Last week marked the 5th Anniversary of MomentLive!
About two weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic, Moment Editor-in-Chief Nadine Epstein called me with an idea. Moment Opinion & Books Editor Amy E. Schwartz had written a seder supplement, “The Seder Is Already Virtual: Reflections for a Ritual in Extraordinary Times,” and Nadine suggested we host a live conversation with readers about how to incorporate it into their Passover seders. She wanted to try doing this on something called Zoom. Lucky for me, I had recently participated in a few Zoom meetings, so I was vaguely familiar with this platform that would go on to transform all our lives in a multitude of interesting ways.
And so, on April 7, 2020, with 58 people registered, we launched our first program, The Seder Is Already Virtual, and it was a success! The following week, Ann Lewis, founding member of the National Women’s Political Caucus, talked about Jewish Leaders in the Suffrage Movement, followed by programs about Jewish humor, music and cooking. Soon we had hundreds of people regularly attending our events, and we delved into topics such as antisemitism, the Holocaust and Israel. And now, five years later, we have hosted 280 programs, reached tens of thousands of people through our weekly online conversations and created special initiatives like the Wide River Project, which takes a deep dive into the Black-Jewish relationship.
Having the opportunity to launch MomentLive! and watch it grow and become an important outlet for so many people around the country has been an honor. It’s gratifying to know, based on the emails I receive from viewers, that we bring high-quality content to so many people who have a thirst for knowledge and a desire for Jewish connection.
Personally, I too have gained so much from MomentLive! My favorite story is one I wrote for Moment’s Beshert column, “The Zoominar Did It,” where I shared that as a direct result of our program with Aimee Ginsburg Bikel about her late husband Theodore Bikel, my husband connected with his late mom’s best friend and his cousin that he had never met before. We are now in touch with them regularly. Another connection: To my surprise, during a program Q&A, I received a question from my childhood cantor, whom my family lovingly referred to as “Cantor Dude.” After 30+ years, it was wonderful to chat with him on the phone.
I’ve also had some exciting full-circle moments. As a teenager living in Baltimore, I would travel with my United Synagogue Youth chapter to the Soviet Embassy in DC to hold vigils for Soviet Jews who were not allowed to leave the country. When we interviewed Natan Sharansky in October 2020 about being a political prisoner, before the program began, I was able to show him the broken silver colored National Conference on Soviet Jewry refusenik bracelet I once wore until Iosif Begun was granted permission to leave the Soviet Union. (Begun had been arrested multiple times and sent to Siberia for teaching about Judaism, and many Jews like him were refused exit visas to Israel.) Another full-circle show-and-tell: When I was in college, I spent a semester in Israel and listened to a lot of David Broza’s music; fast forward to MomentLive! hosting him for several musical programs. He got a kick out of me showing him my college-era cassette tape, the cover of which features him with a full head of hair. I had a similar moment with musician Peter Himmelman.
But most of all, over the last five years, I have enjoyed working with my colleagues to do what Moment has been doing for 50 years, providing you with a unique lens onto the issues that trouble, concern and inspire. I invite you to celebrate five years of MomentLive! by helping us ensure that we can continue to offer the kind of programming you’ve come to expect and love. Please consider a donation, of any amount, today.
With great appreciation,
Suzanne Borden
VP, Public Affairs and Programming
MomentLive! Producer