x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

The Jewish Lives Podcast

The Jewish Lives Podcast is a monthly show that explores the lives of influential Jewish figures. Hosted by Alessandra Wollner, each episode includes an interview with an acclaimed Jewish Lives author. Jewish Lives is a prizewinning series of biography published by Yale University Press and the Leon D. Black Foundation. Join us as we explore the Jewish experience together.

religion & spirituality judaism

All Episodes

00:15:54

GROUCHO MARX

The Jewish Lives Podcast ·

2023/09/27

Born Julius Marx in 1890, the brilliant comic actor who would later be known as Groucho, was celebrated for his slapstick portrayals, ingenious wordplay, and double entendre.Join us with Lee Siegel, author of Groucho Marx: The Comedy of Existence, as we explore the life of the beloved American iconoclast through the lens of his work on stage, screen, and television.

en

00:19:44

BETTY FRIEDAN

The Jewish Lives Podcast ·

2023/08/29

The feminist writer and activist Betty Friedan (1921–2006), pathbreaking author of The Feminine Mystique, was powerful and polarizing.Join us with Rachel Shteir, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Betty Friedan: Magnificent Disrupter, as we explore the life of the author and activist acclaimed as the mother of second-wave feminism.

en

00:20:55

GERSHOM SCHOLEM

The Jewish Lives Podcast ·

2023/07/24

Gershom Scholem (1897–1982) was one of the most influential figures in the field of Jewish Studies.Join us with historian David Biale, author of the Jewish Lives biography Gershom Scholem: Master of the Kabbalah, as we examine the life of the thinker who pioneered the study of Jewish mysticism and profoundly influenced the Zionist movement.

en

00:17:37

WALTHER RATHENAU

The Jewish Lives Podcast ·

2023/06/26

Both thoroughly German and unabashedly Jewish, Walther Rathenau (1867–1922) served in the exalted position of foreign minister in the early days of the Weimar Republic.His achievement was unprecedented—no Jew in Germany had ever attained such high political rank. But Rathenau’s success was marked by tragedy: within months he was assassinated by right-wing extremists seeking to destroy the newly formed Republic.Join us with esteemed historian Shulamit Volkov as we illuminate the complex social and

en

00:20:22

SOLOMON

The Jewish Lives Podcast ·

2023/05/24

Tradition has it that King Solomon knew everything there was to know—the mysteries of nature, of love, of God himself—but what do we know about him?Join us with esteemed biblical scholar Steven Weitzman as we reexamine Solomon's story and its surprising influence in shaping Western culture in Solomon: The Lure of Wisdom. We also explore what Solomon's life, wisdom, and writings have come to mean for Jews, Christians, and Muslims over the past two thousand years.

en

00:19:29

ELIE WIESEL

The Jewish Lives Podcast ·

2023/04/20

Elie Wiesel is the author of the seminal Holocaust memoir Night and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.Join us with Joseph Berger, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Elie Wiesel: Confronting the Silence, as we explore how a teenage survivor from a Hasidic family became the eloquent embodiment of Holocaust remembrance and of forceful opposition to indifference.

en

00:15:08

MEL BROOKS

The Jewish Lives Podcast ·

2023/03/22

Mel Brooks, born Melvin Kaminsky in Brooklyn in 1926, is one of the great comic voices of the twentieth centuryJoin us with Jeremy Dauber, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Mel Brooks: Disobedient Jew, as we explore how Brooks’s American Jewish humor went from being solely for niche audiences to an essential part of the American mainstream, paving the way for generations of Jewish (and other) comedians to come.

en

00:25:46

JEROME ROBBINS

The Jewish Lives Podcast ·

2023/02/24

Born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz, Jerome Robbins (1918–1998) was a master choreographer, dancer, and stage director, most famous for his stage productions of West Side Story, Peter Pan, and Fiddler on the Roof.Join us with Wendy Lesser, author of the Jewish Lives biography Jerome Robbins: A Life in Dance, as we explore Robbins’s life through his major dances in ballet, Broadway, and film.Music in this episode: Claude Debussy - Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

en

00:23:23

WARNER BROS.

