Rooted in tradition, proudly heimish, Beyond the Shtetl features Rabbi Miriam Potok and the Adat Shalom community in conversation about all that it means to be a Jew in West Los Angeles today.
Adat Shalom: adatshalomla.org
Rabbi Potok: miriampotok.wordpress.com
Jewish Essentials: Why Bad Things Happen to Good People
If God is always good, knowing, powerful, and present, why is there evil in the world? In other words, if there is a God, why do bad things happen to good people? Rabbi Potok and Howard Unterberger discuss this essential question, uncovering the power of Jewish community, the meaning of prayer, and the reasons why education is essential for Jews of all ages.
6 Oct 2026
October 7th: Three Years After
Rabbi Potok and the Adat Shalom community commemorate October 7th on Shabbat and Shmini Atzeret 2026.
We will never stop grieving the loss and tragedy of October 7th 2023. The flydubai near-miss this week again shook us. But we learn from the heroism of the flydubai pilot and the four Israeli passengers, as well as Sukkot observances at the Nova Festival site, that we can find uplift, that we have so many reasons to hope.
28 Sept 2026
Yom Kippur Day 5787: Caregiving and Healing
Rabbi Potok's Yom Kippur Day sermon, given at Adat Shalom in West Los Angeles. Learn about our prayers for healing and how you can be part of a loved one's caregiving team.
28 Sept 2026
Kol Nidre 5787: To Love The Life You Have, Grieve The Life You Lost
Rabbi Potok's Kol Nidre sermon, given at Adat Shalom in West Los Angeles. Explore the connection between Tisha B'Av and Yom Kippur and learn how feeling our grief can make us fall in love with life.
28 Sept 2026
Shabbat Shuvah 5787: What Is T'Shuvah?
Rabbi Potok's Shabbat Shuvah sermon, given at Adat Shalom in West Los Angeles. We know that the time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is our time to "make t'shuvah" and return to the right path in life. But how exactly do we do that? What are the steps we need to take?
17 Sept 2026
Rosh Hashanah 5787: People of the Book, Not the Screen
Rabbi Potok's Rosh Hashanah Day 2 sermon, given at Adat Shalom in West Los Angeles. Did you know that reading from screens rather than books decreases comprehension while giving the reader false confidence in what they've learned? Listen now to discover how this impacts our relationship with Torah and why we should be a people of the book, not the screen.
17 Sept 2026
Rosh Hashanah 5787: Bipartisan Support for Israel in 2026
Rabbi Potok's Rosh Hashanah Day 1 sermon, given at Adat Shalom in West Los Angeles. We can best build bipartisan support for Israel in 2026 when we can make a progressive case for Israel's importance to the Jewish people worldwide.
17 Sept 2026
Rosh Hashanah 5787: I Want To Have a Good Year
Rabbi Potok's Erev Rosh Hashanah sermon, given at Adat Shalom in West Los Angeles. Do we want to have a good year? Or are we objecting to what's happening, before it's even happened?
Watch on video here: https://youtu.be/TMEE9X2-TNk
3 Sept 2026
High Holidays Prep: Meet Rabbi Potok (Part 2)
In this special two-part episode, Ira Pemstein interviews Rabbi Potok! Ira asks all the questions you've thought of but haven't had the chance to ask, and Rabbi Potok shares all the details she's wanted to share but hasn't yet put into a sermon. This is a unique chance to get to know your rabbi in an off-the-bimah interview, just in time for the High Holidays.
3 Sept 2026
High Holidays Prep: Meet Rabbi Potok (Part 1)
In this special two-part episode, Ira Pemstein interviews Rabbi Potok! Ira asks all the questions you've thought of but haven't had the chance to ask, and Rabbi Potok shares all the details she's wanted to share but hasn't yet put into a sermon. This is a unique chance to get to know your rabbi in an off-the-bimah interview, just in time for the High Holidays.
19 Aug 2026
High Holidays Prep: Kohelet (Ecclesiastes)
We read the book of Kohelet after the spiritual preparation of Elul, after the holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, during the holiday of Sukkot. Yet studying it this month, during Elul, can bring us new insight about what's most important in life. Rabbi Miriam Potok and Jonathan Marcus share conversation and perspectives in this episode that prepares us for the holidays in the month ahead.
11 Jun 2026
Jewish Essentials: Torah Reading
Reading from the Torah scroll is the highlight of the Shabbat morning service - but what is it really all about? Rabbi Miriam Potok and Sammy Rabinowitz discuss the meaning, sound, and history of Torah reading, sharing their personal journeys, favorite verses, and how reading Torah has brought meaning and connection to their experience of Jewish community.
18 May 2026
Jewish Essentials: Torah, Talmud, and... Jesus??
Rabbi Miriam Potok and Olivia Goodkin explore three essential questions in Judaism:
-What's the difference between Torah and Talmud?
-Who wrote the Torah?
-Why don't Jews accept Jesus as the Messiah?
22 Mar 2026
On Intermarriage and Interfaith Families
What's it like to be fully engaged in Jewish community - while being part of an interfaith family, or part of an interfaith relationship? Rabbi Potok, Evan, and Erin share their perspectives on holidays, funny and awkward conversations, and what Jewish law has to say about intermarriage. This episode was dreamed up over the Hanukkah/Christmas season - enjoy it just in time for Pesach!
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Contact Beyond The Shtetl
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Beyond The Shtetl?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
