IKAR Podcasts

In the wake of the devastating attacks on southern Israel on October 7th, which resulted in so many taken hostage, murdered, and even more displaced, our hearts go out to all those affected. Kibbutz Kfar Azza, among the hardest hit, saw its members' lives entirely shattered. To honor the victims and support the survivors in their efforts to rebuild, we invite you to join a community memorial and f...

From Rabbi Panitz's class on 11.21.2023

When women’s voices are ignored, diminished and marginalized, everyone loses. Jacob loved Rachel, but he failed to take seriously her anguished voice. Thousands of years later, Israeli spotters—women in intelligence—were ignored… at the peril of the nation. Why we must center women’s voices in the quest for peace, and in the work for a better, safer world.

Rabbi David Kasher's Weekly Parsha Study. Source sheet: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/525551?lang=bi

Trauma awakens our ancestor Yitzhak to the possibility of a third way. Third way people fight to see humanity, even when our own humanity has been denied, and insist on complexity in a world of simplistic certainties, and fluidity in a time of binaries. Perhaps we, too, can find one another in that spacious place, the place where hope is born.

In this moment it is so easy to be fully consumed by the constant news updates and horrors and the fear and uncertainty. And as we continue to try to show up and manage the raging world out there, we must also take of ourselves. We need each other for this long road ahead - what do we have to offer?

A recording of Rabbi David Kasher's weekly virtual parsha study class from 10.26.2023. Sign up for the class here: https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A...

We are descendants of Abraham, Ivrim – Hebrews. Rooted in our identity is an ancient call to meet our family in sorrow, to act in solidarity, and even from the depths of our pain, to never, ever forget the humanity of the other.

A recording of Rabbi David Kasher's weekly virtual parsha study class from 10.26.2023. Sign up for the class here: https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A...

A recording of Rabbi David Kasher's weekly virtual parsha study class from 10.19.2023. Sign up for the class here: https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fikar-la.zoom.us%2Fmeeting%2Fregister%2FtJwrfuytrz4jGtMKB6cYx0bcGz7JmFw5rgUd&sa=D&ust=1697577720000000&usg=AOvVaw1yOKzqinM2sivSvIl6GPS9

After the atrocities in Israel on Simhat Torah, among the worst in Jewish history, we must remember the healing power of community, and the importance of compassion, solidarity and showing up.

A recording of Rabbi David Kasher's weekly virtual parsha study class from 10.12.2023. Sign up for the class here: https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fikar-la.zoom.us%2Fmeeting%2Fregister%2FtJwrfuytrz4jGtMKB6cYx0bcGz7JmFw5rgUd&sa=D&ust=1697577720000000&usg=AOvVaw1yOKzqinM2sivSvIl6GPS9

The book of B'midbar is a book full of conflict. And so that was the book that Ezra Furman suggested we talk about. It's appropriate - she's a punk musician and B'midbar is kind of the punk book of the Torah. I think you'll find it interesting to hear a a side of Ezra that you won't always see on stage, a soft, reflective side. She will scream at you from the stage, but one on one, when she's work...

How must we respond to the danger posed by Israel’s extreme, ultranationalist government? Walking away is not a moral choice. Instead, we must summon courage, imagination and moral clarity.

Engaging fully in the introspection of this High Holiday season can land us deep in shame and unable to move. But there is another way: be honest about our shortcomings, witness them and embrace them, and then transform them into something else entirely.

Some reflections on ending well, and what we pray will never end, offered on my father’s shloshim—the end of the most intense period of mourning. Read the full transcript: https://ikar.box.com/s/pk0nat9jcb3k3pk4uzken4ujdcrum1hb

Pastor Eddie Anderson, Reverend Zachary Hoover, and Rabbi Sharon Brous in conversation to discuss the necessity of reparations for building the beloved community.