Judaism Unbound

This week, Judaism Unbound is thrilled to feature the 3rd episode of Door to Door: A Pilgrimage Across Generations -- another podcast in Judaism Unbound's family of podcasts! ------------------------- Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming courses in the UnYeshiva! This time around we are offering courses on an Intro to Judaism (Judaism Inbound), the book of Genesis, the Magic & Medicine of Psalms, Jews and Revolution, and a Jewish embrace of Fatness! -------------------------- Door to Door is a deeply personal, five-part podcast series tracing one Jewish family’s multigenerational pilgrimage from a once-lost home in Wachenbuchen, Germany, to the present-day echoes of inherited memory, trauma, and resilience. Told through archival recordings, family reflections, and emotional returns to ancestral ground, this podcast chronicles the survival of Simon—a Holocaust survivor taken to Buchenwald Concentration Camp during Kristallnacht—and the generations that followed him. It's a story shaped by suffering, but defined by rebuilding, remembrance, and an enduring commitment to legacy. Door to Door invites listeners to witness what it means to reclaim identity from the wreckage—and to carry forward the names, the stories, and the truths nearly erased. If you’ve ever felt the weight of inherited memory, or the pull to understand where you come from — subscribe to Door to Door wherever you get your podcasts. Let this be part of your story, too. We'd love to hear from you, so you can email us at miriam@judaismunbound.com or find us at: www.judaismunbound.com/door-to-door

Jewish Journeys, an unprecedented population study of Jewish Americans’ perspectives on psychedelics, explores the attitudes, practices, and needs of the emerging Jewish psychedelic community in the United States. Zac Kamenetz and Josh Lipson join Dan and Lex for a conversation about this study, its implications for American Judaism, and how we might take lessons from the field of psychedelics and apply them to contemporary Jewish life. Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming courses in the UnYeshiva! This time around we are offering courses on an Intro to Judaism (Judaism Inbound), the book of Genesis, the Magic & Medicine of Psalms, Jews and Revolution, and a Jewish embrace of Fatness! Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. 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! Join the Judaism Unbound discord, where you can interact with Judaism Unbound's hosts, and with fellow listeners all around the world, by heading to discord.judaismunbound.com.

We reveal some HUGE JUDAISM UNBOUND NEWS in this episode. And yes, we are gonna be that organization and make you listen in order to find out what that news is. What we will say is that this big news offers an opportunity for a conversation reflecting on 10 years of the Judaism Unbound podcast, along with looking into its future. Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming courses in the UnYeshiva! This time around we are offering courses on an Intro to Judaism, the book of Genesis, the Magic & Medicine of Psalms, Jews and Revolution, and a Jewish embrace of Fatness! Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. 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! Join the Judaism Unbound discord, where you can interact with Judaism Unbound's hosts, and with fellow listeners all around the world, by heading to discord.judaismunbound.com.

Juan Mejia, a beloved guest in past episodes of Judaism Unbound (here's Episode 57 and Episode 387), is back! He joins Dan and Lex to reflect on conversion to Judaism -- what has changed in the past 10 years since he initially was a guest on Judaism Unbound, and what remains constant? What parallels can we observe between discourse about Jewish conversion, and discourse about immigration to the United States? What might any of this mean as we look not only at the past 10 years, but the next 10? --------------- Looking to convert to Judaism yourself? Judaism Unbound has a class you can take to begin your journey! Enroll in Judaism Inbound, beginning on February 25th, 2026. Financial aid is available via this link. (And yes, this class is also open to any and all folks who are not looking to convert, but are still interested in an intro to Judaism course for any other reason!). ---------------- Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. 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! Join the Judaism Unbound discord, where you can interact with fellow listeners all around the world, by heading to discord.judaismunbound.com.

What is Jewish placemaking, and why might it matter to the present and future of Jewish education? Beverly Socher-Lerner, founder and executive director of Makom Community in Philadelphia, joins Dan and Lex to explore that question. This episode is the second in a mini-series exploring Jewish education, following up on a recent Judaism Unbound episode featuring Leah Robbins, founder of Achvat Olam Community Day School. Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. 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! Join the Judaism Unbound discord, where you can interact with fellow listeners all around the world, by heading to discord.judaismunbound.com.

