Who The Folk?! Cincinnati

Rabbi Scott Shafrin

Rabbi Scott Schaffrin didn’t set out to become a rabbi. Growing up in Milwaukee, he was drawn to music and thought his future might be at a piano, not a pulpit. But over time—through college, community organizing work, and a formative summer back home—his path shifted. What started as an interest in helping people eventually became a calling. Now, after stops in Boston, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and St. Louis, Schaffrin has landed in Cincinnati as the senior rabbi at Adath Israel Synagogue. Along the way, he’s built a career shaped as much by relationship-building and organizing as by traditional rabbinic work. A lot has changed since he started, but his approach has remained fairly consistent. Whether he’s leading services, teaching, or working across communities, the focus is on connection—on helping people find meaning with each other, even when they don’t always agree. We sat down with Rabbi Schaffrin to talk about his journey to the rabbinate, the role music plays in his life and work, and why he sees Judaism less as a unison and more as a harmony.

Elise Cole

Elise Cole had always wanted to be a writer and was drawn to performance, but never planned on being a stand-up comedian. In her early 30s, while attending grad school, a chance encounter with the founder of Brave New Theater started her on the path. After getting on stage for the first time, she was hooked. Now, over a decade later, the Twin Cities-based stand-up is heading to Cincinnati, featuring for fellow stand-up comic Tabari McCoy at Go Bananas Comedy club [https://gobananascomedy.com/main/]. It’s her first time in the Queen City, but not her first time touring different cities. Since she started in comedy, a lot has changed, but Cole’s approach hasn’t. She still leans on her storytelling roots, even as performing has become more complicated, especially as an Iranian Jew in the aftermath of Oct. 7 and the current U.S.-Israel-Iran war.

Josh Gondelman

Hey y’all, before the launch of season 2 of Who the Folk Cincinnati   We’ve got a special episode with Josh Gondelman.  Josh is an Emmy Award-winning comedian, author, and writer.  He has worked on shows such as Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Desus & Mero. Josh has written for Esquire magazine, The New Yorker, and The New York Times.  His last two stand-up specials, "People Pleaser" and "Positive Reinforcement," are available on YouTube. Josh is bringing his new hour to the Commonwealth Comedy Club in Northern Kentucky this weekend, April 10-11th.

Laurence Essig

Laurence Essig was born and raised in the Cincinnati area. He grew up in Newport, Kentucky, a first-generation American and one of seven siblings. He went to medical school during World War II and, through an Army program, skipped undergrad and entered medical school directly. He was a cornerstone of the Cincinnati community for years, and through his medical practice, he touched the lives of countless people. He was a man of many talents. He passed away in 2015 at the age of 88. Editors' Note: This episode was originally recorded in late 2014. My Uncle Lazar (the name I knew him by) was a fixture at family gatherings and Jewish community events. He was one of the connections I had to my family's past and to my grandfather, Stan Fisher, whom I never got to meet. I decided to interview him after we had a conversation at a Bar Mitzvah party, when he lamented that the younger generation of our family didn’t know him, and that he didn’t know them. So I set out to change that. It was before I knew anything about the technical aspects of podcasting, but I knew I wanted to get some of his stories recorded so they could be shared. I hope you enjoy this show as much as I enjoyed talking with him over a decade ago.

Adam Teitelbaum

Adam Teitelbaum is the founder and CEO of Level III Industries, a strategy and storytelling firm advancing Jewish life and resilience. He now—somewhat to his own surprise—calls Cincinnati home with his wife and children.