Season 2
Episode 29: Kasher vs. Kasher—LIVE!
A special Hanukah Kasher vs. Kasher debate, recorded live at IKAR in Los Angeles on the last night of Hanukah, 2018 featuring Rabbi David Kasher and his brother, comedian Moshe Kasher, hosted by Dan Crane. The event was sponsored by IKAR TRIBE, Give Light and Reboot.
A tight, 15-minute set of jokes from Dan’s nana, who passed away this week at the spry age of 97.
Is there something peculiar to Judaism that makes us think about death differently? With no proscription for a definitive heaven or afterlife, how does that affect how we live our lives and think about death? Are Jewish rituals an effective way of dealing with grief? Are there better ways to think and talk about death with friends and family? In our final episode from season 2 we address these questions with British comedian David Baddiel (who you might remember from this season’s atheism episode), Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie from NYC’s Lab/Shul, founder of Death Over Dinner and DoD Jewish Edition Michael Hebb and Dan Crane’s 97-year-old nana.
Episode 26: A Catskills Kibitz w/ Moshe Kasher, Michael Showalter & The Living Sisters
"A Catskills Kibitz,” our first ever live Kibitz event, was held at the “World Famous” Kibitz Room at Canter’s Deli in Los Angeles on the second night of Hanukkah and featured standup from Moshe Kasher, a conversation with Michael Showalter and a performance by the Living Sisters. We also set a world record for the most number of people to eat a pastrami sandwich in 60 seconds as officiated by RecordSetter.com.
Episode 25: The False Lens of History
How has our understanding of history been curated by the choices of photographers, journalists and historians? This episode features curator at the International Center for Photography in New York Maya Benton talking about the photos of Roman Vichniac, and Yiddish scholar Eddy Portnoy discussing what he calls "The Jewish OJ trial of the 1870s” from his book, Bad Rabbi: And Other Strange But True Stories from the Yiddish Press.
Episode 24: The Secret History of Jews and Drugs
Was Moses tripping when he saw the burning bush? Are psychedelics the key to unlocking the mysteries behind Jewish texts? And did you hear the one about the rabbi who did LSD with Timothy Leary? Featuring Rick Doblin founder and Executive Director of MAPS—the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. Plus an excerpt from our friend Moshe Kasher’s comedy central show Problematic, and Rabbi David Ingber of New York’s renewal movement temple Romemu. Turn on, tune in, drop out and prepare to expand your mind with this episode of The Kibitz.
Episode 23: Refugees - with Mark Hetfield from HIAS
We continue our discussion of immigration and refugees with Mark Hetfield, the CEO of HIAS: the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. Back in 1882, HIAS was formed to assist Jews fleeing pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe. Today, HIAS is leading the charge against the Trump administration’s attempt to ban most refugees from coming to the United States.
Episode 22: Immigration & Refugees
When Donald Trump issued his first executive order to curb immigration from majority Muslim countries, it seemed to strike a chord of eerie and disturbing familiarity with Jews everywhere. To put this in perspective, we’ll hear a story about Jewish immigrants fleeing Germany in 1939 trying to come to the US, and we have some stories of Jews on the front lines of our current battle over immigrants and refugees. Last, we’ll make the case that there are ways we can all help, including, perhaps surprisingly, with our stomachs. Featuring Rabbi Susan Goldberg of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles, Talia Inlender of Public Counsel and author/journalist David Sax.
Episode 21: Can $50,000 Buy A Jewish Community?
Why did a Jewish philanthropist put up a million dollars of his own money to get Jews to move to Alabama? And ten years into his experiment, does he consider it a success? And as synagogue membership declines across the US, how do we define a Jewish community? The Kibitz speaks with Larry Blumberg, the man behind the program offering $50,000 for families to relocate to Dothan, Alabama, as well as some of the families that have made the move. Plus director of the documentary There Are Jews Here, Brad Lichtenstein.
Episode 20: Mishpucha, With AJ Jacobs
Author AJ Jacobs explains how we’re all mishpucha, and we discuss his new book, It’s All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World’s Family Tree.
Episode 19: The Catskills—A Brief History
What did Mel Brooks, Joan Rivers and Wilt Chamberlain have in common? Why did Jews on vacation need so much entertainment? How did the Catskills become the epicenter of Jewish middle-class vacationing and why did it collapse almost as quickly as it began? Who's putting baby in the corner—and why? Hosts Dan Crane and Jessica Chaffin explore the history of the Catskills with documentarians Caroline Laskow and Ian Rosenberg, scholar Eddy Portnoy, and photographer Marisa Scheinfeld.
Episode 18: Atheism II, with Amichai Lau-Lavie
Can Jews be atheists and still be Jews? Hosts Dan Crane and Jessica Chaffin host the second episode on this question, featuring a conversation with Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie of New York City’s Lab/Shul.
Can Jews be atheists and still be Jews? Hosts Dan Crane and Jessica Chaffin explore the question of Jewish atheism with rabbi Susan Goldberg of LA's Wilshire Boulevard Temple, president of American Atheists David Silverman, British comedian David Baddiel, and founder and president emeritus of the Secular Coalition for America Herb Silverman.
