18Forty Podcast

How Jews Date in the Modern World (Re-Release)

As the 15th of Av approaches, we are returning to this episode on how different Jewish communities date to honor the Jewish "holiday of love."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 YUConnectsJSwipeDovid Bashevkin on YUConnects CandiDateBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Hadas Hershkovitz: On Loss: A Husband, Father, Soldier [Loss 3/3]

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Hadas Hershkovitz, whose husband, Yossi, was killed while serving on reserve duty in Gaza in 2023—about the Jewish People's loss of this beloved spouse, father, high-school principal, and soldier.In the second year of the war, we’re grappling not only with the depth of our losses, but with how to make meaning of them as we continue to live in their aftermath. In this episode, we discuss:How has the loss of Hadas’s husband sparked a renewed urgency in her dedication to uplifting the Jewish People?How do we confront the anger and blame we may feel toward others in the wake of collective tragedy?How can we cultivate the positive thoughts and spiritual clarity needed to uphold our moral responsibilities in difficult times?Tune in for a heartfelt conversation on what it means to transform Torah into a living song sung by the Jewish People.Interview begins at 30:30References:Psalms 23Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust by Yaffa EliachSeinfeld: “The Bottle Deposit”“יש כאן יותר מזה" by Hanan Ben Ari Deuteronomy 31 Arukh HaShulchan by Yechiel Michel EpsteinFor more 18Forty:NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/joinCALL: (212) 582-1840EMAIL: info@18forty.orgWEBSITE: 18forty.orgIG: @18fortyX: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join hereBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Elissa Felder & Sonia Hoffman: How the Jewish Burial Society Cares for the Dead [Loss 2/3]

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to author Elissa Felder and her daughter Sonia Hoffman—both of whom have experienced the loss of a child and serve on a chevra kadisha—about what the Jewish burial society teaches us about confronting death. In this episode we discuss: How does the process of purifying a dead body work—and how is it possible to purify a dead body at all?What Kabbalistic practices are performed by chevra kadisha to bring dignity to the body and soul? How can we “normalize” discussions about grief and death? Tune in to hear a conversation about how care for the deceased is a “love story” between the Jewish People and God.Interview begins at 15:31.Elissa Felder started and actively manages Core’s community of practice for women who serve on a traditional chevrah kadisha. The knowledge she acquired through her work motivated her to write From One Life to the Next Life; The Sacred Passage after Death, a memoir about the loss of her baby son. She is the head of her local chevrah kadisha and speaks widely on this topic.Sonia Hoffman is a Limmudei Kodesh teacher at Kohelet Yeshiva in Philadelphia. She is a daughter, mother, wife and member of the Bala Cynwyd community. She is also an active member of the Philadelphia Chevra Kadisha, having started during COVID to help with this mitzvah. After the loss of their daughter in 2016, she began speaking about her experience with loss and sharing resources with the community on ways in which we can move forward after tragedy. In addition, Sonia began hosting an annual event in her daughter's memory to bring awareness to the community around the topic of infant loss and relationship with God.References:Teshuvot HaRadbaz Volume 3, 985Torat HaAdam, Introduction “Passing Through” by David BashevkinBerakhot 10a“​​Reconciling Opposites: Uncommon Connections in the Halakha of Mourning” by Emanuel FeldmanFrom One Life to the Next Life; The Sacred Passage after Death by Elissa FelderThe Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief by Francis WellerThe Choice: Embrace the Possible by Dr. Edith Eva EgerConsolation: The Spiritual Journey Beyond Grief by Maurice LammGesher Hachaim - The Bridge of Life by Rabbi Yechiel Michel TucazinskyRabbi Yitzchak Hutner's Theology of Meaning by Alon ShalevFor more 18Forty:NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/joinCALL: (212) 582-1840EMAIL: info@18forty.orgWEBSITE: 18forty.orgIG: @18fortyX: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join hereBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Shlomo Brody & Beth Popp: Demystifying Death and the End of Life [Loss 1/3]

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rabbi Shlomo Brody and Dr. Beth Popp, who work with Ematai, an organization focused on end-of-life care, about the process of death and how we ought to live with our own mortality. In this episode we discuss: How do we connect to eternity within this finite existence? What halachic issues must we consider when making end-of-life decisions?What happens to the body of someone who’s died? Tune in to hear a conversation about how we can sanctify life in the face of mortality. Interview begins at 18:30Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody is the executive director of Ematai and a columnist for The Jerusalem Post. His first book, A Guide to the Complex: Contemporary Halakhic Debates, received a National Jewish Book Award. His newest book, Ethics of Our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality, was published in 2023. A summa cum laude graduate of Harvard College, he received rabbinic ordination from the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, an MA in Jewish philosophy at the Hebrew University, and his PhD from Bar Ilan University Law School.Dr. Beth Popp is a professor on the faculty of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, specializing in Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She has served on hospital ethics committees for most of her career and presents regularly to community groups to clarify the role of hospice and palliative care in the healthcare system. She has been extensively involved in educating rabbinic leaders about the medical aspects of serious illness and end-of-life care. References:Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner's Theology of Meaning by Alon ShalevPachad Yitzchak al Shavuot by Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner“Letters of Love and Rebuke From Rav Yitzchok Hutner” by David BashevkinHalakhic Man by Rabbi Joseph B. SoloveitchikEthics of Our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality by Rabbi Dr. Shlomo BrodyA Guide to the Complex: Contemporary Halakhic Debates by Rabbi Dr. Shlomo BrodyThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca SklootThe Denial of Death by Ernest BeckerSeinfeld: “The Comeback”Being Mortal by Atul GawandeKaddish by Leon WieseltierWhen Breath Becomes Air by Paul KalanithiFor more 18Forty:NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/joinCALL: (212) 582-1840EMAIL: info@18forty.orgWEBSITE: 18forty.orgIG: @18fortyX: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join hereBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Micah Goodman: 'I don't want Gaza to become our Vietnam' (18 Questions, 40 Israeli Thinkers)

While we await our next episode, we invite you catch up with 18 Questions, 40 Israeli Thinkers.Micah Goodman doesn't think Palestinian-Israeli peace will happen within his lifetime. But he's still a hopeful person.Named by the Jerusalem Post as one of the 50 most influential Jews, Micah is a public intellectual, writer, and author whose voice is central to the moral, political, and religious debates raging within Israel.He is the author of several best-selling books — including The Wondering Jew, Catch 67, The Dream of the Kuzari, and The Last Words of Moses — and co-host of the popular Israeli podcast Mifleget Hamachshavot.Now, he joins us to answer 18 questions on criticizing Israel, resettling Gaza, and Jewish democracy.This interview was recorded on July 6.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.