Closening

Hello, I’m Jessie Kahnweiler. Like literally everyone else in the world, I’m stuck in my apartment binging the news and eating a third lunch while terrified that I’m slowly going insane. Desperate to escape my own neurosis, I called my favorite person in the world: My 99-year-old Grandma, Lucille. She’s currently quarantined inside her room at an assisted living facility on the Upper West-Side. I asked her how she was coping with the chaos and without skipping a beat she cackled ‘by thinking of my next meal.’ I immediately felt the ease wash over me like rain -- I was home.   

My phone sesh with Grandma Lu left me feeling inspired, grateful, and craving more of these conversations with the true spiritual leaders of our tribe: Bubbe and Zayde. Closening strives to bring us closer in these times of isolation. How can our past inform how we show up for this? 

From a blind English ex-con to a feisty southern belle nursing a heartache these aren't your typical grandparents. These conversations have profoundly affected me, like Xanax for my soul. It's showing me there's really nothing better in life than a cup of coffee and good conversation. We cover everything from the meaning of life to masturbation. And, of course, the Corona of it all. It's a wild ride you can take from the comfort of your couch.

Communal suffering, epic uncertainty, and fighting to see the light in total darkness: sounds like a Jewish podcast to me.

Jessie Kahnweiler’s films have amassed millions of views and been featured everywhere from The New York Times to TMZ. Jessie wrote, directed, and starred in a dark comedy about bulimia, The Skinny, which was produced by Jill Soloway, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and won a Webby for best dramatic series. Jessie has developed series for Hulu, ABC, CW and wrote on SKAM AUSTIN for Facebook Watch. Her latest short, He’s the One, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. She lives in LA with her plants.