Shalom, y’all, and welcome to the first episode of The Bluegrass Schmooze! This one’s a doozy, because we decided to launch a new podcast during Tishrei, or the Jewish Holiday Super Bowl. Deep dive with us into all the events happening This Month in Judaism… from the first lit candle of Erev Rosh Hashanah, all the way through until that long Torah scroll is unfurled on Simchat Torah. (For our non-Jewish listeners, this segment will also explain why your Jewish friends are so hard to book happy hour with this time of year.) Then we’ll welcome special guests Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and “mayor for life” Jerry Abramson, who reflect on how their Judaism influences their leadership, and share their hopes for the city in the new year.

"The Bluegrass Schmooze" gets support from the Jewish Heritage Fund, the Eye Care Institute's Butchertown Clinical Trials and the members of Louisville Public Media. Learn more about the show and subscribe for free at bluegrassschmooze.org.

When Shani Abramowitz and Ben Freed took their first jobs as rabbis in Lexington and Louisville, they got one question from their classmates and friends: There are Jews in Kentucky? The short answer is yes! The long answer is right here, in your podcast feed. Every month, you'll hear a deep dive into upcoming holidays and their meanings, catch up on current events that impact the Jewish community, and kibbitz with a Jewish Kentuckian who has a great story. And each episode wraps up with a L'Chaim of the Month — a toast to a person or group making our world a better place (bourbon in a kosher dill jar optional... but strongly encouraged). Zei gezunt, y'all!