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In this episode we hear from Debra Cronmiller, Executive Director of the League of Women Votes of Wisconsin and Ryan Jayne, Senior Policy Council at Freedom from Religion about the three Constitutional amendments that will be on the ballot in November. We are encouraging voters to vote "no" on all three. To access the one page documents on each amendment that we have produces please click HERE.

Today on  the podcast, I welcome Rabbi Noa Kushner For the last 14 years, Rabbi Noa Kushner has led The Kitchen, a groundbreaking SF synagogue that is “one part shabbat + justice + torah community, one part San Francisco experiment..." She’s welcomed thousands of Jews and non-Jews into the community across the United States and abroad. Her conversations and interviews are inviting, open to skepticism, and encourage all of us to meditate on God and humanity, responsibility and forgiveness, love and doubt, progress and justice.  Rabbi Kushner is also the author of Pretend You Believe: How to Enter Religion . Her mission is to elevate our conversations around religion, spirituality, and raise our collective religious literacy. Her book, Pretend You Believe is neither an inaccessible, theological tome, nor a self-help book. Rather, it’s Kushner’s concise and elegant, intellectual argument for how religion can be as fundamental to our lives as eating. To order the Pretend to Believe go to https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803567/pretend-you-believe-by-noa-kushner/ For more information on the Kitchen go to https://www.thekitchensf.org/

On this episode we welcome Arizona Director of Mormon Women for Ethical Government(MWEG), Jane Anderson to discuss how to make democracy accessible to everyone. Jane Andersen grew up in the Washington, D.C. area, sparking her interest in politics and community engagement. She holds a B.A. in economics from Brigham Young University and an M.A. in constitutional law and political theory from The City University of New York. Jane is the Arizona State Director for Mormon Women for Ethical Government, a nonpartisan nonprofit advocating for a peaceful, just, and ethical world. She is a member of a statewide coalition to prevent political violence and leads Valley Leadership’s Civic Engagement Impact Team. Jane and her husband of 27 years, Jon, have four children, including identical twins with conditions including autism, blindness, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy. Caring for them has deepened her understanding of marginalized populations and the value of diverse perspectives. For more information on MWEG please go to www.mormonwomenforethicalgovenment.org

Today on the show, President and CEO of Interfaith Alliance and 2026 Hope Lives Annual Celebration keynote speaker Rev Paul Brandeis Rashenbush. An ordained Baptist minister, Rev. Raushenbush is a longtime interfaith leader and renowned advocate for civil rights and religious freedom. He works with affiliates, networks and leaders across the country to forge powerful alliances among people of diverse faiths and beliefs to build a resilient, inclusive multi-faith democracy. For tickets and info on the Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice Hope Lives Annual Celebration go to www.wifaithvoices.org/hope-lives For information on Interfaith Alliance go to www.interfaithalliance.org

We are switching things up a bit today.  On the first Monday of each month in 2026 leading up to the mid-term elections in November the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Campaign is hosting a webinar series called Faithful Voices in a Critical Hour focusing on various topics pertaining to the upcoming election. In September the focus was on Poll Chaplains The Poll Chaplain program is a collaboration between the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Campaign and the Wisconsin Council of Churches. We assign interfaith Chaplains to polling locations throughout the state on election day to provide a peaceful presence. We are currently in the process of recruiting new Chaplains so instead of a regular interview, this week we we will hear the audio from the webinar so you can hear more about the program and see if it could be a fit for you. Even if you are not from WI, it's worth a listen because there are poll Chaplain programs all throughout the US.  Our presenter is Breanna Illéné who is this years Poll Chaplain Organizer and who currently serves as the Director of Ecumenical Innovation and Justice Initiatives at the Wisconsin Council of Churches. For more information on the poll Chaplain Program please go to www.wifaithvoices.org/wivec

