In this episode, I am joined by local Queer Jewish ritualist, matchmaker and cultural connector: Madison Slobin. Divulging a once fearful relationship with ghosts and death, Madi vulnerably invites us into her subconscious to reveal ancestral encounters and the portals of connection that became possible once she was open to them. She offers her experiences with supernatural visitations from her Ashkenazi grandparents and the ancient Jewish divinatory practice of dream interpretation. During the pandemic, this led Madi along a hallowed path towards co-creating “the place/s” (hamakom) where she wanted to be. Elaborating on the concept of “spiritual technology”—ritual that offers both threads of tradition and is also useful to our realities today—encapsulates Madi’s ultimate sacred aspiration: to show up in instinctually spiritual ways that honour the gifts of our ancestors and cultivate lasting connection in modern times.

Madison Slobin is a Queer Jewess who grew up in Vancouver. By day, she works for Vancouver Aboriginal Child & Family Services as their Lifelong Connections Coordinator. In this role, Madison focuses on connecting youth in care to their biological families and Indigenous communities. Outside of work Madison coordinates a number of projects: she is the co-founder and coordinator of Shiva Delivers (Jews in solidarity with Black Grief), Hamakom (a Jewish community that centres the voices and experience of marginalized Jews) and YVR Yenta (a modern matchmaking collective). Madison has also recently organized her building and coordinates a number of projects to strengthen solidarity amongst renters living in the neighborhood. In her free time Madison watches reality TV, grows vegetables and takes long strolls around the city.

Follow Madi’s work:

@makin.madi.moves

@hamakom.bc

@shivadelivers

@yvryenta

Madi’s Rec's:

Episode 16: Jewish Views of the Afterlife w/ Simcha Raphael - Jewish Ancestral Healing | Podcast on Spotify

Beyond the Pale by Elana Dykewomon | Goodreads

Are You The One? Season 8

Episode Sources:

Women's Memorial March calls for justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women

What Is Phasmophobia (Fear of Ghosts) and How to Cope?, By Very Well Health

Jewish Divination-An Introductory Discussion, By Jewitches

The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism, By Rabbi Geoffrey W. Dennis

History of the Word Companion, By Merriam Webster