Binah

Food journalist, author, and former columnist for The New York Times Mark Bittman deconstructs and debunks myths about food production practices and trends.

Writer Colm Tóibín brings his modern sensibility to rewrite a Greek tragedy. His new novel is House of Names .

Zen Hospice Project’s BJ Miller talks about embracing death not as a medical event but rather as a universally shared life experience.

Maria Popova talks about her wildly popular blog BrainPickings , once described as “walking into the Museum of Modern Art and having somebody give you a customized, guided tour.”

Comedian, writer and politician Al Franken recounts his career journey from Saturday Night Live to the United States Senate. His new memoir is Al Franken, Giant of the Senate .

Krista Tippett, producer of the popular podcast On Being , profiles people whose insights inspire a sense of wonder and courage.

Author, conservationist and activist Terry Tempest Williams celebrates the centennial of the National Park Service with lyrical portraits of America’s grandest parks.

We feature representatives from various women’s organizations to discuss the challenges they face during the new administration, including Clare Winterton, Global Fund for Women; Rebecca Griffin, NARAL Pro-Choice California; Amy Whelan, National Center for Lesbian Rights; Lourdes Martinez, Mujeres Unidas y Activas. The moderator is Kanishka Karunaratne.

On the July 6th edition of Binah , we feature writers Ayelet Waldman, Michael Chabon and Fida Jiryis, contributors to Kingdom of Olives and Ash , a new collection of essays on the human cost of fifty years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and Yehuda Shaul of the Israeli NGO Breaking the Silence. They’re joined in conversation by Daniel Sokatch of the New Israel Fund.

Journalist Masha Gessen reveals the complex, strange and heart-wrenching truth of Jews in twentieth-century Russia that begins with pogroms and ends with emigration. She also shares advice for surviving under autocratic rule, drawing from historical sources and personal experience.