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The Genesis: Conversations About Jewish Arts and CultureAuthor: Joshua Rose
We are right at the beginning of what some have called "The 21st Century Jewish Cultural Renaissance," and The Genesis is the podcast watching it unfold, in real time and up close. Each week Rabbi Josh Rose has a conversation with a different Jewish artist or cultural figure to explore questions of artistic creativity, individual Jewish identity, Jewish expression and how Jewish arts are reshaping what it means to be Jewish. Our main focus in on the artists from Art/Lab: Innovating Jewish Arts and Culture, and Jewish artists in the Pacific Northwest. Rabbi Josh also engages national leaders (Rabbi Shai Held of Hadar, Seth Pinksy of New York's 92nd Street Y) about the broader world of Jewish culture. So, if you're interested in 21st century Jewish life, Jewish ideas, Jewish arts or just good conversation, you're in the right place. *The Genesis was originally a podcast of Co/Lab, founded by Rabbi Josh. Today the Genesis is a production of Art/Lab where Rabbi Josh continues to shape its unfolding. Language: en-us Genres: Religion, Religion & Spirituality Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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S3E26 How One Artist Balances Trauma & Jewish Humor (with/ Nikki Schulak)
Episode 26
Wednesday, 17 December, 2025
Rabbi Josh Rose sits down with writer Nikki Schulak to talk about humor as survival strategy, artistic method, and truth-telling device. What begins as a discussion of comedy quickly opens into an exploration of trauma, Jewish family life, grief, and the way humor can both conceal and reveal what hurts most. Nikki reflects on how comedy functioned in her childhood, in her eccentric Jewish family, and in the complicated dynamics between piety, cruelty, affection, and love. The conversation moves into Nikki's radical commitment to honesty on the page. Known for writing with almost no filter, Nikki talks openly about shame, depression, sex, marriage, mental health, and the personal costs of telling the truth publicly. From her seventh-grade journals to her current Substack, vulnerability wasn't a strategy she adopted—it's who she's always been. Along the way, she shares the story behind her Prozac tattoo, her experience with depression, and why making mental health visible matters to her. Josh and Nikki also dig into questions of marriage, intimacy, and unconventional family structures. Nikki speaks frankly about her long marriage, having an affair, the therapy that followed, and the surprising, hard-won equilibrium her family ultimately found. The discussion is not theoretical or ideological—it's grounded in lived experience, with all the discomfort, humor, and tenderness that entails. The episode closes with reflections on parenting, teaching preschool, politics, and why humor remains an essential tool for surviving a tragic and absurd world. It's a conversation about truth, timing, and courage—about what happens when you refuse to look away from your own life, and insist on telling it as clearly and honestly as you can. Links Art/Lab artlabpdx.org The Genesis on Youtube: youtube.com/@thegenesisjewishpodcast Nikki Schulak's Website: nikkischulak.com Her Substack: nschulak.substack.com
