Podcasts about congregation beth israel

April 23, 2025Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy JewsEpisode 79 - Let's Get Together: Live In Austin!Barak, Ethan, and RDY were finally in the same zip code together, for the first time ever! So they decided to record an episode with the locals! When these nerds get together they play board games, watch superhero movies, visit comic book shops, go to escape rooms, and tell wonderfully terrible jokes. So what happens when you put them together in a room full of Jews? It turns out, you end up with a definitely-not-fake laugh track! This episode comes to you live from Congregation Beth Israel in Austin, TX!00:01:09 When nerds get together00:02:05 When Jews get together00:02:43 Food00:12:24 Small Gatherings00:14:09 Coming together for support00:23:26 Expanding Your Knowledge00:31:59 Playing People Geography00:36:12 Breaking the Star Trek barrier00:37:00 Arguing00:43:01 Our favorite arguments00:57:31 Favorite way to get togetherShare this episode with a friend: https://www.torahsmash.com/post/episode-79-lets-get-together-live-in-austin Connect with us online, purchase swag, support us with a donation, and more at www.torahsmash.com.

Judy Greenfeld is Senior Rabbi/Cantor at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, and founder of Nachshon Minyan, a welcoming community for unaffiliated Jews seeking to rewrite their negative stories about religion and re-integrate faith in their daily life. Beyond her Rabbinical duties, Judy's mission is to cultivate inclusive spaces where people of all backgrounds can come together, find support, and explore a path of self-discovery and shared purpose within the Jewish faith. But honestly, she's so much more. Join us! WHAT IS THEJEWFUNCTION - A 10min EXPLANATION https://youtu.be/5TlUt5FqVgQ LISTEN TO THE MYSTERY BOOK PODCAST SERIES: https://tinyurl.com/y7tmfpes SETH'S BOOK: https://www.antidotetoantisemitism.com/ FREE AUDIOBOOK (With Audible trial) OF THE JEWISH CHOICE - UNITY OR ANTISEMITISM: https://amzn.to/3u40evC LIKE/SHARE/SUBSCRIBE Follow us on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram @thejewfunction NEW: SUPPORT US ON PATREON patreon.com/thejewfunction

What happens when loss becomes a catalyst for transformation? In this episode, Judy shares her deeply personal journey from tragedy to spiritual exploration, diving into Buddhism, Kabbalah, and sound healing practices. We explore the profound connection between music and the nervous system, including the calming, restorative power of the 432 Hz frequency—the natural sound of the universe. Judy's experiences with sound bowls and energy vortexes offer a fascinating perspective on how ancient practices can align body, mind, and spirit. But this isn't just about healing; it's about redefining spirituality itself. Judy opens up about questioning religious norms, embracing self-discovery, and creating an inclusive spiritual community. What role does choice play in shaping your spiritual path? How can we integrate science, music, and ancient wisdom to deepen our connection with ourselves and the world? Tune in for an eye-opening conversation that invites you to expand your perspective on faith, healing, and personal growth. Ways to Connect with Rabbi Judy Greenfeld: Website - https://rabbicantorjudy.org/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rabbicantorjudyg/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RabbiCantorJudy/ About Rabbi Judy Greenfeld Judy Greenfeld is a Rabbi/Cantor, lifelong entrepreneur, and author who bridges the gap between ancient wisdom and modern wellness to empower forward thinkers on their personal and professional evolution. At 16, Judy tragically lost her father to gun violence, a profound experience that ignited her lifelong journey of healing and spiritual exploration. Through years of study and practice in somatic dance, dream work, meditation, sound healing, and Kabbalah, she developed a unique approach to personal and community transformation. Ordained as a Rabbi/Cantor, she founded Nachshon Minyan, a welcoming community for unaffiliated Jews seeking to rewrite their negative stories about religion, and now serves as Rabbi/Cantor at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas. Beyond her Rabbinical duties, Judy's mission is to cultivate inclusive spaces where people of all backgrounds can come together, find support, and explore a path of self-discovery and shared purpose.

Imagine growing up and not knowing your parents were Holocaust survivors…That was childhood for my guest today, Anna Salton Eisen. Anna is the author of The 23rd Psalm: A Holocaust Memoir, The Twentieth Anniversary Edition (A National Jewish Book Awards Finalist in 2022) and Pillar of Salt: A Daughter's Life in the Shadow of the Holocaust. She is the daughter of two Holocaust survivors and executive producer of the upcoming documentary film In My Father's Words based on both of her books. Her writing has been published in The Jerusalem Post and The Forward, among other publications. As the founder of Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, site of the antisemitic synagogue hostage crisis in January 2022, Anna has been featured in numerous major news outlets, including CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Fox News. A social worker, Salton Eisen formerly practiced as a therapist, specializing in mental health and trauma.Today, Anna works to bring Holocaust education to everyone who wants and needs it. In this show, we will discuss why and how she's doing it.Find Anna:Facebook: Anna Salton Eisen, AuthorX: @AnnaSaltonEisenInstagram: @annasaltoneisenWebsite, where you can buy the books:https://annasaltoneisen.com/TIMESTAMPS01:38 Intro03:55 Anna's story09:09 Why we need Holocaust education17:14 What has changed in education to make so many students hostile to Holocaust education?26:53 What works WELL for Holocaust education?44:02 Connecting Jewish history to American history49:10 Looking ahead, wrapping upSUPORT MY WORK// Donate:Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillman// Join:If you want to join weekly calls with me and my audience, and get access to my curated lists of education enrichment and homeschooling resources, join one or both of my private communities: TRWL @Wokescreen: https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/TRWP Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-parent///Work With Me:I offer a wide range of consulting services to parents and parent advocacy organizations. Learn more about my services, and book my time using these links Tutoring & Homeschool Teaching: https://thereasonwelearn.com/online-tutoring-and-homeschool-teaching/ College Counseling and Essay Coaching: https://thereasonwelearn.com/consulting/ Education Consulting & School Search: https://thereasonwelearn.com/1942-2/ Public Speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com/speaking/ Writing: https://thereasonwelearn.com/writing-2///Do Business With My Affiliates Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off! https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...Enroll your child in The Socratic Experience, a virtual school grades 3-12. They provide Socratic discussions of classic texts with a commitment to rationality while supporting students in entrepreneurial and creative projects. My listeners can now get a 10% discount by using the link below!https://socraticexperience.com/parent-guide/?utm_source=thereasonwelearn#teachingtheholocaust #holocaustsurvivor #holocausteducation #holocaustsurvivors #publiceducation #k12education #antisemitism--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

On this Pride-themed episode, host Rockne Roll talks with Rabbi Rachel Joseph of Congregation Beth Israel in Portland about her experiences as a leader in Jewish and LGBTQ+ spaces. They look at the history of queer Jews in organized Jewish life and how important representation is in leadership roles, how far equal rights have come and what's left to be done.Get involved with Jewish Pride Greater PDX - learn more at jewishportland.org/pdxjewishpride.

On this episode, host Rockne Roll digs into the nuts and bolts of b'nai mitzvah ceremonies and the work that goes into preparing for them. First, Cantor Rayna Green of Congregation Beth Israel talks about the history and process of becoming b'nai mitzvah. Then, Alicia Jo Rabins discusses her work as a b'nai mitzvah tutor and what becoming b'nai mitzvah outside of a synagogue looks like. Get tickets to Rabins' performance with the Camas High School Choir at Revolution Hall online at revolutionhall.comRead about Rabins' new web series, "Girls In Trouble TV," in today's edition of The Jewish Review at jewishportland.org/jewishreview.Help provide a celebratory Passover meal for local families in need through the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland's Passover 4 All campaign - donate online at jewishportland.org/passover4all24.Check out The Braid: The Go-To Jewish Story Company's new work, "Yearning To Breathe Free" in two live Zoom performances - visit tinyurl.com/BraidJFGP and use code portlandjf2 to get your free tickets courtesy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland.

This is the second half of my conversation with four leaders in Asheville's Jewish community: Rabbis Batsheva Meiri of Congregation Beth HaTephila and Mitchell Levine of Congregation Beth Israel, along with Frank Goldsmith, who is on the steering committee of Carolina Jews for Justice; and Sharon Fahrer, who has documented much of Asheville's Jewish history.In the vapors of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack in Israel and the ensuing war, we delve deeper into the impact on local Jews, the documented rise of antisemitism across the U.S., particularly at colleges, and the distinctions and double standards of how Israel and Hamas conduct themselves in this conflict. I also ask what these Asheville leaders want to see happen once the smoke of war clears.Note: Royalty-free music for this episode "Warm Solitude, Cold Loneliness" by Arthur Vyncke.Get five news headlines from around Asheville in your morning inbox. No ads, no spam—simple as that. Subscribe for free to the First Look newsletter from The Overlook. Support The Overlook by joining our Patreon campaign!Advertise your event on The Overlook.Instagram: AVLoverlook | Facebook: AVLoverlook | Twitter: AVLoverlookListen and Subscribe: All episodes of The OverlookThe Overlook theme song, "Maker's Song," comes courtesy of the Asheville band The Resonant Rogues.Podcast Asheville © 2023

In the days after Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, some of the fiercest criticisms in this country were directed at Israel, from self-identified liberals and progressives. At the same time, I heard nary a whisper of outrage directed toward Hamas for the attack, its treatment of hostages taken that day and their use of civilians in Gaza as shields.This is the first episode in a two-part conversation with local Jewish leaders: Rabbis Batsheva Meiri of Congregation Beth HaTephila and Mitchell Levine of Congregation Beth Israel, along with Frank Goldsmith, who is on the steering committee of Carolina Jews for Justice; and Sharon Fahrer, who has documented much of Asheville's Jewish history.We talk through the antisemitism they've observed and experienced here  before and after Oct. 7. We also discuss both the faith-based and cultural nuances of Jewish identity, talk through Israel's conduct in this war and what these leaders want to see happen once the smoke clears.Note: Royalty-free music for this episode "Warm Solitude, Cold Loneliness" by Arthur Vyncke.Get five news headlines from around Asheville in your morning inbox. No ads, no spam—simple as that. Subscribe for free to the First Look newsletter from The Overlook. Support The Overlook by joining our Patreon campaign!Advertise your event on The Overlook.Instagram: AVLoverlook | Facebook: AVLoverlook | Twitter: AVLoverlookListen and Subscribe: All episodes of The OverlookThe Overlook theme song, "Maker's Song," comes courtesy of the Asheville band The Resonant Rogues.Podcast Asheville © 2023

Last weekend Scott had a chance to moderate a faith leader panel with four incredible Houston faith leaders discussing the importance of civic engagement and why and how local congregations can engage their communities. That conversation was so rich and deep, we wanted to share it with the whole Texas Impact community…so we decided to run it as the podcast this week.    Texas Impact is in the middle of three events to kick off our Houston Faith Votes campaign in partnership with local congregations and organizations in Houston. The first event was last weekend at Congregation Beth Israel, and we have two more scheduled for August 26th at Brentwood Baptist Church, and August 27th at Servants of Christ United Methodist Church.    Find out more and register for the events at houstonfaithvotes.org  

Lisa Rappaport is the spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Israel, in Chico, California, and in just a few months (January 2024) she will be ordained as a rabbi! She joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for the 6th episode in an ongoing mini-series exploring conversion to Judaism.Access full shownotes for this episode via this link.And a reminder: Elul Unbound is back! Our annual exploration of the final month of the Jewish year, which serves as an on-ramp into Rosh Hashanah, is here. Register for Elul Unbound (almost all components of it are free!) via this link!And if you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!

