The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut

Over the course of three years, a period that saw the war in Ukraine, the October 7th attacks, and a sharp spike in antisemitism, Julie Platt helmed Jewish Federations of North America's board, leading the communal response. This summer, she passed the torch to Gary Torgow, Chair of Huntington Bank and until recently the Chair of Detroit's Jewish Federation. In this episode, Eric Fingerhut speaks to both about the past, present, and future of the Jewish community.

How do Jewish communal professionals go about the work of building community in this complex time? How is the community dealing with grief, antisemitism, mental health, and also focusing on the positive draws that bring people together? In this live episode, we explore.

In this episode of The Glue, we bring you a conversation between Eric Fingerhut, Pulitzer-prize winning commentator George Will, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) as they discuss antisemitism, how Israel can win its war, the state of college campuses, and how American politics has changed since the election.

Last month, a delegation of North American Jewish leaders quietly arrived in Kyiv for a first-of-its-kind mission to take stock of the war and its effects on the Jewish community. During that trip, the group was granted a last-minute audience with Ukraine's (Jewish) president Volodymyr Zelensky. In this episode, we discuss what happened in that meeting and talk to Ukrainians on the ground about how their community is powering through these uncertain and difficult days.

Congressman Ritchie Torres shares his views on social media, DEI, and the challenge of rising antisemitism.

On October 7th, Hamas committed a series of atrocities in the worst terror attack against Israel in its history, and the deadliest day for Jews since The Holocaust. In this episode, we explore how our communities cope with the trauma of the event, take comfort in the incredible acts of hope we are witnessing amid the darkness, and explore how we can restore our sense of security.

Attempts to reshape Israel's democratic system have pulled at the very fabric of Israeli democracy, and laid bare the country's social schisms. In this episode, we delve into the negotiations over Israel's democratic future with Yaniv Cohen, who represented President Isaac Herzog's team in the judicial reform talks.

As the trial of the Tree of Life synagogue shooter is set to begin in Pittsburgh, we sit down with Jeff Finkelstein, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, and Maggie Feinstein, director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership, to learn how the community has held together in the face of horrific trauma.