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PODCAST

Martini Judaism

Religion News Service

For those who want to be shaken and stirred. Join one of American Judaism’s most prolific thought leaders and his special guests as they talk about the current state of Judaism, American culture, politics, religion, and spirituality.

religion & spirituality judaism

All Episodes

54:42

Remembering David Ellenson

Martini Judaism ·

2024/12/19

Last week, we observed the first yahrzeit (anniversary of a death) of Dr. David Ellenson -- past president of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, past provost of that institution, a professor at that institution for a generation – a teacher, a theologian, a historian of Jewish ideas, a world class thinker. Someone said that “David was always the smartest person in the room, and he never let you remember that.”If you could look up the word mensch in a dictionary, you would see David's

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55:39

Are Jews God-phobic? With Arnold Eisen

Martini Judaism ·

2024/12/11

If you encounter someone who wants to talk about God, odds are that person isn't Jewish. Why?I am talking to a friend of mine about his experience on various dating sites. He tells me that from time to time, he will come across a profile that seems promising. And then, right there in the first paragraph, the woman will write: “Must love God.” As he scrolls down a little further, he sees that she is a Christian – and that she inevitably describes her politics as “conservative.” “I don’t get it,” he

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52:44

The Election and the Jews

Martini Judaism ·

2024/11/20

Rabbi Jeff Salkin sits down with Rabbi Jonah Pesner, one of American Judaism's most prominent voices and the director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. Together, they dive into the deeply rooted relationship between Judaism, politics, and social justice, exploring why so many Jews align with liberal causes while maintaining a vibrant spectrum of political thought within the community.From the historical and spiritual foundations of Jewish values to modern-day challenges in

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9:30

Remembering the late Alex Dancyg, a hostage from Warsaw

Martini Judaism ·

2024/10/14

On Tuesday, July 16, I and a group of rabbis traveled south from Jerusalem — to the Gaza envelope.There, we visited the places that Hamas had ravaged on Oct. 7, 2023. We visited the site of the Nova music festival, where we said kaddish for the young victims. We visited Kibbutz Nir Oz. We walked through the rubble of the burnt houses, the burnt kitchen, the places where people died, and the places where people were taken hostage. One-quarter of the residents of Nir Oz were killed or taken

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53:22

A Reform Jewish woman and an Orthodox rabbi talk...

Martini Judaism ·

2024/09/23

Two of my favorite people — Abigail Pogrebin and Rabbi Dov Linzer — who have just written a new book, "It Takes Two To Torah: An Orthodox Rabbi and Reform Journalist Discuss and Debate Their Way Through the Five Books of Moses," with a foreword by Mayim Bialik. This is a book about each Torah portion, as read through their lenses, and is a series of conversations and intellectual wrestling matches.

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52:54

It's More Than L'chaim: Judaism Is a Celebration of...

Martini Judaism ·

2024/09/06

First, this modern Orthodox rabbi was one of the first rabbis to really touch my life and to engage me in what my Protestant colleagues would call “formation.”Rabbi Yitz Greenberg was a congregational rabbi in Riverdale, NY; the founder of the Jewish studies program at City College of New York; the creator of CLAL, the Center for Learning and Leadership – which is a think tank for Jewish pluralism and intra-Jewish conversation. I first met Rabbi Greenberg and his wife, Blu, the major Jewish

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11:49

When the reverend became a rabbi

Martini Judaism ·

2024/08/16

We need to take the spiritual journey of Ana Levy-Lyons with the gravity it deserves. Truth be told: There is a shortage of rabbinical students. Jews need rabbis. Levy-Lyons obviously has the human, intellectual and spiritual skills for it. I look forward to welcoming her as a Jew, and certainly as a colleague.But there is far more to this story than is readily apparent. This is not only a story about how someone has entered Judaism. It is also a story about how someone left the Unitarian

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11:28

A new Jewish denomination: Josh Shapiro-ism

Martini Judaism ·

2024/08/09

Jews have been living on an emotional roller coaster.In recent weeks, we experienced a welcome "high." Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was under serious consideration for vice president on the Democratic ticket. Then, in recent days, for many Jews, a "low" when Josh Shapiro was passed over in favor of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Jews have a right to be disappointed. But along with that disappointment, let us realize the Shapiro possibility contains two serious lessons for American Jews. First, the

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10:59

Could the White House become a Jewish home?

Martini Judaism ·

2024/07/26

More than forty years ago, as I prepared to ascend the pulpit for my first High Holy Days sermon as a rabbi, one of the elders of my congregation, dear old Arthur Leibowitz, pulled me aside.“Rabbi,” he said to me, “Preach the Dickens at ’em.” I said to him: “OK, Arthur. Just please don’t have any great expectations.” American Jews already know, intuitively and rationally, that they are living in the "worst of times." The rise of antisemitism, both in the United States and abroad, and the ongoing,

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52:01

The 39th-Generation Rabbi Who Is Reinventing Judaism:...

Martini Judaism ·

2024/04/18

“I am running away to join the circus.”It was 2004, and my synagogue in Atlanta had welcomed Amichai Lau-Lavie as a guest speaker. Amichai had been the founder of Storahtellers, a ritual theater company, which was an innovative approach to presenting Torah in synagogue. He had come to our congregation along with what could only be described as a madcap ensemble of actors, singers and theater professionals – who also knew Torah. They dramatized the Torah portion. And, much more. The congregation

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11:08

Is the Eclipse Good For the Jews?

