The groundbreaking Edmond J. Safra Parkinson's Wellness Program was founded in 2007 to help improve the lives of those impacted by Parkinson's Disease. Through education, exercise, support groups, and other programs, and in collaboration with the medical and local communities, people impacted by Parkinson's remain active, connected, and empowered. Through a collaboration between the JCC and the Parkinson's Foundation, supported by Northwell Health, the program has grown into a hub for the New York Parkinson's community, and has been adapted nationally. In this episode, we’ll hear Rabbi Joy Levitt discuss the founding of the program with two of the driving forces behind it: Caroline Kohles, the JCC’s Senior Director of Health and Wellness, and Dr. Alessandro Di Rocco, neurologist and director of Northwell’s Movement Disorders Program.

Visit https://mmjccm.org/parkinsons to learn more about the program.

29. The Parkinson's Wellness Program: Rabbi Joy Levitt, Caroline Kohles, and Dr. Alessandro Di Rocco

Few families have had as profound an impact on the life of the JCC as the Meyerson-Hooper family.  From their earliest days as board members to participants in a full range of family programs and activities to their 2018 decision to name the organization after Marti’s mother Marlene, the Meyerson family bestowed an incredible personal and financial gift that will inspire donors and lay leaders for years to come.  In today’s episode, we learn about how Marti’s personal journey brought her to the JCC, and how her family’s deep love of the institution led to one of the most consequential moments in the history of the organization.

76 West

36. The Magnificent Meyersons, with Rabbi Joy Levitt and Marti Meyerson

Sloane Crosley (I Was Told There'd Be Cake, How Did You Get This Number, The Clasp) talks to The Lambert Center's Jason Blitman about her latest novel, Cult Classic. Sloane and Jason chat about the book's themes, beautiful cover art, the word "supposably," and whether or not mezuzahs are found on interior doors of synagogues. 

Sloane Crosley is the author of the novel The Clasp and three essay collections: Look Alive Out There and the New York Times bestsellers I Was Told There'd Be Cake and How Did You Get This Number. A two-time finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, she lives in New York City

To learn more about the JCC's arts programming, visit mmjccm.org/lambert

41. Sloane Crosley, Cult Classic

Gabrielle Zevin (The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry) joins The Lambert Center’s Jason Blitman to talk about her latest book, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, which Publishers Weekly calls “a one-of-a-kind achievement.” Gabrielle and Jason talk about their shared experience of growing up in heavily Jewish populated areas, how we all play video games whether we know it or not, and how failure can be a creative place. 

Gabrielle Zevin is The New York Times and internationally best-selling author of several critically acclaimed novels, including The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, which won the Southern California Independent Booksellers Award and the Japan Booksellers' Award and was longlisted for the IMPAC Dublin Award, and Young Jane Young, which won the Southern Book Prize. Her novels have been translated into 39 languages. She has also written books for young readers, including the award-winning Elsewhere, which is on Time magazine's 100 Best YA Novels of All-Time list. She lives in Los Angeles.

42. Gabrielle Zevin, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Erika L. Sánchez (I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter) talks to The Lambert Center’s Jason Blitman about her new memoir in essays, Crying in the Bathroom, which Kirkus Reviews calls “a rewarding debut memoir in which a sensitive soul finds salvation in poetry and a life in literature.” 

Erika L. Sánchez is a Mexican-American poet, novelist, and essayist. Her debut poetry collection, Lessons on Expulsion, was a finalist for the PEN America Open Book Award. Her debut young adult novel, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, was a New York Times bestseller and a National Book Awards finalist. It is now being made into a film directed by America Ferrera. Sanchez was a 2017 to 2019 Princeton Arts Fellow, a 2018 recipient of the 21st Century Award from the Chicago Public Library Foundation, and a 2019 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship.

43. Erika L. Sánchez, Crying in the Bathroom

Author Elissa Sussman and The Lambert Center's Jason Blitman talk about Sussman's new book, Funny You Should Ask, the importance of Jewish representation in fiction, rules of romance novels, and more. 

