18Forty Podcast

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to historian Zev Eleff about what 250 years of Jewish life in America can teach us about religion, identity, and the future of American Judaism.

In this episode we discuss:

—Why did colonial Jews support the American Revolution despite knowing the dangers of opposing those in power?
—How did Jewish denominations and institutions as we know them emerge in America, and what roles did Zionism and U.S. immigration policy play in this?
—Where are we headed on our American Jewish journey, and what have we learned along the way?

Tune in to hear a conversation about the intersection of the Jewish story and American exceptionalism.

Interview begins at 11:00.

Rabbi Dr. Zev Eleff is the president of Gratz College. Zev is the author and editor of nine books and more than 50 scholarly articles in the fields of Jewish Studies and American Religion, including Modern Orthodox Judaism: A Documentary History, Dyed in Crimson: Football, Faith, and Remaking Harvard’s America, and Authentically Orthodox: A Tradition-Bound Faith in American Life. His research focuses on American Jewish history, sports, and Modern Orthodox history.

References:

Jeremiah 29:7

The Greatest of All Time: A History of an American Obsession by Zev Eleff

Authentically Orthodox: A Tradition-Bound Faith in American Life by Zev Eleff

18Forty Podcast: “Zev Eleff: Is This the End of American Judaism?”

American Judaism: A History by Jonathan D. Sarna

The Rag Race: How Jews Sewed Their Way to Success in America and the British Empire by Adam D. Mendelsohn

For more 18Forty:
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In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Elana Moskowitz, an educator at Michlelet Mevasseret Yerushalayim, about how her American Jewish upbringing shaped her life and worldview.

Moskowitz grew up Orthodox in America in the 1990s—alongside her brother David Bashevkin—before moving to Israel and joining a Haredi community in Jerusalem. 

In this episode we discuss: 

—What is the unique new contribution of American Judaism to the Jewish story? 
—What have been the successes and failures of Judaism on American shores? 
—How do familial and institutional influences shape the lives we believe we ought to lead?

Tune in to hear an inside conversation about the Bashevkin family and what it means to live in a medina shel chesed.

Interview begins at 19:40. 

Mrs. Elana Moskowitz grew up in New York and earned her B.Ed in English from Michlalah Jerusalem College. She is a passionate and energetic educator who has been teaching and mentoring in various seminaries in Eretz Yisrael for the past 25 years. She currently teaches at Michlelet Mevasseret Yerushalayim (MMY) where she heads their second-year program. In addition to guest lecturing for both Anglo and Israeli-American women, Elana is a writer for Mishpacha magazine where she develops and contributes Torah content. She lives with her husband and children in Yerushalayim.

References:

"Thank You from an American Jewish Child" by David Bashevkin

“An apology from your American Jewish parents” by David Magerman

“A Kosher Home” by Elana Moskowitz

“​​The Grandfather I Thought I Knew” by Elana Moskowitz

"Sounds of My Childhood” by Elana Moskowitz

Reb Mendel and His Wisdom by Yisroel Greenwald

“When life is like weaving a quilt” with Frieda Vizel

“Yiddishkeit Without Ideology: A Letter To My Son” by Moshe Koppel

For more 18Forty:
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In this annual debate episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin moderates a discussion on finances within the Orthodox Jewish community. 

The specific resolution is: The current state of semachot in our community and the level of spending on them, as well as extravagance in lifestyle in general, is problematically excessive and should be significantly curtailed.

Rabbi Larry Rothwachs defends the affirmative, while Dr. Leslie Ginsparg Klein argues the negative.

In this episode we discuss:

—Are extravagant weddings a detriment to the Jewish community, or do the benefits outweigh the negative externalities?
—What should the Jewish community spend more and less money on?
—Could financial education in Jewish schools alleviate cultural financial pressures?

Tune in to hear a conversation about what we desire as a community and how we can attain it.

Debate begins at 6:17.

Rabbi Larry Rothwachs is a rabbi, therapist, and educator who has led Congregation Beth Aaron in Teaneck, New Jersey since 2002. A longtime teacher and leader within Yeshiva University and RIETS, he currently serves as Director of Professional Rabbinics at RIETS, head rabbi of Camp Morasha, and founding rabbi of Meromei Shemesh, a new community in Ramat Beit Shemesh. He lives with his wife, Chaviva, and their family.

