Just For This Podcast inspires women in leadership to talk about women and leadership. Hosted by Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch, CEO of Women of Reform Judaism, Just For This is committed to sharing powerful stories of women who stand out in their fields.
Welcome back, Just For This listeners! Each week, host Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch (she/her) interviews women in leadership about women and leadership. Inspired by the story of Esther, we feature powerful stories of women who stand out in their fields, who have stepped up just for this moment.
Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, it has been up to individual states to make decisions about abortion care, ultimately deciding who has access to bodily autonomy and who does not. WRJ could not be silent as the clock was turned back 50 years and have continued to support state-based campaigns to enshrine abortion access in state constitutions.
This November, Virginia will face a similar ballot initiative. Voting yes to Question 1 on the ballot would add a fundamental right to reproductive freedom to the Virginia Constitution: the freedom to make personal decisions about prenatal care, childbirth, birth control, abortion, miscarriage management, and fertility care, without government interference or criminal punishment.
Our guest this week is Han Jones, Political Director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia and Campaign Director of Virginians for Reproductive Freedom, the coalition leading the Yes on 1 campaign. We discuss the long journey of getting this initiative on the ballot, the intersectionality of voting and reproductive rights, the stories of the women who inspire her work in reproductive justice, and the strength it took to transform grief into action after Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Learn more about the Virginians for Reproductive Freedom coalition and what it means to Vote Yes on Question One: https://va4reprofreedom.org/
Don't live in Virginia, but interested in getting involved? Join WRJ and Virginians for Reproductive Freedom virtually on Tuesday, October 20 to call Virginia voters and ask them to vote "yes" on Question 1. Never phone banked before? A short training will be provided at the beginning of each event!
Follow Just For This on Instagram: @justforthispodcast
12 Oct 2026
Jean Meltzer – A Jewish Happily Ever After
Welcome back, Just For This listeners! Each week, host Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch (she/her) interviews women in leadership about women and leadership. Inspired by the story of Esther, we feature powerful stories of women who stand out in their fields, who have stepped up just for this moment.
Our guest today is Jean Meltzer, bestselling author of books like The Matzah Ball, Kissing Kosher, Magical Meet Cute, and more. Jean's commitment to uplifting Jewish stories and voices had made her a leading figure in Jewish literary advocacy.
Jean is the founder and CEO of Jewish Joy LLC, the umbrella organization to Jewish Women Talk About Romance Books, The Jewish Joy Book Club, and The Jewish Joy Box (https://thejewishjoybox.com/). Her work is informed by personal experience—most notably her decades-long journey with chronic illness and her background in Jewish learning and media.
We discuss how all of her stories about Jewish life also involve Jewish holidays, what it means to hold on to faith when it feels impossible, and the importance of Jewish stories with happy endings, especially after the last few years in the Jewish world.
Jean's books are available for purchase from major book distributors and on her website. (https://jeanmeltzer.com/) Follow Just For This on Instagram: @justforthispodcast
5 Oct 2026
Maggie Siddiqi — "The Solidarity of Coming Together"
Welcome back, Just For This listeners! Each week, host Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch (she/her) interviews women in leadership about women and leadership. Inspired by the story of Esther, we feature powerful stories of women who stand out in their fields, who have stepped up just for this moment.
Our guest today is Maggie Siddiqi, Senior Advisor of the Interfaith Alliance. Maggie is an expert in faith-based advocacy for social change, coalition-building across lines of difference, and public policy on religious freedom and standing up against hate. She recently concluded her appointment to the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Education under the Biden-Harris administration, where she served as Director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
We discuss the importance of coming together, even and especially when it's hard, how a love of religion led to a career in interfaith organizing, and what has changed about the coalitions between the Muslim and Jewish communities in the wake of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent Gaza war.
Follow Just For This on Instagram: @justforthispodcast
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