Deatra Cohen and Adam Siegel have explored the world of Jewish medicinal plant healers within the communities of the Pale of Settlement in Eastern Europe, and written a book to share their findings. As trained librarians and linguists, Deatra and Adam were uniquely suited to uncover these practices that lasted from the Middle Ages to the Modern Era, hidden by language barriers and obscure documents. The book is eye-opening and includes the first materia medica of 26 plants and herbs essential to Ashkenazi folk medicine. In this interview, Deatra and Adam discuss their research process, the legacy of Ashkenazi herbalism, and how their experiences as Jews interacted with their work.

EPISODE NOTES

Order "Ashkenazi Herbalism: Rediscovering the Herbal Traditions of Eastern European Jews" from Bookshop.org

Visit the Ashkenazi Herbalism Website

Join the Ashkenazi Herbalism Facebook Group

Follow Ashkenazi Herbalism on Instagram

On Wandering is going on hiatus! To find out what comes next, subscribe to our email list here.

You can follow Clarissa on Twitter and Instagram @ClarissaRMarks

To request a transcript, or just say “hi,” send an email to [email protected]

If you liked this episode try out Embracing Yiddish Language, Theater, Culture, and History, with Rokhl Kafrissen or Jewish New York with Dr. Deborah Dash Moore .

Like the show? Here are three great ways to support!

—Rate On Wandering 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts (this helps folks find us).

—Share On Wandering with a Friend (IRL or via Twitter)

—Buy Me a Coffee. Every contribution, no matter how small, helps create the best show possible.

This episode was produced and presented by Clarissa Marks with music by Gillicuddy.

This episode was recorded on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People past, present, and emerging. As a land-based people in diaspora, we recognize first nations and indigenous people as the stewards of this land from time immemorial. We honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe.

We dig into a topic that has come up in many of the conversations on this podcast: intergenerational trauma. The study of this phenomenon is relatively new, but it’s resonated with many Jews whose ancestors’ survived violence and persecution. To take a closer look at this, Clarissa talks to Jo Kent Katz, a Therapist, Ritualist, and Political Educator. In 2020, Jo launched a website called “Transcending Jewish Trauma” to help Jews unpack and heal from inherited unconscious beliefs and behaviors associated with ancestral trauma. Included on the website is a map that explores the many manifestations of collective trauma experienced by Ashkenazi Jews living in the US.

EPISODE NOTES

On Wandering is going on hiatus!

To find out what comes next, subscribe to our email list here.

Learn more about Jo Kent Katz at jokentkatz.com

Find Jo’s map at transcendingjewishtrauma.com

You can follow Clarissa on Twitter and Instagram @ClarissaRMarks

To request a transcript, or just say “hi,” send an email to [email protected]

If you liked this episode try out “Finding Crypto-Jewish Ancestors w/Researcher and Historian Genie Milgrom,” or “Jewish Ethnicity, Jewish Joy, Mizrahi Culture, and Decolonizing Jewishness, with Yasmine Esther.”

Like the show? Here are three great ways to support!

-Rate On Wandering 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts (this helps folks find us).

-Share On Wandering with a Friend (IRL or via Twitter)

-Buy Me a Coffee. Every contribution, no matter how small, helps create the best show possible.

This episode was produced and presented by Clarissa Marks with music by Gillicuddy.

This episode was recorded on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People past, present and emerging. As a land-based people in diaspora, we recognize first nations and indigenous people as the stewards of this land from time immemorial. We honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe.

Clarissa talks to Yasmine Esther, a community educator, and a Bukharan, Ashkenazi, and Mizrahi Jew. Yasmine’s made it her mission to inform Jews and non-Jews alike about Jewish politics and culture. With over sixteen-thousand followers on Instagram, Yasmine combats misconceptions and erasure of Jewish customs and history. She often shares about overlooked parts of her multifaceted culture including food, clothing, music and jewelry from her Mizrahi and Bukharin background. Yasmine also has black family members, and her educational work incorporates confronting anti-blackness and racism.

