18Forty Podcast

This series is sponsored by Joel and Lynn Mael in memory of Estelle and Nysen Mael. In  this episode  of the  18Forty Podcast , we talk to Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, senior rabbi of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue and a leader of the Reform Movement, about the way Jewish Peoplehood is understood among the non-Orthodox majority of American Jews. Rabbi Hirsch is known in the Reform Movement and beyond for his...

This series is sponsored by Joel and Lynn Mael in memory of Estelle and Nysen Mael. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we begin our Denominations series by talking to Zev Eleff—historian, author, and the president of Gratz College—about the development of the denominations of Judaism we have in America today.  We’ve been occupied for months with defending our right to be Jews in America, so...

Our Intergenerational Divergence series is sponsored by our friends Sarala and Danny Turkel. In this special episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Rachel Goldberg-Polin—whose son, Hersh, was kidnapped by Hamas and is still held hostage in Gaza—about heading into Passover with our loved ones still captive. Normally, Intergenerational Divergence feels like something of a choice. But now, Jewis...

Our Intergenerational Divergence series is sponsored by our friends Sarala and Danny Turkel. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to a Haredi mother named Dina about her two children who serve in the IDF, one of whom was critically wounded in the current war.  Oct. 7 accelerated the already-complicated conversation about Haredi service in the army. Here, Dina shares with us her first-h...

Our Intergenerational Divergence series is sponsored by our friends Sarala and Danny Turkel. This episode is sponsored by the incredible organization Osey Chail , a non-profit organization serving lone soldiers from Haredi and Hasidic homes who are serving in the IDF.  In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to four Haredi soldiers who served in the IDF about breaking from family and comm...

Our Intergenerational Divergence series is sponsored by our friends Sarala and Danny Turkel. A pre-Pesach message from our partners at Twillory : You can use the coupon code PESACH18 for $18 off all orders of $250  or more, or use the coupon code PESACH36 for $36 off all orders of $350 or more.. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we sit down with an intergenerational rabbinic pair: Rabbi Has...

This series is sponsored by our friends Sarala and Danny Turkel. This episode is sponsored by Twillory . New customers can use the coupon code 18Forty to get $18 off of all orders of $139 or more.  In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we pivot to Intergenerational Divergence by talking to Rachel Yehuda, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience, about intergenerational trauma and intergenerat...

Our mental health series is sponsored by Terri and Andrew Herenstein. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we wrap up our mental health series by talking to Dr. Yael Muskat, director of Yeshiva University’s Counseling Center, and her longtime colleague Dr. Martin Galla about the mental health challenges at the forefront of early adulthood. Young people in the Jewish community are not immune fr...

Our mental health series is sponsored by Terri and Andrew Herenstein. This episode is sponsored by Twillory . New customers can use the coupon code 18Forty to get $18 off of all orders of $139 or more.  In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Regine Galanti—a licensed psychologist who specializes in treating anxiety, OCD, and behavior problems in children, teens, and adults—about menta...

Our mental health series is sponsored by Terri and Andrew Herenstein. This episode is sponsored by Twillory . New customers can use the coupon code 18Forty to get $18 off of all orders of $139 or more. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Yoni Rosensweig, rabbi of the Netzah Menashe community in Beit Shemesh, about the intersection between mental health and halacha. It is tempting t...

Our mental health series is sponsored by Terri and Andrew Herenstein. This episode is sponsored by someone supporting 18Forty’s work. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we listen in on a conversation between David Bashevkin and his dear and longtime friend Elie Schulman about the value of therapy. In a culture in which we can feel we’re constantly being sized up and evaluated by others, acce...

Our mental health series is sponsored by Terri and Andrew Herenstein. This episode is sponsored by Aleph Beta in light of their newly released season of the A Book Like No Other podcast. This podcast is a chance to learn alongside Aleph Beta Founder Rabbi David Fohrman, as he embarks on his most far-reaching and in-depth explorations of the Torah text. Aleph Beta takes the excitement of Torah lear...

