Rabbi Shira and Hanna end the season with a torah study jam packed with family dynamics, sibling rivalry, maternal manipulations, nation-building and birthright. Read Parashat Toldot Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram

Rabbi Shira and Hanna help a listener who was invited to a family wedding in Israel, but doesn’t want to go.  How important are weddings? And what if your conflicting feelings and grief are just too painful? This is a must-listen for anyone experiencing a shift in Jewish identity when it comes to a relationship with Israel.  Rabbi Shira and Hanna help a listener navigate his changing feelings and conflicted opinions about Israel. Text on importance of going to Jewish weddings  Read more about Hachnasat kallah: the importance of preparing a bride for her wedding  Read more about the mitzvah of bringing joy to people getting married Suggestions for traveling to Israel right now: MEJDI Tours Green Olive Tours  Follow our Instagram to join the conversation this week: How do you feel about traveling to Israel right now?  Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram

As many of you are traveling for Thanksgiving this week, we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes.  Dogs on a plane are kosher, but are they annoying? Rabbi Shira and Hanna discuss the Jewish ethics around animals. And, is the Torah ableist?  If you have any interesting Jewish travel moments, let us know! Read more about Jewish pet names Read more about Rosh Hahanah LaBehemah  Learn about ableism in the Torah  Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram

Our Chutzsquad sends in so many great questions about death and dying. Today, Hanna and Rabbi Shira attempt to answer as many as possible.  Why, how and when do we say Mourner’s Kaddish, and for whom? What happens when you don’t have access to your loved one’s body and what’s the Jewish approach to a eulogy? Listen to Death With Dignity episode Read more about the Mi Sheiberach  Read more about the Jewish afterlife Read more about Tahara Read more about the Jewish approach to giving a eulogy Read more about what to do when you can’t or don’t want to grieve through prayer Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram

Ever wish you could listen in as a group of rabbis kibbitz about their jobs–the good, the bad and the ugly? Rabbi Shira hosts a roundtable for her rabbinic friends where they can laugh, commiserate and get some things off their chests.  We’re joined by Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt of Adas Israel in Washington D.C. and Rabbi Seth Goldstein of Temple Beth Hatfiloh in Olympia, Washington. Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram

Everyone loves to play Jewish geography, right? But what if you find the practice exclusive, confusing or even offensive? Is it time to reconsider and leave “bageling” in the past? Why don’t you ask a convert to tell their story? Sing-a-long to “Wherever You Go” Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram

A listener tells Rabbi Shira and Hanna that her rabbi uses AI to write sermons…and she doesn’t like it.  What are the Jewish ethics of AI? And how does Shira utilize this new technology? Read more about “the law of the land is the law” Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram

What’s most important when it comes to preserving Jewish tradition for future generations? Is it sharing Jewish stories? Food? Singing Hatikvah as a lullaby?  And what if…the baby isn’t even Jewish?  Rabbi Shira and Hanna offer advice to a soon-to-be Saba who wants to share his Jewish joy with his grandchild. Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram

A newly committed Jew is wondering if he should remove his old celtic cross tattoo. Rabbi Shira and Hanna talk about the complex relationships between Jews and tattoos, including their own! Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram

What should you look for when shul shopping besides “that feeling”? How do you know a synagogue is right for you? And what role should a temple play in our modern lives? As we celebrate Sukkot and Simchat Torah, Rabbi Shira and Hanna offer one congregation consumer their advice. Visit a BASE Jewish Community Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram

Rabbi Shira and Hanna welcome former White House speechwriter and author Sarah Hurwitz for a conversation about her latest book As a Jew, an urgent exploration of how antisemitism has shaped Jewish identity,  the complexities of modern Jewish life, and what lessons Sarah learned from being a hospital chaplain. More about Sarah Hurwitz Listen to Sarah on Chutzpod Make malawach! Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram

Shana Tova Chutzsquad! Welcome 5786 with Rabbi Shira’s annual high holiday message.  Study the Unetaneh Tokef Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram

