Everything is Connected

Is religion only what we do in the sanctuary, or is it also what we practice in the street? We're joined on this episode by Rev. Dr. Katharine Rhodes Henderson, President of Auburn Seminary, a multi-faith leadership institute that trains faith leaders to become effective public social justice leaders.

Have you ever wondered about yoga? Is it exercise? Or spirituality? Or both? This week, internationally renowned yoga teacher, entrepreneur, and founder of Strala, Tara Stiles, joins Jonathan for a wide-ranging conversation encompassing all of the above questions, and a lot more.

We're very excited about this episode.  After all, it's not every day that a one-time Jeopardy! contestant decides to come on the show.  In a freewheeling conversation we focus on the uneasy relationship between Science and Religion.  Are these disciplines forever destined to be enemies? 

Rabbi Geoffrey Mitelman is the Founding Director of Sinai and Synapses, an organization that bridges the scientific and religious worlds, and is being incubated at Clal – The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership.

His work has been supported by the John Templeton Foundation, Emanuel J. Friedman Philanthropies, and the Lucius N. Littauer Foundation, and his writings about the intersection of religion and science have appeared on the homepages of several sites, including The Huffington Post, Nautilus, Science and Religion Today, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and My Jewish Learning. He has been an adjunct professor at both the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion and the Academy for Jewish Religion, and is a sought-out teacher, presenter, and scholar-in-residence throughout the country.

You can read more about this week's distinguished guest, Rabbi Mitelman, and Sinai and Synapses, here and follow him on Twitter here.

This week on "Everything is Connected," author Abigail Pogrebin joins Jonathan for a lively conversation about her deep dive into the heart of Judaism.  

We discuss what she's learned about marking time through the observance of an ancient, traditional sequence of festivals and fast-days... some of which she'd never heard of before undertaking a project that left even some of her closest family and friends scratching their heads.  As she went about her immersive research, she interviewed enough rabbis to become a self-proclaimed "rabbi groupie," which is when we knew we had to have her on the show.

Abigail Pogrebin is the author of My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays; One Wondering Jew – a much-expanded chronicle of her popular column for the Forward, for which she spent 12 months researching and observing every holiday in the Jewish calendar.

Pogrebin is also the author of Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk about Being Jewish, which went into eight hardcover printings and was later adapted for the Off-Broadway stage. Pogrebin’s second book, One and the Same, delved into every aspect of growing up as a twin, (she’s an identical), and her bestselling Amazon Kindle Single, Showstopper, recounts her teenage adventure in the original Broadway cast of Stephen Sondheim’s flop, “Merrily We Roll Along.”

Abigail was formerly a broadcast producer for Fred Friendly, Charlie Rose and Bill Moyers at PBS, then for Ed Bradley and Mike Wallace at 60 Minutes. She has been published in many magazines and newspapers including Newsweek, New York Magazine, The Forward, Tablet, and The Daily Beast. She has moderated conversations at The JCC in Manhattan, 92Y, The Skirball Center, and Shalom Hartman Institute. Pogrebin lives in Manhattan and is currently the President of Central Synagogue.

Learn more about Abigail at her website by clicking here.  

Writers create worlds out of words.  This week, critically acclaimed playwright Michele Lowe joins Jonathan Blake for a conversation about her spiritual journey, writing as a spiritual discipline, and the perils of religious extremism.

Pete Malinverni. Award winning jazz pianist, composer, and spiritual leader, Steinway

artist Pete Malinverni talks about the spiritual journey of his life and career, culminating in his newest release, the critically acclaimed album "Heaven."

A reverend and a rabbi walk into a room and discuss the relative merits (and demerits) of organized religion. Our first episode takes us on a deep dive into the question: what good is religion, anyway?