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Dear Friends,
We hope this finds everyone well, looking forward to a joyful, festive December.
Throughout this season of gift-giving and holiday shopping, find new meaning in the history of toys through a Jewish lens, as Justin meets with sociologist Michael Kimmel on Jewish Insights.
Elana Stein Hain and guest Dani Segal look to the week's parsha to ask what Judaism can teach about the role of faith and presence of God in times of suffering on TEXTing IRL. And Rabbi Hirsch reminds his congregation of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue to "pay attention" before things reach a boiling point.
On Defending Israel David Harris unpacks Israel's military aims and British reaction with distinguished veteran Col. Richard Kemp. Abigail Pogrebin meets with IsraAID CEO Yotam Polizer for a conversation about his NGO’s work on In the Spotlight.
Micah Halpern addresses post-war perceptions of Israel on Thinking Out Loud.
And Robert Siegel speaks with policy veterans Dennis Ross, Aaron David Miller and Ghaith al-Omari for for a discussion on What's Next in Israel and the Middle East.
Also this week, Jonah is joined by French public intellectual Bernard-Henri Levy on Being Jewish with Jonah Platt; the 2025 JFNA GA continues; and fillmmaker Nick Davis discusses his new documentary This Ordinary Thing on Eric Goldman's Jewish Cinematheque.
In men's basketball Saturday, the Manhattanville University Valiants visit the Yeshiva University Maccabees.
And leading us right into Chanukah, it's the final week of Jewish Book Month, made possible this year on JBS by the Jewish Book Council and their Nu Reads subscription service. Rabbi Angela Buchdahl discusses her memoir Heart of a Stranger with Zibby Owens on Totally Booked, and from The Hampton Synagogue, Rabbi Bronstein unpacks The Many Lives of Anne Frank with author Ruth Franklin.
All this and much more, we hope you enjoy it all!
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Please click here to watch Rabbi Justin Pines' message
Throughout this festive season, we hope JBS continues to be a source of inspiration, connection, and celebration, bringing you the best of Jewish culture, heritage,
and love for the state of Israel.
As we look forward to Chanukah and a brighter new year, please consider supporting us to ensure JBS remains your Jewish television destination
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SCHEDULED HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK OF
DECEMBER 7 - DECEMBER 13
Now with Closed Captioning!
Turn on Closed Captioning on your television settings to enable
All Times are ET and are Subject to Change
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Torah Parsha: Vayeshev
Rabbinic luminaries Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z”l and Rabbi Shlomo Riskin offer
timeless wisdom from the Torah portion, guiding life and learning for the week ahead.
Parsha Vayeshev recounts Joseph’s dreams, his brothers’ betrayal, and his fall into Egypt, reminding us that resilience and faith can turn moments of despair into the first steps toward redemption
Monday & Thursday at 9:30am & 4:30pm
Friday - 5:30pm & Saturday - 12:30pm
| | JFNA General Assembly 2025 | | | | |
Morning Plenary -
Protecting Our Communities Today
Explore both the challenges and opportunities of protecting Jewish life today and reflect on how collective action can help shape a more secure future for all, featuring Sen. John Fetterman, Julie Platt and Zibby Owens with Rabbi Buchdahl.
Sunday - 7:00pm & 11:00pm
Wed - 4:00am & 1:30pm; Thu - 10:00am
| | In the Spotlight with Abigail Pogrebin | | | | |
Yotam Polizer
Abigail Pogrebin meets with IsraAID CEO Yotam Polizer to discuss the NGO’s global work and its role as Israel’s largest humanitarian organization, including its relief efforts in Gaza.
Monday - 8:00pm & 11:00pm
Tuesday - 2:00am, 7:00am & 11:00am
Wednesday - 5:30am; Thursday - 2:00pm
Friday - 4:00pm; Saturday - 7:00pm
| | Jewish Cinemathèque with Eric Goldman | | | | |
Nick Davis - This Ordinary Thing
Eric Goldman speaks with Nick Davis about his documentary, opening this weekend, which uses never-before-seen footage and performances by Academy Award–winning actors to tell the stories of non-Jews who risked everything to shelter Jewish strangers during the Holocaust.