Season 2 Preview: Reboot’s Jewish-ish podcast is back for season two with actress and comedian Jessica Chaffin (Ronna, of comedy duo “Ronna & Beverly”) joining as co-host with Dan Crane. Named “one of the Top 10 Jewish Podcasts,” by Moment magazine, THE KIBITZ is about asking interesting questions—some big, many little—and exploring all you’ve ever wanted to know about Judaism through a humorous, cultural lens. Listen to the official season preview below.
Season 1
Episode 16: Major League Dreidel, The Spinagogue, and Dreidels on the Brain
Host Dan Crane interviews Eric Pavony, the “Knishioner" of Major League Dreidel and creator of the Spinagogue (not to mention Brewskee-Ball, a competitive Skee-Ball league for adults). And author/storyteller Joel Ben Izzy reads an excerpt from his recent Chanukah book, "Dreidels on the Brain.”
Episode 15: Sinatra, Israel, and a Bag Full of Cash
Host Dan Crane tells the story of two strangers in the night, a bag full of cash, and a ship full of weapons bound for the fledgling state of Israel, in this special episode dedicated to Frank Sinatra’s jewish activism. Guests: Anthony Summers, David Lehman, Shalom Goldman, Paul Karolyi, and Tony Michaels.
In this election special episode of The Kibitz, comedian Moshe Kasher and his brother David Kasher debate the past, present and potential future of Jewish activism with host Dan Crane.
The high holidays are upon us, so this episode of The Kibitz is all about reflection and 10Q—a project powered by Reboot. Guests include the Kasher brothers and Nicola Behrman (co- founder of 10Q), as well as Jenn Maer, Raleigh Harrell, and Libby Lenkinski, who all speak about their experience doing 10Q.
It’s back-to-school time, so host Dan Crane talks to Joel Stein (Time magazine), Tiffany Shlain (Character Day), Ari Kelman (Stanford) and the Kasher brothers (a rabbi, and a comedian) about Jewish education — from Hebrew school to how to be a mensch.
From the alt-right to to the hard-left, a new wave of antisemitism is spreading throughout the US and Europe. Host Dan Crane speaks with Jonathan Weisman from the NY Times about why he quit Twitter and the the whole (((Jewish Name))) thing, Rabbi David Kasher and his brother Moshe Kasher debate the origins of anti-semitism, British ad agency exec Richard Brim tells the story of a swastika being carved on to his front door in London, and Dan Patterson (creator of Whose Line and Mock the Week) talks anti-semitism in the UK.
Guests David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer, Stella, Children’s Hospital) and Dan Patterson (Whose Line is it Anyway, Mock the Week) were both deeply influenced by similar experiences - find out what on The Kibitz! This episode also features Andrea Rosen (Episodes), Kasher vs Kasher, and a 95-year-old nana telling jokes. Plus host Dan Crane compares a body part to Muppets Statler and Waldorf.
Our 9th episode of The Kibitz, titled ANIMALS, features an exclusive tour inside Teva Foods, one of the few remaining kosher slaughterhouses in the LA area. We’ll discover how the kosher slaughter process takes place and examine whether kosher is a more or less humane method of processing beef for food. I also interview Yadidya Greenberg—a Jewish Animal Welfare Advocate, Shochet, and Blogger who works with the Jewish Initiative for Animals—and Devora Kimelman-Block, the founder of KOL Foods, the only purveyor of pasture-raised grass-fed kosher beef in the US.
Talkin’ bout a revelation! A mini Kibitz episode covering Shavuot—the least known, most important Jewish holiday. Featuring comedian Moshe Kasher and Rabbi David Kasher with host Dan Crane.
In episode 6 of The Kibitz, host Dan Crane gets his nosh on by talking kosher laws with David and Moshe Kasher and interviewing the director and a producer of City of Gold. City of Gold consulting producer Lara Rabinovitch tells us about her bat mitzvah in a Kid Walks in to a Bar, and nana waxes nostalgic about schmaltz and gribenes!
In episode 5 of The Kibitz, we learn about the Jewish origins of superheroes from Jonathan Lethem and Damon Lindelof, and talk about the genesis of the Haggadah and the Passover seder. Plus jokes!
Despite the obvious irony in a podcast about unplugging, Episode 4 of The Kibitz is all about our need to collectively unplug from technology. Join host Dan Crane on a journey celebrating the Shabbat tradition and the National Day of Unplugging.
Episode three of The Kibitz asks, what is love, anyway? Howard Jones didn’t know back in 1983, and Jews have pondered the same question as far back as Jacob and Rachel. Join host Dan Crane on a journey into the heart of what makes our hearts aflutter.
The second episode of The Kibitz podcast focuses on transitions, religious and gender fluidity and what being a Jew means at B-Mitzvah age and now. Join host Dan Crane as he takes us on a journey honoring transitioning to the start of 2016.
The launch of The Kibitz podcast begins with all things related to Light, Hanukkah and oil. Join host Dan Crane as he takes us on a journey to discover what Hanukkah means in the 21st century.
Your hilarious and insightful guide to Jewish ideas and culture. Join journalist Dan Crane and comedian Jessica Chaffin (Ronna & Beverly) as they explore activism, Jewish atheism, anti-semitism, love, sex, comedy, death and more with guests like David Wain, David Baddiel, Rabbi Sharon Brous, the Sklar Brothers, Tiffany Shlain, Moshe Kasher, Joel Stein and many others. A project of Reboot.