

Judaism Unbound
Institute for the Next Jewish Future
Listen in as Lex Rofeberg and Rena Yehuda Newman analyze pressing issues for 21st century American Judaism. Mixing their own analysis with interviews of leading thinkers, practitioners, and even "regular Jews," Lex and Rena Yehuda look to push past the bounds of what it means to be Jewish in the 21st century.
You can support Judaism Unbound at www.JudaismUnbound.com/donate.
You can support Judaism Unbound at www.JudaismUnbound.com/donate.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 24, 2020 • 52min
Episode 206: "Practical" Isn't the Point - Sandy Fox
Sandy Fox, American Jewish historian and host of Vaybertaytsh, a “feminist podcast for the Yiddish-speaking and the Yiddish-curious,” joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation that weaves together the topics of Yiddish, podcasting, summer camp, gender, and much more. (Fox is also known among Yiddish-speakers as סאָסיע־פֿריידל).This episode is the fourth in a series of episodes produced in collaboration with the Yiddish Book Center, as part of its Decade of Discovery initiative, in honor of 40 years since the Yiddish Book Center’s founding. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!To access full shownotes for this episode, click here.

Jan 17, 2020 • 44min
Episode 205: A Yiddish Family - Asya Vaisman Schulman, Seb Schulman
Asya Vaisman Schulman and Sebastian Schulman join Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg to talk about each of their individual relationships to Yiddish language and culture, along with their collective relationship to Yiddish that is embodied through their nuclear family. This episode is the third in a series of episodes produced in collaboration with the Yiddish Book Center, as part of its Decade of Discovery initiative, in honor of 40 years since the Yiddish Book Center’s founding.If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!To access full shownotes for this episode, click here.

Jan 10, 2020 • 46min
Episode 204: Confronting Yiddish Shame - Naomi Seidman
Naomi Seidman, the Chancellor Jackman Professor of the Arts at the University of Toronto’s Department for the Study of Religion, joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation looking at Yiddish’s intersections with politics, translation, gender, and shame. This episode is the second in a series of episodes produced in collaboration with the Yiddish Book Center, as part of its Decade of Discovery initiative, in honor of 40 years since the Yiddish Book Center’s founding.If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!To access full shownotes for this episode, click here.

Jan 7, 2020 • 34min
Bonus Episode: Shmoozing About Yiddish (Dan on "The Shmooze" Podcast)
Dan Libenson shifts from his usual role as co-host to one of guest! He appears on the Yiddish Book Center's podcast, entitled "The Shmooze," where he engages in conversation with host Lisa Newman about Judaism Unbound, some initial takeaways from our current series about Yiddish in America, and more.If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!

Jan 3, 2020 • 45min
Episode 203: Yiddish in America - Aaron Lansky
Aaron Lansky, founder of the Yiddish Book Center and winner of a MacArthur Fellowship (also known as the MacArthur “Genius Grant”), joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about the beginnings of the Yiddish Book Center, along with the role that Yiddish continues to play in American life today. This episode is the first in a series of episodes produced in collaboration with the Yiddish Book Center, as part of its Decade of Discovery initiative, in honor of 40 years since the Yiddish Book Center’s founding.If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!To access full shownotes for this episode, click here.

Dec 27, 2019 • 48min
Episode 202: The Texts are Dancing - Ruth Calderon
Ruth Calderon, a former member of Israel’s parliament and the founder of two organizations (Elul and Alma: Home for Hebrew Culture) blending traditional Jewish study with contemporary Jewish culture, joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about how to blend traditional Jewish sources with a radical spirit of contemporary creativity.If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!To access full shownotes for this episode, click here.

Dec 20, 2019 • 47min
Episode 201: Marathons and Sprints - Aaron Katler
Aaron Katler, CEO of UpStart, joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation that looks at ideas of Jewish change, creativity, and urgency through the metaphor of “marathons” and “sprints.”If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!To access full shownotes for this episode, click here.

Dec 13, 2019 • 57min
Episode 200: Educating Ourselves - Benay Lappe
Benay Lappe, founder of SVARA: A Traditionally Radical Yeshiva, joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg as a co-host for this conversation, as the three of them look forward toward the future of Jewish education and reflect back on 200 episodes of the Judaism Unbound podcast.If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!To access full shownotes for this episode, click here.

Dec 6, 2019 • 45min
Episode 199: Learning Judaism - Abby Eisenberg
Abby Eisenberg, an independent Jewish educator and life cycle officiant, joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg in a conversation that asks what it would mean to conceptualize our Jewish practices as “Learning Judaism,” through which the continual engagement with Jewish texts would be centered above any particular relationship to Jewish law or belief.If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!To access full shownotes for this episode, click here.

Nov 29, 2019 • 48min
Episode 198: Jews are People - Darren Kleinberg
Darren Kleinberg, the Head of School at Kehillah Jewish High School in Palo Alto, California, wants to remind you that Jews are human beings. He also wants you to remember that Judaism is not about Judaism. He joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg to explain what those two sentences mean, and why both are of the utmost importance.If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!To access full shownotes for this episode, click here.


