The Jewish Lives Podcast

Episode 59: MENACHEM MENDEL SCHNEERSONMenachem Mendel Schneerson (1902–1994) was the seventh and last rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, one of the world’s best-known Hasidic groups.Join us with Ezra Glinter, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Menachem Mendel Schneerson: Becoming the Messiah, as we explore the life and thought of one of the most influential—and controversial—rabbis in modern Judaism.

Ayn Rand (1905–1982) was one of America’s most provocative writers of the 20th century. Her best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged have influenced three generations of Americans.Join us with Alexandra Popoff, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Ayn Rand: Writing a Gospel of Success, as we explore Rand’s defense ofAmerican capitalism, individualism, and creativity.Music in this episode: George Gershwin - "Rhapsody in Blue"

The “German Socrates,” Moses Mendelssohn (1729–1786) was the most influential Jewish thinker of the 18th and 19th centuries. A Berlin celebrity and a major figure in the Enlightenment, Mendelssohn suffered the indignities common to Jews of his time while formulating the philosophical foundations of a modern Judaism suited for a new age.Join us with Bar Ilan scholar Shmuel Feiner, author of Moses Mendelssohn: Sage of Modernity, as we explore Mendelssohn’s tireless advocacy for his people and the importance of intellectual independence.

Léon Blum (1872–1950), France’s prime minister three times, socialist activist, and courageous opponent of the pro-Nazi Vichy regime, profoundly altered French society.Join us with one of France’s most eminent political sociologists Pierre Birnbaum, author of Léon Blum: Prime Minister, Socialist, Zionist, as we explore the extraordinary life and legacy of the first Jewish prime minister of France.Other historical figures mentioned in the show you can explore in  Jewish Lives biographies and on the podcast: Alfred DreyfusREAD Alfred Dreyfus: The Man at the Center of the AffairLISTEN TO ALFRED DREYFUS Louis D. Brandeis READ Louis D. Brandeis: American Prophet LISTEN TO LOUIS D. BRANDEIS