Chutzpod!

Is Botox kosher? What about filler, extensions or hair dye? Can a good Jew be too vain? And does Judaism value beauty? A listener reaches out for help when her two daughters are horrified to discover their feminist mom has a secret desire for luxurious lashes. Rabbi Shira and Hanna help her navigate personal vanity, Jewish values and 21st century parenting. And they reveal their own insecurities and zoom primping rituals. Read more about Joseph & beauty in the Torah Read more about hospitality, vanity and beauty Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

We’re back for Season 7! Purim is a time to reveal the hidden, unmask your shadow self and, perhaps, get super sloshed. But a listener wonders about having a psychedelic experience on Purim. Rabbi Shira and Hanna get advice from Rabbi Zac Kamenetz, the founder of Shefa, an organization working to integrate safe and supported psychedelic use into the Jewish spiritual tradition. Learn more about Shefa Read about the shadow self Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Chutzpod is coming back with new episodes and new real-life questions February 25th! Rabbi Shira and Hanna will talk about using psychedelics on Purim, whether it’s ok to be vain and how synagogues can be more inclusive to trans members. Subscribe to automatically get all new episodes. And submit your own questions to be featured on an episode! Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Did you know that 29% of American Jews struggle to make ends meet? What you are about to hear is a session from the 2025 Jewish Federation of North America General Assembly, the JFNA GA, entitled Redefining Jewish Life Through the Lens of Economic Reality. In this session, we examined 2025 data on Jewish poverty in America, and discussed how our communal narratives about money and class obscure the real experiences of Jews across the economic spectrum. The first speaker you’ll hear is Rachel Sumekh, Entrepreneur and CEO of Together Ending Need. You’ll also hear from Jon Hornstein, Program Director at The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, and our own Rabbi Shira. To see some of the data referenced in this episode, go to togetherendingneed.org/ga New episodes of Chutzpod will be back February 25th! Send your questions and comments to chutzpod@gmail.com. Make sure you're subscribed, spread the word, and we’ll talk to you then! Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Rabbi Shira and Hanna end the season with a torah study jam packed with family dynamics, sibling rivalry, maternal manipulations, nation-building and birthright. Read Parashat Toldot Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Rabbi Shira and Hanna help a listener who was invited to a family wedding in Israel, but doesn’t want to go. How important are weddings? And what if your conflicting feelings and grief are just too painful? This is a must-listen for anyone experiencing a shift in Jewish identity when it comes to a relationship with Israel. Rabbi Shira and Hanna help a listener navigate his changing feelings and conflicted opinions about Israel. Text on importance of going to Jewish weddings Read more about Hachnasat kallah: the importance of preparing a bride for her wedding Read more about the mitzvah of bringing joy to people getting married Suggestions for traveling to Israel right now: MEJDI Tours Green Olive Tours Follow our Instagram to join the conversation this week: How do you feel about traveling to Israel right now? Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

As many of you are traveling for Thanksgiving this week, we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes. Dogs on a plane are kosher, but are they annoying? Rabbi Shira and Hanna discuss the Jewish ethics around animals. And, is the Torah ableist? If you have any interesting Jewish travel moments, let us know! Read more about Jewish pet names Read more about Rosh Hahanah LaBehemah Learn about ableism in the Torah Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Our Chutzsquad sends in so many great questions about death and dying. Today, Hanna and Rabbi Shira attempt to answer as many as possible. Why, how and when do we say Mourner’s Kaddish, and for whom? What happens when you don’t have access to your loved one’s body and what’s the Jewish approach to a eulogy? Listen to Death With Dignity episode Read more about the Mi Sheiberach Read more about the Jewish afterlife Read more about Tahara Read more about the Jewish approach to giving a eulogy Read more about what to do when you can’t or don’t want to grieve through prayer Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Ever wish you could listen in as a group of rabbis kibbitz about their jobs–the good, the bad and the ugly? Rabbi Shira hosts a roundtable for her rabbinic friends where they can laugh, commiserate and get some things off their chests. We’re joined by Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt of Adas Israel in Washington D.C. and Rabbi Seth Goldstein of Temple Beth Hatfiloh in Olympia, Washington. Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Everyone loves to play Jewish geography, right? But what if you find the practice exclusive, confusing or even offensive? Is it time to reconsider and leave “bageling” in the past? Why don’t you ask a convert to tell their story? Sing-a-long to “Wherever You Go” Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

