In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Ayala Fader—an anthropologist who studies American Haredi communities and their “ hidden heretics ”—about the personal, familial, and communal factors that pull us toward and push us away from different Jewish communities. In this episode we discuss: How should we respond to the discomfort we experience when the communities we live in don’t measure up to the communities we desire? How has the internet changed Hasidic and yeshivish cultures over...
Jul 01, 2025•1 hr 34 min
On June 29, Eden will be hosting a webinar to speak in detail about the vision for this project. In order to register please click here or email [email protected] to find out more. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , David Bashevkin moderates a debate between Rabbi Itamar Rosensweig and Rabbi Yitzchak Blau on whether morality exists independently of Judaism. This is a recording of a live event hosted at Young Israel of Teaneck on May 4. In this episode we discuss: What does it mean f...
Jun 24, 2025•1 hr 10 min
On June 29, Eden will be hosting a webinar to speak in detail about the vision for this project. In order to register please click here or email [email protected] to find out more. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin and historian Malka Simkovich discuss the future of technology, AI, and the Jewish People. This episode was recorded live at the Moise Safra Center as 18Forty celebrated its Fifth Anniversary with our community. We begin with words from Sruli Fruchter and ...
Jun 17, 2025•1 hr 28 min
18Forty is celebrating its fifth year LIVE in NYC on June 9. Reserve your seats today! In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , David Bashevkin moderates a dialogue between Aryeh Englander—the ex-Orthodox Jew known as “ Philo Judeas, ” who is a moderator of the ambitious Frum/OTD Dialogue Facebook group—and Daniel Hagler, a frum surgeon and a moderator of the Facebook group Respectfully Debating Judaism. Together, we talk about seeking meaning, uncovering religious truths, and making the most of...
May 27, 2025•2 hr 8 min
Receive our FREE newsletters at 18forty.org/join . In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, talk to Moshe Krakowski, a professor at Yeshiva University, about his work on Attrition and Connection in American Orthodox Judaism , the OU’s study on what we crassly call “OTD.” Dr. Krakowski takes us “under the hood” of those who leave their religious communities to show us what factors lead Jews to leave faith behind. In this episode we discuss: Why do so many of us choose the countercultural life of O...
May 20, 2025•1 hr 34 min
In anticipation of our upcoming series, we want to share with you our episode with Shulem Deen, originally released in June 2020. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David discusses with special guest and former member of the Ultra-Orthodox community, Shulem Deen, the struggle and importance of balancing one’s individual needs with those of the community. Though many of us are aware of the extreme disconnect that exists between the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and the secular world, the r...
May 13, 2025•1 hr
Receive our FREE newsletters at 18forty.org/join . Our Intergenerational Divergence series is sponsored by our friends Sarala and Danny Turkel. This episode is sponsored by Yeshivat Shalshelet, which gives children with language-based learning differences the confidence and skills to thrive academically, emotionally, and spiritually. Donate to its matching campaign at theshalsheletdifference.org . In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Bayla Gopin—a student with dyslexia— and her mo...
May 06, 2025•1 hr 26 min
Receive our FREE newsletters at 18forty.org/join . Our Intergenerational Divergence series is sponsored by our friends Sarala and Danny Turkel. This episode is sponsored by Ketubah.com . Find the perfect ketubah for your wedding at Ketubah.com—beautiful designs, halachic accuracy, and personalized guidance every step of the way. This episode is also sponsored by our friends at Sofer.Ai . In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Talia Khan—a Jewish MIT graduate student and Israel activ...
Apr 29, 2025•54 min
Receive our FREE newsletters at 18forty.org/join . Our Intergenerational Divergence series is sponsored by our friends Sarala and Danny Turkel. This episode is sponsored by an anonymous friend who supports our mission. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to bestselling author Susan Cain about her bittersweet relationship with her mother, an Orthodox Jew and daughter of a prominent rabbi. Susan’s book Bittersweet explores their journey together and grapples with what it means when ou...
Apr 22, 2025•1 hr 12 min
Receive our FREE newsletters at 18forty.org/join . Our Intergenerational Divergence series is sponsored by our friends Sarala and Danny Turkel. This episode is sponsored by an anonymous friend who supports our mission. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Judah, Naomi, and Aharon Akiva Dardik—an olim family whose son went to military jail for refusing to follow to IDF orders and has since become a ceasefire activist at Columbia University—about sticking together as a family despit...
