TEXTing

Jewish Disagreement in Public and in Private – with Jeremy Burton

From debates over politics, antisemitism, and public representation to disagreements over kugel recipes, Jews are not immune to the profound polarization that characterizes society today. How do Jews relate to each other—and the world—when disagreements run so deep? In this episode of TEXTing IRL, Elana Stein Hain and Jeremy Burton, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, examine the growing fractures within Jewish communal life through the lens of Parashat Vayiggash, wrestling with questions of relationship, unity, and advocacy. We are grateful to Micah Philanthropies and the Walder Charitable Trust for their generous support of TEXTing IRL. Episode Source Sheet [https://www.hartman.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/TEXTing-IRL-Ep-12-Source-Sheet-v2.pdf] Watch the video version of this episode ⁠here [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNEc0OhOO6nfsNKu6jeRkEmeeEfEDfGVL]⁠. You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE [https://hartman.tfaforms.net/4719134] to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS [https://www.hartman.org.il/newsletter/]

How Can Jews Believe in God Right Now? – with Dani Segal

After two-plus years of agony and hardship, what can Judaism teach about the role of faith and the presence of God in times of suffering? In this episode of TEXTing IRL, Elana Stein Hain and Dani Segal of Mabua: Israeli Beit Midrash mine the lessons of Parashat Vayeshev and Joseph’s descent to Egypt. Drawing on rabbinic interpretations, modern experiences, and stories of soldiers and hostages, they explore how faith can operate as moral clarity and personal motivation during the long and often painful arc of Jewish history. Episode Source Sheet [https://www.hartman.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/TEXTing-IRL-Ep-11-Source-Sheet.pdf] Watch the video version of this episode ⁠here [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNEc0OhOO6nfsNKu6jeRkEmeeEfEDfGVL]⁠. You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE [https://hartman.tfaforms.net/4719134] to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS [https://www.hartman.org.il/newsletter/]

Rethinking How Jews Advocate – with Stacy Burdett

As the longstanding bipartisan consensus around issues important to Jewish needs seems to collapse in America, many feel that the deck is stacked against the Jewish community. How can Jews advocate for themselves, and what tools should they be using? Elana Stein Hain and community advocacy strategist Stacy Burdett dive into Parashat Vayetze to explore Jacob’s fraught encounters with Lavan and what they reveal about the ethics of Jewish self-advocacy today.   Episode Source Sheet [https://www.hartman.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/TEXTing-IRL-Ep-10-Source-Sheet.pdf] Watch the video version of this episode ⁠here [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNEc0OhOO6nfsNKu6jeRkEmeeEfEDfGVL]⁠. You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE [https://hartman.tfaforms.net/4719134] to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS [https://www.hartman.org.il/newsletter/]

Jews: Strangers in Their Own Home? – with Sarah Hurwitz

As antisemitism and anti-Zionism rise, many North American Jews have felt less welcome in the countries that they call home. How do we root ourselves deeply in our Jewish identities while remaining engaged in and committed to the broader world? On this episode of TEXTing IRL, Elana Stein Hain and author Sarah Hurwitz turn to this week’s Torah portion and the concept of the ger toshav—the resident alien—to understand how North American Jews might navigate belonging, identity, faith, and the enduring challenge of embracing Jewish particularism while living in diverse societies. We are grateful to Micah Philanthropies and to the Walder Charitable Fund for their generous support of TEXTing. Episode Source Sheet [https://www.hartman.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/TEXTing-IRL-Ep-9-Source-Sheet-v2.pdf] Watch the video version of this episode ⁠here [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNEc0OhOO6nfsNKu6jeRkEmeeEfEDfGVL]⁠. You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE [https://hartman.tfaforms.net/4719134] to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS [https://www.hartman.org.il/newsletter/]

Future Tense: Being Jewish in Public – with Elana Stein Hain

This week, TEXTing IRL is excited to share Hartman’s podcast, Future Tense [https://www.hartman.org.il/program/future-tense-podcast/], where rising Jewish leaders drive conversations with scholars from the Shalom Hartman Institute on the most pressing issues facing their generation.   Many young Jews are taught that they have a responsibility to publicly represent the Jewish people—an expectation that can feel especially heavy during the formative years of personal growth and identity development. In this episode of Future Tense, Elana Stein Hain joins hosts Anna Weiss, Sami Jinich, and Yadid Orlow to explore how to balance the challenges of representation with their own personal development as well as the benefits and challenges of connecting beyond the Jewish community.     You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE [https://hartman.tfaforms.net/4719134] to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS [https://www.hartman.org.il/newsletter/]