Our mental health series is sponsored by Terri and Andrew Herenstein. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , David Bashevkin opens up about his mental health journey. Through the lenses of therapy, comedy, books, family history, and positive influences, David shares the experiences that have shaped the way he handles mental health challenges today. In this episode we discuss: Is religious commit...

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we listen and respond to feedback from the 18Forty community on the conversations of our Israel at War topic. Jews live in two different worlds—one before Oct. 7, and one after. The last few months have transformed the Jewish People across denominations, communities, and countries. Prompted by your feedback, we reflect upon those changes. Together, we reflec...

In this special episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we introduce the topic of mental health with a conversation featuring world-famous Jewish singer Lipa Schmeltzer. While many people know Lipa’s songs, far fewer know his journey of mental health—a story he never expected to unfold. With raw vulnerability and beautiful passion, Lipa opens up about every step that led him to today. His lessons are imm...

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rav Reuven and Rabbanit Shani Taragin, educational directors of World Mizrachi, about what comes next for Israel’s Dati Leumi (Religious Zionist) community. Additionally, we speak with Gideon Davis, a Religious Zionist soldier serving in Gaza. Mistakenly, we tend to think of the Dati Leumi community as Israel’s analog to Modern Orthodoxy. That mak...

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Harvard Divinity School visiting scholar Rabbi David Wolpe, MIT PhD student Talia Khan, and Harvard professor Steven Pinker about the new reality for Jews in higher education. Since Simchas Torah, the hostile discourse regarding Israel has become something that no Jewish student can ignore. Jewish families have been asking: Is it even worth it to...

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Jonathan Gribetz, a Princeton professor and scholar of Near Eastern and Judaic studies, about the history of Israel and Palestine. At a time in which we can feel as if we’re all at war, it may be helpful to take a step back and look at the full history between Arabs and Israelis, to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges we face in 2024. J...

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Yossi Klein Halevi, a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, about what it means to be a Zionist and a Jew post-October 7. Since Simchas Torah, we’ve spent lots of time airing our political differences with others. What might be harder, though, is asking the uncomfortable questions about our own beliefs. Our guest today has decades of exp...

In this minisode of the 18Forty Podcast , we reflect upon a year beyond words (and numbers). At every stop of the process in the wild journey that has been 18Forty, we’ve been motivated by our fantastic community members who have pushed us to ask deeper questions, to be more honest with ourselves, and to think more sharply and profoundly about what it means to be a Jew today. We’ve grown with you...

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcas t, we talk to Eli Paley, the publisher of Mishpacha magazine, about the role of Haredi society at this pivotal moment in Israel’s history. As we emerge from a time when Israel’s Haredi and secular cultures have experienced an upswell of unity, the Jewish People will move forward (in some way) forever changed. And Eli Paley is particularly equipped to understan...

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Michael Eisenberg, a venture capitalist and staunch defender of Israel, about how the people of Israel have risen to the occasion by creating a “civic revolution.” With all that is at stake for the Jewish People right now, we’ve been forced to reconsider what our personal goals and collective mission ought to be. And Michael has been at the foref...

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Noa Lewis, CEO of Echad and a volunteer with the IDF’s women’s casualty-treatment unit, about the sense of purpose it takes to unify the Jewish People with the Land of Israel. In dire times, we are compelled to move collectively closer to fulfilling the redemptive vision of every Jew living up to their ultimate mission. And Noa, with all of the w...

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Eric Fingerhut—president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America—and Rabbi Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff, a scholar and professor at Yeshiva University, about the need for Jewish unity and the barriers to achieving it. In recent weeks, the Jewish community has been confronted with questions of collective Jewish existence in a way we haven’t...

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Rabbi Doron Perez, executive chairman of the Mizrachi World Movement, about the sacrifices the Jewish People must make to preserve the precious gift of the State of Israel. In a single day, Rabbi Doron Perez found out that his son Yonatan had been shot and injured in the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks—and his other son, Daniel, was “missing in actio...