The College Commons Podcast

From Liberal Zionism to American Judaism and the state of Israel, Rabbi Rick Jacobs discusses Reform Judaism's strengths and challenges in grappling with today's most pressing issues. Rabbi Rick Jacobs is president of the Union for Reform Judaism, the most powerful force in North American Jewish life. A longtime and devoted creative change agent, Rabbi Jacobs spent 20 years as a dynamic, visionary spiritual leader at Westchester Reform Temple (WRT) in Scarsdale, New York. During his tenure, he reshaped communal worship, transformed the congregation into a community of lifelong learners, and strengthened the synagogue's commitment to vibrancy and inclusion. Under Rabbi Jacobs' leadership, WRT completed a new "green" sanctuary, one of only a handful of Jewish houses of worship in the nation to carry this designation.

For Rabbi Denise Eger, Torah helps us navigate the process of living. From acknowledging God's flaws to living with intention, Rabbi Eger gives us a Torah for our times. Rabbi Denise L. Eger is the founding Rabbi of Congregation Kol Ami, West Hollywood’s premier Reform Synagogue. Rabbi Eger is the President-Elect of The Central Conference of American Rabbis. the largest rabbinic organization in the world, and will assume the presidency as the third woman and first openly gay or lesbian person in the position in 2015. Rabbi Eger is Past President of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, the first woman to serve in the post. Recently honored by the City of Los Angeles, she was also named by the Huffington Post as the Most Inspirational GLBT Clergy Person in America. In 2010 she was named by the Jewish Daily Forward as one of the top 50 women rabbis in North America. In 2008, the Jewish Daily Forward named her as one of the Forward 50—the 50 most influential Jewish leaders in the United States for her work on GLBT rights. She posts regularly on her blog: Walking Humbly, Seeking Justice, Living with Hope at www.rabbieger.wordpress.com.

Rabbi Paul Kipnes discusses the deep anxiety, stress and pressure on kids today and offers some wise advice for parents. Rabbi Paul Kipnes, MAJE, a popular lecturer on raising spiritually balanced, emotionally whole children, is leader of Congregation Or Ami in Calabasas, California. A former camp director and North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) regional advisor, Rabbi Kipnes and his wife Michelle November MSSW co-wrote Jewish Spiritual Parenting: Wisdom, Activities, Rituals, and Prayers for Raising Children with Spiritual Balance and Emotional Wholeness (Jewish Lights Publishing).

Rabbi Aaron Panken discusses the impact and relevance of Jewish texts today. Rabbi Aaron D. Panken, Ph.D., is the 12th President in the 139-year history of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. As HUC-JIR President, Dr. Panken leads the four-campus international institution of higher learning and seminary for Reform Judaism. Ordained at HUC-JIR in New York in 1991, Rabbi Panken has served as a member of the faculty teaching Rabbinic and Second Temple Literature since 1995, Dean of Students (1996-1998), Dean of the New York Campus (1998-2007), and Vice President for Strategic Initiatives (2007-2010). An alumnus of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship, Dr. Panken earned his doctorate in Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University. He currently serves on faculty for the Wexner Foundation and the Editorial Board of Reform Judaism magazine, and has served on the Rabbinical Placement Commission, the Birthright Education Committee, the CCAR Ethics Committee, and in a variety of other leadership roles within the Reform Movement and greater Jewish community.

How far should we go to change someone’s opinion? Rabbi Dr. Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi takes a look at Jewish tradition and draws a line. Rabbi Dr. Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi serves the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion as the National Director of Recruitment and Admissions and President's Scholar. Prior to this appointment, Rabbi Sabath served as Vice President of the Shalom Hartman Institute and for over a decade as a member of the Institute's faculty, and directed the Hartman Lay leadership, Rabbinic leadership, and Christian leadership programs. Ordained at the HUC-JIR twenty years ago, Rabbi Sabath also earned a Ph.D. in philosophy from the Jewish Theological Seminary. For several years Rabbi Sabath wrote a monthly column in the Jerusalem Post and has co-authored two books and published numerous articles. Rabbi Sabath also teaches and mentors students of HUC-JIR and speaks throughout North America on leadership, Israel, gender, and theology. She is currently writing a book on the future of covenant for Jewish Peoplehood.

