Podcasts about Central Synagogue

Dr. Hasia Diner is the author of Central Synagogue's sixth and final monograph, “Three Central Synagogue Rabbis: Their Sermons in Changing Times” available on our website. She is Professor Emerita in the Department of History and the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University, and Director of the Goldstein-Goren Center for American Jewish History. In this episode, Dr. Diner delivers a live lecture about her research and learnings from three of Central's Senior Rabbis (Jonah Bondi Wise, David Seligson, Peter J. Rubinstein) spanning nearly a century.

Unholy is going live in London!Join Yonit Levi and Jonathan Freedland for a special night of news and surprises—live on stage, June 8th 2025. If you've ever wanted to see the podcast come to life, now's your chance. Reserve your seat now via the link—space is limited, and we'd love to see you there! https://bit.ly/UnholyLondonLive Whether or not you found the Afikoman this year, consider this our Unholy offering for Pesach: a carefully curated collection of six standout moments from the past year's conversations. A kind of audio Seder plate—without the Maror. Yonit and Jonathan revisit conversations with Rachel Maddow, Van Jones, Nas Daily, Aviva Seigel, Alex Edelman and Rabbi Angela Buchdahl. From politics to identity, comedy to community, these voices offer the perspective needed for this moment of reflection and renewal. Rachel MaddowRachel Maddow is the host of The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC, known for her in-depth political analysis. She is also the author of several books, including Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism.Van JonesVan Jones is a political commentator on CNN and served as a special advisor to President Barack Obama. He is also the co-founder of multiple non-profit organisations focused on criminal justice reform and environmental advocacy.Nas Daily (Nuseir Yassin)Nuseir Yassin, known as Nas Daily, is a content creator who rose to prominence through one-minute daily videos showcasing global stories. He is the founder of Nas Company, a platform for digital education and storytelling.Aviva SeigelViva Seigel is an Israeli who was abducted from her home on October 7th and was held in captivity by Hamas in Gaza for 51 days. Her husband, Keith, was abduted as well and was released after 484 days in Gaza. Alex EdelmanAlex Edelman is a stand-up comedian and writer known for his acclaimed solo show Just For Us, which tackles themes of Jewish identity and white nationalism. He has performed on international stages and written for television.Rabbi Angela BuchdahlRabbi Angela Buchdahl is the Senior Rabbi of Central Synagogue in New York City and the first Asian-American ordained as both rabbi and cantor. She is a leading voice in American Judaism and interfaith dialogue. Unholy is going live in London!Join Yonit Levi and Jonathan Freedland for a special night of news and surprises—live on stage, June 8th 2025. If you've ever wanted to see the podcast come to life, now's your chance. Reserve your seat now via the link—space is limited, and we'd love to see you there! https://bit.ly/UnholyLondonLive

For those raised outside of the Jewish faith, learning about Jewish traditions — including those surrounding end-of-life — is key to nourishing interfaith relationships, and also to advancing the conversion process. Fifteen years ago, Rabbi Lisa Rubin joined Central Synagogue in New York City and established the Center for Exploring Judaism, a structured space for […] The post Raised Outside Jewish Faith, Now Learning Jewish End-of-Life Traditions appeared first on Plaza Jewish Community Chapel.

The lead vocalists on Central Synagogue's newest album, "Sing a Little More" -- Cantor Dan Mutlu, Cantor Jenna Pearsall, and Rabbi Angela Buchdahl -- share their favorite musical moments and backstage stories with Rabbi Andrew Kaplan Mandel.

Welcome back to Just For This. Each week, host Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch (she/her) interviews women in leadership about women and leadership. Inspired by the story of Esther, we feature powerful stories of women who stand out in their fields, who have stepped up just for this moment.   Our guest this week is Rabbi Angela Buchdahl. She is senior rabbi of Central Synagogue in New York City. She's the first woman to lead Central's Reform congregation in its 180-year history. She first joined Central Synagogue as senior cantor in 2006, and she was chosen by the congregation to be senior rabbi in 2014. We discuss the deep connections Jews have with each other around the world, the importance of ideological diversity, and why listeners should “Vote Reform” in the current World Zionist Congress election. Visit www.zionistelection.org to vote or www.vote4reform.org to learn more about the importance of standing up for our Reform values in Israel. By voting for the Vote Reform slate, you are standing up for a democratic and secure Israel and against our opponents who want to strip Reform Jews of their rights and funding. Voting is open through May 4. Vote Reform today. View the transcript here. Follow Just For This on instagram: @justforthispodcast

As we prepare for the release of Central Synagogue's newest album, "Sing a Little More," music director David Strickland and Cantor Jenna Pearsall give Rabbi Andrew Kaplan Mandel a backstage tour of the preview single, "Come," by Chava Mirel.

As a taste of Central Synagogue's soon-to-be-released album, "Sing a Little More," Cantor Dan Mutlu takes Rabbi Andrew Kaplan Mandel behind the music of the preview single, "You Are My Song/Mi Chamocha."

Rabbi Andrea Weiss (HUC-JIR) leads a nonpartisan discussion on finding common ground and fostering civic engagement through a religious lens, in a program of Central Synagogue. Hosted by Rabbi Sarah Berman.

Leaders and members of Central Synagogue and Saint Peter's Church come together in a spirit of gratitude and fellowship for the annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service.

In a program from Central Synagogue in New York City, Rabbis Angela Buchdahl (Central Synagogue) and Elliot Cosgrove (Park Avenue Synagogue) dig deep into the Jewish tradition's treasure trove of wisdom and history to help lead us through this fraught and potential-filled time.

How do you make an institution that's both a museum and a memorial — at the same time?How are exhibitions like theater? Is a museum a group experience, or a personal one — or is that a trick question? When is it time to trust your gut? Why is collaboration so important? When is a single milk can the most important object in a museum? How can one single, simple philosophy inform everyone's work, from the curators to the team making mounts for the artifacts? How are the principles of making a memorial museum different from other types of museums — or are they so different after all?Alice Greenwald (Principal of Memory Matters, LLC, and past President and Chief Executive Officer of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum) joins host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Making a Memorial Museum.”Along the way: spackling, reverence, and what happens when a museum director leaves their office door open.Talking Points:0. What is a Memorial Museum?1. Start With Authenticity2. It's About Storytelling 3. Museums Are Not Books 4. Practice Conscientious Listening5. Trust Your Gut6. Collaboration is RequiredHow to Listen:Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Everywhere: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bio:Alice M. Greenwald is internationally recognized as a leader in the field of museum practice, with expertise in history, ethnic heritage, and memorial museums. Currently the principal of Memory Matters, LLC, providing strategic advice to museums, memorial projects, senior executives, and boards, she served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum from 2017-2022 and from 2006 to 2016, as the organization's Founding Museum Director and Executive Vice President for Exhibitions, Collections and Education. Previously, she was Associate Museum Director, Museum Programs, at the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. Alice serves on the boards of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and the United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial Foundation and is a Trustee Emerita at Central Synagogue in New York City. She is First Vice President of The Lotos Club, and in January 2024, concluded her service as a board member of the International Council of Museums-US. She holds an M.A. in the History of Religions from the University of Chicago Divinity School, and a B.A with concentrations in English Literature and Anthropology from Sarah Lawrence College, where she delivered the commencement address to the class of 2007. About MtM:Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com Links for This Episode:Alice by Email:alice.m.greenwald@gmail.com Alice at Memory Matters:https://www.memorymattersllc.com National September 11th Memorial & Museum:https://www.911memorial.org United States Holocaust Memorial Museum:https://www.ushmm.org Links for MtM, the Podcast:https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger alger@cgpartnersllc.com https://www.cgpartnersllc.com Discover Making the Museum, the Newsletter:Liked the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.)Join hundreds of your peers with an ad-free quick one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, visitors, budgeting, content, and project management, to name just a few.Subscribe here (and unsubscribe at any time):https://www.makingthemuseum.com 

How good it is to be with the musicians behind the "Hinei Ma Tov" that often fills Central Synagogue's sanctuary with extra energy on Shabbat! Colorado-based Eyal and Danya Rivlin share the back story of their kinetic take on Psalm 133 with Rabbi Andrew Kaplan Mandel.

Rabbi, faith leader, Knesset member, and former CEO of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, Gilad Kariv offers his insights on the conflict, politics, and diaspora relations from both an Israeli and rabbinic perspective, in a program from Central Synagogue.  With Rabbi Sarah Berman.

