…. And the award for best title of a Jewish podcast goes to…. “Can We Talk?” from the Jewish Women’s Archive.

Seriously, what a great name for this conversational podcast, and it’s time it gets the spotlight it deserves. The Jewish Women’s Archive is a national organization based in Brookline, Massachusetts dedicated to collecting and promoting the extraordinary stories of Jewish women.

“JWA explores the past as a framework for understanding the issues important to women today; inspires young people with remarkable role models; and uses Jewish women’s stories to excite people to see themselves as agents of change,” says the JWA on its website.

“Can We Talk?”

Now with 71 episodes, “Can We Talk?” is the podcast of the Jewish Women’s Archive, where gender, history, and Jewish culture meet. Host and senior producer Nahanni Rous and producer Jen Richler are creating a new batch of bi-monthly episodes after a short hiatus. In the newest episode, which dropped last week, Jen talks with Professor Carole Balin about the 1922 history-making bat mitzvah of Judith Kaplan, America’s first bat mitzvah ceremony.

Judith’s bat mitzvah was groundbreaking at the time, but it didn’t look like most bat mitzvahs today. Jen and Carole discuss how the bat mitzvah has evolved over the past century, and how girls and their parents have pushed for that evolution. Carole is working on a book based on interviews with dozens of women, representing many decades of bat mitzvah history. Throughout the episode, you’ll hear some of their voices too.

The Jewish Women’s Archive

The St. Louis Jewish Light is proud to announce a new partnership with the JWA. Together, we will bring many parts of the JWA collection to St. Louis readers, as well as promote the “Can We Talk?” podcast by sharing both current and past relevant episodes each week.