Podcasts about rabbi amichai lau lavie

This is a recording of a NJN webinar from June 18th, 2025. Navigating issues related to Israel/Palestine in the queer community – and in some of the broader progressive spaces – can be challenging. There is a history of using Israel's relatively LGBTQ friendly environment to try to distract from the Occupation, a practice which has earned the label “Pinkwashing.” At the same time, there are the sometimes unfair asks that are made of Jews and/or Israelis.  To help us make sense of how to navigate these intersecting identities and issues, NJN hosted a webinar with two leading Jewish and progressive leaders known for their thoughtfulness and nuance.    Idit Klein (she/her) is the President & CEO of Keshet, the national organization for LGBTQ equality in Jewish life, a role she has held since 2001. Under her leadership, Keshet has mobilized tens of thousands of Jewish leaders to make LGBTQ+ equality a communal value and priority for action.  Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie (he/him) is a social activist, storyteller, writer, and community leader. He is the Co-Founding Spiritual Leader of the thriving Lab/Shul community in New York and the creator of the ritual theater company Storahtelling, Inc. This webinar was moderated by Noam Shelef (he/him), NJN's Vice President for Communications. Noam is not only a veteran advocate of peace and human rights in Israel/Palestine, he also spent part of his career leading efforts to uphold LGBTQ rights in workplaces.

Lucas Anders interviews Sandi Dubowski (director/producer) about eh documentary SABBATH QUEEN. See it as part of Rainbow Visions Film Festival Sunday May 18th at 3:00pm at the Metro CInema. Filmed over 21 years, SABBATH QUEEN follows Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie's epic journey as the dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis, including the Chief Rabbis of Israel. Torn between rejecting and embracing his destiny, he becomes a drag-queen rebel, a queer bio-dad, and the founder of Lab/Shul—an everybody-friendly, God-optional, artist-driven, pop-up experimental congregation. SABBATH QUEEN joins Amichai on a lifelong quest to creatively and radically reinvent religion and ritual, challenge patriarchy and supremacy, champion interfaith love, and stand up for peace. This invigorating powerhouse of a film interrogates what Jewish survival means in a difficult, rapidly changing 21st century.https://www.sabbathqueen.com/INSTAGRAM: @sabbathqueendocumentary

Every year on Purim, Jews around the world stage shpiels, or plays, that not only feature people in costumes, but cross-dressing as well. These Purim events have allowed Jews to participate in drag throughout history, and have opened the door for other traditions like cross-casting in theater.  In this episode, we'll hear from scholars Golan Moskowitz and Naomi Seidman, former drag queen Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, and host Erin Phillips about Jewish historical examples of drag, Jewish contributions to the art and culture of drag, and how Jews have used drag to explore trauma, identity, and belonging.  

Filmmaker Sandi DuBowski and Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie sit with Eric to discuss "Sabbath Queen," their epic documentary that follows Lau-Lavie's 20-year journey from radical drag queen to influential Rabbi of a God-optional, artist-driven synagogue.

