Just For This

Welcome back to Just For This. 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 guest this week is Ariel Zwang, CEO of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the leading global Jewish humanitarian organization operating in 70 countries worldwide.

We discuss the transition from the corporate world to Jewish nonprofits, how to best pivot in moments of crisis, and the shared responsibilities of the Jewish people.

Follow Just For This on Instagram: @justforthispodcast

Welcome back to Just For This. 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 guest this week is Mandana Dayani, a lawyer and founder of I am a voter, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to increase voter turnout and registration. Since October 7, 2023, she turned her attention and advocacy toward fighting antisemitism. More recently, Dayani was appointed by President Biden to serve on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council Board of Trustees.

We talk about the gender implications of imposter syndrome, personal connections to the current conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran, and the importance of centering those with lived experiences in any conflict.

Follow Just For This on Instagram: @justforthispodcast

Welcome back to Just For This. 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 guest this week is Naomi Firestone-Teeter, CEO of the Jewish Book Council. Each year the council reaches 900,000 readers while celebrating books that reflect the diversity and richness of Jewish experience.

We discuss how books create meaning, prominent authors who help shape leadership journeys, and the importance of uplifting Jewish authors in this moment.

Follow Just For This on Instagram: @justforthispodcast

Welcome back to Just For This. 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 guest this week is Rabbi Arielle Stein. She currently serves as Assistant Rabbi at Congregation Rodeph Sholom in New York City. Together with Rabbi Rafi Ellenson, Stein started the Instagram account @rabbinicfitcheck — a style diary for the rabbinate and beyond.

We discuss the transformation of what a rabbi looks like over time, the integration of arts into Judaism, and how fashion brings levity into everyday life.

Make sure to follow @rabbiariellestein and @rabbinicfitcheck, in addition to @justforthispodcast on Instagram.

Welcome back to Just For This. 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 guest this week is Naomi Azrieli, Chair and former CEO of the Azrieli Foundation, the largest non-corporate public foundation in Canada. In her work, she leads initiatives in education, scientific research, caregiving, Holocaust education, community resilience, and social impact.

This conversation was recorded live at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto, ON earlier this season when Rabbi Hirsch had the privilege of joining the congregation as a scholar-in-residence.

We discuss the power of personal connections in philanthropy and how to lead through a lens of shared humanity.

Follow Just For This on Instagram: @justforthispodcast

Welcome back to Just For This. 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 guest this week is Rev. Stephanie Kendell, the first female Senior Minister and President of the historic National City Christian Church and Foundation in Washington, DC. Last year, Rev. Kendell and Rabbi Hirsch led an interfaith vigil in support of immigrants, refugees, and houses of faith.

We talk about what it means to love your neighbor, showing up for one another as a person of faith, and how the story of Esther transcends religion.

Just For This will be off next week for the observance of Passover. Make sure to catch up on more just for this moments when we return after the holiday.

Follow Just For This on Instagram: @justforthispodcast

Welcome back to Just For This. 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 guest this week is Yifat Bitton, president of Achva Academic College of Education and Science and cofounder and chair of Tmura, the Israeli Center for Equality. Most recently, she led a team researching sex- and gender-based violence committed by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

We discuss the importance of believing women, the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war, and the mental health needs in Israeli society today.

Follow Just For This on Instagram: @justforthispodcast

Welcome back to Just For This. 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 guest this week is Leah Donnella, editor of NPR's Code Switch — a podcast, blog, and newsletter that explores race and how it shapes every part of society.

We talk about how identity shapes peoples' lives, how to speak truth to power through a Jewish lens, and how to see joy as resistance.

Follow Just For This on Instagram: @justforthispodcast

Welcome back to Just For This. 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 guest this week is Mimi Kravetz, the Chief Impact & Growth Officer at the Jewish Federations of North America. We talk about the Surge, a term coined in JFNA national surveys that describes an uptick in Jewish engagement across the United States post-October 7, 2023. Many people indicated that they centered their Jewish identities for the first time within their communities or for those already involved they increased engagement in Jewish life.

We discuss what it means to feel deeply Jewish and unpack the debates about the Zionism gap in our Jewish communities.

Follow Just For This on Instagram: @justforthispodcast

Welcome back, Just For This listeners! 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 season 5 opener is Rabbi Jill Avrin. She serves as the Director of Campus Affairs for the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas. Her position was created following October 7, 2023, to help combat the rise of antisemitism on college campuses. She recently led several interfaith gatherings and protests in response to the surge of ICE raids in the Minneapolis area.

We discuss the importance of dialogue within contentious topics, how to approach abuses of power, and why we continue peaceful protests when engaged in advocacy.

Follow Just For This on Instagram: @justforthispodcast