The Amen Effect

Shavuot Tikkun All-Night Study Session with Rabbi Sharon Brous, at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, June 1, 2025. How does the messenger impact the message? Join us for a close reading of a Talmudic story that explores the boundaries between blessings and curses, speakers and listeners, parents and children.

In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society? Sharon Brous—a leading American rabbi—makes the case that the spiritual work of our time, as instinctual as it is counter-cultural, is to find our way to one other in celebration, in sorrow, and in solidarity. To show up for each other in moments of joy and pain, vulnerability and possibility, to invest in relationships of shared purpose and build communities of care. Sharon Brous is the founding and senior rabbi of IKAR, a trail-blazing Jewish community based in Los Angeles. A leading voice at the intersection of faith and justice in America, she has been named #1 Most Influential Rabbi in the U.S. by Newsweek/The Daily Beast. She blessed both President Obama and President Biden at their National Inaugural Prayer Services, and her TED Talk “Reclaiming Religion” has been viewed 1.5 million times. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Washington Post. She lives with her husband, David Light, and their children in California. In our conversation, Rabbi Brous shares what it took for her to carve out a place for herself in a community that didn’t always feel welcoming. We’ll also discuss the power of foundational stories, the idea that religion begins with asking the right questions, and how to stay in conversation even when it’s difficult. Rabbi Sharon Brous’ Five Books: 1. Deborah, Golda, and Me: Being Female and Jewish in America by Letty Cottin Pogrebin 2. The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel and The Prophets by Abraham Joshua Heschel 3. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi 4. The Postcard by Ann Berest 5. The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World by Sharon Brous Other Books Mentioned: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl The Jewish Way: Living the Holidays by Rabbi Irving Greenberg  The Book And The Sword: A Life Of Learning In The Shadow Of Destruction by  David Weiss Halivni  The Five Books is a podcast that celebrates the role of books in Jewish culture. Through author interviews, we delve into Jewish identity and discover each author’s favorite novels. Join us every week for new Jewish book recommendations! Some of our episodes have included conversations with Yehuda Kurtzer (host of Identity/Crisis), Yael Van Der Wouden (author of The Safekeep), and Dara Horn (author of People Love Dead Jews.)

This episode is the first in the 2nd half of our Hard Conversations series. Kelly speaks with Rabbi Sharon Brous, who she discovered at the Aspen Ideas Festival and was so captivated by that she waited backstage to invite her onto the podcast. Together they explore forgiveness through ancient and modern perspectives, examining a powerful ritual where those with broken hearts walked against the crowd at the Temple Mount and were asked simply, “What happened to you?” Rabbi Sharon unpacks the Jewish process of teshuvah (repentance), shares why sitting beside someone in their darkness can mean more than offering solutions, and reveals how truly seeing one another might help us bridge our deepest divides. Their exchange offers fresh insights for anyone seeking to repair relationships or create meaningful connections after harm. Check out Rabbi Sharon’s book: The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend our Broken Hearts and World.

Watch Sharon Brous’s talks at the Milken Institute’s Global Conference 2025 centered on the power of ideas. There is a paywall, but the videos can be seen for free after signing up for a password or you can listen to the author talk on our podcast feed. “What Faith Means to Me” In a world roiled by seemingly unprecedented division and doubt, the longing for spiritual meaning and for a life rooted in faith appears to be growing ever stronger. In this session, speakers share their perspectives and experiences of faith, and the role faith and faith-driven communities can and should play in calming stormy seas. Author Talk: Rabbi Sharon Brous, “The Amen Effect” To thine own self be true: Sharon Brous has let this advice illuminate her path to becoming a rabbi. She was raised with a strong social, but not religious, Jewish identity. The more she studied and admired the humanity in the sages’ writings, the more Brous felt her voice was silenced simply because she is a woman. Today, as an ordained rabbi, Brous’s decades of hands-on pastoral care in Los Angeles has cleared “a path to become myself.” Her book, The Amen Effect—and how to get it—is embraced by seekers of every stripe and urges us to seek human connection in an increasingly isolated and divided world.

