Judaism Unbound

Perplexed? About Judaism, and God, and life generally? Us too. Maimonides (also known as Rambam) wrote a book specifically for us called The Guide to the Perplexed , a bit more than 800 years ago, and it still has much to teach us today! Lenn E. Goodman , co-author of The Guide to the Perplexed: A New Translation (with Phillip I. Lieberman) joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about Maimonides’s w...

Ollie Schwartz is the founder of Pushcart Judaica , which offers accessible Jewish ritual objects, books, zines, and art that reflect liberatory values, handcrafted beauty, and queer brilliance. Schwartz joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about the power of Jewish objects, reflections on why “people of the pushcart” might be as good a moniker as “people of the book,” and their dreams for the fut...

Just a few days ago, one of the leading luminaries of Jewish Studies scholarship, David Biale , died at the age of 75. He was a 3-time winner of the National Jewish Book Award, and a committed scholar-activist who devoted his life not only to intellectual pursuits – but also to justice. His work had a profound influence on the ways we understand Judaism Unbound, and in the wake of his passing, we...

Dan and Lex conclude their series of episodes on disability and Judaism. They discuss the wisdom from these episodes, including strategies for imagining accessible Jewish futures, how to navigate a tradition that contains both harm and insight, and how we make choices about editorializing our tradition in order to speak to who Jews are in the present. This episode is the 8th and final episode in a...

Tales of the Unbound is a new addition to the Judaism Unbound family of podcasts! Its first season follows the stories of Ari and Josh, two men pursuing Jewish conversion while incarcerated. Despite facing obstacles and judgments, they find belonging and community within Judaism. “Tales of the Unbound: Episode 2 – “Yes Way” explores the role of prison chaplaincy in cultivating a sense of belonging...

Ari Saks recently completed an 11-year career as a full-time pulpit rabbi, and is currently focused on reaching out to interfaith families, primarily through his podcast called Interfaithing . He joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about co-officiating interfaith weddings, how he thinks about presiding over meaningful marriage rituals, and the importance of celebrating interfaith families. Are yo...

Rena Yehuda Newman (They/Them) is a Jewish, transgender writer, educator, independent publisher, and illustrator living and working in Brooklyn, NY. Rena Yehuda is also the new Director of the UnYeshiva Certificate Program . They join Lex on the podcast for a conversation about the UnYeshiva Certificate Program and how creative, collaborative learning environments can help us envision emergent Jew...

Sharon Brous is the senior and founding rabbi of IKAR . Her book, The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Heal Our Hearts and Mend Our Broken World , is a national bestseller, and her 2016 TED talk, “Reclaiming Religion,” has been viewed by more than 1.5 million people. Brous was named #1 on the Newsweek/The Daily Beast list of most influential Rabbis in America , and has been recognized by The Forward...

Sharoni Sibony is a multi-talented Jewish educator, and the artist behind an exhibition entitled My Body’s Keeper: Provocations and Possibilities . Sibony joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about Jewish ritual technologies, art, disability Torah, and more. This episode is the 7th in an ongoing series of Judaism Unbound episodes exploring Disability Torah. Access full shownotes for this episode v...

Tales of the Unbound is a new addition to the Judaism Unbound family of podcasts! This new series follows the spiritual journeys of folks who leave one way of being for another, claiming agency as they embrace revolutionary Jewish innovation. They build circles of belonging and imagine new ways to engage with their emergent communities. With every awakening, others awake alongside. Tales of the Un...

It’s almost time… for Shavuot! Dan, Lex, and Miriam come together for a conversation about what Shavuot will look like this year at Judaism Unbound. They explore the connections between Shavuot and conversion, renewing our commitment to Judaism through ritual, and how we can meaningfully experience Shavuot in new and ancient ways. Click HERE to register for ShavuotLIVE 2024, taking place June 8th-...

Shai Held, one of the most influential Jewish thinkers and leaders in America, is president and dean of the Hadar Institute in New York City. Held received the prestigious Covenant Award for excellence in Jewish education, and has been named multiple times to Newsweek’s list of the most influential rabbis in America and to the Forward's list of the most prominent Jews in the world. He is the autho...

