Evolve

Feb 27 2025 92 ep. 52 mins 131

Evolve Podcast artwork

Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations features interviews with thought-provoking rabbis, leaders and creators about the urgent issues faced by Jewish people today. As a part of Reconstructing Judaism’s multimedia Evolve project (http://evolve.reconstructingjudaism.org/), this podcast models respectful, sacred conversations about challenging topics.

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Aug 16 2019 2 mins

Coming in late September, this new podcast brings Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations to life. In this preview trailer, Rabbi Jacob Staub, Ph.D., and Bryan Schwartzman, an award-winning journalist, offer a taste of what’s to come. How does Judaism continue to evolve? Be part of the conversation: Visit our home on the web, Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations: http

Episode 64: Rabbi David Jaffe and Yehuda Webster on Anti-Racism and the Balance of Care

Feb 27 2025 58 mins

What does it mean to apply the concepts of Mussar (Jewish ethical teachings) to everyday life? What about to confronting racism in the world, at a particular institution or even in oneself? Rabbi David Jaffe, author of Changing the World From the Inside Out and Yehuda Webster, a noted activist and teacher, point to examples of how this can work. Each shares how Mussar taught them h

Episode 63: Ilana Kaufman on Jews of Color, Racism and Antisemitism

Jan 30 2025 66 mins

In a conversation both deeply personal and grounded in history and sociology, Ilana Kaufman, CEO of the Jews of Color Initiative, shares her mission and why the work has been so challenging in a post-October 7 world. Kaufman explains why it’s been so counterproductive to consider Blacks and Jews as separate groups — erasing a sizable population identifying as both. She talks ab

Episode 62: Rabbi Sandra Lawson and Rabbi Alex Weissman on Dismantling Racism

Jan 16 2025 56 mins

“Dismantling Racism from the Inside Out.” The idea is deceptively simple and strongly rooted in Jewish tradition. To change society, individuals must first address their own attitudes, biases and inner lives. Easy to say, much harder to carry out. With funding from the Wabash Center, Rabbi Sandra Lawson and Rabbi Alex Weissman decided to try this approach at the Reconstructioni

Episode 61: Myra Sack on Traumatic Loss and Living with Grief

Jan 02 2025 52 mins

In losing her two-year-old daughter, Havi, Myra Sack suffered the kind of loss most people cannot even fathom. By telling her Havi’s story, Sack discovered she can help others live with grief. Sack is the author of Fifty-Seven Fridays: Losing Our Daughter, Finding Our Way, an excerpt of which appears on the Evolve website. She discusses the important role ritual played after Havi

Episode 60: Former Rep. Andy Levin on Courage, the Election, AIPAC and Gaza

Nov 26 2024 77 mins

Former Congressman Andy Levin sits for a truly wide-ranging interview about the election, his concerns about the incoming Trump administration, Israel and so much more. The passionate Reconstructionist also discusses his Jewish identity, spiritual practice and how he has cultivated courage in public life. He offers honest assessments of his 2022 losing reelection bid and what lesso

Episode 59: The Reconstructionist Connection to Democracy: Past, Present and Future

Oct 31 2024 67 mins

Democracy holds a special place in Reconstructionist teachings, liturgy and practice — though most Jews have embraced American democracy as hospitable to Jewish life. Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., and Rabbi William Plevan, Ph.D., dive deep into Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan’s — the founding thinker of Reconstructionist Judaism — thinking on democracy and pluralism and why it matters

Episode 58: A Palestinian Scientist and Reconstructionist Rabbi Are Working Together to Rebuild Gaza

Oct 16 2024 60 mins

Tareq Abu Hamed, Ph.D., and Rabbi Michael Cohen talk about the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Israel’s Negev region. The nearly 30-year-old academic and research institution brings together students and faculty from Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan and elsewhere to build relationships and solve pressing environmental challenges. Arava is partnering with a Palesti

Episode 57: The Anniversary of October 7 and BINA: the Jewish Movement for Social Change

Sep 26 2024 61 mins

It’s not easy to talk about and process the first anniversary of Oct. 7, 2023, when war continues to widen, hostages remain in Gaza and a ceasefire seems less and likely. This episode aims to model such a conversation. In a wide-ranging interview featuring Rabbi Mira Wasserman, Ph.D., interim vice president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and Elliott Glassenberg, seni

Episode 56: Human Rights Attorney Turned Rabbinical Student Maria Pulzetti on Confronting Problematic Torah Verses and Examining Reproductive Justice Through a Jewish Lens

Aug 29 2024 64 mins

If we embrace Judaism, what do we do with passages from Torah and elsewhere that seem to directly undermine our worldviews and values? Human rights attorney turned rabbinical student Maria Pulzetti makes a compelling case that we should deal with these problematic biblical passages head-on. Maria and Bryan also examine reproductive justice, as well as the legacy of slavery and syst