The Jewish Lives Podcast

Jewish Lives

The Jewish Lives Podcast is a monthly show that explores the lives of influential Jewish figures. Hosted by Alessandra Wollner, each episode includes an interview with an acclaimed Jewish Lives author. Jewish Lives is a prizewinning series of biography published by Yale University Press and the Leon D. Black Foundation. Join us as we explore the Jewish experience together.

  • 18 minutes 36 seconds
    JACOB

    A powerful hero of the Bible, Jacob is also one of its most complex figures.

    Join us with Israel Prize winner Professor Yair Zakovitch, author of Jacob: Unexpected Patriarch, as we explore the many layers of the life of the patriarch—Jacob’s wanderings, revelations, disgraces, disappointments, and ultimate success.

    21 November 2024, 12:00 pm
  • 23 minutes 42 seconds
    MENACHEM MENDEL SCHNEERSON

    Episode 59: MENACHEM MENDEL SCHNEERSON

    Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902–1994) was the seventh and last rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, one of the world’s best-known Hasidic groups.

    Join us with Ezra Glinter, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Menachem Mendel Schneerson: Becoming the Messiah, as we explore the life and thought of one of the most influential—and controversial—rabbis in modern Judaism.

    22 October 2024, 11:30 am
  • 22 minutes 40 seconds
    AYN RAND

    Ayn Rand (1905–1982) was one of America’s most provocative writers of the 20th century. Her best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged have influenced three generations of Americans.

    Join us with Alexandra Popoff, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Ayn Rand: Writing a Gospel of Success, as we explore Rand’s defense of

    American capitalism, individualism, and creativity.

    Music in this episode: 

    George Gershwin - "Rhapsody in Blue"

    7 August 2024, 7:08 pm
  • 20 minutes 23 seconds
    MOSES MENDELSSOHN

    The “German Socrates,” Moses Mendelssohn (1729–1786) was the most influential Jewish thinker of the 18th and 19th centuries. A Berlin celebrity and a major figure in the Enlightenment, Mendelssohn suffered the indignities common to Jews of his time while formulating the philosophical foundations of a modern Judaism suited for a new age.

    Join us with Bar Ilan scholar Shmuel Feiner, author of Moses Mendelssohn: Sage of Modernity, as we explore Mendelssohn’s tireless advocacy for his people and the importance of intellectual independence.

    2 July 2024, 11:00 am
  • 21 minutes 20 seconds
    LÉON BLUM

    Léon Blum (1872–1950), France’s prime minister three times, socialist activist, and courageous opponent of the pro-Nazi Vichy regime, profoundly altered French society.


    Join us with one of France’s most eminent political sociologists Pierre Birnbaum, author of Léon Blum: Prime Minister, Socialist, Zionist, as we explore the extraordinary life and legacy of the first Jewish prime minister of France.

    Other historical figures mentioned in the show you can explore in  Jewish Lives biographies and on the podcast:

     

    Alfred Dreyfus

    READ Alfred Dreyfus: The Man at the Center of the Affair

    LISTEN TO ALFRED DREYFUS

     

    Louis D. Brandeis 

    READ Louis D. Brandeis: American Prophet 

    LISTEN TO LOUIS D. BRANDEIS

    4 June 2024, 11:00 am
  • 22 minutes 13 seconds
    HEROD THE GREAT

    Herod the Great (73–4 BCE) was a phenomenally energetic ruler who took advantage of the chaos of the Roman revolution to establish himself as a major figure in a changing Roman world and transform the landscape of Judaea.

    Join us with Oxford University scholar Martin Goodman, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Herod The Great: Jewish King in a Roman World, as we explore the political triumphs and domestic tragedies of the Jewish king.

     

    2 May 2024, 5:42 pm
  • 44 minutes 46 seconds
    A PASSSOVER SPECIAL: BECOMING ELIJAH

    Get ready for Passover with Jewish Lives. Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of Park Avenue Synagogue and Professor Daniel Matt, author of Becoming Elijah: Prophet of Transformation, explore the life and legacy of the prophet Elijah, one of the most popular figures in Jewish folklore. 

    This episode comes from the Park Avenue Synagogue Podcast. 

     

    17 April 2024, 12:27 am
  • 23 minutes 8 seconds
    HENRIETTA SZOLD

    Henrietta Szold (1860–1945) is renowned as the founder of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, which quickly became one of the most successful of all Zionist groups.

    Join us with award-winning author Francine Klagsbrun, author of the new biography Henrietta Szold: Hadassah and the Zionist Dream, as we explore the life of an extraordinary woman whose impact resonates to this day.

     

    25 March 2024, 11:00 am
  • 23 minutes 16 seconds
    ALFRED DREYFUS

    On January 5, 1895, Captain Alfred Dreyfus’s cries of innocence were drowned out by a mob shouting “Death to Judas!”

    As global antisemitism rises, join us with Yale scholar Maurice Samuels, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Alfred Dreyfus: The Man at the Center of the Affair, as we explore a story that is more important than ever.

    22 February 2024, 8:53 pm
  • 17 minutes 50 seconds
    SPINOZA

    Baruch (Benedictus) Spinoza (1632–1677) was a radical free thinker who led a life guided by strong moral principles despite his disbelief in an all-seeing God.

    Join us with award-winning writer Ian Buruma, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Spinoza: Freedom’s Messiah, as we explore the life and legacy of the enlightenment thinker whose belief in freedom of thought and speech resonates in our own time.

    29 January 2024, 7:33 pm
  • 21 minutes 45 seconds
    RABBI AKIVA

    Born in the Land of Israel around the year 50 C.E., Rabbi Akiva was the greatest rabbi of his time and one of the most important influences on Judaism as we know it today.

    Join us with Professor Barry W. Holtz, author of Rabbi Akiva: Sage of the Talmud, as we explore the life and teachings of one of the most beloved heroes of Jewish history.

    22 December 2023, 12:00 pm
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