Looking back at 1 year of episodes, Jacob recounts 5 highlights of producing the show including his favorite episode.

In the beginning there were two space programs: The United States and the Soviet Union. Now that private companies and highschoolers can participate, Jacob considers how and why a Jewish Space Program can take shape.

What is space midrash? It’s a podcast by me, Jacob Sager. I have a vision for an ethical, artful, and inclusive humanity thriving among the cosmos. I’m on a mission to probe the intersection of Jewish civilization and the space age at our present juncture. Space Midrash is the mission log. Join me as I […]

Among the 16 early Jewish astronauts, 2 died in the respective Shuttle disasters. This episode recalls the missions of the space shuttles Challenger and Columbia as well as the lives and accomplishments of fallen Jewish crew members Judith Resnick and Ilan Ramon.

As technology advances, we are increasingly thrust into a reality where we must come to terms with our place in the universe. This new reality has the potential to drastically change the way we see ourselves and our place in the world. Jewish civilization, with its long history of storytelling, has the opportunity to lead the way in this new era.

Jewish people who have lived are immortalized not just by streets and libraries on earth but on objects and landscapes in space that may or may not ever experience human occupation. If you’ve played Jewish geography with friends or feel a joyful affinity when learning that a historic figure such as scientist is Jewish then […]

AntiSemitism has already occurred with the space age. Is it a joke or are there real consequences?

As we come into the space age and more people venture out into the unknown, we must consider how we will deal with death and mourning. The death of Spock in Star Trek 2 provides us with a unique opportunity to explore these concepts. In particular, Kirk’s eulogy for Spock reminds us that it is the survivors of the dead who we can honor. Through existential tools like the Mourner’s Cottage and Shiva, we can embrace the confusion and loss that comes with death.

Camp allows us to think bigger, so what’s bigger than space? This episode offers program ideas for bringing outer space to your Summer Camp. Outer Space + Summer Camp = 7 ideas for Space Programming at Jewish Summer Camps.

Eventually you’ll call them the early Jewish astronauts. In this episode Jacob discusses the first 16 Jewish Astronauts and the Jewish objects they brought into space. In his opening monologue, he probes why there’s a higher percentage of Jewish astronauts than Jews from the general population as well as confront the misconception that there were only 2 Jewish astronauts.
-The 16 Jewish astronauts and their backgrounds
-What they have done in space
-The significance of a Jewish astronaut poster
-How Jewish culture and identity play a role in these astronauts’ lives

In this episode, Jacob defines a narrative collapse, explores how the space age will bring more narrative collapse, and how he believes Jewish civilization can embrace narrative collapse, once again. Transcript You are listening to space midrash. I am your host, Jacob Sager. I believe in an artful, ethical, and inclusive humanity thriving amongst the […]

Passover and The Space Age go together. Before this podcast, Jacob began considering the impact of the Overview Effect on Jewish communities Worldwide. The Overview Effect being the cognition or experience of viewing the earth from space or in space. He wrote his original thoughts in an essay on Times of Israel blogs in 2021. […]

Before the inaugural Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic flights, there had been 16 Jewish astronauts, all professional. Since last year, 3 more Jews have ventured into space. These new Jewish Astronauts embody the intersection of Jewish and Space Age values. This Episode briefly recaps the missions of Jared Issacman (SpaceX), William Shatner (Blue Origin), and […]

Havdalah begins with counting stars and ends with extinguishing a candle into wine. Space Midrash will explore how this weekly ritual enriches the human perception of time, on earth or anywhere in the cosmos…

In this episode Jacob reviews Frank White’s philosophy from his book “The Overview Effect,” and how this phenomena/effect can be positively embraced by a forward-thinking Jewish Civilization. Transcript: You are listening to space midrash. I am your host, Jacob Sager. I believe in an artful, ethical and inclusive humanity thriving amongst the cosmos. We are […]

Many Jewish objects have crossed the Karmen line into space – religious, cultural, and personally meaningful items. This episode is a quick overview of those items.

Space Midrash is a podcast that explores the intersection of Jewish civilization and the space age. Our goal is to promote understanding and cooperation between these two areas.

Jacob Sager is the host of the Space Midrash podcast.

– How space is becoming increasingly important in our world
– The increase in the number of disputes related to space
– The recent overturning of laws in Israel that excluded converts to Judaism
– The proliferation of live stream channels that offer different perspectives on rocket launches
– How the space age may impact the Jewish people
– How Jewish people can take advantage of opportunities in the new space age

Episode 7 turns inward: Jacob’s daughter asked him to make an episode explaining what Space Midrash means. He describes the intersection of Jewish Civilization and the Space Age as well as defines the title: Space Midrash.

In this episode, Jacob defines the three types of Jewish tourism, outlines the current and expected modes of Space tourism, and finally mashes them together to explain how Jewish Space Tourism will start out. Transcript You are listening to space midrash. I am your host, Jacob Sager. I believe in an artful, ethical and inclusive […]

the Space Shuttle Columbia was the first to carry passengers. Across 22 years, it spent more than 300 days in Orbit. Among it’s payloads were two different Torahs. One at the beginning of it’s saga and the other, tragically at the end. This episode chronicles the Torahs brought aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia by Jeffrey Hoffman in 1996 and Ilan Ramon in 2003.