Adina and Eric Yoffie: A Different Path, Still Family [Divergence 5/5]

In this edition of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to David’s rebbe, Rabbi Yisroel Kaminetsky, longtime principal of DRS Yeshiva High School, about the state of Jewish education in America.We find ourselves in a transformative time in the realm of Jewish education. Jewish literacy is at an all-time high, and yet we are still faced with existential angst. In this episode, Yisroel Kaminetsky tells us what goes into creating a yeshiva experience that delivers the most benefit to the most students — and how we can avoid instances of people falling through the cracks. How can we build a Jewish-education system that provides a “path home” for every Jew?How can parents supplement the education their children get at school?How should we define success, and in what ways can a yeshiva, God forbid, fail a student?Tune in to hear a conversation about laying the groundwork for a strong Jewish future.Interview begins at 25:58.References:A Tale of Two Cities by Charles DickensLithuanian Yeshivas of the Nineteenth Century by Shaul StampferFamilies, Rabbis and Education by Shaul StampferMemorable Encounters by Dr. Joseph Kaminetsky“I Want Arvei Psachim with Rabeinu Dovid Rishus Cold Rishus Seltzer CHECK OUT OF LIFE” on YouTubeMesilat Yesharim by Moshe Chaim LuzzattoBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

7 Feb 20231h 44min

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, you, our listeners, feature as our guests as we listen to your responses to our series on Romance & Commitment and the Origins of Judaism. It is our double-absolute privilege to hear how 18Forty’s explorations of the big, juicy Jewish ideas have interacted with your own lives. In this episode we discuss: What are the audience’s reflections on dating, loneliness, and belonging?What are some potential future 18Forty topics?How does David remember all the things he reads?And of course, what pronunciation corrections do listeners have for David?Tune in as we check in on the 18Forty audience and hear the thoughts that have been most pressing on your minds. Please do leave us your own voicemail with feedback or questions that we may plan on a future episode, at 917-720-5629.Voicemails begin at 4:40. References:18Forty Podcast: “How Different Jewish Communities Date”18Forty Podcast: “Channah Cohen: The Crisis of Experience” 18Forty Podcast: “Lawrence Schiffman: The World of Early Judaism”18Forty Podcast: “Tova Ganzel: The Judaism of the Prophets & the People”The Shame Borne in Silence: Spouse Abuse in the Jewish Community by Rabbi Abraham J. TwerskiPri Tzadik by Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin18Forty Podcast: “Ari Koretzky: In Conversation with Dovid Bashevkin”The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-ExupéryFrankenstein by Mary ShelleyBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

24 Jan 20231h 46min

In this edition of the 18Forty Podcast, we are privileged with the return of Dr. Malka Simkovich—Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies and director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies program at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago—who helps us explore Second Temple Judaism and how it relates to Jewish life today. By diving deep into the Jewish past, Malka enables us to understand the narratives and commitments that have allowed the Jewish people to persist through the most existential challenges. In this episode we discuss: What was the relationship between the ancient Jews and the surrounding dominant cultures? How did the Jewish world respond to the destruction of the Second Temple? What are the differences between Jewish and Christian notions of truth? Tune in to hear a conversation about the central practices and distinctions that have marked and preserved the Jewish people across the millenia. Interview begins at 25:53.Dr. Malka Simkovich is the Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies and director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies program at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. She earned a doctoral degree in Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism from Brandeis University and a Masters degree in Hebrew Bible from Harvard University. She is the author of The Making of Jewish Universalism: From Exile to Alexandria (2016), and Discovering Second Temple Literature: The Scriptures and Stories That Shaped Early Judaism (2018).References:Malka Simkovich on 18Forty: The Mystery of the Jewish People Tzidkat HaTzadik by Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin“God’s First Love: The Theology of Michael Wyschogrod” by Meir Y. SoloveichikOutside the Bible: Ancient Jewish Writings Related to Scripture edited by Louis H. Feldman, James L. Kugel, and Lawrence H. SchiffmanBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

17 Jan 20231h 22min

This episode is sponsored by Daniella and Ari Schwartz in memory of their grandfather Mr. Baruch Mappa a”h - Baruch Ben Asher Zelig HaLevi.In this edition of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Rav Yitzchak Breitowitz—Rav of Kehillos Ohr Somayach and host of the Q & A with Rabbi Breitowitz Podcast—about the key Jewish issues of our time and how we should handle them. Rabbi Breitowitz helps us look for the correct framework for discussing intellectual difficulties, family challenges, and the nature of the expanding and diverse Jewish tradition. How should we discuss sensitive topics on public forums?What is Rabbi Breitowitz’s advice for 18Forty?What sources can people turn to when they’re losing faith in Judaism?Tune in to hear a conversation about what it means to address the big and fraught questions.Interview begins at 19:51Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, Ner Israel Rabbinical College, and Harvard Law School. He’s been a rav in Silver Spring, Maryland, as well as a professor at the University of Maryland School of Law. He currently teaches at Ohr Somayach.References:The Q & A with Rabbi Breitowitz PodcastSiftei Chaim - Emunah Ve'Bechirah by Rabbi Chaim FriedlanderTzidkat HaTzadik by Tzadok HaKohen of LublinNineteen Letters by Samson Raphael HirschHoreb by Samson Raphael HirschRav Hirsch on Torah by Samson Raphael HirschTanya by Shneur Zalman of LiadiBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

