929 English Podcast

Alan Kaufman has kept the pickle tradition going since 1981. The owner of – The Pickle Guys – which opened in 2000, serves one of the best brine pickles in New York City. Alan sits down with Rabbi Mintz to talk about how his Lower East Side staple survived during the pandemic.

Shlomo Lipetz is a pitcher on Israel's Olympic team. In Shlomo's regular life, he is VP of programming for one of the fastest-growing music venue companies, City Winery. Shlomo joins Rabbi Mintz from Tokyo to talk about what it means to be able to compete after a year of uncertainty.

Archie Gottesman is the founder of JewBelong, an organization dedicated to making Judaism feel less intimidating while shining a light on all of the great things that Judaism has to offer. She takes a personal interest in ending "JewBarrasment" by making people feel more welcome and less caught up in the details of rituals. Archie and JewBelong have become an active voice in the fight against antisemitism. They've used their marketing expertise to get their message onto major billboards including a huge display in Times Square.

Scott Shay is the co-founder and Chairman of Signature Bank, well known as one of the best banks in New York for private business owners. During COVID, Scott took a personal interest in helping small businesses get PPP loans and was able to get every application approved for his clients.

Dani Zoldan is the owner of Stand Up NY, a comedy club with more than 30 years of history on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Comedy, like much of live entertainment, was hit hard by the pandemic. Dani decided that his only option was to adapt. He began bringing comedy to the outdoors - starting with Central Park and eventually running many shows per night all over NYC's green spaces. Learn more at www.standupny.com

Yuri Foreman is an Israeli professional boxer who held the WBA super welterweight title from 2009 to 2010. On November 14, 2009, Foreman defeated Daniel Santos by a 12-round unanimous decision to become the new WBA super welterweight champion and Israel's first WBA champion. Yuri sits down with Rabbi Mintz to talk about his career and life during and after the pandemic.

Featuring Rachel Sharansky Danziger and Rabbi Adam Mintz.

Featuring Rachel Sharansky Danziger and Rabbi Adam Mintz.

Featuring Rachel Sharansky Danziger and Rabbi Adam Mintz.

Featuring Rachel Sharansky Danziger and Rabbi Adam Mintz.

with Rachel Sharansky Danziger and Rabbi Adam Mintz.

with Rachel Sharansky Danziger and Rabbi Adam Mintz.

with Rachel Sharansky Danziger and Rabbi Adam Mintz.

"David's Sons and the Dangers of Growing Up in Court" Featuring Rachel Sharansky Danziger and Rabbi Adam Mintz

"Saul's Children and the Pain of Dual Loyalties" Featuring Rachel Sharanksy Danziger and Rabbi Adam Mintz.

"Isaac and the Art of Self-Binding" Featuring Rachel Sharansky Danziger and Rabbi Adam Mintz.

with Rachel Sharansky Danziger and Rabbi Adam Mintz.

Elie Jesner is a UKCP registered Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist. He is a graduate of Cambridge University, where he studied Philosophy, and also of Warwick University, where he obtained an MA in Philosophy. Elie is also a published writer, having written a number of articles relating to matters of psychology, politics and religion.

Michelle Danner is an American acting coach at the Los Angeles Acting School who specializes in the Meisner, Strasberg, Adler, Hagen, Chekhov and Stanislavsky techniques. She is also the founding and artistic director of the Edgemar Center for the Arts.

Leigh Steinberg is the CEO of Steinberg Sports & Entertainment. He discusses how Judaism has influenced his career as a successful sports agent.

Dr. Aaron Koller is a Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Yeshiva University, and Chair of the Beren Department of Jewish Studies. He sits down with Rabbi Mintz to talk about his newest book, Unbinding Isaac: The Akedah in Jewish Thought (JPS/University of Nebraska Press).

David On The Run with Rabbi Adam Mintz and Rachel Sharansky Danziger. David's years on the run from King Saul shaped him as a leader. Why is this wanderer-king the golden standard in the Bible's terms?

