Episodes

  • Adam Chalom and Jodi Kornfeld, "Contemporary Humanistic Judaism" (Jewish Publication Society, 2025)

    Adam Chalom and Jodi Kornfeld, "Contemporary Humanistic Judaism" (Jewish Publication Society, 2025)
    Jan 27 2025
    In their edited volume, Contemporary Humanistic Judaism: Beliefs, Values, Practices (Jewish Publication Society, 2025), Rabbis Adam Chalom and Jodi Kornfeld collect their movement’s most important texts for the first time and answer the oft-raised question, “How can you be Jewish and celebrate Judaism if you don’t believe in God?” Part 1 (“Beliefs and Ethics”) examines core positive beliefs—in human agency, social progress, ethics without supernatural authority, sources of natural transcendence, and Humanistic Jews’ own authority to remake their traditional Jewish inheritance on their own terms “beyond God.” Part 2 (“Identity”) discusses how Humanistic Judaism empowers individuals to self-define as Jews, respects people’s decisions to marry whom they love, and navigates the Israel-Diaspora relationship. Part 3 (“Culture”) describes how the many worlds of Jewish cultural experience—art, music, food, language, heirlooms—ground Jewishness and enable endless exploration. Part 4 (“Jewish Life”) applies humanist philosophy to lived Jewish experience: reimagined creative education (where students choose passages meaningful to them for their bar, bat, or b mitzvah [gender-neutral] celebrations), liturgy, life cycle, and holiday celebrations (where Hanukkah emphasizes the religious freedom to believe as one chooses). Interviewees: Adam Chalom is dean for North America of the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism and rabbi of Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation in suburban Chicago. Jodi Kornfeld is rabbi of Beth Chaverim Humanistic Jewish Community in suburban Chicago and past president of the Association of Humanistic Rabbis. Host: Schneur Zalman Newfield is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York, and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple University Press). Visit him online at ZalmanNewfield.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • On the Book of Psalms: Exploring the Prayers of Ancient Israel by Nachum Sarna

    On the Book of Psalms: Exploring the Prayers of Ancient Israel by Nachum Sarna
    Jan 26 2025
    In this episode we delve into one of the most profound and enduring works of sacred poetry: the Book of Psalms. Emotional and spiritual, joyful and despairing, triumphant and trembling with terror, the psalms have given voice to humanity's deepest yearnings for millennia. These timeless prayers and hymns have offered solace, inspiration, and a path to connection with the Divine, both individually and collectively. Traditionally attributed to King David, the psalms were sung by the Jewish priests in the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. But what is it about these ancient verses that still resonate with readers and worshippers today—Jews, Christians, and people of many faiths or none at all? How do these sacred words help the human heart and mind reach toward the Transcendent? And what explains their unparalleled staying power over thousands of years? To guide us through this journey, we are honored to welcome Dr. Shlomo Dov Rosen, a truly remarkable and multifaceted scholar. Dr. Rosen is a philosopher, poet, and congregational rabbi whose expertise bridges disciplines and traditions. With a Ph.D. in philosophy, he brings a unique perspective to the psalms, informed by his deep engagement with Jewish law, theology, and even the literary world of Milton. As someone who has dedicated his life to both the intellectual and spiritual dimensions of faith, Dr. Rosen is uniquely equipped to help us explore the profound meanings of these ancient prayers. In today’s conversation, we touch on the historical origins of the psalms, their universal and interfaith appeal, and how they speak to the human experience of war, illness, gratitude, jay and awe in the face of nature—and beyond nature. We’ll also discuss why certain psalms, like the beloved 23rd Psalm, hold such enduring power, even for those who might not consider themselves religious. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies
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    36 mins
  • Leon Saltiel, "The Holocaust in Thessaloniki: Reactions to the Anti-Jewish Persecution, 1942–1943" (Routledge, 2020)

    Leon Saltiel, "The Holocaust in Thessaloniki: Reactions to the Anti-Jewish Persecution, 1942–1943" (Routledge, 2020)
    Jan 26 2025
    The Holocaust in Thessaloniki: Reactions to the Anti-Jewish Persecution, 1942-1943 (Routledge, 2021) narrates the last days of the once prominent Jewish community of Thessaloniki, the overwhelming majority of which was transported to the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz in 1943. Focusing on the Holocaust of the Jews of Thessaloniki, this book maps the reactions of the authorities, the Church and the civil society as events unfolded. In so doing, it seeks to answer the questions, did the Christian society of their hometown stand up to their defense and did they try to undermine or object to the Nazi orders? Utilizing new sources and interpretation schemes, this book will be a great contribution to the local efforts underway, seeking to reconcile Thessaloniki with its Jewish past and honour the victims of the Holocaust. The first study to examine why 95 percent of the Jews of Thessaloniki perished--one of the highest percentages in Europe--this book will appeal to students and scholars of the Holocaust, European History and Jewish Studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies
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    56 mins
  • Adam Jortner, "A Promised Land: Jewish Patriots, the American Revolution, and the Birth of Religious Freedom" (Oxford UP, 2024)

