Is Judaism a Religion or an Ethnicity? (California Just Weighed In) If two-thirds of Jewish Americans view their Jewish identity through culture or ancestry rather than religion, why do government agencies only track Judaism as a faith or religion? In this episode of Can You Believe?, host Brad Pomerance sits down with @davidbocarsly, Executive Director of Jewish California, to discuss the historic, unanimous passage of California Senate Bill 1387. California has officially become the first state in the nation to recognize Judaism as an ethnic and ancestral category in state data collection. David addresses the real concerns surrounding government lists of Jewish people, explains how this ethnic data may unlock vital funding opportunities for Jewish social services and medical research, and shares Jewish California's vision to expand this groundbreaking model to the other 49 states as well as the federal government. @JewishLifeTV Watch it here: youtu.be/Vk8w2imILqo ⁠ ⁠ For all episodes & podcast platforms: canjewbelieve.com⁠ Subscribe and rate 5 stars! ⁠ ⁠ #podcast #jewishpodcast

Political Speech Vs Antisemitic Speech. Check out this clip from our new episode! Is Judaism a Religion or an Ethnicity? (California Just Weighed In)⁠ If two-thirds of Jewish Americans view their Jewish identity through culture or ancestry rather than religion, why do government agencies only track Judaism as a faith or religion? In this episode of Can You Believe?, host Brad Pomerance sits down with @davidbocarsly , Executive Director of @Jewish_Cal , to discuss the historic, unanimous passage of California Senate Bill 1387. California has officially become the first state in the nation to recognize Judaism as an ethnic and ancestral category in state data collection. David addresses the real concerns surrounding government lists of Jewish people, explains how this ethnic data may unlock vital funding opportunities for Jewish social services and medical research, and shares Jewish California's vision to expand this groundbreaking model to the other 49 states as well as the federal government. @JewishLifeTV Watch it here: youtu.be/Vk8w2imILqo ⁠ ⁠ For all episodes & podcast platforms: canjewbelieve.com⁠ Subscribe and rate 5 stars! ⁠ ⁠ #podcast #jewishpodcast

Intergenerational Trauma. Check out this clip from our new episode! Is Judaism a Religion or an Ethnicity? (California Just Weighed In)⁠ If two-thirds of Jewish Americans view their Jewish identity through culture or ancestry rather than religion, why do government agencies only track Judaism as a faith or religion? In this episode of Can You Believe?, host Brad Pomerance sits down with @DavidBocarsly, Executive Director of @Jewish_Cal , to discuss the historic, unanimous passage of California Senate Bill 1387. California has officially become the first state in the nation to recognize Judaism as an ethnic and ancestral category in state data collection. David addresses the real concerns surrounding government lists of Jewish people, explains how this ethnic data may unlock vital funding opportunities for Jewish social services and medical research, and shares Jewish California's vision to expand this groundbreaking model to the other 49 states as well as the federal government. @JewishLifeTV Watch it here: youtu.be/Vk8w2imILqo ⁠ ⁠ For all episodes & podcast platforms: canjewbelieve.com⁠ Subscribe and rate 5 stars! ⁠ ⁠ #podcast #jewishpodcast

The Last of the Ellis Island Jews: The Lost World of Mid-Century Jewish New York Over 75% of American Jews trace their roots back to the massive immigration wave through Ellis Island that ended in 1924. But as generations pass, the living memory of that era is fading. In this episode of Can You Believe?, Brad Pomerance sits down with Professor @JoelDinerstein of Tulane University, author of The Last of the Ellis Island Jews. As one of the few surviving witnesses to that late-era Jewish American migration wave, Joel shares hilarious, heartwarming, and deeply personal stories about growing up in a world filled with Yiddish cadence, cousins clubs, and old-world traditions. @JewishLifeTV Watch here: youtu.be/Z6ExftNLOyc Book Link: amazon.com/dp/B0GNC3J3V8?lv=… For all episodes & podcast platforms: canjewbelieve.com⁠ Subscribe and rate 5 stars! ⁠ ⁠ #podcast #jewishpodcast

Showing Up Hitler: The Jewish Champions of the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games! Adolf Hitler meant for the 1936 Berlin Olympics to be a global showcase of Nazi supremacy. Instead, a group of extraordinary Jewish athletes swept the podiums and took home Olympic hardware—right in front of Hitler himself. In this episode of Can Jew Believe?, host Brad Pomerance is joined by legendary collector Neil Keller, owner of over 22,000 rare historical artifacts. Neil reveals actual 1936 Olympic gold medals, rare archival photographs, and original family heirlooms that bring these forgotten sports heroes back to life. @JewishLifeTV Watch here: youtu.be/YeP7kQyLhbo neilkeller.com/ For all episodes & podcast platforms: canjewbelieve.com⁠ Subscribe and rate 5 stars! ⁠ ⁠ #podcast #jewishpodcast

The Growing Problem of Antisemitism Within The Mental Health Field! When you walk into a therapy session, you expect a sanctuary—a safe, politically neutral space to process trauma, anxiety, and personal grief. But in the wake of October 7th, that safe space was shattered for many Jewish patients and clinicians. In this eye-opening episode of Can Jew Believe?, host Brad Pomerance sits down with Dr. Shelly Steinwurtzel, Psy.D., co-founder of Gesher Community Care, to address the growing shift toward "decolonizing therapy" and the anti-Zionist politicization of the mental health field. Together, they confront hard-hitting questions about the current state of psychoanalysis. Watch here: youtu.be/0cSaJmngLfo geshercampuscare.org geshercc.org @JewishLifeTV For all episodes & podcast platforms: canjewbelieve.com⁠ Subscribe and rate 5 stars! ⁠ ⁠ #podcast #jewishpodcast

The Untold True Story Behind the Real Factory from "Schindler’s List! "Can Jew Believe?" that the factory from Schindler’s List actually belonged to a Jewish family who had no idea it saved 1,200 lives until decades later? In 1938, the Low-Beer family was forced to flee Czechoslovakia, leaving behind one of Europe’s largest textile empires. Decades after WWII ended, Daniel Low-Beer’s father picked up the book Schindler’s Ark—only to realize the famous factory where Oskar Schindler sheltered 1,200 Jews was his own stolen family property. In this episode of "Can Jew Believe?," host Brad Pomerance (who reveals his own family link to Schindler's List) sits down with Daniel Low-Beer to uncover this jaw-dropping story of loss, discovery, and survival. @JewishLifeTV Watch here: youtu.be/3GC5nhte31o Daniel's book on Amazon: amazon.com/stores/author/B00… Organization's Website: arksfoundation.net/ For all episodes & podcast platforms: canjewbelieve.com⁠ Subscribe and rate 5 stars! ⁠ ⁠ #podcast #jewishpodcast #SchindlersList

🎧️Exposed: A School Taught Students Hitler was a "Strong Leader" 😳 Check out this clip from the all new episode of Can Jew Believe with Brad Pomerance! => “Is the Golden Age for American Jewry Over?" — Fighting Antisemitism on Campus and Beyond In this episode of Can Jew Believe?, host Brad Pomerance sits down with @Klmarcus, founder and executive director of the Louis D. @BrandeisCenter for Human Rights Under the Law. Marcus—a former Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights — unpacks how anti-Zionism is being weaponized in classrooms, campuses and private institutions. From Berkeley Law groups banning Zionist speakers to private schools expelling bullied Jewish students, learn how litigators are using federal and state laws to fight back. Watch here: youtu.be/w8GS4lCuIaY For all episodes & podcast platforms: canjewbelieve.com⁠ Subscribe and rate 5 stars! ⁠ ⁠ #podcast #jewishpodcast #Antisemitism #Zionist #CivilRights

