What does it mean to say “God bless America” — and who are we praying to when we do? In this episode of Thoughts & Prayers, host Jessica Fisher examines how Jewish prayer and American politics intertwine, from the
synagogue’s prayer for the government to benedictions on the national stage. Featuring Elie Weinstock, Annie Lewis, Lauren Holtzblatt,
and Akiva Mattenson, the episode asks how prayer relates to political
power and whether faith can enhance our public life without being consumed by it.
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This episode of Thoughts & Prayers features music from Eliana Light of The Light Lab Podcast: Prayer & Liturgy, Illuminated.
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Between Me and We
How do we balance our individual spiritual needs with our responsibilities to community? In this episode of Thoughts & Prayers, host Jessica Fisher
explores the tension between private devotion and communal obligation when it comes to how we pray. Through moving stories and reflections from Yossi Klein Halevi, Maayan Statman Shaw, Elana Stein Hain, and Akiva
Mattenson, the episode asks what we owe one another in prayer and what we stand to gain when we show up together, even when it’s hard.
Episode Companion Guide
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Does Prayer Work?
In the first episode of Thoughts & Prayers, host Jessica Fisher explores one of the oldest and most unsettling questions in Jewish life: Does prayer work? Through deeply personal reflection and conversation with Sara Labaton, Josh Warshawsky, and Akiva Mattenson, the episode traces how ancient mystics, modern rationalists, and everyday seekers wrestle with the
meaning and purpose of prayer — whether it changes the world, transforms us, or simply helps us keep knocking on a locked gate. Thoughtful, searching, and grounded in lived experience, this opening chapter invites listeners to
reconsider what it really means to pray.
Episode Companion Guide
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Thoughts & Prayers Series Trailer
Uncover the complexity, beauty, and struggle at the heart of Jewish prayer in Thoughts & Prayers, a new limited podcast series from the Shalom Hartman Institute. The series invites listeners into a deep exploration of the relationship between religion and modernity through the lens of Jewish prayer. In each episode, host Jessica Fisher weaves together personal stories, classical texts, and conversations with leading rabbis, scholars, and educators to inspire new connections to Jewish prayer in a changing world.
Uncover the complexity, beauty, and struggle at the heart of Jewish prayer in Thoughts & Prayers, a new limited podcast series from the Shalom Hartman Institute. The series invites listeners into a deep exploration of the relationship between religion and modernity through the lens of Jewish prayer. In each episode, host Jessica Fisher weaves together personal stories, classical texts, and conversations with leading rabbis, scholars, and educators to inspire new connections to Jewish prayer in a changing world.
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