Can We Talk?

Programming pioneer Milly Koss got her start in the 1950s, when computing was in its infancy and the machines were the size of a large room. She worked on programming for UNIVAC 1, one of the first commercial computers, the E101, an early desk model, and Transac, the first transistorized machine, which set the computer revolution in motion. Milly Koss was interviewed as part of JWA's oral history project "Women Whose Lives Span the Century," in collaboration with Temple Emunah of Lexington, Massachusetts. In this episode of Can We Talk?, Milly describes how exciting it was to be part of computing when the field was new—and surprisingly open to women.

You can hear Milly’s full interview, and over 300 more interviews with remarkable women, in JWA's Tanner Oral History Collection.

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Matchmaking has been a fixture in traditional Jewish communities for generations. But lately, more and more non-Orthodox and secular Jews are turning to matchmakers to find love.  In this episode of Can We Talk?, we speak with three  modern-day yentas—Aleeza Ben Shalom (of the hit Netflix show Jewish Matchmaking), Danielle Selber, and Michal Naisteter—about why matchmaking is becoming more popular, the pressures women face, and why they love their work.

Check out this episode for the back story on the word yenta.

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You can find Can We Talk? on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. We're also on YouTube! Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a new episode.

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In the coming weeks, voters in Israel and the United States head to the polls, and the results will have profound consequences for both countries. In this episode of Can We Talk?, political analysts Dahlia Scheindlin and Jim Gerstein join us to explore gender and democracy in the upcoming elections. 

Check out our past interviews with Moran Zer Katzenstein for our "Israel at 75" episode, and with Lee Hoffman Agiv for "The Women's War Room." Both women are on the slate for the Demokratim in the upcoming Israeli election.

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You can find Can We Talk? on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. We're also on YouTube! Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a new episode.

Love Can We Talk? Please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. You can also drop us a line to let us know what you think or suggest ideas for future episodes. We just might read your email on the air!

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In this bonus episode, we talk with Simone Nathan, the creator, writer, and star of Kid Sister, a funny and heartfelt TV series from New Zealand about a young Jewish woman navigating family expectations, falling for a non-Jew, and figuring out what she wants from her life. Simone talks about growing up Jewish in New Zealand, drawing on her own family and experiences to create the show, and how a specific story can be universal. 

Kid Sister makes its US premiere on Chaiflicks on October 11, 2026. 

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You can find Can We Talk? on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. We're also on YouTube! Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a new episode.

Love Can We Talk? Please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. You can also drop us a line to let us know what you think or suggest ideas for future episodes. We just might read your email on the air!

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Adina Sash, AKA Flatbush Girl, uses controversial methods to fight for agunot, women trapped in their marriages because their husbands refuse to grant them a get, or Jewish divorce. She calls out get refusers by name, rallies her Instagram followers against them, and even uses images of women’s bodies as a form of protest. 

In this episode of Can We Talk?, Adina explains the thinking behind these tactics. She also talks about why she believes get refusal is about much more than individual husbands, why she sees it as a form of domestic abuse, and what she thinks needs to change.

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You can find Can We Talk? on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. We're also on YouTube! Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a new episode.

Love Can We Talk? Please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. You can also drop us a line to let us know what you think or suggest ideas for future episodes. We just might read your email on the air!

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Pass the crackerjacks! It's the inaugural season of the Women’s Pro Baseball League. This is the first women’s professional league in the US since the women of the All-American Girls Baseball League got their chance on the field while the men were off fighting in World War II. In this episode, we take in a WPBL game and hear from league Commissioner Justine Siegal about her Jewish upbringing, her love of baseball, and why she sees women’s and girls’ participation in the sport as a social justice issue. Play ball!

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You can find Can We Talk? on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. We're also on YouTube! Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a new episode.

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For the last of our summer re-releases, we're sharing the second episode in our two-part series on Joan Rivers. It features a conversation between Joan and her longtime friend and comedy partner, Treva Silverman. Joan and Treva talk about what it was like to be women in comedy in the 60s and 70s, how they got their start driving to gigs in the Catskills in Joan’s beat up old car, and the origins of some of their favorite jokes. We hope you enjoy it, and we'll be back with brand new episodes of Can We Talk? very soon. 

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You can find Can We Talk? on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. We're also on YouTube! Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a new episode.

Love Can We Talk? Please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. You can also drop us a line to let us know what you think or suggest ideas for future episodes. We just might read your email on the air!

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Feminist pioneer Gloria Steinem died on September 2, 2026. In this special episode, JWA's CEO Judith Rosenbaum remembers her lunch date with Gloria 21 years ago, the feminist legacy of Gloria's grandmother Pauline Perlmutter Steinem, and Gloria's affirmation that she "threw her lot in" with the Jewish people. We also hear Gloria Steinem's own voice from her participation in JWA's 25th anniversary celebration in 2021.

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You can find Can We Talk? on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. We're also on YouTube! Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a new episode.

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While the podcast is on hiatus, we're listening back to some of our favorite Can We Talk? episodes. This time, an episode featuring a 2006 interview with Joan Rivers from JWA's documentary Making Trouble: Three Generations of Funny Jewish Women. This is the first episode in a two-part series about Joan Rivers. 

Send us Fan Mail

You can find Can We Talk? on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. We're also on YouTube! Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a new episode.

Love Can We Talk? Please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. You can also drop us a line to let us know what you think or suggest ideas for future episodes. We just might read your email on the air!

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 While the podcast is on summer hiatus, we're listening back to some of our favorite Can We Talk? episodes. First up, an episode from 2020 called Coming of Age with Judy Blume. To mark the 50th anniversary of the iconic novel Are you There God, It's Me Margaret? Nahanni and Judith re-read the book with their pre-teen daughters, Shalvah and Ma'ayan. Then they got together to discuss the book—what felt dated and what still felt relevant. 

Send us Fan Mail

You can find Can We Talk? on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. We're also on YouTube! Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a new episode.

Love Can We Talk? Please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. You can also drop us a line to let us know what you think or suggest ideas for future episodes. We just might read your email on the air!

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