“What’s the biggest problem with America these days?” Imagine if someone answered that question by saying that Americans don’t spend nearly enough time in…cemeteries?

Well, on this episode of Good Faith Effort, it’s precisely that thesis that we try to defend! Rabbi Ari had on brilliant up-and-coming writer Chaya Sara Oppenheim to discuss the ‘cemetery culture’ that has grown up around the town of Monsey, New York, just 45 minutes north of Manhattan.

Along the way they discuss why dead people are more important than you think; how prayer works; the importance of localism; some unexpected ways you can learn about the place you live; Fiddler on the Roof; Cynthia Ozick; the tension between homeland and diaspora; belief in miracles; and much more!

Good Faith Effort is a production of Bnai Zion and SoulShop.