A listener tells Rabbi Shira and Hanna that her rabbi uses AI to write sermons…and she doesn’t like it. What are the Jewish ethics of AI? And how does Shira utilize this new technology? Read more about “the law of the land is the law” Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

What’s most important when it comes to preserving Jewish tradition for future generations? Is it sharing Jewish stories? Food? Singing Hatikvah as a lullaby? And what if…the baby isn’t even Jewish? Rabbi Shira and Hanna offer advice to a soon-to-be Saba who wants to share his Jewish joy with his grandchild. Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

A newly committed Jew is wondering if he should remove his old celtic cross tattoo. Rabbi Shira and Hanna talk about the complex relationships between Jews and tattoos, including their own! Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

What should you look for when shul shopping besides “that feeling”? How do you know a synagogue is right for you? And what role should a temple play in our modern lives? As we celebrate Sukkot and Simchat Torah, Rabbi Shira and Hanna offer one congregation consumer their advice. Visit a BASE Jewish Community Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Rabbi Shira and Hanna welcome former White House speechwriter and author Sarah Hurwitz for a conversation about her latest book As a Jew, an urgent exploration of how antisemitism has shaped Jewish identity, the complexities of modern Jewish life, and what lessons Sarah learned from being a hospital chaplain. More about Sarah Hurwitz Listen to Sarah on Chutzpod Make malawach! Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Shana Tova Chutzsquad! Welcome 5786 with Rabbi Shira’s annual high holiday message. Study the Unetaneh Tokef Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

We're back with new episodes for the new year! A self-professed “nice Jewish boy from New York City,” Jake Cohen is the New York Times bestselling author of Jew-ish and I Could Nosh, star of A&E’s Jake Makes It Easy. He talks about his new book Dinner Party Animal, why Jews are so obsessed with food and helps us all with our food and entertaining questions. Learn more about Jake Cohen Follow Jake Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Listen to a special live event held at Aspen Jewish Congregation on August 13, 2025. In a time of deep division, what does it really mean to belong to the Jewish people? And how do we stay in community when our beliefs, priorities, and red lines conflict? This session draws on the idea of the “big tent” as both a moral aspiration and a real-world challenge, exploring how we navigate differences while maintaining a sense of Jewish peoplehood. This conversation features Hebrew College President Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, Shalom Hartman Institute President Yehuda Kurtzer, and the Executive Director of the Harvard Hillel Jason Rubenstein. Chutzpod will be back with new episodes September 17th! Need advice from Hanna and Shira? Submit your questions to chutzpod@gmail.com. Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Listen to a special live event held at Aspen Jewish Congregation on August 13, 2025. The Jewish experience has always been bigger than survival. Yet too often, the public stories we tell center on trauma and loss. This session explores how we might reclaim stories of resilience, creativity, and contribution, and how new narratives could help us build a future rooted in strength. This conversation features Dasi Fruchter, Founder & Spiritual Leader of the South Philadelphia Shtiebel, Mark Oppenheimer, Creator & Host of Unorthodox podcast and Dara Horn, Author and Founder & President of Mosaic Persuasion. Chutzpod will be back with new episodes September 17th! Need advice from Hanna and Shira? Submit your questions to chutzpod@gmail.com. Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Listen to a special live event held at Aspen Jewish Congregation on August 6, 2025. For decades, American Jews enjoyed unprecedented safety, success, and cultural influence. But beneath that prosperity, many became disconnected from Jewish tradition and meaning. Was that truly a golden age, or just the foundation for what could come next? This session reckons with the story of Jewish life in America and asks what a deeper, more meaningful era might look like. This conversation features The Atlantic's Franklin Foer, spiritual leader and scholar Mijal Bitton, and Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue Chutzpod will be back with new episodes September 17th! Need advice from Hanna and Shira? Submit your questions to chutzpod@gmail.com. Listen to Frank Foer's previous Chutzpod conversation Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices