Living Our Beliefs: Exploring Faith & Religion in Daily Life

Episode 76. In part one, we talk about her Jewish practice at UMass Amherst, where she is now a senior. Part two will cover her engagement on campus in support of Israel and the need for bridge building. Given the tensions on many campuses last year around the Israel/Palestine situation, talking to some college students is timely. I am eager to also speak with a Muslim student who can share their...

Episode 75. In celebration of my 75th podcast episode, I am highlighting three different ways that people live their ancient religion today. I talk about keeping Kosher (Jewish dietary laws), Sue Howard shares her evangelical Christian tenet of the Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit, and Katrina Kincade explains her conversion or reversion to Islam and starting to wear a hijab (Muslim veil) at work. ...

Episode 74. Rabbi David Levin-Kruss is a Jerusalem-based life coach, educator, and community organizer. David sees himself as a bridge between Jewish wisdom and those who want to utilize this wisdom to live more meaningful lives. In this conversation, we talk about his coaching practice often using a text to explore issues in the client’s life. David has held educational and leadership positions a...

Episode 73.  Prianka Alam has retained the dedication to helping her family and Muslim community in Maryland that she learned as a young immigrant child. The financial uncertainty growing up has prompted a craving for stability and security as an adult, in short a boring life. These desires drove Prianka to focus on her education, career path and a husband who would be Muslim and a good partner fo...

Episode 72.   After two-and-a-half years of consistent podcast production, I am taking a short break. To ensure you have something to listen to, I am re-releasing episodes. You are also welcome to look through the back catalogue and listen to other episodes you might have missed. Thanks as always for your interest and support.   Today’s re-release is episode 53, featuring Abdur-Rahman Syed. Abdur-...

Episode 71. Kyle is a Master of Theological Studies student at The Gloria L. and Charles I. Clough School of Theology and Ministry of Boston College. He also works at the Betty Ann Greenbaum Miller Center for Interreligious Learning and Leadership at Hebrew College. Originally from Texas, Kyle has long been involved with interfaith engagement. He has also worked as a freelance journalist, in colle...

Episode 70. Najiba is the Muslim chaplain at Tufts University and a life coach. She holds a B.A. in Peace and Justice Studies from Wellesley College and a Masters in Social Work from Boston College. Her passion is to facilitate pathways for people to discover and develop their whole selves - spiritually, psychologically, emotionally, intuitively and more. She believes that we each have our own uni...

Episode 69. Terrlyn was already my guest on the first episode of the year, number 58, and has returned for this Bonus episode. As such, we will focus on a topic rather than her personal faith path. In this case, we will talk more deeply about her work on dismantling racism, how that relates to DEIB – diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging – as well as the relationship between social justice a...

Episode 68. Jeanne is an award-winning and bestselling author and essayist. Her most recent novel, Daughter of a Promise , was published recently. The third novel of a trilogy, it follows Eden , published in 2017 and The Nine , published in 2019. While not originally planned as a trilogy, the three novels weave stories of family privilege or struggle, love, desire, and social expectations especial...

Episode 67.  Luis Ferreiro is the CEO of the Spanish family museum exhibition company Musealia, which creates and manages traveling exhibits that educate and inspire us about major world events. The exhibit currently in Boston Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away , which he produced in conjunction with the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum addresses this historical site and environs through more th...

Episode 66.   Lindsay shares her experiences as an Orthodox Jewish woman, discussing her deep engagement with Orthodox Judaism, the challenges and frustrations she faces within her community, and her efforts in advocating for women's inclusion and agency in religious practices. This is a fitting conversation during the Jewish holiday of Passover, with its themes of journeys, change, and relat...

Episode 65. This is the second part of my conversation with Audrey Reich. In this second part, Audrey talks about how she incorporates her Jewish teachings and values into her art classes, creating a diverse and open environment for her students. Whether teaching in a Jewish school or a secular school in New York City, Audrey's experiences with students from various cultural, religious, and s...

Episode 64. Since Muslims are currently celebrating Ramadan, Nayma has graciously returned to the podcast to share her experience of the annual holiday, what she does and why it is important to her. For Nayma, Ramadan is a capsule of light, a pause button releasing her from the hamster wheel of daily life. She takes us on a journey through the traditions of iftar, the unique aspects of Ramadan in...