"96% of Lithuanian Jewry was exterminated during the Holocaust. More than any other country—more than Poland. It was a devastating wipeout." In this episode of Can Jew Believe?, Brad Pomerance and Nick Sayers, author of The Jews of Lithuania, take a look at the chilling history of Lithuanian Jewry. First, they take us through the chilling 1,000 year history of Lithuanian Jewry, from the medieval kings who welcomed Jewish pioneers; then, to 1941 when the unique "Lithuanian Holocaust" became an unmatched orgy of violence that swept through the Baltic region, wiping out virtually an entire population from the inside out, —often carried out not by German soldiers, but by the very neighbors these families had lived alongside for generations. For the millions of Ashkenazi Jews living in the US, the UK, and South Africa today, the word "Litvak" carries deep ancestral weight. But how much do we actually know about the world our ancestors fled? nicksayers.co.uk/ @jewishlifetv Watch here: youtu.be/Gp9jkGTWv7Y For all episodes & podcast platforms: canjewbelieve.com⁠ Subscribe and rate 5 stars! ⁠ ⁠ #podcast #jewishpodcast #Lithuania #SovietUnion #WW2

The First Jewish Temple In The Midwest! Check out this clip from our all new episode: How Cincinnati Became the Forgotten Birthplace of Modern Judaism in America! "Without Cincinnati, the Jewish community as it stands today throughout the United States would not be what it has become. It's simply undeniable." When you think about the major epicenters of Jewish America, your mind probably jumps to New York, Miami, or Los Angeles. But in the early 19th century, the true gateway to the West—and the birthplace of modern American Judaism—was actually that bustling river city on the Ohio/Kentucky border: Cincinnati. Host Brad Pomerance welcomes Rabbi Richard Sarason of @huc1875 to reveal the fascinating frontier history of the Cincinnati Jewish community and how this Ohio River town birthed the largest movement in modern Judaism in North America and built a world-class archive that historians and genealogists rely on to this day. @JewishLifeTV @CityOfCincy Watch here: youtu.be/e6QEha7CeUA For all episodes & podcast platforms: canjewbelieve.com⁠ Subscribe and rate 5 stars! ⁠ ⁠ #podcast #jewishpodcast #Israel #cincinnati

How Cincinnati Became the Forgotten Birthplace of Modern Judaism in America! "Without Cincinnati, the Jewish community as it stands today throughout the United States would not be what it has become. It's simply undeniable." When you think about the major epicenters of Jewish America, your mind probably jumps to New York, Miami, or Los Angeles. But in the early 19th century, the true gateway to the West—and the birthplace of modern American Judaism—was actually that bustling river city on the Ohio/Kentucky border: Cincinnati. Host Brad Pomerance welcomes Rabbi Richard Sarason of Hebrew Union College @huc1875 to reveal the fascinating frontier history of the Cincinnati Jewish community and how this Ohio River town birthed the largest movement in modern Judaism in North America and built a world-class archive that historians and genealogists rely on to this day. @JewishLifeTV @CityOfCincy Watch here: youtu.be/e6QEha7CeUA For all episodes & podcast platforms: canjewbelieve.com⁠ Subscribe and rate 5 stars! ⁠ ⁠ #podcast #jewishpodcast #Israel #cincinnati

The War Over Words: How Language About Israel and Zionism Became Weaponized. Words have power. But since October 7th, words like Zionist and Genocide are being used as slurs and to shut down conversations, rather than start them. In this episode of "Can Jew Believe?", Brad Pomerance and Hebrew Union College President Dr. Andrew Rehfeld challenge us to step back from the emotional brink. They dive into why calling someone a "Zionist" has become a popular pejorative, how critiquing the Israeli government can be done with without delegitimizing it, and how protests about Israel and Zionism on college campuses can be navigated appropriately. @JewishLifeTV Watch here: youtu.be/zHPPaCuKxmU For all episodes & podcast platforms: canjewbelieve.com⁠ Subscribe and rate 5 stars! ⁠ ⁠ #podcast #jewishpodcast #Israel

