Best Judaism Unbound Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 501: Elul 2025 IV - E(cho)lul - Lex and Wendie 24:31

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3h ago24:31

24:31

Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this final Elul episode of 2025 (and 5785), Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash explore the month (and the upcoming holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) through …

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Cults & The Culting of America with Knitting Cult Lady and Scot Loyd | ep50 | One Taste Sex Cult 43:32

2h ago43:32

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In this episode of Cults and the Culting of America, hosts Scot Loyd and Daniella Mestyanek Young (“the Knitting Cult Lady”) interview Ruwan, a former member of OneTaste, a so-called “orgasm cult” centered around female sexuality and human connection. Ruwan recounts his two years in the organization, explaining how he was drawn in by its promises o…

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Cults & The Culting of America with Knitting Cult Lady and Scot Loyd | ep49 | Cycle Breaking 40:47

1h ago40:47

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In this episode of Cults and the Culting of America, hosts Daniella Mestyanek Young and Scot Loyd welcome Sydney, a member of the Cult Book Club, to share her personal story of growing up in the shadow of a multigenerational cult. Sydney recounts her family’s involvement with the commune Christ Circle in the 1970s–80s, her experience being homescho…

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Episode 500: 500 Weeks of Unbound Judaism - Dan, Lex, Miriam 1:08:36

12d ago1:08:36

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500!!!! We made it. Somehow, someway, a wild idea that was once a figment of our imagination...has now been around for 500 weeks. In this episode, Dan, Lex, and Miriam celebrate that incredible number -- and take this as an opportunity to look back on the founding and evolution of Judaism Unbound, first as a podcast and then as an organization with…

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Bonus Episode: Elul 2025 III - Chiasm - Lex and Wendie 23:32

15d ago23:32

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Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this episode, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash explore the notion of chiasm (for "what is a 'chiasm' -- which is a great question -- click here), along with what i…

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Episode 499: Elul 2025 II - The 13 Attributes of Mercy - Lex and Wendie 23:07

19d ago23:07

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Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this episode, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash explore the 13 attributes of mercy, traditionally associated with Elul and the High Holidays. This Elul podcast is t…

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Episode 498: Elul 2025 - Lex and Wendie 22:27

14d ago22:27

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Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this conversation, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash kick off this year's Elul Unbound experience. This Elul bonus episode is the first in a series of four that wil…

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Episode 497: Survival Guide for a Spiritual Wilderness V - with Gemara/Commentary from Lex and Rena Yehuda 1:02:10

1M ago1:02:10

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Miriam’s well sustained her people step by step in the wilderness. In this episode of Survival Guide for a Spiritual Wilderness (featuring Judaism Unbound Gemara/commentary from Lex and Rena Yehuda), to tap into this wellspring of belonging. In addition, connect to the Tao de Ching, what it means to be a “Miriam person,” twilight creations, the mys…

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Cults and The Culting of America with Knitting Cult Lady and Scot Lloyd | Episode 47 | The Cultiness of Nursing 57:33

1M ago57:33

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This episode of Cults and the Culting of America features guest Jess M. (aka White Mess Express), a former nurse, alongside hosts Daniella Mestyanek Young and Scot Loyd. The conversation explores how the U.S. healthcare system—particularly nursing—resembles a cult in its culture, practices, and systemic issues. Jess describes the hierarchical "rite…

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Episode 5: What We Choose to Build 30:34

1M ago30:34

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Part of belonging to a lineage is the act of finding ourselves within the story, claiming a particular link in the chain of inheritance, as testimony to our merit for inclusion. And then he’d say, "Jews are responsible for each other." We all heard that phrase from him. It was the partner to his positivity. Forgive in your heart, and take your inhe…

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Episode 496: Smashing the Tablets - Sara Lippmann, Seth Rogoff 56:05

1M ago56:05

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Sara Lippman and Seth Rogoff believe that "foundational texts must be read anew or they become tools of conservatism and reaction." But it's not just a belief they hold -- together, they actualized it into a new book, entitled Smashing the Tablets: Radical Retellings of the Hebrew Bible. This book offers a wide variety of new texts, radically revis…

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Episode 4: Forever Unfolding 37:37

1M ago37:37

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“ I feel like I hold and carry a lot of the stories from my grandfather. I don't always know how to share those stories. I'm sometimes afraid of telling them wrong or making mistakes.” - Neal Strauss "It’s a surreal experience to watch strangers tell your story. For others to decide they are ready for you to reclaim your stolen lives." - Miriam Ter…

