The Wandering Jew Studio

In this episode, I chat about my dislike for the Nice Jewish Girl and Nice Jewish Boy stereotype. Having these labels so present in Jewish culture creates a lot of negative impacts both on the personal level and communal level. The aspirational NJB or NJG title is a little arbitrary, can be used as a cover-up for unethical morals, and puts people on an unnecessary pedestal. We also celebrate a whole year of “That’s so Kvetch!” episodes (the anniversary was November 15)! with a reflection on what I’ve learned over the year, both in dating and in life - most importantly, to never compromise yourself in dating. :) Cheers to an uplifting episode!

(0:00-12:06) NJG and NJB stereotype

(12:06-13:19) How to combat the stereotype

(13:19-19:43 ) Lessons I’ve learned about dating and torah

(19:43-20:34 ) Lessons about “everything in between”

(20:34-22:11 ) Is it good to be a romantic?

(22:11-end ) The things I’m still learning!

In this episode, I chat with the amazing Yael Brodsky Levine, Beis Community leader who works in storm recovery and mitigating future natural disasters. Yael is passionate about environmental causes and Jewish feminism - what a great combo! Join us as we talk about the history of the Beis Community, what it’s like teaching kallah classes, marriage privilege in society, and how to combat climate change.

The Beis Community is an intentional Jewish community that provides a spiritual home where all are welcome and celebrated, and transcends expectations of routine Orthodoxy. Currently, the Beis offers safe distanced prayer options, meals in the park (it’s not too cold yet!), and a friendly chevra. Follow us on Facebook!

(0:00 - 12:00)- About Yael’s career in storm recovery

(14:00 -27:07 )- The history and values of the Beis Community

(27:07 - 34:26) The Stigma of the “rebbetzin” title and marriage privilege

(34:26 - 41:45) Teaching Kallah classes

(41:45 - end) My Jewish role model and lessons I’ve learned

In this episode I chat with Alan Avitan, Upper-West Sider from Cleveland and social media marketer. Three years ago, after he was mentioned on a JSwipe article as one of "The 42 Most Popular Men On JSwipe", Alan started his own dating consultation business, called The Right Swipe. We talk about how dating has changed for us both in the pandemic and how we plan to navigate the colder winter months. Then, Alan shares some awesome zoom and in-person date ideas. This positive and inspiring episode will surely uplift you! Happy listening!

About Alan and The Right Swipe

(00:00-11:37)

Struggles of Zoom dating

(11:37-19:03)

Roasting my Hinge profile

(19:03-29:46)

How to Date in Covid Winter

(29:46-34:45)

Covid winter zoom and in-person date ideas

(34:45-end)

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Bat Sheva Marcus, a certified sex therapist and the Clinical Director of Maze Women’s Sexual Health, host of the podcast “Joy of Text”, and amazing woman! We start off with discussing her journey to becoming a sex therapist and where her mind was at in her 20's. Then, we go on to discuss masterbation and how the role halacha plays in having a healthy sex life. Next up- we discuss sex education in Jewish environments, and how sexual guilt and shame impacts all people, not just religious Jews. Lastly, we touch on (no pun intended) the topics of shomer negiah and sexual guilt, and the nuances within both. Happy listening!

Why Dr. Batsheva became a sex therapist (0:00-9:35)

Masterbation and halachic premise behind it (9:35-15:00)

Being open with your kids about sex (15:00-24:00)

When should girls start masterbating? (24:00-31:35)

Shomer negiah and sexual compatibility(31:35-40:00)

Sex education and nature versus nurture (40:00-end)

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!