“It's quite clear to me that he was trying to recreate the hillside of Haifa with the gardens... It comes from somebody being ripped out from their home.” Syrian Jewish Playwright Oren Safdie, son of world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie, who designed Habitat 67 along with much of modern Jerusalem, knows loss, regret, and longing. Oren and his father explore their Syrian heritage and their connection to the Jewish state that has developed since Moshe's father left Aleppo, Syria and moved, in the mid-20th century, to what is modern-day Israel. Oren also knows that being Jewish is about stepping up. Describing his frustrations with modern anti-Israel sentiments and protests that harken back to 1943, Oren is passionately combating anti-Israel propaganda in theater and academia.  Abraham Marcus, Associate Professor Emeritus at University of Texas at Austin, joins the conversation with historical insights into Jewish life in Syria dating back to Roman times. —- Show notes: Sign up to receive podcast updates here. Learn more about the series here. Song credits:  Al Fadimem, Bir Demet Yasemen, Fidayda; all by Turku, Nomads of the Silk Road Aleppo Bakkashah  Pond5:  “Desert Caravans”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI), Composer: Tiemur Zarobov (BMI), IPI#1098108837 “Oud Nation”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI); Composer: Haygaz Yossoulkanian (BMI), IPI#1001905418 “Arabic (Middle Eastern Music)”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI), Composer: Andrei Skliarov, Item ID #152407112 “Fields Of Elysium”; Publisher: Mysterylab Music; Composer: Mott Jordan; ID#79549862 “Middle Eastern Dawn”: Publisher: Victor Romanov, Composer: Victor Romanov; Item ID #202256497 “Ney Flute Melody 01”: Publisher: Ramazan Yuksel; Composer: Ramazan Yuksel; P.R.O. Track: BMI 00712367557 “Uruk”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI); Composer: Marcus Bressler; Item ID: 45886699 “Suspense Middle East” Publisher: Victor Romanov, Composer: Victor Romanov; Item ID: 196056047 ___ Episode Transcript: OREN SAFDIE:  I've sort of wanted to shine a light on North American Jews being hypercritical of Israel. Because I've spent a lot of time in Israel. And I know what it is. It's not a simple thing. And I think it's very easy for Americans in the comfort of their little brownstones in Brooklyn, and houses in Cambridge to criticize, but these people that live in Israel are really standing the line for them. MANYA BRACHEAR PASHMAN: The world has overlooked an important episode in modern history: the 800,000 Jews who left or were driven from their homes in the Middle East and North Africa in the mid-20th century. Welcome to the second season of The Forgotten Exodus, brought to you by American Jewish Committee. This series explores that pivotal moment in history and the little-known Jewish heritage of Iran and Arab nations. As Jews around the world confront violent antisemitism and Israelis face daily attacks by terrorists on multiple fronts, our second season explores how Jews have lived throughout the region for generations despite hardship, hostility, and hatred, then sought safety and new possibilities in their ancestral homeland. I'm your host, Manya Brachear Pashman. Join us as we explore untold family histories and personal stories of courage, perseverance, and resilience from this transformative and tumultuous period of history for the Jewish people and the Middle East.  The world has ignored these voices. We will not.  This is The Forgotten Exodus. Today's episode: leaving Aleppo. MANYA: Playwright and screenwriter Oren Safdie has had just about enough of the anti-Israel sentiments on stage and screen. And what irks him the most is when it comes from Jewish artists and celebrities who have never spent time in the Middle East's one and only democracy. Remember film director Jonathan Glazer's speech at the 2024 Academy Awards? JONATHAN GLAZER: Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people. Whether the victims of October the … [APPLAUSE] MANYA: Yeah, Oren didn't much appreciate his own Jewishness being hijacked in that moment. Drawing a moral equivalence between the Nazi regime and Israel never really sits well with him. OREN: I do feel like they're very selective in their criticism of Israel. You know, it's very easy to say, ‘Oh, well, they didn't do that. They don't do this.' But it's a complicated situation. And to simplify it, is just to me beyond, especially if you're not somebody who has spent a lot of time in Israel. MANYA: Oren Safdie has penned more than two dozen scripts for stages and screens around the world. His latest film, Lunch Hour, starring Alan Cumming, is filming in Minnesota.  Meanwhile, The Man Who Saved the Internet with A Sunflower, another script he co-wrote, is on the festival circuit. And his latest play Survival of the Unfit, made its North American debut in the Berkshires this summer, is headed to Broadway. And by the way, since an early age, Oren Safdie has spent quite a bit of time in Israel. His father Moshe Safdie is the legendary architect behind much of modern Jerusalem, Ben-Gurion International Airport, and the Yad Vashem Holocaust History Museum.  Oren's grandfather, Leon, emigrated from Syria. OREN: I'm sort of a synthesis of the two main parts that established Israel because my mother came from Poland, escaped the Holocaust. And my father's family came from Syria. So, I'm a half breed.  I've never been asked about my Sephardic side, even though that was really the dominant side that I grew up with. Because my mother's family was quite small. I grew up in Montreal, it was much more in the Syrian tradition for holidays, food, everything like that. My grandfather was from Aleppo, Syria, and my grandmother was from Manchester, England, but originally from Aleppo. Her family came to Manchester, but two generations before, had been from Aleppo. So, they're both Halabi Jews.  MANYA: Halabi refers to a diverse group of Jews from Aleppo, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world that has gone by several names. The oldest? Haleb.  Halabi Jews include Mizrahi Jews -- the name for Jews who call the Middle East or North Africa home; and Sephardi Jews, who fled to the region after being expelled from Spain in the 15th Century.  Jews are believed to have been in what is now Syria since the time of King David and certainly since early Roman times. ABRAHAM MARCUS: It's a community that starts, as far as we can record, in the Greco-Roman period. And we see the arrival of Islam. So the Jews were really the indigenous people when Arabs arrived. MANYA: Abraham Marcus, born to parents from Aleppo, is an internationally renowned authority on the city. He served as director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. For the past 16 years, he has been working on a book about the history of Aleppo's Jews that goes well beyond what has been previously published. As part of his research, he examined thousands of documents from the Syrian national archive and the Ottoman archive in Istanbul. He also did extensive fieldwork on the ground in Aleppo, documenting the synagogues, cemeteries, residential districts, and workplaces.  MARCUS: One of the synagogues, the famous ancient synagogue of Aleppo, which dates to the 5th Century, meaning it predates the arrival of Arabs. It is a remarkable structure. Unfortunately, what is left of it now is really a skeleton. MANYA: Abraham is referring to the Great Synagogue or Central Synagogue of Aleppo, which functioned as the main house of worship for the Syrian Jewish community for more than 1,600 years. For 600 of those years, its catacombs safeguarded a medieval manuscript believed to be the oldest, most complete, most accurate text of the Hebrew Bible, known as the Aleppo Codex. The codex was used by Maimonides as a reference for his magnum opus, the Mishneh Torah, or Jewish religious legal code. In the 7th Century, Aleppo was conquered by Arab Muslims and a Great Mosque was built. For the next four centuries, the Byzantine Empire, Crusaders, and various Muslim rulers fought to gain control of Aleppo and the surrounding region. A savage Mongol invasion, a bout of the Black Death and another invasion took its toll on the city, and its Jews.  For most of this time, Muslim rulers treated them as dhimmis, or second-class citizens.  MARCUS: There were restrictions on dress, which were renewed time and again. They could not carry arms. They could not ride horses. MANYA: After half of Spain's Jews converted to Christianity following the pogroms of 1391, the Catholic monarchs issued the Alhambra Decree of 1492 – an edict that expelled any remaining Jews from the Iberian Peninsula to ensure their descendants didn't revert back to Judaism.  As Jews fled, many made their way to parts of the Ottoman Empire. In 1516, Aleppo became part of that empire and emerged as a strategic trading post at the end of the Silk Road, between the Mediterranean Sea and Mesopotamia, or modern-day Iraq. As was the case in other parts of the Ottoman Empire, Jews lived relatively comfortably, serving as merchants and tax collectors.  MARCUS: The policy of the Ottoman Empire was to essentially welcome the Sephardic Jews. The Sultan at the time is reputed to have said, ‘I don't understand the King of Spain. But if he's thinking at all, giving up all this human capital, essentially, we can take it.'  Many of the successful Jews in Aleppo and Damascus–in business, as leaders, as rabbis–were Sephardic Jews. They revived these communities, they brought new blood and new energy to them, a new wealth. MANYA: This was not always the case throughout Ottoman Syria as persecution and pogroms erupted at times.  By the mid-19th Century, Aleppo's Jewish population was slightly smaller than that of Baghdad, by about 2,000. In 1869, the opening of the Suez Canal shifted trade away from the route through Syria. Aleppo lost much of its commercial edge, motivating many Jews to seek opportunity elsewhere. MARCUS: The story of Aleppo is one of a society gradually hemorrhaging, losing people. They went to Beirut, which was a rising star. And Egypt became very attractive. So they went to Alexandria and Cairo. And many of the rabbis from the 1880s began to move to Jerusalem where there were yeshivot that were being set up. And in effect, over the next several decades, essentially the spiritual center of Aleppo's Jews was Jerusalem and no longer Aleppo.  MANYA: Another turning point for Aleppo came in World War I when the Ottoman Empire abandoned its neutral position and sided with the Central Powers–including Bulgaria, Austria-Hungary and Germany.  Many wealthy Jews had acquired foreign nationalities from countries that were not allies. Now considered enemy citizens, they were deported and never came back. In addition, Jews and Christians up to that point could pay a special tax to avoid serving in the army. That privilege ended in 1909. MARCUS: Because of the Balkan Wars, there was a sense that the empire is going to collapse if they don't essentially raise a large force to defend it. And there was a kind of flight that really decimated the community by 1918, when the war ended. MANYA: Besides those two wartime exceptions, Abraham says the departure of Jews from Syria was almost always motivated by the promise of better opportunities. In fact, opportunity might have been what drew the Safdie family to and from Aleppo. MANYA: Originally from Safed, as their name suggests, the Safdie family arrived in Aleppo sometime during the 16th or 17th centuries. By that time, the Jewish community in Safed, one of the Four Holy Cities in Judaism located in modern-day Israel, had transformed it into a lucrative textile center. So lucrative that the sultan of the ruling Ottoman Empire ordered the forced deportation of 1,000 Jewish families to Cyprus to boost that island's economy.  It's not clear if those deportations or the decline that followed pushed the Safdie family north to Aleppo. Most of them stayed for roughly three centuries–through World War One and France's brief rule during the Interwar period. But in 1936, amid the Great Depression, which affected Syria as well, Leon Safdie, the ninth of ten children born to textile merchants, moved to Haifa and set up his own trading business. Importing textiles, woolens, and cottons from England and fabrics from Japan and India.  A year later, he met his wife Rachel who had sailed from Manchester to visit her sister in Jerusalem. She spoke English and a little French. He spoke Arabic and French. They married a month later. OREN: My grandfather lived in Haifa, he was a merchant like many Syrian Jews were. He imported textiles. He freely went between the different countries, you know, there weren't really so many borders. A lot of his people he worked with were Arab, Druze, Christian, Muslim. Before independence, even though there was obviously some tension, being somebody who is a Syrian Jew, who spoke Arabic, who spoke French, he was sort of just one of the region. MANYA: Moshe Safdie was born in 1938. He says the onset of the Second World War created his earliest memories – hosting Australian soldiers in their home for Shabbat and making nightly trips into air raid shelters. Every summer, the family vacationed in the mountain resorts of Lebanon to visit aunts and uncles that had moved from Aleppo to Beirut. Their last visit to Lebanon in the summer of 1947 culminated with all of the aunts, uncles, and cousins piling into three Chrysler limousines and caravanning from Beirut to Aleppo to visit their grandmother and matriarch, Symbol. MOSHE: I remember sort of the fabric of the city. I have vague memories of the Citadel of Aleppo, because it was an imposing structure. I remember her – a very fragile woman, just vaguely. MANYA: While most of Moshe's memories of Aleppo are vague, one memory in particular is quite vivid. At that time, the United Nations General Assembly was debating the partition plan that would divide what was then the British Mandate of Palestine between Jews and Arabs. Tensions ran high throughout the region. When Moshe's uncles noticed Moshe wearing his school uniform on the streets of Aleppo, they panicked.  MOSHE: They were terrified. We were walking in the street, and we had khaki shirts and khaki pants. And it had stitched on it, as required in our school, the school badge, and it said, ‘Thou shalt be humble' in Hebrew. And they saw that, or at least they noticed we had that, and they said: ‘No, this is very dangerous!' and they ripped it off.' MANYA: It would be the first and last time Moshe Safdie visited Aleppo. On the 29th of November, the UN voted on a resolution to divide Palestine into two states, one Arab and one Jewish. The news arrived in Aleppo the following morning. MARCUS: This was New York time, in the evening, when the decision was made. So already, people started planning demonstrations for the next day, in support of the Palestinians. And that next day began with what was a peaceful demonstration of students, and then all kinds of people joined in and before long it became an attack on Jewish property. The synagogues were set ablaze. Many Jewish homes were burned, businesses were looted. And so the day ended with the Jews really in a state of fright.  