Judaism Unbound
547 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★★ - 387 ratingsListen in as Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg analyze pressing issues for 21st century American Judaism. Mixing their own analysis with interviews of leading thinkers, practitioners, and even "regular Jews," Dan and Lex look to push past the bounds of what it means to be Jewish in the 21st century.
You can support Judaism Unbound at www.JudaismUnbound.com/donate.
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Episodes
Episode 351: Transforming the World - Michael Lerner
November 04, 2022 05:30 - 40 minutes - 36.8 MBMichael Lerner -- a theologian, activist, rabbi, and psychotherapist -- joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation looking back at over 50 years of justice work, drawing on Jewish wisdom and in partnership with progressives from other spiritual traditions. To access full shownotes for this episode, click here. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here! Learn...
Episode 350: God as a Woman - Liana Finck
October 28, 2022 05:30 - 48 minutes - 44.4 MBLiana Finck, a cartoonist and author whose most recent book is entitled Let There Be Light: The Real Story of Her Creation, joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about this work -- a graphic novel that reimagines the story of Genesis, with God as a woman. To access full shownotes for this episode, click here. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here! You can also buy Jud...
Episode 349: Digital Jewish Relationships - Dan and Lex
October 21, 2022 05:30 - 48 minutes - 44.1 MBDan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg, in two recent conversations with Ron Wolfson and Rachel Gildiner, explored what it meant for Judaism to be "relational." In this follow-up episode, they map that question, of what it means for Judaism to be relational, onto digital Jewish experiences in particular. They reflect on recent Judaism Unbound developments, including Yom Kippur and Hakhel, in considering what it would like for digital gatherings to center relationships -- and not just programming. Re...
Episode 348: Jewish Gathering - Rachel Gildiner
October 14, 2022 05:30 - 55 minutes - 50.5 MBRachel Gildiner, the CEO of Gather, Inc. -- a nonprofit that is committed to reorienting how Jewish professionals and organizations define success -- joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about what it means to prioritize people, over programs, in Jewish life. To access full shownotes for this episode, click here. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking her...
Episode 347: Relational Judaism - Ron Wolfson
October 07, 2022 05:30 - 56 minutes - 52.1 MBRon Wolfson, author of Relational Judaism: Using the Power of Relationships to Transform the Jewish Community (and many other awesome books -- that's just the one most central to this conversation!), joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about the ways in which Judaism might be more powerful, if Jewish communities prioritized relationships over programs. He also offers some strategies for how we might take positive steps in that direction. To access full shownotes for this episode, click her...
Episode 346: Yom Kippur -- The Power of Regret - Daniel H. Pink
September 30, 2022 05:30 - 47 minutes - 43.3 MBDaniel H. Pink, a New York Times-bestselling author who recently wrote The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward, joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about the positive sides of regret -- and how an exploration of regret could help us reimagine the holiday of Yom Kippur. To access full shownotes for this episode, click here. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Jud...
Episode 345: When Jewish Meets Jewitch - Ketzirah Lesser
September 23, 2022 05:30 - 1 hour - 57.5 MBKetzirah Lesser is an ordained kohenet (Jewish priestess) who creates "magickal judaica, art, and ceremonies inspired by Jewish history and traditions." Her creations range from amulets and shrines, to Haggadot (guidebooks to the Passover seder), to AI art based on Yiddish folklore. If you're reading all this and thinking..."Wait, I thought amulets and shrines were considered idolatrous" or "I'm confused, why is 'magickal' spelled with a 'k'," then this episode is for you! Lesser joins Dan a...
Episode 344: Rosh Hashanah...No Big Deal - Dan and Lex
September 16, 2022 05:30 - 49 minutes - 44.9 MBDan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg are here to say that Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are solid -- as warm-up holidays. In this episode they look ahead to the festival of Sukkot, which comes after the two observances we call "The High Holidays," but historically may have been the biggest festival of them all! They ask why Sukkot, despite its initial glory, became a second-tier holiday over time -- and they consider whether, in our own time, there may be good reason to re-elevate it. To access ful...