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Cults and The Culting of America with Knitting Cult Lady and Scot Lloyd | Episode 46 | The God I Was Given book coming out soon! 1:02:22

1M ago1:02:22

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In this episode of Cults and the Culting of America, Scot Loyd joins Haley while Daniela is away on her book tour. The conversation centers on Scot’s forthcoming memoir The God I Was Given: Looking for Faith After Losing My Religion, which blends personal memoir with philosophical and scholarly reflections on growing up in the United Pentecostal Ch…

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Episode 495: Israel-Palestine - Conversations Across Generations - Amy Eilberg, Penina Eilberg-Schwartz 52:20

2M ago52:20

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Even the most intimate relationships can experience strain around the topic of Israel-Palestine. Dan and Lex are joined by Amy Eilberg and Penina Eilberg-Schwartz, who share their experience discussing and processing their conversations about Israel-Palestine across generational divides. -------------------------- Judaism Unbound's offerings for 3-…

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Episode 3: He Sang So Loudly 38:30

2M ago38:30

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“Years later, I’ll know this feeling as a mother, hearing my baby wail from the other room, wondering, praying, hoping that she is ok. But tonight, I’m 25 in a loft apartment in Berlin, 5,000 miles from home, and it’s not a baby crying: It’s my 89-year-old grandfather, Simon, screaming.” - Miriam Terlinchamp “To choose, to actively to forgive. To f…

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Episode 494: Tisha B'Av (The 9th of Av) 2025 - Dan and Lex 1:00:17

2M ago1:00:17

1:00:17

Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg discuss the inherent potential, along with the limitations, of the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’av (the 9th of Av) — understood by many to be the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. What does it mean to mourn a past pain in the present? In this week’s episode, Dan and Lex consider the meanings of grief and reflection as t…

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Cults and The Culting of America with Knitting Cult Lady and Scot Lloyd | Episode 45 | Sunday Brunch: The Musical 43:06

2M ago43:06

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In this episode, Scott Loyd interviews the creators and a performer from Sunday Brunch: The Musical, a new theatrical work that humorously explores cult dynamics through a family brunch gone spectacularly wrong. While cult expert and regular host Daniella Mestyanek Young is absent due to technical difficulties, she sends in praise for the team’s vi…

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Episode 2: In the Footsteps of Survival 35:49

2M ago35:49

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I got out of the Frankfurt train station. I took a bus to Wachenbuchen. At this time, remember, there’s no cellphone, no Google maps, none of that. I had an address and I got there early in the day and there it was. It was like seeing something, you know, like seeing a picture you've seen forever, right? - Mark Vane References in this episode: [1] …

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Episode 493: Tarot and Teshuva - Mandie McGlynn 56:31

2M ago56:31

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For Mandie McGlynn, founder of Selah Spiritual Care, tarot can serve as a deeply meaningful modality for Jewish experience. McGlynn joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg on this week’s episode to discuss her use of tarot as part of the preparatory work of the month of Elul (the on-ramp month before the High Holidays), through an initiative she create…

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Episode 1: A House for a Life 25:53

2M ago25:53

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We don’t know the story for a long time. And, even after we learn it, the story continues to unfold. Each generation adding new information, unlocking new mysteries, and trying it’s best to weave something whole out of a family history shredded by trauma. - Miriam Terlinchamp References in this episode: [1] Wow! That’s a lot of voices! Here is a fa…

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Episode 44 | The Cult of Capitalism 56:47

2M ago56:47

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This episode of Cults and the Culting of America features guest Kelvin, a political scientist and community organizer, in a deep dive on whether capitalism functions as a cult and how overlapping systems like patriarchy, white supremacy, and religion have historically reinforced each other. The hosts, Scot and Daniella, explore the evolution of the…

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Episode 492: The Torah in the Tarot - Stav Appel 52:07

2M ago52:07

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Tarot is known to be a practice of reading, of uncovering important meaning behind the symbols each card evokes. But what if there’s an even deeper, secret connection to not just our lives as a whole, but our lives as Jews? For data scientist and author Stav Appel, happening upon a 17th century forgotten tarot deck took him on a journey through Tor…

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Trailer 6:22

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Thanks for journeying with us through Season 1 of Tales of the Unbound. We’re thrilled to return with Season 2: Door to Door—a five-episode, multi-generational exploration of memory, trauma, and identity, launching July 23, 2025. For accessibility, our podcast feed will temporarily change its name to Door to Door, but you’ll still find the same hea…

