Making Mensches

Making Mensches
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  • JUDAISM
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Two queer, self-loving anti-zionist Jews bringing you community and radical Jewish learning 🕯️🌿✡️ Making Mensches is your home for Queer, Anti-Zionist Jewish ritual, radical education, and community! BECOME A MENSCH! https://www.makingmensches.com/mensch Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.makingmensches.com/join Find us at: makingmensches.com instagram.com/makingmensches email us at makingmensches@gmail.com Shout out to Nate for the intro music! Follow him at instragram.com/naebird.wav

  1. The Torah is (Y)ours with Lexi Kohanski

    5 DAYS AGO

    The Torah is (Y)ours with Lexi Kohanski

    We are so excited to share this podcast mashup with you! Elana, Jessie, and Jesi of Making Mensches in conversation with the incredible Lexi Kohanski of Torah for Trans Lives (T4Torah). In addition to her podcast, Lexi is also the Director of Online Learning at the Torah Studio and is currently designing Worlds To Come, a first-of-its-kind tabletop roleplaying game to teach Biblical Hebrew. Obviously Lexi is brilliant beyond belief and it was a true joy to get to co-create with her. In this episode, we explore the ways people engage with Torah both for life and for death, what it means to find ourselves in the texts as queer and trans people, how to begin your Torah exploration if it feels daunting, and so much more.  Zionists love to suggest that anti-zionist Jews don’t know Torah and weaponize the text, but truly - the Torah is ours. We must continue to make it so. Some links… You can find Torah Studio classes hereAlthough Lexi’s class with Shel Maala has since happened you can find more Shel Maala classes here and listen to our podcast episode with the founders here or wherever you listen to podcastsMore about the Jewish Liberation Theology Institute can be found here [This episode was recorded in February 2026.] Big thanks to Lexi for this collaboration, Jesi for being part of the interview process, Jessie for editing the podcast, and to Nate for our podcast music. If you want to support our work, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠you can do so here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    59 min
  2. Becoming a Dream with Aiyana Masla

    25 FEB

    Becoming a Dream with Aiyana Masla

    After a brief pause, we're back and better than ever with the poetic presence of Aiyana Masla! In this episode, Elana, Jessie, and Jesi talk to interdisciplinary artist, intergenerational community member, and an anti-bias educator ⁠Aiyana Masla (she/her) about her debut poetry collection ⁠The Underdream. We talk with her about the inspiration for and process of writing The Underdream, the idea of presence as purpose, being in a body, accessible ritual, becoming a dream, finding and connecting to g-d in the world around us, and everything in between. We are so grateful for this gorgeous conversation and can't wait for you to listen too. If you want to support Aiyana and The Underdream, the best way to do so is request a copy of the book at your local bookstore or library! You can also purchase it here. In this episode we focus almost solely on The Underdream, but we encourage you to explore ALL of Aiyana's offerings and hope to have her back soon to talk about more of her practices 3 Some links… -The Underdream -Aiyana's website (With art for purchase!) -Aiyana's Poetry Instagram -Aiyana's Art Instagram [This episode was recorded in January 2026.] Big thanks to Aiyana for being on the pod, Jesi for being part of the interview process, Jessie for editing the podcast, and to Nate for our podcast music. If you want to support our work, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠you can do so here.⁠⁠⁠⁠

    46 min
  3. Queering Our Ancestry with Alissa and Patrick

    17/11/2025

    Queering Our Ancestry with Alissa and Patrick

    In this episode, we talk to writer, performance artist, and organizational consultant Alissa Schwartz (she/her) and book worker, artist, and publisher Patrick Barber (he/they) about Alissa’s book Ancestral Performance Art, published through Patrick’s publishing company - Impeller Press. We talk with them about so many things - but it centers around how we can build deeper relationships with our ancestors (not just genealogical, deceased, human ancestors - but all ancestors!), through speculative work, re-narrativization, and drag.  We are so appreciative to them both for this conversation and if you’re in NYC, we hope you’ll come see Alissa perform an ancestral drag piece at our upcoming Hanukah Market with Pushcart Judaica on December 14th! Some links to things mentioned in this episode… -Alissa’s new book! -Alissa’s first book -Patrick’s publishing company & instagram -Alissa’s website & instagram -Theydy Bedbug’s drag class -Helen Klonaris’s workshop -My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem [This episode was recorded in August 2025.] Big thanks to Alissa and Patrick for being on the pod, Jessie for editing the podcast, and to Nate for our podcast music. If you want to support our work, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠you can do so here.⁠⁠⁠⁠

    59 min
  4. Composting Our Anger with Liz Awesome

    09/10/2025

    Composting Our Anger with Liz Awesome

    Join Jessie (she/her) and guest interviewer (and beloved Making Mensches collaborator) Jesi (fae/they) for their conversation with artist Liz Awesome (he/him) 🎨 Jessie, Jesi, and Liz talk all things trash, art, and Judaism - as well as ways to infuse our lives with liberation, anger, and grief. As Liz says, “We already have everything we need, and we’re throwing it away in the trash.” They discuss the ways that the internet both inhibits and encourages our modes of connection, including how we can best leverage the algorithm to ensure the most marginalized stories are being amplified and heard. Some links to things mentioned in this episode… Politics of Disposability bell hooks on composting anger [This episode was recorded in August 2025.] Big thanks to Liz for being on the pod, Jesi for co-facilitating this interview, Jessie for editing the podcast, and to Nate for our podcast music. If you want to support our work, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠you can do so here.⁠⁠⁠⁠