Bonus Episode: Elul #17 - Shofar in the Streets
September 11, 2022 09:30 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MBWendie Bernstein Lash and Lex Rofeberg continue their conversation about Elul, the final month of the Jewish year -- which serves as an "on-ramp" into the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. They explore what the sports terminology of "home field advantage" has to do with Judaism, extend previous conversations about space and time, and consider the impact of blasting a Shofar in public. This “mini-episode” is the third and final episode, of three, that are being released as part ...
Episode 343: God's Bad Parenting Days - Alicia Jo Rabins
September 09, 2022 05:30 - 52 minutes - 48.3 MBAlicia Jo Rabins -- a writer, composer, performer, and Torah teacher -- joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg to talk about her new book, entitled Even God Had Bad Parenting Days. To access full shownotes for this episode, click here. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!
Episode 342: Dayenu -- That's Enough, Climate Change! - Jennie Rosenn
September 02, 2022 05:30 - 57 minutes - 52.3 MBJennie Rosenn, the founder and CEO of Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action, joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about the urgency of our collective work -- across boundaries of religious difference, and across generational divides -- to combat climate change. They explore particular roles that Jewish individuals, communities, and institutions can play in this effort, along with the imperative that they (we!) be in coalition with other communities, as we all seek to give...
Bonus Episode: Elul #16 - Jews in Space
August 28, 2022 14:30 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBWendie Bernstein Lash and Lex Rofeberg think that Elul -- the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar-year -- should be a time to think about Jews in space! No, this bonus episode is not about that clip at the end of Mel Brooks's History of the World Part I, entitled Jews in Space. It's not about outer space at all! Instead, it's about inner space, along with the physical spaces/locations that we inhabit, and how we might make them sacred. This “mini-episode” is the second of three that...
Episode 341: Where Will You Be In 7 Years? - Nigel Savage
August 26, 2022 05:30 - 51 minutes - 47.5 MBOne year ago, right before the once-every-7-year observance of Shmita began (Shmita is a year-long Jewish observance where land is given a chance to rest and debts are remitted), we spoke with Nigel Savage in a bonus episode. Savage, the founder of Hazon: The Jewish Lab for Sustainability, returns to Judaism Unbound to speak with Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg about what it might look like to transition out of one 7-year Shmita cycle, and into the next. Register for one or more of our 3-week...
Bonus Episode: Elul #15 - Elul Should be Spicy
August 21, 2022 05:30 - 15 minutes - 14.6 MBWendie Bernstein Lash and Lex Rofeberg think that Elul -- the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar-year -- should be spicy! They argue that this spiciness should apply every year, but it should be especially in play in a year like this one -- where Elul is serving as a bridge between Shmita (a year-long, once-every-7-year observance of release, renewal, and recalibration) and the six "normal" years that will follow. This “mini-episode” is the first of three that will be released as ...
Episode 340: More Jewish Heresy - Jay Michaelson
August 19, 2022 05:30 - 59 minutes - 54.8 MBJay Michaelson, a political columnist, author, and teacher in Judaism Unbound's UnYeshiva (!), joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg to discuss his most recent book, The Heresy of Jacob Frank: From Jewish Messianism to Esoteric Myth. In their conversation, Michaelson dives into the wild world that was Jacob Frank's life, connects Frank's 18th century ideas to the present-day, and professes his love for Netflix's The Sandman. Register for Michaelson's 3-week mini-course in the UnYeshiva, entitl...
Episode 339: Ed-Jew-Cation -- Learning, Not Literacy - Diane Tickton Schuster
August 12, 2022 05:30 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBDiane Tickton Schuster, the editor of a new book entitled Portraits of Adult Jewish Learning: Making Meaning at Many Tables, joins Dan and Lex to ask what "Jewish education" means, and why it doesn't serve us when think of it only (or primarily), as something that children experience. Also, Banksy makes an appearance (he says cryptically...)! To access full shownotes for this episode, click here. To sign up for one of our 3-week UnYeshiva mini-courses, beginning in September, click here! ...
