Batya Sperling Milner’s recent bat mitzvah was groundbreaking; it was the first held in an Orthodox synagogue in which the Torah portion was chanted from braille. In this episode of Can We Talk?, Batya talks about the highlights of her bat mitzvah and her mother, Aliza Sperling, discusses her groundbreaking scholarship on blind people reading Torah within the bounds of Jewish law. We talk about the first ever braille trope system—one created especially for Batya. Batya describes her love of Torah, her commitment to Jewish law, and her desire to be recognized for who she is, rather than defined by a disability.

Episode 28: The Torah at Her Fingertips

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Dr. Mollie Wallick didn't set out to be a gay rights activist; she stumbled into the role in 1983, when she was a guidance counselor at Louisiana State University’s medical school in New Orleans. In this episode of Can We Talk?, you’ll hear excerpts from Mollie’s 2005 interview for the “Women Who Dared” oral history project. As we kick off Pride Month, Mollie’s story reminds us how much has changed in just a few decades—language, attitudes, and policies. And it offers a glimpse of what it was like to be an advocate for gay students at a time when their school, and society in general, offered few resources and many obstacles. You can find Can We Talk? on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. We're also now on YouTube! Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a new episode! Love Can We Talk? Please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. You can also drop us a line and let us know what you think or suggest ideas for future episodes. We just might read your email on the air! Want even more Can We Talk?  Sign up for our monthly newsletter at jwa.org/signup

Episode 112: Oral History Showcase: Mollie's Fight for Gay Rights

Segun el tiempo, se abolta la vela. That’s a Ladino saying that means, “According to the weather, shift your sail.” And it's an apt way of describing Ladino's recent comeback. Ladino—or Judeo-Spanish—the language spoken by Sephardic Jews in Turkey, Greece and North Africa, saw a major decline after the Holocaust destroyed communities of native speakers. But like a sailboat shifting course when the wind changes direction, Ladino has adapted to the times. In this episode of Can We Talk, you’ll hear how from Naomi Spector and Nesi Altaras, two Ladino enthusiasts, and from Hannah Pressman, one of the people spearheading Ladino’s resurgence.  Additional resources: The American Ladino League Ladinokomunita (online Ladino discussion group)Documenting Judeo-Spanish (solitreo documents and reading guide) Ladino Linguist (Bryan Kirschen)Hannah S. Pressman (selected writing) Enkontros de Alhad (weekly Ladino talk show) You can find Can We Talk? on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. We're also now on YouTube! Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a new episode! Love Can We Talk? Please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. You can also drop us a line and let us know what you think or suggest ideas for future episodes. We just might read your email on the air! Want even more Can We Talk?  Sign up for our monthly newsletter at jwa.org/signup

Episode 111: Ladino Makes a Comeback

Lenora LaMarche, better known as Leni, was born in 1921 in the Sephardic Jewish community in Seattle, Washington, after her parents moved there from Rhodes, looking for better economic opportunities. She grew up speaking Ladino, and for over 30 years, she wrote a Ladino column in her synagogue newspaper called "Bavajadas de Ben Adam"—people’s foolish little words. In this episode of Can We Talk?, you’ll hear excerpts from an interview she did in 2001 for the “Weaving Women’s Words '' oral history project, in which she reflects on her Sephardic heritage and peppers her stories with colorful Ladino words and sayings. Her testimony is one of hundreds in JWA’s Tanner Oral History Collection. You can find Can We Talk? on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We're also now on YouTube! Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a new episode. Love Can We Talk? Please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You can also drop us a line at https://jwa.org/contact/Podcasts and let us know what you think or suggest ideas for future episodes. We just might read your email on the air!

Episode 110: Oral History Showcase: Leni's Ladino Legacy

When Ronya Schwaab was a young girl, the highlight of her year was preparing for Pesach—the snow was melting, and she got to help bake matzos. Ronya was born in 1909 in Belarus. She grew up amidst the violence and antisemitism of World War I and the Russian Revolution, and immigrated to America as a teenager. As an adult, Ronya devoted her life to helping other Jews escape from the Soviet Union. In this episode of Can We Talk?, you’ll hear excerpts from an interview she did in 1997 for the “Women Whose Lives Span the Century'' oral history project, a partnership between JWA and Temple Israel of Boston. Her testimony is one of hundreds in JWA’s Tanner Oral History Collection.  You can find Can We Talk? on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We're also now on YouTube! Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a new episode. Love Can We Talk? Please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You can also drop us a line at https://jwa.org/contact/Podcasts and let us know what you think or suggest ideas for future episodes. We just might read your email on the air!

Episode 109: Oral History Showcase: Ronya's Liberation Story

A lot of people love klezmer music and know that it made a big comeback a few decades ago. But not a lot of people know that the klezmer revival of the '70s and '80s was connected to queer Jewish liberation. In this episode of Can We Talk?, we’ll hear about how queer activism fits into the klezmer revival story from Eve Sicular, the drummer and leader of the all-female klezmer sextet Isle of Klezbos. And of course, we’ll hear some great klezmer. You can find Can We Talk? on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We're also now on YouTube! Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a new episode. Love Can We Talk? Please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You can also drop us a line at https://jwa.org/contact/Podcasts and let us know what you think or suggest ideas for future episodes. We just might read your email on the air!

Episode 28: The Torah at Her Fingertips

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