Welcome back to Just For This, a new podcast. Each week, host Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch (she/her) interviews women in leadership about women and leadership. Inspired by the story of Esther, we feature powerful stories of women who stand out in their fields, who have stepped up just for this moment.  

Our last guest of the season is Rabbi Sharon Brous, senior and founding rabbi of IKAR, a leading edge Jewish community based in Los Angeles. She is also author of The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Heal Our Hearts and Mend Our Broken World, a national bestseller.

We discuss the power of openhearted human connection and the diversity in expressions of faith.

View the transcript here.

If you enjoyed the second season of Just For This, be sure to rate and review us wherever you listen to your podcasts. We’ll be back soon with more “just for this moments” in Season 3.

Follow Just For This on instagram: @justforthispodcast

Welcome back to Just For This, a new podcast. Each week, host Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch (she/her) interviews women in leadership about women and leadership. Inspired by the story of Esther, we feature powerful stories of women who stand out in their fields, who have stepped up just for this moment. 

This week’s guest is Micah Siva, chef, writer, and dietician. Her new cookbook, “NOSH: Plant Forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cuisine,” is available in most bookstores.

We discuss how centric food is to Jewish holidays, the diversity of Jewish cuisine, how Queen Esther was a vegetarian, and navigating our current reality as a Jewish author.

Listeners interested in more food-centered content are welcome to join WRJ’s Hanukkah cooking demo and recipe collection on Thursday, December 19th at 8pm ET. Register today.

View the transcript here.

If you’re enjoying Just For This, be sure to rate and review us wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

Welcome back to Just For This, a new podcast. Each week, host Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch (she/her) interviews women in leadership about women and leadership. Inspired by the story of Esther, we feature powerful stories of women who stand out in their fields, who have stepped up just for this moment. 

Content warning: this episode mentions instances of sexual violence and rape.

This week’s guest is Knesset member Shelly Tal Meron. MK Tal Meron started the Hostage Family lobby following October 7 in Israel and continues to advocate for the return of the hostages and bring light to the sexual violence that has persisted since the beginning of the war.

We discuss sexual violence used as a weapon of war and the importance of bringing women to decision-making tables.

View the transcript here. 

If you’re enjoying Just For This, be sure to rate and review us wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

Welcome back to Just For This, a new podcast. Each week, host Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch (she/her) interviews women in leadership about women and leadership. Inspired by the story of Esther, we feature powerful stories of women who stand out in their fields, who have stepped up just for this moment. 

This week’s guest is bestselling writer Delia Ephron. Her play, Left on Tenth, based on her memoir of the same name, is currently on Broadway.

We discuss her process as a writer, what it was like living her real-life “You’ve Got Mail” story as depicted in her memoir, and the importance of a solid support system.

View the transcript here. 

If you’re enjoying Just For This, be sure to rate and review us wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

Welcome back to Just For This, a new podcast. Each week, host Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch (she/her) interviews women in leadership about women and leadership. Inspired by the story of Esther, we feature powerful stories of women who stand out in their fields, who have stepped up just for this moment. 

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, we are re-releasing an episode from our first season featuring award-winning author Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, who spoke with us about accountability, justice, the state of abortion access, and collective power.

At the time, we also discussed the Jewish values underpinning an abortion access case before the Supreme Court, Idaho v. United States, which ultimately was dismissed by the Court. Nevertheless, the topic remains extremely relevant as we continue to navigate a post-Roe reality.

View the transcript here. 

If you’re enjoying Just For This, be sure to rate and review us wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Welcome back to Just For This, a new podcast. Each week, host Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch (she/her) interviews women in leadership about women and leadership. Inspired by the story of Esther, we feature powerful stories of women who stand out in their fields, who have stepped up just for this moment. 

This week’s guest is U.S. Women’s Rugby Team member and bronze medalist Sarah Levy. Nearly six months since her time in Paris, we speak about her journey to the Olympics, Jewish representation, and the power of unity in sports.

View the transcript here. 

If you’re enjoying Just For This, be sure to rate and review us wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

Welcome back to Just For This, a new podcast. Each week, host Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch (she/her) interviews women in leadership about women and leadership. Inspired by the story of Esther, we feature powerful stories of women who stand out in their fields, who have stepped up just for this moment.  

This week’s guest is Barbara Weinstein, Associate Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and the Director of the Commission on Social Action. The RAC and WRJ are close partners in everything social justice.

We go over a post-election debrief, the power of community organizing, and the importance of celebrating incremental policy wins.

The episode opens with a post-election prayer.

Listeners can join WRJ next spring in Washington at our Social Justice Conference to advocate on behalf of some of the issues mentioned in this episode. Registration opens next month.

View the transcript here.

If you’re enjoying Just For This, be sure to rate and review us wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

Welcome back to Just For This, a new podcast. Each week, host Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch (she/her) interviews women in leadership about women and leadership. Inspired by the story of Esther, we feature powerful stories of women who stand out in their fields, who have stepped up just for this moment.  

This week’s guest is Analucía Lopezrevoredo, founder of Jewtina Y Co., an organization dedicated to celebrating and nurturing Latin-Jewish community, identity, and resilience. We discuss the importance of showing up for all parts of yourself, making the choice to be part of a chosen people. 

View the transcript here. 

If you’re enjoying Just For This, be sure to rate and review us wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

Welcome back to Just  For  This, a new podcast. Each week, host Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch (she/her) interviews women in leadership about women and leadership. Inspired by the story of Esther, we feature powerful stories of women who stand out in their fields, who have stepped up just for this moment.  

This week’s guest is Rachel Sussman, Vice President of Advocacy and Program at the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. We discuss the importance of bodily autonomy in a functioning democracy, the ways that the fight for abortion access has - and hasn’t -changed in the last 20 years, and what’s at stake in next week’s election.  

To learn more about what’s on the ballot in your state and make your voting plan, visit vote.org. 

View the transcript here. 

If you’re enjoying Just For This, be sure to rate and review us wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

Welcome back to Just For This, a new podcast. Each week, host Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch (she/her) interviews women in leadership about women and leadership. Inspired by the story of Esther, we feature powerful stories of women who stand out in their fields, who have stepped up just for this moment. 

This week’s guest is Zibby Owens, founder and CEO of Zibby Media, which includes the Zibby Books Boutique Publishing House, Zibby's Bookshop, and the award-winning daily podcast, "Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books," which she hosts. We discuss how we balance expressing our Jewish identities with personal safety in the public square, and how this reality has shifted since October 7.

 Below are some helpful resources on Zibby, as discussed in the episode:

• Follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens
• Listen to her podcast: Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books with Zibby
• Purchase On Being Jewish Now: Reflections from Authors and Advocates
• Discover the six books she’s written/edited

View the transcript here.

If you’re enjoying Just For This, be sure to rate and review us wherever you listen to your podcasts.