Judaism Unbound

Tirzah Firestone is a rabbi, author, Jungian psychotherapist, and leader in the international Jewish Renewal Movement. She joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation exploring intergenerational Jewish trauma, through the lens of her book Wounds Into Wisdom: Healing Intergenerational Jewish Trauma . ----------------------------------------- ShavuotLIVE, Judaism Unbound's annual 24-hour...

We are proud to introduce the 3rd podcast in the Judaism Unbound family of podcasts: Survival Guide for a Spiritual Wilderness , hosted by Jericho Vincent.  "We are the ancestors of the future." This new podcast offers a spiritual home for listeners seeking to connect Jewish ancestral, feminist wisdom with their own svara : moral intuition. Each episode of this limited series delves into a differe...

Brent Spodek , one of Newsweek's "rabbis to watch" and one of the Hudson Valley's "people to watch," joins Judaism Unbound for a conversation linking recent discussions about Israel-Palestine with an upcoming episode (featuring Tirzah Firestone) on intergenerational Jewish trauma. In it, Spodek argues that Judaism shouldn't be "about Judaism" -- but rather be a platform to channel Jewish wisdom to...

Israel-Palestine, one of the world's most contentious conversations, is also (all the more so!) one of the most contentious conversations among American Jews. Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg close out their recent mini-series of episodes, exploring American-Jewish discourse about Israel-Palestine, with a discussion about Zionism and Anti-Zionism, Jewishly loving Palestinians, and how all of this con...

Happy Passover! Chag Sameach! The holiday known simultaneously as Pesach (Passover), Chag HaMatzot (Matzah-Fest), Z'man Cheruteinu (Time of our freedom), and Chag Ha-Aviv (Spring/Barley-Fest) has arrived. Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg , co-hosts of Judaism Unbound, are joined by guests Daniel Spiro and Marques Hollie for a conversation that explores how we can get more wacky and creative with our...

Rafael Neis is a professor, talmudist, historian, artist, and author of When a Human Gives Birth to a Raven: Rabbis and the Reproduction of Species. They join Judaism Unbound for a conversation about why the notion of Tselem Elohim is more dangerous than it appears. They explore human exceptionalism, rabbinic texts that place humans alongside other living creatures, and more -- all as a sneak prev...

Amichai Lau-Lavie , co-founder and spiritual leader of Lab/Shul , is a leading voice calling for compassion toward all Palestinians and all Israelis. He joins Dan and Lex for a conversation exploring how the notion of V'ahavta (and you will love) could be channeled more thoroughly in the world -- toward peace and justice for all people. They consider connections between contemporary work for liber...

We are proud to introduce the 3rd podcast in the Judaism Unbound family of podcasts: Survival Guide for a Spiritual Wilderness , hosted by Jericho Vincent.  "We are the ancestors of the future." This new podcast offers a spiritual home for listeners seeking to connect Jewish ancestral, feminist wisdom with their own svara : moral intuition. Each episode of this limited series delves into a differe...

Matthew Boxer and Janet Krasner Aronson are both sociologists whose work focuses on American-Jewish life. They join Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about two studies that they've been working on, that explore the wide range of meanings that the terms "Zionism" and "Anti-Zionism" hold for American Jews. This episode is the 8th episode in an ongoing mini-series, discussing American-...

Alissa Wise is the founder and lead organizer of Rabbis for Ceasefire . Andrue Kahn is the executive director of The American Council for Judaism . They join Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about the role of rabbis in this heightened political moment, the work of their two organizations, and the growing movement of Jews creating communities grounded in Jewish diasporism. Together,...

People sometimes call Jews "people of the book." And when they say that, they tend to be referring to the Bible, or the Torah (first five books of the Bible). But Eva Mroczek , the Simon and Riva Spatz Chair in Jewish Studies at Dalhousie University, thinks that Jews may actually have a relationship to far more books than we've realized -- including many "lost books," and even many "imagined books...

Danya Ruttenberg is an award-winning author, activist, and rabbi, whose most recent book -- On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World -- won a National Jewish Book Award. Ilana Sumka is a nonprofit leader, experiential educator and community organizer with over 20 years of experience, who recently founded Shleimut: Jewish Paths to Wholeness and Peace . The two of them join D...

