Episode Details

In this episode I talk with Arlene Goldbard about her new book that I think takes on a quiet but consequential democratic problem: how, in unstable times, the hunger for certainty can slide into surrender—of discernment, of agency, and responsibility.

Rather than offering answers or heroes, her book The Intercessor uses story to explore how people learn to stay in relationship, inquiry, and ethical choice without handing their power over to charismatic leaders, rigid belief systems, or the promise of spiritual or political shortcuts.

In this conversation, we explore three deeply relevant themes:

1. Intercession as a practice of discernment, and learning how to listen without disappearing yourself in the process.
2. How artists and cultural workers can function as bridges , helping communities resist the pull toward false certainty.
3. And repair as a practiced skill, not an abstract ideal, but rather personal, communal, and spiritual repair that only happens when people remain accountable to one another.

You’re right to call that out. No reason to shrink the ecosystem. Here it is restored—full cast, fuller descriptions, URLs embedded in the titles, and organized by the four categories you’ve been using.

Notable Mentions

People

1. Arlene Goldbard: Cultural critic, novelist, painter, and longtime leader in community-based arts. Author of The Intercessor and In the Camp of Angels of Freedom. Her work bridges spiritual inquiry, democratic practice, and cultural organizing.
2. Rabbi Arthur Waskow: Founder of The Shalom Center and a central prophetic voice in Jewish Renewal. A pioneer in linking Jewish spiritual practice with social justice, environmental activism, and interfaith organizing.
3. Rabbi David Wolfe-Blank: Influential Jewish Renewal teacher known for his mystical depth and pedagogical clarity. A formative guide for many Renewal leaders, including Goldbard.
4. Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi: Founder of the Jewish Renewal movement. Brought Hasidic mysticism, experimentation, and interspiritual dialogue into contemporary Jewish life.
5. Paulo Freire: Brazilian educator and author of Pedagogy of the Oppressed. His concept of “conscientization” (critical consciousness) undergirds much community-based arts and democratic cultural practice.

Places

1. ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal: The national umbrella organization for Jewish Renewal communities, ordination programs, and spiritual leadership training.