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The Five Books: Jewish Authors on the Books That Shaped Them

The Five Books: Jewish Authors on the Books That Shaped Them

Written by: Tali Rosenblatt Cohen
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 The Five Books celebrates the role of books in our lives. Each week we’ll talk with a Jewish author about five books in five categories. We’ll hear about: two Jewish books that have impacted the author’s Jewish identity; one book (not necessarily Jewish) that they think everyone should read - a book that changed their worldview. We’ll get a peek into what book they're reading now, and we’ll hear the inside scoop on the new book they’ve just published. The Five Books creates a space for all listeners to explore what it means to live, write, and read as a Jewish American today.Tali Rosenblatt Cohen Art Judaism Spirituality
Episodes
  • Alicia Jo Rabins on Composing a Life of Meaning

    Alicia Jo Rabins on Composing a Life of Meaning
    Apr 14 2026
    In this episode, Alicia Jo Rabins traces the “red hot glow” of the moments that shaped her, both spiritual and artistic, and how they led her to a life rooted in music, text, and ritual. She’ll tell us how a chavruta (study partnership) with an Orthodox student while at Barnard College paved the way for her to transform her academic study into song in Girls in Trouble. As she details the pendulum swings in her religious and spiritual practices, we discuss the ways in which small moments – watching orthodox women wait for the electric doors to open on Shabbat, watching Titanic – have helped her to build a life and tradition wholly her own. Alicia Jo Rabins is a writer, musician, composer, performer, and Torah teacher. When We’re Born We Forget Everything follows her journey as a modern Jewish woman to owning ancient teachings and finding her own meanings in them, refracted through feminist interpretations of the lives of Biblical women. Alicia has published two award winning poetry collections, a collection of short personal essays called Even God Has Bad Parenting Days, and a children’s picture book called Hallelujah: The Story of Leonard Cohen. Alicia is the creator and performer of Girls in Trouble, an indie-folk song cycle about the complicated lives of Biblical women. It has an accompanying curriculum and is now being made into an indie web series! She is also the creator of A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff, which began as a one-woman chamber-rock opera and was adapted into an award-winning independent feature film. Alicia Jo Rabins’ Five Books: 1. Pirkei Avot 2. Reading the Women of the Bible by Tikva Frymer-Kensky 3. Japanese Death Poems 4. Mother's Milk: Essays on Child-Rearing, the Household, and the Making of Jewish Culture by Deena Aranoff 5. When We’re Born We Forget Everything by Alicia Jo Rabins Alicia’s Music Played in this Episode: - Alicia Jo Rabins, “Blackberry Spring”, Sugar Shack - Girls in Trouble, “Open the Ground”, Open the Ground - Girls in Trouble, “River So Wide”, Open the Ground Other Books Mentioned: - Slow Productivity by Cal Newport Other Episodes on Jewish Feminism: - Francine Klagsbrun on Embracing and Reshaping Tradition - Ilana Kurshan on Books as Blueprints for Life - Nicole Graev Lipson on the Attention, Intention, and Complexity of Mothers- Jennifer Wiener on “Women’s Fiction” - Jessica Elisheva Emerson on Belief, Identity, and Women’s Desire The Five Books is a podcast that celebrates the role of books in Jewish culture. Through author interviews, we delve into Jewish identity and discover each author’s favorite novels. Join us every week for new Jewish book recommendations! Some of our episodes have included conversations with Rabbi Sharon Brous, Sam Sussman, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl and Allegra Goodman. ⁠⁠⁠Sign up for our newsletter⁠⁠⁠ to get new episode reminders, authors’ five book picks, and more delivered straight to your inbox. Find us on Instagram ⁠@fivebookspod ⁠or on Facebook at The Five Books Podcast. For feedback or author recommendations please email us at ⁠team@fivebookspod.org⁠ For transcripts and more find us online at ⁠www.fivebookspod.org ⁠ The Five Books has the advisory and promotional support of the Jewish Book Council. Jewish Book Council is a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying and celebrating Jewish literature and supporting authors and readers. Stay up to date on the latest in Jewish literature! ⁠https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/events/celebrate⁠ The Five Books is fiscally sponsored by FJC, a 501c3 public charity. Hosted by Tali Rosenblatt Cohen Produced by Odelia Rubin Editorial and website support by Amelia Merrill Artwork by Elad Lifshitz of the Dov Abramson Studio Music by Dov Rosenblatt and Blue Dot Sessions.
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    53 mins
  • Matti Friedman on the Stories that Built a People