Rabbi Caryn Broitman has served as rabbi of the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center since 2003. She is a graduate of Harvard University in theComparative Study of Religion, and received her Rabbinical Ordination from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. She has been a SeniorEducators Fellow at the Melton Center of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and a Daniel Jeremy Silver Fellow at the Center for Jewish StudiesHarvard University. She is a regular contributor to Moment Magazine and a sought-after speaker on multi-faith topics, and her work has beenfeatured on NPR and WMVY Radio. She lives on Martha’s Vineyard. The Torah Is an Open Book: Radical Readings for the Seeker and the Skeptic is a response to conservative or literalist voices who have useScripture to exclude, shame, and silence others, leading many to disregard the text altogether. She invites readers of all backgrounds – religious,secular, or simply spiritual – to engage with the Bible as a living conversation.Drawing on centuries of Jewish commentary and her own experience as a congregational rabbi, Broitman shows how even the most difficult orobscure passages can become sources of insight, justice, and connection when read through the lens of midrash. For more on Rabbi Caryn Broitman go to www.rabbicarynbroitman.com For more on WI Faith Voices for Justice go to www.wifaithvoices.org

With recent ICE enforcement surges in cities across Wisconsin and throughout the country, it is more important than ever to keep the conversation about protecting our immigrant communities at the forefront. In this episode, Nikki Fisher, interim co-executive director of WISDOM, joins us to discuss the work being done to support and protect immigrants, as well as the first annual Wisconsin Immigration Summit, taking place July 31–August 1 at Marian University in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. For more information on this summit and on all that WISDOM is doing please go to www.wisdomwisconsin.org For more  information on WI Faith Voices for Justice go to www.wifaithvoices.org

Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford is a food service worker, small business owner, and a proud transgender woman. She is also a member of the Madison Common Council. Dina Nina is running for the 76th Assembly District but does not have the typical background of someone who runs for the State Assembly. She has gone without healthcare and worked for $2.33 an hour for most of her career. She does not  just see the challenges our neighbors face – She lives them. For more on Dina Nina go to www.votedinanina.org For more on WI Faith Voices for Justice go to www.wifaithvoices.org

Marianna Richardson brings a rare combination of experience in faith, education, communication, and global policy. As Director of Communications for the G20 Interfaith Forum and a professor at Brigham Young University, she works at the center of some of today’s biggest conversations surrounding religion, human flourishing, technology, and international cooperation. Her work explores how faith communities can help shape ethical responses to emerging global challenges while preserving human dignity, freedom, and meaningful connection. What makes Marianna especially compelling for podcasts is the breadth of her personal and professional journey. She is a writer, educator, and speaker who earned advanced degrees from Johns Hopkins University and Seattle Pacific University while raising 12 children and serving alongside her husband during their leadership assignment in São Paulo, Brazil. She later attended law school with a passion for religious freedom and has written extensively on communication, faith, education, and culture. Marianna speaks with both academic depth and personal warmth. Whether discussing faith and technology, religious freedom, education, human flourishing, leadership, family, or the future of society, she brings thoughtful insight grounded in real-life experience. Her perspective resonates with audiences looking for hopeful, intelligent conversations about how people can preserve meaning, morality, and human connection in a rapidly changing world. For more on the G20 Interfaith Forum go to www.g20interfaith.org For more on WI Faith Voices for Justice go to www.wifaithvoices.org

Dr. Lucas Wilson is a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Toronto Mississauga and wasformerly the Justice, Equity, and Transformation Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Calgary. He is the editor of Shame-Sex Attraction:Survivors’ Stories of Conversion Therapy (Jessica Kingsley Publishers). His public-facing writing has appeared in The Advocate, Queerty,LGBTQ Nation, and Religion Dispatches, among other venues. He is currently working on two new edited collections: Don't Ask, Tell All: Storiesof Christian Colleges' Anti-Queer Regimes (under contract with The University of Georgia Press) and Queer and Trembling: Stories of LGBTQ+Religious Trauma (Jessica Kingsley Publishers). Please join us for the upcoming webinar featuring Dr Lucas Wilson Call Shame Sex attraction on June 18th at 6pm. To register for free please click HERE To order the book Shame Sex Attraction click HEREFor More information on Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice go to www.wifaithvoices.org