Elissa Sussman is the bestselling author of Funny You Should Ask and three young adult novels. She received her BA from Sarah Lawrence College and her MFA from Pacific University. She lives in her hometown of Los Angeles with her husband.

44. Elissa Sussman, Funny You Should Ask

Yair Qedar, whose film The Last Chapter of A.B. Yehoshua is featured in the JCC’s 2022 Other Israel Film Festival, talks to The Lambert Center’s Jason Blitman about the creation of this rare and striking look into the life of one of Israel’s most beloved writers. Qedar also shares his journey to becoming a filmmaker and influences on his work. 

Yair Qedar is a filmmaker and a LGBTQIA+ activist. His academic training on 20th-century Hebrew literature propelled him into The Hebrews—a documentary project on the Hebrew and Jewish literary canon, centered on filmic portraits of Hebrew writers from the 17th century to recent days. Sixteen feature-length documentary films have been made in the project so far, premiering in film festivals, airing on Israeli TV, and screened in hundreds of cinemas around the world. From 2015 to 2017, he co-directed and produced, with the actor Ilan Peled, the documentary miniseries Vanished, about the disappearance of women artists in Israeli culture. The film Lilyanin won first prize in the Haifa film festival in 2016. Qedar is also the initiator of various media projects in Israel, in the fields of the LGBT community such as the first LGBT newspaper Hazman HaVarod.

45. Will Filmmaker Yair Qedar Generate More Ideas?

Will Actor David Krumholtz Commit to Hair Acting?
David Krumholtz, most known for his roles in Num3ers, 10 Things I Hate About You, The Santa Clause, and dozens of other films and TV shows, is currently starring on Broadway in Leopoldstadt. David talks with The Lambert Center’s Jason Blitman about impostor syndrome, bar mitzvahs, reconnecting to Judaism, and working with Tom Stoppard on this critically acclaimed new play. 

David Krumholtz’s film credits include Life With Mikey, The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs, Hail, Caesar!, Slums of Beverly Hills, 10 Things I Hate About You, The Santa Clause, The Ice Storm, and Ray, among others. Television credits include Numb3rs, ER, The Deuce, The Newsroom, Freaks & Geeks, and Gigi Does It. Krumholtz made his theatrical debut in Herb Gardner’s Conversations With My Father. He will next appear in Oppenheimer, The Santa Clauses on Disney+, and HBO’s The White House Plumbers.

46. Will Actor David Krumholtz Commit to Hair Acting?

David Krauss, principal trumpet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, talks to The Lambert Center’s Jason Blitman about what the title “principal trumpet” means, childhood as an “indoor kid,” and the little things he learns about music icons while talking to them on his podcast, Speaking Soundly.

David Krauss is the prodigious host of Speaking Soundly, co-founder of Artful Narratives Media, and principal trumpet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. As a soloist, he has performed with the All-Star Orchestra on their Emmy Award-winning PBS broadcast and was praised by the American Record Guide for his "singing tone, which is luxurious and inviting." He has performed as guest principal trumpet with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and New York Philharmonic, as well as recorded for film and television, and played on several Broadway shows. David is a highly sought-after instructor at The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Mannes School of Music, Aspen Music Festival and School, and other top conservatories and music festivals throughout the United States.

47. Will Musician David Krauss’s Trumpet Disappear?

Chef Einat Admony, founder of the beloved falafel chain Taïm, as well as the acclaimed Israeli restaurant Balaboosta, talks to The Lambert Center’s Jason Blitman about where her love of cooking comes from, tricks to feed picky eaters, and her newfound passion for performing stand-up. 

Einat Admony is author of the cookbooks Balaboosta and Shuk and chef/owner of New York City’s popular Balaboosta and Taïm restaurants, which have been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and New York Magazine, among many other outlets. When Einat is not at her restaurants, she can be found at her home in Brooklyn, cooking for the crowd of family and friends who regularly gather around her dining table.

48. Will Chef Einat Admony Redefine “Balaboosta”?

To kick off our season of 76West in celebration of our Books That Changed My Life Festival, The Lambert Center’s Jason Blitman talks to designer Elizabeth Yaffe about the process of creating that thing you judge most about a book—its cover. 

Elizabeth Yaffe is a book cover designer and animator. She currently works in the Viking/Penguin Art Department at Penguin Random House. She has designed covers for authors including Amy Tan, Rebecca Makkai, Jami Attenberg, Kevin Wilson, Timothy Egan, and Sarah Thankam Mathews. She has animated covers for authors including Stephen King, Carola Lovering, Jesse Ball, and Chelsea Bieker. Originally from Philadelphia, she graduated from Pomona College with degrees in anthropology and media studies.

49. It’s Okay to Judge a Book by Its Cover—Elizabeth Yaffe, cover designer

Audiobook narrator Michael Crouch talks to The Lambert Center’s Jason Blitman about his shift from musical theatre to voiceover acting, the process of preparing to record an audiobook, and some unique techniques and insights on working in audio.

Michael Crouch is a New York City-based actor specializing in voiceover. His audiobook narration has earned numerous industry accolades, including Audie Awards, Earphones Awards, and AudioFile Magazine’s Golden Voice Lifetime Achievement Honor. He can also be heard on national commercials, video games, industrial film, and the anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokémon.

50. Michael Crouch, Audiobook Narrator

Prolific author, illustrator, and graphic novelist Dan Santat chats with The Lambert Center’s Jason Blitman about his process of writing and illustrating picture books, how writing graphic novels is his way of creating his own movies, and the catharsis of writing his memoir, A First Time for Everything. 

Dan Santat is the Caldecott Medal-winning and New York Times-bestselling author and illustrator of The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend and the road trip/time travel adventure Are We There Yet? His artwork is also featured in numerous picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade novels, including Dav Pilkey's Ricky Ricotta series. Dan lives in Southern California with his wife, two kids, and many, many pets.

51. From Falling in Love with Comics to Writing Graphic Novels—Dan Santat, Author + Illustrator

Jenny Jackson, executive editor at Knopf, talks The Lambert Center’s Jason Blitman through the book publishing process, from acquiring a title to hitting the shelf. Jenny also talks about her experience on the other side as an author—her upcoming debut novel, Pineapple Street, will be released in March.

Jenny Jackson is a vice president and executive editor at Alfred A. Knopf. A graduate of Williams College and the Columbia Publishing Course, she lives in Brooklyn Heights with her family. Pineapple Street is her first novel.

52. What is the Value of a Story?—Jenny Jackson, editor and author

Ahead of a Community Recycling Day at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan on April 23, The Lambert Center’s Jason Blitman talks to Christine Datz-Romero, co-founder and executive director of the Lower East Side Ecology Center. Christine talks about the history of the center, how e-waste works, and what it takes to compost at home.

53. Electronic Waste + Composting with Christine Datz-Romero, LES Ecology Center

Climate change has impacted the world since the beginning of time, which Peter Frankopan (The Silk Roads) details in his newest book, The Earth Transformed: An Untold History. A professor of global history at Oxford University, Peter shares his unique perspective on climate change with The Lambert Center’s Jason Blitman, including how our society suffers from a soundbite version of history and how small lifestyle changes can have mighty impacts.

54. The Earth Transformed: A History of Climate Change with Peter Frankopan

From the clothes we wear to the sheets we sleep in, textiles are part of daily life, but have you ever really thought about how they’re made? In this episode, The Lambert Center’s Jason Blitman talks to Preeti Gopinath, the head of the textiles program at Parsons School of Design at The New School. Jason and Preeti talk about what textiles are, how they’re made, and the impact they have on the world around us.

55. Textiles + Sustainability with Preeti Gopinath, Parsons School of Design

Bestselling author of Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel, talks to The Lambert Center’s Jason Blitman as her final event for the paperback release of her latest novel, Sea of Tranquility. They also talk about why we’re drawn to post-apocalyptic fiction, what it’s like imagining the future of our world, and what she’s working on next. 