Reverend Bailey explores how people of diverse backgrounds, skin colors, and racial identities can be brought to a space of equality. Rev. Jennifer Bailey, is the Founding Executive Director of the Faith Matters Network, a new interfaith community equipping faith leaders to challenge structural inequality in their communities. She is named one of 15 Faith Leaders to Watch by the Center for American Progress, Rev. Jennifer Bailey is an ordained minister, public theologian, and emerging national leader in multi-faith movement for justice. She comes to this work with nearly a decade of experience at nonprofits combatting intergenerational poverty. A Truman Scholar and Nathan Cummings Foundation Fellow, Rev. Bailey earned degrees from Tufts University and Vanderbilt University Divinity School where she was awarded the Wilbur F. Tillett Prize for accomplishments in the study of theology. She writes regularly for a number of publications including Sojourners and the Huffington Post. Her first book, tentatively titled Confessions of a #Millennial #Minister is currently under contract with Chalice Press. Rev. Bailey is an ordained itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Rabbi Samuel Joseph takes a deep dive into the challenges and opportunities for building congregational leadership. Rabbi Samuel K. Joseph, Ph.D. is Eleanor Sinsheimer Distinguished Service Professor of Jewish Education and Leadership Development at HUC-JIR/Cincinnati, where he teaches in the rabbinical school. His special interest is how Jewish institutions and organizations, from schools to synagogues to national groups, can be most excellent as they seek to fulfill their mission and vision. Toward this end, Rabbi Joseph works with such groups throughout the world. Most recently he taught at the first rabbinical seminary in Germany since the Holocaust, the Abraham Geiger College in Berlin as the Jacobs Fellow. In past years he worked with the Jewish community in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Argentina. He is the founding rabbi of the liberal congregation in Hong Kong. Rabbi Joseph consults with rabbis, educators, administrators, communal leaders and lay leaders, supporting them as they lead their institutions and organizations. He is the author of four books and more than fifty articles in the area of education and leadership.

The cost of excluding people is an impoverishment of our world and our character. Rabbi Edyth Mencher takes a look at what holds us back from engaging wholeheartedly with people we think of as “other.” Rabbi Mencher serves as URJ Faculty for Sacred Caring Community and Coordinator of the URJ-Ruderman Family Foundation Initiative for Inclusion of People with Disabilities and is an adjunct faculty member of Hebrew Union College-JIR’s Interfaith Doctor of Ministry Program in Pastoral Counseling. She serves on the Steering Committee of the Mental Health and Faith Community Partnership, created to foster dialogue between psychiatrists and faith leaders. She is the co-author of Resilience of the Soul: Developing Emotional and Spiritual Resilience in Adolescents and Their Families. Ordained by HUC-JIR in 1999, Rabbi Mencher is also a graduate of the Westchester Center for the Study of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy and of Hunter College School of Social Work

Dr. William Cutter argues both sides of California's Right-to-Die Initiative. Dr. William Cutter is Steinberg Emeritus Professor of Human Relations at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where he held the Paul and Trudy Steinberg Chair in Human Relations, and was Professor of Modern Hebrew Literature and Education. He has taught at HUC-JIR since 1965, and has served in several administrative capacities throughout his academic career. In earlier stages of his career he founded three of the ongoing programs of the College-Institute, the training center for Reform Jewish leaders and nonprofit managers. These programs are the Rhea Hirsch School of Education, the MUSE program of the Skirball Museum, and the Kalsman Institute on Judaism and Health. He also was the founding director of the Louchheim School of Jewish Studies.

Rabbi Michael Marmur explores the way language influences how we think and speak about God. Dr. Michael Marmur is the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Provost at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Previously, he served as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in Jerusalem. In recent years he has taught courses in Theology, Homiletics, and Pluralistic Jewish Education.Born and raised in England, Rabbi Marmur completed a BA Degree in Modern History at the University of Oxford before moving to Israel in 1984.