Join Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback as he talks with an eclectic variety of thinkers, artists, and change-makers about their experiences (Jewish or otherwise) and their own search for meaning and purpose in their lives.
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Episodes
Search for Meaning With Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback and Broadway Actress Romy Rosen
In the latest edition of his Search for Meaning podcast, Stephen Wise Temple Senior Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback hosts 9-year-old actress Romy Fay Rosen, who is currently playing the roles of Young Sally and Mimi in the acclaimed Broadway production of "Leopoldstadt." The play, which follows a Viennese Jewish family from 1899 through 1955, grapples with the aftermath of the pogroms, assimilation, civil liberties, infidelity, Bolshevism, the rise of the Third Reich, and the devastation wrought by the Shoah. Together, Romy and Rabbi Yoshi—who attended college with Romy's father, officiated her parents' wedding, and attended her baby naming—explore how she got into acting, the casting process, balancing work and school, and how such a young actress (despite a lengthy resume) experiences the very personal adult themes in the show. From singing songs from "Annie" at age 2, to starring as Elsa in a community theater children's production [...]
Search for Meaning with Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback and Rabbi Josh Knobel
In the latest edition of his Search for Meaning podcast, Stephen Wise Temple Senior Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback hosts Stephen Wise Temple's Center for Youth Engagement director, Rabbi Josh Knobel. From the finer points of the classic summer camp game of gaga (which may very well have a Hebrew origin) to "the Army way," to the invasion of Iraq, to the lessons Rabbi Knobel teaches to our youth and to the congregation, the two cover a wide range of topics in their hourlong discussion. When he was a boy, Rabbi Knobel went to Jewish day school and Jewish day camp, but when his parents gave him a choice one summer of going to Jewish sleepaway camp or working on his grandfather's farm, he chose the farm. After six weeks of working on the same row of lima beans (which brought home all of $5), he swore off [...]
Search for Meaning: “Letting Go – To Grow,” Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback’s Yom Kippur 2022 Sermon
In the latest edition of his Search for Meaning podcast, Stephen Wise Temple Senior Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback delivers his 2022 (5783) Yom Kippur sermon, entitled, “Letting Go - To Grow.” You can view the full video and other High Holy Day highlights here. The full transcript follows: Last month, Jacqueline and I dropped our youngest daughter off at college. This was our third time so we knew the drill: the first order of business after helping shlep their luggage to their dorm rooms is the journey to Bed, Bath, and Beyond. This wasn’t a thing when I went to school more than thirty years ago. My parents took me to Eppley Airfield in Omaha, helped me check in my duffel bags, hugged me tight, wished me luck, and sent me on my way. A few hours later I arrived at my destination and found my way [...]
Search for Meaning: “Circles of Concern,” Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback’s Rosh Hashanah 2022 Sermon
In the latest edition of his Search for Meaning podcast, Stephen Wise Temple Senior Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback delivers his 2022 (5783) Rosh Hashanah sermon, entitled, "Circles of Concern." You can view the full video here. The full transcript of Rabbi Yoshi's Rosh Hashanah sermon is below: At the end of the movie, "Schindler’s List," Yitzhak Shtern, played by Ben Kingsley, presents Oskar Schindler with a ring. On it, he explains, are engraved words from the Talmud that say: "Whoever saves one life saves the world entire." Schindler, played by Liam Neeson, is clearly moved. As he reaches out to shake Shtern's hand, he says, "I could have got more out … if I had just …" "No, no, no," Shtern says: "... There are 1,100 people who are alive because of you—look at them … There will be generations because of what you did." "I didn't [...]