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://evolve.reconstructingjudaism.org

Theme song, “Ilu Finu” by Rabbi Miriam Margles. Her album This is the Day is available for purchase at CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/miriammarglesandthehadarensemb

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This podcast is produced by Reconstructing Judaism. Visit us at ReconstructingJudaism.org.

Note: This podcast is also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_J8I4ZB72bo

This is the kind of conversation about Israel and Palestine you won't hear anywhere else. Rabbi Sid Schwarz, founding rabbi of Congregation Adat Shalom and longtime progressive Zionist, and Sam Sherman, a playwright, actor, and anti-Zionist activist who grew up in Schwarz's congregation, model how to engage in respectful dialogue across profound ideological differences about Israel and Palestine. Schwarz discusses his decades-long commitment to what he calls "spiritual Zionism"—affirming Israel's right to exist while vocally opposing policies that violate Jewish values. Sherman explains his anti-Zionist position rooted in concern for Palestinian dignity and opposition to what he sees as institutionalized Jewish supremacy. Despite their disagreements on the meaning of Zionism, the legitimacy of violence, and the future of the region, both speakers demonstrate deep respect, genuine curiosity, and a commitment to staying in relationship. As Sam prepares to return to the West Bank to work with the Center for Jewish Nonviolence, this conversation offers a rare and moving example of how Jews across generational and ideological divides can engage with empathy, learn from each other, and remain part of the same Jewish community even when fundamental disagreements persist.

Theme song, “Ilu Finu” by Rabbi Miriam Margles. Her album This is the Day is available for purchase at CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/miriammarglesandthehadarensemb

Visit our home on the web — Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations: http://evolve.reconstructingjudaism.org

Subscribe by Email at http://subscribebyemail.com/evolve.fireside.fm/rss

Read these show notes on the web at https://evolve.fireside.fm/1

This podcast is produced by Reconstructing Judaism. Visit us at ReconstructingJudaism.org.

Special Guests: Rabbi Sid Schwarz, Ph.D. and Sam Sherman.

In times of chaos and turmoil, how can we overcome our differences to tackle problems? How can we move from our own individual thinking into the thinking of what's the common good? Rabbi Joshua Lesser discusses the vital importance of nonprofit boards to Jewish and American life. By helping Jewish communities formulate and adopt board convenants, Lesser seeks to use Jewish wisdom to interject a bit of the sacred into the seemingly mundane business of running an organization. Healthy boards, he argues, are not just important for Jewish organizations. They are one of the arenas where people can participate in democracy on a micro level, and potentially reenergize democracy on a macro scale.

Theme song, “Ilu Finu” by Rabbi Miriam Margles. Her album This is the Day is available for purchase at CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/miriammarglesandthehadarensemb

Visit our home on the web — Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations: http://evolve.reconstructingjudaism.org

Subscribe by Email at http://subscribebyemail.com/evolve.fireside.fm/rss

Read these show notes on the web at https://evolve.fireside.fm/1

This podcast is produced by Reconstructing Judaism. Visit us at ReconstructingJudaism.org.

Special Guest: Rabbi Joshua Lesser.