Judaism Unbound

Len Saxe , Director of Brandeis University’s Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies , joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg, to kick off a unit of episodes reflecting on the Pew Research Center’s landmark 2013 Jewish population study, entitled “A Portrait of Jewish Americans,” on the fifth anniversary of its publication. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , please help us keep things going with a on...

Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg close out their multi-episode series on God by asking what role God might play, and might not play, in the future of American Judaism. Do you want to play a role in shaping Judaism Unbound's future? You can! Fill out this brief survey , in which you can provide feedback about our work thus far, along with your vision of what we could create moving forward. Head to bit...

Theologian Rachel Adler , of Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion , explores Judaism through lenses of metaphor, liturgy, theology, and more, in a conversation with hosts Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg. Do you want to play a role in shaping Judaism Unbound's future? You can! Fill out this brief survey , in which you can provide feedback about our work thus far, along with your vision...

Shai Held , the President, Dean, and Chair in Jewish Thought at Hadar , joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about God, love, and the ways in which the two are indelibly connected. Do you want to play a role in shaping Judaism Unbound's future? You can! Fill out this brief survey , in which you can provide feedback about our work thus far, along with your vision of what we could...

Judith Seid , author of God-Optional Judaism: Alternatives for Cultural Jews Who Love Their History, Heritage, and Community , joins co-hosts Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about God, from the perspective of Secular Humanistic Judaism. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound...

Donniel Hartman , President of the Shalom Hartman Institute , joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about religion's "auto-immune disease," the concept of "God-intoxication," and other key ideas from his book Putting God Second . If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Jud...

In honor of Yom Kippur, Dan and Lex are looking at the four major Biblical readings associated with the holiday. They ask how these texts can apply to 21st century life, and they provide a variety of answers, including many that incorporate historical understandings of the Bible gleaned from Biblical source criticism. In this "mini-episode," they tackle the Book of Jonah. If you're enjoy...

In honor of Yom Kippur, Dan and Lex are looking at the four major Biblical readings associated with the holiday. They ask how these texts can apply to 21st century life, and they provide a variety of answers, including many that incorporate historical understandings of the Bible gleaned from Biblical source criticism. In this "mini-episode," they tackle Leviticus 18 and 19. If you're enj...

In honor of Yom Kippur, Dan and Lex are looking at the four major Biblical readings associated with the holiday. They ask how these texts can apply to 21st century life, and they provide a variety of answers, including many that incorporate historical understandings of the Bible gleaned from Biblical source criticism. In this "mini-episode," they tackle Isaiah 57-58. If you're enjoying J...

In honor of Yom Kippur, Dan and Lex are looking at the four major Biblical readings associated with the holiday. They ask how these texts can apply to 21st century life, and they provide a variety of answers, including many that incorporate historical understandings of the Bible gleaned from Biblical source criticism. In this "mini-episode," they tackle Leviticus 16, which outlines the a...

Continuing our exploration of a variety of views of God that might resonate with today's Jews, Andrew Hahn , known as The Kirtan Rabbi, joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg in a conversation that introduces and explores the idea of Non-Dualism, the history of Judaism importing ideas and practices from other traditions, and hypothesizes about what Jewish theology and practice might look like outside...

Dan and Lex explore the book of 1 Samuel, a text traditionally read on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here . To access shownotes for this episode, click here !

Lex and Dan explore Genesis 21, a text traditionally read on the morning of the first day of Rosh Hashanah. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here . To access shownotes for this episode, click here !

Dan and Lex explore Genesis 22, a text traditionally associated with the second day of Rosh Hashanah. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here . To access shownotes for this episode, click here !

Dan and Lex explore Jeremiah 31, a text traditionally associated with the second day of Rosh Hashanah. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here . To access shownotes for this episode, click here !

Lex Rofeberg, Dan Libenson, and Wendie Lash close out the month of Elul by looking at forgiveness -- a central and challenging component of the High Holiday (and High Holimonth!) season. Experience Elul Unbound, through daily emails from Judaism Unbound, by clicking here. Sign up for our final face-to-face gathering of Elul (via video chat) here.

Art Green , theologian and historian of Jewish religion, joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for the third episode in Judaism Unbound's series exploring the role of God in contemporary Judaism. Together they explore the history and contemporary practice of Jewish mysticism, questioning frameworks of "mainstream Judaism" and a commanding, personal God in the process. If you're enjoying Ju...

Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Lash connect the month of Elul to love and even (don't tell anyone) sex. They do so by looking at the Biblical book of The Song of Songs, through a contemporary lens. Experience Elul Unbound, through daily emails from Judaism Unbound, by clicking here! And sign up for our next face-to-face gathering (via video chat) here .

Musician and educator Eliana Light joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for the second conversation in our series on the role of God in American Judaism. The conversation explores topics ranging from God as metaphor, Light's interest in the many different traditional names for God, how music can dovetail with experiences of holiness, and whether ideas about God could be addressed in better ways in...

Lex Rofeberg, and guest co-hosts Wendie Lash and Estee Solomon Gray, explore what Elul helps to teach about the broader flow of Jewish time, in the second of four bonus episodes for the month of Elul. Experience Elul Unbound, through daily emails from Judaism Unbound, by clicking here! Explore resources for the second week of Elul , which we have curated on our website, by clicking here .

As we launch a series of episodes on the subject of God, Dan and Lex are joined by Dov Weiss , associate professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and author of the National Jewish Book Award-winning Pious Irreverence: Confronting God in Rabbinic Judaism . In their conversation, they look at how ideas of God have changed over the course of Jewish history, discus...

In the first of four bonus episodes, Dan, Lex, and guest co-host Wendie Lash argue that Judaism can be a technology of self-improvement. They explore how, in particular, the month of Elul provides an opportunity to experience that possibility. Experience Elul Unbound, through daily emails from Judaism Unbound, by clicking here! Explore resources for the first week of Elul , which we have curated o...

Dan and Lex close out their unit on the relationship between American Jews and Israel. In their conversation, they explore a wide range of issues, ranging from the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, to civil disobedience in American-Jewish life, to the idea of loving Israel. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible do...

Dan and Lex are joined by Lesley Sachs , the executive director of Women of the Wall , and by rabbi and author Susan Silverman , a member of Women of the Wall's Board of Directors and an activist on behalf of African refugees and asylum seekers in Israel. 1 In their conversation, they discuss the efforts of Women of the Wall to fight for women's rights to pray as they wish at the Western Wall, exp...

Dan and Lex welcome back Zack Bodner , CEO of the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto, California. In their conversation, they explore his organization's "Zionism 3.0" conference, along with broader questions regarding the ever-evolving relationship between American Jews and Israel.  If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductibl...