Episode 42: Fighting the Erasure of Women in Judaism w/Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll

“In my work – I don’t fight Torah… I fight FOR Torah. That’s really important to me to make that distinction.”

– Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll

Raised in Lakewood, NJ, Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll now lives in Israel with her family. She raises awareness of issues that plague the Jewish and world community. Topics she takes on include child sex abuse, women in Judaism, Israel-Arab conflict, and general human stupidity. She is a founding member of Chochmat Nashim, a organization dedicated to positive change in the Jewish community. Professionally, as co founder of REACH3K, she brands and writes for some of Israel’s best nonprofits & businesses.

Shoshanna also writes for The Jerusalem Post and blogs for the Times of Israel, The 5%Club and Reach3K. Continue reading “Episode 42: Fighting the Erasure of Women in Judaism w/Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll”

August 29, 2019October 18, 2019

Episode 38: Surprising Alliances in the Pursuit of Welcoming the Stranger w/Rabbi Susan Silverman

“The whole world is a narrow bridge and the most important part is not to be afraid. This does not mean banishing fear, but rather living with it.”

-Rabbi Susan Silverman on Rabbi Nachman of Breslov

Rabbi Susan Silverman is an activist and writer . She is the sister of Laura, an actress and writer, Jodyne (Speyer), a writer, and Sarah, an actress, writer and comedian.

In 1997 she and her husband wrote the bestselling book Jewish Family & Life: Traditions Holidays and Values for Todays Parents and Children, which launched a Jewish multimedia enterprise, JewishFamily.com. They have five children by both birth and adoption and live in Jerusalem. She is also the author of Casting Lots: Creating a Family in a Beautiful, Broken World (Da Capo 2106).

Rabbi Susan Silverman’s upbringing was secular-Jewish. Her parents’ “religion” was liberal politics. Something Rabbi Susan still believes is worthy devotion!

Today Rabbi Susan Silverman’s rabbinic work includes activism on behalf of asylum seekers in Israel, advocating for liberal Judaism and promoting adoption. She is a founder of KAMOCHA: A Jewish Response to Refugees, on the Board of Directors of Women of the Wall, on the International Council of The New Israel Fund and the Founding Director of Second Nurture: Every Child Deserves a Family – And a Community. Continue reading “Episode 38: Surprising Alliances in the Pursuit of Welcoming the Stranger w/Rabbi Susan Silverman”

June 28, 2019October 18, 2019

Episode 29: Patience To Learn And Humility To Lead w/Dr. Erica Brown

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

— African Proverb

Dr. Erica Brown is an associate professor of curriculum and pedagogy at the George Washington University and the director of its Mayberg Center for Jewish Education and Leadership. She is the author of twelve books on the subjects of leadership, the Hebrew Bible and spirituality. Her forthcoming commentary is The Book of Esther: Power, Fate and Fragility in Exile.

She has been published in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Tablet and The Jewish Review of Books and wrote a monthly column for the New York Jewish Week. She has blogged for Psychology Today, Newsweek & Washington Post’s “On Faith” and JTA. She tweets on one page of Talmud study a day at DrEricaBrown. Continue reading “Episode 29: Patience To Learn And Humility To Lead w/Dr. Erica Brown”

May 24, 2019October 18, 2019

Episode 24: Refua Shlema – A Complete Healing? The Medical Marijuana Episode w/Laurel Freedman

“There are so many things that we, as jews, lift up and discuss… we really do often come together on things that can be dividing and controversial. this is one of those issues. this is one of those things that can be unifying. it can mean health.”

–Laurel Freedman

Laurel Freedman became a cannabis professional in 2016 when Pennsylvania legislation opted for a medical marijuana program that would impact health & sciences, job creation, the environment, incarceration rates, criminal records, the economy (and the list could go on). Continue reading “Episode 24: Refua Shlema – A Complete Healing? The Medical Marijuana Episode w/Laurel Freedman”

April 5, 2019October 18, 2019

Episode 17: Begging for Change w/Kitchens for Good cofounder Aviva Paley

““Wasting food is a tragedy, but the real tragedy is that we’re wasting people.””

— Robert Egger

Aviva Paley is a passionate social entrepreneur with professional experience in marrying a social mission with proven business driven strategies. In 2014 Co-Founded Kitchens for Good, a social enterprise food service operation that provides culinary job training for the unemployed, while simultaneously transforming surplus produce into nutritious meals for the hungry.

