70 to 1

Choni Goldman - My Music is my Shlichus

In this episode, I speak with my dear friend and popular Jewish singer, Choni Goldman. This episode is being released on Rosh Chodesh Sivan, the beginning of the month where the Jewish people received the Torah at Mount Sinai on Shavuot. One of the core themes of Shavuot is the idea of a marriage between Hashem and the Jewish people, with the Torah serving as the Ketubah and Mt. Sinai as the chuppah. In honor of this theme, I’m joined by Choni, a beloved wedding singer, to reflect on the beauty of Jewish weddings and the deep spiritual symbolism behind them—especially as it relates to Shavuot as the day of our covenantal “marriage” at Sinai—as well as the way he sees his music build bridges and connect Jews of all types. Choni and I also dive deep on his continual spirutal journey, reflect on his upbringing as a child of Chabad shluchim in Johannesberg, South Africa, and explore the importance of recognizing and living in alignment with our gifts and talents. Connect with Choni on instagram @choni_g_music, as well as on spotify, where he will be releasing a new chuppah album soon. Choni has a ton to give, and I truly think there is a lot to learn from his story and perspective. If you enjoy the pod, please like and subscribe! Feel free to engage and connect over on our 70:1 Substack.

Paula Levitats - The Beauty of Women in Judaism, Continual Growth, and Finding our Core Values

In this episode, I speak with my wonderful wife, Paula. Being released on Rosh Hodesh Iyar in the middle of the counting of the Omer, in this episode, Paula and I dive deep into many core themes of Iyar and the Omer including continual spirutal growth, being open to change, discipline and boundaries, the often mis-understood role of Women in Judaism, finding our core values, and much more. If you'd like a more detailed version of Paula (and I's) story, check out our interview on Stories of Hope and/or our interview on the Empowered Jewish Living Podcast. Also check out Paula's instagram, where she shares affordable modest fashion and life in Israel. I'm biased, but Paula is incredibly thoughtful and passionate about Torah, the land of Israel, and claiming an authentic Judaism. Paula has a ton to give, and I truly think there is a lot to learn from her story and perspective. If you enjoy the pod, please like and subscribe! Feel free to engage and connect over on our 70:1 Substack.

Alec Kremins - Pre- Pesach Thoughts on Jewish Unity, Finding Meaning, and Jewish Destiny in the Land of Israel

In this episode, I speak with my dear friend Alec Kremins. Originally from New York, Alec currently lives in Jerusalem with his wife. Being released on Rosh Hodesh Nissan, in this episode, Alec and I dive deep into many core themes of Nissan and Passover including Ahavas Yisrael, hope, Jewish unity, and returning to the land of Israel. In this conversation, Alec shares many profound insights on how to live a more mindful Judaism, see the good in others, the Torah approach to entrepreneurship, and finding meaning and purpose in life. Alec is an incredibly thoughtful and deep individual, and as you will hear, is also an incredible singer. Alec has a ton to give, and I truly think there is a lot to learn from his story and perspective. If you enjoy the pod, please like and subscribe! Feel free to engage and connect over on our 70:1 Substack.

Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum - Music, Mysticism, and Mastering our Inner Worlds

In this episode, I speak with Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum. Rabbi Buxbaum is a passionate Jewish educator, author, motivational speaker, life-coach, and musician committed to helping people of all walks of life discover meaning, direction, inspiration and joy in their life. He lectures on a wide range of topics including daily spirituality, love and relationships, law and ethics, Kabbalah/mysticism, Jewish mindfulness and more, encouraging each and every individual to discover their unique potential and to always find the joy in their Judaism. He, along with his incredible rebbitzen, Devorah Buxbaum, is the co-founder and director of The LEV Experience, a Jewish non-profit in the Greater Washington DC area that empowers individuals to find greater meaning, purpose, and possibilities in life by deepening their connection to Jewish wisdom and values. Rabbi Buxbaum is also the host of the Empowered Jewish Living podcast. In this conversation, we discuss his worldview growing up in the yeshiva world and now working in Jewish outreach, the power of music and the state of Jewish music today, the depth and relevance of pnimius ha-Torah, or the inner, mystical aspects of Torah, and his most recent book, The Four Elements of Inner Freedom, which explores the exodus story as the blueprint for overcoming challenges and elevating our inner worlds. Rabbi Buxbaum is a phenomenal communicator of inspiring and deep Torah ideas, making this episode truly powerful and relevant as we enter Adar and begin to prepare for Passover. Rabbi Buxbaum has greatly impacted my life as a teacher and mentor, which is why I am so excited to share him, his story, and his perspective with all of you. If you enjoy the pod, please like and subscribe! Feel free to engage and connect over on our 70:1 Substack.