We're back with new episodes for the new year! A self-professed “nice Jewish boy from New York City,” Jake Cohen is the New York Times bestselling author of Jew-ish and I Could Nosh, star of A&E’s Jake Makes It Easy. He talks about his new book Dinner Party Animal, why Jews are so obsessed with food and helps us all with our food and entertaining questions.  Learn more about Jake Cohen Follow Jake Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram

Listen to a special live event held at Aspen Jewish Congregation on August 13, 2025.  In a time of deep division, what does it really mean to belong to the Jewish people? And how do we stay in community when our beliefs, priorities, and red lines conflict? This session draws on the idea of the “big tent” as both a moral aspiration and a real-world challenge, exploring how we navigate differences while maintaining a sense of Jewish peoplehood. This conversation features Hebrew College President Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, Shalom Hartman Institute President Yehuda Kurtzer, and the Executive Director of the Harvard Hillel Jason Rubenstein.  Chutzpod will be back with new episodes September 17th! Need advice from Hanna and Shira? Submit your questions to chutzpod@gmail.com. Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram

Listen to a special live event held at Aspen Jewish Congregation on August 13, 2025.  The Jewish experience has always been bigger than survival. Yet too often, the public stories we tell center on trauma and loss. This session explores how we might reclaim stories of resilience, creativity, and contribution, and how new narratives could help us build a future rooted in strength. This conversation features Dasi Fruchter, Founder & Spiritual Leader of the South Philadelphia Shtiebel, Mark Oppenheimer, Creator & Host of Unorthodox podcast and Dara Horn, Author and Founder & President of Mosaic Persuasion. Chutzpod will be back with new episodes September 17th! Need advice from Hanna and Shira? Submit your questions to chutzpod@gmail.com. Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram

Listen to a special live event held at Aspen Jewish Congregation on August 6, 2025.  For decades, American Jews enjoyed unprecedented safety, success, and cultural influence. But beneath that prosperity, many became disconnected from Jewish tradition and meaning. Was that truly a golden age, or just the foundation for what could come next? This session reckons with the story of Jewish life in America and asks what a deeper, more meaningful era might look like. This conversation features The Atlantic's Franklin Foer, spiritual leader and scholar Mijal Bitton, and Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue Chutzpod will be back with new episodes September 17th! Need advice from Hanna and Shira? Submit your questions to chutzpod@gmail.com. Listen to Frank Foer's previous Chutzpod conversation Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram

Chutzpod is coming back with new episodes and new real-life questions September 17th! Rabbi Shira and Hanna will answer questions about "shul shopping," tattoo taboos and rabbis using AI. Plus they talk to Jewish foodie Jake Cohen and author and White House speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz. Subscribe to automatically get all new episodes. Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram

Listen to a special live event held at Aspen Jewish Congregation on July 30, 2025.  Jewish ideas offer a framework for thinking deeply and living purposefully. But in a world flooded with content and opinion, what does Judaism offer that is distinctive and worth sustaining? This opening session explores what gives Jewish ideas their enduring relevance and why they’re worth learning from and living by today. This conversation features speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz, author of Here All Along and As a Jew, New York Times opinion columnist Bret Stephens, and Wexner Foundation President Rabbi B. Elka Abrahamson.  Chutzpod will be back with new episodes September 17th! Need advice from Hanna and Shira? Submit your questions to chutzpod@gmail.com. Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram

Back by popular demand, Rabbi Shira and Hanna cap off this season with a Shavuot celebration and Torah study Back by popular demand, Rabbi Shira and Hanna cap off this season with a Shavuot celebration and Torah study. They help a young listeners preparing for his Bar Mitzvah and lead us us through Sh’lach L’cha, which Rabbi Shira loves because it’s one of the stories that has the most to teach us about our lived experience today.  Read Sh’lach L’cha Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram

Beyond face masks and candles is there such a thing as “Jewish Self-Care”? Rabbi Shira and Hanna admit they are allergic to the lavender-scented concept and respond to a listener who wants to know more about Judaism’s notion of taking care of oneself.  Read the story about surviving in the desert.  Read the story about bathing while mourning Support Chutzpod! Submit a question Contact Chutzpod! Subscribe to Chutzstack Follow Hanna on Instagram Follow Shira on Instagram Follow Shira on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Facebook Follow Chutzpod on Instagram