Melissa Nussbaum Freeman (she/her/goddexx) is a Queer, Sefardi/Ashkenazi, self-loving, anti-zionist abolitionist, who uses theater, art and ritual to stir the good-trouble pot as often as possible. Passion is her motor; her backup engine is a wild belief in the change that moves towards justice. melissa@jvp.org www.tinyurl.com/melissanussbaumfreeman.

You can find a version of this episode with ASL at https://youtu.be/mk9yg5Wh8Mo.

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This podcast episode was edited by Kim Wayman and Nomy Lamm.

Elul convo:

• Leil S’lichot: Evening of Supplication, the point in the month of Elul when some communities begin reciting the S’lichot prayers, asking for forgiveness

• Queer post-Soviet maker of shofarot: @zhyd0vka 

• Tefillin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUsDP1PqVZw

• Al Nes: For the Miracle We Have Enlivened https://rebekaherevstudio.com/blog/2020/10/2/al-nes-for-the-miracle-we-enlivened

• T’shuvah: Often translated as Repentance, it literally means return, as in return to wholeness.

Interview:

• Jewish Voice for Peace Havurah network: https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/havurah-network/

• Taproot: https://www.taprootcommunity.org/

This way to Olam haBa:

• Stolen Beam: https://ikar.org/sermons/our-country-was-built-on-a-stolen-beam-the-call-for-a-national-reckoning/

Song:

• Lulei Hemanti is the last two lines from psalm 27, which is traditional to recite every day of Elul.

Jna Shelomith (she/her) grew up sporadically homeless in a family that spoke six different languages, with Jewish roots in Morocco and Russia. A writer at the intersection of Arabic (created to share sacred stories) and Riot Grrrl (created for punk rock feminist expression), she works with Mizna, an Arab/Muslim arts-journal. For pay, Jna focuses on community engagement and systems change addressing complex challenges impacting communities on Dakota Land/Twin Cities, Minnesota. Singing with groups and smashing white-supremacy -patriarchy are her happy places. Follow her @jnagillis.

ASL version available at: https://youtu.be/3nanQ0o7vd4.

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The Indwelling Dreams of Olam haBa planner is on bargain basement sale for $5. Purchase at www.dreamingtheworldtocome.com while supplies last!

This podcast episode was edited by Kim Wayman and Nomy Lamm.

SHOW NOTES:

• Eicha/Lamentations: https://www.sefaria.org/Lamentations
• Lamentations for the destruction of Palestine: https://tinyurl.com/NakbaLamentations5783
• Seven weeks of consolation: https://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/seven-weeks-of-consolation/
• Beshert: meant-to-be

Interview:

• Mizna: https://mizna.org/
• Tikkun olam: Healing and Repairing the World
• Mimouna: A traditional Maghrebi Jewish celebration dinner, originating in Morocco, that takes place the day after Pesach. 
• Jewcy: A network of young leftist Jews that held gatherings in the early 2000’s.
• Rabbi Arthur Waskow: An author, activist and rabbi associated with the Jewish Renewal movement.
• Riot Grrrl: A grassroots network and support system for feminists in the punk scene that began in the early nineties.
• Nigun: Wordless melody

This Way to Olam haBa

• http://sacredsea.org
• More about Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut:
• https://grist.org/fix/opinion/lummi-nation-southern-resident-killer-whale-salish-sea-return/
• https://sacredsea.org/skalichelhtenaut/
• https://vimeo.com/446827572
• https://whalesanctuaryproject.org/

Song: 

“The World is Alive,” by Nomy Lamm for Tu B’Av (originally written as a crush song to a tree)

Mica Amichai (they/them) is a mizrachi/ashkenazi queer nonbinary neurodivergent jewish person living in the bay area. They are deeply connected to the earth and loves gardening, playing with their dogs, birdwatching with friends, and getting far away from roads and electricity. They work hard to infuse urban planning with social justice. Follow them @mica_amichai.

ASL version available at https://youtu.be/rDr1X3Chnbc.

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The Indwelling Dreams of Olam haBa planner is on bargain basement sale for $5. Purchase at https://www.dreamingtheworldtocome.com/ while supplies last!

This podcast episode was edited by Kim Wayman and Nomy Lamm.

• Mariame Kaba, We Do This Til We Free Us https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1664-we-do-this-til-we-free-us
• Keffiyeh - traditional scarf worn by many people in the so-called Middle East and also worn as a symbol of support for Palestinian liberation
• ISM - International Solidarity Movement https://palsolidarity.org/
• Women in Black https://womeninblack.org/
• Drash - shortened form of “midrash” used broadly nowadays to refer to any written or verbal commentary on Torah/scripture
• Sefer Yetzirah - “Book of Creation” and the earliest known written text on Jewish mysticism
• Gadol - Hebrew word that can mean an influential thinker or spiritual leader (used to describe revered Rabbis)
• Find more about the work of Michaela Harris, the whale whisperer, at https://www.michaelaharrison.org/
• El Segundo blue butterflies - https://xerces.org/endangered-species/species-profiles/el-segundo-blue

Never Angeline Nꙩrth (she/her), is an agender author, artist, and musician living in Olympia, WA. Her creative book-length works include Sea-Witch, Careful Mountain, and Sara or the Existence of Fire. Find her online at https://never.horse/.

ASL version coming soon.

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The Indwelling Dreams of Olam haBa planner is on super mega-sale for $18. Purchase at https://www.dreamingtheworldtocome.com/ while supplies last!

This podcast episode was edited by Kim Wayman and Nomy Lamm

Convo:

• Dori Midnight: a friend, collaborator and teacher, abolitionist, liturgist, and magical Jewish witch. Learn more: https://dorimidnight.com/
• Tree of Life: a cultural symbol throughout the world, here we are referencing a kabbalistic diagram of the many faces of the divine.
• Sefer Yetzirah: a very early Jewish mystical text from around the 4th century CE.
• Shekhinah: the Indwelling Presence of god in the physical world.
• Asherah Pole: a pre-Israelite symbol of the goddess, a tree or pole
• Ketubah: Jewish marriage contract
• B’rit Ahuvim: Lover’s covenant, an alternative to the Ketubah

Interview:

• Significance of the number 18: in gematria/Jewish numerology, 18 corresponds with the word chai which means life.
• Shavuot: The Festival of Revelation on the 6th of Sivan
• Isaac Luria: A rabbi who lived in Safed in the 16th century, he is known as the father of modern kabbalah
• Shabbos Bride: Shabbat is often compared to a bride or a queen (shabbos is the Ashkenazi/Yiddish pronunciation), who comes to join us and gives us an extra soul for the 25 hours of Shabbat
• The Dybbuk: a Yiddish play by S. Ansky written in 1914, about a bride who becomes possessed by the ghost of her beshert (meant-to-be love) on the day of her wedding.
• Dysphoria: discomfort, distress, dis-ease
• Sephirot: emanations of the divine on the kabbalistic tree of life

This Way to Olam haBa:

• Anti-trans bills: https://translegislation.com/
• Generation Alpha: 
• https://www.tiktok.com/@davidbowieshousewife/video/7214557539453635883
• https://www.tiktok.com/@cllr.little.brighouse/video/7214988473428675845
• https://twitter.com/BrokenAngel85/status/1648184015248138240
• How to fight back:
• https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvzge5/how-to-fight-anti-trans-bills-legislation-united-states-activism⁠
• Support Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/
• Support Transgender Law Center: ⁠https://transgenderlawcenter.org/support/⁠

Song:

• This is a new song that wormed its way into the world throughout the Omer counting period, just in time for Shavuot! For now it’s called the Ophanim song, in reference to biblical angels as described in Ezekiel. 

This month, Rebekah and Nomy have an extended conversation about time, and pause, and mystical counting practices. Sink in with us and revel in the divine mystery of Iyar.

