How does prayer connect us to one another when we’re divided by belief, distance, or time?

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Learn more about Deborah's forthcoming album, Songs from the Beit Midrash, coming February 2026.

What happens when the Israel of our prayers looks different from the Israel of our headlines? In this episode of Thoughts & Prayers, host Jessica Fisher explores how the creation of a Jewish state has transformed Jewish prayer, and how prayer shapes Israeli life. Through stories and reflections from Na’ama Levitz Applbaum, Tamar Elad-Appelbaum, Tomer Persico, and Akiva Mattenson, the episode asks how prayer might bridge instead of fracture Israeli society and help us glimpse the Jerusalem of our dreams within the Israel of today.

Episode Companion Guide

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What does it mean to say “God bless America” — and who are we praying to when we do? In this episode of Thoughts & Prayers, host Jessica Fisher examines how Jewish prayer and American politics intertwine, from the synagogue’s prayer for the government to benedictions on the national stage. Featuring Elie Weinstock, Annie Lewis, Lauren Holtzblatt, and Akiva Mattenson, the episode asks how prayer relates to political power and whether faith can enhance our public life without being consumed by it.

Episode Companion Guide

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This episode of Thoughts & Prayers features music from Eliana Light of The Light Lab Podcast: Prayer & Liturgy, Illuminated.

How do we balance our individual spiritual needs with our responsibilities to community? In this episode of Thoughts & Prayers, host Jessica Fisher

Episode Companion Guide

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In the first episode of Thoughts & Prayers, host Jessica Fisher explores one of the oldest and most unsettling questions in Jewish life: Does prayer work? Through deeply personal reflection and conversation with Sara Labaton, Josh Warshawsky, and Akiva Mattenson, the episode traces how ancient mystics, modern rationalists, and everyday seekers wrestle with the

Episode Companion Guide

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Uncover the complexity, beauty, and struggle at the heart of Jewish prayer in Thoughts & Prayers, a new limited podcast series from the Shalom Hartman Institute. The series invites listeners into a deep exploration of the relationship between religion and modernity through the lens of Jewish prayer. In each episode, host Jessica Fisher weaves together personal stories, classical texts, and conversations with leading rabbis, scholars, and educators to inspire new connections to Jewish prayer in a changing world.