Adam Teitelbaum

Rabbi Scott Schaffrin didn’t set out to become a rabbi. Growing up in Milwaukee, he was drawn to music and thought his future might be at a piano, not a pulpit. But over time—through college, community organizing work, and a formative summer back home—his path shifted. What started as an interest in helping people eventually became a calling. Now, after stops in Boston, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and St. Louis, Schaffrin has landed in Cincinnati as the senior rabbi at Adath Israel Synagogue. Along the way, he’s built a career shaped as much by relationship-building and organizing as by traditional rabbinic work. A lot has changed since he started, but his approach has remained fairly consistent. Whether he’s leading services, teaching, or working across communities, the focus is on connection—on helping people find meaning with each other, even when they don’t always agree. We sat down with Rabbi Schaffrin to talk about his journey to the rabbinate, the role music plays in his life and work, and why he sees Judaism less as a unison and more as a harmony.

Elise Cole had always wanted to be a writer and was drawn to performance, but never planned on being a stand-up comedian. In her early 30s, while attending grad school, a chance encounter with the founder of Brave New Theater started her on the path. After getting on stage for the first time, she was hooked. Now, over a decade later, the Twin Cities-based stand-up is heading to Cincinnati, featuring for fellow stand-up comic Tabari McCoy at Go Bananas Comedy club. It’s her first time in the Queen City, but not her first time touring different cities. Since she started in comedy, a lot has changed, but Cole’s approach hasn’t. She still leans on her storytelling roots, even as performing has become more complicated, especially as an Iranian Jew in the aftermath of Oct. 7 and the current U.S.-Israel-Iran war.

Hey y’all, before the launch of season 2 of Who the Folk Cincinnati  We’ve got a special episode with Josh Gondelman. Josh is an Emmy Award-winning comedian, author, and writer. He has worked on shows such as Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Desus & Mero.Josh has written for Esquire magazine, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. His last two stand-up specials, "People Pleaser" and "Positive Reinforcement," are available on YouTube. Josh is bringing his new hour to the Commonwealth Comedy Club in Northern Kentucky this weekend, April 10-11th.

Laurence Essig was born and raised in the Cincinnati area. He grew up in Newport, Kentucky, a first-generation American and one of seven siblings. He went to medical school during World War II and, through an Army program, skipped undergrad and entered medical school directly. He was a cornerstone of the Cincinnati community for years, and through his medical practice, he touched the lives of countless people. He was a man of many talents. He passed away in 2015 at the age of 88. Editors' Note: This episode was originally recorded in late 2014. My Uncle Lazar (the name I knew him by) was a fixture at family gatherings and Jewish community events. He was one of the connections I had to my family's past and to my grandfather, Stan Fisher, whom I never got to meet. I decided to interview him after we had a conversation at a Bar Mitzvah party, when he lamented that the younger generation of our family didn’t know him, and that he didn’t know them. So I set out to change that. It was before I knew anything about the technical aspects of podcasting, but I knew I wanted to get some of his stories recorded so they could be shared. I hope you enjoy this show as much as I enjoyed talking with him over a decade ago.  

Adam Teitelbaum is the founder and CEO of Level III Industries, a strategy and storytelling firm advancing Jewish life and resilience. He now—somewhat to his own surprise—calls Cincinnati home with his wife and children.

Liam Reis is a 5th generation Cincinnati Jew who moved to Israel in early 2024 at the beginning of the war in Israel following October 7th. Liam works in business development in the security and investigations field, and is passionate about the Jewish story, meditation, and geopolitics. 

Ifat Lahyani is a classically trained chef and Le Cordon Bleu graduate, founder of Koriela Kitchen, and the creative heart behind tables filled with flavor and unique style. After moving from Israel to Cincinnati with her husband and five children, she transformed her passion for food, culture, and community into a thriving business. A breast cancer survivor, Ifat believes food is a vessel for healing, connection, and joy. Her use of her parents’ vintage silverware is her way of honoring their memory and bringing their spirit into every celebration. She also writes a culinary column, sharing recipes, stories, and traditions.

Evelyn Fisher is a first-generation American. She was born in Augusta, Kentucky, the eldest of three siblings. Her family moved to Cincinnati, and she has been a lifelong Cincinnatian since. She is a graduate of Hughes High School and the University of Cincinnati. Evelyn is a supporter of the arts, theater, and an amateur Jewish art collector. She is a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She recently celebrated her 97th Birthday. She still lives in her condo here in Cincinnati. She’s a true optimist, and still does her daily crossword with a pen. 

Chandler Waite brings extensive experience in diplomacy and governmental affairs to his role as Director of the JCRC, where his passion for building bridges between communities serves the organization’s mission.A native of Huntsville, Alabama, Chandler most recently served as Director of Governmental Affairs for the Israeli Consulate, where he advised on political and economic issues while fostering communication between the consulate and elected officials. He previously worked at the Israeli Energy and Economic Mission facilitating dialogue between Israeli and American companies, and served at the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations in New York.

A former journalist turned community advocate and bridge-builder, Congedo spent six years as the director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, which works to ensure Jewish security by working in coalition across diverse communities to build a more just society for all people. In this role, she served as the chief architect of the Leaders in Light Institute, a leadership development program for civic influencers designed to address trends of extremism and polarization and to strengthen democratic practice and civil society. Congedo has served on various community boards and committees, including the National JCRC Directors Association, the National Jewish Council for Public Affairs Restructuring Task Force, the City of Montgomery Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, and the Cincinnati Regional Coalition Against Hate.  Prior to her work in Cincinnati’s nonprofit community, Congedo spent nearly a decade as a broadcast journalist, working for stations in Washington, D.C.; Lexington, Kentucky; and in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she specialized in enterprise and investigative storytelling. Congedo received a BA in journalism from the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, where she graduated summa cum laude. A native Marylander, she has called Cincinnati home for more than a decade.