Bad Jew

Free Will doesn't exist... or does it? Afterall, all of our decisions are impacted by the decisions right before... right? Philosophy may not be your strong suit but surely we simply come into existence and act on our needs and what's around us. It's nice to feel like we make decisions but surely we're just animals like the rest of the living organisms on this Earth, thus we have no free will.......

What's happening with the Jewish people right now? Can we agree on anything? Is it even worth debating anymore? Up is down and down is up. Explanations fall on deaf ears and those who we once thought were Jewish are raising children in a completely different faith. Our identity seems to be in perils... or is it? Shoshanna Stein, known for being a Jewish teacher and content creator, gives a humblin...

How many times have you clasped your hands together, looked up at the sky, and BEGGED G-d for something only to get crickets in return. Praying to G-d can be a disheartening and even intimidating task for some. This is an incredibly valid and real experience and anyone who believes in G-d would be lying if they said that was never their experience. But what if there was a better way to ask for thi...

You turn on your TV or go on your phone and the first video that pops up is insurmountable destruction of Gaza. A once complete society is now in rubble, leaving bloodied bodies and children behind. And who's responsible? Israel. Surely this is a genocide, right? Well, it's true that Gaza is in ruins but characterizing what's going on in Gaza as a genocide is tone deaf. Sam Fried, a former paratro...

The Torah is central to Judaism. There’s no debate there. But why is it relevant to our daily lives? It’s a history book… about supernatural things that we can’t possibly relate to… right? Joey Swaid, a young and bright yeshiva student in Jerusalem, Israel, speaks the words of wisdom and truth relating Torah and it’s relevancy to our daily lives. While offering a deeper perspective on the turbulen...

We have to fast? Again? Yep. For another 25 hours, Jews are told to fast for what is considered the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. Tisha B’Av is a holiday some know very fondly while others have never heard of. It commemorates the destruction of the 1st and 2nd Temples along with other exceptionally tragic moments in Jewish history. What is the meaning of this? What did we do to deserve this?...

Hashem is this infinite being, for lack of better term. He's all-encompassing and created us out of nothing, indicating his sheer power. Yet, it's a mitzvah to pray and is a commandment to pray during certain times. So then... does he need anything or not? And of all things, why prayer? Prayer is an area of specialty for Rabbi Ephy Greene of Aish HaTorah's Yeshiva in Jerusalem, Israel. During a 's...

Buttoned-up clothing. Black and white style. Tight and uncomfortable. Covered and hot. No designs nor messages. And definitely no ankle. That's the summary of modesty. The concept of 'covering up' is one of the most difficult and seemingly oppressive aspects of Judaism. What if there was a much-needed paradigm shift on this idea? Moriel Shviki, an outspoken advocate for modesty and its values, com...

Have you ever had a religious person knock on your door and ask you to join them at church? Have you ever had a preacher on the street shout at you for living differently than them? Ever notice that none of those figures are Jewish? As a matter of fact, Jews know better than to not try to convert people as it is a sin according to their bible. Yet... the Jewish population is so small. Couldn't the...

Israel is the only pro-LGBTQ country in the Middle East but does that mean you should automatically be a Zionist? Probably, but for a vast majority of LGBTQ members, especially Jews, they are faced with the inner conflict of crossing political lines and personal values, stepping aside from the guidelines of their political affiliation's doctrine. How can they navigate this dilemma? Marcus Breman,...

One of the most intimidating things about being on your Jewish journey is answering the question, "What kind of Jew are you?" There are so many ways 'to Jew', how can you possibly choose? And once you do, who said you're personally ready to be labeled in a specific way? Instagram and TikTok star Melinda Strauss is no stranger to this concept. Knowing that the Jewish identity is personal, she empha...

All Yeshivas are notoriously known for giving life-changing education. Teaching Judaism with a higher kind of discipline while embedding principles to live by is not something that happens overnight. You hear of people that stay for a week. You hear of people that stay for years. But does it really provide you with ALL the tools you need in life? Daniel Mouyal is known for his collaborations with...

Just remember what they taught you in grade school: When you're public speaking, just imagine everyone's pants are down... That trick never worked did it? Public speaking is hard. Giving a sermon to a high-expecting congregation is harder.  Rabbi Daniel Steinberg is no stranger to the difficulty of trying to inspire and emotionally elevate a crowd. Being very familiar with the film industry, sales...