In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society? Join Rabbi Brous in a series of text studies that explore the Jewish sources that form the core ideas behind her new book, The Amen Effect.

In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society? Join Rabbi Brous in a series of text studies that explore the Jewish sources that form the core ideas behind her new book, The Amen Effect.

In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society? Join Rabbi Brous in a series of text studies that explore the Jewish sources that form the core ideas behind her new book, The Amen Effect.

In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society? Join Rabbi Brous in a series of text studies that explore the Jewish sources that form the core ideas behind her new book, The Amen Effect.

In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society? Join Rabbi Brous in a series of text studies that explore the Jewish sources that form the core ideas behind her new book, The Amen Effect.

In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society? Join Rabbi Brous in a series of text studies that explore the Jewish sources that form the core ideas behind her new book, The Amen Effect.

The Amen Effect with Rabbi Sharon Brous – Chapter 1 – Show Up – Session 1 – 2.18.25 In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society? Join Rabbi Brous in a series of text studies that explore the Jewish sources that form the core ideas behind her new book, The Amen Effect.

How optimizing this skill can change your life – and the world. Rabbi Sharon Brous has some extremely practical tips for how to improve what psychologists call your social health. She is the senior and founding rabbi of IKAR , a Jewish community in LA. Her new book, a bestseller, is called The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World

The Torah of Joy, and the Power, Promise, and Necessity of Laughter in Dark Times. | Rosh Hashanah II 5785

2024 Sun Valley Writers Conference – Watch Here At a time when polarization around the world has never been greater, SHARON BROUS, author and leading American rabbi, will talk with JEFFREY GOLDBERG, editor in chief of The Atlantic, about the extraordinary challenges posed at every level of society—social, familial, individual—by the most difficult and intractable moral issues. How do we begin to talk honestly and effectively with each other, for example, about Israel and Gaza? How do we talk about politics and the monumental election facing us a few months from now? Freedom of speech? Religion, race, gender? As the founding rabbi of IKAR in Los Angeles, one of the most diverse, fastest growing and influential Jewish communities in the nation, Rabbi Brous has spent the last 20 years trying to foster conversations and thoughtfulness that can see us through these seemingly impossible times.

Rabbi Sharon Brous on The Next Big Idea Daily podcast.

Rabbi Sharon Brous joins Fareed to discuss how Jews in the US are grappling with their Jewish identity amid the war in Gaza and rising antisemitism.

Rabbi Brous joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about loneliness, the importance of connection, and the power of showing up for one another.

Spiritual leaders and lifelong seekers reflect on how to cope and find optimism in dark times.

This week, we are honored to share with you a conversation with Rabbi Sharon Brous, author of the The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World. From the moment we started reading Sharon’s book, we knew that she had a special message, and that she would be an incredible guest. Sharon’s book is a beautiful blend of ancient Jewish wisdom, contemporary science, and deep personal experience that shows how humans throughout history have taken up the responsibility to sit with each other as sacred witnesses to life’s most vulnerable and most joyous moments. Sharon makes the case that when we sit with each other in “celebration, sorrow, and solidarity,” we are connecting in ways that not only forge deep and lasting relationships, but contribute to a larger healing in our communities and in the world. One of the things we loved about Sharon’s book and the conversation with her was that she shared experience from her own life in which she’s succeeded here as well as where she’s failed. None of us do this perfectly, and so often we feel like we don’t even know how to—Sharon was wise and generous in giving herself and all of us grace for now always showing up for people the way we could have, but also practical advice that help us see how we can do this better. Sharon’s speaking from the perspective of a Jewish Rabbi, but her work reminds us of our own sacred texts and our promises to be willing to “mourn with those that mourn.”  We loved that Sharon explained that these principles of connection and solidarity really are universal, and we all get at them in our own languages and through our own rituals and traditions. This episode cuts straight to the heart of what it feels like to be human; it was impossible for it not to get personal, since we all know grief, joy, and connection intimately. We absolutely loved talking with Sharon and consider this a special episode. We hope that you enjoy it as much as we did!