Episode 338: More Chutzpah, Less Reverence - Shawn Harris
August 05, 2022 05:30 - 57 minutes - 52.2 MBShawn Harris, author of The Red Door: A Dark Fairy Tale Told In Poems, thinks that Jews would benefit from having a little less reverence for Judaism -- and a lot more chutzpah. Harris, who is also the creative mind behind Project Tzimtzum: Play, Learn, Make, joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about the Jewish present and future. They hop from, and to, a wide variety of topics, including literature, fandom, Dungeons & Dragons, and darkness. Pre-order The Red Door by clicking here! To acce...
Episode 337: Let's End "Good Jew"/"Bad Jew" - Janet Krasner Aronson
July 29, 2022 05:30 - 1 hour - 57.6 MBJanet Krasner Aronson, the Associate Director of the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies and Steinhardt Social Research Institute at Brandeis University, is one of the leading sociologists of American Judaism. She directs local Jewish-population studies in cities all around the country, and most recently led a study that looked at greater Los Angeles (to take a look at the findings of this study, head to StudyOfJewishLA.org). Krasner Aronson joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about her ...
Episode 336: Everywhere is Jewish - Dan and Lex
July 22, 2022 05:30 - 52 minutes - 48.4 MBDan and Lex have some questions: What counts as a "Jewish space?" What should be counted as a "Jewish space?" What would be different about Judaism if we sought to build more creative forms of Jewish space? What about "Jewifying" spaces that are not specifically-Jewish? What's different about Jewish spaces that are indoors versus those that are outside? In this conversation, they explore all these questions and more, as they reflect on the 3-episode mini-series -- recorded on-location at L...
Episode 335: Jewishly Rooted - Kesha Dorsey Spoor, Adam McCurdy, Sharone Oren
July 15, 2022 05:30 - 52 minutes - 47.8 MBKesha Dorsey Spoor, Adam McCurdy, and Sharone Oren are three members of the team at Coastal Roots Farm — a nonprofit community-farm in Encinitas, California, anchored in Jewish traditions. They join Dan and Lex for a conversation about how Judaism and farming are rooted (get it??) in shared values. This is the 3rd episode in a three-part mini-series, recorded on location at Leichtag Commons -- a Jewish community farm, education center, co-working space, and more, located in Encinitas, Califo...
Episode 334: Taking Jewish Risks - Jim Farley, Charlene Seidle
July 08, 2022 05:30 - 45 minutes - 41.4 MBJim Farley and Charlene Seidle are the CEO and Executive Vice-President, respectively, of the Leichtag Foundation. In this 2nd episode in a three-part mini-series, Dan and Lex speak with Farley and Seidle, on location at Leichtag Commons -- a Jewish community farm, education center, co-working space, and more, located in Encinitas, California and operated by the Leichtag Foundation. The conversation hones in on the principles that drive the Leichtag Foundation -- in both its grantmaking and ...
Episode 333: Cross-Pollination - Jenny Camhi, Jessica Kort
July 01, 2022 05:30 - 51 minutes - 46.8 MBJenny Camhi and Jessica Kort are the Chief Talent Officer and Director of Communications and Strategy, respectively, of The Leichtag Foundation. In this 1st episode in a three-part mini-series, Dan and Lex speak with Camhi and Kort, on location at Leichtag Commons -- a Jewish community farm, education center, co-working space, and more, located in Encinitas, California and operated by the Leichtag Foundation. The two guests provide a window into the programming that takes place at Leichtag C...
Episode 332: Is Judaism Mosaic or mosaic?