Monday - 10:00pm
Tuesday - 1:00am & 7:00pm
Wednesday - 5:30am
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Dani Segal -
How Can Jews Believe in God Right Now
Elana Stein Hain and Dani Segal of Mabua: Israeli Beit Midrash look at the story of Joseph’s descent into Egypt, and modern stories of soldiers and hostages, to explore how faith can operate as moral clarity and personal motivation during the long and often painful arc of Jewish history.
Tuesday - 7:30pm & 10:00pm
Wednesday - 1:00am & 1:00pm
Saturday - 4:00am, 5:00pm
| | Jewish Insights with Justin Pines | | |
CLICK HERE TO WATCH RECENT PROGRAMS
Listen to this and other episodes of Jewish Insights as a JBS podcast!
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How Jewish Immigrants Created the American Childhood
In this special Chanukah episode, Justin Pines sits down with sociologist and author Michael Kimmel (Playmakers: The Jewish Entrepreneurs Who Created the Toy Industry in America) to uncover how Jewish entrepreneurs created the modern concept of a "happy childhood."
Tuesday - 8:00pm & 11:00pm
Wednesday - 2:00am & 10:00am
Thursday - 5:00am & 7:00am
Friday - 9:00am & 8:30pm
Saturday - 8:30am & 4:00pm
| | Defending Israel with David Harris | | | | |
Colonel Richard Kemp
David Harris is joined by Col. Richard Kemp, distinguished military veteran and commander of British forces in Afghanistan to discuss Israel's military aims and doctrines, British reaction, and the surge in antisemitism in the UK.
Wednesday - 7:00pm & 11:00pm
Thursday - 4:00am, 7:00am,
11:30am & 6:30pm
Fri - 5:00am, 8:30am & 12:30pm
Saturday - 8:00pm
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Pay Attention
Rabbi Hirsch looks to the week’s parsha and urges his congregation of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue to “pay attention to the small things before they become big.
Wednesday - 7:30pm & 10:00pm
Thu - 1:00am, 4:30am & 7:30am
Friday - 1:30pm & 4:30pm
Saturday - 3:30am & 5:30pm
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What's Next in Israel and the Middle East
Robert Siegel speaks with leading Middle East policy experts Dennis Ross, Aaron David Miller and Ghaith al-Omari for a wide-ranging discussion on Israel, the region and the shifting diplomatic landscape ahead.
Wednesday - 8:00pm
Thursday - 2:00am, 1:00pm & 5:00pm
Friday - 4:00am, 7:00am & 11:00am
Saturday - 11:30pm
| | The Hampton Synagogue's Author Discussion Series | | | | |
Ruth Franklin -
The Many Lives of Anne Frank
Rabbi Avraham Bronstein sits with author Ruth Franklin to discuss her revealing biography of Anne Frank, which explores both Anne’s life and the enduring impact of her extraordinary diary.
Thursday - 7:00pm
Friday - 5:30am
| | Totally Booked with Zibby | | | | |
Rabbi Buchdahl - Heart of a Stranger
Zibby Owens sits with Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Senior Rabbi of Central Synagogue and the first Asian American rabbi, whose memoir charts her path
from Seoul to Jewish leadership and reflects deeply on belonging, grief,
empathy and resilience.
Thursday - 7:30pm & 10:00pm
Friday - 1:00am & 1:00pm
Saturday - 4:30am
| | Being Jewish with Jonah Platt | | | | |
Bernard-Henri Lévy
Jonah Platt sits with Bernard-Henri Lévy, the French philosopher, filmmaker and author of The Genius of Judaism.
Thursday - 8:00pm & 11:00pm
Friday - 2:00am, 10:00am,
2:00pm & 9:30pm
Saturday - 5:00am & 10:30pm
| | Yeshiva University Men's Basketball | | | | |
Manhattanville University
at Yeshiva University
The Valiants of Manhattanville University visit the Yeshiva University Maccabees live from the Max Stern Athletic Center.
Saturday - 8:30pm Live
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Did you miss a new JBS program?
Remember you can find our original series on our website or youtube, or download the JBS Mobile Apps for iPhone or Android or listen on the go on JBS Podcasts on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts!
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JNS Bureau Chief Alex Traiman and journalist Josh Hasten break down the week’s events in Israel, offering clear,
timely news and analysis on
the Jerusalem Minute.