MANYA: The mob looted the Jewish quarter and burned the Great Synagogue, scattering and desecrating the pages of the Aleppo Codex. The caretaker of the synagogue and his son later returned to the ashes to salvage as much as they could. But most of the community's leadership took a train to Beirut and never looked back.  Of course, as previously mentioned, Aleppo had already witnessed a steep decline in its Jewish population. The numbers vary widely, depending on the source, but by 1947, on the eve of the Jewish exodus from Syria, Iraq, and other Arab countries, Aleppo had anywhere between 6,000 and 15,000 Jews, whereas Baghdad had between 75 and 90,000. MARCUS: More than half the population left within a month. The community after that, in the next two, three weeks, was in a situation in which some people decided that was the end.  They took possessions that they could, got on buses and left for Beirut. That was the safe destination to go to. And there was traffic between the two areas.  Some people decided to stay. I mean, they had business, they had interest, they had property that they didn't want to leave. You can imagine the kind of dilemmas face people suddenly, the world has changed, and what do I do? Which part of the fork do I go?  MANYA: Those who left effectively forfeited their property to the Syrian government. To this day, the only way to reclaim that property and be allowed to sell it is to return and become Syrian citizens. Those who stayed were trapped. Decimated and demoralized, Aleppo's Jews came under severe travel restrictions, unable to travel more than four kilometers from their homes without permission from the government, which tracked their comings and goings. MARCUS: The view was that if they leave, they'll end up in what's called the Zionist entity and provide the soldiers and aid to the enemy. So the idea was to keep them in.  So there's a reality there of a community that is now stuck in place. Unable to emigrate. That remained in place until 1970, when things began to relax. It was made possible for you to leave temporarily for a visit. But you have to leave a very large sum as a deposit. The other option was essentially to hire some smugglers to take you to the Turkish or the Lebanese border, and basically deliver you to another country where Jews had already networked. The Mossad had people who helped basically transfer them to Israel. But that was very risky. If you were caught, it's prison time and torture.  Over the next 45 years, many of the young left gradually, and many of them left without the parents even knowing. They will say ‘I'm going to the cinema and I'll come back'. MANYA: On May 14, 1948, Israel declared independence. But the socialist politics of the new Jewish state did not sit well with Leon Safdie who much preferred private enterprise. He also felt singled out, as did many Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews in Israel at the time.  OREN: In some ways, it almost created some tension for him on several fronts, right? First of all, between him and his clients, who he had been doing business with in the Arab world, for many years. All of a sudden, those relationships are called into question. And as my grandfather was an importer of textiles, it was considered a luxury good. And when you're in wartime, there were rations.  The high tariffs really killed my grandfather's business. So, he wanted to stay in Israel. He helped with the war effort. He really loved the country and he knew the people, but really for three years, he sat idle and just did not have work. He was a man that really needed to work, had a lot of pride. MANYA: In 1953, Leon and Rachel sought opportunity once again – this time in Montreal – a move Moshe Safdie would forever resent. When in 1959 he married Oren's mother Nina, an Israeli expat who was trying to return to Israel herself, they both resolved to return to the Jewish state. Life and phenomenal success intervened. While studying architecture at McGill University, Moshe designed a modern urban apartment building [Habitat 67] that incorporated garden terraces and multiple stories. It was built and unveiled during the 1967 World's Fair in Montreal, and Moshe's career took off.  OREN: It's quite clear to me that he was trying to recreate the hillside of Haifa with the gardens. And it's something that has sort of preoccupied him for his whole career. It comes from somebody being ripped out from their home. Those kinds of things I think stay with you. MANYA: Eventually, in 1970, Moshe opened a branch of his architecture firm in Jerusalem and established a second home there. Oren recalls visiting every summer – often with his grandfather Leon.   OREN: And I remember going with him when he'd come to Israel when I was there, because we used to go pretty much every summer. He would love to go down to Jericho. And we'd sit at the restaurants. I mean, there was a period of time, you know, when it was sort of accepted that Jews could travel to the West Bank, to Ramallah and everything. And he loved to just speak with the merchants and everything, he loved that. He felt so at home in that setting. It was not dangerous, as it is today, obviously. I think everyone back then thought it was a temporary situation. And obviously, the longer it goes, and the more things happen, it feels more permanent. And of course, that's where we are today. But that time, in my head, sort of just is a confirmation that Jews and Arabs have a lot more in common and can get along … if the situation was different. MANYA: As the son of an Israeli citizen, Oren is considered an Israeli citizen too. But he concedes that he is not fully Israeli. That requires more sacrifice. In 1982, at the age of 17, he signed up for Chetz V'Keshet, at that time a 10-week program run in conjunction with the Israel Defense Forces for American and Canadian teens and designed to foster a connection to Israel. The program took place during the First Lebanon War, Israel's operation to remove terrorists from southern Lebanon, where they had been launching attacks against Israeli civilians. OREN: So this was a mix of basic training, where we trained with artillery and things and did a lot of war games. And from there, you know, their hope was that you would join the military for three years. And I did not continue.  I guess there's a part of me that regrets that. Even though I'm an Israeli citizen, I can't say I'm Israeli in the way that Israelis are. If the older me would look back, then I would say, ‘If you really want to be connected to Israel, the military is really the only way. I'd say at that young age, I didn't understand that the larger picture of what being Jewish, what being Israeli is, and it's about stepping up. MANYA: Now in his early 50s, Oren tries to step up by confronting the anti-Israel propaganda that's become commonplace in both of his professional worlds: theater and academia. In addition to writing his own scripts and screenplays, he has taught college level playwriting and screenwriting. He knows all too often students fall prey to misinformation and consider anything they see on social media or hear from their friends as an authoritative source.  A few years ago, Oren assigned his students the task of writing a script based on real-life experience and research. One of the students drafted a script about bloodthirsty Israelis killing Palestinian children. When Oren asked why he chose that topic and where he got his facts, the student cited his roommate.  Oren didn't discourage him from pitching the script to his classmates, but warned him to come prepared to defend it with facts. The student turned in a script on an entirely different topic. OREN: You know, there were a lot of plays that came up in the past 10 years that were anti-Israel. You'd be very hard-pressed to find me one that's positive about Israel. No one's doing them. MANYA: Two of his scripts have come close. In 2017, he staged a play at the St. James Theatre in Old Montreal titled Mr. Goldberg Goes to Tel Aviv– a farce about a gay Jewish author who arrives in Tel Aviv to deliver a blistering attack on the Israeli government to the country's left-leaning literati.  But before he even leaves his hotel room, he is kidnapped by a terrorist. Investors lined up to bring it to the silver screen and Alan Cumming signed on to play Mr. Goldberg. But in May 2021, Hamas terrorists launched rockets at Israeli civilians, igniting an 11-day war. The conflict led to a major spike in antisemitism globally.  OREN: The money people panicked and said, ‘We can't put up a comedy about the Middle East within this environment. Somebody is going to protest and shut us down,' and they cut out. MANYA: Two years later, an Israeli investor expressed interest in giving the movie a second chance. Then on October 7 [2023], Hamas launched a surprise attack on 20 Israeli communities -- the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. More than 1,200 Israelis have been killed, thousands of rockets have been fired on Israel, and more than 100 hostages are still in captivity. OREN: Mr. Goldberg Goes to Tel Aviv collapsed after October 7th. I don't think anybody would have the appetite for a comedy about a Hamas assassin taking a left-wing Jew hostage in a hotel room. MANYA: Another play titled “Boycott This” was inspired by Oren's visit to a coffee shop in Oaxaca, Mexico in 2011. The walls of the cafe were plastered with posters urging boycotts of Israel and accusing it of blood libel. Oren and his daughter created their own posters and stood outside the coffee shop calling on customers to boycott the cafe instead. But the father and daughter's impromptu protest is just one of three storylines in the play, including one about the 1943 boycott of Jews in Poland–where his mother spent part of her childhood in hiding during the Holocaust.  The third storyline takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where Iran has succeeded in wiping Israel off the map. A Jewish woman has been forced to become one of the enemy's wives – a threat some hostages taken on October 7 have reported hearing from their captors.  OREN: It was really my attempt to try and show how the boycotts of Israel today, in light of, you know, 1943, were really not different.  MANYA:  Even now, Oren has not been able to convince a college or theater to stage “Boycott This,” including the Jewish museum in Los Angeles that hosted his daughter's bat mitzvah on October 7, 2023.    OREN: I've sort of wanted to shine a light on North American Jews being hypercritical of Israel, which I guess ties into BDS. Because I've spent a lot of time in Israel. And I know what it is. It's not a simple thing. And I think it's very easy for Americans in the comfort of their little brownstones in Brooklyn, and houses in Cambridge to criticize, but these people that live in Israel are really standing the line for them. MANYA: When Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton finally secured a legal way for Syrian Jews to leave between 1992 and 1994, most did. The last Jews of Aleppo were evacuated from the city in October 2016. MARCUS: They took all the siddurim and everything, put them in boxes. It was just essentially closing shop for good. They knew they're not coming back. MANYA: The food, liturgy, music, the traditions of hospitality and social welfare endure, but far from the world of which it was part. Walk into any synagogue in the Aleppo tradition after sundown on Shabbat and be treated to a concert until dawn – a custom called baqashot. MANYA: Before Oren's grandmother Rachel passed away, his cousin Rebecca did a piece for Canadian Broadcast News featuring their 95-year-old grandmother in the kitchen.  RACHEL SAFDIE: When we were children, we used to love all these dishes. My mother used to make them all the time and it's very, very tasty. Anything made, Middle East food, is very tasty. OREN: It's 10 minutes for me to see my grandmother again, in video, cooking the mehshi kusa, which is sort of the stuffed eggplant with the apricots and the meat. And there's really a great moment in it, because they're doing it together and they put it in the oven, and at the end of this 10-minute movie, they all come out of the oven, and like they're looking at it and they're tasting, and my grandmother points … RACHEL: I know which ones you did. You did this one.  CBN INTERVIEWER: How do you know?  RACHEL: I know. And this recipe has been handed down from generation to generation. OREN: It's so much like my grandmother because she's sort of a perfectionist, but she did everything without measuring. It was all by feel. The kibbeh, beans and lamb and potatoes and chicken but done in a different way than the Ashkenaz. I don't know how to sort of describe it.  The ka'ake, which were like these little pretzels that are, I'd say they have a taste of cumin in them. MARCUS: Stuffed aubergine, stuffed zucchini, tomatoes, with rice, pine nuts and ground beef and so forth. Meatballs with sour cherries during the cherry season. MANYA: Oren would one day like to see where his ancestors lived. But according to Abraham, few Aleppo Jews share that desire. After the Civil War and Siege of Aleppo in 2012 there's little left to see. And even when there was, Aleppo's Jews tended to make a clean break. MARCUS: People did not go back to visit, the second and third generations did not go back. So you see, for example, here Irish people of Irish origin in the United States, they still have families there. And they go, and they take the kids to see what Ireland is like. Italians, they do the same, because they have a kind of sense, this is our origin.  And with Aleppo, there wasn't. This is a really unusual situation in terms of migrations of people not going back to the place. And I think that probably will continue that way. MANYA: Syrian Jews are just one of the many Jewish communities who, in the last century, left Arab countries to forge new lives for themselves and future generations.  Join us next week as we share another untold story of The Forgotten Exodus. Many thanks to Oren and Moshe for sharing their story. You can read more in Moshe's memoir If Walls Could Speak: My Life in Architecture. Too many times during my reporting, I encountered children and grandchildren who didn't have the answers to my questions because they'd never asked. That's why one of the goals of this project is to encourage you to ask those questions. Find your stories. Atara Lakritz is our producer. T.K. Broderick is our sound engineer. Special thanks to Jon Schweitzer, Nicole Mazur, Sean Savage, and Madeleine Stern, and so many of our colleagues, too many to name really, for making this series possible.  You can subscribe to The Forgotten Exodus on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and you can learn more at AJC.org/theforgottenexodus.  The views and opinions of our guests don't necessarily reflect the positions of AJC.  You can reach us at theforgottenexodus@ajc.org. If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to spread the word, and hop onto Apple Podcasts or Spotify to rate us and write a review to help more listeners find us.