ASL version available at https://youtu.be/vim8dh5DghI.

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Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-PzunkdbVA4yrhBChIXY8od06z8POB4t

The Indwelling Dreams of Olam haBa planner is on super mega-sale for $18. Purchase at https://www.dreamingtheworldtocome.com/ while supplies last!

This podcast episode was edited by Kim Wayman and Nomy Lamm

Show notes: 

• Erika Davis: Find out more about her work and how to access her classes at wholebodypregnancy.com, 

• Dreaming the World to Come Resources: https://www.dreamingtheworldtocome.com/resources

• Shavuot: Festival of Revelation, when all Jews who ever were or ever would be were at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah

• Counting the Omer: The 49 day period between the second night of Pesach and Shavuot, marking the journey from Liberation to Revelation. The kabbalists created a mystical counting practice using the tree of life that many people have been connecting with in recent years. 

• Pesach Sheni: Exactly one month after the day before Pesach, known as the “second chance holiday,” for those who didn’t bring an offering to the temple on Pesach

• Chometz: Any leavened bread or crumbs that need to be cleared out for Pesach

• Sephirot: Emanations of the Divine on the tree of life

• Kabbalistic Tree of Life: A Jewish mystical diagram showing relationships between different faces of god; a map between the physical world and its source

• Elana June: Follow her on instagram @madamfullsharge for Omer insights

• Chesed: A sephirot/emanation of the divine that corresponds with Heart Expansion and compassion

• Zohar: The most famous kabbalistic text, you can download the whole thing at https://www.kabbalah.info/engkab/the-zohar/download-the-zohar#.ZDIxhezMJcg

• Hillulah: Pilgrimage to a holy person’s gravesite

• Bibliomancy: A form of divination that uses a book as a channel for wisdom and intuition

• Shlissel challah: A key-shaped challah made on the shabbat following Pesach. 

• Jewish Magic & Healing Arts online class with Rebekah Erev: https://rebekaherevstudio.com/introduction-to-jewish-magic-healing-arts

  Song: What Wondrous Love is This is a hymn that was taught to Nomy by Lizzie Salsich, a Christian mystic. It has been through many reinterpretations to find this form.

Mazal Masoud Etedgi (they/them/theirs) is a trans/non-binary artist, arab/mizrahi/amazigh jew, first-gen, spoonie/chronically ill person, herbalist, Drama Therapist, clown, and cultural organizer. Maz utilizes imagination, play, and ritual as tools for liberation, healing and connection. You can find their herbal medicine apothecary at bsamimapothecary.com and @bsamim.apothecary

Special extra-long episode in honor of Passover! 

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ASL version available at ⁠https://youtu.be/Zq7Y1tOK2CQ⁠!

The Indwelling Dreams of Olam haBa planner is on super mega-sale for $18. Purchase at https://www.dreamingtheworldtocome.com/ while supplies last!

This podcast episode was edited by Kim Wayman and Nomy Lamm

Intro

• Omer Oracle: Collaboration between Nomy Lamm & Taya Mâ Shere, www.OmerOracle.com
• Corina Dross: ⁠https://corinadross.com/⁠

• 
  

Interview:

• Taya: Taya Mâ Shere, http://taya.ma/
• Masorti: Israeli equivalent of the US-based conservative Judaism movement.
• Cis: Folks whose gender identities align with their gender assignment at birth
• Ibrahim Baba: Sheikh Dr. Ibrahim Baba Farajaje, https://www.ibrahimbaba.org/
• Trope: Markings that indicate how to chant the words of Torah
• Kohenet: https://kohenet.org/
• Makam Shekhina: http://makamshekhina.com/
• JVP: Jewish Voice for Peace, https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/
• BIJOCSM: Black, Indigenous, Jews of Color, Sephardi & Mizrahi

This Way to Olam haBa

• Olive on the seder plate: https://www.haggadot.com/clip/olive-seder-plate-7
• Orange on the seder plate: https://www.keshetonline.org/resources/an-orange-on-the-seder-plate
• Elliot Kukla: https://elliotkukla.com/
• Christine Miserandino/Spoon Theory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn5IBsm49Rk
• Disability Justice Haggadah Insert: https://www.narrowbridgecandles.org/products/haggadah-supplements

Song:

• Mi Chamocha, to the tune of Elohai Neshama by the Chloe Pourmorady Ensemble. Sung by Mazal Masoud Etedgi.

