The Jewish conversation is happening. Are you listening?

Something has been bothering us.

We know a lot of smart, committed Jews. People who volunteer, give generously, serve on boards, work in Jewish organizations and genuinely care about the future of our community. Yet many of them aren’t really plugged into the ideas and conversations shaping Jewish life today, not because they don’t care, but because they don’t know where to start.

That surprises us because there has never been an easier time to become an informed Jew.

Get The Jewish Chronicle Weekly Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up

You don’t need to sign up for a class. You don’t need a graduate degree in Jewish studies. You don’t need to spend a fortune on books. Some of the best Jewish learning available today is free. You can listen while driving to work, walking the dog, making dinner or waiting to pick up your kids.

The obstacle isn’t access anymore. It’s deciding that staying informed matters.

So when people ask us where to begin, my answer is pretty consistent.

Start with two podcasts: Dan Senor’s “Call Me Back” and Haviv Rettig Gur’s “Ask Haviv Anything.” If we could could recommend only two resources, these would be them. Senor brings together historians, journalists, policymakers, military leaders and scholars to explain not just what’s happening in Israel and the Jewish world, but why it matters. Rettig Gur combines deep historical knowledge with an uncanny ability to explain Israeli politics, society and identity in a way that’s accessible without being simplistic. You won’t always agree with either of them. We certainly don’t. But if you listen consistently, you’ll be far better informed.

Then add The Times of Israel Daily Briefing, which is exactly what it sounds like: a smart, digestible overview of the day’s biggest stories. “Wondering Jews,” hosted by Michal Bitton and Noam Weissman, wrestles with the questions many Jews are already asking about identity, Israel, and Jewish life. “For Heaven’s Sake,” hosted by Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi, models what Jewish disagreement should look like: principled, respectful and rooted in a shared commitment to the Jewish people.

If you have children or grandchildren, make Unpacked on YouTube part of your family’s routine. Their videos are engaging, historically grounded, and among the best resources we’ve found for explaining Jewish history and Israel. Their “Unpacking Israeli History” podcast deserves an adult audience every bit as much as a teenage one.

Then read.

Read Dara Horn’s “People Love Dead Jews.” It’s a brilliant, provocative exploration of why the world so often obsesses about Jewish suffering while feeling uncomfortable with living Jews who insist on defining themselves.

Read Sarah Hurwitz’s “Here All Along” and “As a Jew.” The first is a beautiful invitation back into Jewish learning for people who think they missed something in Hebrew school. The second is a deeply personal reflection on Jewish identity after Oct. 7 and what it means to be proudly, unapologetically Jewish today.

Read Matti Friedman’s “Pumpkinflowers,” “Spies of No Country” and “Who by Fire,” and then read every essay of his you can find. Few writers explain Israel with as much clarity, nuance and intellectual honesty.

Read Rachel Goldberg-Polin’s “When We See You Again.” Her family’s story has become part of the story of the Jewish people, and her resilience, faith and moral clarity have inspired Jews around the world.

If you really want to stretch yourself, read David Nirenberg’s “Anti-Judaism: The Western Tradition.” It’s not an easy read, but you’ll never think about the history of anti-Jewish ideas the same way again.

Follow Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib. Read his essays. Listen to his interviews. Read his recently published “Hamas and Its Two Million Hostages.” We just finished it. It’s a very accessible, fast read, but an essential one. Few books explain so clearly what life in Gaza has been like for ordinary Gazans under Hamas’s rule and how profoundly the organization has shaped Palestinian society since its rise. If you’re serious about understanding this conflict, you should be listening to thoughtful Palestinian voices as well as Jewish ones.

Read The Free Press, founded by Pittsburgh’s own Bari Weiss. If your news diet consists mostly of mainstream Democratic or progressive outlets, you’ll encounter reporting, arguments and perspectives you probably aren’t hearing elsewhere. You won’t agree with everything you read. That’s exactly why it’s worth reading.

Subscribe to SAPIR. It’s beautifully edited, intellectually serious, completely free and consistently one of the first things we read when a new issue comes out.

And if you’re a Pittsburgh Jew, read the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle. It’s free, and if we want strong local Jewish journalism, we have to support it by reading it, sharing it and encouraging others to do the same.

Here’s why we care so much about this.

You don’t have to agree with Dan Senor.

You don’t have to agree with Haviv Rettig Gur.

You don’t have to agree with Dara Horn.

You don’t have to agree with Sarah Hurwitz, Matti Friedman, Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, Bari Weiss or anyone else we’ve mentioned.

In fact, especially if you disagree, you should know what they’re saying.

John Stuart Mill wrote, “He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that.”

If you’re not listening to these voices, you won’t really know what’s driving so many conversations in Jewish life today. You won’t understand the books people are discussing, the podcasts they’re sharing, the essays they’re forwarding or the ideas they’re wrestling with. This has become a common language across much of Jewish communal life. You don’t have to agree with it. But you should understand it well enough to engage it honestly.
This worries us most when it comes to Jewish professionals.

Too many people whose job is to lead, educate, advocate for or represent the Jewish community aren’t regularly reading, listening and learning from the people shaping the Jewish conversation. That’s not a political criticism. It’s a professional one.

If your job is to serve the Jewish community, staying intellectually current is part of the job. How can you credibly represent a community if you don’t know the conversation it’s having?

The good news is that there are no real barriers anymore. The podcasts are free. SAPIR is free. The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle is free. Many of the best essays are online. The greatest Jewish classroom in history is sitting in your pocket.

The resources are there.

All that’s left is the decision to use them.

Jewish tradition has always valued learning. At a moment like this, staying informed isn’t just a personal virtue.

It’s part of being an engaged Jew. PJC

Karen Galor and Ben Sitter live in Squirrel Hill with their three beautiful children. Karen is a member of the Chronicle’s board of trustees.