The Wandering Jew Studio

In this episode, I chat with a kindred spirit, another Rebecca artist. Rebecca Pliner shares about her art business illustrating treasured recipes for friends and family. Then we talk about how to stay motivated when you are discouraged. We talk about the ups and the downs of creating and selling your art. I also share more about the behind-the-scenes of writing my graphic novel. We end off with a discussion about the importance of treating yourself like an artist, creating a spot where you create your art, and making it cute! I really appreciated Rebecca's candidness and honesty in this episode, and it was definitely the pep talk I needed. I hope you enjoy this slightly chaotic, chatty, and hopeful episode.

Rebecca Pliner is an artist based in Rehovot, Israel. With a background in fashion design and professional pastry, she now creates watercolor, acrylic, and ink artwork inspired by design, color, calligraphy, and her Jewish heritage. She is the creator of The Illustrated Recipe Project, transforming treasured family recipes into meaningful heirloom artwork that preserves stories, memories, and traditions for future generations.

Learn more about Rebecca's work at www.rebeccaplinerart.com or follow her on instagram @theillustratedrecipe.

Episode Chapters

0:00–14:27 — The Illustrated Recipe Project

14:27–20:00 — How to Stay Motivated

20:00–29:00— Making Time for Your Art & Writing a Graphic Novel

29:00–34:00 — Fulfilling Your Art Mission & the Divine Experience of Creating Art

34:00 - end - More Art Chatting and Conclusion

In this episode, I chat with a fellow Jerusalem artist, Moshe Shamah of Studio Shamah, about his concept of the Coming Jewish Renaissance! What is it? How have things changed for Jewish artists after October 7th? And what can we do to build a better future? We discuss the divide between diaspora and Israeli Jews and how art can help create a bridge. Moshe shares with us how he imagines the resurgence of support for Jewish art should unfold and then get into a conversation about the current state of Hasbarah, anti-semitism, and what Jewish art can do for the world. I really enjoyed zooming out with Moshe thinking deeply about the role of Jewish artists and our responsibility to authentically create. I hope you enjoy this inspiring episode!

Moshe’s Bio: Moshe Shamah is a Jerusalem-based multidisciplinary artist and Jewish educator working in mixed-media collage. His work aims to capture the convergence of old and new, mythology and futurism, and the synchronized timeline of human experience and expression. Bridging the gap between mixed-media collage and calligraphy, and more broadly, the art of words, Shamah aims to stimulate dialogue across cultures and thought traditions. Shamah earned his degree from Rutgers University while simultaneously sharing an art studio on campus. His solo exhibitions have been featured in Israel, Serbia and the United States.

Learn more about Moshe's work at www.studioshamah.com or follow him on Instagram @art_of_shamah.

Welcome to the Wandering Jew Studio, a podcast hosted by Rebecca Kerzner where we have meaningful conversations with Jewish artists about their art and how they found their courage to create. 

In this episode, I chat with  David Ratz, fine artist from New York, now living in Tel Aviv, about combatting self doubt and the negative voices in our minds. Why would you try if you’re told you are not good? At just 15, David’s teacher told him not to draw and it stopped him for 10 years! Thankfully, he got back into it, and now we got to sit and talk to David about how he got his courage to create. We explore questions like: What is the point of the art process? For whom are we creating the art? And what purpose does it serve?

You can find David’s work at his website at https://www.davidratzart.com/ or follow him on Instagram at @dratz95. 

Thanks for listening! And If you are a Jewish artist or creator, or there’s someone you’d love to hear on the podcast, reach out to me at [email protected]

In this episode, I share some recent life updates, from living on a moshav, to writing songs and new book ideas, to post war adventures in Israel. It’s a bit of a mixed bag episode! The main highlight? My recent adventures volunteering in a food forest. There, I learned to compost trees, use a lawnmower and wheelbarrow, bake bread with rosemary and za’atar leaves, and meditate about bugs and roots and nature metaphors. It’s really taught me the art of slowing down. I also talk about creative flow lately and some new exciting projects on the horizon.

Then I finish off with a rant on AI’s impact on my field of marketing and a comparison of city and village life. AI is supposed to make things easier, but it also somehow makes things a little more stressful at the same time. I hope this chatty episode inspires you to try new things and go out of your comfort zone. You might just learn something new about yourself.

(0:00-9:27) - Intro and recent art wins

(9:27-24:45) - adventures of living in an eco-community in a food forest!

(24:45 -25:42) Integrating more nature in my city life

(25:42 -31:20) New creative projects unfolding!

(31:20-end ) Rant on AI’s impact on marketing +comparing city and village life

Hey everyone, welcome back to The Wandering Jew!

Fellow creatives, this episode is for you. After a hiatus, I am excited to return to this platform so that I can share more about my journey to building up my illustration career. I start with talking about the war going on in Israel and segued into 5 things I’ve learned so far in this journey, from how to stay structured, dealing with discomfort, lack of certainty and believing in myself. It’s a rocky journey, but it has been interesting, fruitful, and fun too! I end with talking about how my spiritual connection to God has developed during this war and finding meaning during difficult times. I hope you enjoy this episode.