Episode 63. Audrey Reich is an artist and art teacher in New York and is also involved in Holocaust education. Audrey is a speaker and board member of the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center. Daughter of two Holocaust survivors, she credits her parents with modeling awe and appreciation, openness and curiosity. Despite their trauma, deportations, and long paths to the U.S. they each manage...

Episode 62. Esteemed scholar Dr. Amir Hussain, Professor of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles), author of five books, and immediate past President of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) joins me for a lively discussion of the contemporary Muslim experience in North America. Despite the presence of Muslims arrived in the US in the first slave ships, the long history...

Episode 61.   Rabba Sally Shore-Wittenberg and Anastasia Solberg join me  for a compelling discussion about Psalm 105, one of Rabbi Nachman’s ten Psalms for General Remedy. Using different translations, we delve into its connection to the Passover story and the roles of Joseph and Moses. Themes include  seeking divine intervention, the power of individuals in the face of challenges, and the symbol...

Episode 60. Bec’s many strands of deep Jewish beliefs and practice in Reconstructionist Judaism are woven through her creative expressions. Inspired during her rabbinic school years, she has since become a soferet (Torah scribe) and potter. She has also become a mother. Contrary to many people’s complaints about stress and conflicts between differing aspects of their lives, for Bec her scribal art...

Episode 59. The Green Sabbath Project, founded by Jonathan Schorsch in 2019, promotes the concept and ritual of a weekly earth day. Taking a day of rest for yourself and the environment is eminently reflective of the sabbath. Although Jonathan draws from his Jewish heritage, the Green Sabbath Project intentionally avoids promoting any particular religious beliefs or language. Jonathan sees potenti...

Episode 58. Rev. Dr. Terrlyn Curry Avery, a pastologist (ordained minister and licensed psychologist), TEDx speaker, and author, joins me to talk about her second book Dismantling Racism: Healing Separation from the Inside Out . Packed with stories of anti-racism and ways to increase one’s sacred intelligence, Dismantling Racism proved a rich and engaging topic for our conversation. Terrlyn shares...

Episode 57. As an American Reform Rabbi who made Aliyah (moved to Israel) about a year ago with her family, she has found herself in an all-too-real Israel. Her lifelong liberal leaning into the Ruach (spirit) and not the war of the prayer she grew up with, has been shattered. Discovering that both spirit and war is necessary has been humbling. That said, joining the ranks of volunteers, in her ca...

Episode 56. Ever since Esther picked up the Torah in high school, she has been curious about the missing bits of scripture which bridge decades of many men’s lives and most women altogether. Her love for stories led her to imagine possible stories to fill those gaps in Torah. With scripture as inspiration, Esther’s historical fiction writing is a process of wonder and discovery. Figures and narrat...

Episode 55. The Friends of Sia'h Shalom seeks to strengthen ties between Jerusalem-based Sia’h Shalom and the North American Jewish community. Sia’h Shalom Circles in North American cities bring together diverse and highly divided groups of Jews, both lay leaders and rabbis, creating spaces for listening and spiritual growth in the increasingly polarized North. American Jewish landscape. As c...

Episode 54. Since his childhood in Los Angeles, Daniel has lived in various parts of the U.S. as well as in Israel, Italy, and Germany. In each place, Daniel has enriched his Jewish practice by familiarizing himself with the local language and traditions, including trope (the melodies used to chant the Torah and other parts of the Bible in synagogue services). Another expression of his curiosity a...

Episode 53.   Abdur-Rahman, a Muslim raised in Karachi Pakistan, he currently  lives in three countries, carrying the richness of his interreligious extended family and early experience of adjusting to various cultural environments. Fortified by these formative years and his years in marketing, Abdur-Rahman is creating a book called Prophetic Persuasion. Using words of four prophets from the Abrah...

Episode 52. Rabbi Molly Karp was raised with both the message she could do anything, and the Orthodox Jewish day school's many restrictions for girls. Added to this was time in nature, on Israeli kibbutzim, and in Judaic Studies courses. Her passion and skills with Jewish education were apparent early on and she has dedicated most of her professional life to that work. She has also acquired r...