Palisades Podcast Welcomes Jonathan Zasloff in November Episode

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

The November edition of Palisades Podcast, hosted by longtime community members Maryam Zar and Steve Cron, will feature Palisadian author, professor and ordained rabbi Jonathan Zasloff.

“Have you ever wondered what the role of a rabbi is, what kind of affordable housing might be a fit for Pacific Palisades or what kind of democracy we might have here in 20 years?” Zar asked ahead of the episode. “If you have, you’ll want to tune in to the November Palisades Podcast.”

Zar described Zasloff as a “one-man think tank”: He is a professor at UCLA School of Law, where he teaches Property Law, Introduction to Jewish Legal Reasoning, Jewish Ethics, and Land Use and Urban Planning—all in the same semester.

Zasloff has also written a book on voter suppression titled “Moving Toward Integration,” where he posits, “reducing residential segregation is the best way to reduce racial inequality in the United States … employment rates, earnings, test scores, even longevity all improve sharply as residential integration increases.”

Now residing in the Palisades, Zasloff grew up in the San Fernando Valley, earning a B.A. and law degree from Yale, a master’s in philosophy from Cambridge, and then a master’s and PhD from Harvard. He has been a member of the UCLA Law faculty since 1998, later going on to become an ordained rabbi.

“Yes, he’s a brainiac,” Zar shared, “but he also has a great sense of humor and a world of knowledge on a wide variety of subjects, many of which are explored in this month’s episode.”

He has also served on the board of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and written many articles on a wide variety of legal and rabbinic subjects.

Zasloff was invited to speak at a September meeting of locally founded environmental nonprofit Resilient Palisades on the Environmental Voter Project, which worked to identify people who are concerned about environmental issues and climate change, and ensure they made it out to the voting polls.

“Our conversation with Jonathan is a great listen for people who’d like some cerebral exercise and an entertaining, enlightening hour spent with a fascinating, charming man,” Zar concluded.

The Palisadian-Post has partnered with Zar and Cron to present the Palisades Podcast. Each month, an interview, hosted by Zar and Cron, will be released, highlighting extraordinary lives listeners might not have otherwise had a chance to meet.

Previous guests include Anne Kerr-Adams, Lisa Sweetingham Wallin, David Card and Councilmember Mike Bonin.

To listen to this episode of Palisades Podcast and more, visit palipost.com/palipodcast.