At a time when polarization around the world has never been greater, SHARON BROUS, author and leading American rabbi, will talk with JEFFREY GOLDBERG, editor in chief of The Atlantic, about the extraordinary challenges posed at every level of society—social, familial, individual—by the most difficult and intractable moral issues. How do we begin to talk honestly and effectively with each other, for example, about Israel and Gaza? How do we talk about politics and the monumental election facing us a few months from now? Freedom of speech? Religion, race, gender? As the founding rabbi of IKAR in Los Angeles, one of the most diverse, fastest growing and influential Jewish communities in the nation, Rabbi Brous has spent the last 20 years trying to foster conversations and thoughtfulness that can see us through these seemingly impossible times.

Rabbi Sharon Brous was on her way to lead her community, IKAR—a Jewish community she founded 20 years ago with a new vision of how faith can center and connect us—in the sacred ceremony of Tashlikh, when she stopped to buy index cards and sharpies. It was an unexpected stop, given the day’s holiness: Every year between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the two holiest days of the year, the Jewish community visits a body of water to release their sins, or anything they don’t want to carry into the new year, into the water. Still, Rabbi Brous was reflecting on the dying wishes of her dear friend and community member, Erin, and had a question for the community. During her final days, Erin wrote that each of us has an innate sense of who we’re called to be. Yet, despite that knowing, too often we construct reasons to delay fulfilling our calling. On the brink of her own tragic death, Erin asked—What if we don’t have forever?—and urged her community to live urgently. When Rabbi Brous delivered her message to the IKAR community, overlooking the Pacific Ocean for Tashlikh, she asked: What are you waiting for? The question—What are you waiting for?—is the through-line of each topic we explore in this rich conversation about her book, The Amen Effect; From getting quiet enough to hear divine wisdom and cultivating our spiritual strength, to accompanying each other through joy and sorrow and, inspired by the Jewish ritual of being thankful for 100 blessings, creating our own system of blessings. As you settle into this conversation, consider a yearning that exists deep within your heart. What are you waiting for to pursue it? What is one step you might take to move towards it today?

This week, join Chelsea and Dana in a conversation with Rabbi Sharon Brous as they discuss her national bestselling book, The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend our Broken Hearts and World. She is the senior and founding rabbi of IKAR, a leading edge Jewish community based in Los Angeles.

Rabbi Sharon Brous, founder and senior rabbi of IKAR, discusses her book, “The Amen Effect,” as well as finding community during college protests.

In this bonus episode of Reset the Algorithm, curated in partnership with Mother Tongue Magazine, Moj Mahdara sits down for an emotional and heart-felt conversation with Rabbi Sharon Brous and Patrisse Cullors.

In this inspiring episode of Remarkable People, Guy Kawasaki engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Rabbi Sharon Brous, the influential founder of IKAR, a groundbreaking Jewish community in Los Angeles. Together, they explore the power of coming together in difficult times, finding purpose through service, and imagining a future of peace. Rabbi Brous shares wisdom from her new book, The Amen Effect, providing tangible practices to help us stay connected, honor each other’s humanity, and work towards a more just and loving world. Discover how small acts of compassion can create ripples of change and healing in our lives and society. Guy Kawasaki is on a mission to make you remarkable. His Remarkable People podcast features interviews with remarkable people such as Jane Goodall, Marc Benioff, Woz, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Bob Cialdini. Every episode will make you more remarkable. With his decades of experience in Silicon Valley as a Venture Capitalist and advisor to the top entrepreneurs in the world, Guy’s questions come from a place of curiosity and passion for technology, start-ups, entrepreneurship, and marketing. If you love society and culture, documentaries, and business podcasts, take a second to follow Remarkable People. Listeners of the Remarkable People podcast will learn from some of the most successful people in the world with practical tips and inspiring stories that will help you be more remarkable

The free person, awake and humble, can acknowledge the truth that emerges from various even contradictory perspectives.