Apr 08, 2025•1 hr 47 min
Our Intergenerational Divergence series is sponsored by our friends Sarala and Danny Turkel. This episode is sponsored by an anonymous friend who supports our mission. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Yehuda, Bayla, Elisha, and Avi Samter—members of a family that made aliyah from the comfortable Five Towns life a decade ago—about the divergence between Jewish life in America and in Israel. Whether one serves in the IDF has become a major realm of bifurcation within the Jewish ...
Apr 01, 2025•1 hr 23 min
Our Intergenerational Divergence series is sponsored by our friends Sarala and Danny Turkel. This episode is sponsored by an anonymous friend who supports our mission. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcas t, we talk to Rabbi Simon Jacobson—a leading rabbi in the internet age who previously worked closely with the Lubavitcher Rebbe—and his mother, Silvia, who was born into a Chabad family in Europe nearly 90 years ago. Together, they have witnessed and experienced the development of the Chabad m...
Mar 25, 2025•1 hr 49 min
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Eitan Hersh, a professor of political science at Tufts University, about teaching students of radically different political and religious views how to speak to one another. College campuses have been a hotbed of contentious conversations, especially on issues around Israel, and Prof. Hersh is someone who’s been teaching his students to turn their disputes productive. In this episode we discuss: What happens when Hersh brings up Jewish topics in...
Mar 18, 2025•1 hr 12 min
Subscribe to our email list here . In this Purim episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin talks about what Saturday Night Live has taught him about life, creativity, and running an organization. Prompted by the show’s 50th anniversary, we’re reflecting on lessons from five decades of laughter. In this episode we discuss: How did Lorne Michaels’s unique vision and insights help him “invent” SNL ? What are the top five lessons about Jewish life that David has learned from the life of the SN...
Mar 11, 2025•43 min
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcas t, we talk to Rabbi Ken Brodkin, rabbi of New Jersey’s Congregation B’nai Israel, about how he helped turn it into “the Orthodox synagogue for all Jews.” We also speak with Eli Kramer—a congregant instrumental in helping the shul affiliate as fully Orthodox—and Emily Appledorf, one of the newer members the shul set out to attract. In this episode we discuss: How can one persuade a century-old congregation with mixed seating to add a mechitza ? Why would a yo...
Mar 04, 2025•1 hr 55 min
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Lizzy Savetsky, who went from a career in singing and fashion to being a Jewish activist and influencer, about her work advocating for Israel online. While, in past decades, Jewish thought leaders were mainly only rabbis and rebbetzins, the current information revolution is transforming our notions of what it means to be a Jewish public figure. In this episode we discuss: How did Lizzy’s life path take her from being a recipient of Jewish outre...
Feb 25, 2025•1 hr 16 min
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm, co-founder and president of SoulShop Studios, about doing Jewish “outreach” to non-Jews. Jewish texts are usually considered to be kept away from the outside world. But according to Rabbi Lamm, this is largely a misconception, as Jewish texts—from the Bible and the Talmud to the Midrash and beyond—have shaped the course of the human story. In this episode we discuss: Is “interfaith dialogue” generally ineffective? How did Ch...
Feb 18, 2025•1 hr 7 min
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Frieda Vizel—a formerly Satmar Jew who makes educational content about Hasidic life—about her work presenting Hasidic Williamsburg to the outside world, and vice-versa. In this episode we discuss: Why would someone who leaves the Hasidic community become something of an emissary for her previous world? How does Frieda serve as a “cultural translator” between Williamsburg Hasidim and the “guests” on her tours? How does one convey the “essence” o...
Feb 11, 2025•1 hr 16 min
This episode is sponsored by Nishmat, whose Summer Beit Midrash offers transformative Torah learning in the heart of Jerusalem for women of all backgrounds. Find more information here . Take our annual survey . In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we launch our new topic, Outreach , by talking to Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, a senior staff member at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, about changing people’s minds, the value of individuality, and the “no true Scotsman” fallacy. With the tectonic shif...
Feb 04, 2025•1 hr 22 min
Take our annual survery: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WZKXNWR We don't have a new episode this week, but we want to share with you an episode of our podcast 18 Questions, 40 Israeli Thinkers , recorded on Jan. 13. Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to catch the latest episode every Monday. Antisemitism and assimilation are threatening the Jewish People, says Natan Sharansky, but to both Israel offers a solution. Born in the Soviet Union and imprisoned by the authorities when trying to immi...
Jan 29, 2025•1 hr 8 min
We don't have a new episode this week, but we invite you to revisit our initial conversation with Professor Haym Soloveitchik, originally aired on Feb. 8, 2022. In this episode of 18Forty Podcast, we had the privilege of speaking with Professor Haym Soloveitchik, University Professor of Jewish Studies at Yeshiva University. Professor Soloveitchik is a world-renowned scholar whose research has focused on the development of halacha—including martyrdom, pawn-broking and usery, as well as the laws o...