“I am running away to join the circus.” It was 2004, and my synagogue in Atlanta had welcomed Amichai Lau-Lavie as a guest speaker. Amichai had been the founder of Storahtellers, a ritual theater company, which was an innovative approach to presenting Torah in synagogue. He had come to our congregation along with what could only be described as a madcap ensemble of actors, singers and theater professionals – who also knew Torah.  They dramatized the Torah portion. And, much more. The congregation was mesmerized. The next day, we had breakfast. This is what I said to him: “You are the circus, and I am running away to join you.”  Those are the kind of feelings that Amichai Lau Lavie evokes. For decades, he has been one of American Judaism's most creative, most courageous, and most outrageous, spiritual leaders. Listen to the podcast interview with him. This is his resume. Time Out called him “an iconoclastic mystic." NPR called him “a calm voice for peace." According to the New York Times, he is a “rock star.” The Jewish Week called him “one of the most interesting thinkers in the Jewish world.” Rabbi Lau-Lavie is the Co-Founding Spiritual Leader of the Lab/Shul community in NYC, where he has been living since 1998. Just recently, his colleague at Lab/Shul, Shira Kline, received a coveted Covenant Award for her contributions to Jewish education. He was ordained as a Conservative rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 2016 – which is the only thing conservative about him. Being a rabbi is not a career for Amichai; neither is it a calling. It is a genetic predisposition. His cousin is Rabbi David Lau, the current Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Israel. His uncle is Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, the former Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi, and survived the Holocaust as a child. His brother is Rabbi Benny Lau, one of Israel's most prominent Orthodox rabbis. If Amichai did 23 and Me, the results would scream: "rabbi!" Amichai is the 39th generation of rabbis in his family. Except, he is the first one to be openly queer. Did I mention that he used to be a drag queen? His drag persona was Rebbitzen Hadassah Gross, a Holocaust survivor from Hungary, who was the widow of several rabbis. Amichai Lau-Lavie is the subject of a new movie -- Sabbath Queen, directed by Sandi DuBowski, who previously directed "Trembling Before G-d," which was the first film to shine a light on the plight of Orthodox LGBTQ persons. "Sabbath Queen" had been entered in several festivals, but had been cancelled because, well, you know. It is making its premier at the Tribeca Film Festival, where it is the only Israeli-ish film in the festival. Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie has many gifts. Chief among them is his ability to transform our views of Judaism, in which he takes us from the either/or to the both/and. He strives to be radically inclusive, even if it means dipping his toe into waters that some might find heretical. My favorite quote of his: “The Bible is the PDF, and we are working on the google doc.” As in: The biblical text might be a set text (as some might say: set in stone). But, a google doc is the result of many minds, souls, and hands writing and re-writing it -- as a communal effort. We are all working on that doc.  

Hanukkah's origin story has been a moving target since the beginning says Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, but throughout its evolution, it's been associated with bringing and sustaining light. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to Lau-Lavie about the how the lights of Hanukkah can be a tool for those trying to find peace amidst the conflict between Israel and Hamas.Email us at considerthis@npr.org

TODAY'S GUEST Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie is an Israeli-born, Jewish educator, writer, and performance artist. He's the creator of Storahtelling, Inc. and the founding spiritual leader of Lab/Shul in NYC, an artist-driven, everybody friendly, God-optional, pop-up experimental community for sacred Jewish gatherings. Amichai is a member of the Global Justice Fellowship of the American Jewish World Service, a founding member of the Jewish Emergent Network, serves on the Leadership Council of the New York Jewish Agenda, the Advisory Council of the International School for Peace - a Refugee Support Project in Greece, a member of the Advisory Council for the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, and is a faculty member of the Reboot Network. Through all his endeavors, he brings a creative, inclusive, and vital energy to Jewish practice and Jewish life.     EPISODE SUMMARY In this conversation we talk about: How the Jewish concept of the set table served both as a happy early memory, and as an organizing principle for his later work. How Covid 19 made rituals and online communities more important than ever. His orthodox roots as the scion of an ancient and respected rabbinical dynasty, and his journey of self discovery through theater, drag, and art. His creation of storytelling, a way to bring to life the ancient ritual of the reading of the Torah, and the Maven Method he developed to spread the practice further. The emergence of Lab/Shul and the community around it. The power of spiritual design and a well-designed practice in transforming our lives and our communities for the better. We also discuss: How is religion used as a tool in the service of humanity? What happens if you bring scripture to the 21st century as a performance? Why is the tribal wisdom of small circles within a bigger circle so important? I've long believed that one of the most promising avenues to apply design skills and creativity to is in designing communities, social rituals, and spiritual practice that suits the modern world. And, as such, there's no one I can think of that exemplifies this better than Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie. I think this conversation, which is full of wisdom and fun, is a great introduction to exactly the type of spiritual design we need to see more of. So let's jump right in with Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie.   TIMESTAMP CHAPTERS [3:52] Life During Covid [10:17] The Wisdom of the Set Table [22:31] The Birth of Storahtelling [29:55] A Paradigm Shift from Patriarchy [38:25] Rebirth of the Translator [54:34] The Design of Lab/Shul [1:00:19] Design Thinking and Virtual Practice [1:11:54] Individualism vs Collectivism [1:19:36] The Significance of the Tree   EPISODE LINKS Amichai's Links

