Hear O'Washington

Geri Dube moved from Pittsburgh to attend the University of Washington. After settling on Mercer Island and starting a family, she fostered an especially strong connection with the Stroum Jewish Community Center. She discusses the importance Seattle Jewish Film Festival as an educational tool.

Ellen Goldblatt reviews her experience at the Seattle Jewish Film Festival, and shares her family's history in relationship to the Holocaust. She discusses growing up in an Orthodox community in Cleveland, Ohio and highlights the central role of the local JCC in her life and in the lives of many Jewish families in the area.

Producer of "Carla the Rescuer", Kristine Hoover discusses the film, highlighting the ongoing relevance of Carla's actions, even as she continues to engage with the world at the age of 101. Kristine shares about her previous experience documenting stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things with the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations.

Director Clement Lye discusses his film "Carla the Rescuer" which was screened at the Seattle Jewish Film Festival in March, 2025. He discusses his background in filmmaking and his motivation to create this film.

Leslie Mickel describes her relationship with the Stroum Jewish Community Center as well as with the Seattle Holocaust Center for Humanity. She also discusses her recent book on the topic of Danish Jewish rescuers during the Holocaust.

Vivian Morrison makes connections between the Jewish Community Center she grew up with in Chicago and the Stroum Jewish Community Center on Mercer Island. She wa a former volunteer for the Seattle Jewish Film Festival.

Jacky Nelson shares about her move to Seattle in 1985 and her relationship to the Seattle Jewish Film Festival and to the Stroum Jewish Community Center.

Lucy Pruzan discusses her longstanding relationship with the Stroum Jewish Community Center and the Seattle Jewish Film Festival. She mentions her role as a former president of the board and her consistent attendance at the festival since its inception 30 years ago. She reflects on the significant growth of the JCC and its impact on her family.

Director of Education for the Holocaust Center for Humanity in Seattle, Paul Regelbrugge discusses his organization's involvement in the Seatte Jewish Film Festival. Paul shares some family history as well as his connection to the film, "Carla the Rescuer". 

Carol Schapira describes her family's longstanding relationship to the Stroum Jewish Community Center, where her children learned to swim and attended summer camp.

Sylvia Angel shares about her longstanding relationship to the Stroum Jewish Community Center, including working with singles groups and senior groups, noting her children's participation at the JCC as well. She discusses the role of the Seattle Jewish Film Festival as well, and describes the growth she's witnessed over the past thirty years.

Mark Silver discusses his family's migration story to Spokane and his life there. We learn about Jewish businesses in Spokane, and the generational shift from agriculture to the furniture business.

World War II veteran Marty Brashem shares his story of life in Tacoma where he worked in the metal business and witnessed the formation of Temple Beth El.

Jamie Margolin is an LGBTQ+ climate justice activist who grew up in Seattle, WA. Her mother is Columbian, her father is Ashkenazi Jewish. She describes her activism as well as her art, and her experience of Judaism.

A Harvard student from Mercer Island, WA, Avi Schiffman discusses his involvement in creating websites under the umbrella of internet activism. In the early days of COVID-19, Avi Schiffman created an acclaimed COVID-19 tracking website. He discusses other projects as well as his personal life.

Rabbi Rachel Kort discusses her congregation at Temple Beth Or in Everett, WA. She describes their Mitzvah Corps, community care through grief and mourning, addressing housing insecurity through Jewish Family Services, and other work from diversity, equity and inclusion to addressing anti-semitism.

Miri Cypers discusses her work as the regional director for the Anti-Defamation League. She discusses strategies for fighting antisemitism and other forms of hate and bigotry. She talks about educational outreach through podcasting and other forms, as well as the impacts of COVID-19.

Harriet Markell discusses her life in Bellingham and her involvement, eventually as vice president, in Congregation Beth Israel. She describes the scene in Bellingham from poetry to politics, including stories about COVID-19 and political challenges within Congregation Beth Israel.

Paul Blum discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Jewish congregations in Washington, especially at Congregation Beth Israel where he was a member of the COVID-19 Task Force. He discusses the Task Force's formation, operation, and challenges they faced.

Rabbi Samuels describes his journey to become the rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel in Bellingham, WA. He discusses the challenges of managing a diverse Jewish community and includes thoughts on his future aspirations.

This interview discusses Bruce Kadden's life in Tacoma as the Rabbi at Temble Beth El, especially the way that he navigated merging a reform and conservative congregation into one. He shares observations about Tacoma and the Jewish community there.

Rabbi Buchdahl was born in South Korea and grew up in Tacoma. She describes her journey to become the senior rabbi at the Central Synagogue in Manhattan, NY. Rabbi Angela Buchdahl discusses the impacts of COVID-19 on her congregation, especially about virtual connectivity. She discusses her upcoming memoir.

Paula Podemski worked at the Seattle Opera for nearly thirty years by the time of this interview. She discusses the impact of COVID-19 on the opera as well as some of her personal and family history.

