

The Wildescast
Manhattan Jewish Experience
Jewish education and inspiration courtesy of Rabbi Mark N. Wildes, Founder of the Manhattan Jewish Experience (MJE). Founded in 1998, MJE is a warm and open community where millennial men and women in their 20s/30s can explore Jewish life and meet new people.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 3, 2020 • 1h 9min
A conversation with Senator Joseph Lieberman
Today's episode is a special one. It's a conversation with former Senator Joe Lieberman. Rabbi Wildes is joined by his brother, Mayor Michael Wildes, as they interview the senator about what it was like being a Sabbath-observant politician and what his advice would be to guide us through our currently fractured political time. This recording was part of the annual Ruth B. Wildes lecture series hosted by MJE. Previous speakers have included Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Rabbi Norman Lamm and other Jewish notables.
Just a little note: There were some audio issues at one point in the episode, but they get resolved a few minutes later.

Nov 10, 2020 • 54min
From Hero to Survivor: An interview with Eli Beer
Today's episode is a special one. It's a conversation between Rabbi Wildes and Eli Beer. Eli is the founder of United Hatzalah of Israel, a life-saving emergency medical organization. Eli is used to being the healer, but earlier this year he contracted COVID and was put into a medically induced coma for a month. In today's episode, you'll hear all about how Eli rescues others and what happened when he became the one in need.
To learn more about United Hatzalah, please visit www.israelrescue.org.

Sep 24, 2020 • 46min
An interview with Ambassador Michael Oren
Today's episode is a special one. It's a conversation between Rabbi Wildes and Michael Oren, who served as Israel’s ambassador to the United States. In this episode, Rabbi Wildes and Ambassador Oren talk about the latest developments in Middle East politics, including the historic Abraham Accords between Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. They also chat about Michael's new book, which is a collection of short stories featuring a vast array of characters – from ghosts and Upper West Side Jews to aliens and Christian clerics. You'll also hear about Ambassador Oren's previous career as the assistant to Orson Welles.
Read Ambassador Oren's latest op-ed in the Wall Street Journal:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-triumph-for-peace-is-a-humiliation-for-the-peace-industry-11600900809
For more information about Ambassador Oren and his new book “The Night Archer and Other Stories" please visit:
www.michaeloren.com

Sep 10, 2020 • 58min
An interview with AJ Jacobs
Today's episode is a special one. It's a conversation between Rabbi Wildes and bestselling author AJ Jacobs. As many of you know, AJ is the author of the book "The Year of Living Biblically" where he tried to follow all the commandments in the Torah. In this episode, Rabbi Wildes and AJ talk about that spiritual journey, as well as a handful of other books AJ has written – including one about gratitude and how it relates to Judaism.
For more info on AJ and to purchase his books, please visit his website at www.ajjacobs.com.

Aug 10, 2020 • 46min
The Road Back: Confronting Intermarriage and Assimilation
Today's episode is a rebroadcast of a lunch and learn on Facebook Live. The topic is "The Road Back: Confronting Intermarriage and Assimilation."
Here is a link to today’s source sheet:
https://bit.ly/2Cd9hSq

Jul 22, 2020 • 1h 7min
An interview with Rabbi Yonah Bookstein
Yonah Bookstein is co-founder and Deanna and Allen Alevy Senior Rabbi at the Pico Shul in Los Angeles, and co-director of Camp Neshama, projects building spiritual community for Jews in their 20s and 30s. In this episode, Rabbi Wildes and Rabbi Bookstein – longtime friends from their decades of working together in Jewish outreach on opposite coasts – discuss what Judaism looks like in the age of corona, the Black Lives Matter movement, and how we can all elevate our spiritual lives in these historic times.
Find out more about Rabbi Bookstein's online dating seminar:
http://kesherseminar.com
Learn more about Rabbi Bookstein at:
http://rabbiyonah.com

Jul 16, 2020 • 42min
The Blame Game: Do we take responsibility for our actions?
Today's episode is a rebroadcast of a lunch and learn on Facebook Live. The topic is "The Blame Game: Do we take responsibility for our actions?" We open with a fascinating story about a famous classical musician that you're not going to want to miss

Jul 8, 2020 • 52min
An interview with Rabbi Efrem Goldberg
Today's episode is a special one. It's a conversation between Rabbi Wildes and his close friend, Rabbi Efrem Goldberg, the Senior Rabbi of Boca Raton Synagogue, the largest Orthodox Synagogue in the Southeast United States. Even outside of his Florida community, Rabbi Goldberg is known across the country for the leadership role he plays in the modern orthodox community. His classes are now enjoyed by thousands of people each day around the world. On today's show, the two rabbis talking about the biggest challenges they face shepherding a community through a global pandemic and the importance of promoting nuanced conversations amongst their congregants.
Learn more about Rabbi Efrem Goldberg at:
https://rabbiefremgoldberg.org/
https://www.youtube.com/user/rabbiefremgoldberg
https://twitter.com/rabbigoldberg
https://www.instagram.com/rabbiefremgoldberg/
https://www.facebook.com/efrem.goldberg
https://www.brsonline.org/

Jul 2, 2020 • 52min
Thou shall not hate: Navigating relationships in a complex world
Today's episode is a rebroadcast of a lunch and learn on Facebook Live. The topic is "Thou Shall Not Hate: Navigating Relationships in a Complex World."
Here is a link to the source sheet for the class:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0npr7r0q8vilwvf/ReachingOut0702.jpeg?dl=0

Jun 19, 2020 • 55min
A conversation with the Wildes brothers
You're in for a real treat today and that's because, in this episode, Rabbi Wildes interviews his brother Michael. Michael is a law professor, an immigration attorney, a volunteer EMT and the mayor of Englewood, New Jersey. The two brothers had a fascinating conversation about the coronavirus and the Black Lives Matter movement – among a whole host of other topics. Their sibling rivalry, and their love for each other, shined through during this intriguing interview.
Find our more about Michael Wildes here:
https://www.wildeslaw.com