Talking in Shul

This month we’re talking to Hila Ratzabi, a writer and editor based in Israel, about Etty Hillesum, a Jewish writer, academic and diarist who lived in Amsterdam during World War II, and was killed in a concentration camp. For our second segment we’re talking about cleaning for Passover.  So for our first topic we’re joined by Hila Ratzabi, managing editor of Ritualwell, joining us from Israel to speak with us about Etty Hillesum. Etty...

On this bonus mini episode, we discuss how the Coronavirus has affected us personally. We also chat about our plans for Pesach in light of social distancing and Zoom...

This month we talked to Rabbanit Dasi Fruchter, the leader of a new Modern Orthodox shul in Philadelphia called The South Philadelphia Shtiebel. And for our second topic we’re talking about Debbie Friedman, her impact on Jewish music, and on us personally, on the occasion of her ninth yahrzeit. Dasi Fruchter South Philly’s historic Jewish community is growing. She opened a new synagogue to serve it. By Oren Oppenheim in the...

This month our first topic is Beyond the Pale, a recent episode of the TV show Finding Your Roots. And for our second topic, we’re talking about our favorite verses from tanakh and Jewish aphorisms. Beyond the Pale Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr is  show on PBS in which various celebrities learn about their ancestors from Books of Life, assembled by geneaologists and researchers, and hosted by historian Dr. Henry Louis...

This month our first topic is Honeycake, a new Jewish magazine for kids. And for our second segment we are taking about God. Why isn’t God the topic of more Jewish conversation? And how do we talk about God in our Jewish communities? Endorsements Zahava endorses the poem “Questions About Angels,” by Billy Collins. Mimi endorses making your own candles for a cozy winter.  Tamar endorses  Alma’s Hanukkah Movie Pitch Challenge and the...

This month our first topic is Covered Up, a documentary about wearing a wig by director Rachel Elitzur. For our second segment we’re talking about a recent episode of This American Life that featured a segment about the Chabad community in Crown Heights in a not so flattering way.  Covered Up Covered Up trailer:  The difficult Jewish compromise by Hana Henrik Fafner in Modern Times.  Rachel Elitzur on facebook, instagram, and twitter....