Radio Chavura

Allies In Isolation: Israel's Unique Friendship with the Federated States of Micronesia

This week on Radio Chavura, we feature an exclusive interview with His Excellency Asterio Takesy, Micronesia’s Ambassador to the United States and Israel. Micronesia, an international exporter of fish, bananas, and black peppers, is not known for much in the western world except as the periodic answer to an obscure question on Jeopardy. Yet when Israel is under fire at the United Nations – and when isn’t Israel under fire at the UN? – the Federated States of Micronesia has proven to be one...

Preparing for the High Holidays 5775: "A Time to Refocus"

Rabbi Daniel Rapp, whose permanent home is in New York, might be dubbed the "Commuter Rabbi," because he regularly shuttles between Manhattan and Denver in order to serve and enrich our community in his capacity as the Interim Rabbi at East Denver Orthodox Synagogue. Rabbi Rapp and his family were in Denver for much of this past summer and will return again soon so that he can help lead Yom Kippur services at EDOS. Rabbi Rapp is a recognized Torah scholar and a Dayan (judge) at the Beth Di...

Preparing for the High Holidays - Rabbi Evette Lutman, B'nai Havurah

Beginning this week exclusively on Radio Chavura, we launch our annual series on preparing for the High Holidays. This year we are proud to feature another prominent group of Colorado spiritual leaders, starting with Rabbi Evette Lutman, the spiritual leader of B’nai Havurah, the Denver Reconstructionist Congregation that serves more than 240 households. B’nai Havurah is an egalitarian and participatory community, open to multiple perspectives and forms of religious expression. Rabbi Lutm...

Jewish Family Service of Colorado Showcases the Best of the Jewish People

This week on Radio Chavura, we speak with Yana Vishnitsky, president and CEO of Jewish Family Service of Colorado, about the important role that JFS plays in our community. As an immigrant, Yana, herself, has a special connection to JFS, which she explains during our interview. Begun in 1872 as the Hebrew Ladies' Benevolent Society, today JFS of Colorado directly serves 23,000 Coloradans annually – both Jews and non-Jews. Working with the elderly (in-home meals and cleaning); mentally end...

Jewish Values Make For Great Business Values - Safe Systems' Larry Halpern

Larry and Cindy Halpern have built their company, Safe Systems, Inc., into Colorado's largest locally owned security provider by following a Jewish-inspired philosophy of treating customers like members of the family. Safe Systems, which began in 1982, faithfully serves more than 10,000 residential and business customers in Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder, Ft. Collins, and all along the Front Range.   Larry is the featured guest this week on both Radio Chavura and on 710 KNUS AM's weekl...

Exclusive Interview with Marcie Natan - National President of Hadassah

  On this week's edition, we speak with Marcie Natan, the national president of Hadassah: The Zionist Women's Organization of America, about how the 102-year-old organization continues to attract a devoted following - despite the changing times. The answer - which is well-worth listening to - is that Hadassah has remained true to its pro-Israel and social action values, which traverse generational differences. Indeed, Hadassah is the world's flagship Zionist organization and a prime exam...

Thinking Beyond The Four Questions - A Conversation With Ari Hoffman

  Denver psychotherapist and wilderness guide Ari Hoffman believes that the four traditional questions asked during the Passover Seder are just the beginning of the questions that we should be asking ourselves. Indeed, Ari explains in this compelling discussion, the Exodus story can teach all of us something about human nature, overcoming adversity, and internal growth. But - before we can get to that point, we must ask the question: "What do I want to be free from this year?" To speak w...

Paula Burger Writes a Book About Her Holocaust Survival with the Bielski Partisans

 Paula's Window: Papa, the Bielski Partisans, and A Life Unexpected By Paula Burger (As told to Andrea Jacobs)    Purchase Paula's Window on Amazon     Paula Burger was only a child when she and her younger brother, Denver's beloved Cantor Isaac Koll, survived the Holocaust with the Bielski partisans.    Now Paula, an accomplished painter and grandmother, has written an account of her harrowing childhood experiences and the heroic efforts of her father, Wolf Koladicki (z'l), to pro...

The Jewish Ethics of Public Relations - Denver Community Kollel

Hear the unedited audio from the April 2, 2014 Torah 4 Tycoons business ethics lunch and learn series, presented by the Denver Community Kollel. The topic was, "In the Eye of the Beholders: The Ethics of Public Relations." The panel was moderated by Daniel Woodrow and featured Rabbi Mordechai Fleisher, senior lecturer, Denver Community Kollel; and Dean Rotbart, co-host of Radio Chavura and Business Unconventional (710 KNUS AM in Denver). The questions discussed included: Is it okay to pre...

