All Else is Commentary: A Podcast of Jewish Ideas

This week, Elliott is joined by his teacher, Rabbi Prof. Deborah Kahn-Harris as we prepare for Tisha b'Av by reading the Book of Lamentations. Also featuring Cantor Sarah Grabiner, chanting Lamentations in its distinctive trope. If you want to find out more about Leo Baeck College, and what it takes to study for the rabbinate, and how you can support the college, please check out their website: ww...

Two special episodes this week, as we celebrate the ordination of Student Rabbi Yael Tischler at the Leo Baeck College on Sunday. She joins Elliott to talk about the subject of her rabbinic thesis: the character of Lilith. In this episode, they answer the question that Yael posed at the end of part 1: what to do with Lilith's monstrousness. If you want to find out more about Leo Baeck College, and...

Two special episodes this week, as we celebrate the ordination of Student Rabbi Yael Tischler at the Leo Baeck College on Sunday. She joins Elliott to talk about the subject of her rabbinic thesis: the character of Lilith. In this episode, they explore Lilith's origins in midrash and in the Alphabet of Ben Sira. Part 2 will come on Thursday. If you want to find out more about Leo Baeck College, an...

The first live episode of All Else is Commentary, recorded in front of an audience at Hineinu: the inaugural conference of the new Movement for Progressive Judaism. Featuring special guests: Rabbi Charley Baginsky (Co-Lead of the the Movement for Progressive Judaism) Rabbi Josh Levy (Co-Lead of the the Movement for Progressive Judaism) Rabbi Lea Mühlstein (Senior Rabbi at the Ark Synagogue; Chair...

This week, Elliott is joined by the historian Alexander Lee, to talk about his new book on the history of the Venice Ghetto. You can find out more about the book here: https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/alexander-lee/the-first-ghetto/9781529066500 As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also...

Last week, Elliott was joined by Student Rabbi Yael Tischler to talk about the story of the biblical character of Dinah. This week, they discuss Anita Diamant's bestselling novel, The Red Tent. You can buy the Red Tent here: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-red-tent-anita-diamant/3830233 For the interview from the Guardian in 2002: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2002/mar/30/fiction.alexclark...

Student Rabbi Yael Tischler returns to talk about a woman from the Hebrew Bible you may not have heard of: Dinah, daughter of Jacob and Leah. Next week, our focus stays on this story, but we read it from the perspective of Anita Diamant's novel, The Red Tent . If you want to find out more about Leo Baeck College, and what it takes to study for the rabbinate, and how you can support the college, pl...

This week, Elliott speaks to his colleague, Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah (Rabbi Emeritus, Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue), to talk about her new book, Breaking Binaries . You can find out more about Rabbi Elli’s book here . Next week: Student Rabbi Yael Tischler is back to talk about another woman from the Hebrew Bible you may not have heard of: Dinah. As always, if you have any comments or qu...

This week, we return to our Jewish Novels series, and Elliott is joined by PhD student Elon Julius to talk about Saul Bellow's novel, Mr Sammler's Planet . As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky , so please head over th...

This week, we return to our Jewish Novels series, and Elliott reads The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens. Next week, we continue with Jewish novels, and Elliott is speaking to the scholar Elon Julius about Saul Bellow's novel, Mr Sammler's Planet . As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also j...

We are on a bit of a break at the moment, but will be back soon, and here is some info about what is coming up! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we return to our Jewish Novels series, and Elliott reads The Chosen by Chaim Potok. Next week, we continue with Jewish novels, and we come to Bernice Rubens's Book Prize-winning novel, The Elected Member . As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Face...

This week, Elliott speaks to his colleague, Rabbi Jonathan Romain, to talk about the issue of Assisted Dying. To find out more about Rabbi Jonathan's book: https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/a-better-death Next week, we return to our series on Jewish novels, and Elliott will be speaking about Chaim Potock's classic, The Chosen . If you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at al...

This week, Elliott concludes his series of 3 episodes looking at the Jewish idea that human beings are created b'tzelem Elohim - in the image of God. Next week: Elliott speaks to his colleague Rabbi Jonathan Romain about Assisted Dying. If you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on...

This week, Elliott continues a series of 3 episodes looking at the Jewish idea that human beings are created b'tzelem Elohim - in the image of God. Next week: Elliott concludes the discussion of B'tzelem Elohim by seeing how the idea is developed in modern times. If you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can al...

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas. This week, Elliott begins a series of 3 episodes looking at the Jewish idea that human beings are created b'tzelem Elohim - in the image of God. Next week: Elliott continues the discussion of B'tzelem Elohim by seeing how the idea is developed in rabbinic literature: Talmud and Midrash. If you have any comments or questions, please be in touch w...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas. A special Thursday episode this week, as Elliott is joined by Rabbi Mark Goldsmith (Edgeware and Hendon Reform Synagogue) to talk about a special anniversary. This year is 100 years since the foundation of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, and Rabbi Mark is part of organising a celebratory conference. Find out more about the 2026 conferen...

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas. This week we return to our ocassional series of Progressive Sermons from the last 50 years. Elliott speaks to Rabbi Rebecca Birk (Finchley Progressive Synagogue) about a sermon she gave this Rosh Hashanah, imagining British Jews coming together to talk about their differing views about Israel/Palestine. Next time in our regular Monday slot: Elli...

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas. This week, Elliott speaks to the contemporary author, Tamar Hodes, to talk about her new book, Mixed . You can find out more about the book here: https://www.legendpress.co.uk/mixed As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conver...

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas. This week, we return to our Jewish Novels series, and Elliott reads The Assistant by Bernard Malamud. Next week: Elliott speaks to the contemporary author, Tamar Hodes, about her new novel, Mixed . As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also...

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas. This week, we return to our Jewish Novels series, and Elliott reads Gentleman's Agreement by Laura Z. Hobson. Next week: Elliott talks about another book set in New York, but this time in the 1950s: Bernard Malamud's The Assistant . As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would...

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas. This week we stay on the theme of Jewish novels, but take a slight diversion into stage and screen. Last week, Elliott spoke about Christopher Isherwood's Goodbye to Berlin . This week he looks at the stage show and the film inspired by the book: Cabaret. You can watch the 1993 production here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOs82ubFyFQ A key t...

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas. This week, we return to our Jewish Novels series, and Elliott reads Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood, a novel about Berlin at the beginning of the 1930s, its decadence, its complacency, and its descent into Naziism.  Next week: Elliott talks about the muscial inspired by Goodby to Berlin - Cabaret. As always, if you have any comme...

All Else is Commentary is a podcast of Jewish ideas. This week was supposed to be a week off - and then Elliott went to see the new film Marty Supreme, and just had to talk about its Jewish themes. You can see a trailer for the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9gSuKaKcqM As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would lov...