Judaism Unbound

Peter Beinart, a columnist and political commentator, is the author of a new book entitled Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning. He joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation exploring narratives of Jewish victimhood and survival, how Biblical texts like Joshua and Esther are mobilized in contemporary debates, and how we might have better intra-Jewish conversations about perhaps the most contentious topic there is for our communities. This episode is the third in an ongoing mini-series exploring American-Jewish discourse about Israel-Palestine.Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. 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!NOTE: This episode was recorded many weeks before it was released publicly, meaning our conversation took place before the ceasefire agreement that was widely reported on January 15th. We celebrate this de-escalation of violence and hope that it endures. We continue to hold deep hopes for a brighter future for Palestinians, for Israelis, and for their loved ones around the world.

Susannah Heschel, the Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College, joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about one of the most high-intensity issues there is -- Israel-Palestine on college campuses. This episode is the second in an ongoing mini-series of podcasts exploring conversations about Israel-Palestine in American-Jewish life. Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. 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!NOTE: This episode was recorded many weeks before it was released publicly, meaning our conversation took place before the ceasefire agreement that was widely reported on January 15th. We celebrate this de-escalation of violence and hope that it endures. We continue to hold deep hopes for a brighter future for Palestinians, for Israelis, and for their loved ones around the world.

Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg, co-hosts of Judaism Unbound, explore one of the most contentious topics in Jewish (and broader) life today — Israel-Palestine. They ask how we can build Jewish communities that are able to support one another across difference and serve justice in our world. This episode is the first in an ongoing mini-series of podcasts exploring conversations about Israel-Palestine in American-Jewish life. NOTE: This episode was recorded many weeks before it was released publicly, meaning our conversation took place before the ceasefire agreement that was widely reported on January 15th. Initial reports indicate a multi-phase ceasefire agreement, including a release of many people -- Israelis and Palestinians -- who will be able to return to their families and homes. We celebrate this de-escalation of violence and hope that it endures. We continue to hold deep hopes for a brighter future for Palestinians, for Israelis, and for their loved ones around the world.Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. 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!

Vanessa Ochs, a scholar of Jewish ritual and the second-ever guest on Judaism Unbound  way back in episode 5, makes a grand return to our podcast! She connects with Dan and Lex to discuss an upcoming UnYeshiva mini-course she's teaching, entitled Jewish Ritual Lab:  Experiments in Jewish Creativity and Invention.If you love what you hear in this episode, head to www.judaismunbound.com/classes and register for Ochs's upcoming mini-course in the UnYeshiva (begins January 15th, 2025)! Financial aid is available for anyone who needs it, via this link.Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. 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!

Becca Leviss, currently studying at Harvard Divinity School, wants to push us beyond the Jewish "right-now" and into the Jewish "not-yet." She joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about Judeo-Futurism -- a framework she is building, and which she wants to co-create with Jews all around the world. If you love what you hear in this episode, head to www.judaismunbound.com/classes and register for Leviss's upcoming mini-course in the UnYeshiva (begins January 7th, 2025), entitled Judeo-Futurism! Financial aid is available for anyone who needs it, via this link.Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. 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!

Lex Rofeberg and Liana Wertman (from Judaism Unbound and The Torah Studio, respectively) conclude ApocryFest 2024-25: Hanukkah Unbound and Un-Canonized. This is the 4th bonus episode in a 4-part mini-series of Judaism Unbound, exploring the topic of canon, and apocrypha, in observance of the festival of Hanukkah. In this  final episode, they zoom out to ask what Apocrypha can mean for us today, in 2025.Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva! Explore Judeo-Futurism, Shabbetai Zvi, and more!For all of our episodes from past years' ApocryFests, click here.

Lex Rofeberg and Liana Wertman (from Judaism Unbound and The Torah Studio, respectively) continue with their third conversation of ApocryFest 2024-25: Hanukkah Unbound and Un-Canonized -- a 4-part mini-series of Judaism Unbound. In this episode, they explore a wild text entitled The Letter of Aristeas.You can sign up for ApocryFest 2024-25 by heading to www.JudaismUnbound.com/apocryfest. Do so, and we’ll send you all sorts of cool Apocryphal stuff, during Hanukkah, to help enrich your experience of this holiday! For all of our episodes from past years' ApocryFests, click here.Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva! Explore Judeo-Futurism, Shabbetai Zvi, and more!

Queer Theology is the longest running podcast by and for LGBTQIA+ spiritual seekers. Its two co-hosts -- Brian G. Murphy and Shannon TL Kearns -- join Judaism Unbound for an episode exploring what it means to queer theology ("queer" as a verb!).  If you love what you hear, head to www.judaismunbound.com/classes and register for their upcoming (in January 2025) mini-course in the UnYeshiva, entitled Queering Theology: A Crash Course in Reading the Bible Queerly (people of all genders, sexualities, and religious backgrounds welcome).Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. 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!

Lex Rofeberg and Liana Wertman (from Judaism Unbound and The Torah Studio, respectively) continue with their second conversation of ApocryFest 2024-25: Hanukkah Unbound and Un-Canonized -- a 4-part mini-series of Judaism Unbound. In this episode, they explore a fascinating text called Joseph and Aseneth (and sometimes just Aseneth).You can sign up for ApocryFest 2024-25 by heading to www.JudaismUnbound.com/apocryfest. Do so, and we’ll send you all sorts of cool Apocryphal stuff, during Hanukkah, to help enrich your experience of this holiday! And come hang out with us via Zoom at Apocry-Fest LIVE: A Hanukkah Havdalah Gathering, on Saturday, December 28th. Register here.For all of our episodes from past years' ApocryFests, click here.Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva! Explore Judeo-Futurism, Shabbetai Zvi, and more!

Lex Rofeberg and Liana Wertman (from Judaism Unbound and The Torah Studio, respectively) kick off the 2024-25 edition of ApocryFest: Hanukkah Unbound and Un-Canonized -- a 4-part mini-series of Judaism Unbound. They open up big questions about what “Jewish canon” does and doesn’t mean, why those questions are worth discussing on Hanukkah in particular, and dive together into one of apocrypha’s wild, wonderful texts: The Book of Judith.You can sign up for ApocryFest 2024-25 by heading to www.JudaismUnbound.com/apocryfest. Do so, and we’ll send you all sorts of cool Apocryphal stuff, during Hanukkah, to help enrich your experience of this holiday! And come hang out with us via Zoom at Apocry-Fest LIVE: A Hanukkah Havdalah Gathering, on Saturday, December 28th. Register here.For all of our episodes from past years' ApocryFests, click here.Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva! Explore Judeo-Futurism, Shabbetai Zvi, and more!