June 24, 2022 05:30 - 50 minutes - 46.6 MBDan and Lex have been thinking a lot about art lately. In this conversation, they reflect on recent podcast episodes exploring Jewish art from a variety of angles, revisit their notion Judaism itself might be best understood as a medium of art, and play around with what the words "mosaic" and "Mosaic" might mean for the future of Judaism (yes, you did not misread, it's the same spelling for both!). To access full shownotes for this episode, click here. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, ...
Episode 331: Safety and Unsafety at Summer Camp - Rena Yehuda Newman, Julia Hegele
June 17, 2022 05:30 - 1 hour - 58.7 MBNew Voices Magazine, a Jewish and justice-focused magazine by and for Jews ages 18-24, recently published an investigation -- written by Julia Hegele -- entitled "How Jewish Summer Camps Are Damaging LGBTQ+ Youth." The investigation, which you can read here, shines a light on the experiences of LGBTQ+ campers -- now LGBTQ+ camp alumni -- who have for decades faced exclusion, emotional conflict, pressure, and trauma at their Jewish summer camps. It includes voices from a wide range of Jewis...
Bonus Episode: The Dybbukast Season 2, Episode 8 - Adapting Exagoge
June 13, 2022 15:00 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBThis bonus episode of Judaism Unbound is presented in partnership with Theatre Dybbuk. Once a month, their podcast -- called The Dybbukast -- releases a new episode, and we are proud to feature their second season's eighth 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 still present today. Subscribe to The Dybbukast on Apple Podcast...
Episode 330: 'Russian Doll' as a Jewish Text - Allison Silverman
June 10, 2022 05:30 - 58 minutes - 133 MBAllison Silverman is an Executive Producer for the Netflix series Russian Doll. She joins Dan and Lex for a conversation that covers a ton of ground: the many and intersecting Jewish layers of the show, a behind-the-scenes look at how a series like this is created, and even whether TV shows like Russian Doll could be a potential source for new Jewish rituals and practices. If you're a Netflix subscriber, you can view Russian Doll for yourself by clicking here! To access full shownotes for ...
Episode 329: Workshopping Judaism - Kendell Pinkney
June 03, 2022 05:30 - 1 hour - 60.4 MBKendell Pinkney is a theatre-artist, creative producer, and rabbi. He serves as the Artistic Director of The Workshop, a newly launched arts and culture fellowship for professional JOCISM (Jews of Color, Indigenous Jews, Sephardi, and Mizrahi) artists. Pinkney joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation exploring big-picture questions of Jewish art, along with specific questions about The Workshop in particular. To access full shownotes for this episode, click here. If you're e...
Episode 328: Safety and Unsafety in Jewish Life - Liora Ostroff, Naomi Rose Weintraub
May 27, 2022 05:30 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBLiora Ostroff and Naomi Rose Weintraub are the curator-in-residence and artist-in-residence, respectively, for The Jewish Museum of Maryland (JMM). They explore, in conversation with Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg, a recent exhibition that they helped to install at JMM, entitled A Fence Around the Torah: Safety and Unsafety in Jewish Life. We encourage to explore the exhibition yourself, before you listen to this episode, or as you listen to it, via AFenceAroundTheTorah.com. To access fu...
Episode 327: The Myth of the 12 Tribes of Israel - Andrew Tobolowsky
May 20, 2022 05:30 - 54 minutes - 50.3 MBAndrew Tobolowsky, author of a new book entitled The Myth of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, joins Dan and Lex to talk about what the Twelve Tribes of Israel myth is, and why it matters. They explore the ways in which groups have mobilized it -- all around the world -- for a few thousand years, and how that conversation across the millennia can help us better understand how people (and communities) continually construct and reinvent their identities. To access shownotes for this episode, clic...
