Closening
Hello, I’m Jessie Kahnweiler. Like literally everyone else in the world, I’m stuck in my apartment binging the news and eating a third lunch while terrified that I’m slowly going insane. Desperate to escape my own neurosis, I called my favorite person in the world: My 99-year-old Grandma, Lucille. She’s currently quarantined inside her room at an assisted living facility on the Upper West-Side. I asked her how she was coping with the chaos and without skipping a beat she cackled ‘by thinking of my next meal.’ I immediately felt the ease wash over me like rain — I was home.
My phone sesh with Grandma Lu left me feeling inspired, grateful, and craving more of these conversations with the true spiritual leaders of our tribe: Bubbe and Zayde. Closening strives to bring us closer in these times of isolation. How can our past inform how we show up for this?
From a blind English ex-con to a feisty southern belle nursing a heartache these aren’t your typical grandparents. These conversations have profoundly affected me, like Xanax for my soul. It’s showing me there’s really nothing better in life than a cup of coffee and good conversation. We cover everything from the meaning of life to masturbation. And, of course, the Corona of it all. It’s a wild ride you can take from the comfort of your couch.
Communal suffering, epic uncertainty, and fighting to see the light in total darkness: sounds like a Jewish podcast to me.
“I’ve got a thing for Schmucks”
For the season finale, Jessie chats with Lillian, a spitfire from Dallas, Texas. The two discuss whether or not to reach out to your ex during Quarantine. Jessie gets hit on while wearing a face mask and discovers the meaning of life.
“Why not me?”
This week, Jessie chats with the brilliant Dina Rosenfeld, a bubbe, proud New Yorker, and a Professor of Social Work at NYU. The two discuss the role of fate in life and how important it is to stop and smell the flowers. Also, Jessie takes a technology break and can’t stop bragging about it on social media.
“Just get on with it”
This week Jessie sits down with Cynthia Green, a charming 99 year-old British lady who brings some much needed class to the podcast. Jessie discusses how to digest grief and what to do when you run into your Ex at a Zoom wedding.
“This guy in London can’t see a thing but he’s still living his life”
Jessie chats with Alan Greenberg, a British blind ex-con who gives her tips on how to persevere through hardships. They kibitz, talk torah and possibly have phone sex. It’s the best date Jessie’s been on in months.
“Without empathy we are f*&ked”
Jessie chats with Amos Zeichner, a charming Israeli Psychology professor with a soothing Yoda vibe. The two discuss experiencing guilt during the pandemic, how to channel your anxiety into action and Jessie’s current moral dilemma of falling in love with a goy because…THE HOLOCAUST. Oy vey.
“He looked at me like I was an ice cream cone”
In the premiere episode Jessie chats with Stephanie Gurland for which the word Chutzpah was invented. These kindred spirits dish about heartbreak, masturbation and the kind of sex that’s so good it can’t last forever. Welcome to Closening. Let’s Jew this!
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