Jacob's Escapes with Rabbi Adam Mintz and Rachel Sharansky Danziger. Jacob didn't choose a life of wandering, but he grew through his struggles, nonetheless. What can he teach us when we too have no choice?

Avraham's Journey Into The Unknown with Rabbi Adam Mintz and Rachel Sharansky Danziger. God called upon Avraham to travel without a destination in mind. How does this journey shape Avraham the man, and what can it mean for us today?

David Moore is the Chairman of UJA Federation in New York and a minority owner of the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Team. He sits down with Rabbi Mintz to talk about some of the important projects UJA is involved in during the pandemic.

Tamir Goodman is a legendary Jewish basketball player. He discusses fighting for the right to sit out games played on Shabbat and his life in Jerusalem.

Eli Rosen is the Managing Director of The New Yiddish Rep Theater and played the role of Reb Yossele in Netflix's "Unorthodox". He recently sat down with Rabbi Adam Mintz to discuss how his upbringing in the Hasidic Community influences his work as a consultant years after having left it.

Jeremy Benstein is the editor of 929 English and the author of a new book, Hebrew Roots, Jewish Routes: A Tribal Language in a Global World.

Part 3 - Ruth and Naomi: A Love Story? Rabbi Mintz and Rachel Sharansky Danziger finish their conversation by examining the relationship between Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi as well as the significance of the phrase "to cling".

Part 2 - The Resilience of Ruth Rabbi Mintz continues the conversation with Rachel Sharansky Danziger to answer the questions posed at the end of the first story: Is there any hope for Naomi and Ruth? Is there a chance for them to restore that social fabric? Or is the story going to be about the breakdown of social fabric again and again?

Part 1 - A House Divided: Responding to a Society in Crisis Rabbi Adam Mintz sits down with Rachel Sharansky Danziger, writer and teacher from Jerusalem, to discuss the significance of the placement of the Book of Judges.

Scott Shay is co-founder and chairman of Signature Bank of New York and the author of "In Good Faith: Questioning Religion and Atheism". Scott sits down with Rabbi Mintz to discuss religion at the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic and how he is able to wear two hats: one as the chairman of a bank and the other as the author of a best selling religious book.

Ari Hoffman is a columnist at The Forward. he holds a Ph.D. In English Literature from Harvard and a J.D. from Stanford Law. His work ranges across literature, art, politics, law, and culture. Ari has served as an Allston Burr Resident Dean at Harvard, worked at the U.S. Department of State, and will clerk for Judge Hanan Melcer of the Supreme Court of Israel. His first book, This Year in Jerusalem: The Israel Novel and Why it Matters, is forthcoming from S.U.N.Y. Press.

Meredith Berkman is the co-founder of Parents Against Vaping E-cigarettes. She sat down with Rabbi Adam Mintz to talk about how a pandemic may give teenagers more space for picking up vaping habits as well as her personal experience as a COVID-19 survivor.

Elliott Rabin is the Director of Thought Leadership at Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools. He's also the author of "The Biblical Hero: Portraits in Nobility and Fallibility", a book focusing on the lives of six major biblical characters that analyzes why the Bible depicts its heroes less gloriously than do the texts of other cultures.

Adam Edelman, OLY is an American-Israeli four-time Israeli National Champion in the skeleton event who competed for Israel at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. He's also a graduate of MIT and an outspoken supporter of anti-bullying and mental health initiatives. AJ joins Rabbi Mintz to discuss his incredible journey and the lessons learned along the way.

Yocheved Sidof is the Executive Director of Lamplighters Yeshivah, a Chassidic Montessori school in Crown Heights, Brooklyn that she co-founded in 2010, whose mission is to revolutionize Jewish education and reach every child.

