Evolve Reconstructing Judaism

Rabbi Haviva Ner-David, an activist and author, shares what it is like to live in Israel – and be a parent - right now, with all the heartbreak, confusion and glimmers of hope. In this conversation, the author and spiritual director discusses the personal losses she suffered on October 7 and after (9:18) She also shares anxiety about living in Israel’s north and how and why she’s recommitted herself to interfaith peace activism (22:10) and her work with the Standing Together, the grassroots movement mobilizing Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel in pursuit of peace . With views on the conflict becoming ever more entrenched, Ner-David’s perspective is refreshingly iconoclastic. Whatever your perspective, left, right or center, she says something to challenge you.


Theme song, “Ilu Finu” by Rabbi Miriam Margles. Her album This is the Day is available for purchase at CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/miriammarglesandthehadarensemb


Visit our home on the web — Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations: http://evolve.reconstructingjudaism.org


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Read these show notes on the web at https://evolve.fireside.fm/1




This podcast is produced by Reconstructing Judaism. Visit us at ReconstructingJudaism.org.
Special Guest: Rabbi Haviva Ner-David.
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Links:
Reconstructing Judaism joins call for ceasefire, release of all hostages and increase in humanitarian aide to GazaSign up for Evolve's newsletter to receive exclusive contentCelebrate 10 years of Rabbi Deborah Waxman's leadership Support Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish ConversationsRabbi Haviva's websiteRabbi Haviva's memoirs, novels, and moreRead Rabbi Haviva's February 2024 Evolve Essay, "The Other Side of the Rain: At a Cemetery in the Galilee"Read Rabbi Haviva's October 2023 Evolve essay, "Let Not Our Anger Blind Us: Jews and Palestinians in Israel"Read Rabbi Haviva's August 2023 Evolve essay, "Standing Together: A Redemptive Vision for Palestinian-Jewish Partnership"From JTA: "I’m an Israeli advocate for Israeli-Palestinian coexistence. We’re still in this together."From Rabbi Haviva's Times Of Israel blog: "Minding Our Own Business, and that of the Country"From Rabbi Haviva's Times of Israel Blog: "This is a Story to Open Your Hearts. Are you Willing?"Next Evolve Web Conversation: Against Free Will

The Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association was founded in 1974 to serve as the professional association of the small but growing number of rabbis affiliated with the Reconstructionist movements. These rabbis were trained with a very different approach than their peers in other movements. Rabbi Elyse Wechterman, the RRA’s CEO for roughly the past decade, discusses the transformation of the rabbinate and why it matters to everyone who cares about Jews and Judaism (5:00). She shares how disparate factors ranging from COVID to the emergence of the gig economy have shaped the rabbinate in unexpected ways (31:50). The discussion turns to how the events of October 7 and subsequent Israel-Hamas War have placed unprecedented strain on rabbis (44:45). There are some lighter moments as well. Wechterman quotes Billy Joel: “The good old days weren’t always good. Tomorrow ain’t as bad as it seems.”


Theme song, “Ilu Finu” by Rabbi Miriam Margles. Her album This is the Day is available for purchase at CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/miriammarglesandthehadarensemb


Visit our home on the web — Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations: http://evolve.reconstructingjudaism.org


Subscribe by Email at http://subscribebyemail.com/evolve.fireside.fm/rss


Read these show notes on the web at https://evolve.fireside.fm/1




This podcast is produced by Reconstructing Judaism. Visit us at ReconstructingJudaism.org.
Special Guest: Rabbi Elyse Wechterman.
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Sign up for Evolve's newsletter to receive exclusive contentSupport Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish ConversationsRead Rabbi Elyse Wechterman's Evolve essay, "Evolving Roles of Rabbis in History and TodayCheck out Evolve's new essay collection, "Ever Evolving Rabbinate" in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the RRA "Keeping The Faith" by Billy Joel

