JFNA Third Plenary

Author, journalist, political commentator, and podcaster Molly Jong-Fast sits with Rabbi Avraham Bronstein to discuss her memoir about her mother, renowned novelist Erica Jong.

Sam Sussman joins Abigail Pogrebin to discuss his debut novel, "Boy from the North Country," inspired by the memoir "The Silent Type: On (Possibly) Being Bob Dylan’s Son," and his role as a featured author in the Jewish Book Council’s "Nu Reads" subscription series.

JBS Journalist Micah Halpern asks and answers whether Israel can ever redeem itself in the eyes of the world after the Gaza War—this and more on this episode of "Thinking Out Loud" on JBS.

David Harris reacts to the horrifying mass shooting on Bondi Beach in Australia on the first night of Hanukkah. He highlights the fact that frequent Defending Israel guest Arsen Ostrovsky was wounded in the attack.

JFNA Second Plenary

Rabbi Bronstein is joined by Jean Hanff Korelitz, author of The Sequel, a novel that offers an antihero to root for while illuminating and satirizing the world of publishing.

Abigail Pogrebin speaks with Tony Award–winning actor Ari’el Stachel about his Off-Broadway solo show Other, in which he explores identity, anxiety, and the complexities of being an Arab Jew.

JBS Journalist Micah Halpern reflects on how October 7 transformed the world and how it relates to the election of Zohran Mamdani—this and more on this episode of "Thinking Out Loud" on JBS.

David Harris is joined by Col. Richard Kemp, distinguished military veteran and commander of British forces in Afghanistan to discuss Israel's military aims and doctrines, British reaction, and the surge in antisemitism in the UK.

“Our tendency — like the frog in the pot — is not to notice changes until events reach a boiling point,” says Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch. One overlooked verse in this week’s parashah, he says, implores us to “pay attention to the small things before they become big things."

Rabbi Avraham Bronstein is joined by bestselling author and legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin to discuss "The Pardon," his examination of American history, presidential power, and the far-reaching implications of political forgiveness.

Husband-and-wife creators Ben and Zikki Siman-Tov discuss turning their passion for food into a social media phenomenon (@Bengingi) and how their new cookbook  "Eat Small Plates" celebrates food as an engine of travel, family and friendship - in conversation with bestselling author Jake Cohen in a program of the Temple Emanu-El Cultural Streicker Center.

Abigail Pogrebin meets with author Miriam Udel, whose new book ("Modern Jewish Worldmaking Through Yiddish Children's Literature") reveals how contemporary Yiddish stories give voice to new forms of Jewish identity.

JBS Journalist Micah Halpern discusses the growing fears he’s hearing about rising attacks against Jews in New York—this and more on this episode of "Thinking Out Loud" on JBS.

David Harris is joined by Izabella Taborovsky, a writer, scholar of Soviet anti-zionism and contemporary antisemitism, and author of the forthcoming book "Be a Refusenik: A Jewish Student’s Survival Guide."

Rabbi Hirsch looks to the week’s parsha and urges his congregation of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue to pay attention to the small things before they become big.

Robert Siegel speaks with leading Middle East policy experts Dennis Ross, Aaron David Miller and Ghaith al-Omari for a wide-ranging discussion on Israel, the region and the shifting diplomatic landscape ahead. A program of AFRMC. 

Rabbi Avraham Bronstein is joined by author Allegra Goodman to discuss Isola, her novel that tells the timeless story of one woman’s fight for survival, inspired by the real life of a sixteenth-century heroine.

Author Aron Hirt-Manheimer joins Abigail Pogrebin to discuss "Sons of Survivors: Making Peace with Inherited Trauma," his moving dual memoir tracing two friends’ journeys to confront their parents’ Holocaust past and transform a legacy of trauma into one of love and understanding.