Binah features creative voices from the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. In this series, we bring you remarkable artists and thinkers who’ve come to speak at the JCCSF as part of their Arts & Ideas program.
Binah: The Art of Asking
Alt-rock icon Amanda Palmer shares advice and inspiration for creative people or anyone who wants to learn to ask for what they need.
12/29/2022 • 58 minutes, 59 seconds
Binah: QueerCore Talmud
On today’s episode of Binah, we examine the origins and methodology of QueerCore Talmud, the study of ancient Jewish wisdom texts through the lens of queer experiences.
12/22/2022 • 58 minutes, 59 seconds
Binah: Johnny Marr’s Set the Boy Free
On today’s encore edition of Binah, legendary guitarist and co-founder of The Smiths, Johnny Marr discusses his personal story and successful and varied career.
12/15/2022 • 51 minutes, 23 seconds
Binah: What’s for Dessert?
Food writer, chef and YouTube presenter Claire Saffitz shares all-new recipes that are crafted to be as streamlined as possible.
12/8/2022 • 58 minutes, 59 seconds
Angélique Kidjo’s Spirit Rising
Multiple Grammy-winning singer–songwriter Angélique Kidjo tells the story of her harrowing escape from Communist Benin into France, her rise from poverty to become an international sensation, and her tireless advocacy work for the education of African girls and women’s rights.
11/24/2022 • 58 minutes, 59 seconds
Binah: Tommy Orange / Joy Harjo
Author Tommy Orange discusses the plight of the urban Native American, coupled with a complex and painful history but also an inheritance of profound beauty and spirituality. Also, former US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo performs her poetry in song.
11/17/2022 • 58 minutes, 29 seconds
Binah: Esther Perel
Psychotherapist Esther Perel talks about reconciling the closeness needed for intimacy with the separateness that fuels desire as the central paradox of love.
11/11/2022 • 58 minutes, 59 seconds
Binah: Antisemitism: Here and Now
Violence against Jews in this country is rising sharply yet again. Where is all this hatred coming from? Historian Deborah Lipstadt examines the hate that will not die and what can be done about it.
11/3/2022 • 57 minutes, 59 seconds
Binah: Iliza Shlesinger
Multi-hyphenate actor-writer-producer-author Iliza Shlesinger shares her new book, All Things Aside, a collection of personal essays about the exasperating issues of everyday life.
10/20/2022 • 56 minutes, 59 seconds
Binah: Dr. Becky Kennedy
Child psychologist Dr. Becky Kennedy advocates moving from old parenting approaches based on shaping behavior to a model that prioritizes connection.
10/13/2022 • 58 minutes, 59 seconds
Binah: Salman Rushdie on his life underground
Novelist Salman Rushdie talks about his life in hiding in the aftermath of the fatwa issued against him in 1989.
10/6/2022 • 57 minutes, 59 seconds
Binah: Taj Mahal with Ben Fong-Torres
Musician Taj Mahal talks to rock music journalist Ben Fong-Torres and performs songs from his extraordinary career.
9/22/2022 • 58 minutes, 29 seconds
Binah: Michael W. Twitty’s Koshersoul
Culinary historian and chef Michael W. Twitty considers the marriage of two of the most distinctive culinary cultures in the world today: the foods and traditions of the African Atlantic and the global Jewish diaspora.
9/15/2022 • 51 minutes, 51 seconds
Binah: Dispatches from Warsaw on the Ukrainian aid response
Rabbi Batshir Torchio of the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, Aleksandra Makuch of the Taube Center for Jewish Life & Learning in Warsaw, and Marta Saracyn of the JCC in Warsaw report on the Ukrainian aid response in Poland.
8/11/2022 • 58 minutes, 59 seconds
Binah: Native American cuisine in the Bay Area
Crystal Wahpepah of Wahpepah’s Kitchen and Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino of Café Ohlone talk about Native American cuisine and reflect on the future of Indigenous cultures and identities.
6/16/2022 • 57 minutes, 59 seconds
Binah: Cleve Jones
Activist Cleve Jones talks about his four decades in the center of movements for AIDS, LGBTQ, and labor rights. His memoir is, When We Rise.
6/9/2022 • 55 minutes, 59 seconds
Binah: Blondie’s Deborah Harry and Chris Stein
Blondie’s Deborah Harry and Chris Stein share stories of their astonishing musical career, including touring San Francisco in early years.
5/12/2022 • 58 minutes, 59 seconds
Binah: Communities that arise in disaster
San Francisco writer Rebecca Solnit explores people’s capacity to rise to major disasters with creativity and courage.
5/5/2022 • 58 minutes, 29 seconds
Binah: RBG’s Brave & Brilliant Women
Nadine Epstein shares stories of Jewish women from biblical to modern times, selected in collaboration with the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
4/28/2022 • 57 minutes, 59 seconds
Binah: Bob Saget
Today’s edition of Binah features an unaired interview with comedian, actor, and television host Bob Saget, who died in January at the age of 65.