The last Jew Gone Zen Podcast episode of 2024 … and what a perfect conversation to close my first year of post-October 7th podcasting with…  

I recently met Eva Izsak-Niimura by chance — at the Jewish Community of Japan — having wandered in on a Shabbat in Tokyo “just to see what a synagogue in Japan was like...” (in case you needed proof that we all turn into our mothers...) 

Eva’s entire existence is the most Jew-Gone-Zen story I’ve ever heard — even before I read her book — which may, in fact, be the most impactful book I’ve ever read. Through the ever-changing lens of a mother-daughter relationship, “Songs My Mother Taught Me” — addresses themes of identity, generational trauma, and the desire to re-invent oneself and escape the past, l’dor v’dor, until the cycle inevitably repeats itself again.  

Titled “Shneinu” or “the two of us” in Hebrew, and “Lettres a la Mere” (referencing Kafka’s “Letter to a Father”) in French, the book was written, Eva says, to commit to paper many of the thoughts that people generally feel too ashamed to talk about — in hopes of bringing to light that even our deepest darkest thoughts may actually not be all that unique… 

But the best part of my conversation with Eva was the fact that we recorded this podcast on December 16th, my Mom’s birthday — though episodes typically come out the 18th of every month, due to the time-zone difference between Japan and New York, this final episode of the year was released one day later, December 19th — on what would have been my Dad’s birthday.  

I can’t think of a better way to honor my parents — especially after having read this book.

"Songs My Mother Taught Me" on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Songs-My-Mother-Taught-Me-Eva-Izsak/dp/1647426987