Dr. Lucas Wilson is a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Toronto Mississauga and wasformerly the Justice, Equity, and Transformation Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Calgary. He is the editor of Shame-Sex Attraction:Survivors’ Stories of Conversion Therapy (Jessica Kingsley Publishers). His public-facing writing has appeared in The Advocate, Queerty,LGBTQ Nation, and Religion Dispatches, among other venues. He is currently working on two new edited collections: Don't Ask, Tell All: Storiesof Christian Colleges' Anti-Queer Regimes (under contract with The University of Georgia Press) and Queer and Trembling: Stories of LGBTQ+Religious Trauma (Jessica Kingsley Publishers). Please join us for the upcoming webinar featuring Dr Lucas Wilson Call Shame Sex attraction on June 18th at 6pm. To register for free please click HERE To order the book Shame Sex Attraction click HEREFor More information on Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice go to www.wifaithvoices.org

Maggie Siddiqi is Senior Advisor at Interfaith Alliance. She is an expert in faith-based advocacy for social change, coalition-building across lines of difference, and public policy on religious freedom and standing up against hate. Siddiqi recently concluded her appointment to the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Education, where she served as Director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris administration she served as senior director of the Religion and Faith team at the Center for American Progress, where she led the organization’s work on religious liberty and engaged a coalition of diverse faith leaders to advance progressive policies. Siddiqi spent nearly a decade before that in national organizations serving American Muslim communities. She has a master’s degree in Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations from Hartford Seminary and a bachelor’s degree in religion from Wesleyan University. Siddiqi also earned graduate certificates in Islamic chaplaincy from Hartford Seminary and in nonprofit management from Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. For more on Interfaith Alliance go to www.interfaithalliance.orgFor more on WI Faith Voices for Justice go to www.wifaithvoices.org

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s a time that invites us to have deeper, more honest conversations about the connection between faith and mental health, which is why I’m especially excited about today’s episode. For the past nine months, we’ve been working on a project centered on this very topic, and I’m thrilled to share that we’ve just released a short documentary called Faith and Feelings. This project is the brainchild of Edman Ahmed, who joined us as an intern last summer. Through this film, Edman brought together four participants from four different faith traditions, each willing to speak candidly on camera about how their faith intersects with their mental health. All of the participants are current or former UW–Madison students, and what they offer is honest, personal reflection on their lived experiences. The film features Sophie Genshaft, Lilia Juarez, Khadijah Doondia, and Daisy Hong, and today we’re fortunate to be joined by Edman, along with Sophie and Lilia, to give you a glimpse into the conversations and stories you’ll find in the documentary. To watch the Faith and Feelings Documentary click HERE For more information on Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice go to www.wifaithvoices.org

Today on the show we prepare for May Day with Voces de la Frontera's Pamela Westphal. Pamela is a Milwaukee-based community organizer who is currently serving as the Director of the Youth Empowered in the Struggle program, the youth branch of Voces de la Frontera. She previously held leadership roles in both the Milwaukee chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and the Discovery World Union. Pamela is also a filmmaker who works on documentary work about the history of Milwaukee. May Day Info Madison, WI12 pm Rally at Library Mall 715 State Street  1 pm March to the State CapitolTop of State Street  2 pm Capitol ProgramOutdoors, Top of State Street Milwaukee10 am Rally at Voces Offices733 W Historic Mitchell Street  11 am March to the Federal Building517 E Wisconsin Ave  12 pm Main Programat the Federal Building For more information on Voces de la Frontera go to www.vdlf.org For More information on WI Faith Voices for Justice go to www.wifaithvoices.org

Next week we celebrate earth day! At WI Faith Voices for Justice, we see caring for our earth as a spiritual act no matter your faith tradition.Laura Lane from Faith in Place joins the conversation today to discuss way we can get involved individually and corporately to take care of the earth.For more information on Faith in Place go to www.faithinplace.orgTo register for the earth day vigil click HERE. For more information on WI Faith Voices for Justice go to www.wifaithvoices.org