Abby Pogrebin

Abigail Pogrebin is the author of "My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays; One Wondering Jew," which was a finalist for the 2018 National Jewish Book Award. She is also the author of "Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk about Being Jewish," for which Pogrebin interviewed 62 famous American Jews — from Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Steven Spielberg — about their religious identity. Her 2024 book, "It Takes Two to Torah: An Orthodox Rabbi and Reform Journalist Discuss and Debate Their Way Through the Five Books of Moses," was co-authored with Rabbi Dov Linzer, President of YCT Rabbinical School, and won the 2025 Independent Press Award for Religion Nonfiction. Her earlier book, "One and the Same" delved into every aspect of growing up as a twin — of which she is one. (The identical kind.) Her bestselling Kindle Single, "Showstopper," chronicled her teenage adventures on Broadway in the original production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along.”

Pogrebin was an Emmy-nominated producer for Mike Wallace at "60 Minutes," and before that, produced for Bill Moyers and Charlie Rose at PBS. She has moderated conversations at The Streicker Center, The JCC in Manhattan, UJA Federation, and the Shalom Hartman Institute and her written articles have appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, The Forward, Tablet, Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. Tablet Magazine’s podcast, Parsha in Progress featured a regular Torah discussion with Pogrebin and Rabbi Dov Linzer (President of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah). She moderates an interview series for JBS—Jewish Broadcasting Service called "In the Spotlight."

Pogrebin received the “Impact Award” from the JCC in Manhattan, and the “Community Leader Award” from The Jewish Week in 2017. She served as President of Central Synagogue from 2015-18, and was Director of Jewish Outreach for Michael Bloomberg’s 2020 presidential campaign.