Not long ago, a prominent Silicon Valley technologist told anyone who would listen that he believed he would never die because Artificial Intelligence was basically a God-like machine that could override all human frailties, including aging. This idea, says author and classicist Spencer Klavan, isn’t new: the history of science is in large part the story of trying to take the Creator out of the picture, only to come back again to the same stirrings described so eloquently in the first chapter of Genesis. Klavan, the author of the new book

Light of the Mind, Light of the World: How New Science is Illuminating Ancient Truths About God, talks to Liel about the future of AI, the arrogance of the new atheists, and the hopeful future that groundbreaking discoveries are ushering in by bridging the gap between faith and science. 

Lisa Edelstein has always been a woman of many hats, from 80’s “It” girl, to acting in shows like House, and painting. 

She joins us to talk about her latest exhibition, “Dance Me to the End of the World,” and how the paintings are so …. Jewish. We also talk about how her Judaism has affected the rest of her career, and how 10/7 impacted her work and relationships. 

Hosted by Courtney Hazlett, Rabbi Diana Fersko, and Josh Kross, each episode of How to Be a Jew takes a look at a current, cultural topic and what it means for us as Jews, and how we react to it because we are Jews.

Want to send us an email? Send it off to [email protected]

For more podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts

Elon Musk recently reignited discussion of a decade-old child sex scandal in England, in which more than 1,000 girls were groomed and raped by gangs largely composed of men of Pakistani descent. The scandal was mismanaged by the authorities, and British journalist Melanie Phillips joins us to share her take on why this is. She discusses how this tragedy was made worse by the impacts of multiculturalism and explains how this ideology puts the values of liberal democracy at risk. She also discusses her new book The Builder’s Stone: How Jews and Christians Built the West – and Why Only They Can Save It.

On the brink of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, Yohanan ben Zakkai made an astonishing decision. 

When faced with an opportunity to ask for anything from the new Roman emperor, Vespasian, rather than choosing to ask him to spare the Temple, Yochanan asked only for permission to start a school and preserve Jewish teachings in Yavneh, south of modern day Tel Aviv. 

Rabbi Marc Katz argues that this decision underscores how the Rabbis were the ultimate pragmatists in his new book Yochanan’s Gam­ble: Judais­m’s Prag­mat­ic Approach to Life. Is Katz right, and how should we consider pragmatism through a modern perspective?

 According to reports, Israel is about to sign a ceasefire deal with Hamas that will secure the return of some hostages in return to a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, paving the way to ending the war. Gadi Taub, the co-host of Tablet’s popular Israel Update podcast and one of Israel’s most influential journalists, opposes the deal. He joins Liel to shed light on the Israeli government’s challenges and missteps, on the incoming Trump administration’s potential and worrying decline in support for Israel, and on how the Israeli public is reacting to this difficult and flawed deal. 

We are re-releasing this episode with an update from Courtney on the situation in Los Angeles.

History-making wild fires have been raging nearly out of control across the Los Angeles area, destroying homes, businesses, schools, and even synagogues. How is the community responding, and what can the greater jewish community do? Rabbi Beau Shapiro joins us to give a clergy’s eye view on how our faith helps us cope with loss and events beyond our control.

Support Links:

• Nechama Disaster Relief
• Los Angeles Fire Department Fund
• Baby2Baby
• Wildfire GoFundMe spreadsheet for vetted families who are impacted
• MULAN Resources hub 

Hosted by Courtney Hazlett, Rabbi Diana Fersko, and Josh Kross, each episode of How to Be a Jew takes a look at a current, cultural topic and what it means for us as Jews, and how we react to it because we are Jews.

Want to send us an email? Send it off to [email protected]

For more podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts

For the past two years, a group of esteemed Christian and Jewish thinkers and theologians met regularly to discuss the one thing they felt was most sorely missing from the cultural and political landscape: Forgiveness. Rather than rage or despair, they argued, society ought to turn to the possibility that even the bitterest of foes can reconcile and even the most brutal of transgressions be atoned for and forgiven. R.R. Reno, editor of First Things Magazine, joins Liel to discuss the statement the group eventually released, ask whether we can reconcile forgiveness with justice, and expound on the immensely healing power of hope.

History-making wild fires have been raging nearly out of control across the Los Angeles area, destroying homes, businesses, schools, and even synagogues. How is the community responding, and what can the greater jewish community do? Rabbi Beau Shapiro joins us to give a clergy’s eye view on how our faith helps us cope with loss and events beyond our control.

Support Links:

• Nechama Disaster Relief
• Los Angeles Fire Department Fund
• Baby2Baby
• Wildfire GoFundMe spreadsheet for vetted families who are impacted
• MULAN Resources hub 

Hosted by Courtney Hazlett, Rabbi Diana Fersko, and Josh Kross, each episode of How to Be a Jew takes a look at a current, cultural topic and what it means for us as Jews, and how we react to it because we are Jews.

Want to send us an email? Send it off to [email protected]

For more podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts

In 2012, tens of thousands of Orthodox Jews packed Citi Field to protest the Internet and demand that believers tune out of the new nascent new medium. Rabbi Gil Student, an influential writer and thinker, opposed the move, arguing that even the most stringently observant Jews could learn to live out their values while still making good use of the new technology. His latest book, Articles of Faith (https://kodeshpress.com/product/articles-of-faith/), is a collection of meditations on this and other provocative questions that arise when the old time 

religion meets new world platforms and values.

Movies about remembrance are incredibly complicated and difficult to pull off. In his latest film, A Real Pain, actor, writer, and director Jesse Eisenberg tackles grief, family, and memory with echoes of the Holocaust as a haunting background. The film, which was inspired by a piece Jesse wrote for Tablet in 2017, was nominated for four Golden Globe awards.

Hosted by Courtney Hazlett, Rabbi Diana Fersko, and Josh Kross, each episode of How to Be a Jew takes a look at a current, cultural topic and what it means for us as Jews, and how we react to it because we are Jews.

Want to send us an email? Send it off to [email protected]

For more podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts

This show takes no weeks off for holidays, whether they are on the Jewish or Gregorian calendars. What are the differences and similarities between Rosh Hashanah and the “secular” new year’s and more importantly how are we marking them? Tablet’s executive editor Wayne Hoffman joins us to discuss the true meaning of starting a new year.

Hosted by Courtney Hazlett, Rabbi Diana Fersko, and Josh Kross, each episode of How to Be a Jew takes a look at a current, cultural topic and what it means for us as Jews, and how we react to it because we are Jews.

Want to send us an email? Send it off to [email protected]

For more podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts