Torat JLIC

Torat JLIC

JLIC Torah insights from the JLIC team.

Episodes

September 1, 2026 34 mins

Rabbi Zechariah and Elyanna Rosenthal grew up in what amounts to a JLIC family business. His father runs JLIC's national development. Her brother and sister-in-law run JLIC at another university. Now the two of them are building their own campus, which is why the argument they get into mid-episode about whether Torah study actually changes you isn't academic. It's the question their whole career rests on.

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This bonus episode is a crossover from the Shtark Tank podcast. It tracks Rabbi Rafi Dembovsky journey from a Torah-only yeshiva bachur to the author of a sefer on Torah im Derech Eretz. He grew up in a home where everyone worked, but absorbed a Torah-only hashkafa from his rebbeim at Hasmonean and Yeshivas Toras Moshe. Seven years into Kollel, a pull towa...

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Rav Hirsch has a hard read on why Esav became Esav: not because he was born wrong, but because Yitzchak and Rivka got passive about his education, sending him to the same yeshiva as Yaakov and hoping for the best. Rabbi Josh Ross thinks that failure is still happening, quietly, in living rooms everywhere.

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Plato says the truth is outside the cave. Chazal disagree. That inversion is the starting point for this episode, and it turns out to explain a lot about what JLIC is actually for.

The story is Shimon bar Yochai. Twelve years in the cave, nothing but Torah. He emerges and ...

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May 6, 2026 31 mins

Rav Shlomo and Kira Ashkenazi arrived at Washington University in St. Louis on October 9th, 2023. They walked into a house they'd never seen before: no furniture, no light fixtures, nothing. They texted a WhatsApp group of students they barely knew: "We're getting in at 3. Want to do Mincha and a kumzitz at our house at 5?" Forty students showed up. Sh...

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April 7, 2026 42 mins

JLIC is built around serious Torah learning. On a college campus, that's a choice with real consequences. In this episode, we wrestle with an honest question: does being rigorous mean being inaccessible? Are we reaching the students who need us most, or have we quietly built an insiders' club?

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Content note: This episode contains graphic descriptions of recovering and identifying human remains in a wartime setting. The conversation is handled with sensitivity and spiritual depth, but may not be suitable for all audiences, particularly younger listeners. Listener discretion is advised. What does it feel like to bring the last hostage home?

Rabbi Tzvi Wohlgelernter served in the IDF's Yasar unit, tasked with recovering the...

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Guest: Uri Lorkis, JLIC Director at University of Michigan & Startup Coach

Episode Description

What does coaching Israeli startup founders have in common with guiding college students through their spiritual journey? Uri Lorkis discovered the answer isn't just similar, it's transformative.

Uri shares his unconventional path from IDF paratrooper to JLIC director, and reveals why the biggest challenge facing both his students and...

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January 6, 2026 44 mins

What do you do when the biggest social event of the year at Yale (the Harvard-Yale football game) happens to fall on Shabbat? Every single year.

JLIC Yale co-director Rabbi Dr. Alex Ozar joins Rabbi Don Cantor to talk through a question that comes up constantly on college...

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In this episode of the Torah JLIC Podcast, hosts Don and Alex sit down with Tal Attia, JLIC's Chief Operating Officer, to explore what goes into building JLIC's exceptional staff of campus directors across North America and Israel.

The Journey to JLIC Leadership

  • Tal's unexpected path from college student to campus director to COO
  • The transition from being "needed constantly" on campus to behind-the-desk leadership
  • How a Shabba...
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Rabbi Joe Wolfson shares his experience of Yom Kippur in Tel Aviv, the remarkable outdoor prayer services that brought together thousands of secular and religious Israelis, and reflects on how the nation is navigating a uniquely religious moment in its history. Featured Guest Rabbi Joe Wolfson – Leader of JIC Tel Aviv community and Director of JLIC's Abraham's House, a beit midrash (learning center) serving as an ...
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    In this episode, Rabbi Alex Ozar (JLIC Yale) and Rabbi Don Cantor (Richmond Jewish Learning Experience, formerly JLIC Johns Hopkins) continue their exploration of Jewish consolation during times of national tragedy. Drawing from the seven Haftarot of consolation and provocative midrashim, they unpack what it means for a broken people to seek comfort and why human messengers aren't enough.

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    September 2, 2025 38 mins

    Don and Alex explore the concept of consolation (nechamah) during difficult times, examining what true comfort means in Judaism and how communities can provide genuine solace during periods of collective pain.

    Key Topics The Nature of Consolation

    Key Insight: The Hebrew "Nachamu" means "comfort [my people]" - it's a command to provide consolation, not merely receive it. Consolation is fundamentally human work, not just divine inter...

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    June 10, 2025 47 mins
    In a world that feels increasingly divided into stark categories of "good" and "evil," how should we confront the rising tide of antisemitism on college campuses? While demanding institutional accountability is a crucial first step, Rabbi Alex Ozar argues it is not enough. In this thought-provoking episode, he challenges listeners to move beyond a purely defensive or reactive posture and adopt a more constructive, and profoundly Je...
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    May 20, 2025 26 mins

    In this episode, Rav Shlomo Brukirer shares his transformative journey from a young yeshiva student helping peers struggling with substance abuse to becoming a communal rabbi dedicated to serving college students. Drawing from a life-changing Talmudic teaching about praying for those who suffer, Rav Brukirer explores how ordinary work can become holy through intention and service to others.

    The conversation weaves together personal...

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    April 30, 2025 47 mins

    In this special episode, Rabbi Don Cantor takes the microphone as guest to explore deep questions about faith, trust in God, and how these concepts apply to real-world challenges. Through textual analysis and personal reflections, Rav Don and host Rabbi Alex Ozar delve into what it truly means to have faith in God beyond simplistic notions that "everything will work out."

    Key Insights
    • Faith in God isn't believing that everythi...
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    This week, hosts Rabbi Don Cantor and Rabbi, Dr. Alex Ozar are joined by Rabbi Menachem Schrader, founder of JLIC and its longtime Posek (Halakhic decisor), for a deep dive into navigating Passover observance in a college setting. With decades of experience answering student questions, Rabbi Schrader offers invaluable guidance. Topics covered include:
    • Cleaning & Searching (Bedikat Chametz): How thorough do you need t...
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    March 18, 2025 34 mins
    In this powerful episode, Rav Don and Rav Alex welcome Rabbi Avi Schwartz, who brings his unique dual expertise as both a JLIC rabbi and licensed social worker. Rav Avi dives into his vital work supporting Jewish college students navigating religious commitments alongside mental health challenges. Episode Highlights:
    • Bridging Two Worlds: Rabbi Schwartz reveals how he balances his rabbinical role with mental health expertise...
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    In this episode, Don Cantor and Alex Ozar dive into the challenging landscape surrounding Israel on college campuses, particularly elite East Coast institutions. They explore how students, often identifying as Jewish, find themselves navigating a complex and increasingly politicized environment. The conversation includes discussions on balancing community solidarity with diverse viewpoints, as well as t...

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    Guest Rav Moshe Moskowitz 

    Overview:This episode features Rav Moshe Moskowitz, JLC Director at Johns Hopkins, discussing his approach to Torah learning, his connection to the Pachad Yitzchak, and how he connects with students through Torah. He shares personal stories, offers insights on dealing with challenges, and shares powerful pieces of Torah relevant to the current t...

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