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PODCAST

The Jewish Diasporist

Ben, Jordan and Zach

Join us as we explore the political, cultural and social implications of life in diaspora. We wander across a variety of topics, grounding a socialist diasporist perspective through conversations with social movement organizers and scholars from around the world. While primarily focused on the Jewish world, we dialogue with people from non-Jewish communities which share the experience of diaspora and exile and situate Jewish communities in their diverse national contexts.Get in touch at

society & culture judaism

All Episodes

61:24

The Jewish Left in Mexico w/ Tamara Gleason Freidberg

The Jewish Diasporist ·

2024/11/02

Historian and yiddishist Tamara Gleason Freidberg joins Ben and Zach to talk about the history of the Jews in Mexico, the 1930s and 1940s, the role of the Jewish left in the country, and contemporary politics following the beginning of the presidency of Claudia Sheinbaum - the first female and first Jewish president of Mexico who is continuing the progressive "Fourth Transformation" of the

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15:23

Preview: Gathering a Local Lulav: A Diasporist...

The Jewish Diasporist ·

2024/10/22

Sukkot reminds us of the dwellings our ancestors lived in when they were fleeing Egypt, they are the temporary dwellings of refugees. Yet settlers have bastardized the holiday to be about occupying land, and often use the plants of the Lulav to claim Sukkot as a Zionist Holiday. In this episode, join Ben and Jordan for a walk as they creatively engage with the Holiday's halacha (Jewish Law/Way of Practice) and inspiration in the Torah to adapt the ritual in the spirit of Doikayt (Hereness).Hear the

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75:21

In Pursuit of a Palestinian-Jewish Future w/ Hadar Cohen

The Jewish Diasporist ·

2024/10/19

So often, Jews and Palestinians are seen as separate, even diametrically opposed communities, yet what happens when we center those who hold both of these identities simultaneously?In this episode, Ben and Jordan are joined by Hadar Cohen, an Arab Jewish scholar, mystic artist and community organizer to discuss the complexities, tensions and possibilities of modern Arab-Jewish life and identity. By tying together personal, spiritual and historical perspectives, Hadar helps us illuminate the

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69:35

Westward to Zion: American Jewish Labor History

The Jewish Diasporist ·

2024/10/05

In this special crossover episode of The Jewish Diasporist and Labor Jawn, hosts Jordan and Gabe team up to interview Dr. Caroline Luce, a scholar of Jewish labor history in the United States. Together. They explore the rich and complex history of Jews in America, highlighting the intersections of immigration, labor unions, synagogues, mutual aid societies, and colonialism. Tracing the westward migration of American Jews from New York to Los Angeles, this episode provides a deep dive into Jewish

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73:02

Summer Camp Conflict and Care

The Jewish Diasporist ·

2024/09/21

Summer Camp Conflict and Care w/ Dani and EzraIn this episode, Ben and Jordan discussed an institution near and dear to their hearts, URJ Camp Newman, with additional former campers and recent staff members, Dani and Ezra. Throughout the conversation, we explore the way camps serve as a microcosm of the diasporic Jewish world, offering a crucial space for young Jews to develop their identities while also highlighting many of the tensions between the policies of the URJ (Union of Reform Judaism, more

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56:36

Le Shul: A Diasporist Congregation in Paris

The Jewish Diasporist ·

2024/09/08

Okay, not EXACTLY Paris...We venture into France for the first time to speak to Mati, one of the organisers of a new diasporist congregation in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, just north of Montmartre.Follow Le Shul Saint-Ouen on InstagramSubscribe to our collaborative YouTubeFollow us on InstagramIf you like the work we're doing here, please consider supporting us on Patreon!Big thank you to Aly Halpert for continuing to allow us to use her music!

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51:40

Imagining Utopia w/ Sophie Cardin

The Jewish Diasporist ·

2024/08/24

Sophie Cardin (MPhil, Oxford) (Mazel Tov!) joins us to talk about her work on Yiddish Political Utopia, especially the work of Kalmen Zingman (1889-1929) author of "In the Future City of Edenia" (1918).We talk about Zingman and the other utopian writers of his time, what utopia is and the importance of utopian thinking in the present situation (fans of JD35 will love it in particular!)Zingman in the YIVO encyclopediaZingman's funny faceRead "In the Future City of Edenia" here! (Original and

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63:18

Reclaiming Tradition without Nostalgia w/Pushcart...

The Jewish Diasporist ·

2024/08/10

In this episode we spoke to Ollie Schwartz, the cultural organizer, who founded Pushcart Judaica, an online and traveling market that specializes in ethical Judaica produced by local artists and makers.Ben met Ollie during the Center For Jewish Nonviolence’s May 2023 Delegation to Palestine (See Episode 7 for more). From 2018 to 2022 Ollie served as one of the co-directors of Linke Fligl, Yiddish for “Left Wing”, which was a queer diasporist Chicken farm in Upstate New York that intentionally built

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67:38

British Yiddish w/ Steve Ogin

The Jewish Diasporist ·

2024/07/27

In this episode, Zach spoke to Steve Ogin, one of the lead organizers of the Yiddish cultural movement in the United Kingdom.We'd like to apolgize for the delays in our regular biweekly publishing schedule. We have been working hard, and have had difficulties editing at the rate we'd like. Nevertheless, we have several though provoking episodes recorded for the coming weeks so stay tuned!Subscribe to our collaborative YouTubeFollow us on Instagram InstagramIf you like the work we're doing here,