Elana June (she/her)’s life’s work is dedicated to realigning texts and traditions towards healing and collective liberation. Elana June currently lives in Lenapeoking (NY), where she teaches at the Brooklyn Waldorf School and collaborates with a wide and wild web of Queer Jewish Witches and other Wise Ones. Learn more at www.elanajune.com.  

Join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dreamingtheworldtocome

Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-PzunkdbVA4yrhBChIXY8od06z8POB4t

Show notes:

Adar Convo:

• Hamentashen: A sugar cookie folded into a triangle with a jam filling. Poppy seed, prune, and apricot are common fillings. The triangle shape is said to resemble Haman's ears or hat.
• Divine feminine: The vulva shape is often used as a representation of goddess energy. We looove this sacred and maligned body part, while recognizing that not all women have vulvas, and not all people with vulvas are women.
• Purim spiels: Plays or performances that tell some version of the Purim story, often with references and allegories to current events. “Spiel” is Yiddish. "Purim play" is a more inclusive way to say it.
• Vashti’s tail: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/85881?lang=bi
• Queen of Nettles: The Talmudic rabbis compared Vashti to nettles, as an insult, but Rebekah has reclaimed Vashti as Queen of Nettles. Nutritious, boundaried, and supporting us in our own boundary-setting.
• Mordecai breast-feeding Esther: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/263938?lang=bi
• Book of Esther: Also known as the “megilla” (scroll), this story is told on Purim. Megillat Esther is included in Ketuvim (“Writings”), sacred texts that post-date the Torah. It tells the story of a Jewish woman named Esther who becomes the Queen of Persia, and averts a genocide of her people.
• Netivah: A Hebrew Priestess archetype
• Leitzanit: Sacred Fool
• 18/chai: In gematria, which is a form of kabbalistic numerology, the number 18 corresponds to the word Chai, which means Life.

Interview:

• JFREJ: Jews for Economic and Racial Justice, https://www.jfrej.org/
• Albany landfill: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albany_Bulb
• Haggadah: A booklet used to lead the Passover Seder. Creating our own haggadot is a time-honored tradition, especially for feminists, queers, and other Jews reinterpreting the story of liberation.

This Way to Olam haBa:

• Ravyn Wngz:
  • https://www.artistsinpresidents.com/ravyn-wngz
  • https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/as-a-queer-trans-and-afro-indigenous-woman-i-believed-that-i-could-never-be-a-representative-of-black-liberation/
  • https://www.instagram.com/p/CC5CFNHhL24/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again
  • Follow Ravyn Wngz: @ravynwngz
  • Buy the Sins Invalid Coloring Book: tinyurl.com/SinsShopping
  • Follow Syrus Marcus Ware: @syrusmarcus
  • Follow Sins Invalid: @sinsinvalid

Song:

Makht Oyf: Yiddish Purim song. You can hear a historical recording of it here: https://ruthrubin.yivo.org/items/show/2042. You can find the lyrics here: http://www.jewishfolksongs.com/en/makht-oyf

Here is a little taste of Adar energy. The Leitzanit (Sacred Fool archetype) has been f-ing with us leading up to Adar, so we are releasing this mini-episode now, and will release the full episode in time for Purim, in a couple weeks. Thank you to Elana June for this interview, what a joy to collaborate with her again. To learn more about Elana's work, visit www.elanajune.com or follow her on instagram @madamfullcharge. Tune in in a couple weeks for the full episode! 

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