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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.
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Rabbi Mintz on Jewish History - Glimpses into the religious Lives of Early Modern European Jewry
Rabbi Adam Mintz
Glimpses into the religious Lives of Early Modern European Jewry
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A PASSSOVER SPECIAL: BECOMING ELIJAH
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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.…
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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 extrao…
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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.…
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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…
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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.…
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Amos Oz (1939–2018) was one of Israel’s most prolific and prominent writers, as well as a regular contender for the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was the author of dozens of novels, essay collections, and novellas written between 1965 and shortly before his death. Join us with celebrated scholar Robert Alter, author of the new Jewish Lives biograp…
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Born Julius Marx in 1890, the brilliant comic actor who would later be known as Groucho, was celebrated for his slapstick portrayals, ingenious wordplay, and double entendre. Join us with Lee Siegel, author of Groucho Marx: The Comedy of Existence, as we explore the life of the beloved American iconoclast through the lens of his work on stage, scre…
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The feminist writer and activist Betty Friedan (1921–2006), pathbreaking author of The Feminine Mystique, was powerful and polarizing. Join us with Rachel Shteir, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Betty Friedan: Magnificent Disrupter, as we explore the life of the author and activist acclaimed as the mother of second-wave feminism.…
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Gershom Scholem (1897–1982) was one of the most influential figures in the field of Jewish Studies. Join us with historian David Biale, author of the Jewish Lives biography Gershom Scholem: Master of the Kabbalah, as we examine the life of the thinker who pioneered the study of Jewish mysticism and profoundly influenced the Zionist movement.…
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Both thoroughly German and unabashedly Jewish, Walther Rathenau (1867–1922) served in the exalted position of foreign minister in the early days of the Weimar Republic. His achievement was unprecedented—no Jew in Germany had ever attained such high political rank. But Rathenau’s success was marked by tragedy: within months he was assassinated by ri…
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Tradition has it that King Solomon knew everything there was to know—the mysteries of nature, of love, of God himself—but what do we know about him? Join us with esteemed biblical scholar Steven Weitzman as we reexamine Solomon's story and its surprising influence in shaping Western culture in Solomon: The Lure of Wisdom. We also explore what Solom…
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Elie Wiesel is the author of the seminal Holocaust memoir Night and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Join us with Joseph Berger, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Elie Wiesel: Confronting the Silence, as we explore how a teenage survivor from a Hasidic family became the eloquent embodiment of Holocaust remembrance and of forceful oppositi…
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Mel Brooks, born Melvin Kaminsky in Brooklyn in 1926, is one of the great comic voices of the twentieth century Join us with Jeremy Dauber, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Mel Brooks: Disobedient Jew, as we explore how Brooks’s American Jewish humor went from being solely for niche audiences to an essential part of the American mainstream,…
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Born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz, Jerome Robbins (1918–1998) was a master choreographer, dancer, and stage director, most famous for his stage productions of West Side Story, Peter Pan, and Fiddler on the Roof. Join us with Wendy Lesser, author of the Jewish Lives biography Jerome Robbins: A Life in Dance, as we explore Robbins’s life through his majo…
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The Warner Brothers—Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack—arrived in America as unschooled Jewish immigrants, yet they founded a movie studio that became the smartest, toughest, and most radical in all of Hollywood. Join us with celebrated film critic David Thomson, author of Warner Bros.: The Making of an American Movie Studio, as we explore how four immig…
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Born Lev Davidovich Bronstein in southern Ukraine, Leon Trotsky (1879-1940) was a revolutionary figure who led an upheaval that helped define the contours of twentieth-century politics. Join us with Joshua Rubenstein, author of the Jewish Lives biography Leon Trotsky: A Revolutionary’s Life, as we uncover the brilliant and brilliantly flawed man wh…
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Most famous for All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, and The Crucible, Arthur Miller (1915–2005) was a playwright who almost single-handedly propelled twentieth-century American theater into a new level of cultural sophistication. Join us with distinguished theater critic John Lahr, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Arthur Miller: American Witn…
