“The Last Days” & the Pew Survey of Jews in America
For our first segment, we’re talking about The Last Days, a documentary that originally came out in 1998, directed by James Moll, and focuses on the lives of five hungarian Jews who survived the Holocaust. Recently rereleased on Netflix, it got us thinking about Holocaust education, and how it’s changing in a world where there are fewer and fewer Holocaust survivors. For that segment we’re talking to Rachel Libman who is the Manager of Public Programs, at the Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre.
Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre
For our second segment we’re talking about the new Pew survey of Jews in America. What, if anything, are our takeaways?
Jewish Americans in 2020 conducted by the Pew research study.
What it means to be a ‘Jew of No Religion’ — it’s not what you think by Paul Golin in Jweekly
Surveys asking American Jews if they’re religious miss the point by Rachel B. Gross in Jweekly
Endorsements
Mimi endorses reading The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats during a heat wave and two Twitter threads by journalist Alex Zeldin @jewishwonk regarding anti-Semitic harassment. The threads are here and here.
Zahava endorses the “Go Hitler!” chapter of Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah.
Tamar endorses The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan, Simply Julia by Julia Turshen, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw, and the song Our Power by Rena Branson.
Beyond the Synagogue & Shiva Baby
This month we’re talking with Dr. Rachel B. Gross about her new book, Beyond the Synagogue: Jewish nostalgia as religious practice.
And for our second segment we’re talking about Shiva Baby, a new film written and directed by Emma Seligman.
Beyond the Synagogue
We’re joined by Dr. Rachel B. Gross to talk about her new book, Beyond the Synagogue: Jewish nostalgia as religious practice. Rachel is an assistant professor and the John & Marcia Goldman Chair in American Jewish Studies at San Francisco State University.
Talking in Shul listeners get 30% off their copy of Beyond the Synagogue if they buy it through the NYU Press website, using the code GROSS30-FM.
Book Reviews: ‘Beyond the Synagogue’ and ‘Tonight is Already Tomorrow’ by Jesse Bernstein in the Jewish Exponent
Shiva Baby
“Shiva Baby” is a new film written and directed by Emma Seligman. It stars Rachel Sennott as Danielle, a college senior who is making some money by hooking up with Sugar Daddies she meets online. In the film’s opening scene, we see Danielle with a client who gives her money, and talks about how happy he is to help an up and coming entrepreneur like her. Later that day she attends a shiva with her parents, where she runs into her ex-girlfriend Maya, and the client from the first scene, along with his wife and baby daughter. Many scenes of exquisite awkwardness ensue.
‘Shiva Baby’ Review: It’s Complicated by Jason Bailey in the New York Times
Emma Seligman On Her Incredibly Jewy Debut Film ‘Shiva Baby’ by Randi Bergman in alma
Endorsements
Mimi endorses Shabbat Spirit, Vol. 1, a playlist by Rabbi Yosef Goldman.
Zahava endorses watching out for a decision in the Supreme Court case Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, which is described in this SCOTUSblog argument analysis.Tamar endorses The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman, the TV show Couples Therapy on Showtime, and Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder.
Fat Torah & Fake Kosher Foods
This month we’re interviewing Rabbi Minna Bromberg about Fat Torah and their work in fat activism and ending weight stigma in the Jewish community. And for our second segment we’re talking about fake food–by which we mean pareve foods like fake meat, fake cheese, fake ice cream–inspired in part by the passing of David Mintz, the founder of Tofutti.
Fat Torah, Rabbi Dr Minna Bromberg
Rabbi Dr Minna Bromberg is a rabbi, musician, and activist based in Jerusalem and founder of Fat Torah. Fat Torah is dedicated to ending weight stigma in Jewish communal life, supporting the spiritual and religious needs of those engaged in fat activism, and engaging with Jewish tradition to foster “body liberation for people of all sizes.”
@fat_torah on instagram,
Fat Torah on Facebook, and a lively Facebook group
Donate to Fat Torah
Fake Kosher Food
RIP to David Mintz, the P.T. Barnum of Tofu by Hugh Merwin on Grubstreet
David Mintz, who invented Tofutti as a dairy substitute for kosher meals, has died by Gabe Friedman in JTA
Endorsements
Mimi endorses Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant by Roz Chast and does not endorse but would like to discuss Milk Fed by Melissa Broder.
Zahava endorses The Plot: The Secret Story of The Protocols of the Elders of Zionby Will Eisner, and Savage Feastby Boris Fishman
Tamar endorses the Maintenance Phase podcast, The Rabbi Who Prayed with Fire by Rachel Sharona Lewis, and the Kashrut.org pesach list.
