Who The Folk?! Podcast

This week I talk to Stephanie Chauss, the new-ish CEO of the Minnesota JCC on this week’s Who The Folk?! Podcast. We talk about various transitions she has made since getting involved in the JCCs, her style of leadership, and how long does she get to be considered new in the job, on this week’s Who The Folk? Podcast.

This week I talk to Adam Kersch, the new congregational administrator at Mayim Rabim Congregation as well as a Rabbinic student at ALEPH, the ordination program of Renewal Judaism. We talk about the winding road that brought Adam to the Twin Cities, an equally winding road of a Jewish journey, and a what led him to rabbinic school, on this week’s Who The Folk?! Podcast.https://www.mayimrabim.org/

This week I talk Emily Boskoff, the new executive director of Minnesota Hillel. We talk about her move back to the Midwest, getting used to working with college students again, and this week’s Hillel Big Ten Challenge, on this week’s Who The Folk?! Podcast.https://give.hillel.org/minnesota24

This week I talk Michael Greenberg, film director, writer and producer about his new short film “The Combination”. We talk about taking a deep-dive into some of the less-savory parts of Minneapolis Jewish history, what drew him to filmmaking, and the Twin Cities as a place where great movies can be made, on this week’s Who The Folk?! Podcast.Trailer: https://youtu.be/FOhT2vr0hg0Limited Tickets for the premiere on 11/9: https://www.trylon.org/film/the-combination/

This week I talk to Barbara Brooks, the founder and producing artistic director of Six Points Theater. We talk about milestone of reaching it’s 30th anniversary season, why she started the theater in the first place, and an exciting first to open the new season, on this week’s Who The Folk?! Podcast.Six Points Theater: https://www.sixpointstheater.org/

This week I talk to Rabbi Julie Schwarzwald, the Fiterman B-Mitzvah Program & Ritual Director at Beth El Synagogue. We talk about her mid-career decision to go to rabbinic school, what she’s looking forward as she starts working with a new group of learners, and coming back to the Midwest, on this week’s Who The Folk?! Podcast.Sponsored by TC Jewfolk's SukkotGiving. Tickets are now on sale. Learn more at: bit.ly/sukkotgiving

This week I talk to Rabbi Jill Avrin, the founder of YourJewish. We talk about her transition from pulpit rabbi to non-profit founding director, Packers Football, and YourJewish being a part of TC Jewfolk’s Sukkot Giving on November 3, on this week’s Who The Folk?! Podcast.Sukkot Giving: https://bit.ly/sukkot-givingYourJewish: https://yourjewish.org

A special edition of the Who The Folk?! Podcast! St. Louis Park native Peter Himmelman was back in Minnesota for one night only to talk with TC Jewfolk Editor Lonny Goldsmith about his new book Suspended by no String: A Songwriter’s Reflections on Faith, Aliveness, and Wonder. We have a wide-ranging conversation about the book, the writing process, and hear Peter read some selections from the book.(Watch the interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGHYw1GF9p8)Buy Peter's book! Sponsored by TC Jewfolk's SukkotGiving on November 3. Learn more here: https://tcjewfolk.com/event/tc-jewfolks-sukkotgiving/

This week I talk to Rabbi Eva Cohen, newly ordained and now the spiritual leader of Or Emet: The Minnesota Congregation for Humanistic Judaism. We talk about what humanistic Judaism is, what led her to the pulpit, and what it’s like leading a congregation that’s known her for almost 30 years, on this week’s Who The Folk?! Podcast.Sponsored by TC Jewfolk's SukkotGiving. Tickets are now on sale. Learn more at: bit.ly/sukkotgiving

This week I talk to musican and technologist Lee Zukor. We talk about his wonderful band The Long Honeymoon, who are playing TC Jewfolk’s SukkotGiving on Nov. 3, his evolution as a songwriter, and how elements of his day job and his hobby co-exist, on this week’s Who The Folk?! Podcast.Lee's Band: https://thelonghoneymoon.com

This week I talk to attorney Elliot Ginsburg. We talk about his legal specialties of beverage and cannabis law, how he found this niche to practice, and what drew him to the law in the first place, on this week’s Who The Folk?! Podcast.

