Rabbi Bogot is my lifelong friend. We met when I was eight. Rabbi Bogot is nominally in his 80s, but going on 40. He has an extraordinary career, which includes serving as Director of Education for the Union of Reform Judaism. Reform Judaism is, by far, the dominant affiliation of American Jews. Hence, Rabbi Bogot is responsible for having guided the Jewish education of tens of millions of children, past and present. He is, as you'll hear/see, a brilliant educator, full of wit, humor, kindness, knowledge, and wisdom. Like most people who go into the clergy, Rabbi Bogot is a true Mensch -- the highest term of praise anyone can extend to a Jew.
What does a podcast with a Rabbi have to do with economics? Everything. The secrets to American progress is education, creativity, opportunity, and teamwork. Of the four, education is the lynchpin. Unfortunately, the quality of K-12 American education has been declining throughout the postwar. Listen to this podcast to learn how a world-class educator educates. Listen to the way he talks as much as what he says. There is as much magic in the medium as the message.
I wish every American child could personally learn from Rabbi Bogot. Actually, they can. I list below Howie's 14 books. Their titles suggest they are meant to be read by Jews. Actually, they were written for non Jews to learn the Jewish perspective on managing our lives humanely. This includes our economic lives. These days and for the course of his "retirement," Rabbi Bogot teaches (has taught) classes to college students from every corner of the world about Jewish values and their connection to and differences with those of other cultures and religious orientations. Of course, one of the most fundamental of Jewish values -- the unwritten 11th Commandment -- is Educate Thy Children.
Here's a bio in brief that summarizes Rabbi Bogot's education, accomplishments, books, and research focus. In addition to all else, he is the consummate scholar. His pedagogy combines insights from many disciplines and schools of thought, including philosophy, social work, mindfullness, psychology, comparative religion, Jewish studies, and much more.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
D.D. Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, OH
Graduate Certificates in Social Work, Hunter College, New York City, NY
M.Ed , University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
M.A.H.L , Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnat,OH
B.H.L., Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, OH
B.S. (Education), Lewis University, Evanston, IL
RESEARCH and CREATIVE INTERESTS:
Rabbi Bogot's research is primarily devoted to the concept of Kedushah (uniqueness) in biblical, early Judaism and rabbinic texts, classical and modern. These interests focus on those perennial values that inform Jewish identity development as well as the various God-ideas that reflect these core principles. Rabbi Bogot also explores the ways in which these core values, as expressed in classical Jewish texts, can and should help clarify contemporary issues that are experienced by students as they negotiate cultural and religious diversity.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS and CURRICULA:
Jewish Me: Traveling the Path of Jewish Mindfulness
Never Tell a Hermit Crab We Can’t Repair the World
My First Hundred Hebrew Words
Learn Hebrew Today
A Storyteller’s Jewishness
Welcome to the World of Torah
Parents are Teachers Too
The Aleph-Bet of Jewish Values
To See the World Through Jewish Eyes
Shalom, Salaam, Peace
Children’s (Family) Haggadah
Seder With Animals
Gates of Awe
Gates of Wonder
Career:
Professor, Immigrant Teachers of Jewish Thought, Beit Beryl, Israel
Director of Religious Education, Union for Reform Judaism, NYC
Assistant Professor and Administrator, Gratz College, Philadelphia
Mentor, Penn Literacy Network, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Economic Matters - The podcast is hosted by Laurence Kotlikoff and moderated by Alex Kotlikoff.
Laurence Kotlikoff is a Boston University Economist, a NY Times Best Selling Author, President of maxifi.com, and Author of Money Magic.
Rabbi Howard Bogot, a Premier Jewish Educator, Talks Education and Much More with Underlying Economic Lessons for All