Part of belonging to a lineage is the act of finding ourselves within the story, claiming a particular link in the chain of inheritance, as testimony to our merit for inclusion. And then he’d say, "Jews are responsible for each other." We all heard that phrase from him. It was the partner to his positivity. Forgive in your heart, and take your inheritance of survival, your legacy of peoplehood, seriously.  And we did. 

[1] We thought a lot about how this story ends. Is it with one of Miriam’s children, the next generation? Is it by returning to Simon’s voice? Who gets to hold the final piece of this turning of the story? And in the end, we decided that there is no end, it intentionally hangs, unbalanced, unfinished, a thread that both continues to be pulled and woven at the same time. 

[2] What was it that we inherited? What gift came of this line of life that should never have been? We think it’s one another. The choice to continue to choose each other, to be one another’s best friends and learn to love each other as best as we can. In that spirit, we share a few sweet memories - of lives well lived, joys tangled with sorrows, and the freedom that comes with the birth of new branches on the tree of our family story. 

Check out the website for additional resources and photos of events and people discussed in this episode.

“ I feel like I hold and carry a lot of the stories from my grandfather. I don't always know how to share those stories. I'm sometimes afraid of telling them wrong or making mistakes.” - Neal Strauss

"It’s a surreal experience to watch strangers tell your story. For others to decide they are ready for you to reclaim your stolen lives." - Miriam Terlinchamp

[1] The majority of this audio was taken on a small handheld audiorecorder and carried around by various family members on the trip.

[2] Interested in learning more about Stoperstein? Here is a good resource.

[3] Wondering what Herbert was referring to when he said some Jews don’t like the idea of Stoperstein? Here is an article that discusses dissent about the stones.  

[4] Many photos were taken on the trip. Here is one of the Stoperstein in front of the house: 

And one of David, Ralph and Nadine (children of Lou and Simon) at their grandfather’s grave. 

And a photo of the ceremony in front of the house:

“Years later, I’ll know this feeling as a mother, hearing my baby wail from the other room, wondering, praying, hoping that she is ok. But tonight, I’m 25 in a loft apartment in Berlin, 5,000 miles from home, and it’s not a baby crying: It’s my 89-year-old grandfather, Simon, screaming.” - Miriam Terlinchamp

“To choose, to actively to forgive. To find beauty in strangers paying homage to what you lost. To embrace the learning journey of others even at the expense of your own pain in having to tell and retell it…Well, that’s a whole other capacity to do so within the context of the very place where the trauma occurred.” - Marika Strauss

[1] The audio used for Simon in this episode was recorded by his granddaughter Jennifer Melrose in 1999 as part of Jennifer’s research project for her masters in psychology. 

[2] Fun fact about the above audio! Jennifer had recorded it on a cassette tape, which was then, 2 decades later transcribed onto a CD, and then, upon research for this project, did we all find out that it existed! Jennifer’s son, Simon’s great grandchild, worked tirelessly to turn it into an audio file that could be used for this piece, and is the first time that most of the family have heard this interview. 

[3] Miriam refers to a Holocaust Museum in Cincinnati. It’s amazing! It’s proper name is the Nancy and David Wolf Holocaust and Humanity Center. You can learn more about their work on their website: www.holocaustandhumanity.org. But the most impactful element is the interactive exhibits where you can have an AI supported conversation with a survivor. Definitely worth a visit.  

[4] Simon talks about his passport, the papers he needed to move freely. Here are a few pages from that passport, which now belong to Miriam.

I got out of the Frankfurt train station. I took a bus to Wachenbuchen.  At this time, remember, there’s no cellphone, no Google maps, none of that. I had an address and I got there early in the day and there it was. It was like seeing something,  you know,  like seeing a picture you've seen forever, right? - Mark Vane

References in this episode:

[1] Here is a photograph of Shane and Simon at Shane’s winging ceremony when he became a Navy pilot. 

[2] Want to learn more from Rabbi Tirzah Firestone? Check out her book, “Wounds into Wisdom: Healing intergenerational Jewish trauma.” or listen to her recent interview on Judaism Unbound here.

[3] The audio from Simon in this episode is from a recording made by Jennifer Melrose as part of her research for her masters in psychology. She interviewed Simon as part of her project. When we interviewed her, this was the first time we’d heard about the recording!

Ohio Humanities made this episode of Door to Doorpossible. Door to Door is a production of the Institute for the Next Jewish Future and part of the family of podcasts of Judaism Unbound. Created by Miriam Terlinchamp, directed by Joey Taylor, produced at Monastery Studio, original music by Ric Hordinski, and art by Katie Kaestner. 

We'd love to hear from you, so you can email us at [email protected] or find us at: www.judaismunbound.com/door-to-door

We don’t know the story for a long time. And, even after we learn it, the story continues to unfold. Each generation adding new information, unlocking new mysteries, and trying it’s best to weave something whole out of a family history shredded by trauma. - Miriam Terlinchamp

References in this episode:

[1] Wow! That’s a lot of voices! Here is a family tree from the Strauss family to get a sense of how we are all connected. 