Matt Mann - Living in Alignment and Committing to a Process-Oriented Life

In this episode, I speak with my dear friend Matt Mann. After studying mathematics at Cornell, Matt's curiosity took him to Lake Tahoe, Nevada to work for a startup and explore the beautiful Mountain West. Matt's journey ultimately took him to New York City and then to Jerusalem, where he currently is living learning Torah full-time. In this conversation, we discuss his evolving perspective on the relevance of Jewish practice, what it means to live in alignment with self, the confidence required to live and teach Torah authentically, the relationship between individuality and community-involvement, the transformational power of learning Torah, and the importance of being process-oriented rather than results-oriented. Matt is a phenomenal communicator of deep, abstract, and Torah ideas, making this episode truly powerful and resonant. Matt has a ton to give, and I think there is a lot to learn from his story and perspective. If you enjoy the pod, please like and subscribe! Feel free to engage and connect over on our 70:1 Substack.

Yaakov Carno — Growth is Not Linear

In this episode, I speak with my dear friend Yaakov Carno. Originally from South Africa, Yaakov currently lives in Jerusalem with his wife and daughter. Yaakov's journey within Torah has seen many iterations, growing up in a Torah observant family, spending his teenage years operating outside Torah observance, and ultimately returning to Torah observance with a renewed and re-inspired perspective. In this conversation, Yaakov and I dive deep on his perspective on the role of emotion and intellect, Jewish law, pursuing truth. Yaakov is an incredibly thoughtful and deep individual, and as we discuss, is an avid writer and believes in the power of writing as a tool to emotional wellness and self-actualization. This has led Yaakov to launch a new app called Oneliine. Check out the beta phase of his app here. Yaakov has a ton to give, and I think there is a lot to learn from his story and perspective. If you enjoy the pod, please like and subscribe! Feel free to engage and connect over on our 70:1 Substack.

David Kosofsky - Diving Deeper Through Jewish Meditation

When you think of meditation, do you also think of Judaism? Or, perhaps, more eastern spiritual practices? In this episode, being released on Rosh Hodesh Kislev, I speak with David Kosofsky. Originally from Massachusetts, David now lives in Jerusalem with his wife and 3 kids. In this episode, we go deep on David's unique journey from his secular upbringing to embracing Torah Judaism. Currently, David teaches a weekly Jewish meditation class in Jerusalem, and shares his perspective on the beauty and power of Jewish meditation techniques. David is a model for living an authentic and mindful Jewish life, attributes that mirror many of the core themes of Kislev. David has a ton to give, and I think there is a lot to learn from his story and perspective. If you enjoy the pod, please like and subscribe! Feel free to engage and connect over on our 70:1 Substack.

