. . . And this is why the project is called Machloket?

            . . . Or Machloikes? 

’Machloket’ translates as a halachic or religious dispute or disagreement which would bring people closer to God. We like the translation - a disagreement for a greater good, because we knew that the groups we would meet weren’t going to have the same opinions. Jewish communities and Jewish people are vastly different, exist in different places, meet in different ways and for different reasons. We know this…you might know this…and if you don’t know this…you will know soon!

LISTEN TO the MACHLOKET PODCAST

here on Spotify and here on Apple Podcasts

Or Search for Machloket wherever you get your podcasts

Jewish theatre makers Nick Cassenbaum and Tash Hyman have teamed up with take stock exchange to create a unique nationwide project. Machloket: A disagreement for a greater good is a community storytelling project, which seeks to explore, share and celebrate what life is like for all sorts of Jewish people in the UK.

Throughout 2023 we’ve been meeting Jewish community groups all over England; from London to Manchester, from Bradford to Truro, and Liverpool to Norwich. And now we’re putting together the first two episodes of our new podcast series, which will launch in early 2024. Each episode will feature fascinating human stories and engaging accounts of Jewish life from a wide range of perspectives. We’ve met an amazing selection of groups and in the first two episodes you’ll hear from a group of golfers, a revived rural community, a Queer Talmud study group, year 10 students from a Jewish School, a group of people who don’t think they’re Jewish enough, and a group of ‘ex-Egyptian’ refugees.

The podcast launch marks the culmination of Machloket’s first phase, which has kindly been supported by The Royal Court Theatre and Arts Council England. Longer term, we aim to create a theatrical performance to tour to community spaces across the country. For each event a bespoke collection of stories will be told, with live music and a community meal in partnership with local arts/community organisations. A digital archive will also be created for audiences to delve deeper into specific stories and locations.

As the project continues to evolve, we’re looking to build new partnerships with community groups, organisations, and funders. Plans for 2024 and beyond include more podcast episodes, live storytelling events and an interactive digital archive. Contact us to get involved in the next steps.

Thank you to the many many groups and individuals who have been involved in this project so far, it has been a pleasure and a privilege to make this work with you.