Mikhl Yashinsky (מיכל יאַשינסקי, aka Michael Yashinsky) is an actor, playwright, stage director, and Yiddishist. He sits down with Rabbi Mintz to discuss the importance of carrying on the language and what it means to him, his family, and the history of Jewish people.

After defending President Trump in his impeachment, Alan Dershowitz sits down with Rabbi Mintz to discuss the importance of fair representation for all people and how his days at Yeshiva prepared him to be one of the most successful lawyers of a generation.

In a world full of distractions, Nir Eyal believes that by controlling our attention we can choose our life. Nir was inspired when his phone caused him to miss a beautiful moment with his daughter. His new book, Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life is a powerful guide for choosing and obtaining the life that you want and overcoming the endless distractions of everyday.

David Yarus is one of the most successful matchmakers in history. That's because he is the founder of JSwipe, an incredibly popular dating app that has been described as “the Jewish Tinder.” Rabbi Mintz sits down with David to hear what it's like to launch such a successful app and gets some great JSwipe relationship stories along the way.

Elana Silber is the Executive Director of Sharsheret,a Jewish breast & ovarian cancer community that provides one on one support for women and their family member. Elana and her organization are working hard to raise awareness of the increased risk for cancer in the Jewish community. Please go to https://sharsheret.org/ to learn how you can help.

Iris Bahr is a comedian and actor who may be best known for portraying a Jewish woman who has to jump from a ski lift to get away from Larry David in the popular HBO comedy, Curb Your Enthusiasm. But Iris has acted in countless TV shows and has performed comedy on many stages. Rabbi Mintz sits down with Iris to discuss the ways that comedy unifies, but also how it helps shape the way that the world relates to Jewish people.

Rabbi Joanna Samuels has a simple question that she asks herself often, "How can I be of service?" The Lower East Side of Manhattan is a community rich in the history and culture of Jewish immigrants as well as many other groups. As the Executive Director of the Manny Cantor Center, Rabbi Samuels is helping immigrants of all backgrounds to make the LES better for everyone. She and Rabbi Mintz discuss the work that's being done and the potential that all people have with the right help.

Mark Hoenig is a senior tax partner at the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges, specializing in corporate mergers, acquisitions and restructurings. He's also the author of the book “The One Thing I Ask: A Humble Search for Meaning,” a compilation of essays wrestling with many of life’s most challenging questions through the lens of the weekly Torah portion intertwined with the wisdom of King David’s Tehillim.

Noted scholar, author, and social justice activist, Rav Dr. Binyamin “Benny” Lau is the founder of 929. Rabbi Lau believes that, "We must find the way to connect ourselves to our roots. 929 is a journey. All voices are welcome to read the book because it is ours."

Michael Eisenberg is an Israel-based investor and author of The Vanishing Jew: A Wake-Up Call From the Book of Esther. Michael believes that the Bible grapples with real time economic issues like slavery, possessions, and economics. His new book, Tree of Life and Prosperity, explores the role of business and economics in the Torah and what that means to us.

Ilana Blumberg is the author of Open Your Hand: Teaching as a Jew, Teaching as an American. Ilana and Rabbi Mintz discuss education and the way that cultures can view its role differently.

Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern is Senior Advisor to the Provost (the chief academic officer) of Yeshiva University and Senior Program Officer of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought, and is responsible for developing educational and communal initiatives that bridge Torah and general studies.

Brian Landau is a founder and the CEO of Vennly, an app that brings together the wisdom and voices of spiritual leaders of all faiths. Vennly's audio library covers issues that effect people every day, like parenting, marriage, grief and so much more.

Dr. Adena Berkowitz believes that Jewish people should be "actively engaged." She says things like "We can’t just go to shul and check out." That's why she co founded Kol HaNeshamah, an institute dedicated to re-energizing the spiritual life of both affiliated and unaffiliated Jews. They sponsor free High Holiday services as part of a mission to help all Jews, regardless of their educational or religious backgrounds, to experience Judaism in a spirited and meaningful way.