The show takes a very American Jewish kind of TV comedy that's popular and puts it in an Israeli context. It has a "Broad City" vibe but has similarities to "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" as well.

Not so long ago, Hanukkah celebrations in America were frequently about politics, Jewish strength and triumph, and Zionism.

The grandson of two Holocaust survivors, Michael Zoosman grew up thinking capital punishment was justified. But thanks to a spiritual evolution that began when he was a student at Brandeis University and accelerated during a stint as a prison chaplain, Zoosman changed his mind.

As part of her job at Boston Children's Hospital, Susan Harris consoles grieving parents who've just lost a child, supports families with end-of-life care, and comforts children with terminal illnesses. But on Fridays, in anticipation of the Sabbath, she also gives out challah.

"We have to save these buildings," he said. "They are often the last testimony to Jewish life in these places."

For some 1,000 years, many Ashkenazi Jews have observed the same ritual every Yom Kippur Eve — waving a chicken over their head. From the start, the practice was controversial among rabbinical scholars, and even today, it continues to ruffle feathers. (Sorry, couldn't resist).

The sound of the shofar at Rosh Hashanah, the great 12th-century Jewish thinker Moses Maimonides wrote, is a wake-up call for the soul. Its message: "Arise from your slumber! Search your ways and return in teshuvah and remember your Creator!"

In coming to America, the people of the book also became the people of documents. In letters, contracts, laws and legislation, photographs, temple newsletters, and even advertisements for rye bread, the Jews' triumphs and travails were all recorded, reflected upon, and discussed.

"Love, first, details later" — that's how social scientist Sivan Zakai describes the traditional approach taken to teaching young children about Israel. And in her provocative new book, "My Second-Favorite Country: How American Jewish Children Think About Israel," she argues it risks doing more harm than good.

In his inaugural BJN post, Lawrence Goodman, Editor at The Jewish Experience at Brandeis University, updates the Jewish conversation about intermarriage.