In our season one finale, Martine sits down with Rebecca Guber, Founding Director of The Neighborhood: An Urban Center for Jewish Life in Brooklyn. Rebecca shares how her work, from launching The Neighborhood to founding Asylum Arts, has built creative Jewish communities around the world. Martine and Rebecca talk about what makes Brooklyn such a dynamic Jewish city, how art can open space for honest dialogue, and how Rebecca’s own story, from a DIY Bat Mitzvah to a family history shaped by survival, informs her vision today.

A thoughtful and personal conversation about Jewish creativity, community, and what comes next.

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Musician and anthropologist Dr. Galeet Dardashti joins Jewish Culture Club to talk about reclaiming a heritage that skipped a generation. The granddaughter of Yunes Dardashti, one of Iran’s most famous singers, and the daughter of a beloved cantor, Galeet grew up surrounded by Jewish music, but not by the Persian and Mizrahi sounds that shaped her family’s story. In this episode, she reflects on rediscovery: learning her grandfather’s style, weaving together Persian classical poetry and Jewish liturgy in her album Monajat, and exploring what it means to connect with traditions that were once left behind.

We also dive into the modern revival of Mizrahi identity in art and culture, the fluid boundaries between “authenticity” and innovation, and the creative freedom that comes from blending many worlds, Persian, Ashkenazi, jazz, pop, and beyond. Plus, as always we ask Galeet her favorite Jewish “hot take,” her bagel order, and her dream Shabbat dinner guest list. Listen now!

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This week on Jewish Culture Club, Martine talks with playwright and street performer Nick Cassenbaum, whose work shines a light on British Jewish life with humor, heart, and honesty. From his early days performing on the streets to acclaimed plays like Bubble Schmeises, Nick reflects on how art can preserve traditions while exploring working-class histories.

Their conversation moves through the legacy of Jewish theatre in the UK, the challenges of visibility and assimilation, and Nick’s experiences with antisemitism, both past and present. Along the way, they touch on his podcast Mahloket, his creative process, and what keeps him inspired for the future of Jewish culture. Listen now!

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