Deatra Cohen and Adam Siegel have explored the world of Jewish medicinal plant healers within the communities of the Pale of Settlement in Eastern Europe, and written a book to share their findings. As trained librarians and linguists, Deatra a

Transcending Jewish Trauma with Jo Kent Katz

Nov 16th, 2021 40m 10s

We dig into a topic that has come up in many of the conversations on this podcast: intergenerational trauma. The study of this phenomenon is relatively new, but it’s resonated with many Jews whose ancestors’ survived violence and persecution. T

Jewish Ethnicity, Jewish Joy, Mizrahi Culture, and Decolonizing Jewishness, with Yasmine Esther

Jun 29th, 2021 47m 51s

Clarissa talks to Yasmine Esther, a community educator, and a Bukharan, Ashkenazi, and Mizrahi Jew. Yasmine’s made it her mission to inform Jews and non-Jews alike about Jewish politics and culture. With over sixteen-thousand followers on Insta

Persian Jewish Culture, Stigmas, Taboos, and Mental Health, with Nicole Nowparvar

May 25th, 2021 41m 53s

Forty years ago, thousands of Jews fled Iran after the Islamic Revolution, settling primarily in Los Angeles. Nicole Nowparvar is a member of that Persian Jewish community. She’s a psychotherapist, and the cofounder of Chaya, a community of int

Bonus

A Resource List for Israel-Palestine

May 19th, 2021 3m 30s

A Resource List for Israel-PalestineThis list is in no way exhaustive – and we’re open to suggestions. We’ve tried to include resources that are thoughtful and align with the goal of justice and liberation for all people in the region.You can f

Jewish New York with Dr. Deborah Dash Moore

Apr 27th, 2021 54m 2s

Clarissa talks with Dr. Deborah Dash Moore, a professor of Jewish History, about a city that holds a special place for American Jews and Jewish culture: New York City. They talk about her book “Jewish New York,” how Jews transformed the city of

Judaism without Patriarchy, #metoo, and Welcoming Jews of all Genders, with Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg

Mar 23rd, 2021 47m 14s

Clarissa talks with Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg about the influence of the patriarchy on Judaism and how it impacts gender roles in Jewish spaces today. In the early 2000s, Rabbi Kinberg had to act as a whistleblower in a sexual abuse case involving

The Caged Bird Tweets of Freedom: Black Jewish Life and Twitter, with Jesi Taylor Cruz

Feb 23rd, 2021 42m 27s

DESCRIPTIONClarissa talks to journalist and graduate student of philosophy Jesi Taylor Cruz about her paper “The Caged Bird Tweets of Freedom: On the Digital Hypervisibility of Black Jewish life.” They discuss race and racism in the Jewish comm

Embracing Yiddish Language, Theater, Culture, and History, with Rokhl Kafrissen

Jan 26th, 2021 45m 17s

Clarissa talks to Rokhl Kafrissen, a Yiddish cultural critic and playwright. You may know her from her column in Tablet Magazine, Rokhl’s Golden City, or her blog, Yiddish Praxis. Rokhl and Clarissa talk about her venture into the world of Yidd

Feminist and Full of Chutzpah w/Alma Editor Molly Tolsky

Nov 22nd, 2020 34m 25s

Show DescriptionClarissa talks with Molly Tolsky, the longtime editor of Kveller and the founding editor of the Jewish culture site, Alma. Alma describes itself as feminist, and full of chutzpah. They cover a wide range of topics and something

Hebrew Tattoos w/Artist and Calligrapher Gabriel Wolff

Nov 21st, 2020 43m 57s

DescriptionClarissa talks with artist and calligrapher, Gabriel Wolff. They talked about his journey to finding his niche as a Hebrew calligrapher, specifically for tattoo art, and the ways that Jews are using tattoos to wrestle with and commun

Finding Crypto-Jewish Ancestors w/Researcher and Historian Genie Milgrom

Nov 20th, 2020 1h 4m

Clarissa talks to Genie Milgrom. Genie was raised Catholic, but always had an inkling her family was actually Jewish. After years of investigation, she was able to trace her family tree back to 16th century Jews on the Iberian Peninsula. Along

Writing about Jews and Pop Culture w/Writer Abraham Riesman

Nov 20th, 2020 1h 6m

Clarissa talks with writer Abraham Riesman. This conversation was recorded in December 2019 when Abe was writing a biography of the Jewish Marvel Comics Icon Stan Lee. The book is titled “True Believer, the Rise and Fall of Stan Lee,” and is sl

White Jews & Race w/Dr. Elliot Ratzman

Oct 26th, 2020 59m 44s

Clarissa talks to Dr. Elliot Ratzman, a professor in Jewish studies, race, and social justice in religion. They discuss the contemporary intersection of white Jews and race, including the questions you weren’t sure how to ask, like “What race a

American Jewish Fiction w/Heather Paul

Oct 25th, 2020 39m 42s

Clarissa shares the very first conversation she recorded for the podcast and it’s all about American Jewish Fiction. She talks to rabbinical student (and book lover) Heather Paul about how Jewish novels inspired her to become a professional Jew