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Right after a flurry of activity around Israel and Gaza on the Hill, I connected with Congressman Greg Landsman, one of only 32 Jews in Congress (9 in the Senate, 23 in the House). Landsman has been a voice defending Israel and demanding humanitarian aid to Gaza, and like myself, does not believe the two are mutually exclusive. In June, he declined an invitation to his staff from Qatar, saying they could discuss how to end the war in Gaza instead, and since recording, he joined a bipartisan Congressional delegation visit to Israel. We talked on August 1, as Congress went on recess, and much has happened since then that won't be covered in the episode, obviously. But we did cover a lot, including growing up as a Nice Jewish Boy (he has sisters) in Ohio, raising cool kids, and some of the work he is most proud of. More about Greg, his beloved Ohio, and other stuff:

Hebrew Union College was established in 1875 to train rabbis, and is generally considered the birthplace of American Reform Judaism. 

Sally Priesand was the first Reform woman rabbi, ordained at HUC in 1972, but the first woman rabbi is Regina Jonas, ordained in Berlin in 1935, and murdered at Auschwitz with more than a million others.  

The team now known as the Cincinnati Reds fielded the first known professional team in 1869.

McDonald’s first Filet o’ Fish was sold in 1962 in Cincinnati, developed for Catholic patrons observing Lent. 

In 2016, Landsman led the Cincinnati Preschool Promise ballot initiative guaranteeing two years of quality preschool to 3- and 4-year olds in the city, the first voter-approved initiative of its kind. 

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion: an unequivocally false, debunked, and antisemitic forgery printed in Russia in 1903 that has been used to bolster and give language to countless conspiracy theories and antisemitic acti

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Jews and money and babies, oh my! Our mission of destigmatization continues with a look at IVF, and some Jewish perspectives on fertility--and infertility--with Sarah Shah, Director of Operations for the Jewish Fertility Foundation.  

Appropriately enough, this episode is late because I just had my own egg retrieval as part of my IVF journey; which was aided in part by a JFF grant, as well as by the Hebrew Free Loan Association, which you'll hear more about in another episode. So, after I took a little time to recover, it seemed right to pay it forward by sharing about these resources, including a bit about both of our journeys (Sarah too!), and the amazing support--not just financial--from the JFF and the HFL, resources individuals and organizations in the Jewish community have worked to provide for one another. Infertility and IVF are hard, but it's even harder alone. Glad you're here. 

GLOSSARY

Mi Shebeirach: a Jewish prayer for healing

Kinahora: a Yiddish expression meaning "not the evil eye" said to ward off bad luck

Niddah: Purity laws restricting when couples can have sex around a woman’s menstrual cycle. 

IUI: Intrauterine insemination, an infertility treatment that places sperm directly into the uterus.

MORE

More on the attacks outside the Capital Jewish Museum and in Boulder, CO. 

In 2024, Alabama’s Supreme Court ruled that embryos created through IVF were to be treated as children under the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. 

The maternal mortality rate in the U.S. is more than double other high-income countries, and twice that again for Black women.

NCJW: National Council of Jewish Women 

The "Jews have horns" myth originated from a mis-translation of the Hebrew Bible into Latin by St. Jerome. 

Jews in academia: While studies have shown Jews to be over-represented among intellectual elites, including Nobel laureates, we have also long been the target of antisemitic tropes attributing success to conspiracies rather than individual achievement, and a history of antisemitic actions in education, including quotas and conversion requirements.

IVF in Israel

Pres. Trump's

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Ask a Jewish question, get a Jewish answer: It's complicated. It would be impossible to fully represent the richness and variety of Jewish experiences, but who better to try than a bunch of writers? So, author, publisher, and podcaster Zibby Owens took on the task in her anthology, "On Being Jewish Now" (see what I did there?); also a Substack where anyone can submit an essay. You may know Zibby from her long-running podcast, Totally Booked, (formerly Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books) which started in 2018 and has hosted more than 2100 authors since then. Zibby is a gifted interviewer, but she's also a fascinating guest!

GLOSSARY and More:

The global Jewish population is just under 16 million people, or about 0.19% of the global population. Nearly half reside in Israel, the Jewish ancestral homeland, from which they were expelled by the Romans in 70 CE after residing there for centuries, of which there is recorded history going back to at least 1200 BCE. The Jewish population of the U.S. is approximately 7.6 million, or about 2.4%.