Crossing Delancey & Jewish Conspiracy Theories
This month we’re talking about Crossing Delancey, a film that’s new to us, as we honor the memory of Joan Micklin Silver, the director, who recently died. And for our second segment we’re talking about the recent conspiracy theory exposed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, that California forest fires were started by space lasers financed by the Rothschilds.
Crossing Delancey, Joan Micklin Silver
Remembering Joan Micklin Silver and Crossing Delancey by Judy Bolton Fasman for Jewish Boston
Joan Micklin Silver remembered by George Elkind in the Jewish News
Joan Micklin Silver, Director of Crossing Delancey and Hester Street, Dead at 85 by Halle Kiefer in Vulture
The director who dared to suggest Jewish men don’t need rescuing by blond women by Haadley Freeman in The Guardian
Jewish space lasers
A ‘Jewish space laser’ sounds funny. But Marjorie Taylor Greene’s anti-Semitism is no laughing matter. By Lior Zaltzman in JTA
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s space laser and the age-old problem of blaming the Jews by Zack Baeuchamp in Vox
Culture Warlords by Talia Lavin
Endorsements
Mimi endorses the show Babylon Berlin, available on Netflix.
Zahava endorses The Color of Love: A Story of a Mixed-Race Jewish Girl by Marra B. GadTamar endorses Crossing California by Adam Langer
Jewish Life in 2021 & The Prayer for our Country
This month we’re making some predictions. How will the Jewish community, and Jewish communal life, change in this year as we (hopefully) transition out of covid-isolation. And for our second segment we’re talking about the prayer for our country. As politics and violence rage around us, how do we pray for our country, and what does it mean to pray for our country?
Predictions
Jewish life in 2021: Predictions about the future of politics, culture and anti-Semitism by Shira Feder in JTA
Prayer for our country
Lady Liberty is Weeping: A Prayer for Our Country (on January 6th, 2021)
By Rabbi Stephanie Crawley in ritualwell
Prayer for a Government of Peace by Zackary Sholen Berger in ritualwell
Prayer for our country by Rabbi Ayelet Cohen in ritualwell
Prayer for the Royal Family of Queen Victoria in OpenSiddur
Prayer for the United States Government, by Dr. Ester R. Fuchs in OpenSiddur (2001)
Endorsements
Mimi endorses We’re an Orthodox Jew and evangelical Christian, and we saw the attack on the Capitol coming by Hannah Lebovitz and Beth Pikowski in the Forward, and @Hannah Lebovitz on Twitter, and Pleasure Activism by Adrienne Maree Brown
Zahava endorses I resisted the call to include non-male voices every time I taught Torah. Then I tried it, by Avigail Halpern in JTA, and “Where are the Women?”: Uncovering the Lost Works of Female Renaissance Artists, by Sylvia Poggioli in NPR
Tamar endorses Antisemitism Cow Is Finally Ready to Talk by Molly Tolsky in alma
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“The Gett: A Young Wife’s Tale” & Jewish Gift Giving Practices
This month we’re talking about The Gett: A Young Wife’s Tale, a new play written by Liba Vaynberg and directed by Daniella Topol, available on Youtube. And for our second segment we’re talking about Jewish gift giving practices.
The Gett
Gift Giving
The Dream of Scipio by Iain Pears
Endorsements
Mimi endorses My Octopus Teacher on Netflix.
Zahava endorses the illustrations in two children’s books that retell the same Jewish folk tale: Something from Nothing by Phoebe Gilman and Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback.
Tamar endorses yerushalmi kugel, particularly the following recipe:
Ingredients:
12 oz fine egg noodles
8 Tablespoons vegetable oil
⅓ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Directions:
Generously grease a 2 qt baking dish. Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted waster about 5 minutes. Drain, return to pot, and toss with 3 tablespoons of the oil. Keel on stove so noodles remain warm, but do not voer.
Meanwhile pour the remaining oil into a heavy saucepan, then add sugar. Heat over low heat, shaking pan gently from time to time. Do not stir. Cook 15-20 minutes or until sugar turns deep brown. Gradually add mixture to noodles, mixing well with tongs.
Beat eggs with salt and pepper in a bowl. Add to the noodles and mix well. Transfer to the greased baking dish, cover with foil and/or lid. Put kugel in the oven on warm or low for 10 hours or overnight.
Mayyim Hayyim and Ruth Bader Ginsburg
This month we’re talking about a new online training to become a mikveh guide from Mayyim Hayyim. For that segment we’ll be joined by Jessica Rosenberg, the director of the Rising Tide Open Waters Mikveh Network from Mayyim Hayyim. And for our second segment we’ll be reflecting on the life and legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, of blessed memory.
