Yael Harris Resnick is an award-winning artist celebrated by the Washington DC Calligraphers Guild, Israel’s Artists Guild, and Misrad Hatamat (Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Labor). Known for her beautiful table runners, challah covers, and a wide array of Judaic art, Yael’s work brings vibrant Jewish themes to life on Shabbat tables and walls a…

Oleh Nochum Zajac

In a live conversation at the Yiddish Book Center, award-winning photographer, filmmaker, and author Harvey Wang visits with "The Shmooze" to talk about his work and his recently opened exhibit, "Harvey Wang’s New York."In the early years of his career, in the 1980s, Harvey’s photographic beat was the New York City nightlife scene. Yet a very diffe…

With 2 albums and 10 singles, most notable among them VeUhavtu, Meilech Kohn is an icon in the world of Jewish music. His songs, whether blues, EDM, or something else have a style that makes him unique and loved. Hear about his journey as a cantor in reform synagogues to top of the Jewish music scene. Search "Meilech Kohn" on any plattform to hear …

David Mazower, chief-curator and writer of "Yiddish: A Global Culture," and Caleb Sher, the Yiddish Book Center’s Richard S. Herman Endowed Senior Fellow, join "The Shmooze" to share the news that the Center’s groundbreaking exhibition, "Yiddish: A Global Culture," is now live on the Bloomberg Connects app. The free, downloadable app allows users t…

Edith Eger is an eminent psychologist and one of the few remaining Holocaust survivors old enough to remember life in the camps. She has worked with veterans, military personnel, and victims of physical and mental trauma. She is the author of the bestselling and award-winning books The Choice and The Gift. Check out the links below to learn more ab…

Rabbi Dovid Asher is the Rabbi of KBI, Kenesseth Beth Israel, in Richmond Virginia and is the author of Outreach in the Torah, a guidebook for reaching out to others arranged by the weekly Torh portion. Hear how he became a shul Rabbi, life as a Rav, the development of his outreach approach, and so much more. Buy Outreach in the Torah: https://mosa…

Max Mannis is one of the key components to the success of Jomboy Media, the #1 independent brand for baseball content on the internet and social media with millions of subscribers and followers. Hear how he got started in media, his journey through the sports world, how Judaism affects his job, and what he shares when speaking at schools. Follow or…

Novelist Ben Gonshor joins "The Shmooze" to talk about his debut novel, "The Book of Izzy." The book’s main character, Izzy, is a writer at wit’s end in life and on the verge of a complete breakdown with his career in wedding planning. Following an encounter with a mysterious bird seemingly visible only to him, he agrees to take on the leading role…

Writer Joan Leegant joined "The Shmooze" to talk about her latest book, "Displaced Persons," a collection of rich, multilayered short stories, half set in Israel, half among Jewish families in the States. The fictional stories explore exile, belonging, and what it means to call a place home.Episode 378August 22, 2024Amherst, MA…

Hear how Bunim Laskin founded a company in Yeshiva, when he knew it would be huge, how it effected the rest of his life, and more. Check out Swimply online (swimply.com) or on all app stores. -----To sponsor an episode: JewsShmoozeMarketing@gmail.comListen on the phone!! UK: 44-333-366-0589 IL: 972-79-579-5005 USA: 712-432-2903Check out the Jews Sh…

Rokhl Kafrissen—journalist, teacher, playwright, and 2022 winner of the prestigious Adrienne Cooper Dreaming in Yiddish prize—sits down with "The Shmooze" this week to talk about her upcoming Yiddish Book Center online course “Sacred Time and Liminal Space: Ashkenazi Folk Magic at the Threshold.” Rokhl talks about the unique Eastern European women’…

Translator and adapter Weaver sits down with "The Shmooze" to talk about the drama group Theater Between Addresses and its upcoming immersive, staged reading of Sholem Asch’s "Shabbtai Tsvi," which Weaver translated and adapted. Never before performed in its entirety, the play shows the meteoric rise and tragic fall of Shabbtai Tsvi, the 17th-centu…

Hear how and why Shabbos Kestenbaum filed suit against Harvard, what his speech preparation is like, which critics really bother him, and more. Check out Shabbos on social media. X: x.com/ShabbosK Instagram: instagram.com/shabboskest -----To sponsor an episode: JewsShmoozeMarketing@gmail.comListen on the phone!! UK: 44-333-366-0589 IL: 972-79-579-5…

This week on "The Shmooze" we visit with Rebecca (Rivke) Margolis, author of "The Yiddish Supernatural on Screen: Dybbuks, Demons and Haunted Jewish Pasts." In conversation we talk about how the book traces the transformation of the figure of the dybbuk—a soul of the dead possessing the living—from folklore to 1930s Polish Yiddish cinema to global …

After starting Shalom Task Force in 1992, Nechama Wolfson founded Shlavim in 2006 to help lift Israeli children out of poverty, and continues to serve as the president. Through a vast network of supportive programs, Shlavim is ensuring Israel’s next generation has all the practical and emotional support it needs to build a better future. Hear about…

Avia Moore and Sebastian Schulman join "The Shmooze" for a lively conversation about all things Klezakanda. As Avia shares, KlezKanada “fosters a community where the vibrant living tradition of Yiddish culture and Jewish music continues to thrive.” This year’s lineup includes workshops on Yiddish song, dance, and language learning as well as a tran…

Rabbi Shmuel Fox reflects on his childhood, life in the Rabbinate, some of his notable encounters with iconic figures of Jewish history, the changes in the Religious and national communties over the past 100 years, and much more.-----To sponsor an episode: JewsShmoozeMarketing@gmail.comListen on the phone!! UK: 44-333-366-0589 IL: 972-79-579-5005 U…