Emily St. John Mandel’s five previous novels include The Glass Hotel, which has been translated into 25 languages, and Station Eleven, which was a finalist for a National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, was the basis of a limited series on HBO Max, and has been translated into 37 languages. She lives in New York City and Los Angeles.

56. Emily St. John Mandel, Sea Of Tranquility

Bestselling author of The Guncle Steven Rowley talks to The Lambert Center’s Jason Blitman about all sorts of things, including working as a gay author and, of course, his newest book, this month’s TODAY Show #ReadWithJenna pick, The Celebrants.

Steven Rowley is the bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus, a Washington Post Notable Book of 2016; The Editor, named by NPR as one of the Best Books of 2019; The Guncle, a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist for 2021 Novel of the Year and winner of The 22nd Thurber Prize for American Humor; and The Celebrants, a TODAY Show #ReadWithJenna pick. His fiction has been published in twenty languages, and all of his books are in development for feature film or television adaptation. Originally from Portland, Maine, he is a graduate of Emerson College and currently resides in Palm Springs with his husband, writer Byron Lane.

57. Steven Rowley, The Celebrants

First-time author Camille Kellogg talks to The Lambert Center’s Jason Blitman about her novel, Just As You Are, a queer rom-com inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. 

Camille Kellogg is a queer writer based in New York City, where she works as an editor for children’s and young adult books. She studied English and creative writing at Middlebury College and attended the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference on a fiction scholarship. She’s passionate about queer stories, cute dogs, and bad puns.

58. Camille Kellogg, Just As You Are

Caldecott winner Brian Selznick (The Invention of Hugo Cabret) talks to the Lambert Center’s Jason Blitman about how his latest book, Big Tree, started as a Steven Spielberg film, and about the legacy of gay and Jewish children’s book authors.

Brian Selznick is the author and illustrator of many books for children, including The Invention of Hugo Cabret, winner of the Caldecott medal and the basis for the Oscar-winning movie Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese. Kaleidoscope, a novel in short stories, was called a "lockdown masterpiece" by the New York Times, and his newest book Big Tree, inspired by an idea from Steven Spielberg.

59. Brian Selznick, Big Tree

Tony Award winner J. Harrison Ghee talks to The Lambert Center’s Jason Blitman about their experience as the first nonbinary performer to win Best Actor in a Musical, living life as your most authentic self, and performing in a hit musical on Broadway. 

J. Harrison Ghee Broadway/International Tour: Some Like it Hot, Kinky Boots, Mrs. Doubtfire. Regional: The Color Purple, The Sting. Television: “High Maintenance” (Charles), “Raising Dion” (Kwame). Industrial: Tokyo Disney Sea’s Big Band Beat, Norwegian Cruise Line.

60. J. Harrison Ghee, Some Like It Hot

76West

76West Trailer

Welcome to episode two of 76West, featuring a discussion between Ruth Reichl and author and former 60 Minutes producer Abigail Pogrebin. In this pod, legendary food critic, editor, and best-selling author Reichl describes her journey away from Gourmet magazine and back to her own kitchen, resulting in the book, My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life. A six-time James Beard Award honoree, Reichl captures not only her zeal for the great meal, but the joy to be found in small culinary encounters, and how what we eat can animate our lives. This talk was recorded April 20, 2016 in front of a live audience.

2:  Ruth Reichl with Abigail Pogrebin

This week, a discussion between acclaimed cartoonist Roz Chast and Rabbi David Ingber, founder and spiritual leader of Romemu. Since joining the New Yorker in 1978, Chast has established herself as one of our greatest chroniclers of the anxieties, superstitions, furies, and insecurities of modern life. In this conversation, Chast references her best-selling book Can't We Talk About Some­thing More Pleasant?, which chronicles her relationship with her aging parents as they shift from independence to dependence. (While you don’t need the book to follow what Chast is referencing, you can view some of her cartoons here https://bit.ly/2DgFAx1)  The talk was recorded in front of a live audience on October 29, 2018, and was cosponsored by What Matters: Caring Conversations About End of Life (https://bit.ly/2K5T8wO), as part of Reimagine End of Life (https://letsreimagine.org), a citywide exploration of death and celebration of life through creativity and conversation.

