A Letter's Legacy: Washington, the Founding Presidents, and the Jews

A new limited-series podcast from Rabbi Meir Soloveichik

Federalists and Democratic Republicans 08/12/2026

Federalists and Democratic Republicans Jefferson and Adams clash over faction and the Sedition Acts as America's first political parties take shape. Supplemental Materials: — "A Letter's Legacy: Washington, the Founding Presidents, and the Jews" is generously sponsored by Phil and Malki Rosen in loving memory of Phil’s parents Irving and Toni Rosen. /episode/index/show/abac6a3a-b85c-4028-afc3-57c8cb7de5cd/id/42401980

A Remarkable Dinner 08/11/2026

A Remarkable Dinner A dinner among unlikely guests carries the same story of civic equality that Washington had already set in motion. Supplemental Materials: — "A Letter's Legacy: Washington, the Founding Presidents, and the Jews" is generously sponsored by Phil and Malki Rosen in loving memory of Phil’s parents Irving and Toni Rosen. /episode/index/show/abac6a3a-b85c-4028-afc3-57c8cb7de5cd/id/42389955

Adams, Jefferson, and the French Revolution 08/10/2026

Adams, Jefferson, and the French Revolution Jefferson saw the French Revolution as heir to 1776. Adams saw it as a betrayal of the American Revolution's principles—a divide that would drive the two men apart. Supplemental Materials: — "A Letter's Legacy: Washington, the Founding Presidents, and the Jews" is generously sponsored by Phil and Malki Rosen in loving memory of Phil’s parents Irving and Toni Rosen. /episode/index/show/abac6a3a-b85c-4028-afc3-57c8cb7de5cd/id/42377310

Jefferson and Two Approaches to Judaism 08/09/2026

Jefferson and Two Approaches to Judaism Two revolutionaries, two theologies, and two ways of reading America's Hebraic inheritance. Supplemental Materials: — "A Letter's Legacy: Washington, the Founding Presidents, and the Jews" is generously sponsored by Phil and Malki Rosen in loving memory of Phil’s parents Irving and Toni Rosen. /episode/index/show/abac6a3a-b85c-4028-afc3-57c8cb7de5cd/id/42368530

Present in a Painting: An Introduction to Adams and Jefferson 08/07/2026

Present in a Painting: An Introduction to Adams and Jefferson Before they wrote a revolution together, Adams and Jefferson first clashed over faith. Supplemental Materials: — "A Letter's Legacy: Washington, the Founding Presidents, and the Jews" is generously sponsored by Phil and Malki Rosen in loving memory of Phil’s parents Irving and Toni Rosen. /episode/index/show/abac6a3a-b85c-4028-afc3-57c8cb7de5cd/id/42354260

Longfellow and Lazarus in Newport 08/05/2026

Longfellow and Lazarus in Newport Longfellow's elegy for the dead meets Lazarus's hymn to the living—together marking a religious liberty unique to America, and still unfolding. Supplemental Materials: — "A Letter's Legacy: Washington, the Founding Presidents, and the Jews" is generously sponsored by Phil and Malki Rosen in loving memory of Phil’s parents Irving and Toni Rosen. /episode/index/show/abac6a3a-b85c-4028-afc3-57c8cb7de5cd/id/42331295

The Philadelphia Letter and the Legacy of Newport 08/04/2026

The Philadelphia Letter and the Legacy of Newport Washington's letters to American Jews reveal a nation built on both unity and religious difference. Why does the Newport letter loom larger than the rest? Supplemental Materials: — "A Letter's Legacy: Washington, the Founding Presidents, and the Jews" is generously sponsored by Phil and Malki Rosen in loving memory of Phil’s parents Irving and Toni Rosen. /episode/index/show/abac6a3a-b85c-4028-afc3-57c8cb7de5cd/id/42318615

Washington in Newport 08/03/2026

Washington in Newport Washington’s Rhode Island visit reflected the same principle behind his outreach to religious minorities: no member of the Union was too small to belong. Supplemental Materials: — "A Letter's Legacy: Washington, the Founding Presidents, and the Jews" is generously sponsored by Phil and Malki Rosen in loving memory of Phil’s parents Irving and Toni Rosen. /episode/index/show/abac6a3a-b85c-4028-afc3-57c8cb7de5cd/id/42305295

Rhode Island and Ratification 08/03/2026

Rhode Island and Ratification How Rhode Island's tradition of religious liberty and distrust of centralized power shaped its reluctant path to ratifying the Constitution. Supplemental Materials: — "A Letter's Legacy: Washington, the Founding Presidents, and the Jews" is generously sponsored by Phil and Malki Rosen in loving memory of Phil’s parents Irving and Toni Rosen. /episode/index/show/abac6a3a-b85c-4028-afc3-57c8cb7de5cd/id/42294480

The Extraordinary Letter to the Jews of Savannah 08/02/2026

The Extraordinary Letter to the Jews of Savannah A careful study of Washington's letter to the Jews of Savannah illuminates the theological foundations of America's uniquely warm embrace of its Jewish citizens. Supplemental Materials: — "A Letter's Legacy: Washington, the Founding Presidents, and the Jews" is generously sponsored by Phil and Malki Rosen in loving memory of Phil’s parents Irving and Toni Rosen. /episode/index/show/abac6a3a-b85c-4028-afc3-57c8cb7de5cd/id/42288455

The Jews of Georgia 07/31/2026

The Jews of Georgia The incredible story of the Sheftall family helps explain why the community of Savannah wrote to Washington before coordinating with America's other Jewish congregations. Supplemental Materials: — "A Letter's Legacy: Washington, the Founding Presidents, and the Jews" is generously sponsored by Phil and Malki Rosen in loving memory of Phil’s parents Irving and Toni Rosen. /episode/index/show/abac6a3a-b85c-4028-afc3-57c8cb7de5cd/id/42273115

Quakers, Catholics, Jews: Washington and American Faith 07/30/2026

Quakers, Catholics, Jews: Washington and American Faith A study of President Washington's letters to the Quakers and Catholics of early America shows how he sought to unify a religiously diverse nation under his leadership. Supplemental Materials: — "A Letter's Legacy: Washington, the Founding Presidents, and the Jews" is generously sponsored by Phil and Malki Rosen in loving memory of Phil’s parents Irving and Toni Rosen. /episode/index/show/abac6a3a-b85c-4028-afc3-57c8cb7de5cd/id/42266775

A Synagogue in Newport 07/29/2026

A Synagogue in Newport The community of the famous Touro Synagogue in Newport was near collapse 30 years after its founding, but not before it transformed American history. Supplemental Materials: — "A Letter's Legacy: Washington, the Founding Presidents, and the Jews" is generously sponsored by Phil and Malki Rosen in loving memory of Phil’s parents Irving and Toni Rosen. This episode of "A Letter's Legacy" is dedicated in the merit of a refuah sheleima—a full and complete healing—for Reuven Nachum HaKohen ben Fayga Riva. /episode/index/show/abac6a3a-b85c-4028-afc3-57c8cb7de5cd/id/42252685

A Tale of Three Parades 07/28/2026

A Tale of Three Parades American Jews play prominent roles in celebratory parades in New York and Philadelphia, offering an early sign of the religious freedom taking root in the young republic. Supplemental Materials: — "A Letter's Legacy: Washington, the Founding Presidents, and the Jews" is generously sponsored by Phil and Malki Rosen in loving memory of Phil’s parents Irving and Toni Rosen. /episode/index/show/abac6a3a-b85c-4028-afc3-57c8cb7de5cd/id/42240565

The Prayerbook and the Letter 07/27/2026

The Prayerbook and the Letter A centuries-old prayerbook, and the remarkable family to whom it belonged, introduces us to the story behind George Washington's famous letter to the Jews. Supplemental Materials: — "A Letter's Legacy: Washington, the Founding Presidents, and the Jews" is generously sponsored by Phil and Malki Rosen in loving memory of Phil’s parents Irving and Toni Rosen. /episode/index/show/abac6a3a-b85c-4028-afc3-57c8cb7de5cd/id/42226115

A Letter's Legacy: Washington, the Founding Presidents, and the Jews

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