From weekly series examining unique angles on Jews’ place in the world, to inquiries into the details of Jewish text and tradition, Tablet Studios podcasts brin...
Jewish Studies Unscrolled: Bruce Springsteen, with Rabbis Elliot Cosgrove and Neil Zuckerman
Today on Jewish Studies Unscrolled, we talk about Bruce Springsteen and his iconic song “Thunder Road.” While Springsteen himself isn’t Jewish, this song, and his songwriting in general, invites reflections on themes central to Jewish life: tradition, leaving home, and coming back again. We’re joined by noted Bruce fans, Park Avenue Synagogue rabbis Elliot Cosgrove and Neil Zuckerman. Drawing on their personal connections to the song and their shared journey through rabbinical training, Cosgrove and Zuckerman unpack the spiritual resonance of Springsteen’s work, asking why certain texts—whether Torah or rock lyrics—speak to us anew across the decades.
You can buy Rabbi Cosgrove’s book, For Such a Time as This: On Being Jewish Today, here.
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Jewish Studies Unscrolled: Hostages and Nathan Hanover’s The Abyss of Despair, with Adam Teller
Today on Jewish Studies Unscrolled, we explore Nathan Hanover’s 17th-century work, The Abyss of Despair, or, in the original Hebrew, Yeven Metsulah. The text documents the Chmelnitski Revolt of 1648, a catastrophic uprising that devastated Jewish communities in Eastern Europe. We’re joined by Adam Teller, historian and author of Rescue the Surviving Souls: The Jewish Refugee Crisis of the Seventeenth Century, to examine how Jews across Europe and the Middle East organized a remarkable rescue network to ransom hostages, despite the era’s limited communication tools. Drawing parallels to modern events, Adam Teller sheds new light on this often-overlooked chapter of history, showing how The Abyss of Despair holds untapped insights into Jewish resilience and global solidarity.
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How to Be a Jew ... At Christmas
Hosted by Courtney Hazlett, Rabbi Diana Fersko, and Josh Kross, each episode takes a look at a current, cultural topic and what it means for us as Jews, and how we react to it because we are Jews.
This year, the first night of Hannukah falls on Christmas, so we are talking about how each of us, and Jews in general, relate to the most famous Christian holiday, and how some customs might find their way into our own lives. We are joined by musician Peter Himmelman to discuss his view on the relationship between music, holidays, and spiritual practice.
Want to send us an email? Send it off to [email protected]
For more podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts
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Coming Soon: Jewish Studies Unscrolled
Jewish Studies Unscrolled features host Alyssa Quint in conversation with expert guests and historians. Each episode focuses on a single classic Jewish text and covers topics ranging from a 17th-century hostage crisis, to modern classical interpretations of a Yiddish lullaby.
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Rootless: The Best of 2024
It’s been a whopper of a year: Israel at war with Hamas and Hezbollah, a decisive Trump victory, anti-Semitism on the rise, and formerly great American institution on the decline. Yet as this look back at 2024 in Rootless reveals, we’ve many reasons to be hopeful, at home and abroad. Why? Join us in looking back at the year and find out.
From weekly series examining unique angles on Jews’ place in the world, to inquiries into the details of Jewish text and tradition, Tablet Studios podcasts bring you insight and inspiration for the modern-day Jew. Our shows include Unorthodox, Rootless, Re-Form, and more to come.
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