Judaism Unbound

Lex Rofeberg and Liana Wertman (from Judaism Unbound and The Torah Studio , respectively) kick off the 2024-25 edition of ApocryFest: Hanukkah Unbound and Un-Canonized -- a 4-part mini-series of Judaism Unbound. They open up big questions about what “Jewish canon” does and doesn’t mean, why those questions are worth discussing on Hanukkah in particular, and dive together into one of apocrypha’s wi...

Xava De Cordova is the co-founder of Shel Maala: a digital-first queer Yeshiva, and the co-host of Xai, How are You, one of our favorite fellow-podcasts in the Jewish podcasting universe. She is about to be teaching an amazing 3-week mini-course in the UnYeshiva, entitled Sabbatean Heresy: Shabbetai Tzvi and Permitting the Forbidden . We're thrilled to be offering a sneak-preview of the course by...

Leora Fridman is the author of Bound Up: On Kink, Power, and Belonging , and also serves as director of The New Jewish Culture Fellowship . She joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation exploring the intersection of Jewishness and kink — and the immense importance of art, to the future of Judaism. Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming 3-week mini-courses in t...

This week, we’re bringing you an episode of our newest podcast, 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 6 , Miriam Terlinchamp reflects on her journey into the rabbinate, beginning with childhood mem...

Rebecca Hornstein serves as executive director of Boston Workers Circle: Center for Jewish Culture & Social Justice , but she is also a talented artist who creates ketubot (Jewish marriage contracts, often crafted to be beautiful art pieces), through a project called Rituals for Revolutionaries . She joins Dan and Lex for a conversation that covers ketubot, the power of Jewish ritual moments, and...

Getzel Davis is the founder and executive director of Unorthodox Celebrations , a project launched to help folks find the right person to officiate at their weddings, bar/bat/b mitzvahs, baby namings, or other Jewish life cycle event. He joins Dan and Lex for the 4th conversation in an ongoing Judaism Unbound mini-series exploring Jewish weddings. Register for the next gathering of Shabbat Unbound...

Heshvan is the month that comes after Tishri -- the month containing Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and multiple other Jewish holidays. It (Heshvan) is often framed as "a month with no Jewish holidays." The problem? It is not a month with no Jewish holidays! In this episode, Lex, Miriam, and Rena Yehuda ( members of Judaism Unbound's staff team ) dive into multiple Jewish holidays that have taken plac...

Charlie Schwartz, co-founder and director of Lehrhaus: A Jewish Tavern & House of Learning , joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about Lehrhaus, Jewish "third spaces," and blurring the boundaries between Jewish learning and Jewish eating. Register for the next gathering of Shabbat Unbound on November 22nd via this link! Access full shownotes for this episode via this link . If you're enjoying Jud...

Mazal Tov, Congratulations, Mazaltations, and Congratul Tov to Miriam Terlinchamp!!! Judaism Unbound’s executive director is getting married the weekend of this episode’s release. Tune in to a conversation where Miriam, Dan, and Lex take this joyous occasion as a wonderful opportunity to dive deeper into how we might experiment creatively with Jewish weddings — and how doing so could help us exper...

This week, we’re bringing you an episode of our newest podcast, 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 5 , we reach the apex of the storyline, talking through all the details of the “big day” of con...

Happy Sukkot! Chag Sameach! The 7-day-long festival of Sukkot is here, and Dan and Lex welcome Joseph Altshuler and Ethan Blake — both founders of local Sukkah festivals celebrating creative design and architecture — to explore what this festival can teach us. Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our upcoming 8-week courses in the UnYeshiva! Explore Jewish communities around the world,...

Yom Kippur is here! For the past two years, Yom Kippur is often the single most popular day — all year — for folks to listen to Judaism Unbound. To those of you incorporating our podcast into your observance of this holiday, wishing you a beautiful and unbound Yom Kippur. In this episode, Rachel Cohen — policy correspondent for Vox Media — joins Dan and Lex for a conversation connecting Yom Kippur...

Irwin Keller is the spiritual leader of Ner Shalom in Sonoma County, California, author of the new book Shechinah at the Art Institute , and — importantly for this conversation — one of the most thoughtful wedding officiants you’ll find anywhere. He joins Dan and Lex for a conversation exploring the ritual work that weddings do, along with a variety of perspectives regarding who they are for (who...

Keshira haLev Fife , a kohenet (Jewish priestess), ritual designer, community-weaver, and founder of Kesher Pittsburgh joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. How might we more effectively orient to the notion of teshuva (often translated “repentance” or “return”) over these 10 days? Could floating in kayaks have something to do with how we might re-invent these Hi...

Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this conversation, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash think not only about our entry into the new year (Rosh Hashanah) -- but toward the holiday of Yom Kippur that follows shortly afterward. This Elul bonus episode...

This week, we’re bringing you an episode of our newest podcast, 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. Tales of the Unbound: Episode 4 - “Do Good Time” follows Ari’s spiritual journey of claiming Jewish identity. There’s an incent...

Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this third bonus episode of Elul Unbound, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash explore what it means for the observance of Elul to be "God-optional." This Elul bonus episode is the third of four that will be released...

Jericho Vincent , founder and rabbi of Temple of the Stranger — a mystical community based in Brooklyn, NY — is leading a ritual entitled The Unbinding of Isaac: a provocative, experimental, controversial, and immersive theatrical Rosh HaShanah experience . They join Dan and Lex for a conversation about this wild new ritual, and for a broader exploration of what it means to experiment with the tre...

Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this second bonus episode of Elul Unbound, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash continue their exploration of the power of threes. This Elul bonus episode is the second of four that will be released as part of Elul Un...

Zvika Krieger , spiritual leader at Chochmat HaLev in Berkeley, California, joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Together they ask and explore a variety of questions: who is the God of the High Holidays? When Jews and their loved ones gather to pray, are they praying to that God? Are they (we) doing something else? Should we chuck most of th...

Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this first bonus episode of Elul Unbound, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash explore the power of the number three — and the fact that we are entering into the 3rd year of the seven-year Shmita cycle! This Elul bonu...

Play Steinberg and Sue Reinhold join Dan and Lex for a conversation about Father. Mother. God. — a web-comic Steinberg is in the process of creating! They dive into topics ranging from conversion, to addiction and recovery, to the power of digital Jewish art. Check out Father. Mother. God. via this link! Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming mini-courses in the UnYeshiva...

On June 20th, 2024, Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion eliminated its ban on interfaith relationships for rabbinical students. This landmark decision comes on the heels of decades of many years of organizing and advocacy, and Judaism Unbound is thrilled to celebrate it! In this episode, Dan, Miriam, and Lex speak about what this shift means for Jewish leadership — and for Jewish l...

This bonus episode of Judaism Unbound is presented in partnership with Theatre Dybbuk . We are proud to feature their fourth season's fourth episode as a bonus episode here on Judaism Unbound's feed. In each episode, they bring poems, plays, and other creative texts from throughout history to life, all while revealing their relationships to issues still present today. Subscribe to The Dybbukast on...

This week, we’re bringing you an episode of our newest podcast, 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. Tales of the Unbound: Episode 3 — We go HAM follows Josh’s spiritual journey of claiming Jewish identity, finding healing throu...