Loneliness is now an epidemic, with devastating impacts on our health. How can we rekindle the deep human connection we need now more than ever? For Rabbi Sharon Brous, this question is the focus of her work. Considered one of the most influential rabbis in the U.S., she’s founded her own congregation and has led multiple White House faith events. In her new book, The Amen Effect, Sharon explores how grief and heartbreak can be gateways to truly seeing each other. Sharon and I talk about what it means to be present to someone else’s pain and how a 2,000-year old ritual taught her the meaning of healing together.

The founding rabbi of IKAR and one of our country’s most influential rabbis discusses the spiritual necessity of community and offers a blueprint for a more connected and caring world. In The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World, Rabbi Sharon Brous — named America’s #1 Most Influential Rabbi by Newsweek and The Daily Beast — makes the case that the spiritual work of our time, as instinctual as it is counter-cultural, is to find our way to one another in celebration, in sorrow, and in solidarity. To show up for each other in moments of joy and pain, vulnerability and possibility, to invest in relationships of shared purpose and build communities of care as pathways to a world built on love, rooted in justice, and propelled by our moral imagination.

“Take seriously the fact that there’s something in the world that you need to do and then do it now. Don’t wait — we don’t know how long we have.” Join us for a conversation about how to join or build a community, how to stay centered in your humanity while the world’s turbulence roils around you, and why you should never delay fulfilling your desires. In this conversation you’ll find: * Her own spiritual journey, * How she’s building a community of those who have been disaffected by religious institutions, * Her take on the ways social media is keeping us apart, * How her book landed at the perfect moment for the state of the world, * The ways in which we’re all struggling with loneliness and isolation, * How the loss of a friend gave her much needed clarity * What she hopes she’ll leave as her legacy

Stay after Kabbalat Shabbat services for dinner and a book discussion with Rabbi Sharon Brous and Elise Loehnen on her book On Our Best Behavior The Seven Deady Sins and The Price Women Pay To Be Good.

St. Luke's Atlanta The Temple Ebenezer Baptist Church Charis Books & More

A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Rabbi Sharon Brous The event was co-hosted by Temple Solel About the Event: The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World, makes the case that in an era of loneliness, social alienation, and ideological extremism, our deepest spiritual work is finding our way to one other—in celebration, sorrow, and solidarity. Relationships of care and curiosity, Brous argues, are essential to both personal healing and social change. This is how we reawaken our humanity. The event was presented in loving memory of Dr. Sherman Minkoff

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yankolwiz converses with Rabbi Sharon Brous, founding and Senior Rabbi of IKAR.

Incredibly funny and heartfelt discussion about Moshe’s new memoir, Subculture Vulture: A Memoir in Six Scenes. Make sure to listen to it on Spotify.

What does it mean to show up for someone? What does it mean to sit with another person’s pain? And if we are hurting, why can it be so difficult to ask for help? Part of being human is learning how to accompany people through hard times. Yet our culture looks at pain as a sign of imperfection, and vulnerability a sign of weakness. In this conversation, the Surgeon General and Rabbi Brous share in how the opposite is, in fact, true: vulnerability and pain can be extraordinary sources of strength and healing. Drawing from both professional and personal moments, Dr. Murthy and Rabbi Brous delve into why the simple act of showing up for each other — an intrinsic power we all possess — is so powerful and healing. And why it is so needed now, especially in these times when the world can feel despairing and lonely.

What does it mean to show up for someone? What does it mean to sit with another person’s pain? And if we are hurting, why can it be so difficult to ask for help? Part of being human is learning how to accompany people through hard times. Yet our culture looks at pain as a sign of imperfection, and vulnerability a sign of weakness. In this conversation, the Surgeon General and Rabbi Brous share in how the opposite is, in fact, true: vulnerability and pain can be extraordinary sources of strength and healing. Drawing from both professional and personal moments, Dr. Murthy and Rabbi Brous delve into why the simple act of showing up for each other — an intrinsic power we all possess — is so powerful and healing. And why it is so needed now, especially in these times when the world can feel despairing and lonely.

Rabbi Sharon Brous joins Chelsea to talk about why failing a friend offers the best opportunity for growth, the importance of community during times of grief, and the power of curiosity to change even the most obstinate minds.

The human longing for connection – to be heard and understood – is what Rabbi Sharon Brous calls the “amen effect.” It’s the idea that we can awaken our shared humanity when we learn to talk across differences with curiosity and empathy. Rabbi Brous has for decades been ministering to members of IKAR, shepherding the Los Angeles Jewish community she co-founded as they navigate celebration and sorrow, both personal and collective. We talk to Rabbi Brous about spirituality, community and how she is grappling with the war between Israel and Hamas. Her new book is “The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World.”

Rabbi Sharon Brous in conversation with Michaela Watkins about The Amen Effect (Co-Sponsored by Reboot). Join us after dinner for a discussion with Rabbi Sharon Brous about her new book, The Amen Effect. 

Rabbi Sharon Brous sits down with Drew and Ross Mathews to chat about her powerful new book "The Amen Effect."

Join us for a conversation with one of our country’s most prominent rabbis, Rabbi Sharon Brous of IKAR, discussing her new book, The Amen Effect.

In this week's episode of You Are What You Read, Rabbi Brous offers wisdom and insights from her latest book, The Amen Effect, to set us on a pathway to genuine, joyful human connection. In an era of loneliness and isolation, our deepest spiritual work is finding our way to one another.

In The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World, Rabbi Sharon Brous—named America’s #1 Most Influential Rabbi by Newsweek and The Daily Beast—makes the case that the spiritual work of our time, as instinctual as it is counter-cultural, is to find our way to one another in celebration, in sorrow, and in solidarity. In conversation with Jonathan Capehart, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, anchor for the “The Saturday/Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart” on MSNBC, opinion columnist at The Washington Post, and host of the “Capehart” podcast.

At a time when we direly need to collectively heal our broken hearts, we met with one of America’s leading rabbis, Sharon Brous, for a conversation on humanity, human connection, compassion, and community.

Rabbi Sharon Brous in Conversation with Abigail Pogrebin at Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center

This week, the girls discover just how different their childhoods are after June shares her affection for the game, Egyptian Rat Screw. Then, we hear from ikar founder and author senior Rabbi Sharon Brous about her book The Amen Effect and responding to people’s pain without a fix-it mentality. Remember Deep Divers, your presence is enough.

Join Rabbi Sharon Brous, one of our country’s most influential rabbis, for a conversation with New York Times’ Susan Dominus on the power of community and prayer.

Join Rabbi Sharon Brous, one of our country’s most influential rabbis, for a conversation with New York Times’ Susan Dominus on the power of community and prayer — and her new book, The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World. Based on one of her most impactful sermons, The Amen Effect reflects on this social moment — a time of division and isolation, rupture and alienation. What will it take reconnect with one another and rebuild our society? Rabbi Brous contends that the answer might be in that final word of every prayer: amen. In this powerful, inspiring conversation, hear her discuss the spiritual necessity of community — a blueprint for a more connected and caring world.

Based on one of her most impactful sermons, The Amen Effect reflects on this social moment — a time of division and isolation, rupture and alienation. What will it take reconnect with one another and rebuild our society? Rabbi Brous contends that the answer might be in that final word of every prayer: amen. In this powerful, inspiring conversation, hear her discuss the spiritual necessity of community — a blueprint for a more connected and caring world.

We must speak of the darkness that lives in some of our bodies and spirits, a darkness that sometimes manifests as depression, despair, and suicidal ideation, a darkness that may feel inescapable.

Rabbi Sharon Brous guest essay in the New York Times Opinion section.