    1hr 8min
  5. Speaking From Our Bodies with Wes (Wendy Elisheva Somerson)

    18/09/2025

    Speaking From Our Bodies with Wes (Wendy Elisheva Somerson)

    Hi Mensches! In this episode we’re joined by Wes (Wendy Elisheva Somerson), author of new book An Anti-Zionist Path to Embodied Jewish Healing: Somatic Practices to Heal Historical Wounds, Unlearn Oppression, and Create a Liberated World to Come. This is a rich conversation filled with so much wisdom from Wes talking about trauma and somatic healing, taking actionable steps to address fear and shame in our bodies, how living into intention (kavanah) can guide us, and truly… so much more. We’re so excited for this episode to finally be out in the world and can’t wait for you to listen. You can buy Wes’s book from the publisher - North Atlantic Books, at Third Place Books in Seattle, at Jewitches, or at any local bookstore. While Wes does not recommend purchasing the book on Am*z*n, they do ask that you go and write a review there to help boost the book :) Some links to things mentioned in this episode… Ruach Healing Group Sefaria  The Embodiment Institute   [This episode was recorded in July 2025.] Big thanks to Wes for being on the pod, Emily from North Atlantic Books, Jessie for editing the podcast, and to Nate for our podcast music. If you want to support our work, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠you can do so here.⁠⁠⁠⁠

    55 min
  6. Bringing the World Into Focus with Deatra and Adam

    29/08/2025

    Bringing the World Into Focus with Deatra and Adam

    Welcome back, Mensches! Join us for a conversation with Deatra Cohen and Adam Siegal, co-authors of Ashkenazi Herbalism and new book Woven Roots: Recovering the Healing Plant Traditions of Jews and Their Neighbors in Eastern Europe. We discuss how Deatra and Adam began doing this work, the main differences between Woven Roots and Ashkenazi Herbalism, communal care in the Pale, the process of recovering traditions, plant medicine, and so much more.  You can buy both of their books on Jewitches.com. Some of the things they mention during this episode are… Yizkor books Memoirs of a Grandmother Our episode with Julie WeitzRokhl KafrissenMax Dashu and the Suppressed Histories Archives [This episode was recorded in July 2025.] Big thanks to Adam and Deatra for being on the pod, Emily from North Atlantic Books, Jessie for editing the podcast, and to Nate for our podcast music. If you want to support our work, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠you can do so here.⁠⁠⁠⁠

    1hr 1min

  7. 19/05/2025

    We Only Survive This Together with Binya and Xava of Shel Maala

    Join Making Mensches for our special conversation with Binya and Xava, creators of Shel Maala Yeshiva - a digital-first queer Yeshiva! We talk about the importance of queer, anti-zionist, accessible Torah and Talmud study, the rewards and challenges of this work, abolitionist and anti-zionist Torah, and so much more. We can’t wait for you to listen, and we hope you’ll join us for our joint event on MAY 23RD - both in NYC and online on Zoom. Please RSVP for more details! The work Shel Maala does is essential, please consider supporting their work! Join one of their classes, such as the one we discuss in this episode, Torah from the Inside Out: Cohort for Incarcerated People and Allies. If you’re curious about (or want to support, we hope!) Matir Asurim, you can find more info here. [This episode was recorded in March 2025.] Big thanks to Xava and Binya for being on the pod, to Jessie for editing the podcast, and to Nate for our podcast music. If you want to support our work, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠you can do so here.⁠⁠⁠⁠

    56 min

  8. 07/05/2025

    We Already Have the Tools with Joey Ramona

    We hope you're as excited as we are for this conversation with Joey Ramona, iconic Toronto based punk rock tattooer, visual artist, and a self-described “weird Jewish punk guy.” We talk with Joey about being an anti-zionist Jewish tattooer, about how tattoos can help people deepen their connection to Judaism, about the concept of doikayt and researching ashkenazi tradition, about mutual aid and community organizing, and so much more! If you want to book an appointment with Joey, reach out to them at Bookingsbyjoey@gmail.com⁠ We feel so lucky that we get to have incredible conversations with people we admire so much 3 Links to things we discuss in the episode: The zine Joey made a few years ago about Jewish tattooingToronto Indigenous Harm Reduction orgSudan Solidarity Collective Toronto PYM chapterJews Say No to Genocide [This episode was recorded in March 2025.] Big thanks to Joey for being on the pod, to Jessie for editing the podcast, and to Nate for our podcast music. If you want to support our work, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠you can do so here.⁠⁠⁠⁠

    38 min
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About

Two queer, self-loving anti-zionist Jews bringing you community and radical Jewish learning 🕯️🌿✡️ Making Mensches is your home for Queer, Anti-Zionist Jewish ritual, radical education, and community! BECOME A MENSCH! https://www.makingmensches.com/mensch Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.makingmensches.com/join Find us at: makingmensches.com instagram.com/makingmensches email us at makingmensches@gmail.com Shout out to Nate for the intro music! Follow him at instragram.com/naebird.wav

Information

  • Creator
    Making Mensches
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    64
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Making Mensches
  • Show Website
    Making Mensches

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