Dan and Lex have a PSA: Passover, in the bible, is two holidays! Not one. You've been conned! Or...ya know...Jewish history is interesting and one of the holidays in a sense "swallowed" the other over time. But also, maybe you've been CONNED. ( See this article, by Michael Satlow, for a more in-depth explanation ). In any event, Dan and Lex are curious what we might create, if we conceived of the holiday(s) of Passover and Chag HaMatzot ("Matzah Festival") as potentially two different things (as...
Apr 15, 2022•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg schmooze in the 6th episode in an ongoing mini-series, exploring what Jewish food has been in the past, what Jewish food is today, what it could be in the future, and who decides. In this conversation, they hone in specifically on what the distinctions are between "Jewish Eating" and "Kosher Eating," and why those distinctions are important to consider. To access shownotes for this episode, click here . If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , please help us keep things...
Apr 08, 2022•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast Arthur Waskow , a visionary Jewish activist and teacher, joins Judaism Unbound for a special mid-week bonus episode. In it, Waskow reflects on two key pieces of his life's work: the creation of The Freedom Seder , over 50 years ago, and his founding of The Exodus Alliance this year. The Exodus Alliance is a multifaith campaign to heal earth & humankind from carbon pharaohs and their climate plagues, and you can learn more about it at www.exodusalliance.org . For another Judaism Unbound episode f...
Apr 05, 2022•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Exodus Alliance is a group of multifaith organizations, faith leaders, and everyday people taking action for climate justice. On Passover, they plan to organize Passover street seders in front of Chase banks all across the country -- the world’s largest investor in fossil fuels -- to challenge the financial underpinnings of this "Carbon Pharaoh." Nate DeGroot , national organizer for The Shalom Center , and Madeline Canfield , organizing coordinator for the Jewish Youth Climate Movement , re...
Apr 01, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jonathan Brumberg-Kraus , professor of religion at Wheaton College Massachusetts, is the author of Gastronomic Judaism as Culinary Midrash . He joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about what that book's title argues. In other words, how is Jewish food, and how are Jewish eating practices, "midrash" -- forms of interpretation that play with, and expand, the bounds of Jewish tradition? This episode is the 5th in an ongoing mini-series, exploring what Jewish food has been in the ...
Mar 25, 2022•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rob Nipe and Nora Rubel , the team behind Grass Fed -- Rochester, New York's vegan and kosher butcher shop -- join Dan and Lex for a conversation about what makes something count as "really" meat, and how that relates to Jewish eating. This episode is the 4th in an ongoing mini-series, exploring what Jewish food has been in the past, what Jewish food is today, what it could be in the future, and who decides. To access shownotes for this episode, click here . If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , ...
Mar 18, 2022•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sara Eifler , Program Director for Jewish Veg , joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about the spiritual practice that is....eating! Together they look at some ancient Jewish texts, some contemporary Jewish rituals, and play around with some puns. Jewish Veg is an organization that inspires and assists Jews to embrace plant-based diets, as an expression of Jewish values. This episode is the 3rd in an ongoing mini-series, exploring what Jewish food has been in the past, what Jew...
Mar 11, 2022•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Nir Levy , Atlanta Field Manager for OneTable (an organization that empowers folks to find, share, and enjoy Shabbat dinners), and Annie Prusky , OneTable's Manager of Development and Research, join Dan and Lex for a conversation about one of the most beloved Jewish rituals: Shabbat dinner. You can learn more about OneTable, and sign up to either host or attend a Shabbat dinner near you, at OneTable.org . This episode is the 2nd in an ongoing mini-series, exploring what Jewish food has been in t...
Mar 04, 2022•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Elaine Goodfriend , a lecturer at California State University, Northridge, joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about one of her specialties -- food in the Hebrew Bible. This episode is the 1st in an ongoing mini-series, exploring what Jewish food has been in the past, what Jewish food is today, what it could be in the future, and who decides. To access shownotes for this episode, click here . If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , please help us keep things going with a one-time...
Feb 25, 2022•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Harry Freedman , author of Leonard Cohen: The Mystical Roots of Genius , The Murderous History of Bible Translations , and a variety of other books with equally-sensational titles, joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation that explores Leonard Cohen's contributions to Judaism -- and potentially to Judaisms of the future. They also connect Cohen's musical creations to other Jewish figures, including Louis Jacobs and Miriam Anzovin (if you're thinking "is she the one from Tiktok" -- ...
