JEWDAR
ALISON LEIBY did not have a typ- ical teenage experience. When she was only 19, complications from back surgery gave her a brush with NON-FICTION / ESSAYS Oversharing Is Overcaring
death. After sur- viving this ordeal, she emerged with a sharper sense of humour, and a knack for find- ing something to laugh about even in the darkest moments. Leiby has written for Amy Schum-
I’M A LOT: SURVIVING MYSELF AND ALL THE PEOPLE I’VE BEEN Alison Leiby The Dial Press July 7
er’s Life & Beth , The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel , and Ilana Glazer’s comedy special Comedy on Earth . Her upcoming book will include 14 personal essays ex- ploring identity, womanhood, and reality television fandom. Sophia Hershfield
PODCASTS / MODERNITY Do AI Rabbis Dream of Electric Herring?
AFTER AN EXTENDED HIATUS, the Belief in the Future podcast is re- launching with a second season and a renewed sense of purpose. The show’s creator and host is Toronto-born Dr. David Zvi Kalman, a research fellow at the Hartman Institute who writes regularly on his Substack, Jello Menorah . He’s one of the most prominent thinkers at the intersection of Judaism, tech- nology, and AI. (You may ask: What is a jello menorah? Kalman’s answer sum- marizes his entire ethos: Imagine it.) The first season, back in 2024, focused on the perception that religion (often seen as conservative, spiritual, and antiquated) and technology (often seen as disruptive, soulless, and modern) were worlds that were illegible to one another. Two years later, the proliferation of AI has completely changed the contours of this discussion. There has been a flurry of organizing within religious denomi- nations around the world to confront AI head on, with many realizing that se-
rious, proactive, and intentional frameworks for its use will be required. Meanwhile, as AI companies create digital gods in their own image, typically religious questions—morality, virtue, and the nature of the good life—are becoming all the more relevant. It’s a brave new world out there, friends, but at least this podcast can help you through it. Zachary Kauffman
BELIEF IN THE FUTURE David Zvi Kalman On all major podcast platforms June
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