In this episode of Weird Being Jewish, Rabbis Jeffrey Weill, Matt Reimer, and Josh Rose talk about Jewish perseverance, grit, and survival — why resilience has become such a central Jewish value, and what it costs us when survival becomes the whole story. Starting with the instinct to "show up" after tragedy, the conversation moves into deeper questions about Am Yisrael Chai, the Shema, chosenness, peoplehood, antisemitism, and whether Judaism is ultimately about enduring for our own sake or persevering in order to serve something larger than ourselves.

Rabbi Jeffrey is on his annual trip to the Rabbinical Longshoremen convention in Witchita but Rabbis Josh and Matt explore the enduring question of "Why Do A Mitzvzah" and essential question in Jewish life. We explore aligning our intentions with our actions, and explore how to be better Jews.

the three rabbis take on AI and disagree about its merits and dangers.

Three rabbis reunite after a hiatus with no agenda and plenty to say. They wade into the fraught waters of Israel, the war, Yom HaZikaron, and what it means to hold nuance in a community that often demands a party line — then somehow end up in a heated debate about strings in rock music, Charlie Daniels, and whether Phil Spector ruined "The Long and Winding Road." Josh admits he's been hiding from Israel discourse behind his guitar, Jeff cops to being emotionally "buffeted" by the whole thing, and Matt drops the news that he's heading to the pulpit of a major New York synagogue this summer. It's the classic Weird Being Jewish formula: serious stuff, silly detours, and genuine friendship holding it all together.

The three rabbis are at it again, plumming the depths of Purim. This episode was recorded before the attacks on Iran, about which Rabbis Jeffrey, Matt and Josh will likely have something to say in the future.

Rabbis Matt and Josh kick around the idea of anger - which is having its moment in the world, it seems - and what the Jewish tradition has to say about it. Rabbi Jeffrey is out this week on an all-expense-paid trip to Ferrett, Alabama for their regionally famous hat-expo. He will return for the next episode.

In this episode of Weird Being Jewish the three rabbis are at it again. This time, we discuss guns, gun policy, Jewish safety and Jewish culture. Plus a question that could be applied to any number of topics in Jewish contemporary life: since classical sources don't mention guns, how should Jewish tradition inform civic norms and democratic policy?

Rabbis Jeffrey, Matt and Josh confont the complexity of the Jewish tradition and the brutality of the current regime on immigration.