Judaism Unbound Episode 368: Progressive Hasidism - Jonah Gelfand, Daniel Kraft
Gashmius is an online magazine dedicated to Jewish mystical thought, practice, and culture, founded on the core belief that "progressive Neo-Hasidism has the potential to uplift and heal the Jewish community and the world." Its two co-founders, Jonah Gelfand and Daniel Kraft, join Judaism Unbound for the 10th episode in an ongoing mini-series focused on Jewish spirituality.
[1] Learn more about Gashmius Magazine by heading to GashmiusMagazine.com, and follow them on instagram via @gashmiusmagazine! Learn more about Jonah Gelfand and Daniel Kraft by clicking here, and check out Kraft’s substack here.
[2] Check out all the essays comprising volume 1 of Gashmius Magazine here — and stay tuned for volume 2, which will be released in the summer of 2023!
[3] Gelfand mentions Hillel Zeitlin and Martin Buber, two of the early pioneers of Neo-Hasidism. Learn more about them via this piece, by Ariel Mayse, entitled The Development of Neo-Hasidism: Echoes and Repercussions Part I: Introduction, Hillel Zeitlin, and Martin Buber.
[4] The two co-founders mention that, for some folks, a non-textual introduction to Hasidism and Neo-Hasidism is most helpful. If you’re one of these folks, check out Gashmius’s “Neo-Hasidic Starter Pack,” a set of 6 resources — all of which are audio or video.
[5] Dan shouts out the book The Creative Act: A Way of Being, by Rick Rubin. Learn more about it, and purchase it if you’d like, via this link.
[6] Kraft mentions the blurring of the boundaries between “secular” and “religious.” Gelfand discusses his friends who are “Jewish Currents Jews” (Jewish Currents being a publication that historically has identified as “secular”). For a recent development from Jewish Currents, that itself blurs the secular and the religious, see Chevruta, a new column that aims to address the ethical and spiritual problems confronting the left.
[7] Gelfand gives a shout-out to a bentscher (Jewish book of songs and blessings) created by David Zvi Kalman. For a past Judaism Unbound episode featuring Kalman as guest, see Episode 179: The Jewish Polymath - David Zvi Kalman.