We're back from a little late-summer hiatus to talk to Ron Krebs, a Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota. We talk about what it’s like to teach about global political and military events as they are happening, what led Ron to academia, and what could be a challenging start to the school year on campus, on this week’s Who The Folk?! Podcast.U Regents vote on divestment protest policies: https://tcjewfolk.com/2024/08/27/u-of-m-regents-reject-israel-divestment/

This week I talk to Rabbi Sammy and Cantor Heather Seid, the new associate rabbi and Jewish educator, respectively, at Adath Jeshurun. We talk about each of their winding roads to joining the clergy, the good fortune of finding a synagogue for both of them, and the importance of ice cream, on this week’s Who The Folk?! Podcast.

This week I talk to artist and teacher Avigail Manneberg. We talk about what led her to becoming an artist, her father’s I told-you-so moment, and creating art on stage in front of an audience at the Rimon Annual Gala on Aug. 22, on this week’s Who The Folk?! Podcast. Avigail's work: https://www.avigailmanneberg.com/Rimon Annual Gala: https://jewishminneapolis.tfaforms.net/77?mc_cid=d80f38369e&mc_eid=826b54511a

This week we are doing something completely different for Who The Folk. On July 20, five of us came together to taste six different bagels for what has become the every-six-year TC Jewfolk Minnesota Bagel Showdown. The episode gets you inside the dining room as we taste, banter, question and laud some of the best bagels in Minnesota.The 2024 Great Minnesota Bagel Showdown is sponsored by City Girl Coffee. City Girl Coffee is a sustainable and responsible coffee company who is working to bring awareness and equality to the women of the coffee industry. It’s also a TC Jewoflk fan favorite. Learn more about City Girl Coffee here.

This week I talk to Abby Gore, the director of youth and young adult engagement at Mount Zion Temple. We talk about what brought her to St. Paul, why working in the youth engagement space is appealing, and how she came to be the student speaker at her recent graduation from Hebrew Union College, on this week’s Who The Folk?! Podcast.Read Abby's Speech! https://huc.edu/wp-content/uploads/Abby-Gore-Graduation-Student-Perspective_ADA.pdf

This week I talk to Rabbi Samantha Thal, the new associate rabbi at Bet Shalom Congregation. We talk about what was appealing about coming to Bet Shalom, the roots of her Jewish community leadership, and what she’s looking forward to as she starts her first post-ordination pulpit, on this week’s Who The Folk?! Podcast.

This week I talk to Hunter Wengersky, the J-Pride program coordinator at Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Minneapolis. We talk about the upcoming Pride weekend and what J-Pride has in store for the festival, how the presence at Pride has evolved, and how their diverse background works well in creating programming opportunities, on this week’s Who The Folk?! Podcast.Links to stuff we discussed:https://jfcsmpls.org/j-pride-celebrates-pride-month/Yiddish book club: https://qlibrary.org/event/queer-jewish-folklore-book-club/ TC Pride Shabbat: https://jfcsmpls.org/event/twin-cities-pride-shabbat-2/TC Pride Parade: https://jfcsmpls.org/event/twin-cities-pride-parade/GALA: https://galachoruses.org/festival-2024/

This week I talk to Stacey Dinner-Levin about her role in the upcoming Minnesota Mammalehs: Stories From the Tribe event on June 24. We talk about what it’s like to perform in a storytelling event, how the theater is central to her family, and that one time she wrote a play, on this week’s Who The Folk?! Podcast.Buy tickets now: http://bit.ly/mammalehs

This week I talk to recently retired State Representative Frank Hornstein. We reflect on his 22 years in the state legislature, his love for transportation policy, and what he’s looking forward to next, on this week’s Who The Folk?! Podcast.After the end credits, you can listen to Frank’s retirement speech from the floor of the House on May 20, with thanks to Barry LaGrave and Mike Cook from the Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services. Or you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge9jrmDoUfQSponsors this week: Hodroff-Epstein: https://hodroffepsteinmemorialchapels.com/MN Mammalehs Stories from the Tribe: http://bit.ly/mammalehs