Spirituality and Religious Life

Content type
Collection

Barbara Jacobs

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Barbara Jacobs on November 5, 2006, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Jacobs recounts her Reform upbringing in Indiana, her experiences in New Orleans, including Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, her love for music, the loss of her home and piano, and her strong connection to New Orleans, Judaism, and her family.

Ventura Franco Israel

Project
Weaving Women's Words

Roz Bornstein interviewed Ventura Franco Israel on May 31, 2001, in Seattle, Washington, as part of the Weaving Women's Words project. Israel reflects upon her family history, the challenges they faced after the death of her father, her marriage, her experiences as a working mother, and her thoughts on Jewish values, intermarriage, and the Seattle Sephardic community.

Statue of Maimonides in Córdoba, Spain

Jewishness Itself is a Home

Isadora Kianovsky

Over the course of my semester abroad, I realized that, even though I wasn’t at home, I wasn’t without a home, either.

Milton Grishman

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Milton Grishman on November 9, 2006, in Biloxi, Mississippi, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Girshman recounts his upbringing in Mississippi, his involvement in Jewish rituals and traditions, his experience during Hurricane Katrina, and the impact of the storm on the Jewish community, highlighting the resilience and support offered by faith groups in the aftermath.

Jackie Gothard

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Jackie Gothard on September 20, 2006, in Metairie, Louisiana, as part of Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Gothard shares her experiences growing up as an orthodox Jew in New Orleans, the destruction of Beth Israel synagogue during Hurricane Katrina, her efforts to restore the synagogue and reassemble the congregation, and her reflections on gender and Southern politics in the Orthodox community.

Alan Gerson

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Alan Gerson on August 3, 2007, in New Orleans, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Gerson discusses his family history, childhood as a Jew in New Orleans, college experience, artistic pursuits, evacuation and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, emotional toll, community support for artists, disillusionment with the government, and a vivid memory of an abandoned beach ball after the storm.

Eleyna Fugman

Project
Meet Me at Sinai

Jayne Guberman interviewed Eleyna Fugman on February 18, 2015, in New York, New York, as part of the Meet Me At Sinai conference and Oral History Project. Fugman reminisces on her family background, her personal journey as a feminist and Jew, her pursuit of Jewish and feminist education, and her activism against racism, antisemitism, and sexism.

David Freedman

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed David Freedman on December 8, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Freedman shares his journey from New Orleans to California, his rediscovery of Judaism and passion for text study, his experience during Hurricane Katrina, his involvement with WWOZ radio station, and his efforts to rebuild the city through community radio.

Bess Fishman

Project
Weaving Women's Words

Elaine Eff interviewed Bess Fischman on May 30 and June 8, 2001, in Baltimore, Maryland, as part of the Weaving Women's Words oral history project. Fishman shares memories of her childhood, family, Jewish observance, marriage, and involvement in Jewish organizations and the Zionist movement, being involved with the Beth T’filoh Sisterhood and visiting Israel.

Cecillia Etkin

Project
Weaving Women's Words

Pamela Brown Lavitt interviewed Cecillia Etkin on June 14 and August 1, 2001, at her home in Seattle, Washington, as part of the Weaving Women's Words project. Etkin discusses her childhood in Romania, her experiences in concentration camps, her work as a "mikveh lady," and her role in educating youth about the Holocaust, highlighting her resilience and dedication to preserving Jewish traditions and supporting her community.

Tillie DeLeon

Project
Weaving Women's Words

Roz Bornstein interviewed Tillie Israel DeLeon on May 24 and June 1, 2001, in Mercer Island, Washington, as part of the Weaving Women's Words project. DeLeon shares her experiences and insights into the Sephardic community in Seattle, including its immigration history, cultural interactions, education, personal journey, and reflections on Sephardic customs and traditions.

Edward Cohn

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Rabbi Edward Cohn on July 25, 2007, in New Orleans, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices project. Rabbi Cohn talks about his family background, his role at Temple Sinai in New Orleans, their preparation for Hurricane Katrina, community outreach efforts, and the collective trauma experienced by Southern communities.

Gail Chalew

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Gail Chalew on August 15, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Chalew remembers Hurricane Katrina's impact, her evacuation to Baltimore with her son, and her dedication to rebuilding her community while reflecting on the changes in herself, the Jewish community, and New Orleans.

Painting by Siona Benjamin featuring a woman as the body of a menorah, with seven branches coming out as arms

From the Archive: 'Tikkun Ha-Olam, Finding Home Series #46' by Siona Benjamin

Deborah Dash Moore
Mimi Jessica Brown Wooten

The Posen Library shares a painting by Bene Israel Jewish artist Siona Benjamin. 

Allan Bissinger

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Allan Bissinger on August 3, 2006, in Metairie, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina’s Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Bissinger talks about his upbringing in New Orleans, his experience during Hurricane Katrina, his involvement in the Jewish community's recovery efforts, and how his Jewish identity has influenced his life, despite not being religious.

Martha Bergadine

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Martha Bergadine on November 3, 2006, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as a part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Rabbi Bergadine discusses her journey to Judaism, her work with the Jewish Federation, the impact of Hurricane Katrina on Baton Rouge, and the sense of community that emerged from the disaster.

Birth of Mirra Alfassa, Spiritual Leader and Holy Figure

February 21, 1878

Mirra Alfassa became a revered spiritual leader, holy figure, and yogic guru in India, founding multiple ashrams, a school, and an intentional, self-sustaining community. She held the title of Mother because of her connection to the divine mother.

Two women on the bima at synagogue

Learning to Find My Own Path, Like My Great-Grandfather and Avraham Before Me

Davi Cheng

When my great-grandfather embarked on his journey, he couldn’t have known he would one day inspire his great-granddaughter to become a Jew.

Woman stands on in subway car with her head peeking through open doors

"Russian Doll" Season 2: Messy, but Beautiful

Emma Breitman

Despite a sloppy start, the show’s second season ultimately hooked me with its exploration of Jewish themes.

Episode 74: A Half-Century of Women Rabbis

Fifty years ago, Rabbi Sally Priesand made history by becoming the first woman rabbi in America. In this episode of Can We Talk?, women rabbis from three Jewish denominations reflect on the milestone. We speak with Rabbi Dianne Cohler-Esses, Rabba Sara Hurwitz, and Rabbi Sandra Lawson about the challenges they’ve faced, and about how their presence in the rabbinate is shaping the Jewish community. This is the final episode in our three-part anniversary series.

Episode 72: Ezrat Nashim Confronts the Rabbis

Fifty years ago, a group of young Jewish women piled into two cars and drove to upstate New York to crash the annual meeting of the all-male Rabbinical Assembly of the Conservative movement. They called themselves Ezrat Nashim and they had a set of demands that included the right to be counted in a minyan, lead religious services, and attend rabbinical school. Their brief but brave action had ripple effects across American Jewish communities.

Miriam Anzovin posing with ring light.

Interview With Talmudic TikToker Miriam Anzovin

Dina Adelsky

JWA talks to Miriam Anzovin about leaving behind Orthodox practice, misogyny on social media and IRL, and of course, her viral Daf Reactions TikTok videos.

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