Kabbalat Shabbat often achieves lift-off at Central Synagogue with Rabbi Josh Warshawsky's Psalm 95, Lechu Neranena. The composer speaks with Rabbi Andrew Kaplan Mandel about how he constructed this layered, rhythmic, and joyful setting.

- Your Favorite Mothers Day Songs, featuring Connie Francis, Al Jolson, Yehoram Gaon, Dudu Fisher, Shira Kobren Wasserman of Central Synagogue and others - A Yiddish Expression appropriate for this day

In this never before shared interview, Central Synagogue's senior rabbi shares her own journey from horror to hope since Oct. 7. This interview was recorded on Dec. 19, 2023. One Tiny Seed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZcq0c9_njY

Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal shares the importance of Jacob's epiphany. Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal joined Central Synagogue in the summer of 2015 as the Director of Youth & Family Education. Prior to Central, Rabbi Rosenthal was the Director of Children and Family Education at IKAR, a nationally recognized, innovative spiritual community in Los Angeles. While at IKAR, she reimagined and redesigned the religious school, supervised IKAR's Early Childhood Center from its creation to present, and created the IKAR teen program. She also taught in IKAR's adult education program and participated in pulpit and pastoral duties. Before IKAR, Rabbi Rosenthal was the Director of Education at Congregation B'nai Zion in El Paso, Texas, and the Youth & Family Shabbat and Holidays Coordinator at B'nai Jeshurun in New York City. She has been involved in numerous national conversations about the future of congregational education, including the Conservative Moment's Task Force on Congregational Education and the ReFrame Initiative, to examine and implement experiential education in a religious school setting.   

Bear witness to the harrowing stories of October 7th from those who lost loved ones and those whose loved ones are still being held in captivity, in this spiritual call to arms that inspires us to take action to help in the struggle. 

