Judaism Unbound Episode 385: Unconditional Love - David Raphael, Ilene Vogelstein
David Raphael and Ilene Vogelstein are leaders of the Jewish Grandparents Network, a national organization that educates, connects, and supports grandparents as essential partners in enriching Jewish life. They join Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about how, perhaps counter-intuitively, the voices of many Jewish grandparents have been sidelined in Jewish institutional life -- along with sharing some ideas about how to shift that reality moving forward.
[1] Learn more about David Raphael and Ilene Vogelstein by clicking here, and check out the work of the Jewish Grandparents Network more broadly via JewishGrandparentsNetwork.org.
[3] Take a look at The Family Room — a unique digital space from the Jewish Grandparents Network where you can find experiences, resources, and activities for grandparents, grandchildren, and families — by heading to JewishGrandparentsNetwork.org/the-family-room.
[4] Lex references an episode featuring Janet Krasner Aronson, which explores ways in which Jewish population-studies have evolved in recent decades. Listen in via Episode 337: Let’s End “Good Jew”/“Bad Jew” - Janet Krasner Aronson.
[5] To purchase the book Unconditional Love, written by Jane Isay and cited in this podcast by David Raphael, click here.
[6] Vogelstein referenced the scholar Urie Bronfenbrenner, and his notion of the ecological systems theory. Learn more about Bronfenbrenner’s framework via this link.
[7] We didn’t know about this when we recorded the episode, but as it turns out, the idea referenced by Dan — that OneTable might help grandparents have shabbat dinners together — is becoming a reality! OneTable is expanding its offerings for people who are 55+ years old, including many grandparents! Help them as they roll out this new initiative by completing this survey.
[8] Raphael references an article about grandparenting in interfaith families, written by a Methodist minister whose grandchildren are Jewish. Entitled “Making Room For Each Other in Interfaith Families” and written by Roger Talbott, you can read it via this link.
[9] Lex references a past Judaism Unbound conversation, in which Ariana Katz critiqued the commonplace framing of “Not Your Bubbe’s Synagogue.” For the full conversation see Episode 361: Spiritual Abundance - Ariana Katz.
