In response to a recent Israeli TV series titled ‘She’elah Teshuvah’ where two people, one who was ‘Chozer/et B’Teshuvah’ (i.e. adopted a religious lifestyle having lived a more secular life), and one who was ‘Chozer/et B’She’elah’ (i.e. adopted a more secular lifestyle having lived a more religious life) discuss their personal journeys and motivations which led them to significant personal change, we at RZWeekly decided to explore the themes arising in this fascinating series and especially the question of what prompts people to make religious changes. You can find many of the episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/%D7%A9%D7%90%D7%9C%D7%94_%D7%AA%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%91%D7%94

While it is important to teach our children and students the value of self-care, it is also important to encourage them to strive and to coach them towards excellence. The question we discuss in the latest edition of RZWeekly is what is the right balance between these two, and how do we encourage striving in a healthy way.

In this week's podcast, we reflect on the music of Israeli singer and songwriter Hanan Ben Ari. We talk about what makes him unique, and discuss how his music both reflects and shapes Israeli society. We each pick a song (or three), and explain why its themes speak to us and serve as examples of Hanan Ben Ari’s perspective and talent.

In the latest edition of RZWeekly, Reuven, Mali and Johnny each discuss a book that they are currently reading which leads us to discuss impactful teaching, making discriminating choices, and the value of children reading fantasy novels. We reintroduce our ‘Hebrew word of the week’. And we wrap up by offering our ‘Hamlatzot’.

One of the questions submitted to us as part of our recently conducted RZWeekly survey (you can still give us feedback here - https://forms.gle/cXPC3ku8TyPvFzJ66) concerned making aliyah with older children – which is particularly relevant since many families are soon going to be arriving in Israel to start a new and exciting chapter in their lives. Given this, our latest edition of RZWeekly spoke about the opportunities and challenges of families making Aliyah with older children, and what their parents need to know to understand their needs.

In the latest edition of RZWeekly we discuss Jewish peoplehood, and raise the important but delicate question of how to relate to those who identify with neither their Jewish fate or their Jewish faith.

Two weeks ago we had the chance to meet Rabbanit Shira Mirvis where she spoke about inclusion, access and opportunities for women in her synagogue. In this edition of RZWeekly we took a moment to revisit this topic while considering the challenges many women continue to face in Orthodox synagogues and what needs to be done to make sure that both female and male members of a Kehillah feel welcome.

After a pandemic that has lasted 18 months, and an intense couple of weeks of war, how should parents support their kids and teenagers? How should we support them in terms of their schooling? To what extent has a lack of socialization impacted our youth? If rules in the home have needed to change over the past 18 months (eg. screen time), should we try and restore these rules? How should parents foster spirituality during times of challenge? And what life skills have we, and our kids, learnt over this period?

One month ago, Rabbanit Shira Marili Mirvis made headlines as the first woman to be appointed as the sole spiritual leader of an Orthodox community in Israel. Since then, Rabbanit Shira has been interviewed by various journalists and podcasters, but almost all her interviews have been in Hebrew. In the latest edition of RZWeekly, we had a chance to meet and talk to Rabbanit Shira where she speaks openly about her values, her family, the Shirat Hatamar community in Efrat which she leads, what is and isn’t done in her community, and her vision for the future.

As Israelis continue to suffer from the vicious Hamas rocket attacks, the latest episode of RZWeekly is dedicated to exploring our coping mechanisms. Specifically, what is our happy and calm place during these tense and difficult times? And what brings us joy even as we are aggravated and agitated? Beyond this, how should we respond to the torrent of toxic negativity directed towards Israel on social media? And how should we respond to Jewish organisations in the US who seem to overlook the plight of their Israeli brothers and sisters?