Episode 326: Whose Canon is it Anyway? - Marques Hollie
May 13, 2022 05:30 - 55 minutes - 50.4 MBMarques Hollie is a Philadelphia-based theatre artist, ritual leader, operatically-trained vocalist, and -- most importantly for this episode -- an ordained Maggid! What's a Maggid, you ask? That's a great question. It's so great that we devoted much of this episode to exploring it! Listen in to learn what a Maggid has been in the past, what it is today, and what it could become in the future. Marques Hollie is one of our teachers in The UnYeshiva, Judaism Unbound's digital center for Jewis...
Episode 325: Bob Dylan -- Tangled Up in Judaism - Stephen Daniel Arnoff
May 06, 2022 05:30 - 59 minutes - 54.3 MBStephen Daniel Arnoff, author of a new book entitled About Man & God & Law: The Spiritual Wisdom of Bob Dylan (and host of a similarly-titled podcast), joins Dan and Lex for a conversation that's a little bit about Bob Dylan -- but largely about his influence on others, including American Jews. Between Passover and Shavuot, Judaism Unbound is offering several different 3-week "mini-courses" that you can take through the UnYeshiva -- our digital center for Jewish learning and unlearning. Lea...
(Re-Release) Episode 243: Organizing the Grassroots - Sheila Katz, Danya Ruttenberg
May 04, 2022 05:30 - 52 minutes - 47.9 MBIn recent days, it has become clear that the future of reproductive justice in the United States is at risk. With the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned, many organizations are speaking out publicly, to ensure continued access to safe abortions around the country. Among Jewish organizations, the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) has been a leader in this regard. Two years ago, two of NCJW's leaders -- Sheila Katz and Danya Ruttenberg -- joined Dan and Lex in a conversation th...
Episode 324: Healing from Divorce, at Camp
April 29, 2022 05:30 - 50 minutes - 46 MBDeborah Newbrun, co-founder of SVARA's Queer Talmud Camp, and the beloved former-director of Camp Tawonga, is launching a new initiative, entitled Divorce and Discovery: A Jewish Healing Retreat. She joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg to discuss her vision for the first-ever Jewish retreat that will be crafted, specifically, to provide participants the chance to heal from divorce. The inaugural Divorce and Discovery retreat will take place October 27-30, 2022, and you can learn more about i...
Bonus Episode: Who Wrote Genesis, and Why? - Gil Kidron
April 27, 2022 05:30 - 41 minutes - 37.7 MBDan Libenson talks to Gil Kidron, of A Podcast of Biblical Proportions, about the podcast’s first season. They explore Gil’s ideas of who might have been responsible for writing some of Genesis's, most prominent stories -- and for putting the final edit together. In doing so, they ask what political and spiritual interests the book of Genesis might have served, before it was combined with the rest of the books into what we now know as the Torah. The second season of A Podcast of Biblical P...
Episode 323: Jewish Fractals - Natan Margalit
April 22, 2022 05:30 - 50 minutes - 44.4 MBNatan Margalit is the founder and president of an organization called Organic Torah. He joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about his new book, entitled The Pearl and the Flame: A Journey into Jewish Wisdom, Ecological Thinking, and Healing in a Fragmented World. This conversation is the latest in a recurring Judaism Unbound series, where once a month we have been exploring Shmita (the year of release) with a wide variety of different thinkers, activists, and artists. To access shownotes f...
Episode 322: Is Passover Really Two Holidays in One? - Dan and Lex
April 15, 2022 05:30 - 54 minutes - 49.6 MBDan and Lex have a PSA: Passover, in the bible, is two holidays! Not one. You've been conned! Or...ya know...Jewish history is interesting and one of the holidays in a sense "swallowed" the other over time. But also, maybe you've been CONNED. (See this article, by Michael Satlow, for a more in-depth explanation). In any event, Dan and Lex are curious what we might create, if we conceived of the holiday(s) of Passover and Chag HaMatzot ("Matzah Festival") as potentially two different things (...
