The College Commons Podcast

Tomer Persico: “In God’s Image”

Israeli public intellectual Tomer Persico explains how “God created humanity in God’s image” changed civilization itself. Tomer Persico is a Research Fellow at the Shalo

Rabbi Charles Savenor: “Religious duties consist in doing justice”

Rabbi Charles Savenor leads Civic Spirit, promoting civics education in fulfillment of Thomas Paine’s declaration. Rabbi Charles E. Savenor is the Executive Director of

Yael Yechieli: Simple and But Not Easy - 50% Women in the Halls of Power in Israel

Yael Yechieli walks us through the process of tangible, effective societal change. Yael Yechieli is founder of 50/50, an initiative of the Tzedek Center, dedicated to a

John Rokosny: Coming of Age from Nazi Europe to the Nascent State of Israel

Description: Producer/Director John Rokosny tells the remarkable story of Fred Biermann in his film The Kid Officer. Biography: John Rokosny is an award-winning producer

Georgette Bennett: The Voluntary Jew

Description: Though contemporary individualism means all Jews are, in some measure, Jews by choice, Gary “Pips” Phillips made that choice during the Holocaust. Biography

Rabbi Jeffrey Marx: Stereotypes and kernels of truth

Description: Jeffrey Marx wrestles with both the truth and the antisemitic fantasy of Jewish Arson in the early 20th century. Biography: Ordained in 1983, Rabbi Marx ser

Michael Meyer: Hebrew Union College at 100 Years – 50 years ago!

Description: The historian behind the history of HUC: Michael Meyer takes us on a sesquicentennial journey of American Judaism. Biography: Michael A. Meyer received his

David Mendelsson: Looking at 56 Years of HUC in Israel

Description: Professor Emeritus David Mendelsson looks back at a half-century of momentous change for HUC in Israel. Biography: David Mendelsson recently stepped down as

Judah Cohen: Soundscape of the Soul

Soundscape of the Soul Jewish Music transplanted from Europe to American, via Hebrew Union College. Judah M. Cohen, Ph.D. is the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Provost

Jessica Roda: Sacred Drugs - Jews, Psychedelics, and Healing (An HUC Connect Crossover Episode)

Jessica Roda: Sacred Drugs - Jews, Psychedelics, and Healing (An HUC Connect Crossover Episode) 2026 Fritz A. Bamberger Lecture As interest in psychedelics grows once a

Charlie Scheidt - Hidden in the Armoire: Living History of the Shoah

Charlie Scheidt follows the forgotten trail of his family from Europe to the United States. Charlie Scheidt is the chairman emeritus of Roland Foods, the company founded

David B. Oppenheimer: Great Minds, It Turns Out, Think Differently

David Oppenheimer traces the diversity principle back two centuries. Biography: David B. Oppenheimer is a Clinical Professor of Law, Co-Director of the Pro Bono Program,

Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein: The rabbinate is changing faster than it’s shrinking (but it’s also shrinking)

Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein: The rabbinate is changing faster than it’s shrinking (but it’s also shrinking) Description: Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein breaks down a landmark stu

Rabbi Michael Zedek: Sit by the Fire and Tell a Story

Sit by the Fire and Tell a Story Description: Rabbi Michael Zedek shares his stories and the values the drive them. Biography: Michael Zedek is rabbi emeritus of two wo

Hannah L. and Rabbi Harvey Winokur: Jewish and Twelve-Step Traditions at the Crossroads of Addiction

Jewish and Twelve-Step Traditions at the Crossroads of Addiction Description: A Jewish ethical tradition called Mussar and a uniquely Jewish approach to twelve-step reco

Adam Ferziger: A Patchwork of Jews

Advancing Ellenson's Legacy Series Adam Ferziger: A Patchwork of Jews Opinions and approaches inhabit the entire spectrum of Jewish thought and practice, but how do the

Arnold Eisen: Dimensional and Complex Judaism

Advancing Ellenson's Legacy Series Arnold Eisen: Dimensional and Complex Judaism More than a religion, resisting extremes, but also hard to pin down, Judaism and Judais

Rabbi Dalia Marx: The Prayerbook as a Living Text

Advancing Ellenson's Legacy Series Rabbi Dalia Marx: The Prayerbook As a Living Text Rabbi Dalia Marx editor of the new Israeli Reform prayerbook muses on the siddur as

Rabbi Ed Feinstein: Every Sermon Tells a Story

For Rabbi Ed Feinstein meaning-making is story-telling, and the rabbi’s business. Biography: Rabbi Ed Feinstein came to Valley Beth Shalom in 1993 at the invitation of t

Aron Hirt-Manheimer: Story, Silence, and the Story of Silence

A second generation of Holocaust survivors re-examine their lives through the lens of their parents. Aron Hirt-Manheimer (he/him) is the Union for Reform Judaism's forme