Bad Jew

We know Judaism really cares about rituals and commandments. But is there any focus on personal well-being? Mental health? Self-care?

In this interview with actor, Eli Sandhaus, we explore Judaism's view on mental health. Sandhaus explains that the tale of anxiety, depression, OCD, and schizophrenia is a tale as old as time... or at least the Torah. These sicknesses can be a common experience within Jewish communities. Eli also shares his personal battles with mental health and discusses its relation to Jewish culture, and why figures may choose to not seek help.

Sandhaus also discussed how his own Jewish upbringing has influenced his views on mental health. He emphasized the importance of breaking down stigmas surrounding mental health and encouraging individuals to seek help when needed, regardless of cultural or religious background. Overall, the interview highlights the need for open and honest conversations about mental health in all communities, including those with strong cultural or religious identities.

About Eli Sandhaus:

Eli Sandhaus is an Orthodox Jewish actor and host of the podcast "Conversation & Calculation". He currently attends Yeshiva University and hopes to pursue a career in neuropsychology. He is also the author of an upcoming novel. Eli hopes to represent Orthodox Jews in media and wishes to make a Kiddush HaShem.

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Many of the Jewish holidays we cherish today, like Passover, are inspired by our survival story against antisemitism. While the holidays themselves are delightful, the backstory and relevant reality of racism, violence, and intolerance toward Jews are discouraging and disheartening. Roz Rothstein faces antisemitism for a living. 

In this episode, Roz speaks with Chaz Volk to highlight the passionate work that Stand With Us carries out. From journalism to advocacy to representation and even community bridge-building, Roz's organization has spearheaded the fight against antisemitism and antizionism. The climate of this fight is far more nuanced than one would think. Tune in to learn more!

About Roz Rothstein:  

Roz is the daughter of two Holocaust survivors, and a former Family Therapist in the State of California. Roz and her husband Jerry, along with community leader Esther Renzer, sought to strengthen Israel’s image by empowering Israel’s supporters around the world with innovative educational materials, conferences, fellowships, campaigns, missions to Israel, social media, educational videos, and programs around the world. The dual mission of StandWithUs is education about Israel and the fight against antisemitism.  

StandWithUs has grown rapidly during the last 21 years and now has programs and offices on six continents, including South Africa, Brazil, Israel, Australia, Canada and all over the US. Since the inception of StandWithUs, the Forward has twice named Roz one of the 50 most influential Jews in America, and the Jerusalem Post has twice named her one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world. 

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For those who don't know, some Jews simply hate Israel. Anti-Zionists come in all shapes and sizes. Even in the Jewish context. Some Jews strongly dislike Israel, if not hate Israel, for a variety of reasons. Some jump on the bandwagon rhetoric that it's an apartheid state. Some get caught up in the long bloody history of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Some go as far as to call the Knesset fascist. 

Eyal Shay, host of the Deep Dive Podcast, takes a deep dive with Chaz Volk, to highlight the nuanced, confusing, and troublesome relationship we Jews have with modern-day Israel. Eyal and Chaz boldly attempt to capture the a well-round perspective on this one-of-a-king place from a well-balanced geo-political point of view.

DISCLAIMER:

THIS PODCAST DOES NOT SYMPATHIZE WITH ANTI-ZIONISTS NOR DOES IT PROMOTE THE IDEALS OF GROUPS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND/OR INDIVIDUALS WHO TARGET ISRAEL. THIS CONTENT WAS CREATED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES.

About Eyal Shay

Eyal Shay is a licensed tour guide in Israel who presents Israel - in all its beauty and complexity - to people from every imaginable background. He is the creator of Deep Dive Podcast, a "warm philosophy" podcast featuring people and the ideas that help them live well. In addition, Eyal is a polymath interested in just about any field of study he ever came across.

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Yeah, we've heard the melodies from prayers in shull. But does our sense of tune go beyond that? Is the melody really just there to make the prayers more interesting? Or do Jews, both religious and secular, embrace a deeper and more meaningful heritage of music?

Jonathan Maimon, producer, and director of I Hear You, jumps onto Bad Jew with Chaz Volk to shed light on the Torah's perspective on music. They learn its importance to Judaism, how modern trends in music and dance were introduced, and the importance of preserving the past's feats while rediscovering the new.