This week we traveled to the heart of Houston for a conversation with Texas state representative Gene Wu, representing House District 137. Rep. Wu is a fellow LBJ School alum, so I enjoyed catching up with him and hearing about his work during the session, concerns shared by Harris County residents and some thoughts on economic justice and how bills impacted his district.  Rep. Wu will also be one of the keynote speakers for the Houston Faith Votes kickoff series on August 20th at Congregation Beth Israel, so make sure you invite your Houston-area friends to check that out at houstonfaithvotes.org. We have a great lineup of local elected officials, faith leaders and breakout sessions talking about how Texans of faith can encourage their communities to participate in upcoming elections, so we hope to see you and your Houston-area friends there.

The Vancouver Jewish Community Garden had its official ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 28, just after the Shavuot harvest festival: a fitting debut for the $200,000 initiative. Organizers hope the tubs of lettuce and apple trees will shortly become a hub for teaching about the environment, feeding the needy and hosting Jewish events. Located on the rooftop of a two-storey parking structure between Congregation Beth Israel and Vancouver Talmud Torah School, the garden is a collaboration between both communities and the clients of Jewish Family Services. And while you can find Jewish community gardens across the country, including Toronto's Shoresh farms and the heart garden at Winnipeg's Temple Shalom, the Vancouver initiative may be the only Jewish farm purposely built so close to heaven. On The CJN Daily, we're joined by the organizers: Congregation Beth Israel's Rabbi Jonathan Infeld; Emily Greenberg, head of school at VTT; and Tanja Demajo, executive director of Jewish Family Services in Vancouver. What we talked about Watch a video of the construction of the Vancouver Jewish Community Garden on You Tube In Toronto, the Shoresh farming agency ran a community garden in peoples' backyards, in The CJN. Read more about environmental programming gaining popularity in B.C. in The CJN. Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.

