Hevruta: Jewish texts and their influence on our lives Philip Graubart and Ali Viterbi

This month, Ali and Phil interview Sara Brown, the Regional Director of American Jewish Committee San Diego. We discuss a text from the Purim story, the war in Israel, and the current protests on college campuses.

This month, Ali and Phil interview Emily Kaiman, the Deputy Director of Jewish Communal Engagement at JStreet and the Deputy Director of J Street Georgia. We discuss Mishnah Avot 5:17, the war in Israel, and the difference between high conflict and healthy conflict.

This month, Ali and Phil interview Ann Goldstein, a former editor at The New Yorker and the translator of works by, among others, Elena Ferrante and Primo Levi. We discuss Primo Levi's novel "The Truce" and the unique challenges of translating Holocaust narratives.

This month, Ali and Phil teach each other their (current) favorite Jewish texts. Ali teaches the opening paragraph of Chaim Potok's "My Name is Asher Lev," and Rabbi Graubart discusses Esau's embrace with his brother (Genesis 33:4).



You can find the Jesse Green article Ali mentions here.

This month, Ali and Phil interview Rabbi Yael Vurgan, the Rabbi of Kehillat Sha'ar HaNegev, the regional community of the Israel Reform Movement in San Diego’s sister city. In this emotional conversation, we discuss Israeli poet Shaul Tchernichovsky's poem "I Believe" and what spiritual counseling looks like in Israel since October 7.

This month, Ali and Phil interview Doctors Rhona and Ray Fink, prominent lay leaders in the San Diego Jewish community, who were in Israel on October 7. In this emotional conversation, we discuss Deuteronomy 4:9, Genesis 28:10-21, and what it's been like in Israel since the terrorist attack on October 7.