For many of us, a Yiddish phrase or word reminds us of parents and grandparents who may have not been Yiddish speakers but held on to a taste of Yiddish that they inherited from their own parents and grandparents. Even when visiting Warsaw – what was the largest Yiddish-speaking city in the world before 1939 – Yiddish is no longer the language of the streets and markets, synagogues and theaters. Yet, Yiddish is more than nostalgia. It was the linguistic home that generations of Eastern European Jews inhabited. We’ll take a deep dive and look at the place of Yiddish in the dreams and fears, the triumphs and defeats of a Jewish civilization now gone… But is it?

Links for Additional Reading

Yiddish Civilisation: The Rise and Fall of a Forgotten Nation, Paul Kriwaczek

Learn Popular Yiddish Words with Amy Walker!

Yiddish is Making a Comeback, Robin Estrin, All Things Considered, NPR, 22 April 2025

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The story of Qumran – on the Dead Sea Shore – reveals a still unraveled historic riddle about the meanings of one of most important archaeological treasures discovered in the 20th century. In a unforgiving landscape, Qumran reveals the story of the Dead Sea Sect and their expansive hidden library. Join us to venture into the caves and between the dry riverbeds to explore the world of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the community who collected and wrote them. The first Reform Jews? The first kibbutznikim? Join us to find out.

Links for Additional Reading

Why Are the Dead Sea Scrolls Important With Dr. Jodi Magnes 

Led Astray By a Dead Sea Latrine, The Forward, 16 February 2007

The Shrine of the Book, The Digital Dead Sea Scrolls

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The beautiful city of Toledo – perched on the hills above the Tagus River – was once home to a thriving Jewish community. However for the past 532 years – since 1492 – Jewish children do not run home to the Jewish Quarter, and shabbat hymns do not ring through the streets on Friday evenings. When we visit Toledo, we need conjure through our stories the lives that once were. In this episode, we will visit the synagogues of Toledo – no longer in the hands of a Jewish community – recall the glory that was… as well as the meanings of ownership and remembering.

Links for Additional Reading

Toledo: The Cultural Guide to Europe, JGuideEurope 

The Many Lives of the Synagogue El Transito, National Library of Israel 

Córdoba and Toledo: The Last Synagogues of Sepharad, SLICE

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Seafaring and piracy are not the first associations that come to mind when we think of the Jews. In this episode, we will travel the Great Sea – the Mediterranean – in search of Jews who had salt water in their blood. We will sail from ancient Israel to the Middle Ages – and even revisit the question often asked – Columbus? Funny, he does not look Jewish!

Links for Additional Reading 

The Great Sea, David Abulafia – a Book Review (The Guardian, May 1, 2012)

Jewish Pirates of the Mediterranean, Yaakov Landman (Kankan, April 3, 2020)

Columbus and the Jews, Jonathan Sarna (Commentary, November 1992)

Fado with Lior Hochberg – A Spotify Playlist mentioned in Something for the Road

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Who doesn’t love an Indiana Jones flick? The excitement of the search for treasure, the trepidation before the unknown, and encounter with long-buried stories. At Tel Maresha and Beit Guvrin – UNESCO World Heritage Sites – we will uncover the underground city and its caves, tunnels, and chambers – and share the stories of the archeological excavations and the Dig for a Day program. Join us for an adventure above and below ground… and bring your fedora. And this time – we will host a special guest – Dr. Ian Stern of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Haifa University – the archeologist responsible for the excavation and one of the founders of the Dig for a Day program.

Links for Additional Reading

A Dig Full of Holes, Sara Jo Ben Zvi (Segula – The Jewish History Magazine, September 2023) 

Beit Guvrin National Park Israel Nature and Parks Authority 

Israel Museum Receives Stone 'Letter,’ Etgar Lefkovits (The Jerusalem Post, May 7, 2007)

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High in the Portuguese mountains lies the small, inconspicuous village of Belmonte. At first glance, Belmonte possesses the local charm of many of the villages of the Senhora da Esperança range. However, the village possesses a secret dating back nearly half a millennia – a Jewish community that went underground during the Spanish and Portuguese expulsions and inquisitions – and held onto their Jewish core for centuries. Discover Belmonte and this little-known story of steadfast Jewish resistance.

Links for Additional Reading

Portugal, Echoes of a Jewish Past

Belmonte: A Reporter Revisits An Anusim Community

The Converso History

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Israel has become known internationally as the ‘start-up nation’ – one of the most successful international hi-tech hubs. The Ayalon Institute – just outside of Rehovot – may have possessed the world’s only start-up laundry – an underground factory designed to produce the crucial bullets needed by the pre-state and early Israel to fight the 1948 War of Independence. How do you keep such an operation a secret? How did the Ayalon Institute reflect something about the ethos of pre-state Israel? And does some of that same ethos survive today?

Links for Additional Reading

The Ayalon Institute: The Secret Facility Hidden Under a Kibbutz Laundry

Why Did American Jews Smuggle Guns Into Palestine?

Israel’s Defense Industries: From Clandestine Workshops to Global Giants

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Wine in Judaism isn’t just a drink—it’s a ritual, a symbol, and a story poured into every glass. From the vineyards of ancient Israel to today’s award-winning boutique wineries, wine has played a sacred and celebratory role in Jewish life for millennia. But how did Israel go from kiddush wine to world-class vintages? And what makes Israeli wine so special? Grab a glass as we explore the past, present, and future of Jewish wine culture. L'Chaim.

Additional reading:

https://www.jpost.com/jewish-world/judaism/the-value-of-wine

https://www.sefaria.org.il/sheets/601017?lang=bi

https://www.timeout.com/israel/things-to-do/the-israeli-wine-list

https://www.ice.edu/blog/wines-of-israel

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The planet Earth may not be able to support the billions who call it home. Even in the wealthiest countries, too many people are hungry. We zoom in on the Jewish experience of issues connected with food justice – from the days of the Bible and before, to modern Israeli food innovation, and including the non-profits striving to provide those in need with that most basic of rights – the right to go to sleep and wake up without hunger. Our special guest today is Joseph Gitler, the founder of Leket – a leading NGO aspiring to implement Jewish values around food access towards a healthier society in body and soul.

Links for Additional Reading (And Ways For You To Help…)

Latet - Combating poverty and food insecurity in Israel

Leket Israel - Rescuing nutritious surplus food for those in need

Pantry Packers - Providing nutritional support to Israel's neediest families

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Tel Aviv is sometimes described as just another city with no story to call its own. Today we will pull back the curtain to share the many stories and the foundational narratives that Tel Aviv told about itself through the years and the connections between story and symbol and urban planning, architecture, and design. Whether you want to call it ‘The White City’ or ‘The Big Orange’ or ‘The City That Never Stops’ – join us for a behind the scenes look at Tel Aviv and its celebration of the Zionist new normal.

Links for Additional Reading:

How Did Tel Aviv Become a Beacon For Stunning Bauhaus Architecture? Elizabeth Warkentin, Architecture + Design, 25 September 2019,

The Mythography of Tel Aviv, Maoz Azaryahu and Jonathan Silver. Mosaic, 17 November 20222

Tel Aviv: Israel's Cultural and Financial Capital, History of Israel Explained, Unpacked

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