What do a rebellious Bat Mitzvah, hidden synagogues across Europe, and a chance encounter with a future member of Israel’s Knesset have in common? They’re all formative moments on the unexpected journeys of two rabbis!

In the very first episode of "In Such a Time: Conversations on Jewish Life, Leadership, and Meaning," Rabbis Leora Londy and Jonathan Jaffe pull back the curtain on their personal paths to the rabbinate, sharing the pivotal stories, questions, and challenges that shaped their sense of Jewish identity and communal calling. From Leora’s childhood in a rabbinic family—her mom teaching her to put on tefillin, her dad preparing the four species for Sukkot with the help of a Seventh Day Adventist—to Jonathan’s coming-of-age as one of Hawaii’s few Jewish kids, the episode explores how roots, rituals, and travels far from home can spark a lasting devotion to Jewish leadership.

Highlights include tales of feeling “Jewishly out of place” from Honolulu to Herzliya, the thrill (and tension) of entering synagogues and Jewish quarters while backpacking Europe, navigating gender roles in Israeli religious life, and the sometimes surprising realization that a simple act—or a single phrase from a teen—can change a life and inspire a rabbinic calling.

Tune in for an honest, reflective, and often humorous conversation about forging a meaningful Jewish life, the power of peoplehood, and what it takes to guide a community in such a time.

Episode Overview & Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 — Intro to the podcast and hosts’ intentions for exploring their rabbinic journeys
• 00:01:23 — Leora’s upbringing in a rabbinic household; tefillin, sukkot, and interfaith moments
• 00:04:24 — Jonathan’s childhood as one of the only Jewish kids in Honolulu, creating Camp Menorah, and what it meant to “build Judaism” from scratch
• 00:07:04 — Leora’s formative gap year in Israel: testing different Jewish communities, gender roles in worship, and the influence of feminist Jewish leaders
• 00:13:14 — Jonathan’s discovery of Jewish peoplehood on a backpacking trip across Europe, finding unexpected family in Jewish quarters and synagogues
• 00:18:08 — Leora’s cultural awakening in Herzliya, building bridges across Jewish diaspora, and the turning point that led her to the Reform rabbinate
• 00:24:43 — Jonathan’s “wandering” twenties: failing at corporate life, finding purpose at a shul in San Francisco, and how a teen’s kind words sparked his rabbinic pursuit
• 00:32:55 — Reflections on impact: how small acts and words can shape destinies, and the importance of gratitude in Jewish life
• 00:33:46 — Closing thoughts and thank yous

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