This month we’re joined by Rabbi Shani (pronounced Shah-Knee) Rosenbaum also in Somerville, MA. Shani is a teacher of Talmud and Halakhah at the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College in Newton, Mass. Welcome, Shani! This month we’re talking abo

Talking In Shul Ep. 94: The Tunnels Under 770

Feb 1st, 2024 1h 3m

Hello! and welcome to Talking in Shul, a roundtable podcast. I’m your host, Tamar Fox, and I’ve got Zahava Stadler joining us from Toronto. Hi Zahava! And Mimi Lewis is joining us from Somerville, MA. Hi Mimi! And this month we’re joined by Han

Talking In Shul Ep. 93: Deep Dive into Jewish Poetry

Dec 11th, 2023 1h 4m

This month we’re joined by special guest, Hila Ratzabi. Hila has joined us in the past to discuss Etty Hillesum. Hila is a poet, writer, and editor whose book of poems, There Are Still Woods was published by June Road Press in September 2022, a

Talking In Shul Ep. 92: Little Bird

Nov 15th, 2023 32m 54s

This month we’re talking about the television show Little Bird, available on PBS, and CBC. Created by Jennifer Podemski and Hannah Moscovitch with the participation of Jeremy Podeswa as an executive producer, the series centres on a First Natio

Talking In Shul Ep. 91: Jewish Joy

Nov 9th, 2023 48m 5s

This month we’re doing kind of an unusual episode. Given how hard things have been for everyone since the events of October 7th, and the ongoing war in Gaza, we wanted to talk about things that are bringing us some Jewish joy. Mimi’s Jewish jo

Talking In Shul Ep. 90: Talking About Kiddush

Jul 16th, 2023 1h 12m

Hello! and welcome to Talking in Shul, a roundtable podcast. I’m your host, Tamar Fox, and I’ve got Zahava Stadler joining us from Toronto. Hi Zahava! Mimi Lewis is taking a break this month, but we’re thrilled to welcome past and future guest

Talking In Shul Ep. 89: Passover Favorites

Mar 29th, 2023 45m 42s

This month we’re talking about Passover, talking about our favorite rituals, texts, foods, and more. Passover favorites Ritual Mimi: Hallel (when it happens!) and washing each others hands Zahava: Reciting the entire Hagaddah out loud, in unis

Talking In Shul Ep. 88: Jewish Influencers

Mar 5th, 2023 54m 18s

This month we’re talking about Jewish influencers. What/how are the influencing us, and what trends do we see and like or dislike? “Influencer” can feel like a very shallow field–one that’s obsessed with trends and how things look to attract li

Talking In Shul Ep. 87: Good Shabbat Programming for Kids

Feb 7th, 2023 50m 35s

This month we’re talking about how we prioritize kid services and programming versus our own communal needs. What is our ideal, and what we have we seen that didn’t work for us. Endorsements Mimi endorses Kapelya, an album of women singing Hasi

Talking In Shul Ep. 86: Jewish at Work

Jan 3rd, 2023 47m 27s

This month we’re talking about being Jewish at work. How do we explain and present ourselves as Jews at a Jewish workplace, or a non-Jewish workplace? 1 in 4 hiring managers say they’re less likely to hire Jewish applicants by Kathryn Moody in

Christmas & Hanukkah

Dec 15th, 2022 45m 23s

Beauty Queen of Jerusalem & The Shivah by Gog

Jul 13th, 2022 52m 54s

Beauty Queen of Jerusalem Beauty Queen of Jerusalem is a new show on Netflix (it previously came out as 20 30 min episodes in Israel. Netflix has made it into 10 hour long episodes). It follows the Hermosas, a wealthy Sephardic family who own

Recipe for Change: Standing Up to Antisemitism & Abortion Rights

May 27th, 2022 1h 5m

This month we’re talking about a YouTube special called Recipe for Change: Standing up to Antisemism. And for our second segment we’re talking about how the expected end of Roe v Wade impacts the Jewish community, and how the Jewish community c