Unpack the findings from AJC's State of Antisemitism in America 2022 report on young U.S. Jews, including those on college campuses, with the Senior Director of AJC's Alexander Young Leadership Department, Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman. We also hear from Northwestern University student Lily Cohen, whose efforts to encourage constructive dialogue following a disturbing antisemitic encounter on her college campus has sparked hostility, friendship, and above all, a renewed sense of Jewish pride. *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC. ___ Episode Lineup:  (0:40) Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman and Lily Cohen ___ Show Notes:   Read: AJC's State of Antisemtism in America Report 2022 Take this quiz to test your knowledge of how antisemitism impacts America and its Jewish population Cohen: I am more proud of my Jewish identity than anyone can ever hate me for it   Listen:  Our most recent podcast episode: Breaking Down the Headlines from Israel: From Secretary Blinken's Visit, to Terror Attacks, Protests, and More Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, tag us on social media with #PeopleofthePod, and hop onto Apple Podcasts to rate us and write a review, to help more listeners find us. ____ Transcript of Interview with Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman and Lily Cohen   Manya Brachear Pashman:  This week, AJC released its State of Antisemitism in America 2022 report, its fourth annual look at the perceptions of antisemitism among American Jews and the American public. So much has happened since AJC launched the annual survey in 2019, one year after the mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, and so much has been learned, given the rise of antisemitism and anti-Zionism on college campuses. This year survey included new questions directed toward current and recent college students and their parents. Here to discuss the findings of those questions and more is an occasional guest host of this podcast, Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman. AJC 's Senior Director of the Alexander Young Leadership department. Meggie, thank you for bringing your expertise to that side of the mic.   Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman:  Thanks for having me. Manya.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  And with Meggie to share her own personal experience with antisemitism on campus. This school here is Lily Cohen, a junior at Northwestern University, whose efforts to encourage constructive dialogue on her college campus has sparked both hostility and friendship. Lily, welcome to People of the Pod.   Lily Cohen:  Thanks, Manya. Happy to be here.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  So, Meggie, I want to start with you. If you could please share with our listeners why this annual report is important, and what some of the more significant findings were?   Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman:  Thanks, Manya. So part of what makes our survey really unique is we're both looking at how antisemitism affects the lives, of the actions of American Jews, but we also compare that to how the American general public perceives that threat. And over the last year, it really feels like we're experiencing a surge in antisemitism that's particularly affecting young Jews within the campus space. But to actually gain a better understanding, we specifically surveyed those who are current students, or recent graduates, or parents of current students. And what we found supports those feelings, it really provides data, and in certain areas, unfortunately, a more dire picture. Some of our topline findings are: more than a third of current or recent Jewish college students encountered challenges on campus related to their Jewish identity. And what we found is that growing antisemitism is affecting the behaviors and decisions of young Jews today, both in person and online. One out of every five Jewish college students reported feeling unsafe on their university campus because of their Jewish identity. A staggering 85% of U.S. Jews between the ages of 18 to 29 have seen or were themselves targets of antisemitism online.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  85%, wow, that is staggering. How much of that had to do with students' support for the existence of Israel? Or was that a separate finding?   Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman:  I would say this is intrinsically linked to what we will hear from Lily, is that there's pushback students experienced when publicly supporting Israel, 14% say they have felt or have been excluded from a campus event or group because of assumed or actual connection to Israel. So these findings really speak to that level of fear and intimidation that we can't allow to become normalized on the college campus.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  Of course, AJC has been doing this report for four years, the questions for college students, about the college experience were new this year. But what are some of the constants that keep emerging each year that AJC does the report?   Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman:  The constant, which is an unfortunate one, to be frank, is that antisemitism remains a real problem in American society. We found that 41% of American Jews reported the status of Jews being less secure than a year ago. That's 10 percentage points higher than 2021. That's a big number, a big jump. One in five feel unsafe when attending Jewish institutions with which they're affiliated. You mentioned what changed. And I think a reality is that the growing rate and feelings of antisemitism are creating a broader awareness within the American ecosystem. So over nine in 10 U.S. adults say that antisemitism is a problem for everyone and affects society as a whole. Fewer adults this year have discussed never hearing or knowing the term antisemitism, that went down from 16% in 2021, to nine this year.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  Meggie, in January of last year, someone entered a synagogue and Colleyville, Texas, and there was a hostage situation. Many people heard about this in the news, how did that affect people's anxieties when responding to this survey?   Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman:  Yeah, so that's something we asked about specifically. And the reality there is that it both increased concern around antisemitism within the Jewish community, while simultaneously raising awareness in broader society. And for those who might not remember all the details of that really harrowing experience, someone came into Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, a group was doing Shabbat services like so many of us do. He then took Rabbi Cytron-Walker and other Jewish worshipers hostage for 11 hours. And that motive, which is a really important part for us to understand here, was the release of someone named Aafia Siddiqui, herself in prison on terror charges, because he thought that due to antisemitic beliefs in Jewish control, that Jews would be able to make her release possible. And that false notion that Jews control media, banks, governments, that antisemitic conspiracy theory showcases how theories like that move into tangible threat. And of course, the heroism of Rabbi Cytron-Walker ultimately allowed for his escape and the escape of his fellow Jews inside. But that was a harrowing experience for Jews in this country and something where it felt like it could have been any of us. And our data shows that. So for American Jews who had heard of Colleyville, were aware of it, the majority said it made them feel less safe today. One in five American Jewish respondents feel unsafe attending Jewish institutions that they are affiliated with, because of fears of antisemitism. I personally think about that when I drop my daughter off at Jewish daycare. And I know I'm not alone in that. So the reality of the attack and growing attacks, just like in Colleyville, is that it's both adding very real fears to American Jewry, while simultaneously leading to increased awareness of antisemitism within the broader American public.   Manya Brachear Pashman: As counterintuitive as it might seem, the finding that more people, more adults have heard the term and know the definition of antisemitism. That's actually a good thing when you can't take a stand against something or avoid it if you don't know what it is. And I think part of that awareness was because of Colleyville. But also because of the many other issues that were in the headlines. Kanye West's very high profile, antisemitic tirades, Kyrie Irving's endorsement of an antisemitic film, the FBI warning that was issued to New Jersey synagogues, including my own back in the fall. And in fact, this survey research was done during that time period, correct?   Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman:  Yes, exactly. And I think Manya, that kind of reality or that predicament, however you want to look at it is exactly right. So both of those incidents, like you mentioned, both with Kanye and with Kyrie Irving happened while our survey was in the field. So, you know, my presumption is that they really did raise awareness on these issues. And that's reflected in our data. We also saw that after, we saw that with celebrities speaking out, we saw it with the NBA's response to Kyrie. What also can't be overlooked with Kanye specifically and I'll also say particularly before he had his kind of like broader cultural downfall, there today or something like 15 million Jews here across the world. Kanye, before his Twitter was banned had 30 million followers. His reach can't be stated enough, especially when we have cultural figures, who are peddling deeply antisemitic tropes. And I think our data shows that. Our data shows that that bleeds over into the broader American public.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  I want to talk a little bit about the statistics, the findings, about how young people seemed especially affected by these fears by these anxieties, and actually experienced more of the hate out there, than adults our age, older than 30, that is, right?   Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman:  So that was a feeling that many of us had going into the survey, but it was just that: a feeling. And one of the profound things about this year's survey is that we were able to understand empirically, not just anecdotally, that American Jews are experiencing antisemitism differently than other generations, often at a higher rate. So among young Jews 18 to 29, who experienced antisemitism online, one in four said that that online encounter made them feel physically threatened. That's compared to only 14% in the over 30 set. We found that 85% of American Jews are experienced antisemitism online or on social media, as compared to only 64% of Jews who are in that over 30 set. And I think what's also really important here is that these anxieties are leading to behavioral changes within Jewish college students. And these are often changes that they feel forced to make. So one in five current or recent students avoided wearing items that could identify them as Jewish. 18% felt uncomfortable or unsafe at a campus event because they were Jewish. And I think students feel singled out for who they are and what they believe in. That's not okay. More colleges and universities need to acknowledge and ensure that Jewish students feel safe and are protected. And also, our data shows that young students are noticing they feel unseen, almost six and 10 of Jewish young adults think antisemitism is taken less seriously than other forms of hate. And I hope that's a number that people hold on to because if we're creating and have a generation who feel unseen, clearly more work needs to be done by broader society.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  Lily, this is probably a good time to bring you in since we're talking about your peers. You are a junior at Northwestern University in suburban Chicago, my old stomping ground. You started attending there nearly three years ago, what have you witnessed since you arrived?   Lily Cohen:  Something that I have noticed frequently over the past about two and a half years was this sense on campus, similar to what Meggie was talking about, of Jewish students feeling a little bit concerned sometimes about sharing all of the parts of their Jewish identity specifically when it came to talking about Israel. And the other side of this was seeing a lot of sort of activist students on campus, very active and vocally anti-Israel, and sort of creating a climate that made it uncomfortable for Jewish students to be loudly and proudly in support of Israel. And the result of that, that I noticed among a lot of my friends, was sort of shying away from maybe posting when they were traveling to Israel, or posting in support of Israel. And a lot of this was on social media. But as things have moved back in person on campus, as we've come out of the pandemic, I think a lot of both the anti-Israel activism and the fears about displaying our pride in our Judaism and in supporting the State of Israel, have also sort of turned more in person. And so in a lot of senses, this has looked like anti-Israel students on campus, adorning walls and different areas of campus with phrases like 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,' calling Israel an apartheid state, calling it a genocidal state, and equating Zionists of all forms- American Zionists, and Israelis in the IDF and the Israeli government- sort of as one. And so I think that has likely contributed to a lot of the statistics that Meggie was mentioning, just because all of this combined is making, at least in my case of what I've noticed here, it's making at least my college campus feel like a more hostile environment for Jewish students.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  So when you first arrived, almost three years ago, were you expecting that level of hostility? And did you feel compelled to speak up, or not so much?   Lily Cohen:  Quite honestly, coming in, I didn't expect this as much because I'd spoken to a lot of Jewish students before getting to campus. And I had asked them what their experiences had been like. And if they had seen or witnessed or experienced antisemitism on campus, and very few of them really had anything to share. Some of them mentioned that sometimes Israel comes up in conversation, and some people agree with you, and some people don't. But it didn't really seem to be as pressing of an issue. But then early on my freshman year, in the fall, before I was even on campus, since we were at home, online, for COVID reasons, there was some action going on on campus. It ended up becoming this complicated thing. But the organization that had organized this action, which originally had nothing to do with Israel, with antisemitism, with anti-Zionism, but this organization came out sort of against all forms of hate. And in that list of types of hatred, included both antisemitism and Zionism, and sort of saying that both of those were very problematic and hateful ideologies. And this was kind of before I had a Northwestern community at all, I was still in my childhood bedroom in New Jersey, kind of watching this unfold on social media, and especially seeing this happen for the first time before I had a community and while I was not even on campus, I very much shied away from speaking up.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  So what changed this year to break your silence?   Lily Cohen:  I think it was sort of just by nature of this is my third year here, my second year now fully in person. So I feel pretty established in my communities, the organizations I'm a part of, especially the ones sort of outside of Hillel and the Jewish spaces, which were the ones that I was originally more hesitant to be publicly pro-Israel in. I'm a little bit less worried about the backlash, because I know that I have foundations in a lot of great communities on campus that know me, for me, know and like who I am. And that won't necessarily jump to judgments about me once I started talking about these things that are important to me.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  I want to talk about a very specific incident that happened to you in the fall. But before we do, Meggie, I want to ask you, if that's typical, what Lily is describing?   Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman:  Well, I don't know if I can necessarily divide it based on where you are within your undergraduate career. But I do think the one part that is very true, and I think similar is that it takes a lot of courage to speak up. And I think often we forget that we think exactly like you outlined, like you see something antisemitic, of course, you would speak up. But you know what, when you are in that instance, right, especially if you don't have people around you to provide that community and support. That's a really lonely place to be, right? And it takes a lot of courage to say, I'm going to raise my hand, I'm going to call this out, whether it comes with social kind of isolation in certain places, whether it comes with professional conflict, which you know, of course, we would hope does not, but you cited certain student groups, that's been the experience of some. And I think, I always say that all not in any way to discourage I hope I'm encouraging people to follow your bravery. But just to zoom out for a moment and say, our student leaders on campus who speak up for what's right, deserve a whole lot of credit, and really are showcasing a lot of courage.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  So kudos to you, Lily, because you have been very outspoken this year at Northwestern, especially after a particular incident last fall, can you tell listeners about the rock, what it symbolizes on Northwestern campus, kind of what the customs are in terms of of respecting free speech and different messaging, and what happened.   Lily Cohen:  So, that messaging that I'd mentioned earlier, that students have frequently been adorning around campus, such as ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,' I saw coming up a lot more this past fall, the fall of 2022. We have a rock on campus that is sort of a symbol of free speech. So the idea is that student groups can paint the rock with whatever message it is they want to share. So whether that is to advertise an event or to spread awareness about an issue. And there are some unwritten rules and traditions about the rock, specifically that student groups, in order to paint the rock, have to camp out and guard the rock for 24 hours beforehand. In the fall, I had been part of a group of students that a couple of days before the midterm elections, we painted the rock, encouraging passers-by to vote with gun safety and reproductive rights in mind. I believe it was five or six hours later, we saw that another group was painting over our message on the rock. And the language that our rock painting was being covered with was indeed this, 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,' and a lot of those other similar phrases. And that I think, was part of what really motivated me to write the piece that I wrote, just the fact that it was this time covering up something that I had worked to create, really hit me in a different way and motivated my decision to ultimately publish something very publicly talking about my Jewish identity and my connection to Israel and how that specific phrase that is around campus a lot is hurtful to me as a Jewish student.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  You did write a column for The Daily Northwestern, which is the campus newspaper there, and we'll put a link to that column in our show notes for listeners to read. And in that column. I thought it was quite lovely, the way that you framed it. It really talked about, it really comes across as a love letter to your Jewish traditions, your Jewish values, your Jewish upbringing, your Jewish pride that you hold quite dear. And you also did call on the university to condemn the slogan 'From the river to the sea' as an antisemitic slogan, and you explained why. I'm curious, Meggie do other activists and college students frame the response, or frame their explanations, their fight against antisemitism in a similar way to how Lily did it?   Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman:  Well, I think, you know, the responses to antisemitism certainly vary, first of all, for anyone who has not read it yet, Lily's piece is beautiful. And I think Manya, you put it just right, where it is really a love letter to what the beauty of Judaism on campus can be. The reason why I think that is so important. And it is an equation within antisemitism that we have to think about is, you know, at the start of our conversation, we were talking about a lot of statistics, a lot of things that can feel, that are indeed actually quite concerning for Jewish students today. What happened to Lily, which we'll get to after that, too, is quite concerning. But part of also, Jewish peoplehood, is that, yes, we need to acknowledge the real challenges that exists, if not, our silence is normalizing it. But it's actually the most Jewish of ways to say there are challenges. But also we're going to talk about vibrancy, we're going to talk about the power of our community. We're going to talk about the beauty that Judaism is and we're not going to let other people, including people actually, who not only want to limit our voices, but actually want to be detrimental to the Jewish experience, we're not going to let them do that. And I think, Lily, in particular in what you wrote, you capture just that, of acknowledging that campus life for most Jews is indeed really vibrant and thriving. Again, we're not glossing over the real challenges that you know, doing that enters a space for normalization, normalizing antisemitism, which none of us are in any way giving any legitimacy to. But we do need to remember that there's so much joy and positivity within Jewish life on campus.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  So yes, as Meggie alluded to, this is not the end of the story. I would love to say that framing it in that context kind of kept the opposing voices and the naysayers from lashing out. But it didn't. Let's tell listeners what happened, Lily.   Lily Cohen: So pretty immediately after I published my op-ed, as I had sort of expected, there was this first wave of social media backlash. In these tweets, I was called a terrorist, a colonizer, I was called violent, I was called a white supremacist, I was called an array of expletives. And this immediate backlash was really just students who don't know me, jumping to assumptions about me, making judgments about my character, and taking attacks at my character, solely for this one part of my piece, which was that I found this phrase 'from the river to the sea,' to be problematic, and to be sort of at odds with my Jewish identity and my comfort as a Jewish student on campus. And while I had hoped that sort of cushioning this within this piece, really about how much I love being Jewish, and how much I love being able to share that on campus, unfortunately, that still wasn't enough to avoid all of the negative response. After the social media had started dying down a little bit, and the weekend was coming. And I was feeling like by Monday, most people would have forgotten about this, especially those who had a problem with it, and we would move on. Unfortunately, that was not the case. And early Monday morning, I received a call from one of my friends that there had been a banner put up on the main street of our campus in front of the library that was made up of about 40 copies of my article, and painted over all of those copies was the phrase 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,' in red paint. It wasn't just a banner sort of in response to my op-ed, but it was directly targeted at me and my words, because they put it on top of my name and my words.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  Not everyone who disagreed handled it this way, right. The daily Northwestern also published a column by a senior by the name of Hamza Mahmood, who disagreed with always condemning that slogan from the river to the sea. Can you talk a little bit about your interaction with him and how it went beyond the counter column?   Lily Cohen:  Part of what I was trying to do with publishing my piece was find the people willing to have conversations on campus. And because while there is sort of this echo chamber of the very vocally anti-Israel voices, especially on Twitter and putting up these messages around campus, I know that there are students here that are willing to engage, but I just haven't been able to find them. And it really was a very respectful piece. The place where it sort of diverged a little bit, not from respect, but just from what I had written, was that he had a different understanding of the phrase 'from the river to the sea' and had a different opinion about what activists were intending when they were putting it up around campus. And I read his piece and wanted to reach out, we grabbed coffee a couple of days later, and we very quickly bonded. Before we even got to talking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, about activism on campus, about literally anything related, we just got to know each other as people. He's a Muslim student, I'm obviously a Jewish student, one of the first conversations we had was about how we both don't eat pork. And we bonded over that. And when we did get to the topic of conversation that had brought us together in the first place, and we started talking about our different understandings of what that phrase means, though I didn't agree with him, and though he didn't agree with me, we asked each other questions, we really tried to understand each other's perspectives. And so I walked away from that coffee, not feeling frustrated that I hadn't changed his mind, but feeling grateful that I had had a conversation with someone that was both willing to listen, and willing to share.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  I'm curious, did he have thoughts on that banner? Did he have thoughts on the response, including that banner?   Lily Cohen:  He did think that it was completely wrong. He thought it was bullying. He thought it was absolutely terrible that anyone would do that. But he wasn't completely convinced that it was an act of antisemitism, more than just an act of bullying and disrespect.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  So Meggie, I'm curious, in terms of allies on campus, do college students share similar stories of having difficulty finding the allies on campus? And what advice do you have for students who are searching for those people who aren't necessarily going to agree, but are at least willing to listen?   Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman:  First of all, what a beautiful story, and Lily, I think, Manya to your question, it's, I think, indicative by the way of campus culture today, but I also think of our broader society, right? Where dialogue I mean, let's go back to campus. Campus is supposed to be the bastion of free exchange of ideas, right? That is often where most people come and experience people who are from different walks of life. But for that to work, you need to have an environment where that dialogue, where open exchange is accepted. And I think what we're seeing on campus, and within the broader society, you mentioned, Twitter. Twitter's probably the most extreme of this, of that, even if the number of people are small, the loud voices dominate. And often those voices they want silo, right? They don't want to sit down, they don't want to actually have that exchange. And I think kind of the power in the calling for all of us, Jewish students included, on campus, and in broader society, is to find those allies, those friends, those partners, who do want to sit down and have actual conversation, even if-and this is a part I think we all need to get behind-even if you know they're not the ones who are on the quads screaming the loudest, making the biggest show, you know, finding people who will actually talk and build those bridges with you is really important.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  Finally, Lily, I want to ask you about your winter break, during which you went to Israel, with other college students from across the country. And you felt a little differently about sharing pictures and posts from your trip than they did as a result of this incident, if I'm not mistaken. Can you share a little bit about that?   Lily Cohen:  I think one of the best things, I guess, to come out of this situation is sort of the sense of relief that I'm not hiding this part of myself anymore. And so when I went on Birthright over winter break, I had no hesitations about sharing pictures on social media showing that I was in Israel, because I had kind of already ripped the band aid off on that one. I had already sort of announced to everyone at least at Northwestern that I support Israel's existence. Whereas both speaking with other students on my trip and with Northwestern students in years past, there has been a different sense of comfort with sharing that information about going to and spending time in Israel. For example, over the summer, there were a lot of Northwestern students in Israel on a variety of different programs or just traveling there with friends. And going back to Twitter, there were tweets about people making lists of all of the Northwestern students that were partying in Israel. I was on a trip with students from several different schools, and so I found that many of my friends on the trip who go to different schools, were very hesitant to share with peers from their school, that they were in Israel, and that they were on Birthright, because they were worried about how it would be received and how they would be treated sort of in response to that. Whereas I think one thing that the whole experience I went through in the fall sort of helped with was, I didn't have to worry about that anymore. I just didn't feel like I needed to hide anymore, that I would spend time in Israel, that I was there, and that I was having a great time there.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  Meggie, does that reflect what the survey found as well, when it comes to college students and young adults on social media? Are they also hesitant to post?   Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman:  Yeah, well, what we found certainly within the campus space is that over one in 10, college students feel like they have been penalized, for doing just that for talking about their ties with Israel. I would say, Lily, I keep singing your praises, but they're deserved. I hope that more and more students can get to the place that you're at now, where no one should have to hide part of their identity. And again, acknowledging that in certain environments, it can be daunting, but there are kind of two lenses. One just in principle, we shouldn't be in a position in 2023, where any Jewish student should feel like they have to hide who they are, because of repercussions. The second part is, I'm not denying that that happens in certain corners. But I think what's so important, and your story speaks to this, both through Hillel, both through the friendships you've made with some people because of it, find your community. Find your community so that you're not standing alone. And I think that's a really important step.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  And not just on social media. Don't just find the community on Twitter or on Facebook, find it on the ground.   Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman:  In-person community. Exactly. Thanks, Manya.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  Well, Meggie, Lily, thank you both for joining us to talk about the data for putting a voice to it. These are not just numbers and statistics. Lily, they are you and your peers and our people, our peers. So thank you both so much for having this conversation.   Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman:  Thanks, Manya. It was a pleasure.   Lily Cohen:  Thanks for having me.   Manya Brachear Pashman:  Think you know the state of antisemitism in America? Take AJC's quiz and test your knowledge of how antisemitism impacts America and its Jewish population. Find it at ajc.org/antisemitismreport2022. We'll include a link in our show notes. And if you missed last week's episode, be sure to tune in for my conversation with AJC Paris director Anne-Sophie Sebban-Bécache, about France's most recent upgrades to its plan for fighting antisemitism.  