TODAY'S GUEST   Dr. Bayo Akomolafe is an academic lecturer, a spiritual leader, a disillusioned activist, and the author of These Wilds Beyond Our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity's Search for Home.   He was born in 1983 into a Christian home, and to Yoruba parents in western Nigeria. Soon after he was born, his family emigrated to Bonn, Germany with his father on his first diplomatic assignment. This, Bayo's first trip, would foreshadow a life of travel, both literally and figuratively. He currently lectures at Pacifica Graduate Institute, California and University of Vermont.   He's also Professor of Practice at Middlebury College. He sits on the board of many organizations including Science and Nonduality, Unashay Sanctuary, and more.    Now living between India and the United States, Bayo is a proud father and a devoted husband.   EPISODE SUMMARY   In this conversation we talk about: Growing up in transition, Nigeria to Germany, and then many other places. Family being a constant value in his life. His love-hate relationship with India. His activism and his postactivism, and what does it mean to be a postactivist or to be postactivistic? And specifically, what it means to discover as an activist that your very activism has become part of the problem you're trying to solve. What does it mean to engage with the world without trying to apply your prejudices on it? Hope, and why it too can be problematic. How he sees the world, and how he tries to not get trapped by images and words, to experience a world that's alive and not static and dead. And to avoid overly defining things and overly restricting our view of the world through that definition.   I talked to Bayo at the end of January, and it was right after a Design Sprint with Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie (a former guest of the podcast), where Bayo's work and his online course was one of the demos that we looked at as an example.   I'm very excited to bring you this conversation with Bayo, and I was very excited to talk to him. His writing is intensely beautiful. He speaks and seems to think in poetry. His words paint pictures that move us, but avoid being captured. I think Bayo is an awakened person. He clearly sees things in a way that's deeper and that's hard to comprehend sometimes. But his efforts at clarity and communication are very obvious and evident here, and I think it will be appreciated. I'm a little bit worried that people who don't really have any strong spiritual background might find some of these topics hard to understand or relate to. So I want to leave you with this recommendation.   I would like you to imagine the world as a dynamic, elaborate, interdependent, ever-changing and shifting, an intensely alive cloud of interactions, where nothing is quite as solid or as clear-cut as it seems to be. Now, imagine seeing this mess so clearly you can feel it in your being, and then having to find the words to describe it, knowing full well that every word and sentence leaves out as much as it brings in. And so, as you listen to Bayo with words, I would like you to try to understand that he's trying to communicate something that's intensely nonverbal. That's at least how I connect with it and how I find my way into it.   This is one of a dozen or so weekly conversations we already have lined up for you with thinkers, designers, makers, authors, entrepreneurs, and activists, who are working to change our world for the better. So please follow this podcast on your favorite podcast app or head over to RemakePod.org to subscribe.   And now let's jump right in with Dr. Bayo Akomolafe.   TIMESTAMP CHAPTERS   [6:35] Life During Covid [14:51] Early Childhood's Silent Lessons [17:28] A Mode of Transit [19:15] A Love-Hate Relationship with India [24:11] Activism vs Postactivism [29:20] Enacting Reality [33:46] Invisible Forces at Work [39:10] Thinking Happens in the Farm [42:33] Corelessness [43:53] The End of Hope [53:06] Name the Color, Blind the Eye [58:50] The Gift of Children [1:03:49] A Short Sermon   EPISODE LINKS Bayo's Links

