Mijal Bitton Journalist Profile

Articles

More than just cheesecake: Why Shavuot is the most underrated holiday

1 month ago | unpacked.media | Noam L. Weissman |Mijal Bitton

Mijal and Noam explore why Shavuot often feels like the “forgotten” Jewish holiday. Is it just about cheesecake, or is there a deeper reason it remains overlooked? They dive into the biblical origins of Shavuot, its transformation from an agricultural celebration to the festival of receiving the Torah, and the profound (and countercultural) themes of divine commandment and covenant.
Reconsidering Lag Ba'Omer with Yael Dworkin - A holiday of mysticism, love, and friendship

1 month ago | unpacked.media | Noam L. Weissman |Mijal Bitton

Noam: Hey, everyone. Welcome to Wondering Jews with Mijal and Noam. I’m Noam, and this podcast is our way of trying to unpack those big questions being asked about the Jewish people, by Jewish people. We don’t have it all figured out, but we love this opportunity to figure some things out together. Whether we figure them out or not, we explore them. We wonder out loud. And as we say every single week, our absolute favorite part of this show is hearing from you, our listeners.
Ask us anything: Zionism, Israel, and the books we love

1 month ago | unpacked.media | Noam L. Weissman |Mijal Bitton

Mijal and Noam have asked you to get in touch. This week, they are answering some of your questions, straight from their inbox. From unpacking the layered differences between Zionism, political Zionism, and religious Zionism, to reflecting on how American Jews can honestly and constructively talk to their kids about Israel’s complexities, this episode brings nuance, humor, and intellectual clarity to some of the most pressing issues in Jewish life today.
Holocaust education is broken: Dara Horn knows how we can fix it

2 months ago | unpacked.media | Noam L. Weissman |Mijal Bitton

Mijal: Hi everyone, welcome to Wandering Jews with Mijal and Noam. I’m Mijal. Noam: And I’m Noam. Mijal: and this podcast is our way of trying to unpack big questions being asked by Jews and about the Jews. We absolutely don’t have it all figured out, but we’re gonna try and figure some things out together, whether we make it there or not. It’s really about the process of wandering together and living every episode feeling like we’ve all learned something.
A Passover conversation with Rabbi Wolpe: Jewish solidarity and survival in a difficult year

2 months ago | unpacked.media | Noam L. Weissman |Mijal Bitton

Mijal: Hi everyone. Welcome to Wondering Jews with Mijal and Noam. I’m Mijal and Noam is sadly not with us for this episode. And this podcast is our way of trying to unpack big questions about the Jews, and that Jews are asking right now. We don’t have it all figured out, but we really try to figure it out together. As we say every week, our favorite part of each show is really hearing from you, our listeners.
What we've lost in modernity: A conversation with Sarah Hurwitz on faith

Mar 19, 2025 | unpacked.media | Noam L. Weissman |Mijal Bitton

Mijal: Hey everyone. Welcome to wandering juice with Mijal and Noam. I’m Mijal and this week I’m once again without Noam, but keeping a seat warm with a very special guest today. This show is our way of trying to unpack big questions being asked by Jews and about the Jews, working through the process together and whether we get to full answers or not, at the very least we want to leave every episode feeling like we’ve learned something together and had some fun.
Where was God?: Purim and post-Holocaust theology

Mar 12, 2025 | unpacked.media | Noam L. Weissman |Mijal Bitton

Mijal: Welcome to Wondering Jews with Mijal and Noam. I’m Mijal and I’m without Noam for the next two episodes, but keeping his seat warm with a very special guest each week to wonder along with me.
The weaponization of international law with Natasha Hausdorff

Mar 5, 2025 | unpacked.media | Noam L. Weissman |Mijal Bitton

Noam: Hey everyone, welcome to Wondering Jews with Mijal and Noam. Mijal: I’m Mijal. Noam: And I’m Noam and this podcast is our way of trying to unpack those really big questions being asked by Jewish people, by non-Jewish people about the Jewish story, about the Jewish people. We absolutely do not have it all figured out, but we try to learn together, to ask questions together, to wonder together, whether we figure it all out or not.
Should Jews move to Israel?: Zionism, Aliya, and Jewish identity

Feb 20, 2025 | jewishunpacked.com | Noam L. Weissman |Mijal Bitton

Skip to content This week, Mijal and Noam dive into the existential question of Diaspora Jews: Should Jews move to Israel? Mijal and Noam engage in a thought provoking conversation about Zionism, Aliyah and Jewish identity. They explore historical, religious, and philosophical debates about Aliyah, which literally means ascent or rise and refers to Jewish immigration to Israel. Mijal and Noam share their personal stories, experiences of cognitive dissonance and insights from great Jewish...
Is "Zionism" dead?: Redefining identity in 2025

Feb 12, 2025 | jewishunpacked.com | Noam L. Weissman |Mijal Bitton

Noam: Hey everyone, welcome to Wondering Jews with Mijal and Noam. Mijal: I’m Mijal. Noam: And I’m Noam and this podcast is our way of trying to unpack the biggest questions that are always asked by Jews and about the Jewish people. We don’t have it all figured out. We don’t, but we’re always trying to figure some things out together. That’s what we love doing together. Whether or not we figure it out, I don’t know.