covered include infrastructure bills, snowy white donkeys, Karens, horns, and classic Jewish jokes. How can we help a better wo…

1
Episode 36: The Poetry of Prayer (with Rabbi Reuven Kimelman) 1:01:04

1+ y ago1:01:04

1:01:04

We are thrilled to bring you this interview with renowned liturgist Rabbi Reuven Kimelman. Rabbi Kimelman is an expert in the themes, structure, and poetics of the Jewish prayerbook, and shares enough wisdom to blow Eliana’s mind multiple times. Topics include t’fillah as an aural experience, the multi-mystical levels of Lecha Dodi, the power and p…

1
Episode 35: Holy Glue (Amidah Middle Blessings 9&10) 54:47

1+ y ago54:47

54:47

Your three regular podcast hosts are back as we continue our deep dive into the Amidah with a blessing that is more like a malediction than a benediction, “against enemies,” and its flipside, “for the righteous.” We do some ancestor empathy work and wrestle with language. Other topics include: theological coattail riding, the Talmudic power couple …

1
Episode 34: Song and the Human Story (with Marni Loffman) 1:14:23

1+ y ago1:14:23

1:14:23

We are thrilled to share this interview with educator, songstress, and space-holder extraordinaire Marni Loffman. Marni connects to thousands over social media with their soulful voice and warm presence, both of which they bring to our conversation (stay through the end for a spiritual song practice!) Through sharing their journey with prayer, litu…

1
First Year-Iversary Check-in Minisode! 25:17

1+ y ago25:17

25:17

It's our first year-iversary! Aka one whole year of the Light Lab Podcast. In this ever so special minisode, Ellen, Eliana, and Josh check-in, share favorite moments, and look towards what's next. There's a baby, there's water aerobics, there's Cheshvan appreciation, and there's a whole lot of love. Thank you for being on this journey with us. Here…

1
Episode 33: From Narrowness to Freedom (with Rabbi Minna Bromberg, PhD) 54:00

1+ y ago54:00

54:00

Today we’re so honored to share our interview with Rabbi Minna Bromberg, PhD. Rabbi Bromberg is the founder and president of Fat Torah, an initiative dedicated to ending weight stigma in the Jewish community and raising up body liberation through a Jewish lens. Fat Torah is also a community with a presence on facebook for Jewish fat folks and allie…

1
Episode 32: Sharing Jewish Joy (with Tony J. Westbrook, Jr.) 49:12

1+ y ago49:12

49:12

Today we’re excited to share our interview with Jewish educator and social media influencer extraordinaire, Tony J. Westbrook, Jr. You might know him better as @frumjewishblackboy if you’re one of his 39k+ followers on TikTok or Instagram (and if you aren’t yet, we highly recommend it!) Tony talks about the questions that led him on his Jewish jour…

1
Episode 31: Achat Sha'alti (with Chava Mirel) 52:18

1+ y ago52:18

52:18

From the start of the month of Elul through the fall holidays, it is customary to say Psalm 27. This “psalm for the days of awe” is full of evocative imagery, poetry, and a seemingly unshakable protagonist. But in this week’s episode, we are diving deep into just one line- verse 4, also known as “Achat Sha’alti.” What is this “one thing I ask?” Why…

1
Episode 30: Not a “T’fillah Person” (with Maharat Rori Picker Neiss and Rabbi Shai Held-live at Ramah Darom) 1:15:38

1+ y ago1:15:38

1:15:38

This week we’re excited to share a double-interview recorded live at the Ramah Darom Pesach retreat this past spring. Maharat Rori Picker Neiss is the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis and an inspiring activist and advocate. Rabbi Shai Held is president and dean of the Hadar Institute and a foremost theologia…

1
Episode 29: The Torah is Your Business (Live at NewCAJE) 54:54

1+ y ago54:54

54:54

This week, Eliana and Ellen are live from the NewCAJE Jewish education conference! Together we dive deep into, appropriately, the blessing for studying Torah. Whether it’s the Torah of the James Webb Space Telescope or the Torah of grammar nerdery, small-t torah or big-T Torah, a knot in a string of pearls or a sparkly letter “aleph,” it is sweet a…

1
Episode 28: Excavating the Secrets (with Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz) 47:34

1+ y ago47:34

47:34

We are thrilled to be joined this week by Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz, Director of Music and T’fillah at the Hadar Institute. Deborah is an acclaimed teacher, leader, and composer of prayer, and has collaborated on over two dozen albums of original Jewish music. Her beautiful debut album “The Narrow and the Expanse” was released in 2020. In our inter…

1
Episode 27: Finding Our Way Home (Amidah Middle Blessings 7&8) 49:11

2y ago49:11

49:11

This week continues our journey through the weekday Amidah with the middle blessings on “in-gathering” and “justice.” It’s a full bingo board- multiple translations, scrambling to find intertext, mentions of Shai Held and musical theater, and of course, exploring what these blessings might mean for each of us. What is home to you? Be sure to check …

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Episode 26: Diary of the Jewish People (with Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, PhD) 1:05:30

2y ago1:05:30

1:05:30

We are so honored to share this conversation between Eliana, Ellen, and Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, PhD. Rabbi Hoffman, (or “Larry” as good friends like Ellen call him) is one of the foremost liturgists and t’fillah teachers of our day. He has written and edited dozens of books on the subject, including the series “My People’s Prayerbook” which we r…

1
Episode 25: Tree Time (Amidah Middle Blessing 6) (with Hazzan Jessi Roemer) 1:06:09

2y ago1:06:09

1:06:09

It’s time to talk about time. And trees! We’re back in the flow of the weekday Amidah, exploring the sixth of the middle petitionary blessings. We get into the connection between time and land, being “farmer-adjacent,” giving the earth a voice, and the shmita year of land-rest. Plus, an interview with Hazzan Jessi Roemer about t’fillah, shmita, and…

1
Episode 24: Chronic Congregation (with Rabbi Emily Aronson) 46:57

2y ago46:57

46:57

How can we make our spiritual communities accessible both spatially and theologically? This is the question that animates Rabbi Emily Aronson, founder of Chronic Congregation. In our interview, Rabbi Aronson gives us so much to think about, including: disability theology, the power of the prayer for healing, and building a better sanctuary. Plus, s…

1
Episode 23: An Exercise in Sensitization (Amidah- Middle Blessings 4&5) 56:24

2y ago56:24

56:24

This week, we’re back in the flow of the Amidah exploring the 4th and 5th middle weekday blessings. We talk timeless personal Passover stories, S&H green stamps, healing vs cure, and being in the body. There's also lots of inter-text, lots of liturgical variation, and lots of questions to be had. Support us on ko-fi! Membership tiers are now live. …

1
In Loving Memory of Rabbi Steve Sager 1:42:46

2y ago1:42:46

1:42:46

To honor the life of Rabbi Steve Sager, in the light of his passing on May 15th, we are re-sharing Eliana’s interviews with him, conducted in fall 2021. Rabbi Sager was an extraordinary teacher, seeker, and human being. His presence is deeply missed, and his light lives on in all who knew him. Yehi Zichro Baruch- May his memory be a blessing Obitua…

1
Episode 22: Freeze-Dried Experience (with Rabbi Sid Schwarz) 48:09

2y ago48:09

48:09

Rabbi Sid Schwarz has started impactful organizations, written insightful books, and led many groups of Jews to greater meaning and personal engagement with Judaism. We are so grateful to share this interview full of gems, from Rabbi Sid’s social justice work, to his “davenning out of the box” experience, to what he sees for the Jewish future, all …

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