Jewish Today Pod

Meet Gen Slosberg, producer of LUNAR: The Jewish Asian Film Project. Originally from China, Gen discusses how she found her place in the Jewish community, after immigrating to California at 14. Gen also details the creation of LUNAR and how the space has given members of the Asian American Jewish community a place to share their stories and connect. 

This episode also focuses on the nuances that come with the Jew of Color (JOC) community and the difficulties that some members can feel and face when interacting in predominantly white Ashkenazi Jewish spaces. Gen shares her experiences and tangible ways that have made her feel like a welcomed and included member of the Jewish community, as well as how Jews and non JOC members can expand their horizons when it comes their personal definitions of who is Jewish.

According to the The Steinhardt Social Research Institute’s American Jewish Population Project, 11% of Jews in the United States are Jews of Color (JOC). 

Check out LUNAR on Instagram @asian.jews and their episodes at linktr.ee/asianjews/

February is Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month. In this episode, hear from Rebecca Cheskes, a parent of a member of the disability community, and Lisa Houben, the Community Inclusion and Training Coordinator at the Greater Atlanta Jewish Abilities Alliance (JAA). Both discuss their connections and work in the community and how we can all work together to create more inclusive spaces for Jewish organizations and religious institutions. 

Rebecca also recounts the intentional planning and work that went into creating her daughter's bat mitzvah service and Lisa gives insight into her work with JAA and what this intentional planning looks like across the board. 

Learn more about JAA at https://atlanta.jewishabilities.org/

Meet Rabbi Jamie Serber! Rabbi Jamie is currently wrapping up her chaplaincy residency and, in addition to her work as a chaplain, specializes in ancestral heritage, Jewish amulets, and spirituality. After moving from Philadelphia to North Dakota in 2017, Rabbi Jamie came to learn about the rich Jewish history that is in North Dakota dating back to westward expansion and the Jews who migrated out west. 

In this episode, Rabbi Jamie discusses her journey to attaining her rabbinical ordination from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, some background into the Reconstructionist movement, her experiences living as a practicing Jew and Rabbi in Fargo, North Dakota, and how she connects to herself and those she works with through the spirituality attained through ancestral connection and the ancient art of soul candles. 

For spiritual guidance, please visit Rabbi Jamie's website at www.myrabbijamie.com

**Editor's note: In part one, Rabbi Jamie references her husband's father-in-law. This is actually her own father-in-law. 

A ketubah is a traditional marriage contract in Judaism that showcases a couple's hopes, promises, and dreams for their marriage and one another. Anat Michaelis is a ketubah artist based in Israel who creates beautiful ketubot (plural for ketubah) for people all over the world. A graduate of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, Anat began her ketubah illustrations as gifts for her friends and has since turned it into her business known as Leila. Anat discusses her art journey, as well as explores her Jewish journey growing up in religious and secular environments in different parts of Israel and how these experiences have contributed to how she practices and sees Judaism today. 

For custom ketubot and Judaica art, visit https://www.leilabyanat.com/

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The stereotype that all Jews are wealthy or good with money is merely just that- a stereotype and nothing more. The Jewish community is no exception to financial hardships, particularly in the age of COVID-19. 

We're kicking off Season 2 of Jewish Today Pod with Nancy Weissmann, Executive Director of the Jewish Interest Free Loan of Atlanta (JIFLA). In this episode, Nancy discusses the Jewish loan space as a whole, addresses the stereotypes of Jewish wealth and financial stability, COVID-19 impact on income loss, the Jewish practice free interest, and how JIFLA is stepping in to fill the gap with their Emergency COVID Relief Impact Loan. 

Learn more about JIFLA and their loan options that could be right for you at https://jifla.org/. 

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Calling all history buffs- this episode is for you! Southern Jewry is often misunderstood or even unheard of when learning about Jewish history. However, Jeremy Katz, Senior Archives Director of the Breman Museum in Atlanta, GA, shares the rich Jewish history that has made much Atlanta how we see it today, as well as the Southeast.  Hear Katz discuss his journey to pursue archiving as a career and the work he does with The Breman Museum, the largest repository of Jewish archives in the Southeast, in making history accessible for all. 

Learn more about The Breman Museum at www.thebreman.org. 

Mental health affects all communities and the Jewish community is no exception. In this episode, we hear from Gabby Spatt, Executive Director of The Blue Dove Foundation. This organization was created to help address the issues of mental health and substance abuse in the Jewish community, based in Atlanta, GA. Spatt discusses the intersectionality of Judaism and mental health, how Shabbat can be used as a means to take care of ourselves, and reads an excerpt from The Blue Dove Foundation's newest book release, "Quieting the Silence," available on Amazon as a paperback and e-reader edition. Learn more about The Blue Dove Foundation at www.thebluedovefoundation.org. 

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Meet the classic Jewish grandmother from New York- Linda Budd! In this episode, Linda (or Mutti) discusses her parents journey as they escaped Berlin during WWII and came to America, after her father was released from prison for his arrest per the Nuremberg Laws. She then takes us through their lives in as new citizens in Manhattan and how being the daughter of Holocaust escapees influenced her life. Plus, some insight into life as a young woman in the 1950s and 1960s and whole lot of grandmotherly love throughout the episode. 

Meet Jenna Shulman- CEO of the Jewish Education Loan Fund (JELF), based in Atlanta, Georgia. JELF provides interest free loans for higher education to Jewish students in need across in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina & Virginia. Shulman shares her journey of finding her place for her career in the Jewish non-profit sector, post law school, and how her determination led her to her role today. Serving as JELF's CEO since 2014, she discusses JELF's mission and how it aims to break stereotypes that come with Jewish culture and higher education.  As a jack of all trades, Shulman also shares about her hobby matchmaking service, juluv.com. 

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Converting to Judaism is no easy feat. In this episode we hear from Mariana Braga. Braga grew up in a non-religious Catholic home outside of São Paulo,  Brazil. She discusses how she decided to pursue conversion, the struggles she faced throughout the process, and ultimately how she came to love the Jewish faith. Braga describes her "beshert" (meant to be) moments throughout her conversion process and how she aims to lead a Jewish life and be an example today. 

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