Videos
Julie is a regular speaker/interviewer at community events in Northern California. She also teaches online cooking classes in a mission to bring fun and new inspiration to those who feel daunted by complicated recipes––or soulfully drained after decades in the kitchen.
Congregation Rodef Sholom - REAL Mental Health Initiative
What a joy it was to be in conversation with Stacy Laveson Friedman and my precious community of Congregation Rodef Sholom around the themes of my book, STAY: A Story of Family, Love, & Other Traumas. My heart and thanks to each of you who helped bring me to this moment. It is EVERYTHING to me to know the book is helping your journey as well♥️♥️
Talking with Jesse Rudnick my daughter and central character of STAY
Parents? Anyone who has or loves someone with a chronic illness of any kind? Listen up. In this conversation, my daughter Jesse Rudnick, whose story I write in STAY, shares what it’s like when your whole world changes when you enter the illuminating, powerful and isolating veil I call the Land of Chronic Illness.
On Grief from Both Sides with Sally McQuillen psychotherapist
I decided the most meaningful thing I could do after the publication of STAY is spend time with some people who have been my teachers along the way. I spoke with author and therapist Sally McQuillen — who is one of my writing partners — about grief. In her book Reaching for Beautiful (out in April 2025), she talks about the incredible story of her relationship with her son Christopher and the journey of raising him as a wild child and losing him in a tragic accident.
The Cost of Family Secrets / Getting Close to Death with Rabbi Michael Lezak
I probably wouldn’t have written this book without Rabbi Michael. It was our son Sam’s bar mitzvah and Michael was a rabbi at Congregation Rodef Sholom at that time. We were talking about the bar mitzvah and he said to me, “how are you going to bring your brother Danny into the room?” I remember being so caught off guard … why would I do that? Why bring a loved one who has been lost into your present life?
What is the meaning of life? with Rabbi Stacy Friedman
I spoke with Rabbi Stacy Friedman about the meaning of life and how one of our biggest sources of struggle is alienation — alienation from our true authentic selves, from others, and from the source, whether you call that God or divine energy or light or joy — and how finding a community where you can be your whole self can be one of the greatest gifts in life.
On Creativity with Laura Zinn Fromm
I spoke with my dear friend Laura Zinn Fromm, Founder of Sweet Lab Writing Workshops and author of Sweet Survival, on the healing powers of creativity.
The Cost of Family Secrets: Why Sharing Your Hardest Parts Makes You Whole
If you’re keeping secrets from yourself or the people in your life, ask yourself why.
Mental illness was not part of society’s lexicon back then, and we were at a loss about everything but this: we would do everything possible to help Danny—and no one would know. We assumed his funk was a phase, and we wanted to shield him from the burden of people thinking that something was “wrong with him” when he came out of it. The weeks turned to months, and as denial gave way to desperation, my family––my whole, loving, perfect family––began a harrowing, fourteen-year slow-motion trauma. In private. I was 18.
More than 30 years later, I’ve come to terms with the cost of keeping the family secret. And in my talk at Rosh Hashanah Services this year at Congregation Rodef Sholom in San Rafael, California, I shared with our community a part of myself almost no one knew. I also shared what I’ve learned about the insidious cost of family secrets.
We live in a world where it’s easy to curate a certain version of ourselves, to build a brand of choice. But brands don’t really work, do they? Brands don’t allow for the truth and complexity of who we really are.
Interview with Dr. Edith Eger
Dr. Edith Eger is one of most profound and amazing human beings you will ever learn from. She talks about learning to live free from the bondage of trauma, judgement, grief, resentment, anxiety, depression, victimhood, every ill there is. She was sent to Auschwitz at 16, forced to dance for Dr. Mengele, survived the Austrian Death March, and was found on the day of liberation lying on a pile of corpses. She came to America with $6 in her pocket, got a masters in psychology at 50, a Ph.D. at 60, published her first book at 90, her second at 93, has been interviewed by Oprah, Brene Brown, Deepak Chopra, knew Eleanor Roosevelt and was the keynote speaker at Victor Frankl’s 90th birthday. As you’ll see, I was so in awe of her I could barely keep it together! Dr. Eger’s books are The Choice and The Gift, available everywhere, and they will surely change your life.
Cooking Videos
Passover recipes from around the world
Today we’re cooking four things: Moroccan chicken matzoh ball soup. (I added the matzoh balls to make it Passover. Full disclosure, I don’t think this is really a passover recipe, but it can be.) I also want to teach you about veggie kugels, and how you can make an amazing veggie kugel by switching out different vegetables once you understand the core ingredients.
Then I’m making charoset — I’m calling it Israeli because my mother’s Israeli and she taught me.
And then we’re making California Matzoh Brei. I made that up. It’s basically matzoh brei, but the twist is we’re from California now so we’re adding other cool stuff to it, and it’s really amazing.
Spring Cooking
Today we’re going to be looking at some quick and easy new ideas for when you’re sick of eating the same thing. This includes a couple of yummy breakfast options, and some great lunches / dinners such as Peking tofu, eggplant boats, spaghetti squash, and saag paneer.
Winter Cooking
Today we’re talking about how to make cooking easier while staying healthy and not getting hung up on a lot of details. We’re going to be making caramelized onions & peppers, which we’ll use in chili and burritos.
Cooking from the CSA Farm Box
Today we are improvising recipes with ingredients found in our CSA farm box, including pink Italian radicchio, lettuces & braising greens, baby artichokes, parsnips, carrots, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.
Let's Cook Latkes
Today we’re making some traditional Jewish staples, including regular latkes and zucchini latkes. You can make latkes out of anything but I don’t trust any that don’t use onion so that’s what we’re doing. We’re also making my family’s favorite two-ingredient applesauce and my grandmother’s schnitzel recipe. You’ll also get to hear me talk about how much I love my food processor and my New West KnifeWorks knives.
Let’s Make Bubbe Estie’s Hungarian Chicken Paprikash
Today we’re making chicken paprikash with dumplings, which is the ultimate comfort food. It’s one of those dishes, a little bit like cholent, where growing up, I felt like I would never be able to make this. It seemed too good not to be impossible to make. And then I grew up and moved away and needed to keep eating it, and then I found out the dirty secret that it’s actually ridiculously easy to make.
Let's Cook for Rosh Hashanah!
My brother isn’t happy about it, but I’m sharing my mom’s treasure chest of insanely ethereal and easy recipes for the Jewish holidays. The world could use some Jewish cooking love!
Since my mom likes to cook alone, as a kid, cooking always felt like a total mystery. And because everything that came from her kitchen was amazing, I figured it had to be impossible to emulate. Luckily, when it comes to her Jewish holiday cooking, it’s not.
Falafel and More
You guys are in for such a treat. Today we are making falafel and sabich. Falafel is one of the most popular street foods in Israel, there are falafel stands on every corner and everyone has their favorite. Sabich has become the other favorite street food. Sabich is an Israeli sandwich based on a traditional Iraqi Jewish dish. The ingredients of sabich constitute the traditional breakfast of Iraqi Jews on Shabat morning, but all the ingredients are put into a pita as opposed to the traditional meal where the ingredients were served on a large tray.
Korean Cooking
I personally love Korean cooking, and there are no Korean restaurants in Marin. I always thought I couldn’t make Korean food because it would be impossible, but it turns out it’s not impossible, and I’m going to show you some tricks. We’ll be making a bean sprout salad and a rice bowl with spinach, edamame, and cucumber.
Cooking with Julie Fingersh May 2020
I wanted to do this class because I grew up with a mom who is a super gourmet cook. She did not let us in the kitchen — not because she didn’t want to show us, but she’s just one of those cooks who likes to cook alone, and it was all very complicated and layered. I really was afraid of cooking until probably ten years ago, and that’s when I discovered that you can just make it really simple, and you don’t have to follow a complicated recipe. And once you trust yourself, you can really make anything.
This isn’t a cooking show. It’s not all organized. I basically wanted you to join me in what I’d be doing today anyway, and show you a little bit about my philosophy of cooking and how I set things up for the week, and make it fun and easy.
Today we’re going to be talking about some foundational recipes and some food prep principles to get yourself set up for the week.