Judaism Unbound released its first podcast in February 2016. Since then, Dan Libenson, Lex Rofeberg, and their team have released over 500 episodes featuring Jewish innovators including rabbis, scholars, educators, musicians, artists, farmers, healers, community builders. In hosting conversations with people unapologetically reconstructing Judaism they have not only given voice to those doing that work, they have inspired others to unbound themselves from traditional views of what counts as Jewish practice. Their listeners, online event participants, and students in their UnYeshiva classes represent a new community spreading the idea that Judaism is an ever-evolving civilization, and that each of us has the opportunity to play with the source materials in ways we find meaningful. The show makes the case that such innovation is not only welcome, but necessary to ensure a thriving Jewish future.
The Jewish world that we have known is crashing, and a new Jewish world is on the horizon. But getting there is not inevitable. It will require new ideas, new leaders, and new communities. It will require you. – Judaism Unbound, About Us
Members of Sukkat Shalom have been listening to the podcast from the beginning. We’re forever grateful to Nina for bringing the show to our attention in its early days. Over the years we have hosted community conversations using episodes to discuss topics like celebrating winter holidays in intermarried households and woven questions raised and ideas shared on the show into our Shabbat and holiday observances, educational programs, and committee meetings.
As we celebrate 20 years as a community and contemplate our future, we are excited to welcome Lex Rofeberg to join us for a Shabbaton this December. Lex will lead Shabbat services and Torah study, offer teachings around the magic of Havdalah, work with our board, and share Judaism Unbound’s long-awaited publication, Judaism Unbound (Bound).
RSVP today and mark your calendar to join us for the following events (open to all) December 5-7.
Friday, December 5 – SOUPer Shabbat (6-9pm)
Soup dinner followed by Kabbalat Shabbat
Saturday, December 6th – Avodat Lev & Torah Study (10:30am-12:30pm)
Extended morning service including Torah study
Saturday, December 6th – Havdalah Magic (5-7pm)
Happy hour and study experience highlighting the transformative powers of Havdalah
Sunday, December 7th – Book Talk; Judaism Unbound (Bound) (3:30-5pm)
Stories about, behind, and through the podcast
in conversation with R’ Miriam Terlinchamp, Executive Director of Judaism Unbound
*Books available for purchase
Click here to RSVP!
More about Lex:
Lex Rofeberg is a Jewish educator and activist. He serves as senior Jewish educator for Judaism Unbound, a digital Jewish non-profit organization that he has worked for since 2015. In his role at Judaism Unbound, he serves as co-host and producer of its weekly podcast (launched in 2016 and going strong), along with leading the UnYeshiva: a digital center for Jewish learning and unlearning. Recently, Lex was also the co-editor of Judaism Unbound: Bound — a book taking excerpts of Judaism Unbound’s podcasts over the years, and threading them together with analysis, questions for contemplation, and more. He is an ordained rabbi through the Jewish Renewal movement, and serves on the advisory board for Evolve: a Reconstructionist-affiliated platform for essays on Jewish thought — so he is overjoyed to be visiting a community that is connected to both the Renewal and Reconstructionist movements.
A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lex migrated to Providence, Rhode Island to attend Brown University, where he majored in Judaic Studies. While in college, he became deeply involved in Hillel, the foundation for Jewish campus life — as president of Brown-RISD Hillel, on the Hillel International board as a student representative, and then pushing for change in the Hillel system through a project called Open Hillel (now called Judaism On Our Own Terms). Upon graduation, Lex served as an education fellow at the Institute of Southern Jewish Life for two years, based in Jackson, Mississippi and wandered to Jewish communities from Virginia to Texas to implement creative forms of experiential Jewish education. When he finished his fellowship, he returned to Providence, Rhode Island, where he has lived for the past 10 years with his wife Valerie (and more recently, two cats: Gandalf and Gimli).
Lex serves on the advisory board of Tikkun Olam Productions (the folks behind the landmark film Israelism) and The Shalom Center, in addition to Evolve, mentioned above. Passions of his include playing piano at the airport every Tuesday, finding deep meaning in reality tv shows, obsessing over college basketball, and speaking almost exclusively in insufferable puns.