HevriaCast: Talking With Awesome Creative Jews

Meet Rabbi Sam Reinstein, the rabbi at Congregation Kol Israel in Brooklyn. In recent years, Sam has helped CKI grow from an aging shul to a revitalized, modern, and creative one known for its art galleries, "Jewish Comic Con," and interfaith storytelling nights. In this episode, Sam and Elad discuss how he helped innovate these transformations, which then evolves into a discussion about the nature of creativity and why it even applies to the work of being a rabbi. Find out about CKI here: http://ckibrooklyn.org/ Follow CKI's art events here: https://www.facebook.com/brooklynjewishartgallery/ Read Sam's writing here: http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/sam-reinstein/

Ever since her "Illustrated Pirkei Avot" took the Jewish world by storm, Jessica Deutsch has become one of the most well-known and groundbreaking artists in the Jewish world. It is no surprise, then, that she has a lot to share about creativity, and especially creativity in the Jewish world. From how illustrations can help us better navigate our ability to live as Jews to the power of process over product to why artists should do "secret projects," this discussion between Elad and Tamar is rich with discussions about all forms of spiritual creativity. Visit Jessica's website here: http://www.jessicatdeutsch.com/ Follow Jessica on Instagram here:https://www.instagram.com/jessica_tamar_deutsch/

Can a businessman be creative? Can a business itself be creative? If so, what does all that reveal about creativity itself? In the latest episode of HevriaCast, Elad is joined by Naftali Hanau, founder and CEO of Grow and Behold, an organic kosher meat provider that has been making waves in the Jewish community. Enjoy! You can find Grow and Behold at the website: https://www.growandbehold.com/

Emilia Cataldo, also known by her stage name of Nehedar, talks about how acid led her to religion, the power of being an outsider as an artist, what artists and activists have in common, and so much more. Find Nehedar on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nehedarmusic/ And SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/nehedar

Eden Pearlstein of Darshan fame joins Elad to discuss what it means to be a fringe artist and Jew in a world where the fringe is often considered dangerous. Check out Eden's new album "Raza" with Darshan (the band featured in our intro!) here: https://darshan.bandcamp.com/album/raza Learn more about Darshan here: http://www.darshanproject.com/ See Darshan perform in New York on March 21st: https://www.facebook.com/events/1952951351588930/

What the heck is music exactly? Why does it touch some part of us that feels beyond earthly? Why is it so connected to prayer? In this episode, the legendary Basya Schechter joins Elad to discuss all this and so much more. Check out Basya's new album "Raza" with Darshan (the band featured in our intro!) here: https://darshan.bandcamp.com/album/raza Learn more about Darshan here: http://www.darshanproject.com/ See Darshan perform in New York on March 21st: https://www.facebook.com/events/1952951351588930/

How does one live creatively? How do we make our life a piece of art? And why is it so hard? These are the questions that form the basis for this discussion with Irwin Kula in this week's HevriaCast. Irwin Kula is a rabbi and the co-president of Clal (Hevria is fiscally sponsored by Clal). In 2008, Irwin was named the 7th most influential rabbi in America by Newsweek. It is this deep, creative wisdom he brings both to this discussion and to his work in Jewish innovation. Find out about Clal here: http://clal.org Find out about Irwin's latest project, the Glean incubator, here: http://clal.org/project/glean/

What happens when we start actually giving voice to those who don't fit with the prevailing mainstream narrative of a culture? What happens when it's a culture with a distinct narrative pushed by the mainstream... like the Jewish community? This is one of the biggest questions discussed in this episode, featuring Isaiah Rothstein, a young rabbi who grew up in a multiracial Chabad family in Monsey, ahd who now advocates for so many different voices through his work. Hear this, as well as Isaiah's beautiful rap, in this thoughtful new episode of HevriaCast. Find out more about Isaiah by following him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/isaiah.y.rothstein Find out more about his organization "Union Street Sanctuary" here: https://www.facebook.com/UnionStreetSanctuary/ And find out about Be'chol Lashon, where Isaiah is a Rabbi-in-Residence here: https://www.facebook.com/bechollashon/

Asher Lovy, abuse advocate and writer, sits down with Elad to talk about how activism and creativity are connected, his road to choosing take on activism, whether you need negativity to inspire art, and how we as a Jewish community need to approach Carlebach. Find Asher's activist group for abuse victims in the orthodox world here: https://www.facebook.com/zaakah/ Read his blog here: https://hareiani.com/ And read his guest posts on Hevria here: http://hevria.com/author/asherlovy/

A few months ago, the documentary "One of Us" came out on Netflix, and shook the orthodox world along with its release. The movie detailed the stories of three young Jews who had made the decision to leave their Hasidic communities, and the aftermath of their choices. One of those subjects was Ari Hershkowitz. In the movie, we see young Ari not just struggling with his own beliefs and place in the world, but also addiction and the trauma of sexual assault. In this episode, Ari discusses what his life has been like since the movie followed his life, the effect it had on his life, why he thinks many choose to leave their Hasidic lives, and much more. You can follow Ari on... Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arih.me/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arihershkowitz/ and Twitter: https://twitter.com/arihershkowitz

What started off as a friendly chat between two mutual admirers of each other's creativity quickly turned into something far more intense. As Jon Madof (lead guitarist of the band Zion80) started discussing how much of his music was inspired by Shlomo Carlebach, the talk turned into a discussion about the abuse allegations that have plagued Carlebach since his death. And, in turn, the responsibility of artists in the age of #MeToo. Find out more about Jon's band Zion80 here: https://zion80.com/ And find out about Jon's new record label, Chant Records, here: https://chantrecords.com/

Jeremy Borovitz, leader of Base Berlin and Brooklyn Beit Midrash, drops in to speak with Elad about how he became orthodox, how the Talmud and creativity have so much in common, and how to balance being alone with the need to connect with others in order to truly be both spiritual and creative.

Elad meets his match! In this episode of HevriaCast, Elad interviews and speaks with his wife, Rivka. Rivka is an artist, writer, and much more. In this episode, they discuss everything from how Chassidus is similar to creativity, why so many people have trouble producing art, and learning how to absorb critical comments without letting them destroy your creativity. Find Rivka's art here: http://www.rivka.gallery/ Read Rivka's writing here: http://hevria.com/author/rivka/ Learn more about ArtWarming here: https://www.artwarmingcards.com/

What does it mean to be masculine? And to live that masculinity out in a Jewish way? These are the questions that led Eitan Press to found Aleph Male, a new beard balm company that's been making waves in the Jewish press. We explore these questions and much more, including how starting a business is an act of creative bravery, how to inspire people, and the power of living in Israel as a creative Jew, in the latest episode of HevriaCast.

Is creativity just therapy? What does creativity offer to the world... and to creatives? Is there a way for creativity to truly be Jewish? In this episode, Yocheved Sidof, founder of Lamplighters Yeshivah and writer for Hevria, delves into these questions and more with Elad. Come listen. Find out more about Lamplighters: https://www.lamplightersyeshivah.org/ Read Yocheved's writing: http://hevria.com/yocheved/