One year ago, Jeff Cohen was taken hostage during Shabbat services by an antisemitic attacker. Hear from Cohen, who is now the president of Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, about all that has transpired since that traumatic day and how the attack has impacted him and the Colleyville Jewish community. Bradley Orsini, the Secure Community Network's senior national security advisor, also joined the conversation to share what steps American Jews can take to protect and empower their communities amid increasing antisemitism. ____ Episode Lineup: (0:40) Jeff Cohen, Bradley Orsini ____ Show Notes: Register here for: Surviving Hostage Situations - SCN event on January 19, 2023 Sunday marks one year since attack on Colleyville synagogue  TranslateHate.com: Stopping antisemitism starts with understanding it Listen to:  Our 2022 podcast episode, right after the Coleyville situation: Inside the Colleyville, Texas Synagogue Hostage Crisis: Hear from 3 Local Jewish and Muslim Leaders on What It Was Like on the Ground Our most recent podcast episode: How Hanukkah's Americanization Became a Show of Jewish Pride Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, tag us on social media with #PeopleofthePod, and hop onto Apple Podcasts to rate us and write a review, to help more listeners find us.

On this Episode of #WeNeedToTalk, Malynda chats with the President and CEO of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. They chat about compassion for the Jewish community, his resonsibility as a leader, Black and Jewish Unity, antisemitism, the holocausts and more. This is a beautiful conversation that addresses many of the tropes and stereotypes plaguin the Jewish community today. Listen for understanding, education and awareness. Rabbi Noah Farkas serves as the Federation's President & Chief Executive Officer. Named by The Forward as one of America's most inspiring rabbis, Noah served from 2008 to 2021 as a clergy member of Valley Beth Shalom, the largest Jewishcongregation in the San Fernando Valley, where he led successful innovations in synagogue life through social action, mental health, and next-generation spiritual initiatives. Previously, Noah served Congregation Beth Israel in Biloxi, Mississippi, where he helped rebuild the Gulf Coast Jewish community after Hurricane Katrina. Noah is a proven civic leader in Southern California. In addition to his work as an appointed commissioner and former Chair of the Los Angeles Homelessness Services Authority over a two-year campaign, he mobilized a broad coalition of synagogues, churches, and other organizations to pass historic legislation that invested over $5 billion into housing and services for the vulnerable. Noah is also a third-generation veteran and served as a United States Navy Reserve chaplain during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Noah's core values include that the Federation support the entirety of Jewish life bycreating foundations for Jewish learning, supporting Jewish social welfare, protecting Jews from antisemitism, and standing with Israel. Additionally, Noah believes Jewse verywhere must be inclusive and commit to building bridges to other communities,join and convene diverse coalitions, and raise up the flag for social justice. A prominent voice helping to define the next generation of American Jewish leadership, Noah has served for several years as scholar-in-residence of the Federation's Rautenberg New Leaders Project and a close partner to the Board of Rabbis. He founded Netiya, an interfaith organization fighting hunger in Los Angeles, as well as the Seminary Leadership Project, which has trained hundreds of Jewish clergy nationwide to create social change. Noah is also a founding board member of Zioness, a pro-Israel organization fighting antisemitism – including anti-Zionism – with the same clarity and intensity used to combat other forms of bigotry. His writing on millennial engagement, spirituality, and Jewish innovation has been published widely and his work has been quoted or featured in the LA Times, The New York Times, Associated Press, Reuters, TIME Magazine, Newsweek, and on NPR. Noah was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and earned a BA in Jewish Studies at the University of Judaism (now American Jewish University). He lives in Encino with his wife Sarah and four children. He is on Twitter at @RabbiNoah

Rabbi Howard Finkelstein is the former rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel, Kingston, Ontario, Canada and Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Beit Tikvah, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He was the founding rabbi and Judaic principal of Yitzhak Rabin High School (full day school high school) Ottawa, Ontario. He is also the Jewish Studies Head Emeritus of the Ottawa Jewish Community School. Rabbi Finkelstein earned a B.A. in Political Science, M.S. in Jewish Secondary Education and his Semicha from Yeshiva University. He earned a secondary Master's in Education from NYU. He has a certificate of educational leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education Harvard University. He is the winner of the Steinhardt Grinspoon Award for Jewish Education. Rabbi Finkelstein is also a licensed teacher and principal from Board of Jewish Education- New York City. Gems:Create an opportunity for children to learn and relate to G-d through the Torah text.Concentrate on what G-d expects from us.Allow students to question.Enable students to see relevancy in the texts.Explore ways that the texts connect with situations in their lives.We have a responsibility to educate a child according to his/her way.Show students the sources, discuss, and analyze.Challenge your students' minds.Are students thinking for themselves?The teacher is the role model that students will want to emulate.Education is an ongoing process and must consider whether the student has learned.Jewish education never ends.There must be a collaboration between home, schools, and synagogues.Continue to study, improve, and grow, and remember what the main goal of education.We have the ability to save Jewish lives!Examine what happens every day and work through what went right and what went wrong.Spread the knowledge of Torah.Amazon We receive a small commission for any items purchased through my Amazon link.Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEParenting On Purpose This course will help you better understand your child and build a deeper connection.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

484. We talk to Mercedes Schneider about school 'reform'.  According to Mercedes, “'Corporate reform' is not reform at all. Instead, it is the systematic destruction of the foundational American institution of public education. The primary motivation behind this destruction is greed. Public education in America is worth almost a trillion dollars a year. Whereas American public education is a democratic institution, its destruction is being choreographed by a few wealthy, well-positioned individuals and organizations. This book investigates and exposes the handful of people and institutions that are often working together to become the driving force behind destroying the community public school.” This week in Louisiana history. August 28, 1956. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway opened. This week in New Orleans history. Congregation Beth Israel on Canal Boulevard, whose seven Torah scrolls were destroyed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, dedicated a new Torah on August 27, 2006 -- one year after the man-made catastrophe. This week in Louisiana. Jimmie Davis State Park 1209 State Park Road Chatham, LA 71226 318-249-2595 1-888-677-2263 jimmiedavis@crt.la.gov Take a dip in the cool waters of this remote north Louisiana getaway. Named after one of Louisiana's most beloved governors (and, fun fact: the man who wrote state song “You Are My Sunshine”), Jimmie Davis State Park is a charming waterfront refuge on the shores of Caney Creek Reservoir. It's popular with families, fishermen, cyclists and campers. Thanks to the park's unique geography, located on a narrow peninsula with numerous inlets, you're never more than a skipping-stone's throw away from the water. That's just one reason why boaters and fishermen rave about Jimmie Davis State Park. Another is because of what lies beneath — absolutely huge, trophy- and grill-worthy fish. The hilly upland forest, just 30 miles from the state's highest peak, entices mountain bikers and hikers. For a more serene experience, this pine and hardwood forest serves as a backdrop for picnics, lazing about on the beach, and watching the younger visitors let loose on the playgrounds. Bed down in one of the park's lakefront cabins, group lodges or RV camp spots. For extra large groups, Jimmie Davis State Park offers dormitories with a dining hall and a designated playground and pier. Entrance fee: $3 per person; free for seniors age 62 and older, and children age 3 and younger. Go fishing on the Caney Creek Reservoir! Website. Postcards from Louisiana. Jimmy Buffett at Jazz Fest.Listen on Google Play.Listen on Google Podcasts.Listen on Spotify.Listen on Stitcher.Listen on TuneIn.The Louisiana Anthology Home Page.Like us on Facebook.  

