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
Never Alone: Our Enduring Commitment to Our People and Our Homeland — Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback
Never Alone: Our Enduring Commitment to Our People and Our Homeland by Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback Delivered on Yom Kippur (9/16/2021) “Mom,” I asked from the back seat of our Jeep Wagoneer, the one with the wood panels on the sides, “why is the Temple giving away Russian Jewelry?” There was an uncharacteristically long pause and then she said, “What on earth are you talking about?” “I saw a sign in the Temple parking lot that said: ‘Free Soviet Jewelry.’ And then the Rabbi talked about giving us some special bracelets to wear.” She laughed and said, “You didn’t read the sign carefully enough - it says, ‘Free Soviet Jewry.’” The year was 1979. My mom explained to me that there were Jews in Russia who had been put in prison simply because they wanted to make aliyah, to emigrate to Israel; they were called refuseniks because their request to emigrate [...]
Search for Meaning with Mario M. Muller and Rabbi Yoshi
Not many spiritual communities boast their own artist-in-residence but Stephen Wise Temple is truly fortunate to have Mario M. Muller in that special role. In the latest Search for Meaning, Mario sits down with Rabbi Yoshi to discuss art, creativity, life, vision, and so much more. Check it out and be sure to visit MarioMuller.com to see Mario's inspiring work! LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE
Israel: A beacon of LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Middle East
by Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback June is known as Pride month in America as an acknowledgment of the transformational change in perception around LGBTQ+ inclusion over the past five decades since the Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969. What was once considered shameful by so many has now become a matter of pride and celebration. We have come a long way and there is indeed much to celebrate. I am particularly proud to be part of a religious tradition that is dynamic and adaptive in this regard. What our Biblical ancestors and other civilizations considered an “abomination” three thousand years ago is increasingly accepted across the denominations of Judaism. Our own Reform movement and Stephen Wise Temple are fully inclusive when it comes to LGBTQ+ marriage, ordination, and participation in the religious life of our community. Israel is a beacon of LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Middle East and beyond. Israel's LGBTQ+ [...]
UTLA misses mark on anti-Israel resolution
by Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback My father is a retired surgeon. Whenever he would hear about a fellow doctor opening a restaurant or some other, non healthcare related business, he’d offer up these words of caution: “Son,” he’d tell me, “it’s important in life to ‘stay in your lane,’ to focus on your area of expertise and experience.” I thought of my dad‘s wise advice when I read that the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) will be voting on a resolution in September calling for the suspension of home evictions in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem, the cessation of United States aid to Israel, and an endorsement of “the international campaign for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against apartheid in Israel.” The resolution includes a “rationale” that is riddled with inaccuracies and logical fallacies. It claims that the IDF initiated the violence this past May in Gaza, ignoring the fact that [...]