The Jewish Lives Podcast ·

2023/01/23

The Warner Brothers—Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack—arrived in America as unschooled Jewish immigrants, yet they founded a movie studio that became the smartest, toughest, and most radical in all of Hollywood.Join us with celebrated film critic David Thomson, author of Warner Bros.: The Making of an American Movie Studio, as we explore how four immigrant brothers transformed themselves into the moguls and masters of American fantasy.

en

00:24:17

LEON TROTSKY

The Jewish Lives Podcast ·

2022/12/23

Born Lev Davidovich Bronstein in southern Ukraine, Leon Trotsky (1879-1940) was a revolutionary figure who led an upheaval that helped define the contours of twentieth-century politics.Join us with Joshua Rubenstein, author of the Jewish Lives biography Leon Trotsky: A Revolutionary’s Life, as we uncover the brilliant and brilliantly flawed man who was both a world-class intellectual and a man capable of the most narrow-minded ideological dogmatism.

en

00:23:21

ARTHUR MILLER

The Jewish Lives Podcast ·

2022/11/29

Most famous for All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, and The Crucible, Arthur Miller (1915–2005) was a playwright who almost single-handedly propelled twentieth-century American theater into a new level of cultural sophistication.Join us with distinguished theater critic John Lahr, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Arthur Miller: American Witness, as we explore the fault lines of Miller’s life—his family, the Great Depression, the rise of fascism, Elia Kazan and the House Committee on

en

00:19:16

SIDNEY REILLY

The Jewish Lives Podcast ·

2022/10/31

Said to be the inspiration for Ian Fleming’s iconic James Bond character, Sidney Reilly (c. 1873–1925) is one of the most colorful and best–known spies of the 20th century.Join us with historian Benny Morris, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Sidney Reilly: Master Spy, as we sift through the reality and the myth of Reilly’s life and uncover a fascinating portrait of one of the most intriguing figures from the golden age of spies.

en

00:18:03

RUTH

The Jewish Lives Podcast ·

2022/09/28

The Book of Ruth offers a vibrant portrait of a foreigner who became the founding mother of the Davidic dynasty.Join us with Ilana Pardes, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Ruth: A Migrant’s Tale, as we explore the ever-changing perspectives on Ruth’s foreignness beginning in the Hebrew bible and rabbinic literature through Zionism and the modern world.

en

00:15:57

ALFRED STIEGLITZ

The Jewish Lives Podcast ·

2022/08/22

Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946) was an enormously influential photographer and champion of other artists.Join us with Phyllis Rose, acclaimed critic, biographer, and author of Alfred Stieglitz: Taking Pictures, Making Painters, as we explore Stieglitz’s role as a revolutionary force in the history of American art.

en

00:20:47

MARTIN BUBER

The Jewish Lives Podcast ·

2022/07/21

Martin Buber (1878–1965) was a seminal modern Jewish thinker.Join us with Paul Mendes-Flohr, an authority on the 20th-century philosopher and author of Martin Buber: A Life of Faith and Dissent, as we explore Buber’s contributions to Jewish thought, philosophy, biblical studies, political theory, and Zionism.

en

00:21:41

LEONARD BERNSTEIN

The Jewish Lives Podcast ·

2022/06/29

Join us with composer Allen Shawn, author of Leonard Bernstein: An American Musician, for an appreciation of the great musical genius who stood at the epicenter of 20th-century American musical life. Music in this episode: Leonard Bernstein and Steven Sondheim - "Cool" from West Side Story Leonard Bernstein - Symphony No. 2, The Age of Anxiety Leonard Bernstein - Symphony No 3., Kaddish Leonard Bernstein - Chichester Psalms

en

00:21:13

FREUD

The Jewish Lives Podcast ·

2022/05/25

Join us with Adam Phillips, one of the world’s foremost authorities on Sigmund Freud and author of Becoming Freud: The Making of a Psychoanalyst, as we explore the early life of the father of psychoanalysis.

en

00:18:40

JABOTINSKY

The Jewish Lives Podcast ·

2022/05/02

Few figures in twentieth-century Jewish life were quite so admired and loathed as Vladimir Jabotinsky (1880-1940).The founder of the branch of Zionism now headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, he is perhaps the most controversial of all Zionist political leaders. Join us as author Hillel Halkin explores the life and legacy of Jabotinsky. Halkin will also explain the importance of Odessa, Ukraine, Jabotinsky’s native city, in shaping his character and outlook.

en

00:19:10

ELIJAH

The Jewish Lives Podcast ·

2022/03/28

Join us and explore the story of the prophet Elijah’s evolution from fierce zealot to compassionate hero and cherished figure in Jewish tradition. Hear from National Jewish Book Award winner Daniel C. Matt, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Becoming Elijah: Prophet of Transformation. Music in this episode: Hazzan Brian Baruch Shamash - arrangement of Eliahu Hanavi

en

00:23:09

ADMIRAL HYMAN RICKOVER

The Jewish Lives Podcast ·

2022/02/16

Join us for a riveting exploration of the brilliant, combative, and controversial “Father of the Nuclear Navy.” Hear from Marc Wortman, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Admiral Hyman Rickover: Engineer of Power.

en

69 results

Similar Podcasts

Jeff Haygood, Pastor

PodPoint

PASTOR ALVARO VALENCIA

Pastor Alvaro Valencia

Grace Life Church CT.

PodPoint

Pleasant View Church

Ted Nance

Christian Heritage Church"s Podcast

PodPoint