EPISODE NOTES

**Announcement**: On Wandering will be on summer break starting in July. New, monthly episodes will resume in the fall.

 Follow Yasmine on Instagram @yasmine.dreamz

Mizrahi

Sephardi

Ashkenazi

Bukharan Jews

Yemenite Children’s Affair

Breaking the Wall

Ashkenormativity

The Problem With the Term ‘Ethnic Jew’

Instagram Responses to “The Problem With the Term ‘Ethnic Jew’”

 You can follow Clarissa on Twitter and Instagram @ClarissaRMarks

To request a transcript, suggest a topic or a guest, or just say “hi,” send an email to [email protected]

If you liked this episode try out “Embracing Yiddish Language, Theater, Culture, and History, with Rokhl Kafrissen” or “Finding Crypto-Jewish Ancestors w/Researcher and Historian Genie Milgrom.”

Like the show? Here are three great ways to support!

·       Rate On Wandering 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts. This helps others find us.

·       Share On Wandering with a Friend (IRL or via Twitter)

·       Buy Me a Coffee. Every contribution, no matter how small, helps create the best show possible.

On Wandering is produced and presented by Clarissa Marks. The intro music for this episode is by Gillicuddy and the outro music by Ketsa.

 The show is recorded on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People past, present and emerging. As a land-based people in diaspora, we recognize first nations and indigenous people as the stewards of this land from time immemorial. We honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe.

Forty years ago, thousands of Jews fled Iran after the Islamic Revolution, settling primarily in Los Angeles. Nicole Nowparvar is a member of that Persian Jewish community. She’s a psychotherapist, and the cofounder of Chaya, a community of intimate gatherings for Jewish Iranians. In this conversation, Clarissa talks with Nicole about how social, familial, and cultural expectations shape the community and the way that Chaya is helping individuals navigate what it means to be Jewish Iranian in the U.S.

EPISODE NOTES

Nicole Nowparvar’s Website

Nicole Nowparvar’s Instagram

Chaya Community

Taarof 

You can follow Clarissa on Twitter and Instagram @ClarissaRMarks

To request a transcript, suggest a topic or a guest, or just say “hi,” send an email to [email protected]

If you liked this episode try out: Embracing Yiddish Language, Theater, Culture, and History, with Rokhl Kafrissen and Hebrew Tattoos w/Artist and Calligrapher Gabriel Wolff

 Like the show? Here are three great ways to support!

·       Rate On Wandering 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts. This helps others find the show!

·       Share On Wandering with a Friend (IRL or via Twitter)

·       Buy Me a Coffee. Every contribution, no matter how small, helps create the best show possible.

 On Wandering is produced and presented by Clarissa Marks.

The intro music for this episode is by Gillicuddy and the outro music by Sound: The Encounter

The show is recorded on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People past, present and emerging. As a land-based people in diaspora, we recognize first nations and indigenous people as the stewards of this land from time immemorial. We honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe.

A Resource List for Israel-Palestine

This list is in no way exhaustive – and we’re open to suggestions. We’ve tried to include resources that are thoughtful and align with the goal of justice and liberation for all people in the region.

You can follow Clarissa on Twitter and Instagram @ClarissaRMarks

To share your thoughts, suggest a topic or a guest, or just say “hi,” send an email to [email protected]

Clarissa talks with Dr. Deborah Dash Moore, a professor of Jewish History, about a city that holds a special place for American Jews and Jewish culture: New York City. They talk about her book “Jewish New York,” how Jews transformed the city of New York, and how the city transformed them.

EPISODE NOTES

 Follow Deborah Dash Moore at https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/deborahdashmoore/

Media Mentioned

·      Jewish New York: The Remarkable Story of a City and a People

·      Deborah’s research on American Jewish Photographers

·      The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization

·      Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: A New York Jewish Story with William Klein, “Macy’s Day Parade Watchers, 1954”

You can follow Clarissa on Twitter and Instagram @ClarissaRMarks

To request a transcript, suggest a topic or a guest, or just say “hi,” send an email to [email protected] 

If you liked this episode try out: Finding Crypto-Jewish Ancestors w/Researcher and Historian Genie Milgrom

Like the show? Here are three great ways to support!