[2] This audio was taken from an interview made by the Houston Holocaust Center. You can watch the full video of the interview here: Collections Search - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (ushmm.org)

[3] Dr. Sarah Crane, visiting professor in the Judaics Program in Holocaust and Genocide Studies at University of Cincinnati and scholar in residence at the Cincinnati Holocaust and Humanity Center.

Ohio Humanities made this episode of Door to Door possible. Door to Door is a production of the Institute for the Next Jewish Future and part of the family of podcasts of Judaism Unbound. Created by Miriam Terlinchamp, directed by Joey Taylor, produced at Monastery Studio, original music by Ric Hordinski, and art by Katie Kaestner. 

We'd love to hear from you, so you can email us at [email protected] or find us at: www.judaismunbound.com/door-to-door

Thanks for journeying with us through Season 1 of Tales of the Unbound. We’re thrilled to return with Season 2: Door to Door—a five-episode, multi-generational exploration of memory, trauma, and identity, launching July 23, 2025. For accessibility, our podcast feed will temporarily change its name to Door to Door, but you’ll still find the same heart, the same mission, and a powerful new chorus of voices.

 Hey everyone, it's Miriam Terlinchamp.  Thank you so much for listening to Season One of Tales of the Unbound! When we first created this podcast feed we knew that we wanted to tell transformational stories around awakened becoming stories that focused on the struggle to define identity, search for meaning, and connect ourselves to the greater whole. Hearing how others have navigated life allows us, the listeners, to expand our own perspectives, thereby opening up new personal and communal paths of possibility. And so it is with great joy that we bring you our second season. Season Two is called Door to Door, A Multi-generational Story of Memory, Trauma, and Identity. This is a five-episode series that drops on July 23, 2025. Just a note - while season two is still new, we'll be changing the name of our feed to Door to Door for increased accessibility. So if you're looking for Tales of the Unbound you're in the right place for season one and season two. It's the same feed with the same ethos, with a new set of voices, and I can't wait to hear what you think. Here's the trailer.

[1] We reference a definition of chevrutah as listed in Berakhot 63b:12, “Make many groups and study Torah, For the Torah is only acquired through study in a group.”  You can find the full text here.

[2]  Malcolm Gladwell socialized the Tipping Point theory in his book “The Tipping Point”.

[3] We sing “Veshamru,” a Jewish liturgical prayer that celebrates the observance of the Sabbath as a people. The tune is by Moshe Rothblum. Though there are many renditions of this liturgy, this is the tune many people think is “THE” way to sing this prayer.

[4] Miriam quotes Ruth 1:16. The Book of Ruth is historically read on the holiday of Shavuot as the story is set during the festival gathering season. Ruth is also generally understood as the first person who converts to Judaism. In the Talmud pieces that Tales of the Unbound has cited, there are rituals (beit din, milah and mikvah) that affirm Jewish identity. Here, in the Book of Ruth, dated much earlier than the Talmud, we only see a vow as the mode by which someone might join the Jewish people. It’s possible that there were other versions of joining and that the vow-only process was somehow not a full conversion, but Ruth goes on to be accepted and integrated fully into Jewish life after she makes this vow.

[5] Padraig O’Tuama is a poet, theologian, and poetry podcaster. We love his memoir/autobiography “In the Shelter”.

[6] Miriam mentions Peter Block. Peter is well known for his community organizing and leadership training. Check him out here, or pick up this book, “Activating the Common Good.”  Joey (Tales Producer) also produces Peter’s podcast, The Common Good, which Miriam sometimes helps with. Here’s an interesting one with Miriam Terlinchamp and Reverend Ben McBride on the “slow practice of belonging.”

[7] Sabbath in Time – Miriam shouts this out as a call for hope, turning Abraham Joshua Heschel’s description of Sabbath – as a palace in time – on its head. In a place where all there is is time, hopefully, there can be spaces, moments that feel like Sabbath.

[8]  You can listen to the song “Iron Sharpens Iron” by Ric Hordinski here on the Shabbatish album “Now and Eternity”

[1] “There are no words” is a poem Miriam wrote on January 6, 2021. 

[2] “You are Not Alone” by Ric Hordinski; you can watch this gorgeous rendition here.

[3] Psalm 23, we used the same translation here as we did in Ari’s episode, which is the poetic and non-gendered translation by Rabbi Richard Levy.  But, Miriam was reading from the JPS translation of Psalm 23 at the time, which you can find here.

[4] Miriam mentions the funeral and shiva minyan. Typically, in a traditional Jewish burial, the funeral is followed by seven days of mourning, marked by “minyanim” services in your home to share in the grief. Learn more about the content and role of shiva minyanim here.

