Torat JLIC

Picture Yom Kippur in a Tel Aviv square. Thousands of people in white. No microphones, no screens, and most of the crowd has no idea what page they’re on. That last part turns out to be the point. Dan Cantor sits down with Rav Joe Wolfson, director of JLIC Tel Aviv, to talk about leading a public Kol Nidre for up to 5,000 people. One open question: should it feel like a polished production or a ne...

A childhood friend told Rav Ari Bar-Shain he had stopped davening and learning, and that he was at peace with it. Rav Ari took the story to his students at Princeton with a hard question: am I responsible for my friend's relationship with Hashem? On this episode of Torat JLIC, host Don Canter sits down with Rav Ari, JLIC co-director at Princeton, to work through it. Rav Ari lays out three models o...

Rabbi Zechariah and Elyanna Rosenthal grew up in what amounts to a JLIC family business. His father runs JLIC's national development. Her brother and sister-in-law run JLIC at another university. Now the two of them are building their own campus, which is why the argument they get into mid-episode about whether Torah study actually changes you isn't academic. It's the question their whole career r...

This bonus episode is a crossover from the Shtark Tank podcast. It tracks Rabbi Rafi Dembovsky journey from a Torah-only yeshiva bachur to the author of a sefer on Torah im Derech Eretz. He grew up in a home where everyone worked, but absorbed a Torah-only hashkafa from his rebbeim at Hasmonean and Yeshivas Toras Moshe. Seven years into Kollel, a pull toward his in-laws' seforim, Rav Hirsch's Nine...

Rav Hirsch has a hard read on why Esav became Esav: not because he was born wrong, but because Yitzchak and Rivka got passive about his education, sending him to the same yeshiva as Yaakov and hoping for the best. Rabbi Josh Ross thinks that failure is still happening, quietly, in living rooms everywhere. Rabbi Ross was one of JLIC's original campus couples, back when Rav Schrader's idea for the o...

Plato says the truth is outside the cave. Chazal disagree. That inversion is the starting point for this episode, and it turns out to explain a lot about what JLIC is actually for. The story is Shimon bar Yochai. Twelve years in the cave, nothing but Torah. He emerges and starts burning things down because he can't look at ordinary people going about their ordinary lives. God sends him back. When...

  Rav Shlomo and Kira Ashkenazi arrived at Washington University in St. Louis on October 9th, 2023. They walked into a house they'd never seen before: no furniture, no light fixtures, nothing. They texted a WhatsApp group of students they barely knew: "We're getting in at 3. Want to do Mincha and a kumzitz at our house at 5?" Forty students showed up. Shlomo cried in front of people he didn't know...

JLIC is built around serious Torah learning. On a college campus, that's a choice with real consequences. In this episode, we wrestle with an honest question: does being rigorous mean being inaccessible? Are we reaching the students who need us most, or have we quietly built an insiders' club? The conversation digs into a core tension: depth vs. reach. The Rambam has a framework for this. You use...

  Content note: This episode contains graphic descriptions of recovering and identifying human remains in a wartime setting. The conversation is handled with sensitivity and spiritual depth, but may not be suitable for all audiences, particularly younger listeners. Listener discretion is advised. What does it feel like to bring the last hostage home? Rabbi Tzvi Wohlgelernter served in the IDF's Ya...

Guest: Uri Lorkis, JLIC Director at University of Michigan & Startup Coach Episode Description What does coaching Israeli startup founders have in common with guiding college students through their spiritual journey? Uri Lorkis discovered the answer isn't just similar, it's transformative. Uri shares his unconventional path from IDF paratrooper to JLIC director, and reveals why the biggest cha...

What do you do when the biggest social event of the year at Yale (the Harvard-Yale football game) happens to fall on Shabbat? Every single year. JLIC Yale co-director Rabbi Dr. Alex Ozar joins Rabbi Don Cantor to talk through a question that comes up constantly on college campuses: How do you actually guide students who genuinely care about Shabbat but also really want to be part of their college...

  In this episode of the Torah JLIC Podcast, hosts Don and Alex sit down with Tal Attia, JLIC's Chief Operating Officer, to explore what goes into building JLIC's exceptional staff of campus directors across North America and Israel. The Journey to JLIC Leadership Tal's unexpected path from college student to campus director to COO The transition from being "needed constantly" on campus to behind-...