Jan 21, 2025•1 hr 20 min
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we hear questions, criticisms, complaints, thoughts, and feedback from our listener community. We respond to your comments about the direction of the podcast, the diversity of Jewish experience, and the increased centrality of Israel of our lives. In this episode we discuss: How has the 18Forty mission evolved in light of changes in the world and in Jewish life? Is there an opposite phenomenon to “ gvir culture”? How should we discuss important issues tha...
Jan 14, 2025•1 hr 25 min
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we speak with Rabbi Dr. Haym Soloveitchik—a pioneer and leader in the study of the history of Jewish law—about how halacha mediates our relationship to God in 2025. We’ve already spoken with Dr. Soloveitchik in our Halacha series, but a closer reading of his essential work, " Rupture and Reconstruction ," demands that we explore it more deeply. In this episode we discuss: Why do Jews feel bound by the Talmud in a multicultural world? What does it mean to ...
Jan 07, 2025•1 hr 47 min
We don't have a new episode this week, but we invite you to revisit our conversation with Reuven and Shani Taragin on the future of Religious Zionism, originally aired Jan. 16, 2024. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rav Reuven and Rabbanit Shani Taragin, educational directors of World Mizrachi, about what comes next for Israel’s Dati Leumi (Religious Zionist) community. Additionally, we speak with Gideon Davis, a Religious Zionist soldier serving in Gaza. Mistakenly, we tend to...
Dec 31, 2024•2 hr 2 min
We're taking a week off from our main podcast, but we want to share with you an episode of our new podcast, 18 Questions, 40 Israeli Thinkers , recorded on Nov. 25. Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to catch the latest episode every Monday. The true enemy in Israel's current war, Einat Wilf says, is what she calls "Palestinianism." Once part of the Israeli left, Einat Wilf is a popular political thinker on Israel, Zionism, and foreign policy. Her 2020 co-authored book, "The War of Return," ...
Dec 24, 2024•1 hr 23 min
This episode is sponsored by Eden Beit Shemesh. Contact Rina Weinberg at [email protected] for more details. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to a panel of rabbis about yeshiva, seminary, and the “year in Israel.” Additionally, we hear from Dov Rosenblatt, who more than two decades ago wrote the satirical song “Flippin’ Out.” Gap-year programs have become one of the primary points of contact that American Jews have with Israel. But, paradoxically, the year in Israel is a q...
Dec 17, 2024•1 hr 32 min
This episode is sponsored by Eden Beit Shemesh. Contact Rina Weinberg at [email protected] for more details. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Mickey and Ortal Flaumenhaft—David Bashevkin’s Israeli neighbors in Teaneck—about their experiences living Jewishly in three different countries. When the Flaumenhafts were in Israel for their son’s bar mitzvah on October 7, Mickey made the decision to join his unit in Gaza. In this episode we discuss: What does a couple consider ...
Dec 10, 2024•1 hr 9 min
This episode is sponsored by Eden Beit Shemesh. Contact Rina Weinberg at [email protected] for more details. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Rabbi Yehuda Turetsky—a rosh mesivta of Yeshiva Sha’alavim—and Dr. Ilana Turetsky—a Yeshiva University faculty member supervising student-teachers in Israel—about their experience raising kids in Israel. North American Orthodox Judaism has developed strong boundaries deciding who is in and who is out of the community. But, when we...
Dec 03, 2024•1 hr 33 min
This episode is sponsored by Eden Beit Shemesh. Contact Rina Weinberg at [email protected] for more details. Noam Taragin, son of our recent guest Rabbi Moshe Taragin, was seriously injured in Lebanon. We ask to pray for his quick healing: Noam Avraham ben Atara Shlomit. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Shayna Goldberg—a teacher, mashgicha ruchanit , yoetzet halacha , and author—about the unique features of Israel’s Religious Zionist community. Jews in America are proud...
Nov 26, 2024•1 hr 59 min
This episode is sponsored by Eden Beit Shemesh. Contact Rina Weinberg at [email protected] for more details. Noam Taragin, son of our previous guest Rabbi Moshe Taragin, was seriously injured in Lebanon. We ask to pray for his quick healing: Noam Avraham ben Atara Shlomit. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Malka Simkovich—a scholar of Jewish history, the editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society, and a three-time 18Forty guest—about previous Jewish diasporas. We ...
Nov 19, 2024•1 hr 15 min
