Bagel bite: Rabbi Jeremy Gordon

“A good dose of discomfort is almost certainly necessary”

Abbey Road may be synonymous with The Beatles, but it’s also the home of New London Synagogue (NLS). Hayden Cohen caught up with their rabbi, Jeremy Gordon, for the penultimate episode of the Bagel Podcast's run on JR. The pair discuss marriage under Masorti Judaism (Conservative in America) and how it contrasts with the British default that is Orthodox weddings; Ted Chiang stories; and of course NLS’s founder – and one of the most dominant figures of 20th-century British Jewry – Rabbi Louis Jacobs. Note: this interview was conducted in January 2020.

Discover more: newlondon.org.uk and louisjacobs.org.

Bagel bite: Rabbis Debbie Young-Somers & Gary Somers

"It’s important to be challenged because it helps you learn"

In this bite of the Bagel, Hayden has a candid conversation with Reform Rabbi Debbie Young-Somers and her newly (at the time; Jan 2020) ordained Orthodox husband, Rabbi Gary Somers. Most couples disagree about the division of chores, but their disagreement is halachic (Jewish law). How do they make it work? Listen and learn.

Discover more at Debbie and Gary’s @Mr_and_Mrs_Rabbi Instagram account.