·       Rate On Wandering 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts. This helps others find the show!

·       Share On Wandering with a Friend (IRL or via Twitter)

·       Buy Me a Coffee. Every contribution, no matter how small, helps create the best show possible.

On Wandering is produced and presented by Clarissa Marks.

The intro music for this episode is by Ketsa and the outro music by George Gershwin. 

The show is recorded on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People past, present and emerging. As a land-based people in diaspora, we recognize first nations and indigenous people as the stewards of this land from time immemorial. We honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe.

Clarissa talks with Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg about the influence of the patriarchy on Judaism and how it impacts gender roles in Jewish spaces today. In the early 2000s, Rabbi Kinberg had to act as a whistleblower in a sexual abuse case involving a clergy member. Clarissa asks Rabbi Kinberg about that experience, and her approach to leading tough conversations on gender equality and justice within the larger Jewish community.

Note: This interview was recorded before the outbreak of COVID-19 in the United State.

Click here to find Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg’s Bio, Blog & Contact Info

Organizations Mentioned

Faith Action Network

Hadassah 

The Women's Torah Project

Muslim Association of Puget Sound: MAPS

Kol Ami

Articles Mentioned

“When Reform Leaders Downplay Charges of Rabbis Behaving Badly” (The Forward)

“Twenty-Five Years After the Rebbe’s Passing, Chabad Perpetuates Its Mission to Unite All Jews. Can They Bring Us Together?” (Jewish in Seattle Magazine)

Hebrew Terms Mentioned

Daf Yomi

Mechitzah

You can follow Clarissa on Twitter and Instagram @ClarissaRMarks

The show’s online home is Onwandering.co

If you liked this episode try out: “Feminist and Full of Chutzpah w/Alma Editor Molly Tolsky”

Like the show? Here are three great ways to support!

·       Rate On Wandering 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts. This helps others find us.

·       Share On Wandering with a Friend (IRL or via Twitter)

·       Buy Me a Coffee. Every contribution, no matter how small, helps create the best show possible.

On Wandering is produced and presented by Clarissa Marks, with intro music by Ketsa and outro music by Gillicuddy.

The show is recorded on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People past, present and emerging. As a land-based people in diaspora, we recognize first nations and indigenous people as the stewards of this land from time immemorial. We honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe.

DESCRIPTION

Clarissa talks to journalist and graduate student of philosophy Jesi Taylor Cruz about her paper “The Caged Bird Tweets of Freedom: On the Digital Hypervisibility of Black Jewish life.” They discuss race and racism in the Jewish community, and the ways in which digital spaces, and Black, Jewish Twitter (Jwitter), in particular, has offered Black Jews a way to build community on a global scale.

SHOW NOTES

Follow Jesi Taylor Cruz on Twitter and Instagram

The Caged Bird Tweets of Freedom: On the Digital Hypervisibility of Black Jewish life

#blackshabbat

Rebecca Pierce

Crown Heights Riots

Lemonade

Broad City

Vitiligo

You can follow Clarissa on Twitter and Instagram @ClarissaRMarks

Find the transcript for this show at onwandering.co/episodes

If you liked this episode try out: White Jews & Race w/Dr. Elliot Ratzman

Like the show? Here are three great ways to support!

·      Rate On Wandering 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts. This helps others find the show.

·      Share On Wandering with a Friend (IRL or via Twitter)

·      Buy Me a Coffee. Every contribution, no matter how small, helps create the best show possible.

On Wandering is produced and presented by Clarissa Marks, with intro music by Ketsa and outro music by Gillicuddy.

The show is recorded on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People past, present and emerging. As a land-based people in diaspora, we recognize first nations and indigenous people as the stewards of this land from time immemorial. We honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe.