They Made It Out of Clay

28/05/2021

Check us out in Congregation Shaare Emeth's June bulletin!

https://www.sestl.org/se-resources/publications/

24/05/2021

Lou Reed was born Lewis Allan Reed on March 2nd, 1942 at Beth El Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. His grandparents were Russian-Jewish immigrants whose last name was Rabinowitz - his father changed the name to Reed.

Reed is best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter for the Velvet Underground, along with his expansive solo career after his departure from the band. He released twenty solo albums between 1970 and 2007 and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice (once as a member of the Velvet Underground and once as a solo artist). Reed died of liver disease in 2013.

17/05/2021

Norman Lear was born on July 27th, 1922, in New Haven, Connecticut. Both of his parents came from Jewish immigrant families: his mother’s, from Ukraine, his father’s, from Russia. Lear served in WWII as a member of the US Air Force and flew 52 combat missions before being discharged in 1945 and starting a career in public relations.
Lear wrote comedy sketches throughout the 1950’s, but his first pilot wasn’t picked up until two decades later when CBS picked up All in the Family. The show premiered in January 1971 and went on to win several Emmys in its first season. His other shows include Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons, and One Day at a Time (both the 1970s and 2017 remake).
Lear is also a political activist who works to fund and fight for progressive causes.

13/05/2021

Thank you so much for 500 downloads!

12/05/2021

12/05/2021

The next in our series for Jewish-American Heritage Month is performer Daveed Diggs. Diggs was born January 24, 1982 in Oakland, California. He’s best known for his Tony-winning performance of Thomas Jefferson and Marquis de Lafayette in the Broadway show Hamilton. He also performs with his hip hop group, Clipping, and has released solo music including his album “Small Things to a Giant” and a 2020 single called “Puppy for Hanukkah”. Diggs is currently starring in TNT’s “Snowpiercer” and will voice Sebastian in Disney’s remake of “The Little Mermaid”.

11/05/2021

The finale is here! This week, I talked with my friend Abbey Hansell-Baumgarten all about Good Omens and why it's a Jewish take on a classically Christian concept - the biblical apocalypse.

Listen to the new episode (along with the rest of season 1) here: https://linktr.ee/outofclaypod

04/05/2021

May the Fourth be with you!

Who else would we honor on ? The next in our series for is Carrie Fisher, best known for playing Princess (and later, General) Leia Organa in the Star Wars films. Carrie’s paternal grandparents were Russian-Jewish immigrants, and, while she wasn’t raised in a traditional Jewish setting, as an adult Carrie would attend synagogue and Shabbat dinners with Orthodox friends.

01/05/2021

Today marks the start of Jewish-American Heritage Month, so all throughout May I’m going to be highlighting some Jewish-American icons of pop culture - some who we’ve talked about on They Made It Out of Clay and some who might not have been featured yet.

We’re kicking off the month with Jack Kirby, iconic Marvel artist. The son of Austrian-Jewish immigrants Rose and Benjamin Kurtzberg, Jacob Kurtzberg was born on August 28th, 1917 on the Lower East Side of NYC. He went on to become one of the greatest comic book artists of all time, creating characters like Thor, the Fantastic Four, Captain America, and the Eternals. He passed away on February 6, 1994 and is remembered by the nickname “The King of Comics”.

28/04/2021

This , take a look at this article from Film School Rejects that covers some of the same heroes we talked about in our first episode - and if you need a refresher, go back and listen to our premiere here: https://apple.co/3t0LjhC

https://filmschoolrejects.com/superhero-movies-political/

It’s been that way since the dawn of (comic book) history

27/04/2021

Holy shirtballs! Season 1 of They Made It Out of Clay is almost over! This week, Rabbi Andrea Goldstein and I talked all about The Good Place: why so many rabbis are drawn to the show, what Jews believe about the afterlife (or lack thereof), and why that ending felt so, so Jewish.

