Jewish Emancipation

Guest: David Sorkin, Professor, History, Yale University, and author, "Jewish Emancipation: A History Across Five Centuries"

If you were asked what the most influential event in modern Jewish history is, you might want to say the Holocaust, or the founding of Israel, but in a new book written by David Sorkin, he argues that over the past five centuries it was Jewish emancipation efforts that were catalysts for those grim and triumphal events of the 20th century.

One Family's Journey on Four Continents 

Guest: Melanie Schwartz, Professor, Law, University of New South Wales, Australia 

This is the story of four generations of a Jewish family who have moved between four continents. In it, you'll hear that random luck—whether you get out of a country in time, which boat you catch, can determine whether you live or die and on which continent your grandchildren will grow up. Throughout, being a people in exile underlies this family's Jewish identity. 

Guest: Jeff Jacoby, columnist, "The Boston Globe"

Jeff Jacoby’s father, Mark Jacoby, is a Holocaust survivor. More than that, though, he is a father, a husband, a practicing Jew, and a happy man. This is the story of the triumph of faith and the human spirit. 

Champion Rubik's Cubing

Guest: Tyson Mao, Co-founder of the World Cube Association

You’ve definitely seen, handled and tried to solve a Rubik’s Cube before. But did you succeed in matching each color to its respective side? Probably not. If you have, how long did it take you? Twenty minutes? Five minutes if you’ve practiced a bit? In this interview, we talk to Tyson Mao, co-founder of the World Cube Association and former world record holder for the fastest time solving a Rubik’s cube blindfolded in a time of just under two minutes.

Bears, and bears, and bears, oh my!

Guest: Tom Smith, Associate Professor, Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University

Insight into bears around the world, from the marvelously entertaining Tom Smith. Watch out for the sloth bear: despite its name it's especially vicious. Polar bears are cannibals. Bear spray doesn't work, but try this instead when you're hiking in the wild.

Raptors Patrol the Jersey Boardwalk

Guest: Erik Swanson, Master Falconer, East Coast Falcons; Animal Control Officer and Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator

Patrolling raptors may be the solution to the Jersey shore’s seagull problem.