HevriaCast: Talking With Awesome Creative Jews

Rachel Kann, one of Hevria's original writers, finally joins Elad in the studio for this episode of HevriaCast. Rachel brings her sparkling, powerful energy to this episode, discussing everything from how the feminine is spreading, what spirituality really is, and what makes art transcendent. Rachel Kann is a poet, dancer, Zumba teacher, writing teacher, priestess-in-training, podcaster, and much more. Find Rachel on her website: http://rachelkann.com/ On Hevria: http://hevria.com/author/rachel/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/msrachelkann/ And on her podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/out-with-rachel/id1246306399

After taking a break for Tishrei, HevriaCast returns with its first second-time guest: Dalia Shusterman. In her first visit to HevriaCast, Dalia told us how she became a musician.  In this episode, she tells us how a rock star going on world tours started to explore Judaism, and take the road towards quitting her rock star life to get married, move to LA, and live the married observant life. Dalia Shusterman was one of the forces behind Bulletproof Stockings, a revolutionary Hasidic all-female band, who has recently started a new project called the New Moon All Stars Party Band, another Hasidic all-female band. Listen to Dalia's first visit to HevriaCast here: http://hevria.com/hevria/dalia-shusterman/ And find out about the New Moon All Stars Party Band here: https://www.facebook.com/NewMoonAllStars/

What can Chassidus teach us about music? What can music teach us about Chassidus? And how does one make sure to tap into a holy part of themselves when they create any form of art? In this episode, Yisroel Arye Gootblatt of the Brooklyn Jazz Warriors joins Elad for a discussion about these issues and so much more. Go to the Brooklyn Jazz Warriors record release this Sunday! https://www.facebook.com/events/1485333948201814/ Find the Brooklyn Jazz Warriors on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/brooklynjazzwarriors/ And check out Yisroel Arye's project, Sound Heights Records here: https://soundheightsrecords.com/

Can politics and creativity coexist? And if they can, where do they meet in an authentic way? In this episode of HevriaCast, Chloé Valdary, an outspoken voice in the world of Zionism and someone known for her activism, discusses why she has "given up" politics and now sees her work as art. And it is in this change that she shares her answers to the questions above and much more. Find Chloe: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chloesimonevaldary/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/cvaldary Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cvaldary/

Dalia Shusterman, one of the two members of the revolutionary Bulletproof Stockings, a Hasidic band made up only of women that made a big splash when they started playing big venues with one requirement: only women could come. In this episode, Dalia tells the first part of her story: how it seemed that no matter what she did, she was drawn towards a life of music. Join us as we explore her fascinating quest, from leaving home at sixteen to devote herself to music to her constant feeling that her creative side and her spiritual side were in conflict.

This week, Hevria's own Stephanie Wellen Levine joins Elad in the studio. And, if you know anything about Stephanie and Elad, you'll know exactly what the topic of this week was: death. From why no one else seems to be obsessed with it to contemplating the extinction of humanity, Elad and Stephanie go dark and yet somehow manage to be super joyful about the discussion itself. Enjoy! Or don't. We won't take it personally. You can buy Stephanie's first memoir about her time living in Crown Heights here: https://www.amazon.com/Mystics-Mavericks-Merrymakers-Intimate-Journey/dp/0814751970 And you can read her work on Hevria here: http://hevria.com/author/stephanielevine/

The Jewish Woodstock. That's what the Times of Israel calls Ian Leifer's fabulously ambitious Jewish music festival, The Camping Trip, taking place this weekend. And with a lineup including Matisyahu, Levi Robin, Zusha, and more, it would seem absolutely accurate. So, what inspired this project? How did Ian, someone who considers himself only having begun to take his Judaism "seriously" in the last 6 months, decide to commit to a project he's been building over the last few years? Find out in this latest episode of HevriaCast. Find out more about The Camping Trip and buy tickets on their website: http://thecampingtrip.net/

What's the difference between being an artist making Jewish art and a Jew who does art? In this latest HevriaCast episode, Saul Sudin (co-producer of "Punk Jews" and co-founder of Jewish Art Now) explores his own journey exploring this question. You can find out more about Saul Sudin on his website: http://saulsudin.com Watch the complete "Punk Jews" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c29lJ3U_A0 Saul's latest photography project, Body Narratives, can now be viewed at Think Coffee on 73 8th Ave in Manhattan.