Flashback: Exclusive Interview with Esther Pollard - November 2006

In November 2006, Radio Chavura co-host Dean Rotbart conducted a broadcast interview with Esther Pollard, wife of Jonathan Pollard, the former American naval intelligence analyst who pled guilty to passing classied secrets to Israel and has been in prison since 1985. Joining Dean was Dr. Donald Salem, a respected Los Angeles dentist and an expert on the Pollard case and Israel advocacy. While Pollard's action were illegal, the program highlights the inequity of his extended jail sentence a...

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Jewish Students Fondly Recall Rabbi Uriel Malka, z'l, Namesake of Denver's Beit Uriel Congregation

Top Row (l-r): Niso Aharonian, Rabbi Uriel Malka, z'l, and Eliana Azoulay Bottom Row (l-r): Liat Fischer, Josh Khalepari, and Yehuda Alter Beit Uriel is spearheading an effort to raise funds for Rabbi Malka's widow and six young children, and is asking the help of the Denver Jewish community.   For more information about Rabbi Malka and his legacy, or to donate, visit www.beituriel.org.   On this week's edition of Radio Chavura, we speak with Niso Aharonian, co-founder of Beit Uriel,...

A Conversation With Sholem Aleichem's Granddaughter - Bel Kaufman

Bel Kaufman, the 102-year-old granddaughter of famed Yiddish author Sholem Aleichem, is the guest on the January 19, 2014 edition of Radio Chavura. (L) Bel as a child with her grandfather, Sholem Aleichem;  (R) A recent photo of Bel Kaufman.   Born Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich in 1859, Sholem Aleichem is best known for writing the stories that were eventually adapted for Broadway and film as 'Fiddler on the Roof.'    Often referred to as "the Jewish Mark Twain," Aleichem was born into ...

NATIONAL EDITION: Featuring Historian Dr. Jeanne Abrams and JNF Leader Gene Kay

On this week’s edition of Radio Chavura, we feature exclusive interviews with two Denverites who will be active participants in the upcoming JNF National Conference, scheduled to be held here in Colorado from October 25th through October 28th.  Our first guest is noted historian Jeanne Abrams.  Dr. Abrams – author of the newly published book, Revolutionary Medicine: The Founding Fathers in Sickness and health – will lead an afternoon session on Sunday the 27th, during which she’ll share the...

NATIONAL EDITION: Exclusive Interview with JNF's Russell F. Robinson

Russell F. Robinson, JNF's CEO and a member of its global board of directors, is the featured guest on this inaugural national edition of Radio Chavura. Robinson divulges that at this year's national conference, JNF will formally announce an unprecedented 10-year, $1 billion fundraising campaign, that he says will be "the most innovative, most bold campaign" even untaken by a Jewish organization.   The national edition of Radio Chavura is intended to build support for the Jewish National F...

Strong Jewish Marriages and Perfect Games

Rabbi Gadi and Mrs. Eve Levy discuss their workshop, "7 Habits of Highly Effective Jewish Marriage."   The Levys, both of whom work at The Jewish Experience in Denver, developed the course to offer married couples Torah-principled marriage guidelines.   One of the 7 habits, Mrs. Levy explains, is to celebrate diversity.   There comes a point in each marriage, she notes, when every husband and wife looks at one another and wonders, “How did I ever marry you? We’re so different!” Mrs. Levy ...

Exclusive Interview with Itamar Marcus, Director, Palestinian Media Watch

The Palestinian Authority continues to hide its true intentions toward Israel from the non-Arab world, while consistently pushing a three-part anti-Israeli message to the Palestinian people, says Itamar Marcus, director of Palestinian Media Watch, and the special guest on this week's final installment of our three-part High Holidays series. "When people understand the true Palestinian ideology, they realize that the victimhood [storyline] is a mask," Marcus explains during a pre-recorded te...

Our Special 5774 High Holiday Programming: Featuring Dr. Neil W. Levin, Milken Archive of Jewish Music

______________________________   Tonight on the Radio! Dr. Neil W. Levin, a professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary and one of the world's leading experts on Jewish music, joins us for our hour-long High Holidays series kickoff.  Dr. Levin presents seven classic Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur songs from the Milken Archive of Jewish Music, where he has served as the artistic director since 1993.  These moving tunes are guaranteed to move and inspire you as we approach the New Year and ...