Isaac Rosenheim - When an Asia Backpacking Trip Turns Into Yeshiva

In this episode, I speak with my dear friend Isaac Rosenheim. Originally from Miami, Florida, Isaac currently lives in Jerusalem spending his days growing in his Torah learning at Machon Shlomo, a Torah learning institution focused on growth-oriented Jewish men that grew up outside the traditional Torah world. Isaac's journey within Torah leaped forward when a brief stopover in Israel before planned months-long backpacking trip through Southeast Asia to explore meditation, martial arts, and spiritual practices lead him to Aish HaTorah. That trip never happened because he found what he was looking for in Southeast Asia in Israel instead. Along with having very interesting story of growth within his jewish identity, Isaac has also launched a new fundraiser campaign called Hey Jew We Need You. The fundamental premise of the campaign is try to create 𝟐𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 roughly 𝟐𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟕𝐭𝐡! The Hey Jew We Need You campaign has a goal of 20,000 donors—one for each act of hate. 100% of funds raised go directly to four causes strengthening, healing, and uniting Jewish communities worldwide: •⁠ ⁠𝐎𝐮𝐫𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐚: Connecting Jewish families in Israel with Jewish families around the world •⁠ ⁠𝐎𝐧𝐞𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 & 𝐊𝐚𝐯 𝐋’𝐍𝐨𝐚𝐫: Supporting trauma and terror victims through rehabilitation •⁠ ⁠𝐌𝐞𝐨𝐫: Connecting college students with their jewish roots Links: To Donate Campaign Website Instagram Isaac has a ton to give, and I think there is a lot to learn from his story and perspective. If you enjoy the pod, please like and subscribe! Feel free to engage and connect over on our 70:1 Substack.

Uri Eckmann - Lessons in Giving and Responsibility Through Starting a Family Young

In this episode, I speak with my dear friend Uri Eckmann. This episode is being released during the Aseret Yemei Teshuva, the 10 days of Teshuva from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur. Uri grew up in Philadelphia and now lives in Jerusalem with his wife and 5 kids. In this episode, we go deep on Uri's perspective on marrying and starting a family young, as well as discuss his motivations for moving to Israel. Uri is a model for giving and shouldering responsibility, attributes that fit beautifully into the world of teshuva, returning to our authentic selves. Uri has a ton to give, and I think there is a lot to learn from his story and perspective. If you enjoy the pod, please like and subscribe! Feel free to engage and connect over on our 70:1 Substack.

Menajem Benchimol - Post-Traumatic Growth, Chassidut, and Confronting Challenges

In this episode, I speak with my dear friend Menajem Benchimol. Originally from Calli, Colombia, Menajem has lived in Miami, China, New York, and now Israel. Growing up the son a Chabad shluchim (emissaries) in Colombia, Menajem has had many unique experiences that shape his Jewish identity and worldview. In this episode, we go deep on Menajem's childhood struggles, the comfort and connection he finds in Chassidut - the inner-dimension of Torah - as well as some perspectives on Torah and business. Menajem also shares the power of using trauma as a springboard for growth, as he has modeled following the tragic passing of his brother, Sholem Z'L, in a biking accident he witnessed in 2020. Feel free to donate to the organization in Sholem's memory, Sholem Corazon Valiente. Also check out Menajem's book documenting his experiencing following his brother's death, Dear Brother: Searching for peach after losing a loved one. Dear brother is a companion to anyone navigating the darkness of grief. Menajem has a ton to give, and I think there is a lot to learn from his story and perspective. If you enjoy the pod, please like and subscribe! Feel free to engage and connect over on our 70:1 Substack.

Noah Ifergan - Why Grow?

In this opening episode, I speak to my close friend Noah Ifergan. Noah and I met while we both living in Washington D.C. Noah is originally from Canada, went to university in Canada where he studied applied mathematics and engineering, lived in Washington D.C., backpacked Asia, Australia and New Zealand for an extended period of time, and now finds himself learning Torah in Israel. Noah is a total go-getting and adventure seeker (check out his travel blog The Pursuit of Adventure), and is genuinely one of the most thoughtful and honest people I know. We discuss this instinct for adventure and how he has grappled reconciling that with his Jewish identity, evolving beliefs, and traditional Torah observance. Noah has a ton to give, and I think there is a lot to learn from his story. I hope you enjoy! If you enjoy the pod, please like and subscribe! Feel free to engage and connect over on our 70:1 Substack.

What is 70:1?

Welcome to the 70:1 podcast, the podcast where we explore the many expressions of Jewish peoplehood by speaking to dedicated Jews living a growth-oriented, and unique Jewish life. Join me, Aaron Levitats, on this project as we navigate the depths of Jewish identity and speak to those individuals actively committed to writing the next chapter in Jewish history. In this introductory episode, I share my goals and motivations in beginning this project, and delve into the symbolic power of the podcast's name, 70:1. If you enjoy the pod, please like and subscribe! Feel free to engage and connect over on our 70:1 Substack.

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