January 15, 2022, began as a quiet Saturday morning for Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, then the rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas. When a stranger knocked on the synagogue's glass door and inquired about a night shelter, Cytron-Walker performed an act of kindness: he invited the man inside and made him a cup of tea. For the next 11 hours, the man, who happened to have a gun, held Cytron-Walker and several congregants hostage, demanding the release of an Al-Qaida-affiliated terrorist from prison and stating that Jews control the world. Six months after the attack, Cytron-Walker joins host Amir Tibon to tell the incredible story of how he eventually threw a chair at the attacker and led his congregants in a run for their lives. He also discusses national lessons on guns, mental health and security, and reflects on how spending a year in Israel prepared him for that moment. The full interview with Rabbi Cytron-Walker starts at time code 08:20. Earlier on the show, Haaretz reporter Sam Sokol talks about the escalating crisis between Israel and Russia following Moscow's threat to shut down the Jewish Agency's activities on its soil. Is Putin trying to punish Israel for its position on Ukraine? Is there any danger for Jews in Russia? And what can Israel do about this situation? Listen to the full conversation to learn more on the subject. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Part 5 of Abortion: The Body Politic, Katie looks abroad for models of progress — and regress — when it comes to reproductive rights and abortion access. What are the trends and how does the U.S. now compare? We check in with the Center for Reproductive Rights to find out. Perhaps no region has seen more progress than Latin America. Human Rights lawyer and one of the founders of the Green Wave movement, Paula Ávila-Guillén, shares her experiences on the front lines of the decades-long fight for reproductive justice and what Americans can learn from our sisters to the South. We also hear from an activist in Mexico who is helping people across the border access abortion care they can no longer get in the United States. And academic, Lina-Maria Murillo gives us context for the unique relationship the United States and Mexico share when it comes to abortion access. There's no denying the fact that many of the countries we are highlighting are largely conservative and Catholic. What does the progress these Catholic countries have made say about our own complicated assumptions about religion and abortion. We hear from several leaders of faith from a Jewish Rabbi to a Baptist Reverend and leaders from organizations like, Catholics for Choice and SACRED, about how they have worked reproductive rights and abortion access into their faith practice. More information on this episode's guests and resources Center for Reproductive Rights Women's Equality Center Paula Ávila-Guillén Las Libres Lina-Maria Murillo Physicians for Reproductive Health Catholics for Choice Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice SACRED: A Spiritual Alliance of Communities for Reproductive Dignity Sister Song Books and more: When Abortion Was a Crime, by Leslie J. Reagan A Complicated Choice: Making Space for Grief and Healing in the Pro-Choice Movement, by Reverend Katey Zeh Guests include: Paula Avila-Guillen, humanitarian rights lawyer and one of the founders of the Green Wave movement Veronica Cruz, founder of Las Libres, a reproductive rights organization based in Mexico helping women along the borderlands get abortion care Leah Hoctor, senior regional director for Europe at the Center for Reproductive Rights Lina-Maria Murillo, professor at Iowa focusing on reproductive rights along the borderlands Jamie Manson, Catholics for Choice Katey Zeh, ReligiousCoalition for Reproductive Choice Rabbi Kelly Levy, Congregation Beth Israel, Austin Tx See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Part 5 of Abortion: The Body Politic, Katie looks abroad for models of progress — and regress — when it comes to reproductive rights and abortion access. What are the trends and how does the U.S. now compare? We check in with the Center for Reproductive Rights to find out. Perhaps no region has seen more progress than Latin America. Human Rights lawyer and one of the founders of the Green Wave movement, Paula Ávila-Guillén, shares her experiences on the front lines of the decades-long fight for reproductive justice and what Americans can learn from our sisters to the South. We also hear from an activist in Mexico who is helping people across the border access abortion care they can no longer get in the United States. And academic, Lina-Maria Murillo gives us context for the unique relationship the United States and Mexico share when it comes to abortion access. There's no denying the fact that many of the countries we are highlighting are largely conservative and Catholic. What does the progress these Catholic countries have made say about our own complicated assumptions about religion and abortion. We hear from several leaders of faith from a Jewish Rabbi to a Baptist Reverend and leaders from organizations like, Catholics for Choice and SACRED, about how they have worked reproductive rights and abortion access into their faith practice. More information on this episode's guests and resources Center for Reproductive Rights Women's Equality Center Paula Ávila-Guillén Las Libres Lina-Maria Murillo Physicians for Reproductive Health Catholics for Choice Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice SACRED: A Spiritual Alliance of Communities for Reproductive Dignity Sister Song Books and more: When Abortion Was a Crime, by Leslie J. Reagan A Complicated Choice: Making Space for Grief and Healing in the Pro-Choice Movement, by Reverend Katey Zeh Guests include: Paula Ávila-Guillén, human rights lawyer, Green Wave activist Veronica Cruz, founder of Las Libres Leah Hoctor, senior regional director for Europe at the Center for Reproductive Rights Lina-Maria Murillo, professor at Iowa focusing on reproductive rights along the borderlands Jamie Manson, Catholics for Choice Katey Zeh, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice Rabbi Kelly Levy, Congregation Beth Israel, Austin, Texas Kenyetta Chinwe, Sister Song, SACRED See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ray Solomon (Part II) shares diversity, equity and inclusion challenges he faced as dean of a law school and, from the perspective of a former president of a synagogue, his reactions to the Congregation Beth Israel hostage incident in Colleyville, Texas, just days before our podcast was recorded.

During Sabbath services, an armed terrorist desecrated Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in TX and held hostages for 11 hours. Anna Salton Eisen, a founding member of the synagogue, and the daughter of Holocaust survivors shares what happened that day.

In this episode, we are in conversation with members of the Multifaith Network for Climate Justice in Bellingham, a small city in the north of Washington State. We hear from Deb Cruz from the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship, Steve Hansen—a Buddhist from the Insight Meditation Society, and Andrea Shupack from Congregation Beth Israel.  Rooted in a sense of spiritual and moral responsibility to protect the Earth, the mission of the Multifaith Network for Climate Justice is to engage and connect different faith and wisdom traditions in responsive, collaborative community.Upcoming event: https://www.circlewood.online/wisdom-from-wilderness-webcastFree live webinar with Brian McLaren, hosted by Forrest Inslee, Victoria Loorz (Wild Church Network) & Kate Davis (Center for Transforming Engagement) on May 17th, 7pm PST.  Brian McLaren's new book: Do I Stay a Christian?Guests: Deb Cruz - Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship Steve Hansen - Bellingham Insight Meditation Society Andrea Shupack - Congregation Beth Israel Multifaith Network for Climate Justice  Mentions: Theravada Buddhism JUUstice Washington - a Unitarian Universalist State Action Network The 7 Principles of Unitarian Universalism Joanna Macy - deep ecology - definition Bhikku Bodhi - 2019 UN address b'tzelem Elohim - made in the image of God Paul Ehrlich - author of The Population Bomb 1st Earth Day - 1970 Green Sanctuary process MNCJ legislative review for WA state legislature - Jan. 2022 Earth Ministry Year of the Shmita - 7th year Shabbat Lummi NationBIPOC = Black, Indigenous & People of Color Dan Jones aka SaSuWeh - former chair of the Ponca tribe in Oklahoma, U.S.  Ethics of Our Fathers - "it's not incumbent on us to finish the work, but we must do our part." Katharine Hayhoe - book: Saving Us 

The top headlines from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Monday, April 11, 2022, including more on the hostage situation at Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in January, a Dallas bakery owner arrested on suspicion of murder in the killing of an artist and the burning of his body, and hopes that TCU basketball could get star Mike Miles back next season.