Elliot Kukla (he/they) is a rabbi, author, and activist. Elliot has worked at the intersection of justice and spiritual care to those who are ill, dying and bereaved since 2007. They are currently on the faculty of SVARA, where they also direct the Collective Loss Adaptation Project (CLAP) . Elliot joins Lex Rofeberg and Dan Libenson for a conversation about justice-based radical spiritual care, a...

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...

Jess Belasco is the founder and director of The Disability Justice Torah Circle , a space in which Jews with disabilities can build community around Torah, engage Jewish text through a disability justice lens, and nurture and amplify their voices to impact the broader Jewish community. They join Lex Rofeberg and Dan Libenson for a conversation about what disability has to say about Torah and what...

Chava Shapiro is the founder of the Jewish Zine Archive , an archival collection of Jewish zines and a digital Jewish cultural space. They join Lex Rofeberg and Dan Libenson for a conversation related to their upcoming UnYeshiva mini-course, Unraveling Jewish Zines: From Rashi to the Haggadah to Instagram , which will explore the intersection of Jewish identity, DIY ethos, and artistic innovation...

Dalia Marx , an author, teacher, and activist who promotes liberal Judaism in Israel, is the Rabbi Aaron D. Panken Professor of Liturgy and Midrash at Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem. Her book, From Time to Time: Journeys in the Jewish Calendar , uses a progressive approach to explore each Hebrew month and its holidays alongside art and literature. She joins Lex Rofeberg and Dan Libenson for a c...

Livia Thompson serves as the Executive Director of JBI (formerly Jewish Braille Institute): an organization enabling access to Jewish life through audio, braille, and large-print texts. She joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about JBI and its powerful work. This episode is the 4th in an ongoing series of Judaism Unbound episodes exploring Disability Torah. There are some amazing mini-course offe...

Tzemah Yoreh is a rabbi, scholar, and liturgist who recently wrote a book entitled So Compassionate It Hurts: My Life as a Rabbi On the Spectrum . He joins Judaism Unbound for the third episode in an ongoing series exploring Disability Torah. There are some amazing mini-course offerings beginning at the end of April in the UnYeshiva. Check out these classes at www.judaismunbound.com/classes ! Acce...

Hadar Cohen is an Arab Jewish scholar, mystic and artist. She teaches spirituality and Jewish mysticism at Malchut , a mystical school teaching direct experience of God, creates art focused on shifting societal narratives, such as Prostrations and The Selichot Project , and writes about Judaism through the lens of intersectional feminism, as seen in her Feminism All Night project. She joins Lex Ro...

Judaism Unbound’s executive director Miriam Terlinchamp , senior Jewish educator Lex Rofeberg , and senior fellow Dan Libenson take a close look at Passover, discussing everything from matzah scultpures to individual vs. collective liberation. ---------------------------------------------------- There are some amazing mini-course offerings beginning at the end of April in the UnYeshiva. Check out...

Lauren Tuchman is a sought-after spiritual leader and educator whose work focuses on disability access and inclusion. Ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2018, she is, as far as she is aware, the first blind woman in the world to enter the rabbinate. She joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about the nexus between visual impairment, inclusion, and Jewish tradition. Thi...

Julia Watts Belser is a rabbi, scholar, and longtime disability and queer activist. She currently serves as a professor of Jewish Studies in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Georgetown University, and core faculty in Georgetown's Disability Studies Program. She joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about her latest book, Loving Our Own Bones: Disability Wisdom a...

Judaism Unbound’s executive director Miriam Terlinchamp , senior Jewish educator Lex Rofeberg , and senior fellow Dan Libenson dig into all things Purim: the darkness of the book of Esther, the yonic nature of hamantaschen, and the appropriate ratio of comedy to tragedy when it comes to honoring the holiday.  Access full shownotes for this episode via this link .  In honor of our 8-year anniversar...

Ariana Katz , founder of Hinenu: The Baltimore Justice Shtiebl , sees rooted ritual and radical organizing as her Jewish legacy. Jessica Rosenberg , author of Introduction to Trauma, Healing and Resilience for Rabbis, Jewish Educators and Organizers , is a teacher on integrating trauma-informed pedagogy into Jewish education, ritual and organizing. The two are co-authors of a new book entitled For...