Rabbi Joe Wolfson shares his experience of Yom Kippur in Tel Aviv, the remarkable outdoor prayer services that brought together thousands of secular and religious Israelis, and reflects on how the nation is navigating a uniquely religious moment in its history. Featured Guest Rabbi Joe Wolfson – Leader of JIC Tel Aviv community and Director of JLIC's Abraham's House, a beit midrash (learning cente...

In this episode, Rabbi Alex Ozar (JLIC Yale) and Rabbi Don Cantor (Richmond Jewish Learning Experience, formerly JLIC Johns Hopkins) continue their exploration of Jewish consolation during times of national tragedy. Drawing from the seven Haftarot of consolation and provocative midrashim, they unpack what it means for a broken people to seek comfort and why human messengers aren't enough. Episode...

Don and Alex explore the concept of consolation (nechamah) during difficult times, examining what true comfort means in Judaism and how communities can provide genuine solace during periods of collective pain. Key Topics The Nature of Consolation Key Insight: The Hebrew "Nachamu" means "comfort [my people]" - it's a command to provide consolation, not merely receive it. Consolation is fundamentall...

In a world that feels increasingly divided into stark categories of "good" and "evil," how should we confront the rising tide of antisemitism on college campuses? While demanding institutional accountability is a crucial first step, Rabbi Alex Ozar argues it is not enough. In this thought-provoking episode, he challenges listeners to move beyond a purely defensive or reactive posture and adopt a m...

In this episode, Rav Shlomo Brukirer shares his transformative journey from a young yeshiva student helping peers struggling with substance abuse to becoming a communal rabbi dedicated to serving college students. Drawing from a life-changing Talmudic teaching about praying for those who suffer, Rav Brukirer explores how ordinary work can become holy through intention and service to others. The co...

  In this special episode, Rabbi Don Cantor takes the microphone as guest to explore deep questions about faith, trust in God, and how these concepts apply to real-world challenges. Through textual analysis and personal reflections, Rav Don and host Rabbi Alex Ozar delve into what it truly means to have faith in God beyond simplistic notions that "everything will work out." Key Insights Faith in G...

This week, hosts Rabbi Don Cantor and Rabbi, Dr. Alex Ozar are joined by Rabbi Menachem Schrader, founder of JLIC and its longtime Posek (Halakhic decisor), for a deep dive into navigating Passover observance in a college setting. With decades of experience answering student questions, Rabbi Schrader offers invaluable guidance. Topics covered include: Cleaning & Searching (Bedikat Chametz): Ho...

In this powerful episode, Rav Don and Rav Alex welcome Rabbi Avi Schwartz, who brings his unique dual expertise as both a JLIC rabbi and licensed social worker. Rav Avi dives into his vital work supporting Jewish college students navigating religious commitments alongside mental health challenges. Episode Highlights: Bridging Two Worlds: Rabbi Schwartz reveals how he balances his rabbinical role w...

In this episode, Don Cantor and Alex Ozar dive into the challenging landscape surrounding Israel on college campuses, particularly elite East Coast institutions. They explore how students, often identifying as Jewish, find themselves navigating a complex and increasingly politicized environment. The conversation includes discussions on balancing community solidarity with diverse viewpoints, as wel...

  Guest Rav Moshe Moskowitz  Overview:This episode features Rav Moshe Moskowitz, JLC Director at Johns Hopkins, discussing his approach to Torah learning, his connection to the Pachad Yitzchak, and how he connects with students through Torah. He shares personal stories, offers insights on dealing with challenges, and shares powerful pieces of Torah relevant to the current times. Key Discussion Poi...

  Guest: Rabbi Jeremy Tibbetts, JLIC Director in Jerusalem and Director of Student Leadership for Yavneh Main Discussion Topics: Building intentional Jewish community in Jerusalem for English-speaking young adults Response to October 7th - Community shifted from internal focus to extensive outward aid efforts, including: Processing ~70,000 shekels in donations Packing 2,000+ meals Running a 2-mont...

  In this thought-provoking episode, the hosts explore the challenges of practicing Judaism in a world driven by transactional mindsets and career-oriented motivations. They delve into how modern pressures—especially from social media and career expectations—can transform meaningful religious practices into resume-building or social capital-accruing activities. Key Themes: The pervasive tendency t...

Episode Overview A profound exploration of how contemporary society views success, challenging the prevailing economic logic and offering a distinctly Jewish approach to finding meaning beyond material accumulation. Key Themes Beyond Transactional Living Critiquing the tendency to view all activities as instrumental means to economic ends Challenging the relentless pursuit of social and material c...