Another Friday has arrived, and somehow this is the 14th such day of 2022. Is this year going faster than the others, and if so, is there a way this can be stopped? These are not questions within the scope of Charlottesville Community Engagement, a newsletter and podcast that seeks to put some of the pieces together. I’m your ever-puzzling host, Sean Tubbs. Sign up today to receive every newsletter in your email inbox - for free! On today’s program:Albemarle Supervisors return to in-person meetings and commemorate Fair Housing MonthBoth the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and the City of Charlottesville award funding to housing projects in the areaCharlottesville may change the way to administers transportation projectsGovernor Youngkin rescinds an executive order that banned state agencies from using single-use plastic Bacteria levels in a Charlottesville waterway are back to normalAnd the city of Charlottesville will resume disconnecting utility customers for unpaid balances First subscriber-supported public service announcement - MLKCVILLECharlottesville’s Community Celebration of the life, times, and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. continues on April 10 with  keynote speeches from the Rev. Brenda Brown-Grooms, the Rev. Alvin Edwards, and Rabbi Tom Gutherz. All three will appear the event at the Ting Pavilion on the east end of Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall beginning at 3 p.m. Rev. Brown-Grooms is co-pastor of New Beginnings Christian Community; Rev. Edwards serves Mt. Zion First African Baptist Church, and Rabbi Gutherz, Congregation Beth Israel.The Community Celebration is put on each year by the Mount Zion First African Baptist Church. Visit and bookmark the YouTube MLKCVille page to review part one of the celebration as well as previous events. Albemarle Supervisors return to in-person meetingsAfter 25 months, the Albemarle Board of Supervisors have held a meeting in Lane Auditorium, where they have met since the county acquired the former Lane High School for an administration building back in the late 70’s. Members of the public were there, too, and Rivanna Supervisor Bea LaPisto-Kirtley noted the occasion. “I just wanted to welcome everybody who came today and it’s wonderful to be back in person and to see so many people and all of us to be together,” LaPisto-Kirtley said. The sentiment was shared by Scottsville Supervisor and Chair Donna Price.“It is wonderful to be back live, in-person, in Lane Auditorium, and we expect that we will continue to see more people show up for our meetings,” Price said. “But the silver lining that’s come out of the pandemic in terms of our situation is that we now have this hybrid opportunity so those are not able to come to Lane Auditorium can still participate virtually.” Albemarle Supervisors then made a proclamation to recognize April as Fair Housing Month. Supervisor Ned Gallaway of the Rio District read from the proclamation, which marks the 54th anniversary of the passage of Title ViII of the Civil Rights Act. “This act provides for equal housing opportunities for all Americans, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability, as well as to ensure fair practice in the sale, rental, or financing of property,” Gallaway said. The proclamation states it is the intention of Albemarle Supervisors to recognize the importance of housing rights. They heard from Stacy Pethia, the county’s housing coordinator. “I can’t say enough about how important it is to be able to provide housing choice to all of our residents because where we live really does matter,” Pethia said. “It determines the quality of education we will have, the quality and types of employment opportunities that we can access, what amenities we have available to us. Fair housing is really the basis of success throughout everyone’s lives.” Pethia said Albemarle is celebrating Fair Housing Month with an art contest. Visit the county’s website at engage.albemarle.org to learn more and to submit your work. TJPDC funds three affordable housing projects; Charlottesville funds fiveThe Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission has awarded $1.8 million in funds to regional housing nonprofits and entities. The funding comes from a $2 million grant to the TJPDC from the entity formerly known as the Virginia Housing Development Authority for the purpose of constructing or preserving affordable housing. “By virtue of us receiving $2 million, we are obligated to construct at least 20 new affordable housing units,” said Ian Baxter, a planner with the TJPDC. The TJPDC received five proposals totalling $6 million in requests. Baxter said these were measured by a series of metrics. “Cost per unit, location of development, type of development, affordability level, site control, funding sources, and the capacity to be completed by June 2024,” Baxter said. The funding will be split among three providers.$640,000 for three Habitat for Humanity chapters for 32 new units to be build throughout the TJPDC region$660,000 to the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority for 48 units at the second phase of the South First Street redevelopment$500,000 for Virginia Supportive Housing for 80 new permanent supportive housing as part of the Premier Circle project“This $1.8 million will fund developments in all of the six jurisdictions in the planning district,” Baxter said. “It will create a mix of rental, supportive housing, and new homeowner units, all affordable.”This is the first time the TJPDC has received funds from Virginia Housing for this purpose. Executive Director Christine Jacobs said she is hopeful that there will be another round in the future. Council makes CAHF awards, repurposes the HACOn Monday, the city of Charlottesville awarded $750,000 in funds from the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund. Alex Ikefuna is the interim director of the Office of Community Solutions, a relatively new division of city government set up to oversee housing issues.“Staff received seven applications totaling $4,6 million,” Ikefuna said.They are:$425,000 to the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority for South Street Phase 2$75,000 for down payment assistance for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville’s Equity Homeownership Initiative $100,000 for Albemarle Housing Improvement Program’s Charlottesville Critical Repair Program $50,000 for the Local Energy Alliance Program’s Assisted Home Performance and Electrification Ready (AHP) targeted to owner occupied homes.$100,000 for LEAP’s AHP for renter occupied homesCouncil also agreed to amend the by-laws for the Housing Advisory Committee to reduce membership and to transfer review of city housing funds to a dedicated Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund Committee. Three Councilors indicated they wanted to make sure a representative from the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority is on the amended Housing Advisory Committee. “In my view, the bottom line is just to try to have a body that is more effective in giving City Council guidance about how to implement our affordable housing strategy and meet our affordable housing goals and these are just changes meant to have it be a more effective and efficient body in doing that for us,” said City Councilor Michael Payne, who is also on the CRHA’s Board of Commissioners. Charlottesville to resume utility disconnections for non-paymentIn another sign that the pandemic has receded, the city of Charlottesville has announced they will resume disconnecting water, sewer, and natural gas service for non-payment beginning next week. “Green door hangers will be distributed to addresses that owe balances, encouraging customers to set up payment arrangements,” reads the announcement sent out by the city yesterday. The city’s utility billing office stopped disconnecting service for unpaid bills in March 2020 soon after the state of emergency was declared, followed by a moratorium imposed by the State Corporation Commission. That was lifted in last September. According to the release, the utility billing office continued to tell customers with unpaid balances how much they owed. The city covered the cost of $557,000 through various federal assistance programs related to the pandemic. Governor Youngkin overturns previous administration’s order to ban single-use plastic In March 2021, former Governor Ralph Northam signed an executive order banning state agencies from buying, selling, or distributing single-use plastics. His successor, Governor Glenn Youngkin, has called that directive “burdensome” and yesterday replaced it with a new one that directs state agencies to recognize the value of recycling. "It is the policy of the Commonwealth, and all executive branch state agencies, including state institutions of higher education, and their concessioners (Agency or Agencies) to increase awareness of the importance of recycling and better capture recyclable material, as well as encourage the use of post-consumer recycled (PCR) products and biodegradable materials,” reads Executive Order 17.The order also takes an economic development approach and directs the Department of Environmental Quality to attract recycling-related businesses to Virginia.The University of Virginia formed a working group last April to begin to implement the Northam administration’s order. Last month, the UVA Sustainability Office accepted the 2022 Governor’s Environmental Excellence Gold Award for its efforts, according to an article on their website. “The University of Virginia is taking active measures to enhance sustainability and reduce waste, pursuant with the directives detailed in Governor Youngkin's Executive Order 17 and in former governor Ralph Northam's Executive Order 77,” said Deputy UVA Spokesperson Bethanie Glover in an email to Charlottesville Community Engagement this afternoon. Glover said sustainability leaders at UVA will be evaluating the new executive order to determine what additional steps need to be taken.  Need trees? Charlottesville Area Tree Steward sale is this Saturday! In today’s first Patreon-fueled public service announcement, the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards are preparing to hold their first in-person tree sale since 2019. On April 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards will open up their tree nursery at the Fontaine Research Park and will sell saplings of native trees, some of which are hard to find from commercial sources. The prices will be between $5 and $15. There will be large trees from Birch to Sycamore, smaller trees from Blackgum to Witch Hazel, and shrubbery! Visit charlottesvilletreestewards.org to learn more!Albemarle and Greene both receive regional support for Three Notch’d Trail planning grantThe members of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission have indicated support for two separate planning efforts for more pathways in the region. Both Albemarle County and Greene County are seeking federal funds to build new infrastructure. “The grant would fund a shared bike pedestrian path from the city of Charlottesville to Crozet likely along U.S. 250,” said Jessica Hersh-Ballering, a transportation planner with Albemarle County. “From there it would continue west all the way to the Blue Ridge Tunnel in Nelson County.” “In Greene, because we are a more rural community, there are no walking paths even in our growth area,” said Jim Frydl, the Greene County Planning Director. “If you live in the housing that’s in the growth area, there’s no safe way to walk to the shopping and the work centers.”A federal infrastructure bill passed by the U.S. Congress last year has increased funding for the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant program, which goes by the acronym RAISE. Albemarle is requesting between $1.5 million and $3 million for the planning effort. The idea would be to build something that works as both a functional transportation use as well as a recreational destination that could attract tourism as is the case with the Virginia Capital Trail. “This is a range that we are requesting because we are still working through our budget for this project with some local consultants,” Hersh-Ballering said. “We will have a number somewhere in this range finalized by the time we submit our application next week.” If funded, the project would first conduct a feasibility study, particularly to identify a route between Crozet and the Blue Ridge Tunnel. “It could go directly through Crozet, it could go a little south of Crozet and go near more schools, or it could follow potentially the CSX railroad line to have a very gentle grade for the entirety of that section,” Hersh-Ballering said. The funding would also include public outreach as well as “functional design” for the trail that would fall short of environmental review required for the project to go to construction. “So the idea is that it would be really expensive to construct the project all at once so what we’re probably going to do is identify those pieces that can stand-alone and then use some of our more common, smaller funding sources to fund construction separately,” Hersh-Ballering said. The entire route would span between 25 to 30 miles and would connect three localities. The TJPDC agreed to send a letter of support without comment. Greene County is seeking a $1.4 million RAISE grant to plan for a trail between the South River Falls in the northwest of the county to the town of Stanardsville, A second pathway would follow along U.S. 33 to connect to the unincorporated area of Ruckersville. “And then interconnectivity pathways in Ruckersville that connect the two nodes of the Ruckersville growth area,” Frydl said. Frydl said Greene’s project would also likely be built in phases. Charlottesville will be reviewing how it works with VDOTSince 2005, The City of Charlottesville has planned and administered construction of transportation projects within city limits as part of something called the First Cities program or the Urban Construction Initiative. This includes major projects such as the Belmont Bridge replacement currently underway, and extends to the many Smart Scale projects for which the city has received dozens of millions of dollars in funding.This week, Deputy City Manager Sam Sanders told City Council on Monday that this arrangement is under review.“Our leadership and project management teams are completing a review of our [Virginia Department of Transportation] program ahead of a deep dive with VDOT that’s scheduled fot later this month,” Sanders said. “We anticipate some changes that we’ll be bringing to Council in regards to how we manage those projects going forward.”Last year, City Council agreed to withdraw local money required to match state funds awarded to the West Main Streetscape and to put this local dollars toward to renovations of Buford Middle School. Sanders said the city has begun work with the firm EPR on a study of Fifth Street Extended to inform a new Smart Scale application for the next round. Community meetings may be held later this month but definitely by May. Council will get a presentation at their meeting on May 16. Dairy Road bridge There is no local match necessary for the pending replacement of a bridge that carries Dairy Road over the U.S. 250 bypass. VDOT has provided $7.2 million in funding to replace the bridge from a pot of money called State of Good Repair. Tony Edwards is the Development Services Manager in the Charlottesville Public Works Department. “It received a condition rating of 4 for the deck, and therefore qualifies for the SGR funding,” Edwards said. “In 2015 the sidewalk was replaced by a separate bike and pedestrian bridge next to the original structure which will provide public access during construction.” The design phase will now begin and a public hearing for that phase will be held at some point in the future.  Pollocks Branch bacteria levels have returned to normalFinally today, the City of Charlottesville has reported that bacteria levels in a waterway south of the Downtown Mall have returned to normal. In late March, the Rivanna Conservation Alliance analyzed water samples from Pollocks Branch and found elevated levels of E.Coli. A second round of tests saw lower levels. “Given the steady decrease in E. coli levels and the lack of evidence of a source of the E. coli, the elevated levels were likely related to rainfall and associated runoff,” reads today’s announcement. The Rivanna Conservation Alliance will continue to monitor the situation. For more information, visit rivannariver.org.Support Town Crier Productions through Ting!Special announcement of a continuing promo with Ting! Are you interested in fast internet? Visit this site and enter your address to see if you can get service through Ting. If you decide to proceed to make the switch, you’ll get:Free installationSecond month of Ting service for freeA $75 gift card to the Downtown MallAdditionally, Ting will match your Substack subscription to support Town Crier Productions, the company that produces this newsletter and other community offerings. So, your $5 a month subscription yields $5 for TCP. Your $50 a year subscription yields $50 for TCP! The same goes for a $200 a year subscription! All goes to cover the costs of getting this newsletter out as often as possible. Learn more here! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Colleyville looks to strengthen its emergency operations center following the January attack on Congregation Beth Israel. Richardson proposes new city council district boundaries. The CI Morning Breakdown is a production of Community Impact Newspaper. It is produced by Olivia Aldridge with editing by Marie Leonard. Weather and allergy reports are sourced from www.weather.com and AccuWeather.