(0:00 -3:40): Intro and a brief history of the podcast 

(3:40-(8:48): War life in Israel and resilience

(8:48-13:40): Why I’ve decided try to become a freelancer

(13:40-27:40): 5 things I’ve learned so far

(27:40-end): Leaning into religion during war time and blessing

Recorded back in May before the war with Iran**

In this episode, I chat with my dear friend Racheli about self-growth. We start off talking about how she grew into herself, how we became friends, and comparing the version she was to the person she is now. We get into moving to Israel during corona times, transitioning from her introvert era to her adventurous era, and babbling about summer plans, sewing mitpachats, diabetes summaries, and all the unique Racheli things that make her who she is. We talk summer bucket lists, the challenge of letting go of control, making meaning out of ritual and what brings joy even if you don’t love the source of the tradition. There’s a political tangent about what it feels like to live through conflict and how we each deal with it in our own way.

(0:00 – 6:52) Intro and chit chat

(6:52 – 12:00) What did Racheli learn about herself before she moved?

(12:00 – 16:30) Summer plans babble

(16:30 – 30:00) Reflections on living through a war in Israel

(36:00 – end) Growth in her 20s and making meaning out of rituals

Future Olim - this one’s for you. In this episode, I sit down with one of my oldest friends in Israel, Alex Porcelain, to talk about what it’s really like to move here and start over. We cover everything from navigating grocery stores, Hebrew mistakes, navigating bureaucracy, and that moment when Israel starts to feel like home. We both reflect on how you don’t need to change who you are to live here, you just need to try. We talk about belonging, missing home, friends who are thinking about making Aliyah, and why we wish more people would take the leap. It’s not impossible. Eventually, you just… live here. We end with some hot takes and a little Porcedawg TikTok magic, of course.

(0:00–3:38) – Intro

(3:38–12:40) – The early stages of Aliyah: excitement, confusion, and first impressions

(12:40–16:11) – Feeling Israeli and the journey of learning Hebrew

(16:11–26:00) – Honest advice for acclimating to Israeli life

(26:00–32:00) – Bureaucracy, more Hebrew, and learning to navigate the system

(32:00–40:00) – Being far from home and watching friends make the leap

(40:00–end) – Alex's TikTok journey

In this episode, I chat with my coworker and first Israeli guest on the podcast, Shira Sa’ar! We talk about identity, culture, and the realities of life in Israel. We discuss the different Jewish subcultures in Israel, from Mizrahi to Ashkenazi, and compare them to Jewish communities in the U.S. Then we get into Shira's perspective on political correctness, stereotypes, and why Israeli discourse often leaves little room for complexity. Then, we finish off with a fun game comparing Israeli and American words and Yiddish slang!

 0:00 - 7:22 | Shira’s army service and upbringing

 8:40 - 14:22 | Jewish subcultures in America vs. Israel

 14:22 - 20:00 | Stereotypes, racism, and social divisions in Israel

 20:00 - 25:30 | The role of nuance and complexity in Israeli discourse

 25:30 - 32:39 | Dating norms, meeting the parents, and cultural expectations

 32:39 - End | Israeli vs. American slang + Yiddish quiz

In this episode, I chat with Abby Yucht—fellow immigrant, poet, and case manager with a masters in social work. We dive into the question: Do artists have to be dramatic, or does drama just come with the territory? We explore the role of art in life’s chaos, creating street poems, and what it means to be an artist during difficult times.

Our conversation weaves together a full  world—bouncing between getting poetry published, the magic of Jerusalem, and the ever-evolving experience of Aliyah. We dive into reverse culture shock, and how place shapes personality, while laughing about cultural differences, and using our American-ness for good.

(0:00) – Intro

(4:50 - 9:54) – Abby’s creative journey: from a cappella to poetry

(9:54 - 17:40) – What does it mean to be an artist? + Poetry talk

(17:30 - 20:00) – Art after October 7th

(20:00 - 30:06) – Publishing poetry + Abby shares “Jerusalem Scenes” poem

(30:06 - 39:48) – How Aliyah changed Abby’s perspective

(40:00 - end) – Advice to her younger self

In this episode, I chat with Jude Bronstein, a disability advocate and fellow olah. We discuss what their life is like dealing with having cerebral palsy, how to be a disabilities advocate and owning your struggles without pushing yourself too hard. Jude shares how to learn to accept your different states of mind rather than resist them.

I hope you appreciate this real, down-to-earth and honest episode. 

Follow Jude’s work at disabledreamer.com or on Instagram @disabledreamer.

(0:00-4:00) - Jude is a long time podcast listener!

(4:00-15:00) - Cerebral Palsy and writing as a coping mechanism

(15:00-26:51) - Being a disability advocate

(26:51-35:00) - How to build a positive mindset during difficult times

(35:00-38:00) - IFS theories

(38:00-end) - Advice for getting through hard times