Talking In Shul Ep. 82: Book Bans & Sedar Topics

Mar 23rd, 2022 1h 15m

This month we’re talking about the TN school ban of Maus, and other attempts to limit education around difficult or uncomfortable subjects like the Holocaust and slavery. And for our second segment we’re, oof, we are getting ready for pesach a

Interfaith Chaplain Marcie Greenfield Simons & Times of Israel “State of Jerusalem” Documentaries

Feb 22nd, 2022 55m 54s

This month we’re talking Marcie Greenfield Simons about what it’s like to be an interfaith chaplain in these intense covid times. And for our second segment we’re talking about a series of video documentaries from the Times of Israel about th

“Warm & Welcoming” Book Review and “The Club”

Jan 28th, 2022 1h

This month we’re talking about the new book, Warm and Welcoming: How the Jewish Community can Become Truly Diverse and Inclusive in the 21st Century, edited by Warren Hoffman, and Miriam Steinberg Egeth. And for our second segment we’re talkin

Keeping Jewish Kids Safe from Abuse & Hannukah Kitsch

Nov 29th, 2021 57m 34s

This month we’re talking about several recent scandals involving Jewish youth groups and youth leaders. What if anything can we hope Jewish organizations do to keep children and employees safe from sexual predators? And for our second segment w

Jewish Day Planners & Jewish Romance Novels

Oct 19th, 2021 1h 4m

This month we’re joined by guest host Miriam Steinberg-Egeth. Among Miriam’s many claims to fame are her Jewish advice column in the Exponent, and her forthcoming book, Warm and Welcoming: How the Jewish Community Can Become Truly Diverse and I

Climate Change & “My Unorthodox Life”

Aug 3rd, 2021 1h 7m

This month we’re talking about climate change, grief, and how the Jewish community is and can respond to climate change. And for our second segment we’re talking about the newish Netflix show My Unorthodox Life. My Unorthodox Life My Unorthodo

Anti Semitism & Perfect Summer Shabbats

Jul 9th, 2021 1h 13m

This month we’re talking with Dr. Hannah Lebovits, assistant professor of Public Affairs at the University of Texas- Arlington, to talk about the different kinds of anti-semitism and discrimination. And for our second segment we’re talking abou

“The Last Days” & the Pew Survey of Jews in America

Jun 20th, 2021 1h 6m

For our first segment, we’re talking about The Last Days, a documentary that originally came out in 1998, directed by James Moll, and focuses on the lives of five hungarian Jews who survived the Holocaust. Recently rereleased on Netflix, it got

How Will We Return to Running Minyanim Virtually and In-Person?

Jun 17th, 2021 47m 59s

My minyan will likely want to keep broadcasting on Zoom after the pandemic is over and we are back in person. As someone who doesn’t use technology on Shabbat, what does that mean for me? Should I decline to lead or read Torah or have an aliyah

Beyond the Synagogue & Shiva Baby

May 3rd, 2021 1h 16m

This month we’re talking with Dr. Rachel B. Gross about her new book, Beyond the Synagogue: Jewish nostalgia as religious practice. And for our second segment we’re talking about Shiva Baby, a new film written and directed by Emma Seligman. Be

Fat Torah & Fake Kosher Foods

Mar 19th, 2021 1h 4m

This month we're interviewing Rabbi Minna Bromberg about Fat Torah and their work in fat activism and ending weight stigma in the Jewish community. And for our second segment we're talking about fake food--by which we mean pareve foods like fak

Fat Torah & Kosher Fake Foods

Mar 17th, 2021 1h 4m

This month we’re interviewing Rabbi Minna Bromberg about Fat Torah and their work in fat activism and ending weight stigma in the Jewish community. And for our second segment we’re talking about fake food–by which we mean pareve foods like fake