Listen here: https://linktr.ee/outofclaypod

26/04/2021

Spoiler warning! Tomorrow's episode is all about NBC comedy The Good Place. If you haven't seen the show yet and don't want it spoiled, skip this one and come back for They Made It Out of Clay's season 1 finale in two weeks.

20/04/2021

Tikkun olam is one of the concepts I talked about with Rabbi Lori on last week’s episode about Doctor Who - it literally translates to “repair the world”. In practice, it involves any activity that makes the world a better place, like donating to charity or attending a protest. For some Jews, observing Jewish law is also an important aspect of tikkun olam.

18/04/2021

This is one of my favorite Thirteenth Doctor quotes from her debut back in 2018, “The Woman Who Fell to Earth”. The way that The Doctor keeps her family’s memory alive is so reminiscent of Jewish traditions to me. Do you have a favorite Doctor Who quote?

13/04/2021

Time travel and aliens and…Torah? I know, I know, on the surface, it doesn’t sound Jewish. But ever since Doctor Who’s premiere almost 60 years ago, the show has been influenced by Jewish ethics and culture.

This week, I’m super excited to discuss Doctor Who, my absolute favorite TV show, with Rabbi Lori Levine. Click the link below to listen to the new episode!

https://linktr.ee/outofclaypod

12/04/2021

When I started doing research for the first episode of They Made It Out of Clay, my Zaydeh (a lifelong DC fan) went looking for a newspaper clipping he’d torn out in 2012. The drawing on the left side is missing, but you can click below to see Joe Shuster’s drawing of Stanley Weiss.

06/04/2021

Listen to last week's episode yet? Here's a social media exclusive clip of Rabbi Bearman explaining why many don't see gender-neutral G-d language as neutral - and why diverse media is a crucial part of changing that.

05/04/2021

This month, every review on Podchaser equals a 25 cent donation to Meals on Wheels. Take the time to give us a review and make a difference!

3 episodes. They Made It Out of Clay explores the ethical, mythical, and cultural Jewish inspirations behind some of your favorite sci-fi and fantasy works.

30/03/2021

On our second episode, I spoke with Rabbi Rachel Bearman all about canonically Jewish characters in superhero media - including the ones in this picture. Recognize either of them?

Find links to the new episode here: https://linktr.ee/outofclaypod

29/03/2021

Episode 2, featuring Rabbi Rachel Bearman, is out tomorrow on all streaming platforms!

28/03/2021

Whether you’re celebrating Passover with an MCU-themed Haggadah or a more traditional one, They Made It Out of Clay wishes you a Chag Pesach Sameach!

20/03/2021

Quick addendum from dafyomilimerick on tumblr!

In Episode 1, I said that the origin of Superman’s name, Kal-El, is Hebrew for ‘Voice of G-d’. However, there’s a canonical Kryptonian meaning too: Star Child.

Bar Kochba, whose name also translates to Star Child, led a Jewish rebellion against the Romans from 132-135 C.E. He won, giving the Jewish people an independent state for the first time in over a century. For a time, Bar Kochba was even believed to be the messiah by Rabbi Akiva because of the promises he made. As fighters for the mistreated and oppressed, the connection between Bar Kochba and Kal-El goes beyond just their names.

If you want to learn more about the Jewish origins of Superman and haven’t listened to Episode 1 yet, check it out here: https://linktr.ee/outofclaypod

16/03/2021

Wait, Superman is Jewish? Listen to cosplayer Bay and I talk about the Jewish origins of American superheroes in the first episode of They Made It Out of Clay, available now! Search for it on your favorite podcasting platform or find it here: https://linktr.ee/outofclaypod

15/03/2021

The first episode of They Made It Out of Clay is coming out tomorrow! I’m super excited for everyone to hear it. Here’s a sneak peek of my first guest, Bay, talking about some of Jack Kirby’s lesser-known art. If you haven’t listened to the trailer yet, check it using the QR code or at this link: tinyurl.com/t5dx4k5w

10/03/2021

Our first trailer is out now! Listen to it at https://tinyurl.com/t5dx4k5w

09/03/2021