Is the life of a Jew an individual journey with God or a communal one? What is being asked of the Jewish people right now? When your faith fractures, how do you find wholeness again in your relationship with God?

A conversation with Dr. Mijal Bitton exploring faith in God, the current Jewish experience, Judaism not just as a religion but as a family, the significance of our ancestral bonds and the power and necessity of individual contributions to the collective Jewish narrative.

Dr. Mijal Bitton is a spiritual leader, public intellectual, and sociologist. She serves as Scholar in Residence at the Maimonides Fund and Rosh Kehilla of the Downtown Minyan in New York City. A Visiting Researcher at NYU Wagner, she directed pioneering research on Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews in the United States.

Mijal is an alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship, a New Pluralist Field Builder, and a Sacks Scholar. She co-hosts the podcast Wondering Jews and shares weekly reflections on Jewish life, identity, and resilience in her Substack newsletter, Committed.

Substack: https://mijal.substack.com/

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1cU0NTHYQZOTARwuXTbpLU?si=uPmpMnd6RbycOuFli-N9Sg

Website & contact: mijalbitton.com

Instagram: @mijalbitton

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introducing Mijal Bitton

03:12 The Jewish Experience: Identity and Collective Responsibility

05:56 Faith and Imperfection: Navigating Belief in Difficult Times

08:48 Judaism Beyond Religion: A Family and Community

12:04 The Interconnectedness of Faith and Peoplehood

14:56 Finding Your Individual Path Within a Collective Identity

17:48 The Role of My Ancestors in Shaping My Faith

21:10 Hope vs. Optimism: A Jewish Perspective on Challenges

23:53 The Joy of Being Jewish

27:13 The Future of Judaism: A Vision for the World

30:02 Fighting for Our Place: Political Mobilization and Community Engagement

32:54 Personal Practices: Staying Centered Amidst Responsibilities

36:10 Sephardic Heritage: A Unique Perspective on Tradition

38:56 Closing Thoughts: Embracing Our Roles in the Jewish Community