A Living Hell for Ukrainian Jews Holocaust Survivors & Students Under Fire In this deeply moving and urgent episode of "Can Jew Believe? with Brad Pomerance," we pull back the headlines of the war in Ukraine to expose the harrowing reality facing Ukrainian Jewry. While the world tracks troop movements and missile attacks, Hillel Director Iosif "Osik" Akselrud reports from Kyiv on how a generation of young Ukrainian Jews have transformed themselves from ordinary college students into front-line humanitarian heroes. From funding shortages to bombed-out centers, discover why their resolve is unbreakable—and learn exactly how the global community can step up to keep their light shining. @JewishLifeTV ⁠ Watch: youtu.be/MtCQyjt2yGs hillel.org/ For all episodes & podcast platforms: canjewbelieve.com⁠ Subscribe and rate 5 stars! ⁠ ⁠ #podcast #jewishpodcast #UkrainianJews

Discovering You're Jewish! Check out this clip from the new episode! Now Found: Hungary's Hidden Jews! In this captivating continuation of Can Jew Believe?, host Brad Pomerance sits down for Part 2 of his conversation with Marcell Kenesei, Executive Director of the JCC Budapest. After exploring 1,000 years of history in their first episode, Brad and Marcell dive into the raw, complex reality of post-WWII Hungary—from the trauma-induced silence of the Communist era to a modern-day Jewish cultural renaissance.⁠ ⁠ Marcell shares his own jaw-dropping personal story: how he discovered his own hidden Jewish roots as a teenager, and how a chance trip to Cleveland revealed a hidden family legacy of Holocaust rescue that his own father never spoke about.⁠ ⁠ Finally, they tackle the massive political shift currently rocking Central Europe. With Peter Magyar’s recent historic, supermajority victory defeating Viktor Orbán, what does this political earthquake mean for the third-largest Jewish population in the European Union?⁠ @JewishLifeTV ⁠ Watch here: youtu.be/gR_yYtwKO48⁠ ⁠ Link in bio! For all episodes & podcast platforms: canjewbelieve.com⁠ Subscribe and rate 5 stars! ⁠ ⁠ #podcast #jewishpodcast #HungarianJews

Why Hungary Fell To Antisemitism In The 1920's. Check out this clip from the new episode! Uncovering 1,000 Years of Hungarian Jews: From Royal Kings to WWII⁠ ⁠ In this gripping episode of "Can Jew Believe," Host Brad Pomerance sits down with Marcell Kenesei, Executive Director of the JCC Budapest, to unravel the epic and often paradoxical history of Hungarian Jewry. Spanning over a millennium, the story of Jews in Hungary is one of grand success, cultural integration, and sudden, heartbreaking tragedy. From the welcoming decrees of Hungary's first king 1,000 years ago, to the "Golden Age" of the Austro-Hungarian Empire where the Hungarian Jewish community became one of the most vibrant in the world, through the tragedy of the Second World War.⁠ ⁠ This is a two-part episode. Listen/watch the 2nd part of this conversation, where Brad and Marcel discuss Hungarian Jewry’s remarkable resilience after World War II, through the Communist era, after the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, through to the present day, with the defeat of Victor Orban and historic election of Peter Magyar.⁠ @JewishLifeTV ⁠ Watch here: youtu.be/KIKuYfeNxnU⁠ ⁠ For all episodes & podcast platforms: canjewbelieve.com⁠ Subscribe and rate 5 stars! ⁠ ⁠ #podcast #jewishpodcast #HungarianJews

