Writing, Editing & Creative Media Consulting
Esther in the Press
Introducing: The Bagel Report podcast
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Official art, the Bagel Report, by Danny Lipsky
I’m thrilled to announce the launch of my podcast, The Bagel Report – join me and my co-host Erin Ben-Moche for our ongoing discussion of pop culture and “Jewyness”: we’d love your input as we move forward in this ever-expanding conversation. (And yes, we’re the bagels in the graphic on this post, reporting on Jewish-related Hollywood content. I’m the bagel on the right, obviously.)
Episode 5: Wonder Woman, Mrs. Maisel and beyond! But mostly Maisel. 🙂 (coming soon!!)
Episode 4:Â The One with the Hallmark Movie, the American Pickle & the Inappropriate Ornament
Episode 2: The Crazy Ex-Awakening of Motti and Tiffany Haddish
Episode 1: Halloween: It’s More Jewish Than You Think
Links to the podcast available at the Jewish Journal or via the following services:
iTunes
Stitcher
GooglePlay
Subscribe, add ratings or comments, or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes!
Guesting on the I’m Not Joking Podcast
05 years ago
I love being a guest on podcasts. I’m not joking! And I’m definitely not joking about the fun I had being a guest on the I’m Not Joking Podcast.
An honor to talk with behavioral scientist Peter McGraw about pop culture; comedy; when is #toosoon when it comes to joking about tragic events; comedy lessons for leadership; grief writing and so much more. Here’s a sample from the transcript (link to audio is below):
Peter McGraw:  I do like this idea that we’re all supporting actors. The best improvisers embrace that idea is that if we all take on that role, we create something special where everybody has a chance to stand out, but it comes from someone else.
Esther Kustanowitz: “Also in life and community building, that’s the ideal as the feeling. It goes back to a Jewish concept, which I always have to arh back to because, hi, I’m me: the idea that we’re all responsible for each other. This is something that I’ve used when I’ve taught some improv workshops that are very basic improv rules in the context of short-form games, but also juxtaposed with principles of Jewish community building. Like, “we are all responsible for each other,” or you shouldn’t take yourself outside of the community. You should feel that you’re always a part of it. You don’t rely on a miracle. You give everything you can to a scene so that it goes. You don’t just wait for somebody to rescue you.
If we all viewed ourselves–whether we are the leaders or the followers, depending on whatever your community is, whether it’s an office environment or if it’s a youth group or social group–the idea that everybody’s an equal part of the group is not always assumed, and not always the operating point for a lot of people. The idea that there’s no leader of the group that like you’re part of the group, that everybody’s bringing their own stuff and their own brains to the group. Improv has also taught me if you have an idea for something and you’re working in a group context, it’s fine to have an idea but you also have to be open to other people’s ideas. If the idea that emerges that is better is not yours, you have to let go of your ego and go along with it.”
For more listen below.
Cupid’s Clips: This Week’s Articles
010 years ago
While Valentine’s Day week isn’t always a week of romance and celebration for everyone, this year, Cupid brought me two new clips to share.
Last weekend in the print edition and Tuesday online, the Forward published my piece “The Jewish Lonely Hearts Who Meet Online” – about online dating sites, the blame game that singles play with each other, and how we all could take a higher road when it comes to interacting online.
Then on Facebook, we launched some midweek discussions about JDate’s advertising, when that niche dating service launched its new ad campaigns, making some laugh and others cringe. With slogans taking a pot shot at Match.com (“6000 years of persecution and now you’re joining Match.com?”) and appealing to those who are waiting to “find someone who shares your love of gefilte fish,” the slogans run from the stereotypical to the unoriginal, playing to the broadest strokes of public awareness of what defines a Jew, and what those Jews are looking for when they’re looking for love online. (You can read the NYTimes article about this new campaign here.)
In a sad note this week, but relevant to Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to share things we love with people we love, the world lost famous comedian Sid Caesar. The Jewish Journal asked me to write something – since I love writing about entertainment, TV and comedy, and did feel a bit personally connected to Caesar (even though we had never met), I wrote this piece – “My Friend’s Seder With Sid: Remembering Sid Caesar,” now featured in the Jewish Journal’s Religion section – about how virtual connections can become real, with people acting as emissaries and interceding to create real-life connections. The story contains some of my friend’s personal reflections of her time with Sid over the last year, and reminds us of how much laughter he gave the world. May his memory and his work continue to be an inspiration to those of us who dabble in or appreciate comedy. 🙂
Social Media…On the Richter Scale
010 years ago
Those of us who live in Los Angeles – or anywhere where earthquakes are part of our regular lives – know today’s truth: if it wasn’t confirmed on Twitter and Facebook, it wasn’t really an earthquake. But in their recent coverage of the 20th anniversary of the famous Northridge Earthquake, The Jewish Journal asked me to weigh in on how social media is used during a national disaster of any sort.