[5] She also mentions Kugel. Yum! Here are some favorite savory, and sweet recipes and seven other variations. Kugel is a diverse dish with many options!

[6] This episode mentions Jonah's story —his call to speak truth in Nineveh and his avoidance of that call. It’s worth reading if you haven’t done so in a while; you can find it here or watch a 4-minute animated version here!

[7] When Miriam says there is no hierarchy in Jewish practice and that none is more Jewish than the other… that’s just her opinion. And, Judaism Unbounds! But it isn’t necessarily a mainstream understanding of Jewish organizational practice. 

[8] Miriam off-handedly drops the line that she made movies with her congregation. Just so we’re on the same page, that’s … very out of the box. Most synagogues are not creating movies about Jewish organizational theory. Interested? There are close to 60 different videos, but here are a few links to our favorites: The way we’ve always done it demon, The Little Table, Be Someone Else, Our Vision, “The Musical.”

[9] Miriam uses the word tribe a lot in this episode, which makes us think of this awesome movie by Tiffany Shlain, “The Tribe.” Trust us, it will be the best 18 minutes you’ll have all week! 

[10] We can’t get enough of Benay’s crash theory up in this house! Watch it over and over, we do. Here’s the long version. 

Love the opening song? Check out Pitchu Li by Jacob Spike Kraus.

[1] Miriam talks about what a Mikvah looks like in traditional communal spaces. If you haven’t yet checked out Mayyim Hayyim, we’re so excited for you to discover it. There’s a video-guided tour with details on how to prepare and where to find local places to immerse near you. You might also like ImmerseNYC or you can DIY your mikvah with some great resources from Ritual Well. Also, there’s a neat storytelling venture called “Mikvah Stories” through Mikvah.org if you want to hear personal accounts. If you’re mikvah curious, call up your local mikvah and talk to them about it. Look into mikvah training at Mayyim Hayyim, or head down to your local living water and offer your own ritual.

[2] Mikvah baths in Temple times were critical to the sacrificial culture. They provided purification rituals before entering the sanctified areas of the Temple. There are 200 mikvah baths in the old city of Jerusalem that date back to the 2nd century, 50 of which are around the Temple Mount. Read more about it here. 

[3] Our ancient texts have all kinds of regulations and directions on how to build a mikvah. Here is a great study resource from the book “Gray Matter” by Chaim Jachter if you want to get waaaay into the details. 

[4] We know you want to see some Mikvah pop culture clips! 

2003 Sex in the city with Charlotte’s conversion, Season 6 episode 3

2012 Oprah in Brooklyn studying the ultra-orthodox culture

2015 Sex in the City, with Cindy’s conversion Season 3, Episode 13

Transparent, Off the Grid, Season 1, Episode 6 and Season 3, Episode 9

Weeds, “Red in tooth and claw” Season 8, Episode 5 

[5] Miriam talks about how much water needs to be in a mikvah. A whole tractate in the Mishnah called Mishnah Mikvaot deals with how much water, when and how to immerse, and contingencies. It also has different modes for measurements than we do now, hence why Miriam says “40 se-ah,” which is roughly 575 liters. A “se-ah” is a unit of measurement from the Bible that we think is somewhere between 7-12 liters. The BDB gets more precise, stating that a Se-ah is 1/3 of an ephah, which is 12.148 liters. Regardless, it’s a lot of water that needs to allow for your entire body to submerge. 

[6] Want to know more about the procedure for a bris? JewBelong.com has a nice set of explanations and even a printable booklet to accompany the ritual. This is also a quick and sweet video about a bris. Here’s some information about Tipat Dam and it’s role in Conversions. And finally, if you want to see how the Reform movement talks about Tipat Dam, here you’ll find archives of responsa (legal decisions based on case studies) around ritual circumcision. 

[7] Circumcision?!?!? No thanks! There are also plenty of resources out there for Jews and Jews by choice who are anti-circumcision.  It’s not for everyone, it’s a choice. Here’s an article about the “circumcision debate” with links to many articles. Also, there’s an alternative that people are doing with Hatipat Dam with a drop of blood from the heel. 

[8] Here is the link to the Trans Halacha project on circumcision through SVARA that Miriam mentions. It also has amazing resources for gender transition in the mikvah and trans approaches to conversion. 

[9] The Shehechianu Prayer (Lex Rofeberg beautifully sings our version) is sung or said at times of deep gratitude, when experiencing something for the first time, to mark a positive lifecycle moment, and when seeing a friend after a prolonged period of time. 

[10] Ari and Josh chose very traditional books for their community: Midrash Raba and the Mishnah. These are also sets that would be included in traditional Jewish libraries.

[11] Miriam mentions the story of opening the gate in Brachot 28a. For a deep dive into a great analysis, listen to Dan Libenson and Benay Lappe study this text on the Oral Talmud.