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Announcement 1:17

2M ago1:17

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Hey everyone, it's Miriam Terlinchamp. Thank you so much for listening to Season One of Tales of the Unbound! When we first created this podcast feed we knew that we wanted to tell transformational stories around awakened becoming stories that focused on the struggle to define identity, search for meaning, and connect ourselves to the greater who…

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Episode 491: Survival Guide for a Spiritual Wilderness IV - Shiru L'Adonai - Sing Right -The F*ck] Now 1:04:31

2M ago1:04:31

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We are proud to introduce the 3rd podcast in the Judaism Unbound family of podcasts: Survival Guide for a Spiritual Wilderness, hosted by Jericho Vincent. "We are the ancestors of the future." This new podcast offers a spiritual home for listeners seeking to connect Jewish ancestral, feminist wisdom with their own svara: moral intuition. Each episo…

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Episode 490: Trans Torah for Our Terrible Times - Lexi Kohanski, Liana Wertman 1:00:17

3M ago1:00:17

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In Pirkei Avot, one can find the Hebrew teaching to “carry the burden with your friend.” In today’s episode, Torah Studio leaders Lexi Kohanski and Liana Wertman join the Judaism Unbound podcast to discuss their latest offerings in keeping with this lesson, including a class on personal torah and stewardship called Trans Torah for Our Terrible Time…

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Episode 42 | "Not My Church": Plausible Deniability in High-Control Systems 57:52

3M ago57:52

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In this revealing and emotionally rich episode of Cults and the Culting of America, Cynthia Williams joins hosts Scot Loyd and Daniella Mestyanek Young to unpack her journey through—and out of—the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI). Cynthia shares how, like many others, she once believed that her local church was different. The rules we…

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Episode 489: Bacon and the Jews - Dan and Lex 1:01:24

3M ago1:01:24

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Now, we’re down to the marrow. Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg wrap a mini-series dive into the role of meat— and specifically, the pig — in Jewish life. They do this with an assessment of their own eating habits, reflections on autonomy and identity, and thoughts for practitioners the world over on how to incorporate more openness into our understan…

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Episode 488: Meat -- The Key to Jewish History? - John Efron 55:46

3M ago55:46

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We’re back at the trough this week. Author John Efron joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg to share some of the findings in his latest book, All Consuming: Germans, Jews, and the Meaning of Meat. Efron encourages us to get on eye-level with the pig, from symbol to sinew, as a vital indicator of eating — and therefore living — Jewishly throughout his…

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Scott Stringer 48:29

3M ago48:29

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As part of our NYC Mayoral Forum, Democratic candidate Scott Stringer joins Rabbi Ammi Hirsch to discuss his Jewish values and his commitment to Zionism and to share his vision for a more affordable and better-run New York City. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/in-these-times-with-rabbi-ammi-hirsch/donations…

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Brad Lander 44:29

3M ago44:29

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As part of our NYC Mayoral Forum, Democratic candidate and NYC Comptroller Brad Lander joins our Rabbi Ammi Hirsch to discuss how his liberal Jewish values inform his immigration activism, his fight against antisemitism and for peace in the Middle East, and his vision for New York City. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/in-these-times…

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Episode 487: Pigs are Very Jewish - Jordan Rosenblum 1:04:08

3M ago1:04:08

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Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg are joined by author Jordan Rosenblum to discuss his National Jewish Book Award-winning book, Forbidden: A 3,000-Year History of Jews and the Pig. Interested in learning more about why the pig has felt so terribly treyf (yid. “non-kosher”) all these years? Rosenblum peels back the thick layers of meaning to get to the …

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Episode 41 | Decolonizing Yourself with Hilary Giovale 56:44

3M ago56:44

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In this episode of Cults and the Culting of America, host Scot Loyd and Daniella Mestyanek-Young (KnittingCultLady) sit down with Hilary Giovale—a ninth-generation settler living among Indigenous communities in Northern Arizona. Hilary opens up about her journey from segregation to engaging deeply with Native communities, emphasizing how re-educati…

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Episode 486: Survival Guide for a Spiritual Wilderness III - Tehora Hee (Inviolable Goodness), with Gemara 55:05

4M ago55:05

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In moments of polarization, the wisdom of Tehora Hee — the recognition of inviolable goodness in all people—can be a revolutionary tool. In this episode, R' Jericho talks about seventy faces, checking Biblical assumptions, Tehora he (It is pure), pre-prayer tests, two villains from one of my own spiritual wildernesses, Anne Frank, and a practice fo…