After a robust discussion with the reporter about the challenges of relying on social media during an unnamed generic disaster – will there be internet connectivity? how about battery chargers? – we spoke about the social aspects of connection and feeling like you’re not alone. The experience of receiving a literal jolt, some of us home alone or sleeping, startles us into reality – reaching out to others, even to say “did you feel that?” is such an essential and reassuring part of human reconnection. I have found it personally reassuring to watch as people shared stories of where they were, the embarrassing or funny situations that emerged, or jokes about where the quake hit and why.
I’m quoted minimally, but you can read the entire story here.
“Is the Facebook IPO Good for the Jews?” – Jewish Telegraphic Agency
012 years ago
In light of the recent IPO by social media juggernaut Facebook, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency asked me some questions about how the Jewish community uses Facebook in a piece titled “Is the Facebook IPO Good for the Jews?”
The piece was picked up in a number of other locations, including The Jewish Journal and Ha’aretz.
Recent Publications: Opinionated Jewish Women, Innovation and more…
014 years ago
“ROI Lights”: Introducing a series of Hanukkah posts about innovation and creativity (ROI Community)
“Where Are All the Opinionated Jewish Women?”: An op-ed submissions imbalance at the Forward leads to a larger discussion about Jewish women and our opinions  (MyUrbanKvetch, reprinted in eJewishPhilanthropy)
“Young Professionals/Singles/Young Leaders” – What’s in a Name? (MyUrbanKvetch)
“The Future of Jewish Journalism, Or Anything Else” (MyUrbanKvetch, reprinted in eJewishPhilanthropy)
Your “Twimprimatur,” and Other Secrets of Social Media
014 years ago
What’s a Twimprimatur? Here’s a hint: I made it up. And here’s another hint: imprimatur + Twitter. (Imprimatur literally means “let it be printed,” but here are some more definitions.)
In July, I was interviewed by Rusty Mike Radio in Jerusalem – we went deep into blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and more. Check out the entire interview here, for insights into making these social media work better for you, as well as stories about Jewish innovation, how to make blogging into a quasi-career, and what my connection is to Madonna. And, of course, how to create your own Twimprimatur. 🙂
“Disconnect to Connect” – Unplugging for the Sabbath
014 years ago
The Jewish Standard recently asked for my comments about whether people are too technology-reliant these days, and how it can impact Jewish connections and community.
People first used e-mail, for example, to keep in touch with others they wouldn’t otherwise reach, Kustanowitz said.
“It was a way to mass-produce these kinds of communications that were still about continuing a relationship and adding value to a relationship,” she said.
Such developments have led to what Kustanowitz called an over-reliance on technology, without a sense of deliberation or thought. Just as Jews are supposed to have a certain amount of kavanah, intent, when they pray, she said, so, too, should people have a sense of kavanah when sending out e-mail and posting to social networking Websites.
To read the entire article, visit the Jewish Standard online.
Thanks, Google: Long-Lost Radio Transcript (Israel Radio)
015 years ago
In 2008, I attended the First International Jewish Bloggers Convention in Israel, sponsored by Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organizations that assists people who are making aliyah (moving to Israel). I was interviewed several times on the radio and in print, and one of those radio transcripts is available online. It’s kind of interesting to read it more than a year later (although the transcript is missing a few words – maybe I have to enunciate more next time, so Israeli transcriptions can be more accurate).
EstherK on the TV (a.k.a. “the YouTube”)
115 years ago
I’m a writer by training, but I have other skills too. Check out my online video clips, with more to come shortly:
Comedy, Community & Comfort (ELI Talks, June 2014)
Leadership in the Digital Age (workshop at LEAD, London, UK, May 2013)
ROI Community (Jewish innovation project) and the Jewish Future (IBA News, June 2012)
Rosh Hashanah, Explained on Good Day NYÂ (September 2004)
High Resolutions: Facebook Guy
Blink and you’ll miss me, but I do a dance cameo in the famous “Rosh Hashanah Girl” video.
Esther Gets a Makeover on Life & Style
Let My Parents Go!, featuring my finest overacting skills
Esther interviewed on ParadeTownUSA about the Salute to Israel Parade
If you’ve liked these clips, subscribe to my YouTube Channel, or even better, sponsor my yet-to-be-titled upcoming video show, coming soon in 5770! Got an idea for a show? Wanna be a sponsor? Contact me anytime via the contact form on this site or by email: jdatersanonymous at gmail.com.