Aviva serves as the Senior Director overseeing all programs, as well as managing the marketing and fundraising efforts for Kitchens for Good. In just four years the organization has trained 215 individuals for jobs in the culinary industry, rescued 86,591 pounds of surplus food and turned it into 151,227 nutritious meals for hungry San Diegans; and developed a strong social enterprise catering operation that has generated over $3.9 million in earned income and provided an ongoing 59% of the organization’s budget. Continue reading “Episode 17: Begging for Change w/Kitchens for Good cofounder Aviva Paley”

March 15, 2019October 18, 2019

Episode 14: Starting a Brick and Mortar in the Tech Age of Apps w/Emily Weisberg

““When my daughter is playing with Legos… when the dad goes into work his boss is a woman, and when the mom goes into work – she is the boss!””

Emily grew up in a small town in Wisconsin where she started writing recipes and drinking coffee at the ripe old age of 7. She started working in restaurants when she was 14 and has hardly stopped since. She learned Spanish, developed an interest in coffee, went to college, shopped at the farmer’s market a lot, ate at some amazing restaurants, lived in Peru for a while and eventually got married in Jerusalem where she and her husband lived. They came back to the U.S. with a toddler and an even stronger desire to build a diverse community around food. Enter: Moss Café. Emily, her husband Alex and their two little ones live in Riverdale and can probably be found at the café. Continue reading “Episode 14: Starting a Brick and Mortar in the Tech Age of Apps w/Emily Weisberg”

March 8, 2019October 18, 2019

Episode 13: Breaking The Mold, Creating New Ways To Be and Do Jewish w/Roey Kruvi

“Any good innovative organization will tell you that you have to be okay with failure – that they look to ‘not’ have consensus. That those are the ideas that forge new spaces and opportunities.”

— Roey Kruvi

Roey Kruvi is the Senior Director of Immersive Experiences at Moishe House. He was born in Haifa and lived in different parts of Israel before moving to California at the age of 10, where he has been ever since. Since relocating to Encinitas, he has taken on several new hobbies, using his free time to surf, horseback ride, learn the piano, practice yoga, and spend time with his family. He graduated from UC Berkeley with bachelor’s degrees in geography and interdisciplinary studies. Roey appreciates opportunities to live communally, skill share, laugh at himself, laugh with others, go to potlucks, breathe (thanks, lungs!), read books, negotiate bus fares, and eat lunch by gorging on farmers market samples.

Roey’s passion and dedication are in informal education of youth, especially in wilderness and/or outdoor settings, and he has several years’ experience designing and implementing experiential education curriculums, both in and outside of the Jewish world. Also, he’s a big fan of being alive and not taking himself too seriously. Roey is a cancer survivor and doesn’t sweat the small stuff. Roey is also the founder of Beacons Tech Consulting, a business that provides affordable tech solutions to small and medium-sized nonprofits. Continue reading “Episode 13: Breaking The Mold, Creating New Ways To Be and Do Jewish w/Roey Kruvi”

January 10, 2019October 18, 2019

Episode 5: The Power of Habits in Business and Religion w/Rabbi Jevin Eagle

““We are born with innate needs for love, for food, for shelter, for intimacy, and for spiritual meaning… All human beings are programmed genetically with a need for purpose and meaning and connection to the ineffable.””

— Jevin Eagle, Executive Director of BU Hillel

Joining me in conversation for this episode is Rabbi Jevin Eagle. Jevin is a former business executive and is a graduate of Hebrew College Rabbinical School student. He is also currently the executive director of Boston University Hillel. Prior to that, Jevin was the CEO of DavidsTea, a senior executive at Staples, and a partner at Mckinsey and company. Jevin has an MBA from Harvard business school and a bachelor’s from Dartmouth. Before Harvard business school, he helped found Jewish Lights Publishing. He currently serves on the board of directors for Carter’s Inc, the leading brands at apparel marketer for babies and young children. Continue reading “Episode 5: The Power of Habits in Business and Religion w/Rabbi Jevin Eagle”

October 9, 2018October 18, 2019

What did Moses do that was so great anyways?

When moving towards any goal as a team or a community every member must contribute something to make that dream a reality.

For the Israelites that were breathlessly dashing towards liberation there were a handful of figures that stood out from the rest in terms of their contribution to making that freedom become a reality. Continue reading “What did Moses do that was so great anyways?”