After 20 years of work, Jay Michaelson —scholar, rabbi, lawyer, activist, meditation teacher —has published his first book of fiction, “The Secret That Is Not a Secret: Ten Heretical Tales” (03:30). The linked short stories focus on a range of Jewish characters: Men and women, Orthodox and secular, straight and gay, Israeli and American. Yet each carries a secret desire that could be described as queer, and their stories explore the nature of heresy, queerness, kabbalah, mysticism and the sometimes-thin line between erotic desire and religious yearning. Michaelson would probably have preferred we discussed “The Secret That Is Not a Secret” for the full episode. Yet, we’re living in a post October 7 world and Michaelson, who’d stopped writing about Israel about a decade ago, felt compelled to jump back in. In the Forward and Rolling Stone, he’s written about the ethics of war, the charged nature of the term genocide, the debate about campus antisemitism and the fates of the two Ivy League presidents forced to resign after public uproar. We delve into some of these op-eds (31:40) and discuss how’s he taken care of himself during one of the most emotionally trying times of his life.


Theme song, “Ilu Finu” by Rabbi Miriam Margles. Her album This is the Day is available for purchase at CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/miriammarglesandthehadarensemb


Visit our home on the web — Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations: http://evolve.reconstructingjudaism.org


Subscribe by Email at http://subscribebyemail.com/evolve.fireside.fm/rss


Read these show notes on the web at https://evolve.fireside.fm/1




This podcast is produced by Reconstructing Judaism. Visit us at ReconstructingJudaism.org.
Special Guest: Jay Michaelson.
Support Evolve
Links:
Support Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish ConversationsSign up for Evolve's newsletter to receive exclusive contentOrder Jay Michaelson's new book, "The Secret That is Not a Secret"Jay Michaelson's writing in The ForwardJay Michaelson's writing in Rolling StoneTen Percent Happier (meditation and mindfulness)Jay Michaelson's Evolve Essay, "The Allure of the Antinomian … or How Jacob Frank Seduced Me"Jay Michaelson's website

Can individual acts of loving-kindness really make a difference with Israel and Hamas at war? Rabbi Amy Eilberg, a longtime peace activist, says yes. Eilberg, the first woman ordained by the Conservative movement, believes that nearly everyone with a connection to Israel and Gaza — and maybe even those without such a direct connection — are experiencing pain and trauma. In this podcast, Eilberg explains that so many of us are consuming every op-ed and podcast about the conflict as a means to avoid deep pain. She shares her decades-long journey into metta meditation and how she turned to it after October 7. We also discuss how even though many Jews have felt isolated in recent months, she doesn’t buy into the narrative that the whole world is against Jews. Nor has she given up on coalition-building or the importance of anti-racism efforts. This is a pastoral conversation in which she addresses the feelings of pain, anger and hopelessness that host Bryan Schwartzman, and many others, have experienced during wartime. It’s about how individuals might seek healing and, maybe, how Jewish communities can address trauma to become healthier.


Theme song, “Ilu Finu” by Rabbi Miriam Margles. Her album This is the Day is available for purchase at CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/miriammarglesandthehadarensemb


Visit our home on the web — Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations: http://evolve.reconstructingjudaism.org


Subscribe by Email at http://subscribebyemail.com/evolve.fireside.fm/rss


Read these show notes on the web at https://evolve.fireside.fm/1




This podcast is produced by Reconstructing Judaism. Visit us at ReconstructingJudaism.org.
Special Guest: Rabbi Amy Eilberg.
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Links:
Sign up for Evolve's newsletter to receive exclusive contentRead Rabbi Eilberg's Evolve Essay, "Lovingkindness in a Time of War"Support Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish ConversationsRabbi Eilberg's book, "From Enemy to Friend"Watch the Evolve web conversation with Rabbi Amy Eilberg in which she discusses her views on the conflict:Jewish wisdom on reparations:Read Rabbi Eilberg's previous Evolve essay, "Holding the Pain and the Love"

Halakhah is for Orthodox Jews. It means Jewish law: what you can do and can’t do. Right? Not according to Laynie Soloman, a passionate teacher of Jewish text and thought at SVARA: A Traditionally Radical Yehshiva. Soloman says that Halakhah isn’t law, per se, since law – especially when it comes to queer and trans folks – can serve as an instrument of oppression. Rather, Soloman speaks of Halakhah as “Jewish practice and its surrounding discourse,” i.e. what Jews do. Soloman discusses SVARA’s Trans Halakhah Project, which seeks to empower trans Jews. Soloman talks with hosts Bryan Schwartzman about what the project means in a political climate hostile to trans people. “Celebrating our transness is a political act.” Recorded early in the Israel-Hamas War, Soloman describes how they have turned to ancient rabbinic sources to understand how Jews have dealt with catastrophe and violence in the past.


Theme song, “Ilu Finu” by Rabbi Miriam Margles. Her album This is the Day is available for purchase at CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/miriammarglesandthehadarensemb


Visit our home on the web — Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations: http://evolve.reconstructingjudaism.org


Subscribe by Email at http://subscribebyemail.com/evolve.fireside.fm/rss


Read these show notes on the web at https://evolve.fireside.fm/1




This podcast is produced by Reconstructing Judaism. Visit us at ReconstructingJudaism.org.
Special Guest: Laynie Soloman.
Support Evolve
Links:
Read Laynie Solomon's Evolve Essay, "Euphoric Halakhah: The Trans Halakhah Project"Read Rabbi Xava De Cordova's Evolve Essay, "Are Trans Women Obligated in Niddah? (Jewish Menstrual Law): Embracing Halakhah That Was Not Addressed to You"Watch Rabbi Xava De Cordova's Evolve Web Conversation, "Are Trans Women Obligated in Niddah Embracing Halakhah That Was Not Addressed to You"Register for an upcoming Evolve Web ConversationFollow Reconstructing Judaism on InstagramFollow Reconstructing Judaism on Facebook

“I’m sorry Dave, I can’t do that.” That’s the famously chilling line spoken by HAL, a sentient computer, in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. By refusing orders, HAL sets out to kill Dave. Will artificial intelligence do something like this in reality (something on the scale of the Terminator or the Matrix?) Will A.I. put most of us out of work? Or are these concerns overblown? To address these questions, we sit down with Mitch Marcus, a computer scientist and linguist who has been studying A.I. since the 1970s. We discuss how programs like Chat GPT work, what he thinks governments should do to regulate A.I., and what it means for A.I. to succeed. He also shares how the study of Talmud and Zohar has informed his understanding of how language works and how Jewish ethics can guide social policy surrounding A.I. He breaks down the difference between a computer and the mythical Golem.
Theme song, “Ilu Finu” by Rabbi Miriam Margles. Her album This is the Day is available for purchase at CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/miriammarglesandthehadarensemb


Visit our home on the web — Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations: http://evolve.reconstructingjudaism.org


Subscribe by Email at http://subscribebyemail.com/evolve.fireside.fm/rss


Read these show notes on the web at https://evolve.fireside.fm/1




This podcast is produced by Reconstructing Judaism. Visit us at ReconstructingJudaism.org.
Special Guest: Mitch Marcus.
Support Evolve
Links:
Evolve coverage of Israel/PalestineWays to help in this time of warFind Spiritual SupportReconstructing Judaism's statement on the horrific attacks on IsraelRitualwell Gathering of Poetry and Prayer Provided Space to Grieve and Come TogetherProgressive Israel Network Statement on the Crisis in Israel and GazaRead Mitch Marcus' Evolve Essay: ChatGPT Is the Opposite of the GolemRead Mitch Marcus' Evolve Essay: The Power and Danger of Artificial IntelligenceThe Human Condition in an Algorithmized WorldFrom The New Yorker: Our Automated FutureI'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.