    Adam Jortner, "A Promised Land: Jewish Patriots, the American Revolution, and the Birth of Religious Freedom" (Oxford UP, 2024)
    Jan 25 2025
    Today I’m speaking with Adam Jortner, Goodwin-Philpott Professor of History at Auburn University. We are discussing his latest book, A Promised Land: Jewish Patriots, the American Revolution, and the Birth of Religious Freedom (Oxford University Press, 2024). There is a myth that the only religion practiced by the American revolutionaries was Christianity. As Adam demonstrates, there was, in fact, a thriving segment of Jewish participants in the American fight for independence. A thoughtful and surprising new history, I’m pleased to be able to speak with Professor Jortner today. Caleb Zakarin is editor at the New Books Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Anthony McElligott, "The Last Transport: The Holocaust in the Eastern Aegean" (Bloomsbury, 2024)

    Anthony McElligott, "The Last Transport: The Holocaust in the Eastern Aegean" (Bloomsbury, 2024)
    Jan 21 2025
    Today I talked to Anthony McElligott about The Last Transport: The Holocaust in the Eastern Aegean (Bloomsbury, 2024). The deportation of 1,755 Jews from the islands of Rhodes and Cos in July 1944, shortly after the last deportation from Hungary, was the last transport to leave Greece for Auschwitz and brought to a close the last significant phase of the genocide of Europe's Jews (notwithstanding the death marches). Within six weeks of their deportation, the Germans were retreating from Greece and the Balkans as Hitler's empire shrank. This last deportation is frequently acknowledged in Holocaust literature but its significance for our understanding of the Nazi genocide of the Jews remains largely overlooked. The timing of the transport, when it was clear to the German military elite that Nazi Germany had lost the war, raises important questions in relation to long-term ideological Nazi goals and the immediate contingency thrown up by war. Anthony McElligott, in this account of the last Greek transport of Jews to Auschwitz, tells a compelling story of this previously underexplored event and sheds light on an important aspect of the Holocaust through an in-depth study of one Eastern Mediterranean community. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Website: www.robertomazza.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies
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    1 hr and 25 mins
  • Rafael Rachel Neis, "When a Human Gives Birth to a Raven: Rabbis and the Reproduction of Species" (U California Press, 2023)

    Rafael Rachel Neis, "When a Human Gives Birth to a Raven: Rabbis and the Reproduction of Species" (U California Press, 2023)
    Jan 20 2025
    When a Human Gives Birth to a Raven: Rabbis and the Reproduction of Species (U California Press, 2023) investigates rabbinic treatises relating to animals, humans, and other life-forms. Through an original analysis of creaturely generation and species classification by late ancient Palestinian rabbis and other thinkers in the Roman Empire, Rafael Rachel Neis shows how rabbis blurred the lines between humans and other beings, even as they were intent on classifying creatures and tracing the contours of what it means to be human. Recognizing that life proliferates by mechanisms beyond sexual copulation between two heterosexual “male” and “female” individuals of the same species, the rabbis proposed intricate alternatives. In parsing a variety of creatures, they considered overlaps and resemblances across seemingly distinct species, upsetting in turn unmitigated claims of human distinctiveness. When a Human Gives Birth to a Raven enters conversations in animal studies, queer theory, trans theory, and feminist science studies to provincialize sacrosanct ideals of reproduction in favor of a broader range that spans generation, kinship, and species. The book thereby offers powerful historical alternatives to the paradigms associated with so-called traditional ideas. New Books in Late Antiquity is presented by Ancient Jew Review Rafael Rachel Neis is Neis is a scholar, writer, educator, and artist. A Professor of History and Judaic Studies, they are Director of the Interdepartmental Program in Ancient History and hold the Jean and Samuel Frankel Chair in Rabbinics. Michael Motia teaches in Classics and Religious Studies at UMass Boston. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies
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    1 hr and 37 mins
  • Shmuel Goldin, "Unlocking the Torah Text" (Gefen Books, 2014)

    Shmuel Goldin, "Unlocking the Torah Text" (Gefen Books, 2014)
    Jan 18 2025
    Unlocking the Torah Text (Gefen Books, 2014) provides an in-depth journey into the Torah portion through a series of studies on each parsha. In clear and incisive fashion, each study carefully examines deep philosophical issues and perplexing textual questions. Helpful distinction is made between pshat (straightforward literal meaning) and Midrash (rabbinical exegesis) as both of these approaches to the biblical text are carefully defined and applied. Join us as we speak with Rabbi Shmuel Goldin about the thought-provoking connections between the eternal Torah narrative and the critical issues of our time. Rabbi Shmuel received his BS in psychology and his MA in Jewish education from Yeshiva University, and his rabbinic ordination from the Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University. He was included in Newsweek’s list of “America’s Top 50 Rabbis for 2012” and in Forward magazine’s list of Jewish communal leaders who have made a difference in the community at large. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies
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    29 mins
  • Alec Goldstein, "Maimonides on the Book of Exodus" (Kodesh Press, 2019)

    Alec Goldstein, "Maimonides on the Book of Exodus" (Kodesh Press, 2019)
    Jan 16 2025
    Today I talked to Alec Goldstein about Maimonides on the Book of Exodus (Kodesh Press, 2019). Rabbi Moses son of Maimon, known in Hebrew as Rambam and in English as Maimonides, is one of Judaism’s most influential and enduring figures. His works have shaped Jewish thought for centuries, combining legal precision, philosophical brilliance, and profound spirituality. While Maimonides never authored a linear commentary on the Torah, his writings are replete with references to and interpretations of biblical verses. These insights offer a glimpse into his unique approach to understanding the narratives, commandments, and themes of the Torah. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies
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    37 mins