This week, Judaism Unbound is thrilled to feature the 2nd episode of Door to Door: A Pilgrimage Across Generations -- another podcast in Judaism Unbound's family of podcasts! Door to Door is a deeply personal, five-part podcast series tracing one Jewish family’s multigenerational pilgrimage from a once-lost home in Wachenbuchen, Germany, to the present-day echoes of inherited memory, trauma, and resilience. Told through archival recordings, family reflections, and emotional returns to ancestral ground, this podcast chronicles the survival of Simon—a Holocaust survivor taken to Buchenwald Concentration Camp during Kristallnacht—and the generations that followed him. It's a story shaped by suffering, but defined by rebuilding, remembrance, and an enduring commitment to legacy. Door to Door invites listeners to witness what it means to reclaim identity from the wreckage—and to carry forward the names, the stories, and the truths nearly erased. If you’ve ever felt the weight of inherited memory, or the pull to understand where you come from — subscribe to Door to Door wherever you get your podcasts. Let this be part of your story, too. Ohio Humanities made this episode of Door to Door possible. Door to Door is a production of the Institute for the Next Jewish Future and part of the family of podcasts of Judaism Unbound. Created by Miriam Terlinchamp, directed by Joey Taylor, produced at Monastery Studio, original music by Ric Hordinski, and art by Katie Kaestner. ---------------------------- Want to connect with Judaism Unbounders all around the world? Join our Discord server, which we have just opened to any and all Judaism Unbound listeners, all around the world! Just head to Discord.JudaismUnbound.com to join.

Leah Robbins is the founder of Achvat Olam: Diaspora Community Day School, a Jewish day-school "rooted in love, diasporism, and the Torah of justice," that hopes to launch in the 2029-30 school year. She joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about the importance of Jewish day-schools, the idea of diasporism, and visions for a brighter Jewish future -- in classrooms and beyond. Learn more about Achvat Olam by heading to AchvatOlam.org. Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. 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! Join the Judaism Unbound discord, where you can interact with fellow listeners all around the world, by heading to discord.judaismunbound.com.

Margot Valles is teaching a mini-course in the UnYeshiva called The Torah of Kink: Jewish Text Through the Lens of BDSM. She joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about what kink is, why discussions about kink can add to contemporary Jewish experience, and where we might find kink in the Torah. Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva! This time around we are offering The Torah of Kink, Hasidism and Neo-Hasidism, Queering Kedusha (Holiness), and Brit Milah Unbound: Exploring Circumcision! Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. 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! Join the Judaism Unbound discord, where you can interact with fellow listeners all around the world, by heading to discord.judaismunbound.com.

Judaism Unbound kicks off the new year by hearkening back to our recent mini-series exploring Jewish music: past, present, and future. Anthony Russell, a multidisciplinary artist working in the medium of Yiddish language and culture, joins Dan and Lex for a conversation. Together they explore Yiddish music, as a springboard into a broader exploration of how music can transform individuals and Jewish communities. Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva! This time around we are offering The Torah of Kink, Hasidism and Neo-Hasidism, Queering Kedusha (Holiness), and Brit Milah Unbound: Exploring Circumcision! Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. 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! Join the Judaism Unbound discord, where you can interact with fellow listeners all around the world, by heading to discord.judaismunbound.com.

Dan and Lex are joined by Tomer Persico, author of a recent book entitled In God's Image: How Western Civilization Was Shaped by a Revolutionary Idea. Together they explore the notion of B'tzelem Elohim (the idea that all human beings are created "in the image of God") from the book of Genesis -- what are its implications, why might it be important to us, and might it have a shadow side? Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva! This time around we are offering The Torah of Kink, Hasidism and Neo-Hasidism, Queering Kedusha (Holiness), and Brit Milah Unbound: Exploring Circumcision! Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. 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! Join the Judaism Unbound discord, where you can interact with fellow listeners all around the world, by heading to discord.judaismunbound.com.