Today we welcome two very special guests: Cantor Ida Rae and Rabbi Michael Cahana of Portland's Congregation Beth Israel!  We're chatting about Sondheim's Jewish heritage – and the subversive power of ritual & theatre in Jewish contexts.   We talk about: Jewishness in the music of Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim West Side Story as an immigrant show exploring the tension between alienation and assimilation "Outsider" narratives in Sondheim's stories as a reflection of both his Judaism and his homosexuality The "problem of the ending" – and the phenomenon of unresolved musical, dramatic, and theological conclusions Purim, the tradition of the Purim Spiel, and the subversive nature of Purim How we pass down our stories to our children *Read Gabrielle Hoyt's article "Kaddish for Steve" at https://www.americantheatre.org/2022/01/28/kaddish-for-steve-on-the-jewishness-of-sondheim/ You'll hear: The Prologue and Quintet ("Tonight") from West Side Story (2022 film soundtrack) The documentary Original Cast Album (You can find it on YouTube!) The Finale ("Children Will Listen") from Into The Woods (Original Broadway Cast recording) "I Remember" from Evening Primrose (Sung by Bernadette Peters on the 2016 Album The Essential Sondheim) The cast of Congregation Beth Israel's 2016 production of West Side Spiel. Watch the whole Spiel on CBI's YouTube page: https://youtu.be/Ely7r_Ax_AE

The top headlines from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Friday, February 25, 2022, including two Northlake police officers injured in a crash on Interstate 35W, a Colleyville Middle School teacher resigning after saying conservative Christians should “get COVID and die,” and the rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville is expected to relocate to a synagogue in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

"From the Frontlines" is an ADL podcast. It is hosted by ADL New York/New Jersey Director Scott Richman and focuses on ADL's efforts to fight antisemitism and hate in the United States and around the world. The story of what happened when hostage taker Malik Akram held Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and others hostage for 11 hours on January 15, 2022 at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas is now known. What is not so well known is the inside story of ADL's role and how it responded to this crisis. Cheryl Drazin, ADL's Vice President for the Central Division, was on the ground in Colleyville that day. On this podcast, she describes what happened from the moment that she learned about the hostage taking. This is part two of a two-part series on ADL's response. For more analysis and resources from ADL on the hostage crisis, visit https://www.adl.org/analysis-resources-hostage-situation-at-congregation-beth-israel-synagogue-in-colleyville-tx. This podcast originally aired as a radio show on WVOX 1460 AM.

Archbishop Naumann interviews Gavriella Geller, Executive Director of the Kansas City Jewish Community Relations Bureau / American Jewish Committee.   They discuss how Catholics and people of good will can be more aware of and confront anti-semitism.   "I met Gavriella last Fall when I had the privilege of touring the Union Station exhibit: Auschwitz: Not Long Ago, Not Far Away, and then participating in a conversation with other KC area clergy about the problem of antisemitism.  Sadly, in January we were all reminded of the reality of how Jew's don't feel safe to go to worship, when a gunman took hostages at the Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville Texas.  So, I invited Gavriella to come help us better understand the growing problem of antisemitism and what we as Catholics can do."  Deacon Bill Scholl  

Meet The Pew Pew Jew, Yehuda Remer, a conservative, orthodox Jew, gives his opinions on Second Amendment Issue, Donald Trump, Californians exodus to Texas, and the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue on January 16, 2022 in Colleyville, Texas, after a hostage standoff far-left, Congregation Beth Israel synagogue on January 16, 2022 in Colleyville, Texas, hostage standoff by 44-year-old Malik Faisal Akram, an UK resident. Yehuda also discusses the synagogue's rabbi, Charlie Cytron-Walker and his his anti-gun policy may have encouraged aggression. Born in LA. Lived in Israel. Life-long history enthusiast. Serious and Dedicated. Pushed to tell the true story. Gorilla Friendly. John Wayne devotee. Father. Husband. Son. Brother. 2nd Amendment Advocate. Troop supporter. Adopted Texan. Patriot. American. ​I am a proud Jewish gun owner who believes that Jews should not be afraid nor hide their love of the Second Amendment and gun ownership. As I always say, "Never again means nothing if you are not willing to do something about it." Contact: https://www.yehudaremer.com/ (https://www.yehudaremer.com/) Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Yehuda-Remer/e/B0964B49KL%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share (https://www.amazon.com/Yehuda-Remer/e/B0964B49KL%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share) https://www.facebook.com/yehudaremer/ (https://www.facebook.com/yehudaremer/) Co-hosted by: The DIMA Show Danny Batsalkin Entrepreneur, business coach, and purveyor of common sense Danny Batsalkin aka DIMA shares raw, uncensored insights and perspectives into entrepreneurship, real estate, business, finance, politics and current events. Through commentary and interviews with amazing guests, this show helps you understand complicated topics and learn to take action to improve your life. WARNING: if you're easily offended, this is not the podcast for you. Listen at your own risk. Connect with The DIMA Show on your favorite platform: YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/iamdima (https://www.youtube.com/iamdima) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedimashow (https://www.instagram.com/thedimashow) GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/dima24 (https://gettr.com/user/dima24) Tiktok: https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdhP9LBK/ (https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdhP9LBK/) Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamdima24 (https://twitter.com/iamdima24) Website: https://www.thedimashow.com/ (https://www.thedimashow.com/)

The Supreme Court's docket is deep with cases impacting religious freedom, and we learned this week that Justice Stephen Breyer plans to retire. What does it all mean? Amanda and Holly take a look at what's facing the Court, including recent oral arguments in the Christian flag case that deserve our attention and a new case about a coach's prayer practice on the football field. They talk about decisions we're waiting for, cases the Court might still take, and cases the Court declined to hear. In segment three, Amanda and Holly discuss the recent hostage crisis at a Jewish synagogue in Texas that happened the day before Religious Freedom Day, highlighting the chasm between the promise and reality of religious freedom today.    SHOW NOTES: Segment one: Changes coming to the Court and a review of the Shurtleff v. Boston argument (starting at 00:54) NPR broke the news about Justice Breyer's retirement in this piece from Nina Totenberg: Justice Stephen Breyer, an influential liberal on the Supreme Court, to retire You can see pictures from the opening of our Center for Religious Liberty in 2012, featuring remarks from Justice Breyer, in this photo album.  Amanda and Holly previewed the case of Ramirez v. Collier earlier this season in episode 2, and they talked about the oral arguments in episode 4.  Amanda and Holly previewed Carson v. Makin in episode 5 and reviewed the oral arguments in episode 7. Amanda and Holly previewed Shurtleff v. Boston in  episode 8, and the Court heard oral arguments on January 18. We played a clip from the Shurtleff v. Boston oral argument featuring Justice Elena Kagan, which begins at 13:20 mark in the audio of the arguments, available on the Supreme Court's website.   Holly spoke to Salon's Kathryn Joyce for this article “Christian flag” case reaches Supreme Court: Is the Proud Boys flag next?    Segment two: Court's docket review: a new case this term and more to come for next term?  (starting at 23:02) Amanda and Holly mention this article from Amy Howe at SCOTUSblog that mentions the Court taking up the case of Kennedy v. Bremerton: Court will take up five new cases, including lawsuit from football coach who wanted to pray on the field You can also read about Kennedy v. Bremerton in this post on our website: Supreme Court to hear case involving high school football coach's post-game prayer on the field   Segment three: Respecting religious freedom for all, in the face of constant threats (starting at 33:22) You can read the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, signed January 16, 1786, at this link. Read President Joe Biden's proclamation for Religious Freedom Day at this link. On Religious Freedom Day 2022, Amanda Tweeted this: Today as we observe Religious Freedom Day, we are mindful of the ongoing threats to houses of worship across this country. We should be free to worship in synagogues, mosques, temples, meeting houses and churches without fear of violence and attack.I'm holding the people of Congregation Beth Israel in my heart as they heal from yesterday's attack, with a grateful heart that the hostages are safe. In solidarity with Jewish communities who live with these ongoing threats. We won't rest until there is faith freedom for all. BJC Board Member Sofi Hersher Tweeted this after news broke about hostages taken at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, on January 15, 2022: Resist anyone and anything that seeks to position the hostage situation at Congregation Beth Israel as Jews vs. Muslims.  That kind of reductionist thinking is lazy, untrue, and helps no one. Here's the NPR interview with Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, from the congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas: Texas Rabbi who was held hostage says we can't live in fear Respecting Religion is made possible by BJC's generous donors. You can support these conversations with a gift to BJC. 

The top headlines from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Monday, January 24, 2022, including an investigation into injuries at unregulated indoor trampoline parks, a return to normalcy with Congregation Beth Israel's Saturday service in Colleyville and TCU basketball's biggest road win in program history.

Very few if any would believe that less than 80 years since the end of the Holocaust a U.S. company would become the number one distributor of evil Nazi propaganda throughout the world. That was Amazon's Hate for profit. But, world Jewry is very lucky that there is a hero who made sure that Amazon removed 26 Nazi films from their website -pages for 23 DVDs ceased to exist too and 3 on Prime are now listed as unavailable. But the most horrific Nazi films such as The EternalJew, Yud Suss, and The Rothschild's Shares in the Waterloo are all gone from their platform. Who gets the credit for that? Our guest, Dov Hikind! Dov is an Orthodox Jew, American politician,activist, and radio talk show host. Dov is a former Democratic New York State Assemblyman representing Brooklyn's Assembly district 48, having held this position for 35 years – from January 1983 until December 2018. He is the Founder of Americans Against Antisemitism. Americans Against Antisemitsm is a grassroots coalition that mobilizes supporters to take social action against anti-Semites. We discussed how an American multinational company, and one of Big5 companies allowed such hateful propaganda and literature that has the potential to cause tremendous harm exist on their platform. We talked about the hostage situation at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville Texas where the FBI fisrt said it was not an antisemitic act, and that it was not singularly focused on one issue, and that it was not related to the Jewish community, when the attacker was seeking the release of a woman from prison known as Lady AlQaede who was sentenced to 86 years in federal prison for attempting to kill US troops in Afganistan. Then the FBI retracted their statement.

Very few if any would believe that less than 80 years since the end of the Holocaust a U.S. company would become the number one distributor of evil Nazi propaganda throughout the world. That was Amazon's Hate for profit. But, world Jewry is very lucky that there is a hero who made sure that Amazon removed 26 Nazi films from their website -pages for 23 DVDs ceased to exist too and 3 on Prime are now listed as unavailable. But the most horrific Nazi films such as The EternalJew, Yud Suss, and The Rothschild's Shares in the Waterloo are all gone from their platform. Who gets the credit for that? Our guest, Dov Hikind! Dov is an Orthodox Jew, American politician,activist, and radio talk show host. Dov is a former Democratic New York State Assemblyman representing Brooklyn's Assembly district 48, having held this position for 35 years – from January 1983 until December 2018. He is the Founder of Americans Against Antisemitism. Americans Against Antisemitsm is a grassroots coalition that mobilizes supporters to take social action against anti-Semites. We discussed how an American multinational company, and one of Big5 companies allowed such hateful propaganda and literature that has the potential to cause tremendous harm exist on their platform. We talked about the hostage situation at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville Texas where the FBI fisrt said it was not an antisemitic act, and that it was not singularly focused on one issue, and that it was not related to the Jewish community, when the attacker was seeking the release of a woman from prison known as Lady AlQaede who was sentenced to 86 years in federal prison for attempting to kill US troops in Afganistan. Then the FBI retracted their statement.

