Podcast2
A Monthly Podcast by Jewish Lives
The Jewish Lives Podcast is a monthly show that explores the lives of influential Jews. Hosted by Stanford Storytelling Project veteran Alessandra Wollner, each episode includes an interview with an acclaimed Jewish Lives author. Join us as we explore the Jewish experience together.
Listen to episodes below or download at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or Stitcher.
Episode 35: MARTIN BUBER
Martin Buber (1878–1965) was a seminal modern Jewish thinker.
Join us with Paul Mendes-Flohr, an authority on the 20th-century philosopher and author of Martin Buber: A Life of Faith and Dissent, as we explore Buber’s contributions to Jewish thought, philosophy, biblical studies, political theory, and Zionism.
Episode 34: LEONARD BERNSTEIN
Join us with composer Allen Shawn, author of Leonard Bernstein: An American Musician, for an appreciation of the great musical genius who stood at the epicenter of 20th-century American musical life.
Episode 33: Freud
Join us with Adam Phillips, one of the world’s foremost authorities on Sigmund Freud and author of Becoming Freud: The Making of a Psychoanalyst, as we explore the early life of the father of psychoanalysis.
Episode 32: JABOTINSKY
Few figures in twentieth-century Jewish life were quite so admired and loathed as Vladimir Jabotinsky (1880-1940).
The founder of the branch of Zionism now headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, he is perhaps the most controversial of all Zionist political leaders. Join us as author Hillel Halkin explores the life and legacy of Jabotinsky.
Halkin will also explain the importance of Odessa, Ukraine, Jabotinsky’s native city, in shaping his character and outlook.
Episode 31: ELIJAH
Join us and explore the story of the prophet Elijah’s evolution from fierce zealot to compassionate hero and cherished figure in Jewish tradition.
Hear from National Jewish Book Award winner Daniel C. Matt, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Becoming Elijah: Prophet of Transformation.
Episode 30: ADMIRAL HYMAN RICKOVER
Join us for a riveting exploration of the brilliant, combative, and controversial “Father of the Nuclear Navy.”
Hear from Marc Wortman, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Admiral Hyman Rickover: Engineer of Power.
Episode 29: YITZHAK RABIN
Explore an insider’s perspective on the life and influence of Israel’s first native-born prime minister, his bold peace initiatives, and his tragic assassination.
Join us as we listen to Ambassador Itamar Rabinovich, author of Yitzhak Rabin: Soldier, Leader, Statesman.
Episode 28: STEVEN SPIELBERG
Jaws. Jurassic Park. Schindler’s List.
Join us as we listen to Molly Haskell, author of Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films. Learn how Spielberg’s uniquely evocative filmmaking and story-telling have enchanted audiences for more than 40 years.
Episode 27: Abraham Joshua Heschel
Civil Rights leader. Anti-Vietnam War activist. Rabbi. How did Abraham Joshua Heschel, a Hasidic rabbi from Warsaw, become a progressive Jewish icon?
Join us as we explore why Heschel remains a symbol of the fight to make progressive Jewish values relevant in the secular world with Julian Zelizer, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Abraham Joshua Heschel: A Life of Radical Amazement.
Episode 26: JUDAH BENJAMIN
How could a man as gifted as Benjamin not see that he was complicit with evil?
One of the first Jewish senators, Judah Benjamin (1811–1884) was a confidante to Jefferson Davis and leader of the Confederacy.
Join us as we explore the difficult truth that Benjamin, considered one of the greatest legal minds in the United States, was a slave owner who deployed his oratorical skills in defense of slavery. Hear from James Traub, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Judah Benjamin: Counselor to the Confederacy.
Episode 25: MAN RAY
One of the most radically original artists of the 20th century, Man Ray (1890–1976), was a founding father of Dada and a key player in French Surrealism.
Join us as we learn about Man Ray’s Jewish background - and understand how it affected his art with Arthur Lubow, author of the new biography Man Ray: The Artist and His Shadows.
Episode 24: BERNARD BERENSON
Son of a tin peddler, art adviser to Gilded Age Millionaires
Join us as we learn more about Bernard Berenson’s incredible self-transformation through the first half of the twentieth century - through two world wars and persistent anti-Semitism - with Rachel Cohen, author of Bernard Berenson: A Life in the Picture Trade.
Episode 23: JULIUS ROSENWALD
Julius Rosenwald was a humble retail magnate whose visionary ideas about charitable giving transformed the practice of philanthropy in America and beyond.
Hasia R. Diner, author of the Jewish Lives biography Julius Rosenwald: Repairing the World, discusses the life and legacy of one of the founders of Sears Roebuck whose philanthropy supported Jewish and Black causes.
Episode 22: MARK ROTHKO
How did a little boy from Latvia become one of the greatest and most original painters of the 20th century?
Annie Cohen-Solal, author of the Jewish Lives biography Mark Rothko: Toward the Light in the Chapel, offers a fascinating exploration of the life and work of one of America’s most enigmatic postwar visual artists.
Episode 21: HANK GREENBERG
Hank Greenberg was a baseball legend.
Mark Kurlansky, author of the Jewish Lives biography Hank Greenberg: The Hero Who Didn’t Want to Be One, offers a robust exploration of the slugger's Bronx boyhood, his spectacular discipline as an aspiring ballplayer, and the cultural context of virulent anti-Semitism in which his career played out.
Episode 20: BEN-GURION
David Ben-Gurion is a Zionist icon.
Anita Shapira, author of the Jewish Lives biography Ben-Gurion: Father of Modern Israel, explores the inner life of the Zionist leader responsible for the creation of the state of Israel.