Episode 321: Jewish Eating ≠ Kosher Eating - Dan and Lex
April 08, 2022 05:30 - 58 minutes - 53.6 MBDan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg schmooze in the 6th episode in an ongoing mini-series, exploring what Jewish food has been in the past, what Jewish food is today, what it could be in the future, and who decides. In this conversation, they hone in specifically on what the distinctions are between "Jewish Eating" and "Kosher Eating," and why those distinctions are important to consider. To access shownotes for this episode, click here. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep t...
Bonus Episode: Confronting Carbon Pharaohs - Arthur Waskow
April 05, 2022 11:30 - 21 minutes - 17.8 MBArthur Waskow, a visionary Jewish activist and teacher, joins Judaism Unbound for a special mid-week bonus episode. In it, Waskow reflects on two key pieces of his life's work: the creation of The Freedom Seder, over 50 years ago, and his founding of The Exodus Alliance this year. The Exodus Alliance is a multifaith campaign to heal earth & humankind from carbon pharaohs and their climate plagues, and you can learn more about it at www.exodusalliance.org. For another Judaism Unbound episod...
Episode 320: Seders in the Streets - Madeline Canfield, Nate DeGroot
April 01, 2022 05:30 - 1 hour - 57.8 MBThe Exodus Alliance is a group of multifaith organizations, faith leaders, and everyday people taking action for climate justice. On Passover, they plan to organize Passover street seders in front of Chase banks all across the country -- the world’s largest investor in fossil fuels -- to challenge the financial underpinnings of this "Carbon Pharaoh." Nate DeGroot, national organizer for The Shalom Center, and Madeline Canfield, organizing coordinator for the Jewish Youth Climate Movement, ...
Episode 319: Culinary Midrash - Jonathan Brumberg-Kraus
March 25, 2022 05:30 - 51 minutes - 45.1 MBJonathan Brumberg-Kraus, professor of religion at Wheaton College Massachusetts, is the author of Gastronomic Judaism as Culinary Midrash. He joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about what that book's title argues. In other words, how is Jewish food, and how are Jewish eating practices, "midrash" -- forms of interpretation that play with, and expand, the bounds of Jewish tradition? This episode is the 5th in an ongoing mini-series, exploring what Jewish food has been in t...
Episode 318: Kosher Prosciutto
March 18, 2022 05:30 - 45 minutes - 41.2 MBRob Nipe and Nora Rubel, the team behind Grass Fed -- Rochester, New York's vegan and kosher butcher shop -- join Dan and Lex for a conversation about what makes something count as "really" meat, and how that relates to Jewish eating. This episode is the 4th in an ongoing mini-series, exploring what Jewish food has been in the past, what Jewish food is today, what it could be in the future, and who decides. To access shownotes for this episode, click here. If you're enjoying Judaism Unboun...
Episode 317: Food is Spiritual Practice - Sara Eifler
March 11, 2022 06:30 - 56 minutes - 49.4 MBSara Eifler, Program Director for Jewish Veg, joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about the spiritual practice that is....eating! Together they look at some ancient Jewish texts, some contemporary Jewish rituals, and play around with some puns. Jewish Veg is an organization that inspires and assists Jews to embrace plant-based diets, as an expression of Jewish values. This episode is the 3rd in an ongoing mini-series, exploring what Jewish food has been in the past, what...
Episode 316: What's for Dinner this Shabbat? - Nir Levy, Annie Prusky
March 04, 2022 06:30 - 57 minutes - 51 MBNir Levy, Atlanta Field Manager for OneTable (an organization that empowers folks to find, share, and enjoy Shabbat dinners), and Annie Prusky, OneTable's Manager of Development and Research, join Dan and Lex for a conversation about one of the most beloved Jewish rituals: Shabbat dinner. You can learn more about OneTable, and sign up to either host or attend a Shabbat dinner near you, at OneTable.org. This episode is the 2nd in an ongoing mini-series, exploring what Jewish food has been in...