Rabbi Sharon Brous, founder and senior rabbi of LA's IKAR community and a leading voice at the intersection of faith and justice, sits with Abigail Pogrebin to discuss her first book, "The Amen Effect," about the power of community and showing up for each other.

Rabbi Sharon Brous, founder and senior rabbi of LA’s IKAR community and a leading voice at the intersection of faith and justice, sits with Abigail Pogrebin to discuss her first book, “The Amen Effect,” about the power of community and showing up for each other.

“How do we center the voices that traditionally and historically we know existed, but were only marginalized in the tradition? And that does feel like holy work. And for me, in part, when I encountered a tradition that was so driven by male stories and male voices, I felt so alienated by it when I first began to encounter it. And I had this moment, which I think lots of women faith leaders have, which is maybe this just isn’t for me. I mean, I’m not intended to ever even read these texts, let alone teach these texts. And then I had an awakening where I realized, not only is it meant for me, but I have an obligation. It was waiting for me. It’s waiting for me and for so many more people because there’s a void until our voices enter this space.” So says Rabbi Sharon Brous, a wise and wonderful friend, and the founder and senior rabbi of IKAR, a Jewish community founded to attend to critical questions. As Rabbi Brous writes in her beautiful new book The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World , “How can our Jewish tradition help us live lives of meaning and purpose? And: Given our faith and history, who are we called to be in this time of moral crisis? We launched IKAR—our best attempt to address those questions—on a hope and a prayer, with no funding, no space, and no business plan. What we had was a shared conviction that faith communities needed to be spiritually alive and morally courageous at the same time.” I read Sharon’s beautiful book last summer, and could not wait to talk to her about it. So we recorded our conversation early, before the Jewish High Holidays, at the beginning of August, months before October 7th. Rabbi Brous’s work in general is highly prophetic and brave—she has been a fierce and vocal critic of the increasingly right wing Israeli government, even as many Rabbis try to steer clear of politics. This conversation, which is not about Israel, is also highly prophetic and brave: It’s about the dire need for interfaith conversation, for chipping away at the calcified belief structures of religions that don’t fully serve our broken world, and for being with each other, particularly on our most painful days. This, in fact, is the theme of The Amen Effect, which is about an ancient mishnah, or overlooked piece of Jewish law that instructs us on the sacred act of circling—and tending, face-to-face, to each other’s agony and grief. In today’s conversation Sharon and I also talk about social justice and responsibility, a conversation that I’m hoping to pick back up with her in the new year, as so many of us feel a little lost and confused. While Rabbi Brous and I thought about doing a second episode as a fast follow, we decided to wait a beat—if you want to hear her talk about Israel and Gaza, I highly recommend you listen to her conversation with Ezra Klein, where the two talk about how some of Israel’s actions are indefensible even as Israel itself must be defended. Her sermons are also stunning, and available on the IKAR website. I think Rabbi Brous is incredible, and I’m not alone. She offered the blessing at both Biden and Obama’s inaugurations, and led Hannukah at the White House this year. She manages to teach and model what so many of us need to learn how to do: We must learn how to hold each other close even through disagreement, disappointment, and despair. The Amen Effect offers some ideas for how this work might begin.