Reform Judaism is a branch of modern Judaism that grew out of early-19th Century assimilationist sentiments in Germany, instituting various reforms including mixing genders in the synagogue, including music and using local language to lead services (as opposed to Hebrew).

Am Yisrael: meaning "people of Israel" appears frequently in the Torah in reference to the Jewish people. The text of the Torah is dated to 1000-1500 BCE. The earliest recorded reference to a state of “Israel” is from the Merneptah Stele, dating to about 1203 BCE.

The 5800 years reference: The Hebrew Calendar year is counted from the traditional biblical date of creation, currently 5785, similar to how Christian custom counts from the traditional date of Jesus' birth. To learn about the archaeological evidence of “Who Were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From?”, check out the book by that name, by famed Biblical archaeologist Bill Dever (who is also, full disclosure, my stepdad!).

More on Tikkun Olam with Rabbi Shankman in Episode 1!

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As a wise rabbi once said (It was Rabbi Susan Shankman, our very first episode), there as many ways to be Jewish as there are Jews. Well, friend-of-the-show Evan Feinberg is a living example of how one can live their "Jewishness"....as a Christian? Evan is Chairman of the Stand Together Foundation, and through the work he's done with non-profits like CarePortal, Points of Light, and Good Soil, among other things, he's kind of become "the faith guy" at work. We bonded when we met at Stand Together, both being obvious MOTs (members of the Tribe) and each time we worked on a project together, we'd have to spend the first few minutes trying to figure out the latest Gabers he'd discovered in his family tree and how the heck we must be related. TBD, by the way. I'll keep you posted. 

But, I discovered later: Evan is a practicing Christian. I'm embarrassed to admit I haven't met many Jews who converted away from Judaism, and I had some questions. Thankfully, he's here to tackle them and present from both perspectives, and I'm pretty confident he'll help complicate your thinking in the same satisfying ways he did mine. Evan is a huge proponent of volunteerism and service, and is starting a new position at Praxis, where he'll continue to share his message: the power that created you (and all things) also empowers you to be a creative force to do good in this world. If you don't know where to start, click any of the links above or go to Catchafire.org.

GLOSSARY

Christian apologetics: a branch of theology that uses logic and reason frameworks to defend the claims of Christianity.  

Tikkun Olam: “world repair,” is a concept that all human beings are responsible for one another and the world, and for repairing harm and damage through their actions, big or small.

Tzedakah: often translated as “charity,” it actually means “justice," reflecting the idea that things like having enough food to eat, shelter and dignity, and helping to provide those things is not charitable, it’s balancing the scales of justice. 

Redemptive Entrepreneurship is a concept used by Praxis which centers "creative restoration through sacrifice" to support ventures and individuals working to help solve cultural and societal problems through their organizations.

MORE

CS Lewis’ argument in favor of Christianity, sometimes called the Trilemma, popularized an approach that has been traced as far back as John the Apostle, using a logic framework to argue for the legitimacy of Christ a

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Your Jewish friend is back!! Season 3 of Jew-ish has a whole new roster of stories and voices from all the usual and unusual suspects: Jews, non-Jews, former Jews, and the generally Jew-curious. 

As usual, we'll tackle the questions you're not sure if you should ask, with our usual irreverence, humor, curiosity and deep thoughts. 

Jew got questions? We got answers(or know someone who might)! Follow, subscribe and tell a friend! 

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Content warning below
On the first night of Hanukkah 2024, I give to all of you, by way of my seventh-grade bestie and USA TODAY bestselling author Helena Greer, the story of Carrigans Christmasland! Inspired by rage-Tweets about Hallmark movies, these steamy stories dare to ask the important question: "what if this beloved trope was gay?" (and Jewish). Helena and I did the math, and we have known each other for nearly 30 years now (yikes...). We met during the formative, chaotic, defining days of trauma that is middle school in our hometown of Tucson. Those experiences, and more, are central to who we have become, and the exploration and identity we began to discover in those days, like so many of us, has shaped much of who we became, and in Helena’s case, her return to writing and the birth of the Jewish Christmas-tree-farm-owning Carrigans. 

This episode will probably resonate with a lot of '90s kids, but we do discuss some of our and our peers' struggles, including sexual assault, disordered eating, self-harm, addiction, and sexual identity. While we reflect on these as part of our own lives and in compassionate, nuanced, and meaningful terms, it may be a lot for some people to take on, and we recognize that. But, perhaps the most important part of the discussion is how friendship and community can--and did--mean the difference between life and death for alienated, traumatized kids like us and our small band of misfits. 