Probably the most challenging question any religious person could answer from an agnostic person is "Is God Real?" The religious person might say "Of course he is real!" "And how do you know?" "Can't you feel it?" Of course, we all know 'feeling' is not enough. Rabbi Aaron Zimmer and Rabbi Elie Feder produced a podcast called "Physics to God" to go beyond the feeling of God. Using the scientific m...

WE FINALLY RECEIVED THE TORAH! Time to enjoy the taste of milk and honey. But why? Can our Jewish stomachs really handle all of that dairy and what are we actually celebrating when we look at the history of the Torah - the constant tug-of-war we have with the values God laid out for us? Have we, an exiled people, really earned a celebration? Sruly Meyer, known for his incredible online recipes, em...

It goes without saying that the internet can be a disgusting display of human nature. Anonymous trolls, scams, and false information run rampant and they're not hard to run into. A centerpiece to this disturbing reality is the adult entertainment industry which has never been known to treat people with dignity. Exposing people of all ages to this content can do a variety of harmful things but the...

Do you feel lonely? Do you feel it's time to find your true love? Do you feel hopeless in the romance department? Many of us do including me. If you're like me, Chaz Volk, the host of this show, you have spent many sleepless nights staring at the ceiling wondering what the future holds and if you're even worthy of your desires.  In the quest to find my b'sheret ("meant to be"), I interview "Coach"...

Now more than ever before, your people need YOU! Anti-Israel and anti-Jewish rallies have spread like wildfire across the nation. Students get harassed on campus just for being Jews. The few Jews that do join the encampments are tokenized and glorified in hypocritical ways. No matter how much light we shed on the situation, our adversaries come back more aggressively. This is an uphill battle.  Su...

One message this podcast has tried time and time again to explain... Jews come in all shapes and colors. The Jews from the Middle East are called Mizrahi Jews and they are just as culturally tied as Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews are.  Tal Oran, better known as The Travelling Clatt, steps away from his travel vlogging to share the full overview of Mizrahi Jewish culture. Chaz Volk, host of Bad Jew,...

As we commemorate Yom HaShoah, we dedicate this week’s episode to understanding the lives and legacies of those who survived the Holocaust. Our guest, Michael Ruskin, offers an intimate glimpse into his life as the last surviving member of his family who escaped the horrors of the Holocaust. He shares tales of his own upbringing under the shadow of his parents’ past traumas and how these experienc...

Take a deep breath. Let's acknowledge the fact that the world is crazy which can naturally make anyone a little crazy. It's okay to be off your rocker sometimes but that's where the mindfulness kicks in. While the world seems to spew hate in our direction, there's no better time than the present to turn toward the Jewish lens of mindfulness. Gila Ross, podcast host of PowerUp!, draws from her Jewi...

Right about now, you might be wondering why we have to eat flat bread. Right about now, you might be frustrated with the long dinners with the even longer stories. Right about now, you might be bored out of your mind as there is CLEARLY no meaning to these new restrictions. Don't worry. We'll explain everything. Chaz Volk, the new Chief Marketing Officer of Aish Los Angeles and host of Bad Jew, in...

It's one of Judaism's most iconic holidays! Passover! The Rugrats did an episode about it. How could you not know about the holiday? You know, the one where we eat flat crackers? The one with the long dinner that's delayed by stories? Speaking of dinners, who's leading it this year? Oh, you are? And have you ever led a Passover Seder before? No? That's okay, Larry Cohen has you covered. Leading a...

This episode is about humans. This episode is about identity. This episode is about health. This episode is about self-awareness and self-care. This episode is about morality and this episode is about making sacrifices to pursue authenticity and wholeness. Any commentary outside of those themes is out of ignorance.  Michael Alroy, a contestant on Israel's Big Brother, a business owner, and a kind...

We've all heard of Kabbalah but what does it really do? Why does it matter? This fictitious book filled with magical and mystical ideas seems to have just as much realism as Greek mythology, right? Wrong. What if Kabbalah was one of the most misunderstood pieces of text out of Jewish literature?  Like many others, the concept and purpose of Kabbalah has been a mystery to people like host Chaz Volk...