We’re joined in this episode by the brilliant Cole Moreton who joins us on the virtual couch.  Cole is a Radio 4 presenter, journalist, writer and podcast host - he has recently launched his new podcast Can We Talk? - a story-telling podcast about encounters with remarkable people such as Nelson Mandela, Scarlett Johnasson and Tiger Woods - and what they have taught him about being a better human.    He tells us about his foray into evangelical Christianity as a teenager, how he left this behind, and what his beliefs are now - as well as the odd supernatural experience.&nb ..read more

The spotlight is thrown on one of our hosts when Leo’s three sisters join us on the virtual couch.  Hear how brilliant he was growing up and why his three sisters think he is the best sibling ever*  Use the following links to find out more on social media   https://twitter.com/JewKnowWhat Leo - https://twitter.com/WFCKeego Charley - https://twitter.com/RabCharley Rebecca - https://twitter.com/RSingerman or https://twitter.com/KingstonLibShul Find out more about Liberal Judaism, the home for your Jewish story here: https://www.liberaljudaism.org/ *Rebecca who normally writes t ..read more

In the opening episode of our second season, it’s just the three of us.  We hear about co-host Rebecca’s adult Bat Mitzvah at Kingston Liberal Synagogue and how her background led to her becoming Bat Mitzvah at the age of 50 - and the benefit of having Bar/Bat Mitzvahs - at any age! We also hear about the inauguration of Rabbi Leah Jordan at Kehillah North London and the extent to which our communities are truly inclusive.   We touch about coming out of lockdown and have our usual cultural chat - which bandwagon has Rebecca jumped upon? To read more about Rebecca’s Bat Mitzva ..read more

We’re joined in this episode by Tal Ofer who moved to the UK from Israel over 14 years’ ago and in our conversation he reflects on his experiences as an Israeli in the UK in the time of Brexit, Corbyn and Covid.  He tells us about how he became actively involved in the UK’s Jewish community through Synagogue membership, his time being the elected representative of his Synagogue on the Board of Deputies of British Jews  - and we hear about recent changes in this aspect of his life.   We also talk about whether it is possible to heal the world via Twitter…… And, as always ..read more

Our guest this week is Joanna Lovell - a member of the Unitarian Universalist Faith, who lives in Pennsylvania, US.  Jo met Leo through the Hybrid Ministries Tech Forum - an international body bringing people of all faiths together to share best practice around delivering religious services online. Jo tells us about the Unitarian universalist faith and we discuss some similarities with Liberal Judaism.  As a former Choir Director we also compare notes about the role of music and music leaders in religious services.   Jo tells us about the annual Summer camps that take pla ..read more

We are joined in this episode by Sarah Wootton, Chief Executive of Dignity in Dying for a fascinating and really important conversation. Dignity in Dying is national campaign and membership organisation, arguing in favour of the option of assisted dying for terminally ill, mentally competent adults. Sarah explains about the work of the organisation, including its Religious Alliance for Dignity in Dying, chaired by Rabbi Dr Jonathan Remain MBE.   We discuss the choices made at the end of life and the role of the medical profession - and Leo speaks very movingly about the lo ..read more

We’re really excited this week to be joined by Stephen Bush from the New Statesman.   As well as discussing his recent report into racial inclusivity within the Jewish community we also hear about Stephen’s upbringing and the role of his Jewish heritage.  Stephen also tells us about life as a left-leaning journalist during a time when antisemitism is a political football, and how he decides if and when to engage in discussions on this thorny issue.     And we try to persuade him to train as a Rabbi, and to watch Schitt’s Creek…..  Find us on Twitter: https ..read more

On the eve of the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) conference, Connections 2021, we are delighted to welcome WUPJ President, Sergio Bergman, to our virtual couch. Sergio tells us about his life and journey to the Rabbinate and the WUPJ - from being born “at the bottom of the world” in Argentina to being ordained as a Rabbi - despite his father-in-law thinking that this was not a suitable profession for a nice Jewish boy! We look ahead to this week’s conference - its main themes, objectives and highlights - and talk about the role that Liberal Judaism can play in the wider worldwide ..read more

Our guest this week is the indefatigable Julie Siddiqi.  Named as one of the 100 most influential Muslim women in the UK, Julie is the co-founder of The Big Iftar during Ramadan, Sadaqa Day - a one-day focus on social action, and Nisa-Nashim, the Jewish-Muslim women’s grassroots organisation.  She is also a regular contributor to Radio 4’s Thought for the Day. We discuss many topics including the role of converts in Islam and Judaism, Julie’s advocacy for women’s spaces within Islam and her recent project ‘Together We Thrive’ - a networking organisation linking Muslim women together ..read more

Recorded the day after Mother’s Day, the team try to guess what Rabbi Charley’s children managed to buy her with £10 - Rebecca is disturbed at the revelation.  We also hear about Charley’s 8-year old daughter’s burgeoning perfume business.  Our guest this week is BBC Radio 2’s OJ Borg, OJ talks about his fear of offending his guests and the pitfalls of social media and then things get a bit chaotic as we get distracted by Charley’s hair, her dog, and a trip down memory lane with cartoons and breakfast cereals…. The serious topic in this episode is the aftermath of the events on Cla ..read more