TODAY'S GUEST   Dr. Bayo Akomolafe is an academic lecturer, a spiritual leader, a disillusioned activist, and the author of These Wilds Beyond Our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity's Search for Home.   He was born in 1983 into a Christian home, and to Yoruba parents in western Nigeria. Soon after he was born, his family emigrated to Bonn, Germany with his father on his first diplomatic assignment. This, Bayo's first trip, would foreshadow a life of travel, both literally and figuratively. He currently lectures at Pacifica Graduate Institute, California and University of Vermont.   He's also Professor of Practice at Middlebury College. He sits on the board of many organizations including Science and Nonduality, Unashay Sanctuary, and more.    Now living between India and the United States, Bayo is a proud father and a devoted husband.   EPISODE SUMMARY   In this conversation we talk about: Growing up in transition, Nigeria to Germany, and then many other places. Family being a constant value in his life. His love-hate relationship with India. His activism and his postactivism, and what does it mean to be a postactivist or to be postactivistic? And specifically, what it means to discover as an activist that your very activism has become part of the problem you're trying to solve. What does it mean to engage with the world without trying to apply your prejudices on it? Hope, and why it too can be problematic. How he sees the world, and how he tries to not get trapped by images and words, to experience a world that's alive and not static and dead. And to avoid overly defining things and overly restricting our view of the world through that definition.   I talked to Bayo at the end of January, and it was right after a Design Sprint with Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie (a former guest of the podcast), where Bayo's work and his online course was one of the demos that we looked at as an example.   I'm very excited to bring you this conversation with Bayo, and I was very excited to talk to him. His writing is intensely beautiful. He speaks and seems to think in poetry. His words paint pictures that move us, but avoid being captured. I think Bayo is an awakened person. He clearly sees things in a way that's deeper and that's hard to comprehend sometimes. But his efforts at clarity and communication are very obvious and evident here, and I think it will be appreciated. I'm a little bit worried that people who don't really have any strong spiritual background might find some of these topics hard to understand or relate to. So I want to leave you with this recommendation.   I would like you to imagine the world as a dynamic, elaborate, interdependent, ever-changing and shifting, an intensely alive cloud of interactions, where nothing is quite as solid or as clear-cut as it seems to be. Now, imagine seeing this mess so clearly you can feel it in your being, and then having to find the words to describe it, knowing full well that every word and sentence leaves out as much as it brings in. And so, as you listen to Bayo with words, I would like you to try to understand that he's trying to communicate something that's intensely nonverbal. That's at least how I connect with it and how I find my way into it.   This is one of a dozen or so weekly conversations we already have lined up for you with thinkers, designers, makers, authors, entrepreneurs, and activists, who are working to change our world for the better. So please follow this podcast on your favorite podcast app or head over to remakepod.org to subscribe.   And now let's jump right in with Dr. Bayo Akomolafe.   TIMESTAMP CHAPTERS   [6:35] Life During Covid [14:51] Early Childhood's Silent Lessons [17:28] A Mode of Transit [19:15] A Love-Hate Relationship with India [24:11] Activism vs Postactivism [29:20] Enacting Reality [33:46] Invisible Forces at Work [39:10] Thinking Happens in the Farm [42:33] Corelessness [43:53] The End of Hope [53:06] Name the Color, Blind the Eye [58:50] The Gift of Children [1:03:49] A Short Sermon   EPISODE LINKS Bayo's Links

How are you today? Crappy, but can I tell you that? We face this quandary in every role we play - as guest, as customer, in our professional lives, and in our home ecosystems. Building upon The Work Life episode Authenticity is a Double-Edged Sword, Context guest Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie of Lab/Shul and Hypertext guest conductor John Axelrod help host Leon Wiener Dow explore how to be authentic to ourselves – and to the roles we play. Click here for Leon and Joel's extended study session. Click here to view the source sheet for this episode. Click here to visit the episode page on our website.Click here to learn more about the work of Kolot alumna Esther Sivan.

TODAY'S GUEST Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie is an Israeli-born, Jewish educator, writer, and performance artist. He's the creator of Storahtelling, Inc. and the founding spiritual leader of Lab/Shul in NYC, an artist-driven, everybody friendly, God-optional, pop-up experimental community for sacred Jewish gatherings. Amichai is a member of the Global Justice Fellowship of the American Jewish World Service, a founding member of the Jewish Emergent Network, serves on the Leadership Council of the New York Jewish Agenda, the Advisory Council of the International School for Peace - a Refugee Support Project in Greece, a member of the Advisory Council for the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, and is a faculty member of the Reboot Network. Through all his endeavors, he brings a creative, inclusive, and vital energy to Jewish practice and Jewish life.     EPISODE SUMMARY In this conversation we talk about: How the Jewish concept of the set table served both as a happy early memory, and as an organizing principle for his later work. How Covid 19 made rituals and online communities more important than ever. His orthodox roots as the scion of an ancient and respected rabbinical dynasty, and his journey of self discovery through theater, drag, and art. His creation of storytelling, a way to bring to life the ancient ritual of the reading of the Torah, and the Maven Method he developed to spread the practice further. The emergence of Lab/Shul and the community around it. The power of spiritual design and a well-designed practice in transforming our lives and our communities for the better. We also discuss: How is religion used as a tool in the service of humanity? What happens if you bring scripture to the 21st century as a performance? Why is the tribal wisdom of small circles within a bigger circle so important? I've long believed that one of the most promising avenues to apply design skills and creativity to is in designing communities, social rituals, and spiritual practice that suits the modern world. And, as such, there's no one I can think of that exemplifies this better than Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie. I think this conversation, which is full of wisdom and fun, is a great introduction to exactly the type of spiritual design we need to see more of. So let's jump right in with Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie.   TIMESTAMP CHAPTERS [3:52] Life During Covid [10:17] The Wisdom of the Set Table [22:31] The Birth of Storahtelling [29:55] A Paradigm Shift from Patriarchy [38:25] Rebirth of the Translator [54:34] The Design of Lab/Shul [1:00:19] Design Thinking and Virtual Practice [1:11:54] Individualism vs Collectivism [1:19:36] The Significance of the Tree   EPISODE LINKS Amichai's Links

