The Jewish Experience

Mark Wildes was well on his way to joining his father, a renowned immigration attorney, when he found his life's calling: reaching out to unaffiliated young professional Jews in Manhattan, and innovating for decades in the outreach space. Unique as a proudly Modern Orthodox practitioner, Rabbi Wildes offers a different perspective, which we discuss and evaluate in this episode. We also speak about...

Rabbi Wildes had the amazing opportunity to be interviewed on Two Chassids in a Pod which is a popular podcast hosted by two fascinating young men who grew up in the West and have moved to the holy city of Tzfat to spread the light of Torah and the Jewish Tradition. We went deep into the intricacies of Zionism, university campuses in the US, Jewish Outreach, the 40 Day Challenge, and more. You can...

Gedale Fenster is one of the most sought-after speakers in the Jewish world, selling out venues of over 5000 people and with over tens of thousands of daily listeners to his motivational Torah-based podcasts. Gedale joins Rabbi Wildes for an exhilarating conversation about life's ups and downs and how the downs are merely a stepping stone to advance to heights previously unimaginable in every face...

This is a rebroadcast of Rabbi Wildes' appearance on "The Orthodox Conundrum" with Rabbi Scott Kahn; an amazing podcast from Jewish Coffee House which takes an honest look at the major issues affecting the Orthodox world, without exaggeration, whitewashing, or pretending that they don’t exist. This episode is, in some ways, two distinct podcasts in one: one about outreach, and one about some major...

Rosh Chodesh Elul is upon us and so is The 40 Day Challenge 2.0! Rabbi Mark Wildes is interviewed by the great Nachum Segal on his popular radio program "JM in the AM" to discuss how we can learn from Tom Brady, Abraham Lincoln, and other iconic figures how to use this special time to make a positive and impactful change in the world, become the very best version of ourselves, and how to connect t...

MMA star Haim Gozali doesn't just fight for Israel inside of the Octagon but is a staunch supporter outside of it. in this explosive conversation, Haim details how he is fighting the stereotype that Jews are weak and won't fight back, the time he was stabbed six times outside of a bar, his obsession with Batman, why he connects with putting on Tefillin, and more. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Introducing...

There is a perception that Judaism promotes a lifestyle in which women are subordinate to men. Rabbi Wildes speaks with longtime Torah educator and host of the Drink It In Podcast Jordana Baruchov for an unfiltered conversation about some of the hottest issues surrounding Torah and Women. Does Torah promote equality between the sexes? Why are men the ones who lead services? What does it mean to be...

Moshe Reuven was recently named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 list, highlighting the world's brightest young entrepreneurs, leaders, and stars. In addition to owning his own startup WeDu, Moshe has also made a splash in the hip-hop world with millions of listeners on Spotify including his new song "Say" with Julian Marley, son of the legendary Bob Marley. Moshe joins Rabbi Wildes to discuss how after liv...

Sarah Guigue, better known as HassidicHipsterGirl on Instagram is an amazing content creator and Torah educator who uses her influence on social media to educate her large following on Torah and Jewish Identity. Rabbi Wildes and Sarah cover many important topics ranging from the practical to the mystical. How we can use the potential of social media for the good? What is the best way to combat Ant...

Rabbi Wildes speaks with Psychologist and fashion influencer Betty Gulko who shared how her childhood in and out of foster homes helped her develop tools to assist young women in overcoming obstacles in life. Great lessons for us all. Betty also discusses how she reconciles being a social media influencer with the fact that social media is a leading cause of anxiety in young people, the best way t...

Despite living in times of unprecedented access to material goods, it seems as if anxiety and unhappiness have never been higher, particularly among the younger generation. Rabbi YY Jacobson, one of the foremost spiritual thought leaders of our time, joins Rabbi Wildes to reveal the mystical yet scientific reason behind this reality and answers Mark Twain's famous question of how the Jewish people...

There is a deep yearning for spiritual experience and meaning among the young Jewish community. Rabbi Daniel Bortz, better known as The Millennial Rabbi has gained social-media fame through his focus on meditation, Kabbalah, and Torah wisdom for achieving happiness. Rabbi Wildes speaks with Rabbi Bortz about all this and more in this inspirational and informative conversation that will leave you t...