9. Roz Chast with Rabbi David Ingber

This week on 76West, we’ll be listening to a discussion about the NY Times bestselling memoir, When Breath Becomes Air, an intimate look at how Dr Paul Kalanithi, a 36-year-old neurosurgeon, dealt with his stage IV lung cancer diagnosis. This powerful book has impacted millions of readers who, through Dr Kalanithi's insightful writing, follow the journey of a doctor-turned-patient as he evaluates what it means to live. In this talk, Paul’s widow, and author of the book's epilogue Dr Lucy Kalanithi shares Paul's story and the journey her life has taken since its publication. Dr. Lucy Kalanithi is interviewed by Rabbi Mychal Springer, Director of the Center for Pastoral Education at The Jewish Theological Seminary. This talk was recorded in front of a live audience on April 5, 2017, and was presented in conjunction with the JCC’s end of life initiative, What Matters: Caring Conversations About End of Life.

11. Dr. Lucy Kalanithi with Rabbi Mychal Springer

Episode 12 of 76West, our season two finale, features a discussion between American icon Candice Bergen and Abigail Pogrebin.  Acclaimed for her decade-long lead role in the recently revived Murphy Brown, Bergen's acting career – from Carnal Knowledge to Boston Legal -- spans television, film, and Broadway.  Her memoir, A Fine Romance, was an instant best-seller. This talk was recorded before a live audience on November 18, 2015.

12. Candice Bergen with Abigail Pogrebin

We open Season 3 with a discussion between one of America’s most admired public servants, Madeleine Albright, and author and former 60 Minutes producer Abigail Pogrebin. Aside from being the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of state, Albright is also a former Ambassador to the United Nations. In this discussion, Secretary Albright and Abby discuss the Secretary’s book Fascism: A Warning, a personal, urgent examination of Fascism in the twentieth century and how its legacy shapes today’s world.  This conversation was recorded in front of a live audience on February 1st, 2019.

13.  Secretary Madeleine Albright with Abigail Pogrebin

This week on 76West, we bring you a conversation from 2011 between the late Nora Ephron and Abigail Pogrebin. Ephron was, as the NY Times put it in its 2012 obituary, “a journalist, a blogger, an essayist, a novelist, a playwright, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and a movie director — a rarity in a film industry whose directorial ranks were and continue to be dominated by men.” Her screenplays include Silkwood, Heartburn, and When Harry Met Sally.  Her directorial successes include Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, and Julie & Julia.  The conversation was recorded before a live audience on February 16, 2011.

15. Nora Ephron with Abigail Pogrebin

This week, Abigail Pogrebin interviews author Nathan Englander, as part of Abby’s ongoing series at the JCC, What Everyone’s Talking About. Nathan Englander is author of the novels Dinner at the Center of the Earth, The Ministry of Special Cases, and kaddish.com.  He’s responsible for the story collections For the Relief of Unbearable Urges and What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank. Englander’s short fiction has been widely anthologized, including in 100 Years of the Best American Short Stories. This conversation was recorded in front of a live audience on April 17, 2019.

22.  Nathan Englander and Abigail Pogrebin

Welcome to 76West, the podcast of the JCC's Lambert Center for Arts + Ideas. 

76West meets at the intersection of arts and ideas. Revamped and reimagined, this new series hosted by arts producer Jason Blitman will feature conversations with today’s leading authors, artists, culture makers, and thinkers.

Previous guests include Alan Cumming, Roxane Gay, Colson Whitehead, and more.

You can find us wherever you get your podcasts. 76West is produced by Jason Blitman and Udi Urman, with original music written and performed by Perl Wolfe and mastering by Matt Temkin.

76West: A Podcast from the Marlene Meyerson JCC

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