Episode 315: Torah *Portions* -- Eating Biblically - Elaine Goodfriend
February 25, 2022 06:30 - 46 minutes - 42.9 MBElaine Goodfriend, a lecturer at California State University, Northridge, joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about one of her specialties -- food in the Hebrew Bible. This episode is the 1st in an ongoing mini-series, exploring what Jewish food has been in the past, what Jewish food is today, what it could be in the future, and who decides. To access shownotes for this episode, click here. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-t...
Episode 314: Leonard Cohen, and Other Rabbis - Harry Freedman
February 18, 2022 06:30 - 51 minutes - 45.8 MBHarry Freedman, author of Leonard Cohen: The Mystical Roots of Genius, The Murderous History of Bible Translations, and a variety of other books with equally-sensational titles, joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation that explores Leonard Cohen's contributions to Judaism -- and potentially to Judaisms of the future. They also connect Cohen's musical creations to other Jewish figures, including Louis Jacobs and Miriam Anzovin (if you're thinking "is she the one from Tiktok" --...
Episode 313: Learning, Unlearning, and...Onion Learning - Tova Birnbaum, Keshira haLev Fife
February 11, 2022 06:30 - 1 hour - 58.3 MBThe UnYeshiva -- Judaism Unbound's digital center for Jewish learning and unlearning -- is launching its spring 2022 semester! In this episode, you get to sit in on the very first "Faculty Meeting" (we promise, it's not as boring as most meetings), and hear about the four courses that will be offered this semester. You can also hear about the grander vision of the UnYeshiva, from all four of its current teachers -- Dan and Lex (co-hosts of this podcast), along with Tova Birnbaum and Keshira ...
Bonus Episode: The Dybbukast Season 2, Episode 4 - The St. Thomas Split
February 10, 2022 06:30 - 35 minutes - 32.5 MBThis bonus episode of Judaism Unbound is presented in partnership with Theatre Dybbuk. Once a month, their podcast -- called The Dybbukast -- releases a new episode, and we are proud to feature their second season's fourth episode as a bonus episode here on Judaism Unbound's channel. In each episode, they bring poems, plays, and other creative texts from throughout history to life, all while revealing their relationships to issues still present today. Subscribe to The Dybbukast in Apple Podc...
Episode 312: Jewish Debt Relief - Lisa Grafstein
February 04, 2022 06:30 - 48 minutes - 41.9 MBLisa Grafstein, creator of the Shmita Debt Release Campaign -- through the organization RIP Medical Debt -- joins Dan and Lex to talk about debt relief, its centrality to the Biblical Shmita year (year of release), disability justice, and how all of those topics tie to her campaign for public office in North Carolina. The Shmita Debt Release Campaign has already raised over 5,300 dollars this year, which will help to forgive 530,000 dollars (!!!!!!) of medical debt. Contribute toward this c...
Episode 311: Shmita Hives - Asher Edes, Alexander Grace Vickery
January 28, 2022 06:30 - 46 minutes - 40.4 MBAsher Edes and Alexander Grace Vickery, co-founders of Shmita Hives, join Dan and Lex for a conversation about their initiative to bring groups of people (hives) together, to build their collective relationship to Shmita -- the year of release. Shmita is a year-long observance, marked every seven years and initially derived from the Torah, during which land is given the chance to rest, and debts are remitted. If you are interested in starting up your own Shmita Hive, it's not too late! Just...
Episode 310: Judaism Unbound, Director's Cut - Dan and Lex
January 21, 2022 06:30 - 52 minutes - 48.2 MBDan and Lex have spoken lately, on Judaism Unbound, with the hosts of a bunch of other podcasts -- podcasts that are not Judaism Unbound. They've asked about the structure of those podcasts, the vision behind them, and the goals they seek to achieve. But what haven't they done? Actually said how they, themselves, would answer those questions for Judaism Unbound. Today, they do just that, and offer a look behind the proverbial curtain of Judaism Unbound. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, p...