In October 2024, Dan and Lex participated in Elevate -- a summit for podcasters hosting shows in the realm of faith and spirituality -- to connect and collaborate with one another. The gathering took place at BYU – Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah – and was hosted by  In Good Faith , a podcast produced by BYUradio. After an amazing few days at the summit, In Good Faith invited Dan and I to...

Jay Michaelson , an award-winning journalist, professor, rabbi, and author, joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation exploring centrism and radicalism, misinformation that circulates far and wide on the topic of Israel-Palestine, and how we might strive for a better Jewish collective relationship to this important issue. This episode is the 5th in an ongoing mini-series exploring Nor...

This week, we’re bringing you an episode of another podcast in the Judaism Unbound family of podcasts -- Tales of the Unbound! In its inaugural season Tales of the Unbound follows the Jewish journey of two incarcerated individuals, their chaplain, and the community they co-created in the most unlikely of places. In Tales of the Unbound, Episode 7: Happily Ever After? , the narrative explores the c...

Mira Sucharov is professor of Political Science at Carleton University. Joshua Shanes directs the Norman and Gerry Sue Arnold Center for Israel Studies at the College of Charleston. Together, they are the co-founders of a digital discussion group called D’rachim — a New Path Forward for Israel/Palestine . They join Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for the 4th episode in an ongoing mini-series explori...

Peter Beinart , a columnist and political commentator, is the author of a new book entitled Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning . He joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation exploring narratives of Jewish victimhood and survival, how Biblical texts like Joshua and Esther are mobilized in contemporary debates, and how we might have better intra-Jewish conversations...

Susannah Heschel , the Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College, joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about one of the most high-intensity issues there is -- Israel-Palestine on college campuses. This episode is the second in an ongoing mini-series of podcasts exploring conversations about Israel-Palestine in American-Jewish life.  Access full s...

Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg , co-hosts of Judaism Unbound, explore one of the most contentious topics in Jewish (and broader) life today — Israel-Palestine. They ask how we can build Jewish communities that are able to support one another across difference and serve justice in our world. This episode is the first in an ongoing mini-series of podcasts exploring conversations about Israel-Palestin...

Vanessa Ochs , a scholar of Jewish ritual and the second-ever guest on Judaism Unbound  way back in episode 5, makes a grand return to our podcast! She connects with Dan and Lex to discuss an upcoming UnYeshiva mini-course she's teaching, entitled Jewish Ritual Lab:  Experiments in Jewish Creativity and Invention . If you love what you hear in this episode, head to www.judaismunbound.com/classes a...

Becca Leviss, currently studying at Harvard Divinity School, wants to push us beyond the Jewish "right-now" and into the Jewish "not-yet." She joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about Judeo-Futurism -- a framework she is building, and which she wants to co-create with Jews all around the world.  If you love what you hear in this episode, head to www.judaismunbound.com/classes a...

Lex Rofeberg and Liana Wertman (from Judaism Unbound and The Torah Studio , respectively) conclude ApocryFest 2024-25: Hanukkah Unbound and Un-Canonized. This is the 4th bonus episode in a 4-part mini-series of Judaism Unbound, exploring the topic of canon, and apocrypha, in observance of the festival of Hanukkah. In this  final episode, they zoom out to ask what Apocrypha can mean for us today, i...

Lex Rofeberg and Liana Wertman (from Judaism Unbound and The Torah Studio , respectively) continue with their third conversation of ApocryFest 2024-25: Hanukkah Unbound and Un-Canonized -- a 4-part mini-series of Judaism Unbound. In this episode, they explore a wild text entitled The Letter of Aristeas . You can sign up for ApocryFest 2024-25 by heading to www. JudaismUnbound.com/apocryfest . Do s...

Queer Theology is the longest running podcast by and for LGBTQIA+ spiritual seekers. Its two co-hosts -- Brian G. Murphy and Shannon TL Kearns -- join Judaism Unbound for an episode exploring what it means to queer theology ("queer" as a verb!).   If you love what you hear, head to www.judaismunbound.com/classes and register for their upcoming (in January 2025) mini-course in the UnYeshiva, entitl...

Lex Rofeberg and Liana Wertman (from Judaism Unbound and The Torah Studio , respectively) continue with their second conversation of ApocryFest 2024-25: Hanukkah Unbound and Un-Canonized -- a 4-part mini-series of Judaism Unbound. In this episode, they explore a fascinating text called Joseph and Aseneth (and sometimes just Aseneth ). You can sign up for ApocryFest 2024-25 by heading to www. Judai...