Hamilton Farbrengs
18 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingA Farbrengen is a gathering of people, or even just two, who come together to explore, discuss and grow and to become the best version of ourselves.In our mini-Farbrengens, students Farbreng (verb) with Rabbi Didy Waks from Chabad House.Pull up a chair and join our Farbrengens!
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Episodes
Farbrengen with Luke Hayes '25
March 15, 2023 20:00 - 40 minutes - 27.6 MBLuke Hayes, member of Hamilton College's class of 2025 talks with Rabbi Didy Waks about being Jewish at Hamilton. Questions discussed: Why has Luke attended more Shabbat dinners in one month at Hamilton than he did all of high school? Why does a one-day-a-year Jew become a member of the ChaBoard? Why is Luke is avid cyclist? Why are the pros and cons of people taking the growth of the Jewish community at Hamilton College for granted? And more! Chabad at Hamilton is a student-led group, stud...
Episode 16 | Andrew Projansky
February 21, 2020 05:00 - 34 minutes - 23.6 MBListen to Andrew talk about his inability to rest, and about his goals to do better at it. And, about the time he got stopped in New York by a Chabad couple.
Episode 15 | Daniel Gliedman
February 11, 2020 18:00 - 37 minutes - 25.5 MBIn this week's episode, Daniel Gliedman '20, talks about joining Chabad during the first weeks of his freshman semester, and then going on to lead and build the group into the big community it is today. He calls Chabad a taste of home, and that the warmth of Jewish community is what attracts him most. He also spoke about the challenges in running the Chabad and how some of the push back he received only made his resolve stronger.
Episode 14 | Jacob Rhee
February 03, 2020 22:00 - 27 minutes - 18.6 MBJacob Rhee '23, a native of the Twin Cities, talks about ice fishing, lacrosse and wanting to make money. And Jewish life, of course :-)
Episode 13 | Miryam Gilfix
December 18, 2019 04:00 - 32 minutes - 22.3 MBMiryam talks about growing up in a Reform and Chabad house at the same time, and what she sees as the pros and cons of such an upbringing are. Listen for a fascinating story!
Episode 12 | Erin Schwartz
November 27, 2019 00:00 - 33 minutes - 23 MBIn this episode Erin Schwartz '20 talks about growing up in a very Jewish place (right outside of Cleveland) and why her commitment to her Jewish identity is so strong. She shares some interesting stories and perspectives. Pull over a chair and listen to the conversation.
Episode 11 | Olivia Wenzel
November 19, 2019 16:00 - 34 minutes - 23.5 MBIn this week's episode, you'll hear what it was like growing up in a suburb of Boston and facing blatant antisemitism in the classroom. Olivia Wenzel '21 shares her story and feelings about Jewish life and why she got more active in Jewish life at Hamilton than any previous time in her life.
Episode 10 | Jon Jobling
November 10, 2019 02:00 - 34 minutes - 23.5 MBJon Jobling, Hamilton College class of 2020, talks about growing up as a Reform Jew in Pittsford, NY; and why he got so involved in Chabad in his second semester at Hamilton. His mom is Jewish, dad is not, but he still says he wants to marry Jewish and raise a Jewish family. Why? Listen and learn!
Episode 9 | Ruthie Schmidt
November 04, 2019 14:00 - 35 minutes - 24.2 MBRabbi Didy and Ruthie Schmidt, Hamilton College class of 2020, discuss all things Jewish. Thanks to Ruthie's Jewish day school background in Philadelphia, PA, they discuss some of the questions she's had since childhood, like, how could G-d "harden Pharaoh's heart" and then punish him for sinning? Also discussed is how important community is to Ruthie and why she got involved as a student leader while in college.
Episode 8 | Jarrod Gerstein
October 28, 2019 18:00 - 29 minutes - 20.2 MBJarrod Gerstein '20 shares thoughts on why he came to Chabad for the first time and why he stayed active his whole time at Hamilton even though he grew up with little religious practice. He also tells how Chabad has brought more spirituality into his life, how Sinai Scholars helped shape his Jewish identity and why he thinks his best friends are Jewish. Lastly, he tells the awesome story of how he found a cousin who attends Hamilton through Chabad's community.
Episode 7 | Jason Lever
October 11, 2019 14:00 - 36 minutes - 24.8 MBJason Lever '23 talks about why other students should try out Chabad and how his preconceived notions were proven false when he "felt at home" at Chabad's community. He also shares his experience as a youth leader in BBYO (Bnai Brith Youth Organization). To conclude, Jason tells the riveting story of his grandfather's survival during the Holocaust.
Bonus Track | Special Guest: Mendel Waks
October 06, 2019 17:00 - 12 minutes - 8.81 MBAhead of Yom Kippur, Mendel Waks, oldest of the young Chabad representatives to Clinton, NY, reflects on moving from Palm Beach, FL, to a small college town, and opening up his home to Hamilton College students on a regular basis. He also shares his most ambitious goal he hopes to fulfill before his Bar Mitzvah.
Episode 6 | Eva Rosenberg
October 02, 2019 14:00 - 32 minutes - 22.6 MBEva Rosenberg '22 and Rabbi Didy have a lively discussion about Judaism and whether or not old traditions should simply be replaced by new ideas. We didn't get to cover all the ideas due to time constraints, but it's a great start to the conversation! Eva's appreciation for Jewish identity and community is really interesting and compelling to listen to her articulate.
Episode 5 | Ethan Dunn
September 23, 2019 22:00 - 35 minutes - 24.3 MBEthan shares his unique story of being raised in an Orthodox home, even though his biological dad isn't Jewish. He shares the things he likes most about Judaism and how he thinks people can be too sensitive about Jewish humor (and all humor). Another great conversation!
Episode 4 | Nicole Eisenberg
September 18, 2019 20:00 - 36 minutes - 25.2 MBHear a fascinating discussion with Nicole Eisenberg '21, as she shares her reflections on keeping kosher growing up, antisemitism, being publicly Jewish and other things.
Episode 3 | Duncan Freeman
September 12, 2019 15:00 - 36 minutes - 25.1 MBDuncan Freeman '22 and Rabbi Didy talked about a special exhibition that Duncan and a friend put on at Hamilton College, highlighting contemporary antisemitism. Duncan explained why he so wanted to bring this exhibition from Chabad at Vassar to his college, and how seeing these images might help students to see things a little differently. The conversation then turned to how being involved in Jewish life in college can have adverse effects on one's social standing, and how Duncan deals with ...
Episode 2 | Ellie Silk
September 04, 2019 23:00 - 34 minutes - 23.4 MBEllie Silk '22 joins this week's show to discuss her evolution of Jewish identity as she traveled away from her home in Westchester, to Hamilton College. She and Rabbi Didy discuss about the importance of the Jewish community and how it differs from other religious identities.
Episode 1 | Ben Katz
August 05, 2019 14:00 - 30 minutes - 21.3 MBThis week's guest is Ben Katz, a senior at Hamilton College. Ben grew up in NYC, attended a Reform Jewish summer camp which he credits for his suffering Jewish identity. Ben shares what it means to him to be Jewish and how the community aspect is the most compelling aspect. They also ponder the role of theology in Jewish observance.