WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

Susannah Heschel talks about the life and work of her father, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. Born in 1907 in Warsaw, Heschel became a prominent theologian and perhaps the most famous Jewish leader of his day.

Does faith have a role in environmentalism? Will climate change transform the way we think about God? Is there a Biblical notion of stewardship?

When Pharoah commands Moses to “make a marvel,” he turns Aaron's rod into a serpent; when a team of Egyptian sorcerers copies the trick, Moses' serpent promptly gobbles them up. So begins a long tradition of Jews and magic.

Much has been made of the Jewish affinity for blackface minstrelsy, but what about Jews who wore “Jewface”? Music historian Jody Rosen explores Jewish dialect songs and novelty hits performed by vaudeville's “Hebrew comedians.”

In Amy Bloom's new novel, Away, 22-year-old Lillian Leyb comes to New York alone, survivor of a Russian pogrom.  Upon learning that her daughter might be alive, Lillian embarks on a perilous journey across the continent, up through the Yukon toward Siberia.  Both a classic tale of

Is the Bible the literal word of God or a collection of stories, poems, and prohibitions whipped into shape by a team of editor-priests?  In How to Read the Bible, James Kugel enters the fray, exploring these radically different readings and trying to find a place for himself as both a

With a nod to the salons of women like Rahel Varnhagen and Gertrude Stein, Nextbook presents its own take on the intimate drawing-room experience - an evening of poetry, memoir, and music.  Ilana Blumberg, finalist for the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, reads from H