Jonathan Maimon is a film director. His first film, “Journey from Tunisia” (2017) about his grandparents and family's journey from Tunisia to Israel, was selected to play at film festivals in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and screened in London and Europe. When he’s not working on film, he’s attending music shows, building mobile apps and websites, and playing tennis.

*Donate to Jonathan Maimon's film "I Hear You"

*Enjoy exciting Kickstarter reward levels here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1556248266/i-hear-you-the-israeli-folk-music-film?ref=bqbbex&token=6793334c

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Well? Can we? After all, at first glance, one might look at the number of times Jews have been persecuted and assume that we are a weak, submissive, opportune people to conquer.

Chanan Smith, a veteran of the IDF, Krav Maga trainer, and authority in the world of security, speaks on the history of Jewish combat and how we, as a nation, learned to fight for our existence. The IDF might be our current embodiment of defense, but it certainly wasn't the first. Dating even further back than the invention of Krav Maga by Imi Lichtenfeld, it is in our heritage to be a warrior for ourselves. Chanan captures this idea in this riveting episode, illustrating to Chaz Volk, the might of the Jewish people.

About Chanan:

My passion to serve in this area started when I was eight years old returning home by bus from school in Central Jerusalem. We were at the last stop before exiting Jerusalem when I saw the bus driver jump up from his seat, leave the bus and knock a man to the ground. At first, no one realized what had happened, but we then noticed that the person held down by the driver had a knife next to him. After the security forces arrived, the driver continued our route. When I got to my stop, I looked at the driver with deep admiration, trying to find something to say, but unable to come up with a single word. He looked at me and said, "You'll see, one day you will do the same thing.” I shook his hand, and at that moment there was born in me a feeling of kinship to him, inspired by his courage and willingness to fight for what he believed in. I wanted to be like him.

Ten years later, my wish became reality; I served as a lieutenant in the Israeli Defense Forces, with expertise in the active shooter, security, protection, and self-defense fields. I served as a lieutenant where I commanded over 200 soldiers, and I never lost a soldier in combat. My extensive experience includes trainings I have provided for Secret Service agents, NFL security teams and community members alike.

Connect with Chanan Smith

https://magenprotectionsolutions.com/

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We hear about these various labels of Judaism all of the time; Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Mizrahi, Hassidic, Talmudic, Kabbalistic. The list goes on and on and on. So how many types of Jews are there?

Who better to answer that question than Rabbi Moshe Bryski of Conejo Chabad. Rabbi Bryski is a religious and community leader who shares the message that, truly, there is only one type of Jew despite the labels we get caught up in. Chaz Volk, host of Bad Jew, has personal ties and gets emotional during the episode.

Rabbi Moshe Bryski's Bio:

RABBI MOSHE BRYSKI has served as the Executive Director of Chabad of the Conejo for the past thirty nine years. Highlighting his achievements is the founding and directing of the Conejo Jewish Academy – a unique adult education institute that has served as a model for dozens of other communities throughout the world. He and his wife Matty are the spiritual leaders of Chabad of Agoura Hills and have been blessed with eight children and ten grandchildren.

Connect with Rabbi Moshe Bryski

www.ChabadConejo.com

[email protected]

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Remember that thing we do on Fridays called The Sabbath? Remember that nice little dinner at the end of the week that feels a little more warm and fuzzy than the others? That's called Shabbat. But why does it matter? What's the origins of this festive night? Is there a way to do it right? And why does every Jew have a different opinion on it?

Aliza Kline, the founder of OneTable, tells us about her journey and what it has meant for her and her family. Shabbat always played an integral role in her Jewish identity, and now she shares why. Aliza joins Chaz on Bad Jew to illustrate the exact equation to her motivation and how it has helped others connect to their inner peace.

Bio:

Aliza is a dynamic leader and social entrepreneur. She is co-founder and CEO of OneTable (onetable.org), a powerful platform for young adults to engage in Jewish life, practice and community by hosting and participating in peer-led Shabbat dinners. Since launching in 2014, OneTable more than 190,000 young adults in 600 cities across the country have participated. Powered By OneTable enables other organizations, like Hillels and congregations, to adapt their unique methodology and technology. In 2023, OneTableis poised to launch a new offering to engage empty nesters. OneTable has been featured in the New York Times, NPR, ABC and dozens of local news outlets.