10 Jan 202354min

This episode is sponsored by Anonymous who is fond of Shalom Task Force & 18Forty. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Channah Cohen, a researcher of the OU’s study on the “Shidduch Crisis.” Channah helps us unpack the two sides to this crisis—“Crisis of Process” and “Crisis of Experience”—and considers some potential solutions to the frequent cruelty of the current culture. Also in this edition, we hear the first-hand perspectives of a series of single Orthodox men and women. In this episode we discuss:What really is the Shidduch Crisis?How can we improve the experience of looking for love in the Orthodox world?What do we make of our messy, non-linear life stories while we’re still living them?Tune in to hear a conversation about the highs and lows of being single in Orthodox Judaism today—and what we can do to treat unmarried community members with friendship and humanity.Interview starts at: 9:49Channah Cohen has held several positions in the OU, including an Applied Researcher for the Center for Communal Research, a Project Manager for the Department of Community Projects and Partnerships, and a Torah Educator for the Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus. Channah majored in Psychology at Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women, and was chosen for the Murray Adler Leadership and Vision Award. She completed a master’s degree in Adult Learning & Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University, and is studying coaching at the School of Positive Transformation. Channah is interested in the intersection of religious education and psychology, and strives to learn and teach means of spiritual living that are resonant with the human experience. She lives in Silver Spring, MD with her husband and three children. References:“A Polite Request for Basic Sensitivity” by Dovid Bashevkin“We Are Not a ‘Crisis’: Changing the Singlehood Narrative” by AnonymousHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality by Eliezer YudkowskyThe Lion Tracker's Guide To Life by Boyd VartyBittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan CainBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

3 Jan 20231h 43min

This episode is sponsored by Anonymous who is fond of Shalom Task Force & 18Forty. On this episode of 18Forty, we explore the world of Jewish dating. We spoke to insiders and experts from the Chassidic community, “Yeshiva Orthodox” community, and Modern Orthodox community, looking at the commonalities and differences between each community’s approach to finding and building loving relationships. Each community emphasizes different dynamics and difficulties of the process of dating, and by considering them together and independently we can gain a greater understanding of the pressure points around love. How a community approaches dating is a test case for so many of a community’s values and vulnerabilities. In this episode, you’ll hear from representatives of each community that are intimately involved with the project of communal norms around dating, and be asked to think about your own assumptions and hopes for love. In this interview, we discussed:How does each Jewish community approach dating, from shadchans to dating apps and everything in between?What does a community’s approach to dating tell us about the Jewish approaches to love and commitment?What can we learn from the dating practices of communities that are different from our own?Interviews start at 10:31Dr. Yosef Sokol, one of our representatives from the yeshiva world, is a psychologist and the lead researcher of the recent study on the data behind the “shidduch crisis.” We also speak with Dr. Isaac Schechter, another author of the study, Dr. Efrat Sobolofsky, director of the YUConnects matchmaking-and-education program, and Dr. Devorah Mansdorf Agami, an endodontist who met her husband on JSwipe.References:Rabbi Mordechai Lightstone“Examining Average Age at First Marriage within Orthodox Judaism: A Large Community-Based Study” by Yosef Sokol, Naomi Rosenbach, Chayim Rosensweig, Chynna Levin, Shifra Hubner, and Isaac SchechterBikur Cholim of Rockland CountyARRC Institute YUConnectsJSwipeBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

27 Des 20222h 22min

In this minisode of the 18Forty Podcast, we reflect upon a year beyond words (and numbers). At every stop of the process in the wild journey that has been 18Forty, we’ve been motivated by our fantastic community members who have pushed us to ask deeper questions, to be more honest with ourselves, and to think more sharply and profoundly about what it means to be a Jew today. We’ve grown with you and for you, and we’re so thankful to be able to provide everything we can for you all.More than anything, organic growth inspires us—people finding out about 18Forty from a friend who can’t stop thinking about a recent interview they listened to, articles and podcasts shared in Whatsapp groups and discussed around Shabbos tables across the world, with feedback streaming in from every corner of the Jewish world.To another year of more growth, curiosity, and asking better questions—for everything, thank you.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

26 Des 202211min

This episode was sponsored by Anonymous who is fond of Shalom Task Force & 18FortyIn this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down with Zahava Moskwowitz, host of the Singled Out podcast. Zahava shares insight into the challenges of singlehood, debates the pros and cons of pictures on shidduch resumes, and brings us into the world of singlehood in the Orthodox community.What does market information asymmetry relate to dating?How do men and women experience the struggles of dating differently?What are the biggest controversies behind shidduch resumes?Do we have more than one soulmate?Tune in to hear a conversation on the challenges that lie beneath the surface of dating in the Orthodox world. Interview starts at 20:51References:Singled Out Podcast by Zahava Moskowitz“The Market for "Lemons": Quality Uncertainty and the Market Mechanism” by George AkerlofThe Office“Younger Siblings Getting Married First” on the Singled Out Podcast by Zahava Moskowitz“The Truth about Health” on the Singled Out Podcast by Zahava Moskowitz“The Truth about Soulmates” on the Singled Out Podcast by Zahava MoskowitzBridesmaidsSefer Akedat Yitzchak by Rabbi Yitzchak AramaMarry Him, The Case For Settling For Mr. Right by Lori GottliebHilchot Teshuva by MaimonidesBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

20 Des 20222h 6min