    Matti Friedman on the Stories that Built a People
    Mar 31 2026
    In this conversation, Matti Friedman reflects on the power of foundation stories to shape how we understand ourselves and where we come from – from Noah’s Ark, to the origins of the Bible, to Hannah Senesh and the other parachutists who landed in Nazi Europe during World War II. We also talk about what happens when we look more closely at these myths and encounter the flawed, human figures behind them - and why that often deepens, rather than diminishes, our admiration for their courage. Along the way, we also discuss Matti’s particular perspective as a Western-born journalist living in Israel, Michel Houellebecq’s Submission, and the gift of reading poetry in uncertain times. Matti’s latest book, Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe, has been awarded the Natan Notable Book award for Winter 2026 and was released last week. In Out of the Sky, Matti Friedman unravels one of the strangest episodes of World War II: In 1944, a team of young women and men who had escaped the Holocaust made the inconceivable choice to parachute back into Nazi-occupied Europe under the cover of a British military operation. Matti Friedman is the author of five works of nonfiction that have been translated into more than a dozen languages, each of which has appeared on numerous ‘best books of the year’ lists and have been awarded prizes and accolades including the Sami Rohr Prize, the ALA’s Sophie Brody Medal, and the Canadian Jewish Book Award, and more. Matti is a former Associated Press correspondent, his work has appeared in the New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, the Atlantic, and elsewhere. He currently writes from Israel for The Free Press. Matti Friedman's Five Books: 1. The Bible - Parshat Noach, the Story of Noah 2. Who Wrote the Bible? by Richard Friedman 3. Submission by Michel Houellebecq 4. Hebrew poetry by Yehuda Amichai and Lea Goldberg 5. Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe by Matti Friedman Other Media Mentioned: HHhH by Laurent Binet Eli Eli, recorded by Ofra Haza and the Hatikva Neighbourhood Workshop Theatre Stay tuned at the end of the episode for a reflection on Philip Roth’s Operation Shylock with designer and friend of the podcast Dov Abramson. Other Episode You Might Enjoy: Sarah Hurwitz on Reclaiming Our Jewish Story Rabbi Yitz Greenberg on Re-envisioning the Jewish Future Dara Horn on Being the Lorax at Her Seder Table Ilana Kurshan on Books as Blueprints for Life The Five Books is a podcast that celebrates the role of books in Jewish culture. Through author interviews, we delve into Jewish identity and discover each author’s favorite novels. Join us every week for new Jewish book recommendations! Some of our episodes have included conversations with Rabbi Angela Buchdahl (Senior Rabbi at Central Synagogue, and author of Heart of a Stranger) Yael Van Der Wouden (author of The Safekeep), and Dara Horn (author of People Love Dead Jews.) ⁠⁠⁠Sign up for our newsletter⁠⁠⁠ to get new episode reminders, authors’ five book picks, and more delivered straight to your inbox. Find us on Instagram ⁠@fivebookspod ⁠or on Facebook at The Five Books Podcast. For feedback or author recommendations please email us at ⁠team@fivebookspod.org⁠ For transcripts and more find us online at ⁠www.fivebookspod.org ⁠ The Five Books has the advisory and promotional support of the Jewish Book Council. Jewish Book Council is a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying and celebrating Jewish literature and supporting authors and readers. Stay up to date on the latest in Jewish literature! ⁠https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/events/celebrate⁠ The Five Books is fiscally sponsored by FJC, a 501c3 public charity. Hosted by Tali Rosenblatt Cohen Produced by Odelia Rubin Editorial and website support by Amelia Merrill Artwork by Elad Lifshitz of the Dov Abramson Studio Music by Dov Rosenblatt and Blue Dot Sessions Thank you to Rob Mank Thank you to Felicia Herman and David Ben-Ur for their generous support.
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Zeeva Bukai on the Fragments that Make Us Whole

    Zeeva Bukai on the Fragments that Make Us Whole
    Mar 17 2026
    In this episode, Zeeva Bukai discusses her two novels, Anatomy of Exile and The World Between, both published in the past year and woven with threads of her family history. She traces a legacy of dislocation: her grandmother’s reunion with her husband after years in a Siberian work camp, her father’s escape from Syria at age 13 with his younger brothers, and her own life between Israel and the U.S. Zeeva also reflects on her deep connection to Nicole Kraus’ Great House and the “architecture” of memory, and shares a striking moment teaching Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis to a class of orthodox high school students. The Anatomy of Exile was chosen as the winner of the 2025 National Jewish Book Award for Debut Fiction. Zeeva’s latest book, The World Between was released just a few weeks ago. Zeeva Bukai’s stories have appeared in Carve Magazine, The Master’s Review, Mcsweeney’s Quarterly Concern, and elsewhere. Her honors include a fellowship at the New York Center for Fiction, residencies at Hedgebrook Writers Colony, and Byrdcliff AIR program in Woodstock NY. She is the recipient of the The Master’s Review fall fiction prize, the Curt Johnson Prose Award, and the Lilith Fiction Award. Zeeva Bukai’s Five Books: 1. The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig 2. Great House by Nicole Kraus 3. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 4. Your Presence is Mandatory by Sasha Vasiliyuk 5. Anatomy of Exile and The World Between by Zeeva Bukai Other Episodes with Authors who Teach: - Elizabeth Graver on Lost Worlds and new Doorways - Jeremy Dauber on What the Horror Genre Reveals About America - Toby Lloyd on Biblical Horror and being a Jewish Atheist - Mary Morris on Hidden Histories and Jewish Identities The Five Books is a podcast that celebrates the role of books in Jewish culture. Through author interviews, we delve into Jewish identity and discover each author’s favorite novels. Join us every week for new Jewish book recommendations! Some of our episodes have included conversations with Rabbi Sharon Brous (Senior Rabbi at IKAR, and author of The Amen Effect), Yael Van Der Wouden (author of The Safekeep), and Dara Horn (author of People Love Dead Jews.) ⁠⁠⁠Sign up for our newsletter⁠⁠⁠ to get new episode reminders, authors’ five book picks, and more delivered straight to your inbox. Find us on Instagram ⁠@fivebookspod ⁠or on Facebook at The Five Books Podcast. For feedback or author recommendations please email us at ⁠team@fivebookspod.org⁠ For transcripts and more find us online at ⁠www.fivebookspod.org ⁠ The Five Books has the advisory and promotional support of the Jewish Book Council. Jewish Book Council is a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying and celebrating Jewish literature and supporting authors and readers. Stay up to date on the latest in Jewish literature! ⁠https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/events/celebrate⁠ The Five Books is fiscally sponsored by FJC, a 501c3 public charity. Hosted by Tali Rosenblatt Cohen Produced by Odelia Rubin Editorial and website support by Amelia Merrill Artwork by Elad Lifshitz of the Dov Abramson Studio Music by Dov Rosenblatt and Blue Dot Sessions.
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    54 mins
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