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Said to be the inspiration for Ian Fleming’s iconic James Bond character, Sidney Reilly (c. 1873–1925) is one of the most colorful and best–known spies of the 20th century. Join us with historian Benny Morris, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Sidney Reilly: Master Spy, as we sift through the reality and the myth of Reilly’s life and uncover…
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The Book of Ruth offers a vibrant portrait of a foreigner who became the founding mother of the Davidic dynasty. Join us with Ilana Pardes, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Ruth: A Migrant’s Tale, as we explore the ever-changing perspectives on Ruth’s foreignness beginning in the Hebrew bible and rabbinic literature through Zionism and the …
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Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946) was an enormously influential photographer and champion of other artists. Join us with Phyllis Rose, acclaimed critic, biographer, and author of Alfred Stieglitz: Taking Pictures, Making Painters, as we explore Stieglitz’s role as a revolutionary force in the history of American art.…
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Martin Buber (1878–1965) was a seminal modern Jewish thinker. Join us with Paul Mendes-Flohr, an authority on the 20th-century philosopher and author of Martin Buber: A Life of Faith and Dissent, as we explore Buber’s contributions to Jewish thought, philosophy, biblical studies, political theory, and Zionism.…
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Join us with composer Allen Shawn, author of Leonard Bernstein: An American Musician, for an appreciation of the great musical genius who stood at the epicenter of 20th-century American musical life. Music in this episode: Leonard Bernstein and Steven Sondheim - "Cool" from West Side Story Leonard Bernstein - Symphony No. 2, The Age of Anxiety Leon…
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Join us with Adam Phillips, one of the world’s foremost authorities on Sigmund Freud and author of Becoming Freud: The Making of a Psychoanalyst, as we explore the early life of the father of psychoanalysis.Af Jewish Lives
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Few figures in twentieth-century Jewish life were quite so admired and loathed as Vladimir Jabotinsky (1880-1940).The founder of the branch of Zionism now headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, he is perhaps the most controversial of all Zionist political leaders.Join us as author Hillel Halkin explores the life and legacy of Jabotinsky. Halkin will also ex…
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Join us and explore the story of the prophet Elijah’s evolution from fierce zealot to compassionate hero and cherished figure in Jewish tradition. Hear from National Jewish Book Award winner Daniel C. Matt, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Becoming Elijah: Prophet of Transformation.Music in this episode: Hazzan Brian Baruch Shamash - arrang…
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Join us for a riveting exploration of the brilliant, combative, and controversial “Father of the Nuclear Navy.”Hear from Marc Wortman, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Admiral Hyman Rickover: Engineer of Power.Af Jewish Lives
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Explore an insider’s perspective on the life and influence of Israel’s first native-born prime minister, his bold peace initiatives, and his tragic assassination.Join us as we listen to Ambassador Itamar Rabinovich, author of Yitzhak Rabin: Soldier, Leader, Statesman.Music in this episode: Miri Aloni and Lehakat Hanachal - Shir LaShalom…
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Jaws. Jurassic Park. Schindler’s List. Join us as we listen to Molly Haskell, author Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films. Learn how Spielberg’s uniquely evocative filmmaking and story-telling have enchanted audiences for more than 40 years.Af Jewish Lives
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Civil Rights Leader. Anti-Vietnam War Activist. Rabbi.How did Abraham Joshua Heschel, a Hasidic rabbi from Warsaw, become a progressive Jewish icon?Join us as we explore why Heschel remains a symbol of the fight to make progressive Jewish values relevant in the secular world with Julian Zelizer, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Abraham Josh…
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How could a man as gifted as Benjamin not see that he was complicit with evil?One of the first Jewish senators, Judah Benjamin (1811–1884) was a confidante to Jefferson Davis and leader of the Confederacy.Join us as we explore the difficult truth that Benjamin, who was considered one of the greatest legal minds in the United States, was a slave own…
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One of the most radically original artists of the 20th century, Man Ray (1890–1976), was a founding father of Dada and a key player in French Surrealism. Join us as we learn about Man Ray’s Jewish background as one filter to understand his life and art with Arthur Lubow, author of the new biography Man Ray: The Artist and His Shadows.…
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Son of a tin peddler, art adviser to Gilded Age Millionaires. Join us as we learn more about Bernard Berenson’s incredible self-transformation through the first half of the twentieth century - through two world wars and persistent anti-Semitism - with Rachel Cohen, author of Bernard Berenson: A Life in the Picture Trade.Music in this episode: Edvar…
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Julius Rosenwald was a humble retail magnate whose visionary ideas about charitable giving transformed the practice of philanthropy in America and beyond.Hasia R. Diner, author of the Jewish Lives biography Julius Rosenwald: Repairing the World, discusses the life and legacy of one of the founders of Sears Roebuck whose philanthropy supported Jewis…
