In this episode, I chat with Gavi from @eatingaroundIsrael on Instagram - food tour guide and Jewish queer activist on Instagram! Gavi’s journey began in the Five Towns, then to HaKotel for 2 years, then Hesder, and now resides in Tel Aviv! Together, we discuss gender expression, dressing in drag (shout out to Shaindy!), and envisioning the normalization and acceptance of queer people in Jewish Orthodox communities. Then we go into a larger conversation about Judaism’s attitude towards sexuality, advocating for frum women, and understanding the holy mitzvah of the mikveh ritual immersion. Happy listening!

Queer topics and Gavi’s story (0:00-25:12)

Sexuality in Judaism (25:12-32:38)

Advocating for frum women + Is mikveh sexy? (32:28-38:42)

Living your truth and religious hypocrisy (38:42-43:13)

Empathy and acceptance (43:13-end)

In this episode, I chat about the book of Kohelet and breakups! Undoubtedly, break ups are a part of life. But they are utter crap. I talk about some things I’ve learned along the way on how to cope with them. Healing isn’t linear, and it’s okay and good to mourn the loss of a relationship. Then, I talk about the book of Kohelet, which is read on Shemini Atzeret. Kohelet responds to what we need most to remember during the time of a pandemic, when things are hard and different. So many nuggets of wisdom in this one about companionship, gratefulness, Jewish guilt, and more. Then, I share some Torah words from Lord Jonathan Saks on how such a sad book relates to Sukkot, the happiest time of the year. Cheers to an inspiring episode!

Breakups (0:00-13:49)

Intro and Kohelet summary (13:49- 28:25)

Kohelet’s’s relation to joy mini dvar (28:25-end)

In this episode, I chat about changing emotionally, spiritually, and religiously for a partner. This topic is widely contested and feels different for every person across the board. I think it is inevitable that this sometimes happens and people try to please each other at the expense of themselves. Can you spiritually grow with someone? Where do you draw the line and where are your boundaries? I share my struggles with this topic and some of my thoughts on Jewish dating culture. Ultimately, like everything else in life, this is not black and white, and every love story has a chance of working out, no matter how different the two people are! Nevertheless, sometimes we have to go through these tough times to figure out what we truly want and need. 

In this episode, I chat with old friend Basya Hans, content creator at the Jewish Learning Institute. Yay Jewish non-profit world! We begin with a conversation about her ba’al teshuva journey and how we’ve both grown religiously over the years. We touch on the mission of the Chabad movement and valuing accessibility in Judaism. Then we open up to discussing the multi-faceted mitzvah of dressing modestly! Basya and I shared our opinions on the mitzvah and how it manifests for us. Through chatting, we realized our opinions are very different but it was nice and interesting to engage in a dialogue together.

Basya’s Jewish Journey (0:00-11:47)

Intro on Tzniut (11:47-14:45)

Basya’s take on Tzniut (14:45-26:50)

RK recent Tzniut Journey (26:50- 30:15)

Judaism is fluid (30:15- 34:25)

The desire to feel sexy (34:25-36:49)

It’s not all or nothing (36:49- 41:49)

In this episode, I start off by chatting about the origin of this podcast and some unexpected benefits it has had for me! If you want to start a podcast, DO it! Then I dive into the unsettling topic of slut shaming and work through the stories of the wayward wife, Sotah, and of Yakkov’s daughter Dina. These stories seep into our culture today and I discuss how to deal with reconciling the issues they bring up. There’s a lot at play here, from the power of agreement, to mass cultural trends, and the difficulty of breaking embedded norms. Happy listening!

Podcast origin (0:00-8:02)

Sotah (8:02-14:25)

Dinah (14:25-17:12)

How to deal with slut shaming today (17:12-end)

In this episode, I chat with social media guru Jazzie Morgan from @theIsraelBites and Karen Amouyal, old friend from Stern about Aliyah! Jazzie shares how she navigates Israel with Celiac disease, tips on how to be the best chutzpanit, and a recent hilarious date story. Karen recently made Aliyah during the pandemic and sheds light on what her bidud has been like and why Israel is right for her. Happy listening!

In this episode, I chat with Talia Lakritz, senior lifestyle reporter for Insider and writer! We talk about Monologues from the Makom, a groundbreaking collection of poetry and prose designed to break the observant Jewish community’s taboo against open discussion of female sexuality. In her piece, Talia shares her first experience with touch after being shomer negiah for years. We also discuss affirmative consent, the harmful notion of “all men being dogs” we grew up with, sexuality, shomer negiah in practice, and more!

Monologues from the Makom will be released on September 1st and you can pre-order it here: https://benyehudapress.com/books/monologues-from-the-makom/. Follow their Instagram at @mftmakom

In this episode, I chat with Shimmy Feintuch, psychotherapist and fellow Beis Community enthusiast. We discuss the stories we create in our minds when dating, dealing with insecurities, and how to zoom out and see the big picture. He shared some mental health concepts and how to utilize them and some mindfulness techniques. Then, we tackle ways to deal with vulnerability and the most effective ways to relieve ourselves from overthinking. Damn it brain! Let’s face it, we are all messy in our own ways at times and that is ok! What a cathartic episode - thank you Shimmy!

In honor of Tu’ B’Av, I chat with Brinu Chu, close friend, roommate of 2 years, vegan and fellow Jewish feminist. Brina is a professional in the Jewish non-profit world and together, we dive into many topics at the nexus of Judaism and dating: worst date stories, misogyny, how our upbringing in Jewish spaces shaped our attitudes towards shomer negiah, modesty, niddah, Jewish identity, and even Pandemic Patty makes an appearance. Happy listening!

The Aliyah-series is in full swing! In this episode, I chat with Sarah Kirshner, graphic designer and marketer in Nachlaot, and Lielle Barth, a recent graduate from Bar Ilan university who is moving to Baka/Katamon area this week! We talk about a bunch of new topics like the culture of Israeli people, how attachment to the land changes over time, crunchy cucumbers, social life in Israel amidst coronavirus, and how important it is to immerse in the Hebrew language. Plus, what’s the shidduch crisis like in Israel? Happy listening!