This week on edJEWcation, Jay and ChayaLeah sit down with Dr. Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, professor at the University of Pittsburgh and head of the Center for Governance and Markets, for a conversation that bounces from Uzbekistan to Squirrel Hill, from Hasidic wedding songs to Taliban tribal law.

We explore:

• Why minhag Yisroel Torah hi (“Jewish custom is Torah”) resonates far beyond Jewish life.

• The heartbreak of Tree of Life, the shock of October 7th, and the question Jews whisper now: do we belong here?

• Why making Judaism political is dangerous—and how joy and tradition may be the antidote.

• What Ukraine, Russia, and bomb shelters in Israel reveal about resilience.

Plus: the great baby shower debate, whether Judaism is Western, Eastern, or something bigger, and why havruta (learning in pairs) might just save the next generation from their phones.

It’s a journey through customs, community, and what keeps us Jewish—even when the world feels like it’s unraveling.