While you will not find anyone with a more wise, loving, hilarious, nuanced take on these and a million other topics than Helena, if you need to skip to around 37:00 where we dig in more to the books themselves, go for it, and if you don't wanna hear about it at all and just wanna get those books, go to: https://www.helenagreer.com/books and pick your bookstore poison! 

Other topics include: how Jewish is Jewish enough, and can the daughter of a convert father ever get there? How do you know what flavor of Judaism is right for you? Also: the glory of approaching your forties, the power of rage-Tweets, and some Tucson deep cuts that are surprisingly relatable to anyone with a hometown.

GLOSSARY
Sitting Shiva: From the Hebrew word for seven, sheva, the tradition of mourning for seven days including customs like sitting low to the ground and covering mirrors, bringing the family of the deceased food, and sitting in silence together.
Reconstructionist Judaism

BONUS MATERIAL
Utterback Middle School was the arts magnet school in Tucson.
IBT is Tucson's legendary gay bar, open since 1985.
Meet Richard Siken
More on Tu Bishvat with Tobin Mitnick.Alcoholics Anonymous today "is not affiliated with any religion," but there's more on its Christian origins in Ken Burns' amazing Prohibition documentary, and many

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What is Rosh Hashanah? How do you wish someone a good Yom Kippur? What are the High Holy Days? All this and more with Jewish educators spanning two generations, who happen to also be my family!

This episode is republished from 2023, and was recorded while on a work trip, so it's over Zoom and the sound isn't the best, but it's packed full of information and stupid questions I asked so you don't have to!

Find the original episode here:
Happy Jew Year! What does Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur mean, and what to do

And find 2024's Rosh Hashanah episode here:
A non-Jew's first Rosh Hashanah, one year after the October 7 Hamas attacks

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You may know Rosh Hashanah as the Jewish New Year, and you're mostly right (it's technically the anniversary of creation), but that might be about it. Maybe you have some questions, like: when was Rosh Hashanah 2024 (October 2-4)? What are you supposed to wear (white)? What can you do and not do (don't work, but you don't have to fast)? And a very close friend of mine had a really good one: can I come? The answer: HECK YEAH! 

So baby had her first Rosh Hashanah, and she let me record her questions afterward, in case it could help other Jew-curious individuals like her--or you?

To note: we've known each other a long time, traveled together, met one another's families, and I can assure you she is a real person. But, because of the nature of her work, we decided to keep her anonymous so she could speak freely and ask all her questions. ICYMI: neither she nor I represent any other organization or individual's perspectives or opinions, and all the errors I may make are based on my lived experience and are entirely my own as well (ok Mom?)?

Thanks to my friend and to all of our non-Jewish buddies who ask questions, who want to understand, and to everyone who greets the world with curiosity and openness, to all of you. Special thanks to Washington Hebrew Congregation, and may you all be inscribed in the Book of Life!  

GLOSSARY 

MSA / Fus’ha: Fus'ha is the Arabic name for Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), which is the formal version of the language used in print and media and often taught to foreigners as a foundation for conversational Arabic dialects.

Challot: the plural of challah, the braided Jewish egg-bread we also eat to break fasts and at holidays. 

Yamaka: (also "kippah" or "yarmulke") the little hat Jewish people wear in services, or more observant Jews wear all the time, to show reverence for God.

LINKS

Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting 

Rabbi Shankman’s Sermon at Washington Hebrew

The Bimah Episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2196108/episodes/12958722 

The “who by stoning and who by drowning” prayer: Unetanah Tokef

Ancient History of Jews in Israel: there is some evidence of up to 5000 years of the people who became Jews in Israel (Mission of Israel to the UN in Geneva, Israel Museum), but 3000 is a more generally accepted number than the one I say in the show. More here, and here.

For a deeper understanding, there is no better source than my beloved stepdad, William G. Dever, widely considered the world's foremost Biblical archaeologist (I am biased but this is true). H

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Growing up Conservative Jewish in Ohio, Rabbi Cantor Judy Greenfeld turned away from her family traditions after her beloved father was murdered. Judaism became an unbearably painful reminder of her loss, and she became a "seeker" of other spiritual pathways as she tried to outrun her mourning. She explored, Buddhism, dance, holistic medicine, and psychology. Eventually, she found her way through dreams and mysticism back to Judaism, embracing traditions like Kabbalah, back to the religion and community she was born into, and discovered she had never really left.