Lex Rofeberg is joined again by Lexi Kohanski, and Liana Wertman (our friends at The Torah Studio) for the 4th and final conversation in our 2025 edition of ApocryFest: Hanukkah Unbound and Un-Canonized. In this episode, they consider how we can channel our newfound Apocryphal ideas into the world today. They consider the importance of texts that are both canonical and non-canonical, along with endorsing the value of entering texts (such as apocrypha) that bring us into a state of beginner's mind. You can sign up for ApocryFest 2025 by heading to www.JudaismUnbound.com/apocryfest. Do so, and we’ll send you all sorts of cool Apocryphal stuff, during Hanukkah, to help enrich your experience of this holiday! And you can register for The Hanukkah Apocrypha Extravaganza on December 21st, via this link! For all of our episodes from past years' ApocryFests, click here. Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva! This time around we are offering The Torah of Kink, Hasidism and Neo-Hasidism, Queering Kedusha (Holiness), and Brit Milah Unbound: Exploring Circumcision!

Today we are thrilled to feature an episode from Judaism Unbound’s family of podcasts on our flagship podcast’s feed. The podcast is The Oral Talmud, hosted by our founder Dan Libenson and Benay Lappe – founder of SVARA: a Traditionally Radical Yeshiva. Join Benay Lappe and Dan Libenson in their chevrutah, their partnered study and exploration of the Talmud through the “traditionally radical” lens pioneered by Benay Lappe. Together, we explore key stories and practices from the Talmud as a how-to manual for re-imagining Judaism after the previous version “crashes.” Whether you are a beginner or a longtime learner of Talmud, this podcast offers a framework to understand the Talmud more deeply from the perspective of contemporary academic study and creative re-interpretation. ---------------------- Episode 0: Learning Together “I am responsible for my chevruta’s learning, and my chevruta is responsible for my learning. I am invested in you.” - Benay Lappe Join study partners (chevrutas) Benay Lappe & Dan Libenson as they reflect on five years of The Oral Talmud, and celebrate its transition from a video-series to a podcast! What do lasting study partners recognize in each other? How do they decide how and what to learn together? Find out what makes a learning journey exciting, possible, and loving! For full episode shownotes, click here.

Lex Rofeberg is joined again by Lexi Kohanski, and Liana Wertman (our friends at The Torah Studio) for the 3nd conversation in our 2025 edition of ApocryFest: Hanukkah Unbound and Un-Canonized. In this episode, they explore a text called 4 Ezra. You can sign up for ApocryFest 2025 by heading to www.JudaismUnbound.com/apocryfest. Do so, and we’ll send you all sorts of cool Apocryphal stuff, during Hanukkah, to help enrich your experience of this holiday! And you can register for The Hanukkah Apocrypha Extravaganza on December 21st, via this link! For all of our episodes from past years' ApocryFests, click here. Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva! This time around we are offering The Torah of Kink, Hasidism and Neo-Hasidism, Queering Kedusha (Holiness), and Brit Milah Unbound: Exploring Circumcision!

Lex Rofeberg, Lexi Kohanski, and Liana Wertman (the latter two our friends at The Torah Studio) bring the 2nd conversation in a 4-episode mini-series entitled ApocryFest: Hanukkah Unbound and Un-Canonized. In this episode, they explore a text called Genesis Apocryphon. They explore the power of texts written in the 1st-person (unlike most of the Bible), ask whether it may be spiritually productive to engage with texts that are fragments (allowing us to fill in the blanks ourselves), and wonder aloud what changes when allow stories from our tradition to have multiple versions that can all simultaneously be "authentic." You can sign up for ApocryFest 2025 by heading to www.JudaismUnbound.com/apocryfest. Do so, and we’ll send you all sorts of cool Apocryphal stuff, during Hanukkah, to help enrich your experience of this holiday! And you can register for The Hanukkah Apocrypha Extravaganza on December 21st, via this link! For all of our episodes from past years' ApocryFests, click here. Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva! This time around we are offering The Torah of Kink, Hasidism and Neo-Hasidism, Queering Kedusha (Holiness), and Brit Milah Unbound: Exploring Circumcision!

