The Frankel Center is delighted to announce the inauguration of the “Frankely Judaic” podcast series, highlighting some of the innovative research being conducted at the Frankel Institute for Advanced Judaic Studies.

Each episode of "Frankely Judaic" will present the research of Frankel faculty and fellows in interesting and creative segments, showing how humanities research is relevant to listeners' lives today. The show is hosted​ by ​​​Jeremy Shere, who may be familiar to radio audiences from NPR’s “A  Moment of Science” and “Sound Medicine.” After graduating from the University of Michigan, Shere completed a PhD in English and Jewish Studies at Indiana University. He is also the author of Renewable: The World-Changing Power of Alternative Energy.

The first episode, “A Rosenberg by Any Other Name,” asks why so many American Jews changed their names in the 20th century. In order to find out, Shere speaks with Kirsten Fermaglich, a fall 2015 fellow of the Frankel Institute for Advanced Judaic Studies and associate professor of history at Michigan State University. The episode is available on iTunes and SoundCloud. Future episodes will explore the American movement to free Soviet Jewry with Shaul Kelner and the relationship between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam with Guy Stroumsa.