Monday - 7:00pm
Tue - 5:00am, 10:00am, 1:00pm & 5:00pm
Wednesday - 7:00am & 11:00am
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Micah asks and answers whether Israel can ever redeem itself in the eyes of the world
after the Gaza War.
Wednesday - 6:30pm & 11:30pm
Thursday - 8:30am & 12:30pm
Friday - 5:30am
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ILTV News and JBS Daily News Updates
ILTV reports from Israel followed by JBS Daily News with Teisha Bader
Monday - Wednesday at 6:00pm, Thursday (ILTV News) at 6:00pm
& Friday (ILTV News) at 5:00pm
ILTV News Sunday at 5:00pm
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Good Week Israel
Positive stories from Israel of heroism, unity and support
Mondays at 6:30pm
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Insider
ILTV reports and interviews
Tuesdays at 6:30pm
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Becoming Jewish in FSU
Rabbi Aryeh Katzin, Exec. Dir. Of RAJE (Russian American Jewish Experience), describes how we became one of the early leaders of the Jewish Refusnik Movement in the Moscow
and his experiences with Yosef Begun
and Yulie Edelstein.
Monday - 9:00pm
Tuesday - 12:00am, 3:00am, 3:00pm
Rabbi Joe Potasnik
Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, author of Just Give Me A Minute: Insights from the Radio Rabbi, discusses his career as EVP
of the NY Board of Rabbis and Chaplain of the FDNY, including his experience
of 9/11 and his interfaith work.
Tuesday - 9:00pm
Wednesday - 12:00am, 3:00am & 3:00pm
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Fighting BDS In Israel
The former CEO of “Im Tirtzu,” Matan Peleg and Board Chair Douglas Altabef, discuss their organization’s work as the leading Israeli organization seeking
to educate Israelis influenced by
the BDS Movement to doubt
the legitimacy of Israel.
Wednesday - 9:00pm
Thursday - 12:00am, 3:00am & 3:00pm
Stephen Schwartz
Musical theatre composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz describes how Jewish values have shaped his life and work, and discusses some of his classic Broadway shows including Pippin, The Prince of Egypt, and the wildly popular Wicked.
Thursday - 9:00pm
Friday - 12:00am, 3:00am & 3:00pm
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Masha Merkulova
Russian-born Masha Merkulova, founding executive director of Club Z, shares how she didn’t learn she was Jewish until age 16 and explains her passion for empowering American teens with a strong, proud understanding of Zionism before they reach college.
Saturday - 6:00pm
| | Talmud Study with Rabbi Mordechai Becher | | | |
By Your Own Admission
Rabbi Mordechai Becher bases this lesson on the Talmudic tractate Gittin 40b.
Sunday - 9:00am
Monday - 4:00am
Dreams in Judaism
How the Jewish tradition views the importance of dreams and whether they are God's way of communicating is the topic of this week's Talmud lesson with Rabbi Mordechai Becher.
Sunday - 9:30am
Monday - 4:30am
| | Jewish Tradition and Midrash with Rabbi Mark S. Golub z"l | | |
Community
Learn how the Jewish Tradition's emphasis is on "the community" rather than on "personal salvation," through the contrast
of rabbinic thought with the well-known hymn, "Amazing Grace."
Monday - 9:00am & 4:00pm
Thu - 9:00am & 4:00pm; Sat - 1:00am
Click to receive one or all lessons
in this series
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The Name of God
Learn how the name of God is written in the Torah, and clarify some of the misconceptions about the way people pronounce God's name
Tuesday - 9:00am & 4:00pm
Download Lessons and Worksheets
free at jbstv.org/From The Aleph Bet.
| | Synagogue Services for Shabbat | | |
REFORM
CENTRAL SYNAGOGUE
Closed Captioned
FRIDAY EVENING
6:00pm (Live)
Encores 11:30pm & 2:00am
SATURDAY MORNING
9:30am (Live)
Encore 1:00pm
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ORTHODOX
THE HAMPTON SYNAGOGUE
With Hebrew, transliteration and English subtitles
FRIDAY EVENING
7:30pm
Encore 10:30pm
SATURDAY MORNING
11:00am
Encore 2:30pm
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