Dr. Leslie Ginsparg Klein is Dean and Chief Academic Officer of Gratz College and a scholar of Jewish education and history. Formerly Academic Dean at the Women’s Institute of Torah Seminary & College, she is a widely sought speaker on Jewish history, Tanakh, leadership, and communication. She earned her Ph.D. from New York University researching Orthodox girls’ education and the Bais Yaakov movement, and lives in Baltimore with her family.

References:

18Forty Podcast: “A Debate Between Yitzchak Blau & Itamar Rosensweig: Does Morality Exist Outside of Judaism?”

Eruvin 13b

Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life by Luke Burgis

The Index Card: Why Personal Finance Doesn't Have to Be Complicated by Helaine Olen and Harold Pollack

For more 18Forty:
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In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin responds to listeners’ feedback and comments, in conversation with Denah Emerson.

In this episode we discuss:

—Should every Jew be Orthodox?
—Is the gap year in Israel “just a business”?
—How does one develop their own Jewish identity at a phase in life when it’s no longer mediated by institutions?

Tune in to hear what the 18Forty community has been thinking about regarding the conversations we’ve shared.

Voicemails begin at 9:40.

David Bashevkin is the founder and host of 18Forty. He is also the Clinical Assistant Professor of Jewish Values at Yeshiva University’s Sy Syms School of Business. He completed rabbinic ordination at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, a master’s degree at the Bernard Revel Graduate School, and his doctorate in Public Policy and Management at The New School’s Milano School of International Affairs. He has published four books, including Sin·a·gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought and a Hebrew work, B’Rogez Rachem Tizkor (trans. In Anger, Remember Mercy).

References: 

18Forty Podcast: “Michael Eisenberg: Iran, USA, Israel: What Comes Next”

Genesis 15

18Forty Podcast: “Michael Olshin: Reimagining the Gap Year in Israel”

18Forty Podcast: “Diana Fersko: An Orthodox Rabbi Interviews a Reform Rabbi”

18Forty Podcast: “Dovid Bashevkin: A Reform Rabbi Interviews an Orthodox Rabbi”

How Judaism Became a Religion: An Introduction to Modern Jewish Thought by Leora Batnitzky

“The Future Is Sephardic” by Mijal Bitton

Joshua 7

18Forty Podcast: “Mark Wildes: Is Modern Orthodox Outreach the Way Forward?”

18Forty Podcast: “Elisheva Carlebach & Debra Kaplan: The Unknown History of Women in Jewish Life”

For more 18Forty:
NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join
CALL: (212) 582-1840
EMAIL: info@18forty.org
WEBSITE: 18forty.org
IG: @18forty
X: @18_forty
WhatsApp: join here

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Ahead of the next episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we invite you to hear David Bashevkin's appearance on 18 Questions, 40 Mystics.

What does it mean to live a Judaism that fits into our lives? David Bashevkin explores the meeting point of mysticism and modernity. 

The founder of 18Forty, Rabbi Dr. David Bashevkin is the director of education at NCSY as well as an instructor at Yeshiva University. He is the author of four books, and has been rejected from many prestigious fellowships and awards.

Now, he joins us to answer eighteen questions with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy on Jewish mysticism including how to embrace holiness, the purpose of prayer, and the search for meaning in an age of distraction. 

Here are our questions: 
What is Jewish mysticism?
How were you introduced to Jewish mysticism?
In an ideal world, would all Jews be mystics?
What do you think of when you think of God?
What is the purpose of the Jewish people?
How does prayer work?
What is the goal of Torah study?
Does Jewish mysticism view men and women the same?
Should Judaism be hard or easy?
Why did God create the world? 
Can humans do something that is against God’s will?
What do you think of when you think about Moshiach?
Is the State of Israel part of the final redemption?
What is the greatest challenge facing the world today?
How has modernity changed Jewish mysticism?
What differentiates Jewish mysticism from the mysticism of other religions? 
Does one need to be religious to study Jewish mysticism?
Can mysticism be dangerous?
How has Jewish mysticism affected your relationships with yourself and with others?
What is a Jewish teaching that you always take with you?

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