Aliza also co-founded and served as executive director of Mayyim Hayyim Community Mikveh and Education Center in Boston, an international model for re-imagining ancient rituals. A trained coach and design thinking facilitator, Aliza has worked with clients throughout North America and Israel. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Connect with Aliza Kline:

Website: www.OneTable.org

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Yiscah Smith is a religious leader based in Jerusalem, Israel. After living in such a pivotal time, studying Judaism changes and personal pathways became her calling.

Yiscah jumps onto the Bad Jew podcast to remind you that you are not a bad Jew for independently discovering yourself while doing what makes sense for you Jewishly. Don't just do Jewish. BE Jewish.

BIO:

Yiscah is a spiritual activist, educator, mentor, and meditation guide, who addresses the spiritual practice of encountering the Divine spark within and beyond. She relies on Jewish spiritual teachings to inspire her students, acting as a compass, gently guiding them to their unique inner selves. As a spiritual trailblazer, Yiscah exemplifies what it means to carve one’s own path, as she has grappled with the entanglements at the intersection of her spirituality, Jewish tradition and passionate desire to live a life of truth and integrity. She encourages, empowers and ennobles others to remain faithful to their unique spiritual paths. Yiscah teaches Jewish contemplative practice and spiritual texts at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies and at Applied Jewish Spirituality. She has also founded Conscious Community Nachlaot, an organization in Jerusalem that hosts Shabbat spiritual gatherings. In addition, Yiscah works with individuals in her private spiritual mentoring practice.

Connect with Yiscah Smith:

Website: https://www.yiscahsmith.com/mentoring

Podcast: https://www.yiscahsmith.com/podcast-library

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Why is it important to be Jewish if you are Jewish? And do some just "do" Jewish? How do you add meaning and intention to your identity?

Simpsons writer, "Street Rabbi", and time traveler David Sacks joins Chaz Volk to discuss the act of being Jewish, how to do it, and what it means to add a certain level of depth to your identity.

About David Sacks

Born and raised in New York City, David Sacks attended Harvard College, graduating with a degree in Government. While there he began his comedy writing career for the school’s humor magazine, The Harvard Lampoon. Upon graduating, David moved to Los Angeles and began writing for television. Among the shows he’s worked for are “The Simpsons”, where he won an Emmy Award, and “Third Rock from the Sun” for which he won a Golden Globe Award, “Malcolm in the Middle”, “Murphy Brown”, and “Final Space” on Adult Swim. David is the co-founder and Senior Lecturer of The Happy Minyan of Los Angeles. David is married and raises his family

in Beverly Hills, CA. David Sacks gives the weekly Torah podcast “Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World” and has spoken to enthusiastic crowds, opening the hearts of people across the US, Europe, Israel, and South Africa. His topics range from the meaning of life, to Hollywood’s impact on the world, to achieving happiness.

Connect with David Sacks

www.LivingWithGod.org

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Fun fact: Men aren't the only ones missing their shot. Shira Melul of AishLIT has a few things to say about that. As we near Valentines day, why not go into the world dating with the proper mindset?

In the 2nd of this 2-part series on dating, Shira Melul talks about the strengths that women have while also highlighting the repeated mistakes and commonly heard grievances from the women's perspective.

About Shira Melul:

Born in Jerusalem, Israel and raised in a home focused on education, Shira’s love and talents can be felt by all who meet her. Her passion for education, the English language, and for the Jewish people inspired her to get a degree in education and move to the UK. There she became a dorm councilor and a teacher. To date, Shira is on the team as founding Director of AishLIT – Young Professionals Los Angeles together with her husband Rabbi Jack. Giving inspiring speeches and classes to both groups and individuals. Previously the founding director of Akiva on Campus at the University of Oregon, Shira currently specializing as internships and Israel trips liaison for young professionals, grad students, and undergrad students. Besides being a wife and mother, Shira mentors girls in dating and personal growth.

Connect with AishLIT:

www.AishLIT.com

IG: @aishLIT

TikTok: @aishlit_

Email:

[email protected]

[email protected]

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