Season Two: 'Move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem' - U.S. Congressman Doug Lamborn

One of Israel's staunchest allies in the U.S. House of Representatives is Congressman Doug Lamborn, representing Colorado's 5th District. As the co-chair of the bipartisan Israel Allies Caucus, and co-chair of the Republican Israel Caucus, Congressman Lamborn is a consistent and strong supporter of the special strategic, economic and cultural ties that exist between the United States and Israel. In recognition of his dedication to the welfare of the people of Colorado and his unwavering su...

Boaz Meir: JNF's Mission Circa 2013 Includes Desalination and Desert Reclamation

Come October 25, 2013, the eyes of the Jewish world will be focused on Denver, as the Mile High City hosts the annual Jewish National Fund national conference.  JNF, which is also known by the initials KKL (for its Hebrew name - Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael), is one of the largest and most prominent Israeli environmental groups, tracing its origins back to the days of Theodor Herzl and the Zionist Congresses (during which time it was tasked with buying land in Israel). Today, JNF is mostly ofte...

Intermountain Jewish News (IJN) in Denver Celebrates its 100th Anniversary

Radio Chavura host Dean Rotbart, who also hosts a the weekly Business Unconventional radio newsmagazine, interviewed Rabbi Hillel Goldberg about this week's commemorative issue of the Intermountain Jewish News (IJN), which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Dean's interview with Rabbi Goldberg, who is the IJN's executive editor, was taped in August 2012 in anticipation of the paper's centennial-year festivities.  Dean is joined by David Biondo, who serves as Dean's co-host on Business Un...

Boulder's Own Adventure Rabbi and Hazon Founder Nigel Savage

On June 9th, the Radio Chavura team drove to Boulder to participate in the Boulder Jewish Festival.  This year's event, the 19th annual festival, was organized by Cheryl Fellows, who also publishes the Boulder Jewish News with her husband, David. We saw many friends from both Denver and Boulder, and had the opportunity to meet new people and learn about some wonderful regional organizations, including LoKo Denver: Local Kosher Food, the Longmont Shabbat Group, Westminster's Congregation B'...

Rivka Cohen's Inspiring Musical, Broadway unBound

Two segments on this week's edition of Radio Chavura, which is broadcast every Sunday at 6:30 pm (Mountain) on 990 KRKS AM. When Rivka Cohen was a young girl, she fell in love with musical theater. Determined that her life's direction would take her to Broadway and beyond, she pursued her passion with vigor.  As she became a more observant Jew in her adult years, Rivka faced a dilemma. Orthodox Jewish women don't sing in front of male audiences - doing so is considered a form of immodesty....

Evergreen's Rabbi Levi Brackman Helps Teens Identify Their Passions

Decades ago, cartoonist Gary Larson, creator of the popular "Far Side" comic strip, drew an image of two middle-class parents, watching their son play video games, and wishfully thinking that maybe - one day - he would find a high-paying job as a Nintendo or Mario Brothers player (because he clearly was incapable of doing anything else).  Most parents of teenage children can relate to the disconcerting fear that their children will never find a passion that will translate into a fulfilling ...

10th Anniversary Denver JCC Celebrate Family Festival and Walk for Israel

Watch the amazing video and see all 210 photos in only 3 minutes and 30 seconds On this week's edition of Radio Chavura, hosts Maxwell and Dean Rotbart reflect on last Sunday's vibrant 10th Annual Celebrate Family festival, presented by the Robert E. Loop Jewish Community Center, and the Walk for Israel, organized by the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado. Festival guests and organizers who are interviewed include: James "Jim" Barnard, Commander, Jewish War Veterans Post #344, the Capt...

Denver Jewish Students in an Amazing Race

Four of Denver's community-minded Jewish young people are guests on the first segment of this week's broadcast of Radio Chavura.  The students, each of whom attends the Denver Academy of Torah, will be participating in The 2013 Color Run to benefit Denver Yachad on Sunday, June 16th. The students, pictured below are siblings: Estee and Aaron Brooks and Heidi and Pearl Clayman.  To view a complete list of scheduled runners, click here. Radio Chavura staff photographer, Avital Rotbart, will...