Highlights from this episode with acclaimed educator, consultant, author, and antibias antiracist facilitator Liz Kleinrock include: Distinguishing truth and fact, holding multiple truths, intersectionality, and nuance Representation is the low-hanging fruit; moving toward affirmation The consequences of speaking truth and holding on to our North Stars Liz Kleinrock is an author, educator, consultant and antibias antiracist facilitator. She received the Learning for Justice's Award for Excellence in 2018, delivered a TED Talk called “Education Everywhere” that's been watched by millions, and released her bestselling Start Here Start Now: A Guide to Antibias and Antiracist Work In Your School Community that informs practice in schools all across the country. Liz is a force for good and has her fingerprints absolutely everywhere, from her platform @teachandtransform, to working with companies and organizations like North Face, the Smithsonian Museum of African America History and Culture and Central Synagogue in NYC.  IG: @teachandtransform Website: https://www.teachandtransform.org/ Come and Join Us!: Liz's debut picture book! Eyes that Weave the Worlds Wonders: Liz and Joanna's book (out 1/23/24) What Jewish Looks Like: Liz and Caroline's book (out in 2024, stay tuned for link!)

- Cantors, choirs and performers help us rise "L'eila, L'eila", Higher and Higher, as we approach Rosh Hashanah - We Introduce a brand new song by Shira Kobren Wasserman of Central Synagogue in NY City

Haaretz Military Correspondent Amos Harel joins Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber to analyze how the passage of the Netanyahu government's first judicial overhaul bill is impacting—and likely damaging—Israeli national security. They discuss the growing wave of Israeli military reservists threatening to stop reporting for duty, the scale of the unrest inside the Israel Defense Forces, the recent conduct of key security officials like Defense Minister Galant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and the prospects for a military escalation between Israel and Hezbollah amid the domestic political crisis.Register for our video briefing today (July 26) at 2pm ET with Neri Zilber and Masua SagivListen to Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow speak about Israel's political crisis on the War on the Rocks podcastRegister for IPF Atid's virtual community check-in for young professionals this Friday (July 28) at 2pm ETWatch this week's Israel Policy Pause with Alex Lederman on the wider implications of ending the reasonableness standardRegister for Central Synagogue's video briefing with Michael Koplow at 8:30pm ET on Thursday, July 27Register for Park Avenue Synagogue's video briefing with David Halperin at 12:30pm ET on Thursday, July 27Explore Israel Policy Forum's Judicial Legislation TrackerSupport the show

In this episode, Hayley and Amy speak with composer/lyricist Madeline Myers about uplifting the stories of women who have been erased from history, expanding our understanding of women's relationship with work, finding people who believe in you when you don't believe in yourself, and being a good person in addition to a good artist. Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Guest: Madeline MyersHosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy AndrewsMusic: Chloe Geller Episode Resources Double Helix - playing at Bay Street Theater May 30-June 18 Stacey Mindich Guest Bio: Madeline Myers (she/her) is a composer and lyricist for musical theater in New York City. Her musicals include Double Helix (world premiere Bay Street Theater, 2023) Flatbush Avenue (UNC-Greensboro commission, 2021), The Devil's Apprentice, (world premiere Copenhagen, Denmark, 2018), and Masterpiece (O'Neill Musical Theater Conference 2018 semi-finalist). 

 Named to the 2022 Broadway Women's Fund “Women to Watch on Broadway” list, Madeline is a 2023 & 2022 Kleban Prize finalist for lyric writing, a winner of the 2021 Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award presented by New York Stage & Film and the Ziegfeld Club; a 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017 Jonathan Larson Grant finalist; a 2019 York Theatre Company NEO Writer; a 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017 ASCAP Plus Award recipient; and a 2016-2017 Dramatists Guild Fellow. 

 Madeline's musicals have been developed at Bay Street Theatre, the York Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals (2023 Festival of New Musicals, the Johnny Mercer Writers Grove), the New Dramatists Composer-Librettist Studio, the Fingerlakes Musical Theater Festival, Musical Theater Factory, the NMI Disney Imagineering New Voices Project, the New York Theatre Barn, and the Johnny Mercer Songwriting Project.

 When not writing musicals, Madeline enjoys reading, walking in Central Park, and volunteering.  She is an active volunteer with Central Synagogue's unhoused breakfast program and the founder of a 2020 voter registration/Census count initiative for the New York unhoused community. Through the pandemic, Madeline has worked with NYC Test & Trace Corps to bring mobile vaccine buses and PPE to unhoused New Yorkers. In 2018, Madeline created the Blair School of Music Student Citizen Award given to a female student demonstrating excellence in personal character and contributions to the community.  Madeline sits on the Alumni Board of the Vanderbilt University Ingram Scholarship Program, of which she is a proud alumna. She is an original member of the music department of the Broadway production of Hamilton.

 Madeline is a proud member of ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild. She is represented by Chris Till at Verve Talent & Literary Agency. Find Madeline Online: Madeline website: www.madelinemyers.com Show website: www.doublehelixmusical.com Madeline Instagram: @madelinesmyers Show Instagram: @doublehelixmusical TikTok: @doublehelixmusical Thanks for listening! Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here. The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!

For these meaningful days of commemoration, Teisha Bader and Shahar Azani invite trusted community leaders and JBS commentators to reflect on the miracle of Israel, and to offer words of hope and pride as we celebrate. Includes a very special Hatikvah from the clergy of Central Synagogue. 

“What Matters” is a collaborative initiative by New York Jewish institutions enabling individuals to have conversations about — and document — end-of-life preferences … and engage Jewish values along the way. Rabbi Nicole Auerbach, Dir. of Congregational Engagement at Central Synagogue in New York, and Howard Sharfstein, Honorary President at Central, describe the program and […] The post “What Matters”: Rabbi Nicole Auerbach and Howard Sharfstein of Central Synagogue appeared first on Plaza Jewish Community Chapel.

An interview with Shira Kobrin, Manager of Family Engagement Music at Central Synagogue in NYC. Shira discusses how she works to make Judaism a multi-generational experience through her music. The episode also features Jewish dance tunes from Yiddish, Ladino and modern Israeli traditions, and our weekly Yiddish Expression segment.

This week on Unorthodox, stories of survival and Jewish pride in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.  First, host Stephanie Butnick shares the lesson her Holocaust survivor grandparents taught her about taking every opportunity to celebrate life, starting with her over-the-top baby party.  California restaurateur Victor Ivry shares the story of honoring his mother, Auschwitz survivor and “witness to history” Liselotte Ivry, by getting a tattoo of her concentration camp number on his arm.  Abigail Pogrebin shares a preview of the latest installation of The Minyan, featuring her conversation with 10 Holocaust survivors. You can read the full version at tabletmag.com/minyan.  Host Mark Oppenheimer offers his take on how to reframe our response to antisemitism. First graders at Central Synagogue in New York City share their favorite blessings in an excerpt from our kids game show podcast, Hebrew School.  Jewelry designer Rachie Shnay tells us about her Mazel Collection, a line of Star of David bling that Jewish celebrities like Gal Gadot, Debra Messing, Emmanuelle Chriqui, and Selma Blair have been wearing loudly and proudly.  And finally, Tablet Studios' general manager Tanya Singer introduces us to her relatives Eva Bender and Samuel Marder, who share their moving story of survival and strength.  We love to hear from you. Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you're calling from.  Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a #blessed episode of Hebrew School as our kid contestant, Charlie, plays three games that are all about brachot, or blessings: “Mah Zeh?” (What Is This?), “Emet, Emet, Bedichah” (Two Truths and a Joke), and “Eavesdropping on History”.  Our episode also includes the story “The Blessings” by master storyteller Peninnah Schram, music from Lenny Solomon and our house band Shlock Rock, and wisdom from first graders from Central Synagogue in Manhattan, who took part in our “Chochmat HaHamonim”, or Wisdom of the Crowd segment.  Want to be a contestant on Hebrew School? Visit tabletm.ag/hebrewschool to apply. If you'd like your school to be featured on our Wisdom of the Crowds segment, email podcasts@tabletmag.com

Congregants Patricia Rich and Michael Silverberg share the story of how they met and fell in love because of their connection to Central Synagogue.

Friends, and Central members, Ed Saslaw and Sharon Gunderson share their unusual first meeting, their growing friendship and community at Central Synagogue. 

Central Synagogue's senior cantor Daniel Mutlu speaks with his son Saya on the eve of Saya's bar mitzvah about the meaning of this important moment.

Central Synagogue member Robin Lynn and her daughter Carla Steckman about how the fatal Tay-Sachs disease has affected their family.

Howard and Jill Sharfstein speak about their marriage, and their 40 years as congregants of Central Synagogue. Together they reflect on how Central became increasingly more important through Howard's illness and their growing involvement after his recovery, including Howard's position, in 2006, as Chair of the Central Board of trustees.