Episode 19: BUGSY SIEGEL
Bugsy Siegel was a notorious Jewish gangster who ascended from impoverished beginnings to the glittering Las Vegas strip.
Michael Shnayerson, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Bugsy Siegel: The Dark Side of the American Dream, sets out not to absolve Siegel but rather to understand him in all his complexity.
Episode 18: PROUST
Marcel Proust was one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.
Benjamin Taylor, author of the Jewish Lives biography Proust: The Search, explores how despite momentous historical and personal events, Proust became—against all expectations—one of the greatest writers of any era.
Episode 17: BEN HECHT
Ben Hecht was one of America’s greatest screenwriters.
Adina Hoffman, author of the Jewish Lives biography, Ben Hecht: Fighting Words, Moving Pictures, provides a vibrant portrait of one of the most accomplished and quick-witted writers in Hollywood.
Episode 16: HEINRICH HEINE
Heinrich Heine (1797–1856) was one of Germany’s most important, world-famous, and imaginative writers.
George Prochnik, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Heinrich Heine: Writing the Revolution, offers a window into the dynamic life story and strikingly original writing of the virtuoso poet.
Episode 15: PEGGY GUGGENHEIM
Peggy Guggenheim was one of 20th century America’s most influential patrons of the arts.
Francine Prose, author of the Jewish Lives biography Peggy Guggenheim: The Shock of the Modern, offers a spirited portrait of the colorful, irrepressible, and iconoclastic American collector who fearlessly advanced the cause of modern art.
Episode 14: DAVID
Legendary warrior. Poet. Servant of God. Adulterer. King.
Rabbi David Wolpe, author of the Jewish Lives biography David: The Divided Heart, takes a fresh look at biblical David in an attempt to find coherence in his seemingly contradictory actions and impulses.
Episode 13: STANLEY KUBRICK
Stanley Kubrick is one of the most influential filmmakers in cinematic history.
David Mikics, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Stanley Kubrick: American Filmmaker, uncovers the personal side of Kubrick’s films and how they revolutionized Hollywood.
Episode 12: EINSTEIN
Einstein was the world’s first “scientific superstar.”
Steven Gimbel, author of the Jewish Lives biography Einstein: His Space and Times, explores the life of the brilliant innovator whose Theory of Relativity forever reshaped our understanding of time.
Episode 11: SARAH BERNHARDT
Everything about Sarah Bernhardt is fascinating, from her obscure birth to her glorious career to her highly public romantic life and her indomitable spirit.
Robert Gottlieb, author of the Jewish Lives biography Sarah: The Life of Sarah Bernhardt tracks the trajectory through which an illegitimate—and scandalous—daughter of a courtesan transformed herself into the most famous actress who ever lived, and into a national icon, a symbol of France.
Episode 10: HARVEY MILK
Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man elected to public office in California.
Lillian Faderman, author of the Jewish Lives biography Harvey Milk: His Lives and Death, explores the legacy of a man fiercely committed to protecting all minorities.
Episode 9: STAN LEE
Few artists have had as much of an impact on American popular culture as comic book revolutionary Stan Lee.
Liel Leibovitz, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Stan Lee: A Life in Comics, shares a meditation on the deeply Jewish and surprisingly spiritual roots of Stan Lee and Marvel Comics.
Episode 8: HOUDINI
Harry Houdini was the world's greatest escape artist. Adam Begley, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Houdini: The Elusive American, offers insight into why such a tremendously gifted performer risked his life again and again.
Episode 7: THEODOR HERZL
How did an assimilated European Jew become the leader of the Zionist movement?
Hear from eminent historian Derek Penslar, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Theodor Herzl: The Charismatic Leader.
Episode 6: LOUIS D. BRANDEIS
Louis D. Brandeis was the most farseeing constitutional philosopher of the twentieth century.
Jefferey Rosen, author of the Jewish Lives biography Louis D. Brandeis: American Prophet, shares a riveting examination of the leading progressive justice.
Episode 5: BARBRA STREISAND
Barbra Streisand is a cultural icon who continues to challenge Hollywood’s standards of beauty and glamour.
Neal Gabler, author of the Jewish Lives biography Barbra Streisand: Redefining Beauty, Femininity, and Power, shares an enthralling appreciation of the monumentally gifted popular artist.
Episode 4: IRVING BERLIN
Irving Berlin has been called—by George Gershwin, among others—the greatest songwriter of the golden age of American popular song.
James Kaplan, author of the Jewish Lives biography Irving Berlin: New York Genius, underscores Berlin’s unique brilliance as a composer, his witty, wily, and tough Jewish immigrant experience, and his continued relevance in American popular culture today.
Episode 3: EMMA GOLDMAN
Anarchist par excellence, Emma Goldman is one of the memorable political figures of our time. Vivian Gornick, author of the Jewish Lives biography Emma Goldman: Revolution as a Way of Life draws a surpassingly intimate and insightful portrait of a woman of epic proportions.
Episode 2: MOSES
No figure looms larger in Jewish culture than Moses, and few have stories more enigmatic. Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, author of the Jewish Lives biography Moses: A Human Life, offers an unprecedented portrait of Moses's inner world and perplexing character.
Episode 1: KARL MARX
Karl Marx is one of the most influential and revolutionary thinkers in modern history, but his Jewish background is either overlooked or misrepresented. Shlomo Avineri, author of the Jewish Lives biography Karl Marx: Philosophy and Revolution, puts Marx’s Jewish background in its proper and balanced context.