Karmela Waldman is a Holocaust survivor and has been a licensed marriage therapist for over 40 years. Today, she co-hosts a podcast with her son called Surviving the Survivor and has just released a book with him titled “Surviving the Survivor: A Brutally Honest Conversation about Life (& Death) with My Mom: A Holocaust Survivor, Therapist & My Pod…

Today, Rabbi YY Jacobson has lectured in 6 continents, 40 states, and has a huge website solely dedicated to his shiurim. How did he get his big break? Why did he start his website? Would Rabbi YY Jacobson consider trying to become the next Lubavitcher Rebbe? Hear all this and more in this episode! ---To sponsor an episode: JewsShmoozeMarketing@gma…

Hear about why someone chose to become a psychiatrist, how the field of mental health evolved over the years, the recent history of psychology and Rabbanim, how to mentally approach the ongoing situation in Israel, and so much more.---Jacob L. Freedman, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist and a business consultant based in Israel. After completin…

Oleh Nochum Zajac

Oleh Nochum Zajac

Filmaker Elan Golod visits with "The Shmooze" to talk about his documentary "Nathan-ism." The film tells the story of Nathan Hilu, the son of Syrian Jewish immigrants to New York who received a life-changing assignment from the U.S. Army: to guard the top Nazi war criminals at the Nuremberg trials. This experience fueled a lifetime of artistic insp…

Hear how one person went from being a Rebbe in Silver Spring to writing 8 books, becoming a member of the Knesset, and founder Yad L'Olim. All in under 20 years. Dov Lipman discusses his journey to the government and Yad L'Olim, his positive outlook, and more. To learn more about Yad L'Olim: Yad L’Olim | A voice for Olim, their families, and global…

Kimberly Lazzeri joins "The Shmooze" to talk about the recently released "Yiddish Folksong Project Anthology." Kimberly shares the story behind this collection of Robert De Cormier’s folksong arrangements, which had been in a storage closet for over forty years. This is the first-ever publication of De Cormier’s arrangements of Yiddish folksongs an…

24Six is a device and app that allows streaming of all Kosher music, podcasts, and videos with no ads or concerning content. Hear where the idea came from, what happened when Rabbanim were asked about it, the success thus far, and so much more. To sponsor an episode: JewsShmoozeMarketing@gmail.comListen on the phone!! UK: 44-333-366-0589 IL: 972-79…

Piotr Nazaruk and Karla McCabe joined "The Shmooze" to tell the story of the thirty-six postcards that Karla recently hand-delivered to Pitor Nazaruk at a ceremony in Lublin, Poland. Karla explains how this collection of postcards were looted from the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva in the war and now, eighty years later, have found their way back home.Epi…

Popinsanity has been featured by Oprah, Today Show, and Good Morning America. There is a reason their popcorn is known around the world and a top gift for events, families, and every other occasion. Listen to hear about their incredible story.Popinsanity.comTo sponsor an episode: JewsShmoozeMarketing@gmail.comListen on the phone!! UK: 44-333-366-05…

TorahAnytime.com has over 300,000 video shiurim and over 12,000,000 hours of played shiurim every year. Hear everything about how the largest digital torah platform started and continues to run. Plus, reach out to TorahAnytime to help with their upcoming fundraiser!Movie of TorahAnytime's history: www.BeyondWalls.filmSee all their programs: Everyth…

Writer Sivan Slapak visits with "The Shmooze" to talk about her debut collection, "Here Is Still Here." The stories provide a layered exploration of human connection and the complexities of identity. In conversation, Sivan shares how these stories—which take readers from Montreal to Jerusalem and back again as the main character navigates checkpoin…

"The Shmooze" visits with Sebastian Schulman for a chat about Yiddish culture in America as we celebrate American Jewish Heritage Month. In conversation he shares some of what he’s found on the Yiddish Book Center’s website related to the Jewish American experience—Yiddish writers in America, Jewish food, Yiddish film, immigration, activism, and mo…

Rabbi Daniel Z. Feldman is a Rosh Yeshiva at YU. He also serves as the Executive Editor of the RIETS initiative of YU Press. Rabbi Feldman is the author of “The Right and The Good: Halakhah and Human Relations”; “Divine Footsteps: Chesed and the Jewish Soul”; “False Facts and True Rumors: Lashon Hara in Contemporary Culture”; as well as five volume…

Sara Rivka Yekutiel was easily winning national karate championships and was a lock for the Olympics. Then, despite not being an observant Jew, she gave it all up for Rosh Hashana. Listen to hear about her fascinating journey. Also, you can check out her new book: Raizi and the Passover Plans. Available on Amazon and at other book stores: https://w…

After growing up in America, learning Arabic, and studying for 6 months as a Jew in Jordan, Noam Ivri Adanani made aliya. In Israel he served in the army and assisted with international diplomatic work before becoming a senior consultant at APCO Worldwide. As a resident of Sderot, his family was evacuated after October 7th and Noam was called back …

For more than 15 years, Elie Klein has worked tirelessly to promote the work of ADI. Known for its individualized care, cutting-edge therapies, residency programs and innovative disability inclusion programming, ADI has become one of Israel’s most impactful organizations for people with disabilities.Hear about his journey, what ADI is all about and…

Alex Weiser visits with "The Shmooze" to talk about his latest work, "in a dark blue night," consisting of two connected song cycles. The first, “in a dark blue night,” sets to music modernist Yiddish poetry about New York City at night, all written by Jewish immigrant poets at the turn of the 20th century. The second, “Coney Island Days,” transfor…