Rabbi Angela Buchdahl and Rabbi Peter Rubinstein, on becoming Clergy and coming to Central Synagogue, December 10, 2021

The Central Synagogue community, reflecting on change and a new year, September 2021

This week, we're deep dishing about Licorice Pizza. Our Jew of the week is actress, neuroscientist, and Jeopardy! co-host Mayim Bialik, who makes her directorial debut with the “very, very Jewish” film As They Made Us.  Mayim wrote the film, about a woman coming to terms with her father's decline and death, at the end of the traditional Jewish year of mourning following her own father's death in 2015. She tells us about the film's casting (Dustin Hoffman and Candace Bergen play the parents to Glee star Dianna Agron), how Jewish mourning rituals deepened her connection to Judaism, and what she's learned from hosting the iconic game show.  Our Gentile of the Week is Eddie Chang, who moderates the Buy Nothing Facebook group for New York City's Upper East Side neighborhood. He tells us why he prefers sourcing items from the group's twelve thousand members to buying things on Amazon, the best things he's found through the group, and what he's learned about the power of community along the way. His question for the hosts is which Jewish TV show is superior: Seinfeld or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you're calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Upcoming events: May 11. 2022 (virtual) — Stephanie Butnick will be in conversation with authors Gary Shteyngart and Claire Stanford as part of the Jewish Book Council and the Jewish Museum's Unpacking the Book series. 7 p.m. Eastern; register here. May 15, 2022 - Mark Oppenheimer will be discussing his book, Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood at Temple Beth Israel in Skokie Illinois. 10 a.m. Central; tickets here.    May 25, 2022 — Mark, Stephanie, and Liel will be live in New York City for Central Synagogue's Shavuot Boot Camp with Abigail Pogrebin. 5:30 p.m. Eastern; stream the event here. Find all our events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way, contact tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Spertus Institute's Jewish Studies graduate programs make serious study available in a flexible formate for students of all ages, backgrounds, and knowledge levels. Find out more at spertus.edu/jewishstudies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we're celebrating motherhood: the messy, the funny, the sad, and the profound.  First, an interview with Jewish Fertility Foundation's Elana Frank, host of the podcast Fruitful and Multiplying. Then we talk to comedian Ester Steinberg about her postpartum comedy special, Burning Bush. We also hear from Rabbi Ilana Garber about her son's diagnosis of Fragile X Syndrome, and Unorthodox producer Robert Scaramuccia shares a moving story about his mother. We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you're calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Upcoming events: May 15, 2022 - Mark Oppenheimer will be discussing his book, Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood at Temple Beth Israel in Skokie Illinois. 10 a.m. Central; tickets here.  May 22. 2022 (virtual) — Stephanie Butnick will be in conversation with authors Gary Shteyngart and Claire Stanford as part of the Jewish Book Council and the Jewish Museum's Unpacking the Book series. 7 p.m. Eastern; register here.   May 25, 2022 — Mark, Stephanie, and Liel will be live in New York City for Central Synagogue's Shavuot Boot Camp with Abigail Pogrebin. 5:30 p.m. Eastern; register here Get all our events info at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Get your copy of The Tab, Tablet's free, printable weekly digest, at tabletm.ag/tab.  Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tabletstudios@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it mean to be holy? What is the path to holiness? Can we have different paths within Judaism? On this episode of Drinking and Drashing: Torah with a Twist, Gabe is joined by guest co-host Agnes Valdman, an HUC cantorial student, (newly!) married to Executive Producer Edon Valdman. Together, they have a discussion with educator-extrodinaire Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal, the Director of Youth and Family Education at Central Synagogue in New York City. With Torah and West Wing references abound, this conversation is fun and fruitful! To continue the conversation: Rabbi Rosenthal at Central Synagogue: https://www.centralsynagogue.org/about-us/our-clergy/rebecca-rosenthal Rabbi Rosenthal's Instagram: @RabbiRebeccaBakes NEW DISCORD LINK: https://discord.gg/xeeghhpSy3 Show the love with some Drinking and Drashing: Torah with a Twist merchandise at store.drinkinganddrashing.com, and don't forget to subscribe and give us a rating on Apple Podcasts—it's a great way to help our show grow! Edited by Kate Griffin

Central's tribute to the great Stephen Sondheim from Shabbat Services, Z”L “Opening” (from Sunday In The Park with George)>“Not A Day Goes By” from (Merrily We Roll Along)>“No One Is Alone” (from Into The Woods)>“Being Alive” (from Company)>“Move On” (from Sunday In The Park with George)

“Smile!” We've been saying that just before snapping a picture for years, long before selfies, Facebook and Instagram. But now we not only want to capture the moment; we want to share it, and widely. Radiolab's “Smile My Ass” tells the story of the show “Candid Camera,” which in turn allows us to explore the profound effect that this constant state of being on display has had on our consciousness and self-consciousness.  Joining host Leon Wiener Dow for The Context segment is Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl, Senior Rabbi at Central Synagogue and for The Hypertext segment is Dov Abramson, artist and graphic designer.Click here to see the source sheet for the episode.Click here to to hear Joel and Leon's extended study session.Click here to visit the episode page on our website. Click here to learn more about the work of Kolot alumna Avital Blonder at Jindas.Episode image: "Self-image" by Aharon Friedman, Studio Dov Abramson.

The devotion for today, Thursday, September 16 was written by Dr. Pat Saxon and is narrated by Larry Carter. Today's Words of Inspiration come from Abraham Joshua Heschel: Prayer is meaningless unless it is subversive, unless it seeks to overthrow and ruin the pyramids of callousness, hatred, opportunism, falsehoods. A liturgical movement must become a revolutionary movement seeking to overthrow the forces that destroy the promise, the hope, the vision. Resources mentioned in today's devotion: Rabbi Michael Lerner and the Tikkun community offer a progressive and full litany of communal sins and encourage participation by anyone who would have a clean heart and right spirit. https://www.tikkun.org/for-the-sins-a-contemporary-version-of-atonement-on-yom-kippur-and-all-year-round/ Consider participating in Yom Kippur services on line at a local synagogue or at Central Synagogue, speaking together the way we miss the mark, being inspired by a thoughtful sermon, and moved by the kol nidre (here sung when Rabbi Angela Buchwald was cantor) www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C-8f_SoNqg.

Hannah Dreyfus is a freelance reporter with an unusual but essential beat: reporting allegations of sexual misconduct in Jewish organizations. In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer speaks with Dreyfus about her recent story on a former senior rabbi at Central Synagogue and the process of reporting out allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior in Jewish communal settings.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re sharing an episode of “Hearing with Tali Farhadian Weinstein,” a podcast from Pushkin Industries. Tali is an Iranian-Jewish prosecutor running for District Attorney in Manhattan, and her show features interviews with policy experts, journalists, and community members. In this episode of Hearing, Tali talks to former Unorthodox guest Rabbi Angela Buchdahl of Manhattan's Central Synagogue about the points of intersection around faith, personal identity, and the fight for racial justice. To hear more episodes of Tali's show, check out www.pushkin.fm/show/hearing-with-tali-farhadian-weinstein/. Join us for these upcoming ‘Unorthodox’ virtual events! Wednesday, March 10: Mark, Stephanie, and Liel will be returning to the Washington Hebrew Congregation virtually to discuss The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia at 8 p.m. EST. Register here. Thursday, March 11: Stephanie and Mark will be discussing The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia as part of the Mandel JCC of the Palm Beaches' Book Festival at 7:30 p.m. EST. Register here. Thursday, March 25: Stephanie Butnick will be interviewing Menachem Kaiser about his new book, Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, at 7 p.m. EST. Register here. As always, send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Kol Foods has everything you need to create a kosher, ethical, sustainably-sourced Passover Seder spread, from delicious briskets to 100% grass-fed lamb shank bones. Use promo code UNORTHODOXPESACH for 10% of your entire Passover order at KOLFoods.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this wide ranging conversation, Rabbi Cantor Hillary Chorny talks with Abigail Pogrebin, the author of three books including the most recent, “My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew,” which was a finalist for a National Jewish Book Award. She is also the author of “Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish,” for which she interviewed everyone from Ruth Bader Ginsberg to Steven Spielberg about their Jewish identity — a book that was adapted for the Off-Broadway stage. A former producer for 60 Minutes, Abby anchors her own interview series at the JCC in Manhattan (she’s interviewed Sec. of State Madeline Albright, Malcolm Gladwell, Nora Ephron, Roxane Gay, Jonathan Safran Foer, and many others) and also moderates conversations for The Streicker Center, Shalom Hartman Institute, and UJA Federation. She is the Immediate Past President of Central Synagogue in New York City, whose senior rabbi, Angela Buchdahl, is the first Asian-American to be ordained in America.

