Podcasts have been all the rage these last few years. After the pandemic, it seemed as though virtually everyone had a podcast. Rabbi Velvel Belinsky at ARIEL Chabad Jewish Center in Pikesville is no exception.
“Before podcasts, I used to record my classes anyway, and I would just give [physical] recordings to people. Sometimes they were physical CDs, DVDs,” said Belinsky. “Then they were digitally recorded. I was putting up the recordings of my classes on our website, and then subsequently it evolved into this podcast.”
Belinsky explained that he started recording his classes because the people who were attending wanted the recordings to share with those who were unable to make it.
Not only does Belinsky have a weekly podcast, but he also produces a weekly video blog, both of which he posts in English and in Russian.
“My video blog is [about] different thoughts that I have for the week, mainly answering the most commonly asked questions that I hear people asking,” said Belinsky.
The length of each podcast can vary, but for the video blogs, Belinsky said he tries to make them no longer than about five minutes.
“I know that a lot of times, people don’t have the patience that the class, a proper class, requires,” added Belinsky. “I know people do as I do. Whenever there is any video or audio recording sent to me, the first thing I do is I see how long it is because, even if the question that this podcast or video recording is addressing is of great interest to me, I have to see what kind of commitment it will require to get the answer.”
Belinsky records his videos in his office, where he used to only use his phone to record.
Now, the rabbi uses a professional microphone and camera for better quality videos, which he records on his own. For his podcast, someone from his office typically does light edits to the audio to ensure there aren’t any background noises from the class.
He said the most time-consuming of the two is the video blogs. From the research to typing up a script, Belinsky said it takes at least an hour.
“I’m a one-man show,” Belinsky said. “I’m the cameraman and I’m the tech and I’m the producer. I’m going off at the mercy of the technology, and sometimes I record something only to find out afterwards that the microphone was not set on the right setting, [or] I realize that the lighting wasn’t good.”
For Belinsky, there is no shortage of topics for him to cover.
“[People] ask me something at every event. Every time when I speak to somebody, I always get new material, new questions,” said Belinsky. “All my classes are usually connected to the times we are in, a holiday that’s coming up or a weekly Torah portion, which is studied that week.”
While the production process can be time-consuming, Belinsky sees it as a meaningful extension of his mission to help people connect with Judaism in a convenient and accessible way.
“Our mission is to bring Judaism to every single Jew, and that’s what these podcasts and video blogs are doing,” said Belinsky. “People can listen to them and watch them in the comfort of their own home, when they drive their car, when they [are doing] something else. It’s a very accessible way of getting this information for people, and people find out many interesting things about Judaism and their tradition.”
What started as a resource for his own community has grown into thousands of views on his videos.
“My target audience has always been Jews, because I was here to educate fellow Jews about Judaism, but I do know that it is very widely watched and listened to by non-Jews as well,” Belinsky said. “I also get responses from my podcasts [from] many non-Jews. It’s surprising to me, but many [non-Jews] appreciate it as well, and I’m glad they do.”