Martini Judaism ·

2024/04/05

I am experiencing serious FOMO.I am totally bummed that I am going to be out of the range on Monday to watch the solar eclipse. So, let's talk about Judaism and eclipses. Are there eclipses in the Bible? Most likely. It is possible that the plague of darkness during the Exodus from Egypt was a total eclipse of the sun. Likewise, when the sun stood still in the book of Joshua, that also might have been an eclipse. There are also references to solar eclipses in medieval Jewish texts, especially as

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52:13

God loves you. Deal with it.

Martini Judaism ·

2024/03/21

What are the three little words that rabbis almost never, ever, say to their congregations.Hold on, because I am about to say them. God loves you. That is the topic of Rabbi Shai Held's new book, "Judaism Is About Love,"` which is also the topic of today's "Martini Judaism" podcast. Wait a second, you are saying. Isn't this supposed to be Martini Judaism -- not Martini Evangelical Christianity? Am I reading the wrong column, or has Jeff Salkin decided to convert? Neither. Let’s face it: “God loves

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51:36

A new poetry, post-Oct. 7

Martini Judaism ·

2024/03/14

A very intelligent young person once asked me: “When did the Bible stop?”“What do you mean?” I responded. “I mean,” she said, “when did they decide that the Bible was finished? Why can’t we simply add on to it? Why can’t it be like a loose-leaf notebook, where you put things in and take them out whenever you need to?” I admit I had found that question to be, well, irreverent. Now I am not so sure. Now I actually think it was a great question and I have been asking it myself. Not about taking pages

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44:33

We need a post-October 7 Talmud: a conversation with...

Martini Judaism ·

2024/02/24

It is November 10, 1938. It’s in a small city in Germany. It is the night after Kristalnacht, the night of broken glass that ushered in the mass roundups and the killings that would become the Holocaust, what we call the Shoah in Hebrew.There are a group of men shoved together in a cell. They are all of different ages. One of them turns to a much younger man, a rabbinical student who was no more than twenty years old. “You! You are a rabbinical student. You are a student of Judaism. So tell us –

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12:21

Converts are Jewish. Period.

Martini Judaism ·

2024/02/08

The other day, I was talking to someone about a friend of mine who had converted to Judaism, a.k.a., joined the Jewish people. My conversation partner stopped me in my tracks. "I don't believe in that," he said. "You can't convert to Judaism. You can't just join the Jewish people. You either are Jewish, or you are not. What — you take a class, and you take a test and they dunk you (in the mikveh, the ritual bath) and poof — you're Jewish?!?" "No!" he continued. "You have to have a yiddishe neshame,

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50:02

Is the university good for the Jews? With Mark...

Martini Judaism ·

2024/01/25

Did you ever think, in your wildest imagination, that the events of October 7 would lead to an all out culture war that would involve every sector of American intellectual and academic life? Me neither. And yet, here we are -- with the result that many American Jews are now questioning the role of the university in their lives, and in the life of the Jewish community. To help us discern the depths of the university and the Jews, check out the podcast -- a conversation with Mark Oppenheimer. He has

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49:27

Are American Jews in crisis? A conversation with...

Martini Judaism ·

2024/01/11

“Don’t know much about history…” Those were the immortal words of Sam Cooke. It happens to be true. Many of us don’t know much about history. Just think of the way that we use the word. Someone gets fired from a job, and what do we say? “She’s history.” But, I love history, especially American Jewish history. No one has nourished that love of history more than Professor Jonathan Sarna of Brandeis University, past president of the Association for Jewish Studies and Chief Historian of the National

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43:31

Why Israel matters: A conversation about the National...

Martini Judaism ·

2023/12/28

No one ever asks, "Why should India exist?" Or Albania. Or the United States. Or any country in the world. Except for one country: Israel. So, let me make this simple — and overly simplistic. Why does Israel exist? Here are my two R's of Israel. To rescue Jews who are persecuted. To save Jews from Jew-hatred. That was the wake-up call that Viennese journalist Theodor Herzl experienced during the trial of Alfred Dreyfus for treason in France in the early 1890s. He saw the mobs in the streets calling

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55:00

A Jewish rock star reflects on Oct. 7 + Peter Himmelman

Martini Judaism ·

2023/12/05

Do you know what it’s like to fall in love? I don’t mean falling in love with a romantic partner. I am talking about the moment of falling in love with a performer — because you know that person gets it and gets you and understands you. That is what happened to me back in 1991, when a friend of mine played me an album called “From Strength to Strength” by Peter Himmelman. That title is a biblical quote. It’s what Jews say to each other at significant moments in life: “May you go from strength to

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38:48

What's your story? A new podcast reveals the depth of...

Martini Judaism ·

2023/11/09

I first encountered Nora Gold when I read her amazing novel, Fields of Exile, which is about the anti-Israel ideologies that are now sweeping across the academic world – in her case, with a unique focus on what is happening in Canada. It is about antisemitism on the college campus. That book was enough to make me a total fan. Today, we are talking to her about her new collection -- 18: Jewish Stories Translated From 18 Languages. This is the first anthology of this kind in 25 years. And, no -- these

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