An Extended Interview with Bill Korn Discussing the Jewish Community in Pioneering Leadville, Colorado

This is a bonus audio featuring an extended Radio Chavura interview with Bill Korn.  You can hear the broadcast portion of the interview (May 12, 2013) here.

The Pioneering Jewish Community of Leadville: An Interview with Bill Korn

The merchant store that became a national conglomerate. The immigrant family that emerged as among the wealthiest in America. The synagogue president who was also county commissioner (and - bizarrely - for a short time, the owner of a brothel). For a period of thirty years at the onset of the 20th century, Leadville was the economic driver of the state of Colorado and home to a thriving Jewish community. This week on Radio Chavura, Bill Korn, an expert on early Leadville Jewry who helped s...

Jewish & Widowed: A New Community Group

A new community-wide initiative, Jewish & Widowed, is the focus of our program this week on Radio Chavura. The group, offering a safe, non-threatening way to begin new friendships, will hold its first event this coming Wednesday, May 8th.  The program is open to Jewish men and women of all ages who have lost a spouse or significant other. Joining us in the 990 KRKS AM studios to discuss the creation of Jewish & Widowed, as well as its goals, are Connie Suson and Lisa Thorner. Connie, prog...

The Day the Music Died: Barry Fey (1939-2013)

By Maxwell Rotbart "And Who The $&%^ Are You?"     Those are the words of greeting that legendary rock 'n' roll concert promoter Barry Fey said to me when we first met in November 2011. Mr. Fey had come to the 710 KNUS AM studios - where we tape our weekly business news magazine, Business Unconventional - to talk about rock concerts as an industry and his newly published autobiography, Backstage Past. In addition to my weekly role as co-host of Radio Chavura (airing on KNUS's sister stati...

STUDIO J at Radio Chavura: 2013 Lag BaOmer Edition

Celebrate Lag BaOmer this year with Studio J at Radio Chavura and three of Colorado's most engaging and entertaining musical talents: Hal Aqua and the Lost Tribe Danya and Eyal Bryan Zive & Kol Echad Hosted by Denver's own multi-talented singer and songwriter, Julie Geller. Maybe it's the crisp mountain air. Maybe it's the snowmelt. Maybe it's the spiritual influence of our great Jewish day schools and educational programs.  Regardless, it is undisputed that Colorado's Jewish musical a...

Denver's Temple Emanuel: 2,000 Families, 138 Years, 1 Susie Sigman

On Sunday, April 21, we speak with Temple Emanuel’s dynamic director of membership and programming, Susie Sigman. As the go-to person at Colorado’s largest and oldest synagogue, Susie manages a congregation that is larger than some cities in our state. And she does it with professionalism and plenty of ruach (spirit)! Susie works tirelessly to ensure that members of Temple Emanuel feel at home and are part of a meaningful community. Susie tells us about Temple Emanuel’s many religious, edu...

Radio Debut: Two Talented Colorado Jewish Teens! 

This we speak with two outstanding students from the Jewish Student Connection: Georgie Seserman and Ben Weil.  Georgie (who, in addition to playing five instruments, is a talented singer and songwriter) is a senior at the Denver School of the Arts and plans on attending the Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA) next year. She aspires to a career in music education.  She uses the professional name Georgeta-Rae.  Hear Georgie perform Outstretched Wings, an original composition. Ben (who i...

A Fond Farewell to Rabbi Selwyn and Eileen Franklin - Episode #02

As he bid adieu to Colorado after six years as senior rabbi at BMH-BJ Congregation, Rabbi Selwyn Franklin stopped by the 990 KRKS AM studios to share some of his fond memories and to discuss his legacy. Rabbi and Mrs. Franklin are much beloved by both the BMH-BJ membership and the Jewish community at large. He also enjoyed warm and cooperative relations with Colorado's non-Jewish community. The Rabbi's warmth, eloquence, insights, intelligence and passion for his work won him many fans and...

The Legacy of Rabbi Manuel and Bess Laderman, z"l - Episode #01

Denver's own weekly Jewish radio magazine, Radio Chavura, discussing Rabbi Manuel and Bess Laderman, of blessed memory, with their children, Rabbi Paul Laderman and Mierle Laderman Ukeles.  Paul joins the program by phone from Jerusalem, Israel.  Mierle was interviewed from her New York office. Rabbi Manuel Laderman was the first rabbi at The Hebrew Educational Alliance and served the shul, the Jewish community and the greater Denver area for 47 years.  Bess Laderman was a patron of the art...