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53:50

Declaring Independence of Diaspora w/ Joe Feinberg

The Jewish Diasporist ·

2024/07/06

Ben and Zach speak to Joe, a member of the Jewish Voice for Solidarity group, which is based in Prague, Czech Republic, Alongside their various local actvities, they recently drafted and presented an interesting document, a satire playing on the Israeli Declaration of Independence, which all Jewish Diasporists will find an interesting read.Perhaps this humourous spirit, or the fact that we recorded the intro on the 4th of July, led us to engage in a little tomfoolery during the intro...Joe's article

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25:04

Tensions Within University Jewish Community Life

The Jewish Diasporist ·

2024/06/22

This is a re-release of our conversation with artist and former University of Oregon Hillel organiser Alana Green, conducted in November 2023.Stay tuned for more on this subject :)Subscribe to our collaborative YouTubeFollow us on Instagram InstagramIf you like the work we're doing here, please consider supporting us on Patreon!Big thank you to Aly Halpert for continuing to allow us to use her music!

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82:26

Jewish Resistance at UC Santa Cruz

The Jewish Diasporist ·

2024/06/11

(Note: This Interview was recorded before 6/7, when the University of California (UC) found an Orange County Judge to declare a restraining order on the UAW in order to suspend the legal strike action.)Over the past months, encampments were set up to demand fiscal transparency and divestment from Israel’s militarism. Although this mass movement has commonly been accused of spreading antisemitism, Jews have disproportionately taken part in this movement to hold their universities’ administrations

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63:32

Bundism from Berkeley to Berlin

The Jewish Diasporist ·

2024/05/25

For this episode, we interviewed Zalman Tzipporah, a Bundist student and organizer, who has been attending University at Berkeley CA, but in past months has been completing a Semester in Berlin. In our conversation we explored Zalman's road to Bundism and how these ideas have shaped his experience in these distinct geographies; from Yiddishism to their practice of hereness in there collegial homes of Berkeley and Berlin.We initially met Zalman through our shared participation in the effort to

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60:36

Uncovering Sepharad w/ Sirpad

The Jewish Diasporist ·

2024/05/11

In this episode we spoke to Levi Zapata, Katie Kaestner-Frenchman and Lìdice, three organizers of Colectivo Sirpad (סרפד), a Queer Anti-Zionist and Diasporist group in Spain. In our conversation we delved in to the rich Jewish history of the country and explored how Jews have contributed to and pushed against the formation of Spanish national culture. By diving into the history and present of Sepharad our guests offer a unique look into the way diaspora cultures constitute and subverts contemporary

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31:08

Arab-Jewish History & Present w/ Prof. Avi Shlaim

The Jewish Diasporist ·

2024/04/27

Esteemed Professor Avi Shlaim joins Zach to speak about the study of history and Arab-Jewish identity!Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab-Jewsimonandschuster.com/books/Three-Worlds/Avi-Shlaim/9780861544639Recent interviews by Prof.

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55:25

Here & There: South African Jews for a Free Palestine

The Jewish Diasporist ·

2024/04/13

Zach and Jordan (a first time combo!) speak to Zandi and Julia, two activists from South African Jews for a Free Palestine, about what their group can offer to our present moment, locally and globally. We also touch on the connections between Jewishness in a particular context between racism and settler-colonialism, providing context and frameworks for wider perspectives from Jews of colour.Some of the Articles cited from in this

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38:22

Ecology and Jewish Diaspora w/ Ben Yanowitz and Zach...

The Jewish Diasporist ·

2024/04/01

In this episode, Jordan sits down with two scholars of Jewish diaspora life, Ben Yanowitz and Zach Smerin, to discuss the historical and cultural diversity of Jewish life. They discuss the role of various Jewish diasporas in shaping the social, ecological, and technological adaptions employed by Jews across cultures and times.If you’d like to learn more, check out Jewish Ecology on Substack: https://jewishecology.substack.comAnd you can continue to support this project through Patreon:

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35:12

The Jewish Diasporist: One Year On

The Jewish Diasporist ·

2024/03/30

The video of this episode: youtube.com/watch?v=xS25N1ymTS4As of April 1st; the Jewish Diasporist has officially turned 1 year old! In this brief episode, Ben and Zach discuss how their understanding of Diasporism has evolved over the past year, as well as the podcast’s growth. They also hint at the future of the Jewish Diasporist, and the conversations which will happen in this new year. Patreon: patreon.com/TheJewishDiasporist YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@JDxMMxLJInstagram:

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69:33

Unity through Chesed: Diasporst Mysticism w/ Seekers...

The Jewish Diasporist ·

2024/03/16

In this episode, we are joined by Zevi Slavin, the creater of the YouTube project Seekers of Unity. We talk about the etymology of Chasidism, with its roots in Chesed — loving kindness — and how Zevi’s own journey has brought him to a diasporist understanding of the unity at the heart of both Jewish and non-Jewish mysticism.Zevi joins Ben and Jordan Yanowitz as they together paint a picture of the role that love, community, and dialogue together play in shaping Jewish life. Chesed and Chasidism are

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65:52

The Language of Resistance w/ Kompass Media

The Jewish Diasporist ·

2024/03/03

(Recorded 1/30/2024)In this episode, we are joined by Rivka, Andrey, Roman and Meir from Kompass Media, a critical Russian-language media and activist collective based in Israel-Palestine!We talk about the trials of two diasporas, parallels between Palestine and Ukraine, the connection to Eastern European homelands, as well as future of leftist organising - in their local communal context and the general fight against imperialism, nationalism and militarism.Follow Kompass Media on their Instagram

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