Hanukkah is here! Lex Rofeberg, Lexi Kohanski, and Liana Wertman (the latter two from our friends at The Torah Studio) kick off the 2025 edition of ApocryFest: Hanukkah Unbound and Un-Canonized -- a 4-part mini-series of Judaism Unbound. They ask why texts of the apocrypha are worth exploring, why it's worth doing so on Hanukkah in particular, explore some beloved apocryphal faves (Judith and Maccabees) along with introducing a few texts (Genesis Apocryphon and 4 Ezra) which will get bonus episodes of their own once Hanukkah begins. You can sign up for ApocryFest 2025 by heading to www.JudaismUnbound.com/apocryfest. Do so, and we’ll send you all sorts of cool Apocryphal stuff, during Hanukkah, to help enrich your experience of this holiday! And you can register for The Hanukkah Apocrypha Extravaganza on December 21st, via this link! For all of our episodes from past years' ApocryFests, click here. Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva! This time around we are offering The Torah of Kink, Hasidism and Neo-Hasidism, Queering Kedusha (Holiness), and Brit Milah Unbound: Exploring Circumcision!

Dan and Lex are joined by Sarah Hurwitz, author of a recently-published book entitled As a Jew, which explores ways in which antisemitism has shaped Jewish identity -- and how Jews can reclaim their tradition. This episode is the second in a short mini-series on antisemitism, following up on a conversation last week with Daniel May. Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. 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! Join the Judaism Unbound discord, where you can interact with fellow listeners all around the world, by heading to discord.judaismunbound.com.

Daniel May, publisher of Jewish Currents, joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about anti-semitism. May is the author of a recent piece in Harper's Magazine entitled "An Outrage to Common Sense: On the Meanings of Anti-Semitism," a piece that serves as a great launching point into a discussion of antisemitism's history, its contemporary manifestations, along with debates about when it manifests and when it doesn't. If you've noticed that some parts of this description use a hyphen in "anti-semitism," and others use "antisemitism" with no hyphen, you're a sharp reader! That punctuation choice and its ramifications is part of this episode as well. Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. 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! Join the Judaism Unbound discord, where you can interact with fellow listeners all around the world, by heading to discord.judaismunbound.com.

Barbara Thiede (also known as Shulamit Sapir) is a multi-time guest on Judaism Unbound in the past, a key figure in our recent book Judaism Unbound...Bound, a past teacher in the UnYeshiva, and a major influence on Judaism Unbound in many respects over the years. She joins Dan and Lex for a conversation that extends a previous appearance of hers (Episode 101: Not Your Rabbis' Judaism), and continues a mini-series of Judaism Unbound episodes where we look back on what has shifted in Jewish life since our founding ten years ago. Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. 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! Join the Judaism Unbound discord, where you can interact with fellow listeners all around the world, by heading to discord.judaismunbound.com.

David Kraemer is the author of a recent book entitled Embracing Exile: The Case for Jewish Diaspora, and the Joseph J. and Dora Abbell Librarian and Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He joins Dan and Lex for a conversation that uses that book as a springboard into a conversation about diaspora and exile in the Jewish past, present, and future. Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. 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! Join the Judaism Unbound discord, where you can interact with fellow listeners all around the world, by heading to discord.judaismunbound.com.

This week, Judaism Unbound is thrilled to feature the 1st episode of Door to Door: A Pilgrimage Across Generations -- another podcast in Judaism Unbound's family of podcasts! Want to connect with Judaism Unbounders all around the world? Join our Discord server, which we have just opened to any and all Judaism Unbound listeners, all around the world! Just head to Discord.JudaismUnbound.com to join. ---------------------------- Door to Door is a deeply personal, five-part podcast series tracing one Jewish family’s multigenerational pilgrimage from a once-lost home in Wachenbuchen, Germany, to the present-day echoes of inherited memory, trauma, and resilience. Told through archival recordings, family reflections, and emotional returns to ancestral ground, this podcast chronicles the survival of Simon—a Holocaust survivor taken to Buchenwald Concentration Camp during Kristallnacht—and the generations that followed him. It's a story shaped by suffering, but defined by rebuilding, remembrance, and an enduring commitment to legacy. Door to Door invites listeners to witness what it means to reclaim identity from the wreckage—and to carry forward the names, the stories, and the truths nearly erased. If you’ve ever felt the weight of inherited memory, or the pull to understand where you come from — subscribe to Door to Door wherever you get your podcasts. Let this be part of your story, too.