One of America’s most prominent thinkers and leaders, Abigail Pogrebin, joins Mark on the podcast today. Abigail has served as President of Central Synagogue, and her book, My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays; One Wondering Jew, was a finalist for the 2018 National Jewish Book Award. She is currently the host of the ‘Parsha in Progress’ podcast, one of Mark’s favorites, which features a regular Torah discussion between herself and Rabbi Dov Linzer , President of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The passage she has chosen to discuss today is Deuteronomy 15:7-10.   Abigail begins the conversation with her summary of the passage and its significance for her that is rooted in its call for us to respond to those in need. She and Mark explore its relevance, particularly during the current pandemic, and review the notion of duties of the heart, as well as the necessity of doing the right thing and the benefits that will consequently arise. As is tradition, our guest concludes the episode with the lessons she has learned about humankind which also happen to reflect back upon the theme of the chosen passage. Abigail and Mark’s dynamic conversation here today unearths the highly relevant guidance of ‘Moses’ parting gift’, and demonstrates just how powerful the wisdom of the Torah can and should be in all our lives.   Episode Highlights:    ·   Abigail’s summary of the passage and its significance for her ·   Responding to those in need ·   A call to us now ·   Duties of the heart ·   Doing the right thing and the benefits of it ·   The lessons about humankind that Abigail has learned   Quotes:   “When you see someone in trouble, you have to act.”   “You have to respond.”   “The Jews cry a lot.”   “Compassion is not necessarily an emotion, it’s a requirement.”   “Something is demanded of us.”   “This is pushing us to look beyond our Jewish kinsmen or kinsfolk.”   “I think right now, we underestimate the power of encouragement, we underestimate the power of comfort.”   “Both the material gifts and the blessings are required…you have to do them both.”   “People are so tired of thoughts and prayers.”   “Don’t think that this is something beyond you that doesn’t touch you.”   “You should do it because it’s the right thing to do.”   “You’re going to get richer if you give to the poor.”   “Pay it forward.”   “Everyone disappoints you.”   “Everyone gets their hurdle.”     Deuteronomy 15:7-10 If, however, there is a needy person among you, one of your kinsmen in any of your settlements in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not harden your heart and shut your hand against your needy kinsman. Rather, you must open your hand and lend him sufficient for whatever he needs. Beware lest you harbor the base thought, “The seventh year, the year of remission, is approaching,” so that you are mean to your needy kinsman and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will incur guilt. Give to him readily and have no regrets when you do so, for in return the LORD your God will bless you in all your efforts and in all your undertakings. https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.15.7-10?lang=bi&aliyot=0   Links:   The Rabbi’s Husband homepage: The Rabbi's Husband   Mark’s Twitter: Mark Gerson - The Rabbi's Husband (@markgerson)   The Rabbi’s Husband Newsletter contact: daniel@therabbishusband.com

In this special Thanksgiving throwback episode, we revisit two important conversations from this past summer. First up is Eric Ward, Executive Director of the Western States Center, who discusses his experience as a leader in the Black community committed to fighting antisemitism and how the Black and Jewish communities can work together to combat hate. Then, we hear from Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Senior Rabbi of Manhattan’s Central Synagogue and member of AJC’s Board of Governors, about her experiences as a Jew of Color and the Jewish community’s obligation to social justice. _____ Episode Lineup: [3:00] Eric Ward [15:36] Rabbi Angela Buchdahl _____ Show Notes: Eric Ward's Full Interview: https://www.ajc.org/news/podcast/eric-ward-on-racial-justice-a-conversation-with-benny-gantz Angela Buchdahl's Full Interview: https://www.ajc.org/news/podcast/rabbi-angela-buchdahl-on-jews-and-race-election-2020-debate Skin in the Game by Eric Ward: https://www.politicalresearch.org/2017/06/29/skin-in-the-game-how-antisemitism-animates-white-nationalism

Mark is delighted to welcome Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl to the podcast today. Rabbi Buchdahl is the first woman to serve as the Senior Rabbi of Central Synagogue in New York City in its 180-year history, and she is also the first Asian American to be ordained as cantor or rabbi in North America. Having been nationally recognized for her innovations in leading worship, which draw large crowds both in the congregation’s historic Main Sanctuary and via live stream and cable broadcast to viewers in more than 100 countries, Rabbi Buchdahl is, Mark believes, the great role model of what the future of institutional Reform Judaism can be. The passage she has chosen to discuss with Mark is Deuteronomy 29:9-11.   Rabbi Buchdahl begins by sharing her summary of the passage and its significance for her based upon the message of inclusion that she finds within it. She and Mark then explore the foundation of Jewish identity, the accessibility of the Torah and how to teach it, and the most important of the Jewish holidays. They also discuss the power of truly understanding the experience of the stranger, the Rabbi’s bowling alley analogy regarding parenting, and the collective redemption and order found in the Jewish faith. As is the tradition, the episode concludes with the lessons our guest has learned about humankind. As Mark notes, Rabbi Buchdahl is ‘leading American Jewry to a better, better place’, and this truth is brilliantly displayed here today as she reveals so many lessons from this relatively short but incredibly powerful passage for us all to learn and enjoy.   Episode Highlights:   ·   Rabbi Buchdahl’s summary of the passage and its significance to her ·   The message of inclusion within the passage ·   The foundation of the Jewish identity ·   The Torah’s accessibility for all ·   How to teach Torah ·   Rabbi Buchdahl’s advice about keeping holidays ·   Understanding being a stranger in a strange land ·   The Rabbi’s bowling alley analogy regarding parenting ·   Collective redemption and order ·   The lessons about humankind that Rabbi Buchdahl has learned    Quotes:   “I spent a lot of my Jewish life feeling like I wasn’t sure that I also was really standing in Sinai like everybody else.”   “Everyone brings what they have.”   “If you convert to Judaism, you were at Sinai also.”   “This sense of inclusion is very powerful.”   “This to me is a statement of who we are as a people.”   “If you want to commit to this covenant, you’re a part of our people.”   “This Torah is for you. It’s for you today.”   “Oftentimes, the adults learn through the children.”   “There is something very deep about how you own your identity and you own your knowledge when you pass it on.”   “If you actually carry that Jewish memory, like, as if it’s your memory, you cannot walk through the world in the same way.”   “We taste our tears.”   “We’re all born good and pure…there’s the promise that we can return to that original goodness.”   “There’s no way that you can emerge from that crucible, in a sense, without being a changed person if you take Yom Kippur seriously.”   “What you’re doing is what they’re going to learn.”   “Every person is infinitely more powerful than they think they are.”   “Every human has the capacity to change.”   “The power of one person.”     Deuteronomy 29:9-11 You stand this day, all of you, before the LORD your God—your tribal heads, your elders and your officials, all the men of Israel, your children, your wives, even the stranger within your camp, from woodchopper to water drawer— to enter into the covenant of the LORD your God, which the LORD your God is concluding with you this day, with its sanctions; https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.29.9-11?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en     Links:   The Rabbi’s Husband homepage: http://therabbishusband.com/   Mark’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/markgerson?lang=en   The Rabbi’s Husband Newsletter contact:   daniel@therabbishusband.com

Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, the Senior Rabbi of Manhattan's Central Synagogue, joins Tali for a conversation about the points of intersection around faith, personal identity, and the fight for racial justice in all communities. This show is paid for by New Yorkers for Tali. To learn more about Tali's campaign for Manhattan DA, please visit http://taliforda.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We begin this week's podcast with an acknowledgement of Yom Kippur. Featured is a performance by Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, the Senior Rabbi of Central Synagogue in New York City. The text is "Kol Nidre", an Aramaic recitation which precedes the evening service of Yom Kippur. Our podcast reflects this attitude of atonement, a difficult notion to achieve in these strange times. Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=d-CcoL6oQgAQLay31fDlldX0lG4pPB-spBUmKaBZ51foVF7NWvq9Kt1J_o17tiIgZw9kpm&country.x=US&locale.x=US)

On this episode of Jewanced, Dan and Benny sat down with the ever-fascinating Abigail Pogrebin, an award-winning author, journalist, former Emmy-nominated television producer, Jewish leader and Jewish outreach director for former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's 2020 Presidential campaign. We talked for what felt like the shortest two hours of our lives about being a part of a presidential campaign, American politics, Abigail's current and most recent book projects on God and the Jewish holidays, rediscovering Judaism and Jewish literacy, how Covid-19 is affecting Jewish life, working on CBS's 60 Minutes and much more. Abigail Pogrebin is the author of My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays; One Wondering Jew, which was a finalist for the 2018 National Jewish Book Award. She is also the author of Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk about Being Jewish, for which Abigail interviewed 62 famous American Jews — from Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Steven Spielberg — about their religious identity. Her book, One and the Same delved into every aspect of growing up as a twin — of which Abby is one. (The identical kind.) Her bestselling Kindle Single, Showstopper, chronicled her teenage adventures on Broadway in a rare Sondheim flop. She was an Emmy-nominated producer for Mike Wallace at 60 Minutes, and before that produced for Bill Moyers at PBS. She has moderated conversations at The Streicker Center, The JCC in Manhattan, UJA Federation, and the Shalom Hartman Institute. Tablet Magazine's podcast, “Parsha in Progress” features a regular Torah discussion with Abigail and Rabbi Dov Linzer (President of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah). Abby received the “Impact Award” from the JCC in Manhattan, and the “Community Leader Award” from The Jewish Week in 2017. She served as President of Central Synagogue from 2015-18, and was Director of Jewish Outreach for Michael Bloomberg's 2020 presidential campaign. Links: Abigail's official https://abigailpogrebin.com/ (website) Selected https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13b5oMwYEBqrNsEs_BOdZ5SLBQk5dVn1z?usp=sharing (photos) of Abigail's interviews My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays; One Wondering Jew on https://www.amazon.com/My-Jewish-Year-Holidays-Wondering-ebook/dp/B01M0RNEJ2/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Abigail+Pogrebin&qid=1597333140&sr=8-1 (Amazon.com) Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk about Being Jewish on https://www.amazon.com/Stars-David-Prominent-About-Jewish-ebook/dp/B000XUDHK2/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Abigail+Pogrebin&qid=1597333140&sr=8-2 (Amazon.com) Tablet Magazine's https://open.spotify.com/show/5tHUaIjq9EcXwjJCaqv8ba?si=o0rzXZi5RuKXstDFXVu2TA (podcast), “Parsha in Progress” co-hosted by Abigail and Rabbi Dov Linzer We invite you to follow Jewanced TODAY on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Oh, and we'd love it if you leave us a 5-Star review! https://open.spotify.com/show/6984NiP7H1ULW9lJeVt8Ie?si=4we8PR7dSJyav4np2foRWA (https://open.spotify.com/show/6984NiP7H1ULW9lJeVt8Ie?si=4we8PR7dSJyav4np2foRWA) For more info about Jewanced, visit us at http://www.jewanced.com/ (http://www.jewanced.com)

On this week’s episode of People of the Pod, we are joined by Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Senior Rabbi of Manhattan’s Central Synagogue and member of AJC’s Board of Governors, to discuss the Jewish community’s obligation toward Jews of color and to social justice. Then, in one of the most compelling sessions from AJC Virtual Global Forum, we hear a foreign policy debate between Antony Blinken, Deputy Secretary of State under President Barack Obama and now an adviser to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, and KT McFarland, past Deputy National Security Advisor under President Donald Trump.

This week, Working revisits its special five-episode mini-season with people who have had “second acts,” that is people who made a dramatic career pivot at some point in their working lives. Nicole Auerbach worked as an attorney for 10 years, first as a federal public defender in the Southern District of New York and then as a media lawyer specializing in First Amendment issues. Realizing she was unhappy in that career, she was drawn to become a rabbi and is now director of congregational engagement at New York’s Central Synagogue. Auerbach talks about how she decided to attend rabbinical school, the challenges that making a career switch presented, and what she likes best about her new line of work. You can email us at working@slate.com. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Working revisits its special five-episode mini-season with people who have had “second acts,” that is people who made a dramatic career pivot at some point in their working lives. Nicole Auerbach worked as an attorney for 10 years, first as a federal public defender in the Southern District of New York and then as a media lawyer specializing in First Amendment issues. Realizing she was unhappy in that career, she was drawn to become a rabbi and is now director of congregational engagement at New York’s Central Synagogue. Auerbach talks about how she decided to attend rabbinical school, the challenges that making a career switch presented, and what she likes best about her new line of work. You can email us at working@slate.com. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Led by Columbia Professor and founding partner of Kaplan, Hecker & Fink, Roberta Kaplan, and Eric Ward, Executive Director of the Western States Center.Roberta Kaplan is leading the legal fight against the hate groups behind the violent alt-right confrontations in Charlottesville, partnering with nonprofit Integrity First for America on its landmark suit; Eric Ward is a national expert in the relationship between anti-Semitism and white supremacy. Together they joined in conversation about their work and the challenges they face in their fight against bigotry at Central Synagogue on December 3, 2019

David E. Kaufman and Yitzchak Schwartz, architectural historians of Jewish New York, on Central Synagogue in Midtown

The Season 2 opening episode of Jewish Songwriter included a hilarious and heartwarming story from this week's guest, Elana Arian, and her special connection and encounters with Debbie Friedman.  We finally get to share the rest of this amazing conversation and share Elana's "Yih'yu L'ratzon" as well as the story of it's creation.  Spoiler Alert:  Elana was a new mother with 10 years of experience as a successful touring secular singer/songwriter but this song was not only her first Jewish composition, but the first composition that came to her in complete form.   Listen to "Yih'yu L'ratzon" and all of the compositions from this season of Jewish Songwriter on the official Jewish Songwriter Playlist on YouTube and Spotify.  Elana Arian is one of the leading voices in contemporary Jewish music. A composer, multi-instrumentalist, and recording artist, Elana inspires communities across the country with her soulful songwriting and spirit. She recently released her third album of original music - A Spark of Light – a collaboration with Grammy-winning producer, Ben Wisch. Elana has served on the faculty of both Shirei Chagiga in London and the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in New York, working as a teaching artist in the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. In addition to her work as a guest Artist in Residence for communities across the United States, Elana worked in the Friday worship ensemble at Central Synagogue for 13 years. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Tanglewood, and perhaps most memorably, five separate appearances at the (Obama) White House. Elana's YouTube Page Elana's Spotify Elana's Facebook Elana's Website  This week's episode was brought to you by Bandzoogle which makes it easy to build a stunning website for your music in minutes.  Click here to try it free for 30 days and get 15% off the first year of your subscription.

In a special five-episode mini-season of Working, we talk with people who have had “second acts,” that is people who made a dramatic career pivot at some point in their working lives. Nicole Auerbach worked as an attorney for 10 years, first as a federal public defender in the Southern District of New York and then as a media lawyer specializing in First Amendment issues. Realizing she was unhappy in that career, she was drawn to become a rabbi and is now director of congregational engagement at New York’s Central Synagogue. Auerbach talks about how she decided to attend rabbinical school, the challenges that making a career switch presented, and what she likes best about her new line of work. You can email us at working@slate.com. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a special five-episode mini-season of Working, we talk with people who have had “second acts,” that is people who made a dramatic career pivot at some point in their working lives. Nicole Auerbach worked as an attorney for 10 years, first as a federal public defender in the Southern District of New York and then as a media lawyer specializing in First Amendment issues. Realizing she was unhappy in that career, she was drawn to become a rabbi and is now director of congregational engagement at New York’s Central Synagogue. Auerbach talks about how she decided to attend rabbinical school, the challenges that making a career switch presented, and what she likes best about her new line of work. You can email us at working@slate.com. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s guest is Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Senior Rabbi at New York City’s Central Synagogue. Born in Seoul, Korea, tune in to hear her journey to become a leader at one of the largest reform congregations in America and how she focuses on breaking down barriers, a subject deeply rooted in her life and work.

This week on "Everything is Connected," author Abigail Pogrebin joins Jonathan for a lively conversation about her deep dive into the heart of Judaism. We discuss what she's learned about marking time through the observance of an ancient, traditional sequence of festivals and fast-days... some of which she'd never heard of before undertaking a project that left even some of her closest family and friends scratching their heads. As she went about her immersive research, she interviewed enough rabbis to become a self-proclaimed "rabbi groupie," which is when we knew we had to have her on the show.Abigail Pogrebin is the author of My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays; One Wondering Jew – a much-expanded chronicle of her popular column for the Forward, for which she spent 12 months researching and observing every holiday in the Jewish calendar.Pogrebin is also the author of Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk about Being Jewish, which went into eight hardcover printings and was later adapted for the Off-Broadway stage. Pogrebin’s second book, One and the Same, delved into every aspect of growing up as a twin, (she’s an identical), and her bestselling Amazon Kindle Single, Showstopper, recounts her teenage adventure in the original Broadway cast of Stephen Sondheim’s flop, “Merrily We Roll Along.”Abigail was formerly a broadcast producer for Fred Friendly, Charlie Rose and Bill Moyers at PBS, then for Ed Bradley and Mike Wallace at 60 Minutes. She has been published in many magazines and newspapers including Newsweek, New York Magazine, The Forward, Tablet, and The Daily Beast. She has moderated conversations at The JCC in Manhattan, 92Y, The Skirball Center, and Shalom Hartman Institute. Pogrebin lives in Manhattan and is currently the President of Central Synagogue.Learn more about Abigail at her website by clicking here.

Worship and prayer are at the center of Jewish life. Cantor Sacks explores how we can continue to create meaningful and transformative worship experiences through music and song. Cantor Sacks serves as the Senior Cantor of Temple Emanuel in Denver, Colorado. Raised in New York, Cantor Sacks was ordained as a cantor in 2007 from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR). She was a recipient of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship in Jewish communal leadership and earned several awards as a cantorial student for Traditional Hazzanut, Talmud, and Midrash. Cantor Sacks holds a B.A. in Jewish Studies and Music from Harvard University where she was active in Harvard Hillel and music community service programs. From 2007-2012, Cantor Sacks served as the Associate Cantor at Central Synagogue in New York, where she focused on worship, education and young professional engagement. Cantor Sacks was also a faculty member at Mechon Hadar, an educational institute that empowers Jews to create and sustain vibrant, practicing, egalitarian communities of Torah learning, prayer, and service. Cantor Sacks is currently the chair of the HUC-JIR Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music Alumni Association and the vice-chair of the HUC-JIR Council of Alumni. Cantor Sacks is married to Elias Sacks, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Associate Director of the Program in Jewish Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. Cantor Sacks, Eli, and their son Charlie live in Denver.