The Bluegrass Schmooze Louisville Public Media
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- Religion & Spirituality
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When Shani Abramowitz and Ben Freed took their first jobs as rabbis in Lexington and Louisville, they got one question from their classmates and friends: There are Jews in Kentucky? The short answer is yes! The long answer is right here, in your podcast feed. Every month, you'll hear a deep dive into upcoming holidays and their meanings, and kibitz with a Jewish Kentuckian who has a great story. And each episode wraps up with a L'Chaim of the Month — a toast to a person or group making our world a better place (bourbon in a kosher dill jar optional... but strongly encouraged). Zei gezunt, y'all!
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Bonus: How Ira Glass learned to tell stories from Broadway and the bimah
When Ira Glass created "This American Life" in 1995, he wanted to expand on traditional news reporting and tell stories in new ways. Same thing in 2014, when he and members of his production team brought "Serial" to life and changed the podcasting world. But while he's known for innovation, he traces his own storytelling roots to older influences he experienced growing up in a Jewish community in the 1960s and '70s.
Ira joined us for a conversation ahead of his appearance in Louisville on June 1. Find show details at LPM.org/ira -
Iyyar: Our story is ancient, but still unfolding
We talk a lot on our show about old times. Like, reeeally old times, from many thousands of years ago. But this month, Iyyar, we explore three holidays that commemorate more recent moments in Jewish history: Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, Yom Ha’atzma’ut, Israel’s Independence Day, and Yom HaShoa, Holocaust Remembrance Day. And we kibitz with three Kentuckians who help educators teach about the Holocaust in ways that are ethical and engaging:
—Janice Fernheimer is Zantker Charitable Foundation Professor of Jewish Studies, Professor of Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies, and James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits Faculty Fellow at the University of Kentucky, and co-director of the University of Kentucky Jewish Heritage Fund Holocaust Education Initiative.
—Karen Petrone is Professor of History and co-director of the UK-JHF Holocaust Initiative and a specialist in Russian and Soviet History.
—Alice Goldstein has published widely on demographic studies focusing on population mobility in reaction to modernization, and on contemporary American Jewry. Alice is the author of Ordinary People, Turbulent Times, in which she tells the story of her own family’s resilience and escape from Nazi Germany.
If you’re a middle or high school teacher in Kentucky, you can learn more about the University of Kentucky Jewish Heritage Fund Holocaust Education Initiative and sign up to participate at holocausteducation.uky.edu. -
Nisan: Passover, and a new understanding of God
Animator and theatre creator Yehuda Husband shares his journey to Judaism, and how his intersecting identities shape him as an artist and father.
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Adar II: Toasting for Purim with The Bourbon Rabbi, Chaim Litvin
On this episode, we learn the story of Purim & kibitz with "The Bourbon Rabbi," Chaim Litvin.
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Adar Rishon: Ariel Elias and comedy's power to make us feel seen
Two rabbis and a comedian walk into a bar... ok, we're still workshopping the punchline. But this month we're kibitzing with Jewish comedian Ariel Elias! Ariel lives in New York City, she’s been on Jimmy Kimmel Live and featured in Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, and Good Morning America… and she grew up right here in Kentucky.
And we’ll talk about the month of Adar Rishon, or, Adar One. This year there are two of 'em, because it's a leap year — a phenomenon that happens seven out of every 19 years. We'll explain it all in This Month in Judaism, and we won't make you do any math. -
Sh'vat: On being an American Jew and a Jewish American
This month in Judaism, Tu BiShvat reminds us to be thankful for the natural world, and hold onto hope for springtime. And we meet Leon Wahba and Captain Promotable Jordan Disney. Both served at Ft. Knox — Leon in the 1960s and Jordan, currently. They kibitz about Army life, whether the kosher meals are edible, and how being Jewish impacts military service... and we ask them where the gold is.
Customer Reviews
Fantastic listen!
Fun, educational, and such positive vibes! Great chemistry between the hosts and DO NOT sleep on the intro and outro songs which are laugh out loud funny. My only concern is that I need to wait a MONTH between episodes!