How Hungary's Friendship With Hitler Saved Jews. Check out this clip from the new episode! Uncovering 1,000 Years of Hungarian Jews: From Royal Kings to WWII In this gripping episode of "Can Jew Believe," Host Brad Pomerance sits down with Marcell Kenesei, Executive Director of the JCC Budapest, to unravel the epic and often paradoxical history of Hungarian Jewry. Spanning over a millennium, the story of Jews in Hungary is one of grand success, cultural integration, and sudden, heartbreaking tragedy. From the welcoming decrees of Hungary's first king 1,000 years ago, to the "Golden Age" of the Austro-Hungarian Empire where the Hungarian Jewish community became one of the most vibrant in the world, through the tragedy of the Second World War. This is a two-part episode. Listen/watch the 2nd part of this conversation, where Brad and Marcel discuss Hungarian Jewry’s remarkable resilience after World War II, through the Communist era, after the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, through to the present day, with the defeat of Victor Orban and historic election of Peter Magyar. @JewishLifeTV Watch here: youtu.be/KIKuYfeNxnU ink in bio! For all episodes & podcast platforms: canjewbelieve.com⁠ Subscribe and rate 5 stars! ⁠ ⁠ #podcast #jewishpodcast #HungarianJews

Uncovering 1,000 Years of Hungarian Jews: From Royal Kings to WWII In this gripping episode of "Can Jew Believe," Host Brad Pomerance sits down with Marcell Kenesei, Executive Director of the JCC Budapest, to unravel the epic and often paradoxical history of Hungarian Jewry. Spanning over a millennium, the story of Jews in Hungary is one of grand success, cultural integration, and sudden, heartbreaking tragedy. From the welcoming decrees of Hungary's first king 1,000 years ago, to the "Golden Age" of the Austro-Hungarian Empire where the Hungarian Jewish community became one of the most vibrant in the world, through the tragedy of the Second World War. This is a two-part episode. Listen/watch the 2nd part of this conversation, where Brad and Marcel discuss Hungarian Jewry’s remarkable resilience after World War II, through the Communist era, after the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, through to the present day, with the defeat of Victor Orban and historic election of Peter Magyar. @JewishLifeTV Watch here: youtu.be/KIKuYfeNxnU ink in bio! For all episodes & podcast platforms: canjewbelieve.com⁠ Subscribe and rate 5 stars! ⁠ ⁠ #podcast #jewishpodcast #HungarianJews

Is The US's Relationship With Israel A Burden For Jewish Students? Check out this clip from the all new episode! How Israel Is Connecting With US College Students: TAMID! In this episode of "Can Jew Believe?," Brad Pomerance talks with Yoni Heilman, CEO of TAMID Group, an organization connecting the next generation of business leaders on college campuses to Israel’s "Startup Nation." With a ten-fold increase in antisemitic incidents on university campuses since October 7th, the climate for Jewish students is more challenging than ever. But while headlines focus on protests and hostile anti-Israel faculty, a quiet revolution is happening. Discover how TAMID bypasses the political noise by focusing on what students care about most: their careers. From consulting for Israeli startups to elite internships in Tel Aviv, learn how TAMID is creating a "bias toward action" that keeps the Israeli economy thriving while giving students the "chutzpah" to lead fearlessly in a divided world. @JewishLifeTV Watch here: youtu.be/DfuNIXj1NDk For all episodes & podcast platforms: canjewbelieve.com⁠ Subscribe and rate 5 stars! ⁠ ⁠ #podcast #jewishpodcast #Israel #Antisemitism

How Israel Is Connecting With US College Students: TAMID! In this episode of "Can Jew Believe?," Brad Pomerance talks with Yoni Heilman, CEO of #TAMIDGroup, an organization connecting the next generation of business leaders on college campuses to Israel’s "Startup Nation." With a ten-fold increase in antisemitic incidents on university campuses since October 7th, the climate for Jewish students is more challenging than ever. But while headlines focus on protests and hostile anti-Israel faculty, a quiet revolution is happening. Discover how TAMID bypasses the political noise by focusing on what students care about most: their careers. From consulting for Israeli startups to elite internships in Tel Aviv, learn how TAMID is creating a "bias toward action" that keeps the Israeli economy thriving while giving students the "chutzpah" to lead fearlessly in a divided world. @JewishLifeTV Watch here: youtu.be/DfuNIXj1NDk For all episodes & podcast platforms: canjewbelieve.com⁠ Subscribe and rate 5 stars! ⁠ ⁠ #podcast #jewishpodcast #Israel #Antisemitism