Article on ReligionNews.com written by Yonat Shimron

“How do we center the voices that traditionally and historically we know existed, but were only marginalized in the tradition? And that does feel like holy work. And for me, in part, when I encountered a tradition that was so driven by male stories and male voices, I felt so alienated by it when I first began to encounter it. And I had this moment, which I think lots of women faith leaders have, which is maybe this just isn’t for me. I mean, I’m not intended to ever even read these texts, let alone teach these texts. And then I had an awakening where I realized, not only is it meant for me, but I have an obligation. It was waiting for me. It’s waiting for me and for so many more people because there’s a void until our voices enter this space.” So says Rabbi Sharon Brous, a wise and wonderful friend, and the founder and senior rabbi of IKAR, a Jewish community founded to attend to critical questions. As Rabbi Brous writes in her beautiful new book The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World , “How can our Jewish tradition help us live lives of meaning and purpose? And: Given our faith and history, who are we called to be in this time of moral crisis? We launched IKAR—our best attempt to address those questions—on a hope and a prayer, with no funding, no space, and no business plan. What we had was a shared conviction that faith communities needed to be spiritually alive and morally courageous at the same time.” I read Sharon’s beautiful book last summer, and could not wait to talk to her about it. So we recorded our conversation early, before the Jewish High Holidays, at the beginning of August, months before October 7th. Rabbi Brous’s work in general is highly prophetic and brave—she has been a fierce and vocal critic of the increasingly right wing Israeli government, even as many Rabbis try to steer clear of politics. This conversation, which is not about Israel, is also highly prophetic and brave: It’s about the dire need for interfaith conversation, for chipping away at the calcified belief structures of religions that don’t fully serve our broken world, and for being with each other, particularly on our most painful days. This, in fact, is the theme of The Amen Effect, which is about an ancient mishnah, or overlooked piece of Jewish law that instructs us on the sacred act of circling—and tending, face-to-face, to each other’s agony and grief. In today’s conversation Sharon and I also talk about social justice and responsibility, a conversation that I’m hoping to pick back up with her in the new year, as so many of us feel a little lost and confused. While Rabbi Brous and I thought about doing a second episode as a fast follow, we decided to wait a beat—if you want to hear her talk about Israel and Gaza, I highly recommend you listen to her conversation with Ezra Klein, where the two talk about how some of Israel’s actions are indefensible even as Israel itself must be defended. Her sermons are also stunning, and available on the IKAR website. I think Rabbi Brous is incredible, and I’m not alone. She offered the blessing at both Biden and Obama’s inaugurations, and led Hannukah at the White House this year. She manages to teach and model what so many of us need to learn how to do: We must learn how to hold each other close even through disagreement, disappointment, and despair. The Amen Effect offers some ideas for how this work might begin.

Rabbi Sharon Brous, founder and senior rabbi of IKAR, discusses her book, “The Amen Effect,” And Let Us Say…Community

A rabbi explains how your mere presence can alleviate someone's suffering.

Isado­ra Kianovsky speaks with Rab­bi Sharon Brous about her new book The Amen Effect. They delve into the process of com­pil­ing and cre­at­ing this pow­er­ful book, and its impor­tant res­o­nances for our con­tem­po­rary Jew­ish world. 

This week, Busy and Caissie are together for the second week in a row, sharing how they rang in the New Year and what they wore. Then, Rabbi Sharon Brous returns to the podcast to talk about her new book, “The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts,” and how we can better help each other to grieve.

Rabbi Brous was invited to join us on Freedom Road because her new book, The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend our Broken Hearts and World, has something to offer as we step into what is projected to be one of the most tumultuous election years in American history. Rabbi Brous is also a personal friend of Lisa’s and watching her sermon at IKAR online was heart breaking and helped in terms of connecting with the pain reverberating through the Jewish community after October 7. Rabbi Brous has wrestled with the tensions of Zionism and confronted the slaughter of Palestinian people happening in Gaza and the West Bank with clear-headed honesty. Let’s hear her wisdom concerning the future of Israel/Palestine.

The Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) held its eighth community conversation on the ongoing crisis in Israel and the rise of antisemitism at home and around the world. JDCA was joined by Rabbi Sharon Brous, founder and Senior Rabbi of IKAR. JDCA is the political home and voice of Jewish voters in support of Democrats who share our core values. JDCA advocates for policy, educates and mobilizes Jewish voters, and elects Democrats, all consistent with our core values.

Christiane Amanpour speaks with Rabbi Sharon Brous of the IKAR synagogue in Los Angeles, and author of the upcoming book "The Amen Effect," on Jewishness, antisemitism, and the complexities of discussing this war.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy & Rabbi Sharon Brous in conversation.

How to hold one another in light of the ever-present reality of loss.