Jewish Peoplehood
Rachel Isaacs
There have always been Jews in small American towns, and their communities look different from larger, more urban Jewish communities in important ways. In this episode, host Yehuda Kurtzer dives into the intricacies of small town American Jewish life with Rachel Isaacs, Rabbi of Beth Israel Congregation of Waterville, Maine, and director of Colby College’s Center for Small Town Jewish Life. They discuss what constitutes community in a place with few Jews, lessons born of necessity about how we practice pluralism, and the sense of communal collaboration that small town communities are more likely to engender.
Identity/Crisis: The Ideas Behind the News is a podcast of the Shalom Hartman Institute.
A transcript of this episode is available here.
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In a frenzied media cycle, Identity/Crisis delves into the big ideas behind the news from a uniquely Jewish perspective. Host Yehuda Kurtzer, president of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, talks with leading thinkers to unpack current events effecting Jewish communities in North America, Israel, and around the world, revealing the core Jewish values underlying the issues that matter to you.
You care about Israel, peoplehood, and vibrant, ethical Jewish communities. We do too.
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