Sophia Segal

I have an interesting mix of Sephardic and Ashkenazi genes! We have a mix of Eastern European, Persian and Middle Eastern roots.

One story I love to share is about my paternal grandparents. My grandmother was born in Panama, as her parents were immigrating from Israel and were trying to settle in Venezuela, but were denied access. When she was 25, she met my grandfather at a Jewish Singles dance, when he was stationed in the Panama Canal Zone. They then began their love story and moved to New York, where my family has been ever since.

I grew up in a Conservative Jewish home, where I attended a Conservative synagogue (mainly on holidays). However, when Chabad came to my town, we started to attend because we loved the community element and welcoming atmosphere. My sister, mom and I went to many of the Women’s Circles and as well as high holiday services.

The only formal Jewish education I received was preschool; I attended non religious public school for my whole life. However, my grandmother (Nona) was a Hebrew School principal and Hebrew teacher and fostered Jewish learning opportunities for me. She taught my sister and I how to make challah when we were younger, which is an experience I will never forget, and she hosted Shabbat dinner at her home every Friday when I grew up. Although I did not have formal Jewish education, I was able to learn so much about my faith in practice, by spending time with my Nona and hearing her stories, witnessing her devotion to religion, and having her as my source of inspiration.

I found out about the fellowship through my sister, who attended NYU for her graduate studies. She had seen a poster advertising the program and sent me the information as well. In the past, we have done Jewish learning experiences together, so she thought that I would be interested.

While the stipend has served as a motivating factor for me in the past, what has truly led me to engage in the podcasts is the quality and depth of the conversations with my mentor (ed: see next question for elaboration).

My mentor, Rabbi E (Rabbi Yosef Edelstein of Meor DC) is always very supportive during our calls and answers my questions from the podcasts. Additionally, there have been multiple occasions where the topics of the podcasts have led me to either question or disagree, and Rabbi E has always been open to hearing my qualms and insights.

I mainly prepare for the meetings by taking detailed notes as I listen to the podcast, so I can utilize these reflections as a foundation of my learning. I like to quote specific phrases or words that stand out to me from the podcast, as it helps me absorb the information.

What I have also found helpful are the video options rather than the pure podcasts themselves. I find them to be more dynamic and easier to follow as they commonly feature graphics and multiple speakers.

Recently, I listened to a podcast titled “Habits of Happiness: Permission to be Human”. This is one of a series of podcasts that focus on mental well-being and growth. This specific episode was interesting as it tied in psychology concepts with Judaism. The podcast discussed how in order to be happy, we must accept our imperfections and acknowledge that not every trait is inherently positive. The video did a great job highlighting how this connects to the Torah while focusing on big picture concepts about acceptance and intuition. I look forward to continuing listening to the other episodes within this series!

I am dedicated to my faith and learning and hope to continue to expand my knowledge of Judaism through education and practice. One of my favorite traditions that I take part in at school is attending a Chabad Shabbat, where I have the special opportunity to disconnect from technology and spend time with friends at the Shabbat table. I also enjoy celebrating different holidays and taking part in traditions with my family like having a Passover Seder and lighting the menorah on Hannukah. In the future, I would love to learn Hebrew so that I could connect with even more people and study Torah.

"The Podcast Fellowship has served as an opportunity for curiosity, progress and judgement within myself, and I feel invigorated to continue learning as I progress through the fellowship."