When Life’s a Drag: A Look into the History of Jews & Cross-Dressing
Adventures in Jewish Studies Podcast
Every year on Purim, Jews around the world stage shpiels, or plays, that not only feature people in costumes, but cross-dressing as well. These Purim events have allowed Jews to participate in drag throughout history, and have opened the door for other traditions like cross-casting in theater. In this episode, we’ll hear from scholars Golan Moskowitz and Naomi Seidman, former drag queen Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, and host Erin Phillips about Jewish historical examples of drag, Jewish contributions to the art and culture of drag, and how Jews have used drag to explore trauma, identity,...
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Death & Community: Jewish Burial Societies
Adventures in Jewish Studies Podcast
The Jewish life cycle includes rituals and customs to mark major rites of passage – birth, coming of age, marriage and parenthood. Likewise, there are traditions of how to navigate death and mourning, including how to care for the deceased and comfort the living, which is where we find Jewish burial societies. In this episode, guest scholars Cornelia Aust, Samuel Heilman, and Howard Lupovitch, along with host Avishay Artsy, look at the history of Jewish burial societies, how they have served their communities, and how they continue to evolve today.
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Around the World with Jewish Newspapers
Adventures in Jewish Studies Podcast
In this episode, host Erin Phillips and guest scholars Zachary Baker, Philip Keisman, and Devin E. Naar discuss four Jewish newspapers from across the 19th and 20th centuries. Every detail in their pages provides clues about Jewish life in a particular time and place - from the advertisements in their margins, to letters to the editor, to even the news articles they chose to excerpt from other publications, these newspapers provide scholars with a valuable window into a historical, geographical, and linguistic cross-section of Jewish history.
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Alternative Zions: The Jewish Territorialist Movement
Adventures in Jewish Studies Podcast
The quest for a homeland, to journey from bondage and persecution, has been inherent to Jewish history for as long as it’s been told. In this episode, join scholars Laura Almagor and Adam Rovner and guest host Devan Schwartz in exploring the Jewish Territorialist Movement. We’ll travel back in time and across the globe to explore proposed alternative homelands for the Jewish people – and what these projects teach us about Jewish history and culture to this very day.
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What Makes Someone Jewish?
Adventures in Jewish Studies Podcast
In this episode, host Avishay Artsy and guest scholars Noah Feldman, Susannah Heschel, and Shaul Magid consider what makes someone Jewish by asking three questions: What are the Jews exactly? What do Jews believe, and how central is religion to Jewish identity? Where does the Jewish state fit into Jewish identity?
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Jewish Head Coverings: A Blessing On Your Head
Adventures in Jewish Studies Podcast
The yarmulke has become an almost universal symbol of Judaism; however, Jews around the world cover their heads and hair in many different ways, including hats, wigs, and scarves. This custom isn't Jewish law, but was developed over centuries as a community norm that continues on in a variety of ways today. In this episode, guest scholars Eric Silverman and Amy K. Milligan discuss the history and practice of head and hair covering – and what the practices reveal about Jewish experiences of gender, assimilation, and antisemitism. Images of the styles discussed in this episode are...
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Introducing the AJS Critical Sources Podcast
Adventures in Jewish Studies Podcast
As a listener of Adventures in Jewish Studies, we hope you'll also listen to the new AJS podcast, Critical Sources. Critical Sources features Jewish studies scholars discussing a source that matters to them, offering a window into how scholars seek evidence, ask questions, and interpret the past and present. Host Avinoam Patt asks five different scholars to discuss a source—a poem, a speech, an object—that’s been on their mind since the October 7 massacre in southern Israel and in the months of war following it. How did they think about it before October 7, and what has...
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Yiddish Socialists and the Garment Industry
Adventures in Jewish Studies Podcast
A century ago, Jews were at the center of the American garment industry and at the forefront in the battle for those workers’ rights. In this episode, host Avishay Artsy speaks to Daniel Katz and Caroline Luce about how Yiddish-speaking immigrants fused class and culture to empower generations of garment workers.
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Rethinking Holocaust Education
Adventures in Jewish Studies Podcast
A sharp rise in antisemitic incidents has led to increased calls for mandatory Holocaust education. In this episode, host Avishay Artsy speaks with educators Sarah Ellen Zarrow and Jody Spiegel about the use and misuse of Holocaust memory for combating antisemitism.
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Jews in Colonial America
Adventures in Jewish Studies Podcast
This episode of Adventures in Jewish Studies explores the lives of Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews who settled in what are now the states of Georgia, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Carolina as far back as the late seventeenth century. These early settlers, who came escaping religious persecution and seeking trade opportunities, reflect how entwined Jews have been in shaping American history. Guest scholars Shari Rabin and Toni Pitock, along with host Erin Phillips, discuss what we know about these early Jewish settlers, why information is limited, and how researchers are working...
info_outlineSince the 1920s, American Jewish kids have spent many summers at Jewish summer camp. But how and why did sleepaway camp become such a staple of American Jewish life? In this episode we explore the history of American Jewish summer camp and its promise of providing an immersive Jewish experience. This episode features guests Sandra Fox and Nicole Samuel, along with host Jeremy Shere.