“Why a synagogue? Why Jews?” asks Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch in the wake of the standoff at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas. “To fight effectively against antisemitism, it is not enough to condemn the individual antisemitic act — as welcome and as necessary as that is. We must also take on the toxic ideology that […]

The Jewish community experienced another traumatic event this weekend as we watched in horror the incident at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas.  Dr. Rachel Fish helps us process this event and gives us strategies for standing up to Antisemitism.  Dr. Fish helps us understand why a terrorist thought a rabbi in Texas had the power to free a political prisoner. Dr. Fish emphasizes the importance of educating people she calls "Don't Know's, Don't Care's" about the impact of these incidents. She explains how Jewish educators can prepare their communities to remain proud and strong in the face of Antisemitism. This episode was produced by Dina Nusnbaum and Gabriel Weinstein.  The show's executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben. This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media.  If you enjoyed the show please leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released.Looking for more support in response to Colleyville? We hosted a webinar with Dr. Betsy Stone of HUC-JIR and Rabbi Elizabeth Zeller of Temple Chaverim in Plainview, N.Y. discussing how educators can cope with the trauma of last Shabbat's events. Watch the webinar here and access other resources about responding to antisemitism here.  

On Saturday, January 15th, a British national named Malik Faisal Akram entered Congregation Beth Israel, a Reform synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, and held Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and three congregants hostage at gunpoint. Akram demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, who is serving an 86-year prison sentence for allegedly shooting at US FBI agents and army personnel. Akram released one hostage after six hours, and the nearly 12-hour crisis finally ended when the remaining hostages escaped and FBI agents and police entered the synagogue and killed Akram. This disturbing incident activated many American Jews' feelings of vulnerability—especially heightened since the 2018 attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh—while also provoking Islamophobic responses and reigniting an ongoing debate about synagogue security. In this episode, recorded the Tuesday after the Colleyville attack, Editor-in-Chief Arielle Angel, Managing Editor Nathan Goldman, Senior Reporter Alex Kane, and Assistant Editor Mari Cohen discuss their immediate reactions to the event and the questions it raises. Note: This discussion cites a https://www.facebook.com/gelbman.itamar/posts/7011321378910489 (statement) from someone claiming to be a former Beth Israel congregant who said he left the synagogue because he wasn't allowed to bring guns into services. After the episode was recorded, Rabbi Cytron-Walker https://www.jta.org/2022/01/19/united-states/the-texas-rabbi-who-escaped-a-hostage-situation-wants-to-correct-the-record (told) JTA that Beth Israel permits concealed carry and said that he wished one of the congregants had been carrying during the attack. Books, Articles, Tweets, and Podcasts Mentioned: “https://jewishcurrents.org/fears-of-government-surveillance-complicate-muslim-groups-access-to-federal-security-funding/ (Fears of Government Surveillance Complicate Muslim Groups' Access to Federal Security Funding)” by Mari Cohen “https://forward.com/news/480922/texas-synagogue-attack-antisemitism-envoy-terrorism-deborah-lipstadt/ (Texas synagogue attack invites debate over delay in confirmation of special envoy on antisemitism)” by Jacob Kornbluh “https://jmb807.medium.com/on-antisemitism-fought-3def3bf9d6c4 (On Antisemitism Fought)” by Judah Bernstein On the Nose episode: “https://jewishcurrents.org/rallies-surveys-and-ice-cream (Rallies, Surveys, and Ice Cream)” “https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-renowned-jewish-historian-stop-using-the-term-antisemitism-1.9193263 (Renowned Jewish Historian: ‘Stop Using the Term ‘Antisemitism'')” by Ofer Aderet “https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv13qftt7?turn_away=true (Away from a Definition of Antisemitism: An Essay in the Semantics of Historical Description)” by David Engel (from Rethinking European Jewish History)  “https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/18/opinion/texas-colleyville-antisemitism.html (For Jews, Going to Services Is an Act of Courage)” by Deborah E. Lipstadt https://twitter.com/MaNishtana/status/1483084796947542019 (Twitter thread) by Ma Nishtana “https://twitter.com/MaNishtana/status/1483084796947542019 (Hidden in Plain Sight: Racism, White Supremacy, and Far-Right Militancy in Law Enforcement)” by Michael German Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”

Several people have criticized the FBI for statements made by Special Agent Matthew DeSarno after the ending of the hostage crisis at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, TX. In this episode, I defend the FBI and Special Agent Matthew DeSarno. I also explain why the criticism is both unwarranted and unfair. Links mentioned in this episode are below: Criticisms of the FBI can be found in this article Praise for the FBI from the Anti-Defamation League Praise for the FBI from the President of the Union of Reform Judaism (see the tweets on January 15, 2022) Praise for the FBI from Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker of Congregation Beth Israel

On Saturday, four people — including a rabbi — were taken hostage inside Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas. The small city of 26,000 people is just north of Fort Worth. A 44-year-old British man named Malik Faisal Akram was later identified by the FBI as the hostage taker. You can read today's podcast here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our podcast is written by Isaac Saul and produced by Trevor Eichhorn. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Bailey Saul, Sean Brady, Ari Weitzman, and produced in conjunction with Tangle's social media manager Magdalena Bokowa, who also created our logo. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tanglenews/support

This past shabbat, the rabbi and three worshippers were taken hostage while they prayed at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas. Three days later, Uri and Rivky talk about what happened, and the reaction across the Jewish community to this terrifying antisemitic incident. Related links: Zac Beauchamp: https://twitter.com/zackbeauchamp/status/1482540030082129921 Bari Weiss: https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/being-jewish-in-an-unraveling-america Rabbi Charlie Cytron Walker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErorId3xt6o Bend the Arc: https://twitter.com/jewishaction/status/1483147042457272324?cxt=HHwWiICy9ZCYmZUpAAAA Avi Mayer: https://twitter.com/AviMayer/status/1482497819529428998?cxt=HHwWjIC-lbH68ZIpAAAA Manishtana: https://twitter.com/MaNishtana/status/1482925365148463109?cxt=HHwWisC5oeiwtJQpAAAA

Discussing the events at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, where an armed attacker took four hostages, including the rabbi. We ask: "What's a Jewish response in a moment of crisis," and look at the idea of "Spiritual Pre-hab." Show Notes and transcript will be available soon. Check back for more details or visit shootpodcast.com Credits Shoot! is written, hosted, and produced by Jesse Paikin. You can always say hi, share your thoughts, or ask your own question at hello@shootpodcast.com  Shoot! is supported in part by a grant from the Hadar Institute.

A Pakistani Muslim attacks a synagogue and the Liberal Left and CAIR cry for white supremacy task forces and more gun control.

Four people, including the rabbi of a Colleyville, Texas synagogue, were taken hostage by a man who was later killed by the FBI after all the hostages were released. The FBI said it's investigating the incident as “a terrorism-related matter, in which the Jewish community was targeted.” The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are warning that faith-based communities “will likely continue” to be targets of violence. Michael Finfer is the President of Congregation Beth Israel. He joins AC360 to discuss how he was able to help the FBI with information during the hostage standoff.  Plus, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, his family put pressure on Congress to pass voting rights legislation and said lawmakers who truly honor the late civil rights leader must stand on the right side of history. Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries tells Anderson Cooper the voting rights bill isn't dead and “we have to continue to press forward in the spirit and our of reverence and respect for the life and legacy of Dr. King.” To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

On January 15th, the world watched in horror as an armed attacker, spewing antisemitic hatred and seeking the release of a convicted terrorist from prison, took a rabbi and three worshippers hostage at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas. As the situation unfolded, local Muslim, Jewish, and Christian clergy gathered with the families of the hostages inside a nearby church to pray for a safe resolution to the stand-off. Joining us today are Joel Schwitzer, Director of AJC Dallas, Mohamed Elibiary, former Adviser to the Department of Homeland Security and Co-Chair of the Dallas Fort Worth Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, and Rabbi Andrew Paley, a Dallas police chaplain, Senior Rabbi at Temple Shalom in Dallas. Hear from these three local leaders as they reflect on that day's events, the interfaith work they do in their communities, and the hope they have for moving forward. ___ Episode Lineup: (0:40) Joel Schwitzer, Mohamed Elibiary, and Rabbi Andrew Paley ___ Show Notes: Listen to our most recent episode: The Fight for Religious Equality at the Western Wall Just Got Tougher Don't forget to subscribe to People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, tag us on social media with #PeopleofthePod, and hop onto Apple Podcasts to rate us and write a review, to help more listeners find us.

This week, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Stephen Barrows discuss the “the big quit,” as more than 20 million Americans quit their jobs in the second half of 2021. With more than 10.5 million job openings right now, what does this pandemic-induced change in the labor market mean for workers and employers going forward? Next, they look at President Joe Biden's speech in Atlanta, Ga., on voting rights, comparing anyone not in agreement with him to being on the side of George Wallace, Bull Connor, and Jefferson Davis. So much for turning down the temperature on political rhetoric. Finally, they examine the incident at Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. Why is it so hard for some to identify anti-Semitism as anti-Semitism? Subscribe to our podcasts The Great Resignation: Why more Americans are quitting their jobs than ever before | 60 Minutes Remarks by President Biden on Protecting the Right to Vote | The White House About That Speech … | The Dispatch Jewish leaders react to FBI statement on Texas synagogue hostage-taker: 'The FBI got it wrong' | Fox News Why do some people hate the Jews? | Acton Line See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Antedote returns to discuss the hostage situation at Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, and the claim that the hostage taker is the brother of the "Lady of Al Qaeda," Aafia Siddiqui. We discuss the background of the Siddiqui case and its ramifications. Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/theantedote Sources https://twitter.com/i/events/1482452492017225729 https://twitter.com/eriellereshef/status/1482450381087072261 https://twitter.com/lailaalarian/status/1482484165337571332 https://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/the-intelligence-factory/ https://www.veteranstodayarchives.com/2015/01/08/neo-cia-torture-report-incriminates-dick-cheney/ https://www.richardsilverstein.com/2021/12/17/cair-director-spied-on-group-on-behalf-of-islamophobic-hate-group/ https://fair.org/home/for-fox-news-steve-emerson-factchecking-seems-to-be-a-no-go-zone/ https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/19/world/europe/fox-news-apologizes-for-false-claims-of-muslim-only-areas-in-england-and-france.html https://variety.com/1991/more/news/arnon-milchan-will-the-chemical-emperor-mix-with-warner-bros-99124721/ https://hungarianspectrum.org/2017/02/05/does-putin-have-something-on-orban-suspicion-lingers/ https://gregolear.substack.com/p/man-in-the-middle-semion-mogilevich --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-antedote/support

All of the four hostages held at the Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, are out and safe, according to a Tweet by Texas governor Greg Abbott. “Prayers answered. All hostages are out alive and safe,” Abbott posted on Twitter at 10:33pm Eastern Time.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

One of the people who has been held hostage for hours inside a Texas synagogue has been released, according to local police. Sgt. Dara Nelson with the Colleyville Police Department says the man was released uninjured around 6 p.m. ET. “FBI Crisis Negotiators continue contact with the subject,” Nelson added. Investigators believe three hostages are still being held inside Congregation Beth Israel.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

The FBI and Texas Department of Public Safety are assisting a hostage situation at the Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, according to Colleyville Police Sgt Dara Nelson. There are no injuries at this time, Nelson said, adding that police have evacuated the area. "The FBI negotiators are the ones who have contact with the person in the building." Nelson said. There is "no threat to the general public" at this time, Nelson added.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy