Shul Fundraising & an Orthodox Community Visits a Gay Bar
This week on the podcast we’re talking about synagogue fundraising, and about a Modern Orthodox shul’s visit to a gay bar after the massacre in an Orlando gay bar.
Further reading
Synagogue Fundraising
Running a Successful Shul Dinner in Shul Politics
What the Shekel Teaches: Ten Commandments for Synagogue Fundraising in EJewishPhilanthropy
Congregation Ohev Shalom Visits a Gay Bar
What happened when an Orthodox Jewish congregation went to a gay bar to mourn Orlando by Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld in the Washington Post
Why So-Called Orthodox LGBT ‘Allies’ Are Doing It All Wrong by Joshua Tranen in the Forward
Endorsements
Zahava recommends going to New Orleans and eating the kosher beignets in Cafe DuMonde, and the general notion of hechshering with tourists in mind, with a shout out to Rabbi Gabe Greenberg, who currently supervises the Cafe DuMonde beignets.
Mimi recommends Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld, and the Lizzie Bennet Diaries.
Tamar recommends Bava Metzia 23b, Because Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said In these three things the Rabbis were accustomed to change their words (i.e. lie) In their tractates, and their beds, and their hospitality. Especially the Tosfot on “and their beds.”
Non Ashkenazi Jews and Kitniyot on Pesach
This week on the podcast we’re talking about non-Ashkenazi Judaism with Sigal Samuel, Opinion editor of the Forward, and about the great Kitniyot debate. This year the Conservative movement released a responsum permitting Ashkenazi Jews to do what non-Ashkenazi Jews have been doing for centuries: eat rice, beans, and other legumes on Passover.
Further reading
Non-Ashkenazi Judaism
Jews of Color Get Personal and Political at First-Ever National Gathering by Sigal Samuel in the Forward
The Invention of the Mizrahim by Ella Shohat
Conversations in Time: Past, Present and Future, an interview with one of the founders of the Ben Porat Yosef school
Ben Porat Yosef 5th graders read megillah in different nusachs.
Kitniyot on Pesach
A Teshuvah Permitting Ashkenazim to Eat Kitniyot on Pesah by Amy Levin and Avram Israel Reisner
Endorsements
Zahava recommends the webseries Soon By You, especially the first episode, The Setup.
Mimi recommends “Diversity” Won’t Challenge Jewry’s Role in White Supremacy by Mark Tsend Putterman in Jewschool.
And the Santa Cruz Haggadah by Karen GR Roekard.
Tamar recommends Hummus! The Movie, Disturbing the Peace, Grain of Truth, and Who’s Gonna Love Me Now?
White Walls by Judy Batalion, and a Mini-Seder
This week on the podcast we’re talking about White Walls: A memoir about motherhood, daughter, and the mess in between by Judy Batalion. And for our second topic we’re doing a mini-seder, sharing some questions and answers about things from the seder.
Further reading
White Walls by Judy Batalion
The Messiness of Hoarding and Motherhood by Judy Bolton-Fasman in the Forward
Out of Faith documentary
Hoarding Disorder from DSM-5 300.3 (F42)
Mini Seder
Dressing as Elijah & Pouring Out Love, Three customs regarding the seder verses “Pour Out Thy Wrath” by Rabbi David Golinkin in MyJewishLearning
Endorsements
Zahava recommends Ricciarelli di Siena (Siena Almond Cookies)
Might or might not be from the NY Times. Makes 24 cookies.
2 egg whites
Dash salt
1.25 c granulated sugar
Freshly grated zest of 1 orange
1 tsp almond extract (Zahava’s Mom’s note: if available for Pesach)
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla sugar
10 oz ground blanched almonds
1/4 c matza cake flour
2 tbsp butter or margarine
Confectioner’s sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat egg whites with salt until stiff and dry. Gradually add 1 c sugar and beat to marshmallow consistency. Add orange zest, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Last, add ground almonds. Mix until it is a rather hard paste.
Mix cake flour with 1/4 c sugar. Generously grease baking sheet with margarine or butter and sprinkle with flour/sugar mixture.
Divide almond paste into 24 equal balls and shape each into a diamond. Place 2″ apart on baking sheet and bake 12-13 minutes. Remove from oven while still white and sprinkle immediately with confectioner’s sugar before letting cool.
Mimi recommends Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond which she is reading for the T’ruah book club.
Tamar recommends the BY Times books by Leah Klein. Follow Tamar’s BY Times instagram at #bytimesinourtimes and the 99% Invisible episode The White Elephant of Tel Aviv about the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station. The episode was originally produced by Israel Story.
Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, and the Jewish Take on the 2016 Election, and the Hereville Books
This month on the podcast we’re talking about Judaism and the presidental election. Bernie Sanders, the first serious Jewish candidate for President of the United States, is seen by some as not Jewish enough, while Donald Trump eschews the usual Republican stances on Israel, and is seen by some as fascistic and anti-Semitic. In our second segment we’re talking about the Hereville books, a series of graphic novels whose protagonist is an ultra-Orthodox girl with super powers.
Further reading
Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump and the Jews
Sanders keeps his Judaism in the background, irking U.S. Jews by Rachel Zoll and Josef Federman on PBS.org
Bernie Sanders Keeps Talking About Being Jewish. Why Won’t We Listen? by JJ Abrams in the Forward
Bernie Sanders Is Jewish, but He Doesn’t Like to Talk About It by Joseph Berger in the New York Times
Muslim Student Asks About Islamophobia from Bernie 2016
White supremacist says he will air interview with Donald Trump Jr. JTA
Where Donald Trump stands on Israel and the Jews by Ben Harris in JTA
After Donald Trump wavers on David Duke, ADL publishes candidates’ guide to racists by JTA
How Republican Jews Utterly Failed To Prevent Rise of ‘Toxic’ Donald Trump by Noam Neusner in the Forward
What Kind of Jew Is Bernie Sanders? by Jay Michaelson in the Daily Beast.
Hereville books
But them on Amazon or indiebound.
Barry Deutsch on Hereville in Graphic Novel Reporter
Barry Deutsch in the Enchanted Inkpot
Reviews of the Hereville books from PJ Our Way
Marley Dias and #1000BlackGirlBooks
Endorsements
Zahava recommends the Netziv in general, and in particular his commentary on monarchy and democracy, found here via Sefaria.
Mimi recommends Bernie Sanders: a linguistic analysis by Joss Fong in Vox
Tamar recommends finding out what kind of end of life care your family members want via Five Wishes, recording family stories with the StoryCorp App, and Jewish chaplains in a stack of end of life related recommendations. Additionally, she recommends nutella rugelach. Use this recipe for the dough.
The Shul/Church Project and Women of the Wall
This month on the podcast we talked about the The Shul/Church Project, an art project by Zoe Cohen. In our second segment, we spoke about the women of the wall. Their new compromise, and what it means for women who pray in Jerusalem.
Further reading
The Shul/Church Project
The Shul/Church Project on Zoe Cohen’s website
Zoe Cohen’s artists’ statement from the show
Talking in Shul’s first episode on prayer spaces
Women of the Wall’s new compromise
The Kotel decision: A Sephardic Jew Responds by Rabbi Daniel Bouskila in the Jewish Journal
The Real Women of the Wall Aren’t Going Anywhere by Vanessa L Ochs in the Forward
Women of the Wall victory can teach us a few things by Batya Kallus in +972
Israeli Government Approves Compromise Between Women of the Wall and Orthodox by Menachem Rephun in the Jerusalem Post
Endorsements
Zahava recommends
Some More Info on Bernie Sanders and Judaism from Chabad.org
The Problem with Jewish Museums by Edward Rothstein in Mosaic Magazine
Mimi recommends
The Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce, and their depiction of Judaism, particularly in season 2.
Tamar recommends
The University of Pennsylvania Shabbatones, Challah Back
Madoff, the miniseries from ABC and its depiction of Hadassah ladies
Rabbinic Sex Scandals and Jewish Viral Videos
This month on the podcast we’re talking about Marc Gafni, Barry Freundel, and the sexual misdeeds of rabbis. How can our communities appropriately respond to sexual predators, and how can we prevent them from getting positions of power in the first place? In our second segment, we’ll be talking about something much lighter–Jewish viral videos.
Further reading
Rabbinic Sex Scandals
Who’s Investigating the Rabbis Who Cross the Line? from the Forward
How to Spot a Sexual Predator from Hevria
A Spiritual Leader Gains Stature, Trailed by a Troubled Past from the New York Times
Understanding the Marc Gafni Story, Part II from Tablet
Marc Gafni Defends Return to Spotlight as Backlash Gathers Steam, from the Forward
How to Stop Shul Sexual Abuse Before It Starts, The Joy of Text
Jewish Viral Video
L’cha by The Chevre
Just Had Chametz by Kol Ish
Non-Observant Jews Try Going Kosher for a Week from Buzzfeed
The Jewish Food Taste Test from Buzzfeed
The Aveirah Song
Dip Your Apple by The Fountainheads
Candlelight by the Maccabeats
Jew in the City: Freeda Wig Makeover
18 Things Orthodox Jewish Feminists Are Tired of Hearing
Mazel Tov by ZEA
I am Jewish by Andrew Lustig
Shushan Funk
Endorsements
Zahava recommends
The Center for Modern Torah Leadership, and the writing of Rabbi Aryeh Klapper
Mimi recommends
Season 2 of Transparent, and Cholent!: The Game
Tamar recommends
The Notorious RBG by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik
19 Holocaust Comparisons and the Story of Judith
This month on Talking in Shul we’re talking about Holocaust comparisons–are they ever okay? If so, when? If not, why not? And we’re talking about the story of Judith, a complex Hanukkah heroine.
Further reading
Holocaust comparisons
Why the Syrian Refugge Crisis Encourages Me to Talk About My least Favorite Subject by dlevy at Jewschool
The Story of Judith
The Story of Judith
Hanukka Heroines of Yore by Rachel Adelman for the Jerusalem Post
Heroines of Hanukkah and Our Own Times” from Moving Traditions
Endorsements
Mimi endorsed Alicia Jo Rabins and her band Girls in Trouble
Zahava requests that filmmakers make some Hanukkah movies already (Full Court Miracle and A Rugrats Chanukah noted), and endorses the Torah commentary of Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsh (buy it here).
Tamar endorsed You’re Doing it All Wrong-How to Make Latkes.
18 Halloween and Parental Leave in Jewish Organizations
This month on Talking in Shul we’re talking about Halloween, and the sad state of parental leave in Jewish organizations.
Further reading
Halloween
4 Jewish Halloween Lessons From a Family Who Doesn’t Do Halloween by Ilana Garber at Kveller
Parental Leave
Advancing Women Professionals And the Jewish Community
Better Work, Better Life Campaign
Endorsements
Mimi endorsed Maus and Maus II, and a request for good Holocaust related fiction for young adults
Zahava endorsed group singing.
Tamar endorsed Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and
the Nerd with a Voice youtube channel, including her song about the RCA’s recent statement about women, and her video about coming out to your Orthodox family.
Suicide in the Jewish Community, and Who Sets the Table?
This month on Talking in Shul we’re talking about how the Jewish community responds to and works to prevent suicide. We spoke with Rella Kaplowitz, of Elijah’s Journey, a Jewish Response to Suicide for that segment. Our second topic is Who Sets the Table, a series of surveys and articles in the Forward that examines who does the work for Jewish home life, from the seder to Shabbat to Rosh Hashanah.
Further reading
Jewish Suicide
Breaking the Jewish Community’s Silence Around Suicide
Who Sets the Table
Who Sets the Table
Who Sets the Table on Shabbat
Average Minutes Per Day Men and Women Spent in Household Activities Bureau of Labor Statistics
Endorsements
Tamar endorsed
David Tzvi’s Beard Mitzvah
Zahava endorsed
A message from Mayanot High School’s principal, Mrs. Rivka Kahan in response to Rabbi Mordechai Willig’s assertion that women learning Torah is a slippery slope to undermining the foundation of Jewish law.
Mimi Endorsed
V’Haer by the Jewish a capella group Kol Echad
The Pathology Plaguing American Jews by Gal Beckerman
17 The State of Jewish Media, and Breastfeeding in Shul
This month on Talking in Shul we’re talking about the Jewish media landscape–how does it work, and what do we wish it did better? Our second topic is breastfeeding in shul. A new blog allows people to submit their experiences at various synagogues, but is it appropriate? For that segment, we will be joined by our friend Yael Kalman. Yael is many wonderful things, including a mother to two young children, one of whom is currently breastfeeding.
Further reading
Jewish Media
What’s Behind the Mass Layoffs at the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent
Breastfeeding in Shul
Nursing at Shul the blog where people can submit a community’s policy around breastfeeding in synagogue
Breastfeeding and Showing Affection in Shul, a responsum by Rabbi Ysoscher Katz
Breastfeeding at Synagogue in the Forward
I was Shamed for Breastfeeding in Synagogue from Kveller
Rabbi Ysoscher Katz and Rabbi Ozer Glickman Rounds One and Two from Kavanah
Five Places Where Breastfeeding in Certainly Inappropriate
Endorsements
Tamar endorsed
In Israel Sexism Starts Early by Shoshana Kordova in the Forward
My Face Book
Zahava endorsed
Evelyn Fuchter’s RCA Convention Speech
Mimi Endorsed
This is Not the Charleston I Know by Robert N. Rosen
Don’t Whitewash Charleston’s Troubled Racial History by Adam D. Mendelsohn
Yael endorsed
The Bebe Au Lait nursing cover
All Who Go Do Not Return: A Memoir by Shulem Deen