Purple Honey

A conversation about small steps we can take to reduce our impact on the environment. I speak with Becky O'Brien, Hazon's Director of Food & Climate, about Jewish environmental action and how those two aspects of her life are integrated into Hazon's work.

A conversation about the dynamic layers of Jewish Time. I speak with Mo Golden, artist and educator, and Amanda Herring, experience curator and educator, about their creation - the Jewish Planner - a tool where Life Planning meets art, Jewish Wisdom, and Sacred Time Tracking, and gives us the space to be artists and architects in the way we shape our days, months and years. 

A conversation about the connections between food and the Torah. I speak with Sarah Newman, writer, food enthusiast, cook and social justice advocate, about Neesh Noosh, her blog where she details her year long project to learn the weekly Torah portion and create recipes inspired by themes that emerged from the text.

A conversation about how we can connect to ourselves and our communities utilizing dreams. I speak with Rabbi Jill Hammer, the Director of Spiritual Education at the Academy for Jewish Religion, a pluralistic rabbinical and cantorial seminary in Yonkers, NY, and we explore the practice of dreamwork to connect to deep places within ourselves, to the vastness of the universe and to the deep feminine.

A conversation about the wisdom gained from telling stories. I speak with Rebecca Entel, Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing at Cornell College, where she also directs the Center for the Literary Arts. Rebecca is also the author of the novel Fingerprints of Previous Owners, and we speak about how stories are constructed and how repeated reading and telling of stories can deepen our understanding of those stories and ourselves. 

A conversation about song. I speak with Stacy Kafka, Cantorial Soloist and Jewish chanting/meditation leader, about how chanting can help us connect to The Feels of this holiday season.

A conversation about finding a meaningful Shabbat practice. I speak with Annie Matan, founder of Matanot Lev, Gifts of the Heart, Toronto’s radically inclusive, post halakhic Jewish community, about how Shabbat invites us into ease, meaning, presence, and connection.

A conversation about creating Jewish communities. I speak with Ariele Mortkowitz, creator of SVIVAH, and Lauren Spokane, the Lead Instigator and Board Chair of the New Synagogue Project, about their efforts in forming strong, modern, Jewish communities in the DC area.

A conversation about healing and wholeness. I speak with Rachel Brumberger, co-founder of Third Space Wellness, a gathering place and wellness space in Silver Spring, Maryland. We explore wisdom from the practice of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine and how moving what is stagnant, being with our whole selves through the pains is a path to healing.

A conversation about the transitional power of birth. I speak with Michelle Cohen, a Birth Arts International trained postpartum doula and a Yoga Alliance registered prenatal yoga teacher, on how doulas support women to connect with their bodies and their babies, through breath, movement and mindful awareness.

Conversations with two Jewish women exploring innovative approaches to the call of Passover - Let all who are hungry come and eat. I speak with Naama Haviv, MAZON's Director of Development, and Rachel Sumekh, Founder & CEO of Swipe Out Hunger, on who is vulnerable to hunger in the United States and effective techniques to help alleviate and solve the problem.

Conversations with two Jewish woman on what the mezuzah can do to help us move through transition and create space for joy. I speak with Annie Matan, founder of Matanot Lev (Gifts of the Heart), and Rabbi Cherina Eisenberg, the founder of Hot Pink Torah: The Revelation of YOU!

Mickie Simon is a therapist in DC who has worked with women and girls for over 20 years. She is a founding task force member of the Jewish Mindfulness Center of a Washington at Adas Israel Congregation where she offers teachings that bridge mental health and wellness with Jewish Ritual. She is also a mentor, sister and mom of three girls.

Conversations with three Jewish women about how body connection to land, water, and trees help us move through cycles in our lives. I talk with Naomi Malka, Director of the Adas Community Mikvah in Washington, DC, Sharon Rosen, healer of Heart of Self-Care, and Sara Shalva, Assistant Director at Pearlstone Retreat Center.

What can Hanukah Teach us about Taking Care of Ourselves in the Winter? Conversations with three Jewish women shed light on how Hanukah is an invitation to take care of ourselves in what is the coldest and darkest time of the year. I talk with Rabbi Sarah Tasman, Founder and CEO of the Tasman Center for Jewish Creativity, Sarah Waxman, Founder of At the Well, a non-profit organization, bringing women together through New Moon Gatherings as a tool to health and wellness, and Pleasance Silicki, founder of Lil Om. Pleasance provides one on one and online support for women to help them stress less and THRIVE in their own lives from a place of empowerment.

Where are the Women in the Hanukah Story? A conversation with Rabbi Jessica Lott from Hillel International and Rabbi Sarah Tasman, Founder and CEO of the Tasman Center for Jewish Creativity, we explore female connections to Hanukah through the ritual of lighting candles and through the story of Judith. It is in the retelling and talking about Judith that the question arises: how do we talk about Judith today and connect ourselves as females, to her story?