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My review of Jacob Spike Kraus’ new album, Cornerstones. Episode notes Intro music – Flip Hop – Ginger Runner

Season 2 of RIJ Podcast is up!  Had a fantastic conversation with Beth Schafer and Stacy Beyer, co-creators of Harmony in Unison: A Virtual Stage.  Stacy and Beth are both seasoned songwriters and musicians – and they created this unique space for artists to perform live and connect with their…

This week I meet up with two fellow Jewish podcasters, Daniel Libenson and Lex Rofes.  Daniel and Lex are the hosts of Judaism Unbound. Judaism Unbound, a project of the Institute for the Next Jewish Future, is a project that catalyzes and supports grassroots efforts by “disaffected but hopeful” American…

Rabbi Marc Katz is the Associate Rabbi at Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope, Brooklyn. He is the author of the book “The Heart of Loneliness: How Jewish Wisdom Can Help You Cope and Find Comfort.”  Rabbi Katz was ordained at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion. Rabbi Katz…

This week I catch of up with Rabbi Josh Bolton, Senior Jewish Educator at Penn Hillel.  Rabbi Josh is trying to answer this question: How do we live a good and meaningful life in this fast paced, high stress, success oriented world? (And what does “success” even mean, really?) While…

Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer is the President of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America and a leading thinker and author on the meaning of Israel to American Jews, the value of the Jewish past to the Jewish present, and questions of leadership and change in American Jewish life. Yehuda leads…

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz is currently President and Dean of Valley Beit Midrash. Rav Shmuly studied at the University of Texas as an undergraduate, Harvard University for a Master’s Degree in Leadership and Psychology, Yeshiva University for a second Master’s Degree in Jewish Philosophy, and at Columbia University for his…

This week I chat with Rabbi Jill Berkson Zimmerman.  She is the founder of the Jewish Mindfulness Network. Rabbi Jill is a Community Rabbi, teaching Jewish spirituality and mysticism, meditation and mindfulness around the country. She teaches as a Scholar-in-Residence, at retreats and workshops, as well as through webinars. Rabbi Jill has…

This week I chat with Brett Lockspeiser, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of Sefaria.  Sefaria is a non-profit organization dedicated to building the future of Jewish learning in an open and participatory way. They are assembling a free living library of Jewish texts and their interconnections, in Hebrew and in translation. Prior…

This week I catch up with Carly Zimmerman, CEO of Challah for Hunger.  Challah for Hunger brings people together to bake and sell challah in an effort to raise money and awareness for social justice causes. Carly is a chapter founder and alumna of Challah for Hunger.  Carly holds a M.A.…

Dr. David Bryfman is currently the Chief Innovation Officer at The Jewish Education Project (formerly the Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York). David completed his Ph.D. Education and Jewish Studies at NYU focusing on Jewish adolescent identity development and experiential Jewish education. He is an alumn of the…

This week I interview Nati Passow, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Jewish Farm School. Nati Passow has been a leader in the field of Jewish environmental education for over 10 years, was selected to the Jewish Week’s “36 Under 36,” and was a recipient of the Joshua Venture Group Fellowship for…

This week I catch up with my good friend Rabbi Micah Lapidus.  Micah is the Director of Jewish and Hebrew Studies at The Alfred and Adele Davis Academy, Atlanta’s Reform Jewish Day School. Micah also serves as the president of PARDES: Day Schools of Reform Judaism. Micah blogs at rabbispen.com, a…

In this episode I chat with Rabbi Geoff, Mitelman, the Founding Director of Sinai and Synapses, an organization that bridges the scientific and religious worlds, and is being incubated at Clal – The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership.  His writings about the intersection of religion and science have appeared on the homepages…

This week I catch up with Rabbi Jessy Gross, Director of the Charm City Tribe, a program of the JCC in Baltimore. Jessy grew up in Northern Virginia and attended the University of Maryland, College Park where she received a B.A. in History and Jewish Studies in 2002. She has…

This week I speak with Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, author of the new book, Nurture the Wow: Finding Spirituality in the Frustration, Boredom, Tears, Poop, Desperation, Wonder, and Radical Amazement of Parenting. Danya is also the author of Surprised By God: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Religion, nominated for the 2010…

This episode I catch up with my good friend Rabbi Dan Medwin, Manager of Digital Media for the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR).  Dan works for the CCAR developing Visual T’filah and offering his technical expertise to the Reform Movement, through webinars, workshops, and scholar-in-residence weekends on such topics as…

  This week I catch up in studio with the very talented Doni Zasloff and Eric Lindberg, better known as bluegrass duo Nefesh Mountain.  We talk about their unique approach to Jewish music, how they came to the world of bluegrass music, and their biggest musical influences. Check out their…

  In this episode I speak with Ruth Messinger, President of American Jewish World Service (AJWS). AJWS is the world’s leading Jewish organization working to end poverty and realize human rights in the developing world. Ruth came to AJWS in 1998, after a 20-year career in public service in New York…

My conversation with Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann, founder and spiritual leader at Mishkan Chicago, an independent spiritual community in urban Chicago.  According to their website, Mishkan Chicago is “an unconventional kind of community, a cross-community community, designed to enhance the Jewish landscape in Chicago and create a new way in.” I speak…