Rabbi Amichai Lau Lavie, Founding Spiritual Leader of Lab/Shul in NYC, joins Fannie and Raviv to discuss whether cancel culture appears in the bible, what it means to “mask up” in a non-Covid sense, and our role in reimagining and applying Torah Study as modern-day free-thinking members of society.

From ritual counting of the Omer to making every day count

We begin our Hanukkah podcast series, Lies & Lessons, with Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie. In this conversation, Rabbi Lizzi and Rabbi Amichai consider the mythology, the liturgy, the symbolism and the history of the Hanukkah lights.Be sure to subscribe, rate the show and leave a review. As always, we want to hear from you. Follow Mishkan Chicago on Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about Mishkan Chicago. Learn more about Rabbi Amichai and Lab/Shul NYC.

It is a strange Easter not to be gathering together, hugging one another as we pass the peace, singing joyfully together as we end the long contemplative season of Lent. But we gather together in spirit, and in listening to this podcast, full of hope filled scriptures, beautiful music, teachings from the work of Brother David Steindl-Rast and Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie. No matter the state of the world, all is measured by the state of our hearts. Let your be filled with joy this day. For Sabbath is a time of harmonious atmosphere where everything and everyone is a delight. And this is particularly true on the Sabbath morning of Easter. May love and grace abide.

In this episode, our first in partnership with B'nai Jeshurun, meet Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie of Lab/Shul and Rabbi Shuli Passow of B'nai Jeshurun: two clergy who have experiences of seeking, offering, and enhancing welcome in diverse Jewish spaces. Rabbi Amichai and Rabbi Shuli share their stories of navigating our shifting Jewish world and reconciling their needs and desires with a number of communities. Recorded just before this year's High Holy Days, this episode is full of reflection and intention-setting for the next decade of American Jewish life.

Forms of religious devotion are shifting — and there’s a new world of creativity toward crafting spiritual life while exploring the depths of tradition. Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie is a fun and forceful embodiment of this evolution. Born into an eminent and ancient rabbinical lineage, as a young adult he moved away from religion towards storytelling, theater, and drag. Today he leads a pop-up synagogue in New York City that takes as its tagline “everybody-friendly, artist-driven, God-optional.” It’s not merely about spiritual community but about recovering the sacred and reinventing the very meaning of “we.” Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie is a rabbi and founding spiritual leader of Lab/Shul in New York City. He’s also the founding director of Storahtelling. This interview is edited and produced with music and other features in the On Being episode "Amichai Lau-Lavie — First Aid for Spiritual Seekers." Find more at onbeing.org.

Forms of religious devotion are shifting — and there’s a new world of creativity toward crafting spiritual life while exploring the depths of tradition. Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie is a fun and forceful embodiment of this evolution. Born into an eminent and ancient rabbinical lineage, as a young adult he moved away from religion towards storytelling, theater, and drag. Today he leads a pop-up synagogue in New York City that takes as its tagline “everybody-friendly, artist-driven, God-optional.” It’s not merely about spiritual community but about recovering the sacred and reinventing the very meaning of “we.” Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie is a rabbi and founding spiritual leader of Lab/Shul in New York City. He’s also the founding director of Storahtelling. This interview originally aired in July 2017. Find the transcript and more at onbeing.org.

This Open Heart Conversation focuses on discovering how the intersection of sexuality and spirituality has given rise to shared spiritual experiences. Host Rev. Dr. José Roman will be joined by Rev. Todd Humphrey in a conversation with other openly queer spiritual leaders including Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, Rev. Alex Reegan, and Bishop Allyson Nelson Abrams. They will examine their faith traditions and share opinions about how being queer affects religious identity and how religion affects queer identity.

Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie (http://amichai.me/), the founding spiritual leader of Lab/Shul NYC and the creator of Storahtelling, Inc., presents his lecture, "Interrupting the Bible: Five Tools to Reinvent the Jewish Story" before an audience at Temple Chai (templechai.com/) in Phoenix, AZ for Valley Beit Midrash's 2018-2019 Learning Season Closing Event. ABOUT THIS LECTURE: Can Monotheism’s oldest storytelling ritual bridge the growing gap between modern generations and our ancient legacies? Join master teacher and performer Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, founder and spiritual leader of Lab/Shul NYC, as he presents a story of self-discovery and a manifesto for reclaiming tradition and claiming pluralistic approaches that promote a wiser Judaism for today. Based on Amichai’s book in process, this interactive presentation tells of a personal journey from Jerusalem to New York, through Bagdad and Berlin, spanning two millennia, three religions, and four continents, and presenting five principles for bridging the gap between modern society and its sacred legacies. LEARNING MATERIALS: https://bit.ly/2U7Qkn7 DONATE: bit.ly/1NmpbsP For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash/ https://www.facebook.com/labshul/ www.facebook.com/temple.chai twitter.com/VBMTorah www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz/ Music: "They Say" by WowaMusik, a public domain track from the YouTube Audio Library.

LabShul’s founding spiritual leader, Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie says we never stop becoming so we should mark pivotal moments throughout our lifetime, not just in our teens. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Is there something peculiar to Judaism that makes us think about death differently? With no proscription for a definitive heaven or afterlife, how does that affect how we live our lives and think about death? Are Jewish rituals an effective way of dealing with grief? Are there better ways to think and talk about death with friends and family? In our final episode from season 2 we address these questions with British comedian David Baddiel (who you might remember from this season’s atheism episode), Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie from NYC’s Lab/Shul, founder of Death Over Dinner and DoD Jewish Edition Michael Hebb and Dan Crane’s 97-year-old nana.

Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie is the founding spiritual leader of Lab/Shul NYC and the creator of Storahtelling, Inc. An Israeli-born Jewish educator, writer, and performance artist, he received his rabbinical ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 2016. Check out his website (http://amichai.me/) for more information. If you don't have time now to listen to everything, feel free to to skip ahead to where the meditation begins at 40:30 and then come back later for the conversation. Troy Bronsink is the founder and director of The Hive - A Center for Contemplation, Art & Action. The Hive is a nonprofit located in the Northside neighborhood of Cincinnati. After nearly 2 years of over 3,000 tickets to classes and events sold, The Hive is now moving to a membership based registration. For $30/month, a Hive member can attend classes and events. If you're interested in this for yourself or would like to sponsor someone else to become a member, you can find more information at cincyhive.org/membership The music is by Troy Bronsink. From the Hive is produced by Joey Taylor.

Can Jews be atheists and still be Jews? Hosts Dan Crane and Jessica Chaffin host the second episode on this question, featuring a conversation with Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie of New York City’s Lab/Shul.

If you love listening to Unorthodox, please make a donation before our fundraising drive ends next week! This week: Everything you ever wanted to know about Jewish weddings. Author Anita Diamant tells us about The Jewish Wedding Now, her newly updated guide to planning a meaningful Jewish celebration. Roberta Grossman, director of the documentary Hava Nagila (The Movie) explains how the catchy Hebrew folk song became a staple at Jewish weddings. Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie of New York’s Lab/Shul explains his recent decision to leave the rabbinic arm of the Conservative movement over its prohibition on performing interfaith weddings. Bat Sheva Marcus, clinical director of Maze Women’s Health and co-host of the Joy of Text podcast, tells us about the importance of communication for maintaining a healthy sex life, as newlyweds and beyond. And finally, Bridesmaid for Hire Jen Glantz explains why she decided to turn a much-maligned obligation into a profession. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set, valued at $13, when you sign up at harrys.com/unorthodox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Humor is always about ‘as if.’ And it just relaxes everybody. We’re going to laugh.” Transparent creator Jill Soloway describes Amichai Lau-Lavie as “a God-optional, patriarchy-toppling, Jewish modern mind.” He uses humor to connect — to himself and others, his family, his sexual identity, and his spiritual life. The rabbi says the Jewish people have endured because of their ability to laugh at themselves and, in this way, laugh at the world.