Detours & Destinations

In this episode, we sit down with writer, speaker, and Interfaith America founder and president Eboo Patel. Together with Rabbi David Ingber, Patel reflects on his lifelong commitment to pluralism and his work advancing a vision of America in which people of different faiths, worldviews, and backgrounds contribute to a shared civic life. Drawing on decades of experience building bridges across deep divides, they explore the role of faith in shaping America’s future and the challenges of fostering cooperation in an increasingly polarized society. Patel also reflects on his own experience growing up as the son of Indian immigrants, and the lessons he learned about finding a sense of belonging while preserving his identity and taking pride in his heritage. They discuss how distinct identities can become sources of connection rather than division, and what it takes to build a more cohesive community grounded in a shared sense of purpose. Learn more about Eboo’s work and Interfaith America https://www.interfaithamerica.org/people/eboo-patel/Read Eboo’s books https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001IXNWQWRabbi Ingber’s IG https://www.instagram.com/rabbiingber92NY Bronfman Center Events Producer: Efrat BiggerContent Editor: Maya Gayer Music By: Shimon Smith  

In this episode of Detours and Destinations, Rabbi David Ingber sits down with actor, writer, and producer Mark Feuerstein for a conversation about family, identity, faith, and the evolving meaning of success. Best known for his starring role in Royal Pains, Feuerstein reflects on his unconventional journey from championship wrestler and Princeton student to one of television's most recognizable leading men, and on the twists and turns that led him from performing other people's stories to telling his own. Drawing on projects like 9JKL and Guns & Moses, Feuerstein explores how his Jewish upbringing, family life, and creative work have become increasingly intertwined. He discusses the role of gratitude, ritual, and community in his life, the challenges of bringing authentically Jewish stories to mainstream audiences, and how the events of October 7 deepened his sense of Jewish responsibility and public identity. Along the way, he reflects on marriage, parenthood, moral courage, and the values he hopes to pass on to the next generation. Follow Mark on IG https://www.instagram.com/markfeuerstein/?hl=en Check out Mark’s filmography https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0275417/ Rabbi Ingber’s IG https://www.instagram.com/rabbiingber 92NY Bronfman Center Events  Producer: Efrat Bigger Content Editor: Maya Gayer  Video Editor: Sean Kennedy  Music By: Shimon Smith  Special Thanks: Eden Sidney Foster.

In this episode of Detours and Destinations, Rabbi David Ingber sits down with actor, writer, producer, podcast host, and Jewish advocate Jonah Platt to explore a life shaped by storytelling, community, and Jewish identity. Raised in Los Angeles in a family where Hollywood success and Jewish leadership existed side by side, Platt reflects on the values that shaped him, from Camp Ramah and Jewish day school to Broadway, television, film, and a multifaceted career in the entertainment industry. The conversation traces his journey from performer to public voice, focusing on the profound shift that followed October 7 and his emergence as a leading advocate for Jewish life and peoplehood. Through his acclaimed podcast Being Jewish, he has created space for conversations about identity, Israel, antisemitism, belonging, and the challenges of maintaining nuance in a polarized world. This is a conversation about purpose, responsibility, family, Jewish continuity, and the enduring power of storytelling to build connection, understanding, and hope. Learn more about Jonah’s work and listen to “Being Jewish” here - https://www.jonahplatt.com/ Rabbi Ingber’s IG https://www.instagram.com/rabbiingber 92NY Bronfman Center Events  Producer: Efrat Bigger Content Editor: Maya Gayer  Video Editor: Sean Kennedy  Music By: Shimon Smith  Special Thanks: Eden Sidney Foster.

In this episode of Detours and Destinations, Rabbi David Ingber sits down with cookbook author, food writer, and culinary storyteller Adeena Sussman to explore a life shaped by food, migration, reinvention, and the search for belonging. Raised in a deeply communal Jewish home in Palo Alto and later immersed in New York’s food media world, Sussman spent decades helping chefs, celebrities, and publications translate flavor into narrative before ultimately finding her own voice through Israeli cooking and storytelling. The conversation traces her journey from cookbook collaborations and food journalism to her life-changing move to Tel Aviv in 2015. Along the way, Sussman reflects on the Carmel Market as a creative and emotional home, on Israeli cuisine as a living mosaic shaped by migration and diaspora, and on the deeper meanings of hospitality, ritual, and nourishment. Against the backdrop of October 7 and its aftermath, the episode explores how food becomes a language of resilience, consolation, and connection during moments of rupture and uncertainty. Through her bestselling books Sababa, Shabbat, and most recently ZARIZ, Sussman considers what it means to simplify, to feed others, and to create spaces of calm and joy in chaotic times. Ultimately, this is a conversation about much more than cooking: it is about identity, home, memory, sensuality, Jewish life, and the emotional and spiritual power of gathering around a table. Learn more about Adeena’s work https://www.adeenasussman.com/ Follow Adeena on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/adeenasussman/ Rabbi Ingber’s IG https://www.instagram.com/rabbiingber 92NY Bronfman Center Events  Producer: Efrat Bigger Content Editor: Maya Gayer  Video Editor: Sean Kennedy  Music By: Shimon Smith  Special Thanks: Eden Sidney Foster and Naama Shefi.

In this episode of Detours and Destinations, Rabbi David Ingber sits down with writer, former White House speechwriter, and bestselling author Sarah Hurwitz to explore a life shaped by language, identity, and the search for meaning. After years crafting speeches for some of America’s most influential political figures — including Hillary Clinton, Barack and Michelle Obama — Hurwitz underwent an unexpected personal transformation when an Intro to Judaism class led her to rediscover the depth of Jewish tradition. The conversation traces her journey from political speechwriting to spiritual searching, and from speaking in other people’s voices to articulating her own. Together, they explore authenticity, antisemitism, Zionism, Holocaust memory, and the growing tensions surrounding Jewish identity in America after October 7. Centered around Hurwitz’s acclaimed new book As a Jew, this episode examines how Jews understand themselves in a moment of rupture, polarization, and uncertainty — and asks what it means to reclaim Jewish identity without apology. Learn more about Sarah’s work and read her books - https://www.sarahhurwitz.net/ Rabbi Ingber’s IG https://www.instagram.com/rabbiingber 92NY Bronfman Center Events  Producer: Efrat Bigger Content Editor: Maya Gayer  Video Editor: Sean Kennedy  Music By: Shimon Smith  Special Thanks: Eden Sidney Foster.