Remember What's Next

Special Series! Jewish History and Trauma with Professor Javanfard Part 1 - Ashkenazim

May 11, 2026·1h 21m
Episode Description from the Publisher

Part 1: Welcome to a special three-part series of Remember What's Next called Jewish History and Trauma. Ellie Bass and  Rabbi Ken Spiro are in conversation with Professor Elan Javanfard who is a  researcher and expert in Jewish intergenerational trauma. Together, we are going to trace the full arc: where our collective wounds come from, how they live in us today especially now and what healing might actually look like going forward.This first episode in a special series examines how historical trauma shapes Jewish identity, focusing specifically on Ashkenazi Jews. The conversation establishes foundational concepts of trauma (capital T vs. lowercase t, individual vs. communal, intergenerational vs. multigenerational) and traces how 1,000 years of European persecution created distinctive psychological and behavioral patterns in Ashkenazi communities—including emotional restraint, hyper-achievement orientation, dark humor as coping mechanism, and somatization of distress.Find out more about Professor Javanfard and his work: https://www.elanjavanfard.com/ and check out his blog: https://nefesh.org/blogs/Ejavanfard Want the full story? Start from episode one.As Winston Churchill said, "The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see." That's exactly what we're doing — going all the way back, so we can understand the present and shape what comes next.🎙️ Learn more about your hosts: Rabbi Ken Spiro → www.KenSpiro.com Ellie Bass → www.elliebass.com▶️ Subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@RkenSpHelp us keep going. Support the work on our KOFI page with a one time or monthly sponsorship: https://ko-fi.com/rememberwhatsnextRemember What's Next is a labor of love for our people — and it's working. We've hit #1 in multiple countries, with thousands of listeners around the world tuning in. We want to grow this even further, and we'd love your help. The simplest way to support us? Support the work: https://ko-fi.com/rememberwhatsnextAlso! Like. Share. Subscribe. Review. Every single one helps more people discover the essential history behind who we are as a Jewish people — and the lens we need to understand the world today.Thank you for being part of this journey with us. 🕎 📧 Got a question or topic idea? Email us: rememberwhatsnext@gmail.com

Podzilla Summary coming soon

Sign up to get notified when the full AI-powered summary is ready.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.

Listen to This Episode

Get summaries like this every morning.

Free AI-powered recaps of Remember What's Next and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.