George Denits

My degree has been online; I'm not on campus.  But from my friends at Indiana University, I hear that they've seen an abnormal uptick in anti-Semitism, spewing out of the Middle Eastern Studies a lot of it funded by the Emirate government.  IU, as many colleges unfortunately are, is a sucker for money.  Their professors are either openly anti-Semitic or send subliminal messages.  It just shows how almost anything is for sale in our country, even values and doing what's right.  In short, I feel lucky that I'm not on campus, because if I were I would likely be kicked off for my views.  I can only see it getting worse.  There are benefits to it, though, because we now know that the Ivy League is like a Gucci bag: it's just a name, it clearly does not produce intellect.  You could probably get a better education in North Korea or Russia, at this pace.

My story is interesting.  I am a mix between Ashkenaz and Kavkazi (Mountain) Jews.  My father grew up in the former Soviet Union, where Judaism was surpressed.   My mother (the Kavkazi side) grew up in a religious environment in Israel.  My dad was coming from secular communism, but he had a desire to learn about Judaism, so he taught himself Hebrew.  When they married, they decided to raise us with a kosher home, Shabbat candles, holidays.  I attended Jewish camps.  I would say my upbringing was Conservative.  I started getting curious about my Jewish identity around 13-14 years old.  When I was 15 I decided to start wearing a kippah inside the house.  After October 7th, I made the decision to wear it outside the house.

I heard about TPF from a girl I was speaking with.  First, I told her about a paid leadership program that I had done, called "Jewish Changemakers."  In kind, she told me about The Podcast Fellowship.

The stipend was a nice nudge forward.  The bigger factor was my deep-rooted fascination with my Judaism, with the Torah in particular.  Knowing the laws and regulations of the Torah felt to me like vital information that was missing from my life.

I certainly would have done the Podcast Fellowship without the stipend.  But the stipend helped me better regiment my schedule.  Instead making it on a serendipitous schedule, I set the time for it on a Sunday so I wouldn't miss.

I was assigned to Rabbi Mati Miller (of JEM- Jewish Experience of Madison).  It was very enjoyable.  His teaching style is to ask what I learned, then go back and forth, and then play "Devil's advocate" for things that I showed support or bias towards.  This fun exchange made me think hard, "why do I believe in what I believe?  Why did I take away what I took away from this phrase or that?"

I appreciate that I wasn't forced to say something that was "inclusive" or "gentle".  It felt like a free and open discussion where I could be as inquisitive as I wanted to.  I didn't feel I was being judged, or any repercussions for an opinion I may have.  It was a critical thinking session.

My favorite podcast was titled "Ten Commandments: Honoring Parents" by Rabbi Dr Akiva Tatz.  I like his holistic approach, explaining the topic in multiple ways.  The stories he tells helps ingrain the lessons and better visualize them.  His content has helped me understand new concepts and refine the concepts that I had some grasp on.

When it comes to honoring parents, I understood the importance.   I am a future parent; I want to understand how to use Torah to teach my future children why and how they ought to respect their parents, not because I'm an authority demanding respect (because that's not how respect is earned), but because parents are an extension of G-d, as Rabbi Tatz explains.

TPF has provided me an outlet to delve deeper into Torah concepts that I've always wanted to understand better.  Even more generously, the fellowship provides me with a rabbi from my local community who is more than willing to talk with me, who is open-minded, who challenges my way of thinking, who becomes my chavrusa.  I think that's a million times more important than simply sitting down to watch a podcast.  I can formulate my own opinions all day long, but when you have a partner with different opinions, then it's "two Jews, three opinions" which is essential for someone who wants to grow.

Tell us how you got to Sinai Retreats!

Through the fellowship, I got an email telling me about a Jewish internship in New York/New Jersey with Rabbi Eisemann, where we meet Jewish executives and learn Torah.  That internship was essential in getting me to where I wanted to be.  It's one thing to know about Israel and politics, but it's G-d who brought us back to our ancient Holy Land, it's G-d who gave us our values to move forward, and I think it's imperative as a Jew to know what those values are.

It's been upwards ever since.  I went from little bits of Torah online to flying out to NJ for this internship, and then to Sinai Retreats in northern New York State, where we had 4 or 5 Torah classes a day and we prayed 3 times a day.  Sometimes the students would organize extra times to meet with the rabbis and learn.  It was an incredible environment.  So much so, that I am now considering an internship in New York while studying in yeshiva and finishing my master's degree online.

The teaching style at the retreat was ironically unorthodox when compared to American education.  It's interactive.  It's a small group engaging with a rabbi, who is a wellspring of knowledge; it's harder to fall asleep in those classes.  Unlike an American education, where you sit and listen to someone talk, take a few notes, and walk out thinking, "what just happened?"--with the rabbis, you have to think critically.  Even if you have the right answer, they'll push against you and make you think that you're wrong, just so you can consider the other opinion.

I was blessed to receive tefillin, and started to put them on every day.  I received many gifts, and I intend to show the individuals who invested in me that their investment paid dividends.

"The Podcast Fellowship is a path that ought to be taken by Jews who are optimistic about their potential and have a continual desire and thirst for understanding."