Mikveh
Seven Steps: Online Mikveh training
Menopause: a comic treatment edited by MK Czerwiec
Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt sings the El Malei Rachamim for Justice Ginsburg
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Justice Ginsburg speaking about her Jewish values and inspirations at the National Museum of American Jewish History (begins at 65:00)
Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the Jewish Women’s Archive
Endorsements
Mimi endorses the Jewish Women’s Archive Tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Dutch Blitz: A Vonderful Goot Game
Tamar endorses Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman.
Zahava endorses Yeshiva University’s archive of the sermons of Rabbi Norman Lamm, and a speech that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg gave to the 2010 Tenth Circuit Bench and Bar Conference in place of her late husband.
An American Pickle & Politics in Shul
This month we’re talking about An American Pickle, and for our second segment we’re talking about politics in shul. How and how much, if at all, should politics show up in our prayer communities?
Endorsements
Mimi endorses Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, and Tinyletter.com/Pome, and Things to Do In the Belly of the Whale by Dan Albergotti
Tamar endorses Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson.
Zahava endorses shaping the challah, putting it in the freezer unwrapped until it is fully frozen, then wrapping it and leaving it in the freezer until you need it. Then take it out and let it thaw on a baking sheet for about 4 hours before you egg wash and bake. She also endorses the Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik.
High Holidays in a Pandemic & Judaism on TV
This month we’re talking about creative ways different jewish communities are and should celebrate the High Holidays, with the spectre of covid-19 making many traditional services too dangerous. And for our second segment we’re talking about our favorite representations of Judaism on TV.
Endorsements
Mimi endorses Campfires and Color Wars Jewish Geography Zoom Racing
Tamar endorses “Bananot” a song by Static and Ben El
Zahava endorses a video of the Platt brothers (Ben, Jonah, and Henry) singing “Ahavat Olam” together in quarantine
Resource Generation & Giving Tzedakah
This month we’re talking about the Resource Generation with Kate Poole and Jessica Rosenberg for our first segment. And for our second segment we’re talking about different sources around giving tzedakah as we think about our own giving philosophies.
Resource Generation
Resource Generation describes itself as “a multiracial membership community of young people with wealth and/or class privilege committed to the equitable distribution of wealth, land, and power.” The organization asks people in the top 10% of the economic distribution to pledge to give away all, or almost all, of their inherited wealth to social justice movements. We’re joined by two members of Resource Generation, Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg and Kate Poole, to talk about the organization, its mission, and its connection to their Jewish lives.
Resource Generation
- Resource Generation
- Solidarity Philanthropy
- Giving Guidelines
- Understanding your class background
- Get connected here!
- If you’re interested in wealth redistribution and solidarity economy work but not a wealthy person, check out New Economy Coalition, and the US Solidarity Economy Directory. SURJ is a great home for white people starting their anti-racist work.
Jewish Economics
- The New-ish, Jew-ish Economy in Jewish Currents
- To Transform our Economic System, we need to Challenge Inheritance by Nadav David at T’Ruah
- Kate’s sermon on Supporting Black Sovereignty
- Jewish Farm School’s Seed Packet, including Jewish agricultural principles and shmita practices
For all of us who care deeply about Jewish safety, and believe in wealth redistribution, we don’t have to choose! We can work to oppose antisemitism, work in solidarity with other communities fighting hatred and oppression, and organize for wealth redistribution. Check out JFREJ’s Understanding Antisemitism and SURJ Faith’s Countering Anti-Jewish Oppression Resource List for antisemitism analysis that integrates critiques of capitalism and white supremacy.
Jessica’s work
Kate’s work
- Chordata Capital
- Learning about the landscape of investing in racial justice
- Comics on reparations and my investment portfolio
You can reach Jessica and Kate at newishjewisheconomy@gmail.com
The Poor in our City
A lot of people are thinking hard about their charitable giving right now, whether they’re trying to support racial justice work or to help people affected by the pandemic. There’s a well-known Talmudic statement that when you are faced with a choice of where to give, the poor of your own city take precedence over the poor of another city. To think about this kind of hierarchy of giving as it plays out today, we’re going to do a text study together—the source sheet is linked in show notes if you’d like to follow along.
The Poor in our City source sheet
Endorsements
Mimi endorses America to Me on the Starz network. Jews and the Rising Cost of Whiteness.
Zahava endorses How the Other Half Banks by Mehrsa Baradaran, and The Builders by Joshua Chaffin in Tablet. Tamar endorses the You are Jeff Bezos game, and an interview with Amy Schiller in the Jewish Currents called Communal Money