In her books, she uses her unique interpretations and experiences to make Jewish traditions accessible for anyone, offering practices and prayers to make the day to day business of living just a little bit easier for everyone.

GLOSSARY:
Zionism: A political movement founded by Theodor Herzl in the 1890s to create a Jewish homeland, based in an assimilationist philosophy and cemented by antisemitic incidents like the Dreyfus affair (the false accusation and imprisonment of a French Jewish military officer that came to symbolize Jews' supposed disloyalty). 

Tzitzit: The dangling fringe of the Jewish prayer shawl, called a tallit.

Ma tovu: Traditionally said in morning prayers or, for Ashkenazic Jews, upon entering the synagogue, the first lines of the prayer for which it is named mean: "How good are your tents O Jacob, your dwellings O Israel."

Sitting Shiva: From the Hebrew word for seven, sheva, the tradition of mourning for seven days including customs like sitting low to the ground and covering mirrors, bringing the family of the deceased food, and sitting with them, in silence if they want. 

La dor va dor: Meaning "from generation to generation," also translated as "forever." 

Philological study: Text study using grammar, style and language to analyze meaning and origin.

Pardes: An acronym (Heb. פַּרְדֵ״ס) usually associated with Kabbalah that denotes a specific type of critical text interpretation

Kabbalah: A form of Jewish mysticism that became widespread in Provence and Spain in the 12th and 13th centuries. 

Gematria: A numerology system using the numbers which are assigned to Hebrew letters (Hebrew letters are also used as numbers)

LINKS ETC: On the idea of prayer replacing “sacrifice”: It is thought that after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE and expulsion of the Jews from Israel that without a central place to make animal sacrifices, the disparate surviving Jewish communities came to see prayer as the new form of sacrifice and "work" (avodah in Hebrew) acceptable to God.  

Jonathan Sacks
Connie Kaplan
Modeh Ani

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We all know "in the beginning, there was darkness," right? The first line of the first book of the Old Testament (AKA the Torah). But did you know, there was also “chaos and void”? And then, of course, God created everything. So we're told.
 
Inspired by the places where "creation" began, Rabbi Adina Allen has made a life and a practice of understanding how all creation and creativity–whether art, new understandings, or life itself–comes from darkness, chaos and void, and how these acts of creation heal us.

In her book, "The Place Of All Possibility," Rabbi Allen blends creativity, Torah study, and the open studio art therapy approach she learned at her mother's Open Studio Project to offer a practical guide to inspired creative practice. 

But, like this show, the book is not for people of a single tradition or faith, it’s to demystify for and offer to all of us how curiosity, wonder, joy, creativity and healing are accessible, and challenge us to see that when we wrestle with darkness, ideas we already hold, or texts, or artwork, or family or the divisiveness and polarization of a moment, we can find something new in them, and in ourselves, and maybe even start to heal.

GLOSSARY

Shechinah: Also transliterated "Shekhinah," Hebrew for "dwelling" or "settling." Is generally used to refer to the presence of God, and in Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah, connotes the divine feminine attributes of God.

Chevrutah: From the Hebrew for "friendship," it is also used to refer to a group who studies together.

Beit Midrash: From "beit" or "bet" in Hebrew meaning "house" and "drash" meaning "inquiry" or "study", the phrase refers to a designated area for the group study of Torah, AKA "study hall."

B’reisheet: Meaning “in the beginning,” it is the first word in the Torah, and starts the first of the Five Books, also called Genesis.

Tohu va'vohu: A Hebrew phrase appearing in the second verse of Genesis, meaning "chaos and void," or "formless and void." 

The Shema: Named for the first word, which means “listen,” or “hear,” this is the central prayer in Judaism and is generally translated: “Hear, oh Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.”

Yisrael: Hebrew for “Israel,” the name given to Jacob after wrestling with an angel and being left with a permanent limp, translates literally as “One who Struggles with God.”

Talmud: The central book of law in Judaism comprising the Mishnah and Gemarah, containing centuries of rabbinic opinions.

MORE: 

Jewish Studio Project

The Sabbath (Shabbat) Bride

Viktor Frankl: The Holocaust survivor and author is perhaps best known for "Man's Search for Meaning," but is also a philosopher and founder of the logotheraphy school of psychology.  

The Blind Men and the Elephant

From the Jewish book of law known as the Mishnah Sanhedrin, one passage famously equates saving a life with saving the world: “Whoever saves a single life is considered by scripture to have saved the whole

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