| Judaism Unbound | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Presentation | |
| Hosted by |
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| Genre | Religion and spirituality podcast |
| Language | English |
| Updates | Weekly |
| Production | |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 283 + Bonus Episodes |
| Publication | |
| Original release | February 25, 2016 |
| Provider | Institute for the Next Jewish Future |
| Related | |
| Website | www |
Judaism Unbound is a podcast and digital education platform hosted by Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg that discusses Judaism in the 21st century.
Overview
Judaism Unbound was founded by Dan Libenson in 2015, and would develop from a podcast into a digitally-based centre for Jewish education and experimentation. Libenson began to do research for a book and after Rofeberg joined him as an assistant they decided to turn it into a podcast. Libenson and Rofeberg analyze Judaism in the context of the 21st century while interviewing experts and regular Jewish people. Libenson claims that the traditional methods of engaging people with Judaism alienates American Jews and that digital mediums such as podcasts and online teaching can be used to address that problem. Libenson is the founder and president of the Institute for the Next Jewish Future, which is the provider of the podcast. Libenson is the son of Eli Libenson, a Conservative rabbi, who left Manetto Hill Jewish Center and made aliyah when Dan was 14 years old. Rofeberg grew up in Shorewood, Wisconsin before becoming a rabbinical student at the Alliance for Jewish Renewal and later attending Brown University.
Format
The podcast releases episodes on a weekly basis. The show's format was originally based on tech podcasts like This Week In Tech and Future Tense and focused on interviewing well known Jewish leaders such as Benay Lappe, Noam Sienna, and Lori Schneide Shapiro
Reception
In April 2019, the podcast had over 200 episodes and one million downloads. The show was the seventh most popular Jewish podcast on iTunes with episodes receiving between 40,000 and 50,000 downloads every month. The show hosted a live, online episode to celebrate.
The hosts did interviews with the New Voices and The Jewish Chronicle.
References
- Isaacs, Anna (September 13, 2016). "Top Ten Jewish Podcasts: Reader Edition". Moment. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ "Dan Libenson". Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Jewish Life. Accessed 19 September 2023.
- ^ Feldman, Ari (July 12, 2019). "Judaism Unbound Is Tracking The Emerging Digital Jewish Future, One Podcast At A Time". The Forward. The Forward Association. Archived from the original on July 18, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- Woolfson, Lisa (April 12, 2020). "7 Jewish Podcasts to Listen to During Quarantine". Washington Jewish Week. Mid-Atlantic Media. Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- Silverman, Erica (July 8, 2019). "Listeners Are Connecting to Jewish American Life Through New Media". Jewish Exponent. Jewish Publishing Group. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- ^ Yudelson, Larry (October 31, 2019). "Synagogues Unbound". Jewish Standard. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- Meyer, Tami Kamin (May 17, 2018). "Wisconsin Native Co-Hosts Popular Jewish Podcast - Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle". Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle. The Milwaukee Jewish Federation. Archived from the original on July 18, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- Sales, B. (2018). "Why these people are celebrating a Jewish holiday at IHOP." Times of Israel, 20 May 2018.
- Lubow, Rebecca (December 22, 2020). "Shouting "I Am a Jewish Educator!": A Judaism Unbound Fellowship Reflection". New Voices. Jewish Student Press Service. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- Rocker, Simon (December 27, 2019). "The Trainee Rabbi Who Sees Hope In Mixed Marriages: The Jewish Community Should Make Interfaith Couples Welcome, Says Lex Rofeberg, Who Is a Partner in One Himself". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on July 18, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2021.