Radio Curious

Yael Berda is a young Israeli lawyer, born in New York and raised in Jerusalem. At the age of 14, she became involved in a struggle to free her parents from debtors’ prison and the experience changed her life. She has since become a leader of a non-violent movement for reconciliation and understanding among the Israel and Palestinian populations.

Yael Berda recommends “Fields of Protest,” by Roca Ray.

Originally Broadcast: November 30, 2004

Click here to begin listening.

Podcast: Download

• » Comments (0)

Last Kabbalist of Lisbon

In the early part of the 1500s in the Iberian Peninsula, which comprises Spain and Portugal, people who were not followers of the Roman Catholic faith were expelled, required to convert to Catholicism or killed. At that time, there was a sizeable Jewish population living in those two countries, especially in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. The “Last Kabbalist of Lisbon,” written by Richard Zimler, an American living in Porto, Portugal, is a story about what happened to the Jews of Portugal.

Richard Zimler recommends “The Assault on Truth,” by Jeffrey Masson.

Originally Broadcast: August 15, 2004

Click here to begin listening

• » Comments (0)

The Last Pope

“The Last Pope,” by David Osborn, takes us inside the world of the Vatican and the American branch of the Catholic Church. Fictional relationships between the conservative and reform branches of the Catholic Church are revealed in a novel that combines character from both groups.

David Osborn recommends “Naked,” by David Sedaris, “Blindness,” by Jose Saramago, “Bel Canto,” by Ann Patchett & “Remembrance of Things Past,” by Marcel Proust.

Originally Broadcast: June 8, 2004

Click here to begin listening.

• » Comments (0)

In June, 2002 I overheard an American woman now living in Israel passionately describe her belief that teaching children to be suicide bombers is the worst form of child abuse imaginable. I invited Elana Radley Rosenman, an organizer of the Women’s Interfaith Encounter, a group of Muslim, Christian and Jewish women who meet regularly in Jerusalem, to be our guest on this edition of Radio Curious.

Elana Rozenman recommends “Yet a Stranger: Why Black Americans Still Don’t Feel at Home,” Debra Mathis.

Originally Broadcast: July 23, 2002

Click here to begin listening.

• » Comments (0)

Taught to Believe the Unbelievable: A New Vision of Hope for Church and Society

Sister Jane Kelly has been a nun for over 55 years and for several years has tried to have a priest in her parish taken out of the ministry for child molestation and thievery. She is also the author of a book entitled, “Taught to Believe the Unbelievable: A New Vision of Hope for Church and Society,” which discusses the current crisis of sexual and fiscal abuse as an incredible opportunity for the Church.

Originally Broadcast: June 10, 2002

Click here to begin listening.

• » Comments (0)

The Altar of My Soul

Religious beliefs normally follow people as they migrate, including people who are forced to migrate. The people forced to migrate to the western Hemisphere during the slave-trading period carried their beliefs and belief systems to the diaspora of their new world. The Santeria religion, also know as Lucumí, is a belief system that originated in Africa later brought to the Americas and is still practiced in widely separated communities of the western hemisphere. Marta Moreno Vega, a Santeria Priestess, and university professor in New York City is the author of “The Alter of My Soul.” Her book is a story of the Santeria or Lucumí religion, its traditions, how they were brought from Africa and are practiced now. I spoke with Marta Moreno Vega by phone in November of 2000, and we began when I asked her to tell us about the Santeria religion and how it differs from other religions.

Marta Morena Vega recommends “Face of The Gods: Art and Altars of Africa and the African Americans,” by Robert F. Thompson.

Originally Broadcast: November 7, 2000

Click here to begin listening.

Podcast: Download

• » Comments (0)

Darwin’s Ghost: The Origin of Species Updated

The Origin of the Species,” written by Charles Darwin, after his trip to the Galapagos Islands off of the northwest coast of South America, approximately 150 years ago, fundamentally changed, the understandings of how our species came to be. Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College in London, England, has written a sequel to Darwin’s book called “Darwin’s Ghost, the Origin of the Species Updated.

Steve Jones recommends “The Basque History of the World: The Story of a Nation,” by Mark Kurlansky and “The Book of Pi,” author unkown.

Originally Broadcast: May 9, 2000 May 16, 2000

Click here to begin listening to Part One.

Click here to begin listening to Part Two.

Podcast: Download

• » Comments (0)

To Begin Again, the Journey Toward Comfort Strength and Faith in Difficult Times

What is prayer, how is it done, and what good does it do? The ability to mourn and grieve is one of the many things that distinguish humans from other animals, as is the ability to pray, or consciously not pray. When life is good, people often pray less than when times are tough and tough times occasionally visit all of us, with or without prayer. Rabbi Naomi Levy is the author of “To Begin Again, the Journey Toward Comfort Strength and Faith in Difficult Times.”

Rabbi Naomi Levy recommends “The God of Smal Things,” by Arandati Roy.

Originally Broadcast: December 7, 1999

Click here to listen or on the media player below.

Podcast: Download

• » Comments (0)

Working on God

Why are we the way we are? How should life be lived? When should we start living it that way and why? “Working on God” is a new book by Winifred Gallagher, a science writer who lives in New York City. When her early learning about Christianity was shaken by her college education, she asked, what if religion could be something else? After writing books on how heredity and experience create the individual, and how our surroundings shape our thoughts and emotions, she has chosen to work on god.

Winnifred Gallagher recommends “Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time,” by Marcus Borg.

Originally Broadcast: March 30, 1999

Click here to begin listening.

• » Comments (0)