Burning Bush: Earth Beneath My Feet – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
What is happening? Do we fiddle while Rome burns? Andrea looks at the enviable status of Israeli Arabs as compared to those in the rest of the Muslim world, on-line grocery shopping and critically relevant lessons from Sinai.Pull Up a Chair 27DEC2018 - PODCAST
An Ex-Pat in Jerusalem! – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
A proud American who happens to live in the Holy Land.
Wolves Dressed As Sheep – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
Christian missionary activities in Israel have grown more sophisticated and subversive than ever before. Recent events highlight the smarmy phenomenon and raises serious questions about what "friendship really means - for BOTH sides.
Today is THAT Tomorrow! – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
What can we do to ensure that the year ahead is rife with health, wealth, love and miracles? Andrea offers an antidote to 2020!
Uncomfortable Truths: Turning a Blind Eye – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
Whether we sit right or left of the respective aisle, can we have different views on some topics than our co-lemmings? Can one support gay marriage, protect the environment, despise-or-love gun control and still oppose abortion on demand? The dumbing-down of independent thought has increased stridency to the point of severing friendships and compromising jobs and relationships. What does the Torah say about the sanctity of human life before, during and even AFTER death? An uncomfortable show for those who are brave enough to utter the words, "I. Don't Know."
Ping-Pong Mandate – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
Once again, the mandate to form a government returns and Israel plods along like a motherless ship. New elections loom on the horizon while the left-and-right duke it out. Kingmaker-apparent, Avigdor Liberman, addsfuel to the fire of verbal fisticuffs.
Using Children To Advance Agendas – Pull Up A Chair [audio]
Should you take your kids to demonstrations?
Jordon Valley & John Bolton: Who’s Being Played? – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
With the firing of US Security Advisor John Bolton and Bibi's anemic promise of post-election sovereignty over the Jordon Valley, friends of Israeli might ask themselves, "Who's being played?" Also, do good fences make good neighbors and when is it permissible to wage war?
News or Blues? – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
How much news is too much news? Anxiety, arthritis and cardiovascular disease are recently linked to a steady diet of typically distressing information. Also, Abraham teaches us that people who need people ARE the luckiest people in the world!
Know Less, Love More – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
Silence shrouds the hillside where 45 men and boys lost their lives in Meron on Lag B'Omer. Is the correct response to blame and point fingers or might there be a deeper message?
Slander & Slanderers – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
Does "silence" equal "complicity"? This week's Torah reading is rife with staggering prophesy as Andrea discusses events of the week: Israel's emerging government, rampant violence against Jews, duplicitous headlines.
Sweet vs. Good – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
Not everything that is good for us feels sweet; not everything that seems sweet is good for us. The proffered blessing of "A Sweet, New Year" is profound in its entreaty that we merit wholeness and abundant blessings from Heaven. The final, piercing blasts of the shofar promise that a world of opportunity lies before us. . . . .
Why a Rainbow? – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
Judaism confers unique obligations regarding "nature." Is a rainbow merely a rainbow or something more profound?
It’s a Miracle! – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
Are miracles few, far between and undeniable? Or is EVERYTHING miraculous? Serious thoughts for serious times . . . . .
You Have a Choice Between Right and Wrong – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
Do people have the right to 'pull the plug' on life? Andrea Simantov goes into an emotional rant on our values and our playing G-d.
BLOOD MOON and Reclaiming Morality in the Kardashian-Era – PULL UP A CHAIR [audio]
Does the expected blood-moon lunar eclipse spell an end to the world as we know it?
Pull Up a Chair – “ON GIVING THANKS”
Kay Wilson is an amazing woman who barely survived a ferocious machete attack by Arab terrorists.
That “Ethics” Thing – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
We are not exempt from the task He lays before us! Are we created 'equally' holy?
Erev Shabbos Shmooze – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
Andrea and best buddy Simon Anstey kick back and solve all of the world's problems. Israeli culture, political unrest, aliyah and international relations are just of few of the hot-button topics they touch upon, peppered with gales of laughter, of course!
Boiling Mad! Another Opportunity Lost in Gaza – PULL UP A CHAIR [audio]
Arabs in Gaza invade, and slaughter its citizens while the world blames . . . .ISRAEL!
Wrestling With Angels – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
Speaking up, speaking out and choosing our battles. What price, resolution? Is "closure" a recipe for peace or endless conflict? Also, discover a Jerusalem gem called Yad L'Kashish!
Standing at the Cusp – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
The season of blessings is about to commence. Are you opting in-or-out? Fence-straddlers not welcome!
Standing at the Threshold – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
With only a few days before the start of the Days of Awe - Yomim Noarim - what thoughts and actions may ensure that the upcoming year is a good one? Playing the 'victim card' is inconsistent with Torah; Celebrating individual and communal potential while striving for meaningful repentance are some of the topics discussed on today's reflective program.
Taking ‘Control’! – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
Even under siege, we have controls in our lives. Keeping relationships holy/refined; selecting the moral high-ground in business and interpersonal arenas present abundant opportunity to profoundly alter the uncertain events that unfold daily.
Job Op: Leader – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
Some people are born to nobility and some earn it. Together we explore whether we get the leaders we deserve or deserve the leaders we get!
Musings from Mamma – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
Why New York's Israel Day Parade feels embarrassing.
The Morning After – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
How we react to strife and disappoint are matters of choice. Emphasizing the things we have helps forge healthier attitudes and better connection to our Creator.
South African Sukkot – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
Celebrating Sukkot outside of Israel illuminates different aspects of the joyous holiday. Andrea touches upon the symbolism of the four species and focuses upon the importance of rain and what it means in our relationships with others.
Mitzvot & Mirth – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
Finding the happiness while observing God's law? Eighty-seven tired and brave South Africans arrive to begin adventurous new lives in the Holy Land; Olympic-worthy gestures abound, whether via athletics or acts of kindness; Self-proclaimed food critic Shimshon Leshinsky is Jerusalem's most unexpected anti-hero!
“Harnessing Good” – Pull Up a Chair [audio]
Wending our way toward Rosh HaShanah, do we quake with fear or enjoy the confidence of knowing that all will be well?