Feb 18, 2022•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast The UnYeshiva -- Judaism Unbound's digital center for Jewish learning and unlearning -- is launching its spring 2022 semester! In this episode, you get to sit in on the very first "Faculty Meeting" (we promise, it's not as boring as most meetings), and hear about the four courses that will be offered this semester. You can also hear about the grander vision of the UnYeshiva, from all four of its current teachers -- Dan and Lex (co-hosts of this podcast), along with Tova Birnbaum and Keshira haLe...
Feb 11, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast This bonus episode of Judaism Unbound is presented in partnership with Theatre Dybbuk . Once a month, their podcast -- called The Dybbukast -- releases a new episode, and we are proud to feature their second season's fourth episode as a bonus episode here on Judaism Unbound's channel. In each episode, they bring poems, plays, and other creative texts from throughout history to life, all while revealing their relationships to issues still present today. Subscribe to The Dybbukast in Apple Podcast...
Feb 10, 2022•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Lisa Grafstein , creator of the Shmita Debt Release Campaign -- through the organization RIP Medical Debt -- joins Dan and Lex to talk about debt relief, its centrality to the Biblical Shmita year (year of release), disability justice, and how all of those topics tie to her campaign for public office in North Carolina. The Shmita Debt Release Campaign has already raised over 5,300 dollars this year, which will help to forgive 530,000 dollars (!!!!!!) of medical debt. Contribute toward this campa...
Feb 04, 2022•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Asher Edes and Alexander Grace Vickery , co-founders of Shmita Hives , join Dan and Lex for a conversation about their initiative to bring groups of people (hives) together, to build their collective relationship to Shmita -- the year of release. Shmita is a year-long observance, marked every seven years and initially derived from the Torah, during which land is given the chance to rest, and debts are remitted. If you are interested in starting up your own Shmita Hive, it's not too late! Just fi...
Jan 28, 2022•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dan and Lex have spoken lately, on Judaism Unbound, with the hosts of a bunch of other podcasts -- podcasts that are not Judaism Unbound. They've asked about the structure of those podcasts, the vision behind them, and the goals they seek to achieve. But what haven't they done? Actually said how they, themselves, would answer those questions for Judaism Unbound. Today, they do just that, and offer a look behind the proverbial curtain of Judaism Unbound. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , pleas...
Jan 21, 2022•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Leon Wiener Dow is the host of Pod Drash , a Jewish podcast that talks about podcasts. In this episode of Judaism Unbound, he, Dan, and Lex, talk about Pod Drash. Ergo, this is a podcast talking about a podcast that talks about podcasts. If you like podcasts, therefore, you will like this episode -- three times over! Learn more about Pod Drash by heading to PodDrash.org , and subscribe to PodDrash in Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or wherever else you find your podcasts. If you're enjoying Judaism U...
Jan 14, 2022•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua Malina (yes, THAT Joshua Malina) and Shira Stutman (yes, THAT Shira Stutman) join Dan and Lex for a conversation about their (Joshua and Shira's) entry into the Jewish podcast ecosystem, through their brand new podcast, called Chutzpod! Learn more about Chutzpod! by heading to Chutzpod.com , and subscribe to Chutzpod in Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Podcast & Radio Addict , or wherever else you find your podcasts. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , please help us keep things going with a o...
Jan 07, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Shani Mink and SJ Seldin are the co-founders of Jewish Farmer Network -- a grassroots organization of over 2000 farmers, which mobilizes Jewish agricultural wisdom to build a more just and regenerative food system for all. They join Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about the Shmita year (year of release), and about how Jews today can combat the pervasive, incorrect idea of "Isn't Jewish farmer an oxymoron?" Jewish Farmer Network's 2022 conference, entitled "Cultivating Culture: A...
Dec 31, 2021•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dan and Lex close out Judaism Unbound's 4-episode mini-series on Jewish circumcision. They explore, in particular, the treatment by Jewish institutions of families, who have opted not to circumcise their children, and of those children themselves. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here! You can also buy Judaism Unbound merch (hoodies! stickers! mugs! so much more!) by headi...
Dec 24, 2021•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Shaye Cohen , the Littauer Professor of Hebrew Literature and Philosophy at Harvard University, joins Dan and Lex for the 3rd conversation in a unit of episodes exploring Jewish circumcision. This discussion, on the history of Jewish circumcision, from the Hebrew Bible till today, builds on "A Canonical History of Jewish Circumcision," a chapter in Cohen's 2005 book Why Aren't Jewish Women Circumcised: Gender and Covenant in Judaism . If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , please help us keep thin...
Dec 17, 2021•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Max Buckler , Director of Strategic Initiatives for Bruchim , and Charlene Thrope , a member of its extended team, join Dan and Lex for a conversation that explores alternatives to circumcision as the primary way to welcome amab (assigned-male-at-birth) babies into the Jewish community. This episode is the second of two episodes featuring guests from Bruchim , a recently-launched organization that seeks to foster welcoming spaces for Jewish families who have opted out of the ritual of circumcisi...
Dec 10, 2021•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Lisa Braver Moss , Rebecca Wald , and Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon are the founding members of B'ruchim's executive board. So what's B'ruchim? It's a recently-launched organization that seeks to foster welcoming spaces for Jewish families who have opted out of the ritual of circumcision. In this episode, the three co-founders join Dan and Lex for a conversation about why their organization exists, how opposition to circumcision can come from a deeply Jewish place, and what it might look like for Jewish ...
Dec 03, 2021•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast Zack Bodner , CEO of The Oshman Family JCC and author of Why Do Jewish? A Manifesto for 21st Century Jewish Peoplehood , joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about his book. They also explore together what makes West-Coast Judaism distinctive, along with whether the digital world is itself a new kind of geographic "coast." If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here! You can als...
Nov 26, 2021•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jeremy Dauber , the author of American Comics: A History and Jewish Comedy: A Serious History , who serves as the Atran Professor of Yiddish Language, Literature and Culture at Columbia University, joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about these two books. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here! To access shownotes for this episode, click here ....
Nov 19, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast This bonus episode of Judaism Unbound is presented in partnership with Theatre Dybbuk . Once a month, their podcast -- called The Dybbukast -- releases a new episode, and we are proud to feature their second season's first episode as a bonus episode here on Judaism Unbound's channel. In each episode, they bring poems, plays, and other creative texts from throughout history to life, all while revealing their relationships to issues still present today. Subscribe to The Dybbukast in Apple Podcasts...
Nov 15, 2021•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dan and Lex celebrate the 3-century mark of podcast episodes. They consider the drastic growth of Jewish creativity and experimentation, all around the country and in the digital world, over the 6 years that Judaism Unbound has existed, and they ask what a recent New York Times magazine article can help us understand about the idea of "Jewish leadership." There are also, as a fun treat, some outdated references to the 2006 film "300!" If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , please help us keep thin...
Nov 12, 2021•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Julie Weitz , a performance artist whose work "uses humor and ritual to propose ethically-grounded and intersectional reconsiderations of pressing contemporary issues," joins Dan and Lex for a conversation exploring the legend of the Golem -- and how it might be relevant to our observance of the Sh'mitah year (the once-every-7-year sabbatical year, marked via a recalibration of humans' relationship to the earth, and the remission of debts). If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , please help us kee...
Nov 05, 2021•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Musician and songwriter Ezra Furman , whose albums include Twelve Nudes (2019) and Transangelic Exodus (2018), and whose work serves as the soundtrack to the Netflix series Sex Education , joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about her spiritual journey, weaving the ancient with the new, breaking Judaism out of its "glass box," and more. Throughout, Furman speaks to the importance of creating a world in which every person is "inconveniently themselves," and Judaism, in parallel fashion, is "inco...
Oct 29, 2021•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ginna Green and Lynn Harris , co-hosts of A Bintel Brief -- another podcast in the ever-growing Jewish pod-o-sphere -- join Dan and Lex for a conversation about A Bintel Brief . In their discussion, they explore the evolution of A Bintel Brief from (over 100 years ago) a written advice column in Yiddish to an oral podcast, released via the internet. They also consider the value of one of the scariest words, in Jewish communities and in our broader society -- "should." If you're enjoying Judaism ...
Oct 22, 2021•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Shaul Magid , the Distinguished Fellow in Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College and author of Meir Kahane: The Public Life and Political Thought of an American Jewish Radical , joins Dan and Lex for a conversation exploring this new book, which opens up discussions around some of the most important Jewish issues of our time — pride (“identity”), survival (“continuity”), unity (disunity), power, and more. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , please help us keep things going with a one-time or month...
Oct 15, 2021•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast 
