NEW Podcast Club – in the lounge

Monday, October 5 at 7:00 p.m. - in-person and via Zoom

It's not too late to check out the Life Long Learning Committee's new "Podcast Club" which will hold its first discussion session this coming Monday, October 5th at 7pm--in-person and via Zoom. All five planned sessions will focus on podcast episodes that deal with the evolving relationship between Jewish "at-homeness" and Democracy in America.  

Monday's featured episodes come from the Shalom Hartman Institute's "Identity/Crisis" podcast:

·  "A Hollywood Midrash: The Making of The Prince of Egypt;" Yehuda Kurzer interviews Rabbi Burt Visotsky, a Jewish Theological Seminary Professor who consulted on the making of the 1998 Pixar Movie.  Identity/Crisis Episode, 53 minutes, first aired on March 31, 2026.  A very entertaining episode that includes some songs from the movie, explores the degree to which a Jewish story could find a mainstream American audience, and limitations on how that story could be expressed.  

·  "What Ails American Judaism?" Yehuda Kurzer moderates a panel with Franklin Foer and Sarah Hurwitz at the Jewish Funders Network conference.  Identity/Crisis episode, 43 minutes, first aired April 1, 2025.  Franklin Foer wrote the April 2024 Atlantic cover article entitled "The Golden Age of American Jewry is Ending."  Sarah Hurwitz is a Jewish Author, speaker, and rabbinical student and was a lead speechwriter in the Obama White House.

Both episodes can also be found on Spotify and other streaming platforms under the "Identity/Crisis" podcast series.  During the session, we’ll discuss the podcasts together, explore the questions and tensions they raise, and share our own insights and perspectives. No expertise needed to join the conversation, just curiosity and openness to discussion!