Jewish Ideas to Change the World

Valley Beit Midrash
  • 4.9 (29)
  • JUDAISM
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Jewish Ideas to Change the World delivers thought-provoking content by leading Jewish thinkers with diverse perspectives and backgrounds. It is produced by Valley Beit Midrash. Valley Beit Midrash (VBM) is dedicated to social justice as driven by Torah ethics. VBM's mission is to improve lives through Jewish learning, direct action, and leadership development. Listen to VBM's other podcasts: • Social Justice in the Parsha (weekly divrei Torah by Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz) • Pearls of Jewish Wisdom on Living with Kindness (Rabbi Shmuly's class series) Stay Connected: • Website: https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org Attended virtual programs live by becoming a member for just $18 per month: https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org/become-a-member

  1. 9H AGO

    The Sacred Struggle: Jewish Responses to Trauma

    A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Benjamin David and Rabbi Lindsey Danziger About The Event: In this session, we will uncover lessons from The Sacred Struggle: Jewish Responses to Trauma. This book is a powerful anthology of personal stories, offering a deeply moving exploration of how Jewish wisdom can help us navigate life’s most difficult moments. About The Speakers: Benjamin David is the rabbi at Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. He is a respected teacher, writer, and leader within the Reform Movement. The son of Rabbi Jerome and Peggy David, Rabbi David was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Muhlenberg College in 1999 before enrolling in the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion. As a rabbinic student, he taught widely and worked with students of all ages at Shaaray Tefila of Manhattan, the 92nd Street Y, the Jewish Guild for the Blind, and Temple Beth Am of Monessen. As a student, he won multiple awards in the fields of midrash and Talmud and co-founded a literary review, Davar Aher. He was ordained from the New York campus of HUC-JIR in 2004. Following ordination, he served for seven years as the associate rabbi at Temple Sinai of Roslyn in New York, where he worked closely with synagogue youth and on such causes as Israel, social action, and community organizing. Rabbi David is deeply committed to URJ Camp Harlam, where he spent time as a camper, counselor, and supervisor. He now serves each summer on the rabbinic faculty. A competitive runner, he has run 18 marathons, including the Boston Marathon twice and the New York City Marathon four times. He is also a co-founder of the Running Rabbis, which brings clergy together to run and walk in the name of shared causes. As a cancer survivor, he works with cancer patients and their families and is active both locally and nationally in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. His wife, Lisa, a fellow Camp Harlam alum, is the director of Camp Harlam. They are the proud parents of Noa, Elijah, and Samuel. Rabbi Lindsey Danziger is the National Director of Campaigns at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. She guides synagogues and clergy across the country in their work to organize and mobilize for justice. She leads the strategy and implementation of the Reform Movement’s national campaigns for democracy in the United States and Israel, including the World Zionist Congress Campaign of 2025 and the Every Voice Every Vote civic engagement and democracy protection campaign. She is also an adjunct professor at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where she teaches Community Organizing. She was ordained there in 2017 and also received a master’s degree in Religious Education. She has previously worked at Zioness as the National Director of Organizing and as Lead Organizer of RAC Ohio. She is on the board of the Jewish Federation of Nashville, where she chairs the P2G Israel Partnership and the Akiva Day School, where she co-chairs the Admissions Committee, and is an outgoing Board of Directors member of ACLU Ohio. Rabbi Danziger resides in Nashville, TN, with her husband, Rabbi Michael Danziger, and their three children – Ben, Aviva, and Noa, and puppy Leo. ★ Support this podcast ★

    53 min
  2. What Animals Teach Us About Families: Kinship and Species in the Bible and Rabbinic Literature

    6D AGO

    What Animals Teach Us About Families: Kinship and Species in the Bible and Rabbinic Literature

    A virtual event presentation by Professor Beth Berkowitz About The Event: Family separation due to war, migration, and incarceration is a major public concern, but what about the animal families routinely separated by human agriculture and development? What is the impact on them, on us, and on the planet? Moving beyond debates about the ethics of animal consumption to focus instead on animal intimate lives, “What Animals Teach Us about Families: Kinship and Species in the Bible and Rabbinic Literature” takes on the Anthropocene and big animal agriculture to consider the fragmented animal families left behind in their wake. In this talk, I read the four “animal family” laws of the Bible alongside their rabbinic interpreters from ancient times to today, narrating how biblical writers and readers conceived of and constituted the ties that bind humans to animals and that bind animals to each other. Through the lens of biblical and rabbinic literature, this book reveals the combination of concern, cruelty, and curiosity that we humans bring to animal lives. My goal is not to restore family values so much as reimagine family to include new forms of life and alternative modes of kinship. About The Speaker: Beth A. Berkowitz is the Ingeborg Rennert Chair of Jewish Studies and Professor in the Department of Religion at Barnard College. She is the author of Execution and Invention: Death Penalty Discourse in Early Rabbinic and Christian Cultures (Oxford University Press, 2006); Defining Jewish Difference: From Antiquity to the Present (Cambridge University Press, 2012); Animals and Animality in the Babylonian Talmud (Cambridge University Press, 2018); and What Animals Teach Us about Families: Kinship and Species in the Bible and Rabbinic Literature (University of California Press, forthcoming 2026). She is co-editor of Religious Studies and Rabbinics: A Conversation (Routledge, 2017). Her area of specialization is classical rabbinic literature, and her interests include animal studies, Jewish difference, rabbinic legal authority, and Bible reception history. ★ Support this podcast ★

    1h 1m
  3. Esther: The Whole Ruth, but Nothing like the Ruth

    MAR 2

    Esther: The Whole Ruth, but Nothing like the Ruth

    An event presentation by Rabbi Ben Greenfield The event was co-sponsored by Jewish Nevada About The Event: Reading the Bible’s only two works named after women as belonging to one sustained conversation reveals two vastly different portrayals of heroism, narrative arc and female power. In this comparative study, we argue for — and spell out the implications of — reading Esther and Ruth in light of each other. *Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k1CzBdhVTopQKPEho3GUG__m8DYhEISiGXGrZ_dTawU/edit?tab=t.0About The Speaker: Ben Greenfield serves as the Scholar in Residence of VBM Las Vegas and the Director of Jewish Learning at The Adelson Upper School in Las Vegas. Ben trained at Gush, Yeshiva University, Johns Hopkins, and Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, where he was a Wexner Graduate Fellow. His original studies in Jewish thought have received several national prizes and can be found on Tablet and the Lehrhaus. ★ Support this podcast ★

    59 min
  4. The Hidden Messages of Purim

    FEB 20

    The Hidden Messages of Purim

    A virtual event with Rabbi Marc Gitler About The Event: In this class, we'll explore the deeper layers of the Purim story that often go unnoticed. Together, we’ll look beyond the costumes, noise, and celebration to uncover subtle themes woven into the Megillah—hidden miracles, quiet acts of courage, and the power of human choice when God seems absent. Through close reading and reflection, this class will reveal how Purim speaks not only to ancient Persia but to our own lives, offering timeless insights about resilience, faith, and finding meaning beneath the surface. *Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1epMazCRxkJyPlebCqapWPUOxnBSQPRET/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118303465191084699356&rtpof=true&sd=trueAbout The Speaker: Rabbi Marc Gitler serves as the Senior Jewish Educator at Valley Beit Midrash and is the visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The founder of Fast for Feast, he lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Sarah, and their four children. ★ Support this podcast ★

    55 min
  5. What is the Most Important Mitzvah in the Torah?

    FEB 20

    What is the Most Important Mitzvah in the Torah?

    A virtual event with Rabbi Marc Gitler About The Event: Judaism contains 613 mitzvot, each shaping Jewish life in its own way. But are some more central than others? In this lecture, we’ll explore how the Torah and later Jewish thinkers have grappled with the idea of prioritizing commandments. By examining key biblical passages and rabbinic teachings, we’ll ask what it might mean to identify a “most important” mitzvah, or a core set of values that anchor them all. Along the way, we’ll consider how these debates can help us clarify what Judaism asks of us—and how those priorities might guide Jewish life today. *Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qNx5xPcV0qQwQwWtoCny4EPT2PBNw-gc/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118303465191084699356&rtpof=true&sd=trueAbout The Speaker: Rabbi Marc Gitler serves as the Senior Jewish Educator at Valley Beit Midrash and is the visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The founder of Fast for Feast, he lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Sarah, and their four children. ★ Support this podcast ★

    59 min
  6. The Masks We Wear

    FEB 19

    The Masks We Wear

    A virtual event presentation by Melanie Gruenwald About The Event: In this session, we will take a psycho-spiritual, kabbalistic exploration of our multiple masks and identities, and explore the themes connected to the upcoming holiday of Purim. *Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DccDFTg4zbdz7e-SC_wusZRtcEy7NIoH/view?usp=sharing About The Speaker: Melanie Gruenwald, Executive Director of Kabbalah Experience, brings over 30 years of non-profit leadership and community-organizing to her position. Engaged with senior citizens, families, college students, and teens, Melanie has extensive professional experience with communal leadership and informal Jewish education.  Melanie is energized by building relationships, understanding people’s needs, and finding ways to connect them. She loves the balance of organizational leadership and teaching, on a daily basis at Kabbalah Experience.  She earned her B.S. in Psychology from Binghamton University (S.U.N.Y), and Masters in Social Work and Certificate in Jewish Communal Service from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University. Melanie has pursued additional Judaic and spiritual studies at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, the Conservative Yeshiva, and, most recently, Kabbalah Experience.  Melanie is married to Rabbi Salomon Gruenwald and is mom to three children, Koby (z”l), Hannah, and Micah. ★ Support this podcast ★

    41 min
  7. Defining Justice: Do We Want Equity, Equality, or Revolution?

    FEB 18

    Defining Justice: Do We Want Equity, Equality, or Revolution?

    A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Sarah Mulhern About The Event: When we say we want to work for justice, what do we actually mean? In this class, we will dive into the question of whether a truly just outcome is about equity, equality, or is revolutionary in nature, and try to understand what the strengths and weaknesses of each approach to changemaking are. Through discussion and the study of rabbinic texts that advocate for each of these approaches in relation to economic justice, we will explore how each of us can best focus our work to change the world in our areas of passion. *Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ASFEXkmGB5dWVF50i9g0OFZxdGwC7zXH/view?usp=sharing About The Speaker: Rav Sarah Mulhern is a Rabbi, educator, and community builder. She serves as the Rabbi of Silverstein Base Lincoln Park, opening her home and her heart to young adults in Chicago. She passionately believes that Torah matters and that Judaism can enrich human life and better society. Rav Sarah is also a nationally-regarded Torah educator, frequently teaching in a wide variety of Jewish adult education settings, particularly on topics of ethics, gender, and Jewish practice. As a rabbi, some of her areas of focus include grief support, feminist and queer niddah education, and crafting joyful halachic egalitarian life cycle rituals. She is deeply committed to inspiring traditional prayer and is a passionate shaliach tzibur. Rav Sarah was ordained by the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College, where she also earned a Master's in Jewish Education, and received private rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Daniel Landes. She is an alumna of Brandeis University, Yeshivat Hadar, Pardes Institute, Drisha Institute, Beit Midrash Har El, the Wexner Graduate Fellowship, and the David Hartman Center Fellowship. ★ Support this podcast ★

    49 min
  8. The Sevenfold Path: A Traveler’s Guide to Jewish Wisdom

    FEB 17

    The Sevenfold Path: A Traveler’s Guide to Jewish Wisdom

    A hybrid event presentation (in-person and virtual) with Shira Milgrom and David M. Elcott The event was co-sponsored by Congregation Beth Israel About The Event: In this traveler’s guide to spiritual practice, Milgrom and Elcott bring the reader to many paths that seekers of the sacred walk. What is the universal sevenfold path? Recognizing a spark of the divine; honoring the covenant with all living things; engaging in healing and growth; opening our lives to the divine presence; seeing where we are as a sacred place; seeking and pursuing justice; and taking time to enjoy a sabbath. They illuminate these paths through inspiring stories, both inherited and personal, drawn from a richly lived Jewish life and encounters with faith communities around the world. For while the universe emerged from one pinpoint of energy and life, it is only in its infinite diversitthatre God can be found. Indeed, “there is no place devoid of the Presence,” even in everyday. About The Speakers: Shira Milgrom served as Rabbi of Congregation Kol Ami in White Plains for thirty-seven years and is the editor of a unique prayer book used in Jewish settings across the continent.  David M. Elcott, retired as the Taub Professor of Practice at NYU Wagner, is a Senior Fellow at Columbia’s Center for Justice and works with Hudson Link to teach classes to incarcerated individuals. He is the author of Faith, Nationalism, and the Future of Liberal Democracy. ★ Support this podcast ★

    53 min
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4.9
out of 5
29 Ratings

About

Jewish Ideas to Change the World delivers thought-provoking content by leading Jewish thinkers with diverse perspectives and backgrounds. It is produced by Valley Beit Midrash. Valley Beit Midrash (VBM) is dedicated to social justice as driven by Torah ethics. VBM's mission is to improve lives through Jewish learning, direct action, and leadership development. Listen to VBM's other podcasts: • Social Justice in the Parsha (weekly divrei Torah by Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz) • Pearls of Jewish Wisdom on Living with Kindness (Rabbi Shmuly's class series) Stay Connected: • Website: https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org Attended virtual programs live by becoming a member for just $18 per month: https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org/become-a-member

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