Harold reflects on the deep-rooted, close-knit Jewish community in Tacoma, emphasizing the importance of mutual support, ethical values, and cultural preservation across generations. He recounts his upbringing in a family active in religious life, the communal sharing of kosher food, and the vital role of institutions like the Sinai Temple and influential figures such as Rabbi Rosenthal. Through personal memories and historical context, Harold illustrates how dispersed yet connected community members sustained their heritage and fostered a strong, resilient identity.

Shirley Grossman describes her entry into the Spokane Jewish community, the merge between conservative and reform congregations there in the late 1960's, the changing role of women that she witnessed, as well as her background in music and life as a music teacher.

Dick Arensberg, with the support of his cousin Mel Freeman, shares about his family's migration from Latvia to Bellingham, and his childhood in the tight-knit Jewish community on Capitol Hill. He discusses the family shoe business, and reflects on the importance of kindness and respect.

Seattle native, Rodney Waldbaum discusses his professional success as a lawyer, community service at Jewish organizations, and his loving family.

Julie Briskman is an actor and producer living in Seattle, WA at the time of this interview. She discusses her experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the George Floyd Uprising, and her work organizing the Seagull Project company. Julie Briskman discusses her Jewish identity in relationship to acting, and discusses her future aspirations.

The Rabbi and the Pastor discuss their collaborative interfaith work, which includes shared services. They discuss COVID-19 and the political landscape of the time.

Leslie-Ray Bernstein explores her upbringing in Seattle and her relationship to Judaism and how it changed over time. She discusses her career in the textile industry, her involvement in arts communities, activism in the world of theater, and her family.

Rabbi Joel Benoliel grew up in Seattle as the son of the rabbi at the local Sephardic temple. He attended the University of Washington and gained a law degree and eventually established the Sephardic Traditions Foundation and the Sephardic Studies Program at the UW. He received an appointment to Governor's Board of Regents and discusses his observations of the Jewish community in Seattle.

Point guard Sue Bird shares her journey in the world of women's basketball, describing the role models and coaches who inspired her personal and professional development. Sue Bird discusses growing up in an interfaith family and her personal background, changes she witnessed in the WNBA, and her future ambitions.

Tana Senn discusses her upbringing in Southern California and her family history - including her grandparents who were holocaust survivors. This interview highlights her legislative achievements, including passing equal pay legislation and addressing children's mental health.

Amy Lavin discusses her upbringing on Mercer Island, her college years from Northwestern to Duke, professional life and eventual return to Seattle. She shares her family's history and immigration story, as well as the changing styles of religious observance in her family. She discusses her long-standing relationship with the Jewish Community Center as well as her passion for cancer research.

Seattle native Bobbe Bridge gives some of her family background and explains her pursuit of a degree in judicial politics. She shares about the challenges she faced as a woman in the field of law and the changes she witnessed over time. Bobbe Bridge is interviewed about her journey from working in a law firm to joining the King County Superior Court Bench, and she reflects on her career and personal life as well.

Michele Rosen was raised by her grandparents in in Los Angeles in a culturally rich home with Yiddish spoken and traditional games played. During her high school years in the 1960s, Michele became involved in political activities, and eventually attended UC Berkeley where she participated in various protests and movements of the time. Michele Rosen is actively involved in volunteer work and have held significant roles at Jewish Family Services and Hillel.

Raised in New Hampshire with a rabbi grandfather, Michelle Goldberg discusses how her Jewish identity has shaped her life. This interview covers Michelle Goldberg's career from venture capital to technology companies, exploring the gender dynamics that she witnessed in these fields. Michelle eventually moved to Seattle and discusses her affection for the city. 

Doreen Alhadeff was raised in a Sephardic family in Seattle. Doreen shares about the time she spent studying in Spain before returning to Seattle to start a family and pursue a career in residential real estate. Doreen Alhadeff helped to found the Sephardic Network, connecting Seattle's Sephardic community and celebrating Sephardic culture. She tells the story of her pursuit of Spanish citizenship, a way that she has been able to honor her ancestors and reclaim her heritage.

Janet Varon's parents were Sephadic and Israeli, and she grew up in the Bronx and eventually in California. She attended Harvard Law School and worked at Evergreen Legal Services, eventually founding Nola, motivated by a desire to address systemic issues in healthcare.

Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney discusses her motivations for entering the music industry and the personal transformations she experienced through the music community. She discusses how her Jewish identity has shaped her life and music, especially the feelings of otherness and displacement. This interview also includes her more recent explorations of film through directing and acting.

Hilary Stern reviews her family history and her upbringing in Seattle and in Israel. As a young adult she taugh English as a second language and become involved in Latin American liberation struggles. Hilary became fluent in Spanish and after living in Nicaragua, returned to Seattle and founded Casa Latina.

Ex-Seattleite Judy Balint discusses her family history as Soviet Jews, and her lifelong focus on activism surrounding that history.