While many of HevriaCast's recent guests have been discussing how to make Judaism more creative, Erika Dreifus's mission has been to make the creative world more Jewish. Erika has been blogging back before it was cool, both about writing and Jewish writing. And her thoughts expressed in this episode are an invaluable look into dealing with the tension between the desire to "succeed" in a secular setting while also embracing our personal identities. You can find Erika on her personal website: http://www.erikadreifus.com/ And on her two writing blogs: "Practicing Writing": http://www.erikadreifus.com/blogs/practicing-writing/ "My Machberet": http://www.erikadreifus.com/blogs/my-machberet/ Here are the links to some of the articles mentioned in this podcast: "After the MFA: Fantasy, Reality, and Lessons Learned": https://www.pw.org/content/after_the_mfa_fantasy_reality_and_lessons_learned Junot Diaz on "MFA vs. POC": http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/mfa-vs-poc Erika's poem about meeting deadlines early: http://www.sundaysalon.com/punktlichkeit.htm

"I find people to be the most beautiful things in the world." This quote from this week's HevriaCast is perhaps the best way to sum up our guest: Rochel Spangenthal. Rochel, the first regular Hevria writer to guest on Hevria's podcast, goes very deep into her way of looking at the world and how we can all improve our own. In this epic episode, Rochel discusses her world travels, how we can all become more present in our lives, and the power of holding on to the freshness of childhood.

Connecting revelation and creativity. Seeing how context affects the creative work we put out into the world. Exploring the spiritual power of bubblegum pop. All of this and more in this episode of HevriaCast featuring Miriam Brosseau. Miriam, whose LinkedIn bio calls out "Communication is an act of creation," is the Director of Engagement at See3. She also happens to be the lead singer of Stereo Sinai, a band she formed with her husband to explore the Torah through pop music. And she is a master of online communication. All this and more is what she brought to this episode. Enjoy!

In this special episode of HevriaCast, Elad interviews Brad Hirschfield, the president of Clal. Clal is a pluralist Jewish organization that oversees projects like "Rabbis Without Borders". In addition, it happens to be where Elad works, and is the fiscal sponsor of Hevria. But that's not what this episode is about. Rather, it's an exploration into the deeper creative ideas behind Brad's work. Things like the idea of "service vs. sales" and how to create a Jewish world that becomes more focused on love than on fear. Brad has two podcasts you can follow: 1. "6 Minutes With Brad Hirschfield": https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1224330760 2."Cracking The Echo Chamber": https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cracking-the-echo-chamber/id1229222081?mt=2

If you've ever read a piece on the hit Jewish parenting site Kveller, it probably passed through the careful and caring hands of Molly Tolsky, who until recently was its editor. She will soon be launching a new site in partnership with Kveller called Alma. The first half of this episode is devoted to discussing the challenges and joys of creating work for a less religiously engaged Jewish audience. And in the second half Elad and Molly discuss the power of fear in the creative process. Get a sneak peak of Alma on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/heyalmacom/ Read Kveller here: http://kveller.com

Leah Gottfried, creator of "Soon By You", joins us this week to talk about balancing an orthodox life in the secular creative world and a creative life in the orthodox world. Drawing on her experience acting on television as well as being determined to be an actress in a community that often discouraged her dreams, the conversation revolves around the importance of creative communities, how to grow as an artist even when faced with challenges, and more. Episode 4 of "Soon By You" premieres this Thursday! Catch up with the episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxDfmL4kiek&list=PLCGQM1zwcGG2x7qh_Hn2jSvSR6f7dNCjY And if you're in New York City, you can go to the premiere party this Wednesday! Find out more info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1817309771629527/

Meet Amy Guterson, the founder and director of Tzohar, a Hasidic seminary for the arts. Hear how her program was started, how she found out that spirituality and the arts work together to make us better people, and how the Hasidic world is starting to embrace the arts, all in this powerful episode.