The Kol Isha Podcast

Rhonda Malkin grew up in Southern California and started training as a dancer at four years old, leading to her professional dance career, where she danced at the highest levels in the industry, including the Rockettes. Along the way, she discovered her Jewish roots and became religious. Today, she uses her talents to train professional dancers and bring dance to frum community. 

Gila Muskin Block, co-founder of Yesh Tikva, joins me to talk about the challenges and stigma of infertility, and how her organization is breaking down barriers around the topic of infertility, both for couples who are struggling with infertility, and for community members. 

Yael Braun is a Toeness and "Divorce Planner" who helps people in the frum community navigate through the complexities of Beis Din, court cases, and arbitration. She is the only known woman in this role, and she sees herself as a strong advocate for women in going through divorces, going so far as to argue in front of dayanim on behalf of her clients. 

Managing your finances as a frum family can be a challenge! Chanie Friedman joins me to talk about how she helps families of all financial means with budgeting and managing their money in smarter ways. 

Project Proactive was founded in order to break down stigma surrounding mental health issues in the Jewish community.  Shoshana Mehler and Rebecca Shapiro are the two dedicated ladies behind this fantastic and forward-thinking organization, focused on proactive measures to improve mental health. 

Keshet Starr, CEO of Ora (Organization for the Resolution of Agunot) joins me to talk about the issues surrounding Jewish divorce, agunot, and the halachic prenup. Ora has been incredibly instrumental in helping both women and men navigate the difficulties of divorce.  

Is racism an issue in the frum community? I invited three guests to talk about this hot topic. Batyah Delmoor, Yaffy Newman, and Ilana Ygbi all share something in common - they are all frum women of color, but each also has a unique background and perspective. I am so honored that they agreed to join me to share their experiences and opinions. 

So many women struggle when it comes to holidays that seem to focus more on the men than the women (think Shavuos, Purim, and Simchas Torah). What is the role of the Jewish woman when it comes to Kabalas Hatorah? Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt joins me to talk about the role of modern-day Jewish woman on shavous -- and all year long.

Avital is a writer living in NYC. She's the life editor at The Forward, and her work has appeared in Haaretz, Tablet, and the NY Times. Her husband is Rabbi of a large shul on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. I found her unique perspective as a frum mom, wife, and writer, as well as an advocate for promoting the voices and faces of Orthodox women refreshing, and I hope you will too!

Many questions have come up regarding scientific research during the COVID pandemic - Should we follow certain recommendations? Why or Why not? Lots of information is circulating on social media - how do we know who to trust?

Temima Oratz, Evidence Based Practice RN joins me to talk about what goes into scientific research, what makes it useful and valuable, and how to critically evaluate what we read in these often confusing times, as we live through the COVID pandemic. 

Avital Levin, director of education for Shalom Task Force, joins me to talk about domestic abuse  - how to recognize abuse, and particularly what to look out for as potential red flags while dating. Shalom Task Force is an organization that provides education to prevent abuse, and resources for those dealing with abuse.