The status quo between the Israelis and the Palestinians is clearly untenable. Rabbi Mark Wildes speaks with Rabbi Yehuda HaKohen who has spent his life engaging with his Palestinian neighbors in the West Bank, about whether peace is possible. This is an explosive conversation where you will often find yourself disagreeing, but it is a guarantee that you will not leave thinking exactly the same wa...

L'Chaim OG (Zecharya Levine) is blowing up in the Jewish music scene with his inspirational lyrics and catchy beats. Zecharya takes us through his journey from growing up Christian to falling in love with Torah and eventually converting. He also debuts an acapella version of his new song and reveals a beautiful secret about the iconic musician Prince, who happens to be his cousin. The Torah wisdom...

Rabbi Tovia Singer is world-famous for his debates with priests and pastors as well as for saving countless Jews from falling victim to the hands of Christian cult groups. Rabbi Singer cautions regarding congregations that "are designed to appear Jewish, but are actually fundamentalist Christian churches, which use traditional Jewish symbols to lure the most vulnerable of our Jewish people into th...

People often refer to Jeffrey Gurian as a “Renaissance Man”, because he’s involved in so many things. He’s a doctor, lecturer, and motivational speaker, but he’s also a comedy writer, performer, director, author, producer, and radio personality, and not always in that order. In this episode, Dr. Gurian shares with Rabbi Wildes how he was able to write multiple books while in the hospital with Covi...

There are very few people as informed as Dr. Yishayhu on Israeli geopolitics and he has extensive experience in the field, including time spent as an advisor at the highest levels of the Israeli government. In this episode, Dr. Yishayahu explains Israel's precarious position in regards to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, how the instability in eastern Europe may actually benefit Israel in their confl...

This week, Rabbi Wildes sits down with social media superstar Lizzy Savetsky. Lizzy spreads positive messages surrounding the topics of Israel advocacy, matchmaking, women's empowerment and more to her nearly 200,000 Instagram followers. Lizzy shares how she balances her social media presence with her everyday life, which Instagram comments irritate her the most, why she enjoys matchmaking, her me...

2 of the 3 million refugees created by the Russian invasion into Ukraine have fled to Poland. Rabbi Mark Wildes speaks with the Chief Rabbi of Poland, Rabbi Michael Schudrich on how the Polish Jewish community is responding to the crisis. "For hundreds of years, Jews have fled out of Poland, but now Jews are fleeing to Poland." Donate here: https://fjc.org/news/crisis-in-ukraine/ Website: jewishex...

Rabbi Mark Wildes is joined by Jacqueline Murekatete, founder of the Genocide Survivors Foundation. Jacqueline shares her harrowing story of how she survived the Rwandan Genocide, her thoughts on the current situation in Ukraine, and more. Website: jewishexperience.org  Facebook: facebook.com/ManhattanJewishExperience/  Instagram: instagram.com/M_J_experience/

Imam Antepli is a globally acknowledged scholar and leader of cross-religious and cross-cultural dialogue in American higher education and in non-profit world. He has built multiple organizations and initiatives to facilitate religious and spiritual life across America’s college campuses, sowing seeds of understanding between religions while upholding their cultural integrity and dignity. In July...

Raised in Brooklyn, Inna Vernikov is a small business owner and a practicing lawyer. Inna grew up as one of three children in a family of Ukrainian immigrants, being taught the value of integrity and hard work by her mother, a bookkeeper, and her father, a businessman. As a business owner and attorney, Inna has overcome adversity and has always been there for the people. Supporting local schools a...

Sivan Rahav-Meir is a media personality and lecturer. Married to Yedidya, the mother of five. Lives in Jerusalem. Went on shlichut with her family 2019-2020, when she served as World Mizrachi's Shlicha to North America. She works for Israel TV news, writes a column for Yediot Aharonot newspaper, and hosts a weekly radio show on Galei Zahal (Army Radio). Her lectures on the weekly Torah portion are...

In this episode Rabbi Wildes speaks with Naomi Nachman. As cooking has always been her passion, in 2004, Naomi started her own kosher personal chef business, The Aussie Gourmet, to pursue cater weekly and Shabbat/Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities and beyond — including Alaska and Israel. Naomi is often sought after to give cooking demonstr...

Lori Palatnik is a writer and Jewish educator who has appeared on television and radio. She is the Founding Director of The Jewish Women's Renaissance Project, an international initiative that brings thousands of women to Israel each year from 18 different countries on highly subsidized programs to inspire them with the beauty and wisdom of their heritage (www.jwrp.org). She is a much sought-after...