Send us a text

Two years ago, Liz Hirsh Naftali was working in real estate, organizing for the Democratic party, and enjoying life as a mom and auntie. Then, she awoke in Tel Aviv one day, and her world had been ripped apart: her family killed, her 3-year-old niece kidnapped in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Abigail was eventually returned, but Liz has kept working to free the others. Now, two years into the conflict, 48 hostages remain, only 20 or so believed to be alive, and Gaza is in full-blown humanitarian crisis. Liz has crossed the aisle and the world telling her family's story to help bring an end to the conflict. Her book, Saving Abigail, and her podcast The Capitol Coffee Connection, are both part of her mission to bring people together.

MORE
Simchat Torah: the yearly celebration of finishing reading the Torah, and starting over again.

United Hatzalah is a community-based, volunteer emergency medical service in Israel.

Kfar Aza: one of the communities hit hardest in the October 7 attacks, along with Be'eri and Nir Oz. Recently, they've begun rebuilding.

The "ceasefire before October 7" claim: while there was some cessation of hostilities between powers at the time, violence against Palestinians in the West Bank in particular, and attacks on Israelis by Palestinian Islamic Jihad and rocket attacks from Gaza had occurred as early as January. What is clear, however, is the October 7 attacks were meticulously planned and aimed at provoking a larger conflict, weakening Israel's diplomatic ties and destabilizing talks with Saudi Arabia. For a deeper understanding, see here, and here, and one of the best sources for background on Hamas, and most things Middle East, in my opinion, the Conflicted podcast.

A survey cited in NPR reporting in July said 80% of Israelis support ending the war in Gaza, but a more recent poll cites 66%. Protests against the war in Israel are widespread, and families and friends of

Support the show

Send us a text

This episode was originally published for Rosh Hashanah on October 9, 2024.

One of my nearest and dearest non-Jewish friends asked if she could join me for Rosh Hashanah last year, and we thought it would be useful to other Jew-curious listeners to share some of her questions and thoughts about that experience.

You may know Rosh Hashanah as the Jewish New Year, and you're mostly right (it's technically the anniversary of creation), but there's much more to it than that! Check the original show notes for tons more info, but I've copied some of the highlights below. Also, check out the Happy Jew Year! episode from 2023, with my mother and brother who are both Jewish educators, to learn even more. They teach me something new every time we talk.

Thanks to my friend and to all the non-Jewish friends who ask questions rather than make assumptions, and everyone who, regardless of creed, cultural background or affiliation, shows up with curiosity and openness in the world. You are welcome here, and the world needs you. Special thanks to Washington Hebrew Congregation, and may you all be inscribed in the Book of Life!

Quick note: my friend and I have known each other a long time, and I can assure you she is a real, credible person. But, because of the nature of her work, we kept her anonymous so she could speak freely and ask all her questions. Also, neither she nor I represent any organization or individual's perspectives or opinions, and all the errors I may make are based on my own lived experience and are entirely my own.

MORE

Rabbi Shankman’s Sermon at Washington Hebrew

The Bimah Episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2196108/episodes/12958722

Ancient History of Jews in Israel: there is some evidence of up to 5000 years of the people who became Jews in Israel (Mission of Israel to the UN in Geneva, Israel Museum), but 3000 is a more generally accepted number than the one I say in the show. More here, and here.

For a deeper understanding, there is no better source than my beloved stepdad, William G. Dever, widely considered the world's foremost Biblical archaeologist (I am biased but this is true). Here is a talk on how archaeology and history shape understanding.

From the "Happy Jew Year! What does Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur mean" episode (check the link for more):

Mitzvot: Often translated as “good deeds,” the word actually means “commandments.”

Shofar: The horn of a kosher animal, often a ram, ceremonially blown on Rosh Hashanah and

Support the show

Send us a text

Right after a flurry of activity around Israel and Gaza on the Hill, I connected with Congressman Greg Landsman, one of only 32 Jews in Congress (9 in the Senate, 23 in the House). Landsman has been a voice defending Israel and demanding humanitarian aid to Gaza, and like myself, does not believe the two are mutually exclusive. In June, he declined an invitation to his staff from Qatar, saying they could discuss how to end the war in Gaza instead, and since recording, he joined a bipartisan Congressional delegation visit to Israel. We talked on August 1, as Congress went on recess, and much has happened since then that won't be covered in the episode, obviously. But we did cover a lot, including growing up as a Nice Jewish Boy (he has sisters) in Ohio, raising cool kids, and some of the work he is most proud of. More about Greg, his beloved Ohio, and other stuff:

Hebrew Union College was established in 1875 to train rabbis, and is generally considered the birthplace of American Reform Judaism.

Sally Priesand was the first Reform woman rabbi, ordained at HUC in 1972, but the first woman rabbi is Regina Jonas, ordained in Berlin in 1935, and murdered at Auschwitz with more than a million others.

The team now known as the Cincinnati Reds fielded the first known professional team in 1869.

McDonald’s first Filet o’ Fish was sold in 1962 in Cincinnati, developed for Catholic patrons observing Lent.

In 2016, Landsman led the Cincinnati Preschool Promise ballot initiative guaranteeing two years of quality preschool to 3- and 4-year olds in the city, the first voter-approved initiative of its kind.

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion: an unequivocally false, debunked, and antisemitic forgery printed in Russia in 1903 that has been used to bolster and give language to countless conspiracy theories and antisemitic acti

Support the show