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How did a little boy from Latvia become one of the greatest and most original painters of the 20th century?Annie Cohen-Solal, author of the Jewish Lives biography Mark Rothko: Toward the Light in the Chapel, offers a fascinating exploration of the life and work of one of America’s most enigmatic postwar visual artists.Music in this episode: Wolfgan…
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Hank Greenberg was a baseball legend.Mark Kurlansky, author of the Jewish Lives biography Hank Greenberg: The Hero Who Didn’t Want to Be One, offers a robust exploration of the slugger's Bronx boyhood, his spectacular discipline as an aspiring ballplayer, and the cultural context of virulent anti-Semitism in which his career played out.…
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David Ben-Gurion is a Zionist icon.Anita Shapira, author of the Jewish Lives biography Ben-Gurion: Father of Modern Israel, explores the inner life of the Zionist leader responsible for the creation of the state of Israel.Af Jewish Lives
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Bugsy Siegel was a notorious Jewish gangster who ascended from impoverished beginnings to the glittering Las Vegas strip.Michael Shnayerson, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Bugsy Siegel: The Dark Side of the American Dream, sets out not to absolve Siegel but rather to understand him in all his complexity.…
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Marcel Proust was one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.Benjamin Taylor, author of the Jewish Lives biography Proust: The Search, explores how despite momentous historical and personal events, Proust became—against all expectations—one of the greatest writers of any era.Music in this episode: Camille Saint-Saëns - The Swan Claude …
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Ben Hecht was one of America’s greatest screenwriters.Adina Hoffman, author of the Jewish Lives biography, Ben Hecht: Fighting Words, Moving Pictures, provides a vibrant portrait of one of the most accomplished and quick-witted writers in Hollywood.Af Adina Hoffman
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Heinrich Heine (1797–1856) was one of Germany’s most important, world-famous, and imaginative writers.George Prochnik, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Heinrich Heine: Writing the Revolution, offers a window into the dynamic life story and strikingly original writing of the virtuoso poet.Music in this episode: Felix Mendelssohn - Lieder ohn…
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Peggy Guggenheim was one of 20th century America’s most influential patrons of the arts.Francine Prose, author of the Jewish Lives biography Peggy Guggenheim: The Shock of the Modern, offers a spirited portrait of the colorful, irrepressible, and iconoclastic American collector who fearlessly advanced the cause of modern art.…
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Legendary warrior. Poet. Servant of God. Adulterer. King. Rabbi David Wolpe, author of the Jewish Lives biography David: The Divided Heart, takes a fresh look at biblical David in an attempt to find coherence in his seemingly contradictory actions and impulses.Music in this episode: Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah…
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Stanley Kubrick is one of the most influential filmmakers in cinematic history. David Mikics, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Stanley Kubrick: American Filmmaker, uncovers the personal side of Kubrick’s films and how they revolutionized Hollywood.Music in this episode: Johann Strauss II - Blue Danube Waltz Richard Strauss - Also Sprach Zar…
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Einstein was the world’s first “scientific superstar.” Steven Gimbel, author of the Jewish Lives biography Einstein: His Space and Times, explores the life of the brilliant innovator whose Theory of Relativity forever reshaped our understanding of time.Music in this episode: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Violin Sonata No. 24 in F, K. 376…
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Everything about Sarah Bernhardt is fascinating, from her obscure birth to her glorious career to her highly public romantic life and her indomitable spirit. Robert Gottlieb, author of the Jewish Lives biography Sarah: The Life of Sarah Bernhardt tracks the trajectory through which an illegitimate—and scandalous—daughter of a courtesan transformed …
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Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man elected to public office in California. Lillian Faderman, author of the Jewish Lives biography Harvey Milk: His Lives and Death, explores the legacy of a man fiercely committed to protecting all minorities.Af Lillian Faderman
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Few artists have had as much of an impact on American popular culture as comic book revolutionary Stan Lee.Liel Leibovitz, author of the Jewish Lives biography Stan Lee: A Life in Comics, shares a meditation on the deeply Jewish and surprisingly spiritual roots of Stan Lee and Marvel Comics.Af Liel Leibovitz
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Harry Houdini was the world's greatest escape artist. Adam Begley, author of the Jewish Lives biography Houdini: The Elusive American, offers insight into why such a tremendously gifted performer risked his life again and again.Af Jewish Lives
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How did an assimilated European Jew become the leader of the Zionist movement?Hear from eminent historian Derek Penslar, author of the new acclaimed Jewish Lives biography Theodor Herzl: The Charismatic LeaderAf Jewish Lives
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Louis D. Brandeis was the most farseeing constitutional philosopher of the twentieth century. Jeffrey Rosen, author of the Jewish Lives biography Louis D. Brandeis: American Prophet, shares a riveting examination of the leading progressive justice.Music by Bensound.comTape sync by Jackie McDermott.Af Jewish Lives
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