April 29, 2025

PODCAST: Rav Lichtenstein’s Legacy

As we mark the 10th yahrzeit of Rav Aharon Lichtenstein zt”l  the Tradition Podcast catches up with two contributors to our recent Spring issue exploring his thought. Alongside a never-before published essay by R. Lichtenstein, “Relevance and Reverence,” exploring challenges in Jewish education – we bring you Michael S. Berger’s analysis of its ongoing relevance. In this episode we talk with Michael about the topics raised in the two essays. Later in the episode we hear from Shlomo Zuckier about his contribution to the volume, revisiting R. Lichtenstein’s classic essay, “Does Jewish Tradition Recognize an Ethic Independent of Halakha.”
April 27, 2025

PODCAST: COVID+5 Panel Discussion

How did COVID reshape our synagogues, schools, and souls? In episode of the Tradition Podcast we speak with the authors of our recent “COVID+5” series, looking back on the pandemic 5 years later. Listen to guest editor Yehuda Halpert and a panel of prominent educators, rabbis, and mental health experts as they reflect on the pandemic’s lasting impact—from leadership decisions to silent personal struggles. This raw, honest conversation explores how our communities have changed, and how such change can be an opportunity for growth.
April 24, 2025

COVID+5: From Crisis to Personal and Communal Growth

Carl Hochhauser and Gila Muskin explore COVID’s ripple effects on mental health, religious life, and infertility struggles through data, reflection, and personal insight. From the surge in teletherapy to shifting stigmas and the echoes of isolation, they invite us to ask: What is the current state of our mental and spiritual health.  Have we grown from crisis, or simply repressed and moved on?
April 23, 2025

COVID+5: The Individual and the Community

What pandemic era changes has the Jewish community retained? Have we as a community and as individuals chosen wisely?  Did we meet the challenge or fail to rise to the it? Rabbis Daniel Korobkin and Larry Rothwachs offer honest, deeply reflective insights on the long-term spiritual and cultural aftershocks of COVID in the Jewish community—from synagogue shifts and spiritual disconnection to the rise and fall of simplified celebrations. A must-read for anyone grappling with how COVID reshaped our values, our rituals, and our communal life—for better and for worse.