This week on Unorthodox, we won’t be hitting the slopes in Switzerland. Our Jewish guest this week is Ted Deutch, former U.S. Congressman and current CEO of the American Jewish Committee. He joins us to talk about the AJC’s new Report on the State of Antisemitism in America.  Plus, to mark the two-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine, producer Quinn Waller visits an unexpected school in South Brooklyn that is making America feel like home for some of the war’s youngest refugees.  We also share an interview from a recent Beautifully Jewish craft-along with Israeli-American rapper Kosha Dillz and his mother. Since October 7, Dillz has been rapping about Jewish toughness in his songs “Bring the Family Home” and “Watermelon,” while his mother has been knitting hats for IDF soldiers. Beautifully Jewish is brought to you in part by Lion Brand Yarns, a fifth-generation, family-owned business that is passionate about helping people enjoy the pleasures of working with yarn and committed to creating a more colorful, connected, comforting, and caring world. Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS: The Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management invites you to consider earning your Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Innovation while you work. Learn more at ZSchool.huc.edu. Generous scholarships available.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re kashering the FIESTA dishware.  Our Jewish guest this week is Neta Ariel, director of the Maaleh School of Film and Television in Jerusalem. She shares how her film students are working to raise awareness for the hostages still held in Gaza.  Our Gentile of the Week is Dr. Phil. He joins us to talk about his new television network as well as his new book, We’ve Got Issues: How You Can Stand Strong for America's Soul and Sanity, and offers our hosts some advice for talk show longevity.  Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re regretting doing those DNA tests. Our Gentile of the Week is NBA All-Star and former New York Knick Allan Houston, who shares his new faith-based initiative, FISLL. He was joined by FISLL Youth Ambassador, Jewish teen Nate Sugar, to discuss their work. We also welcome Richard Sandler to discuss his new book, Witness to a Prosecution: The Myth of Michael Milken. Sandler was Milken’s personal lawyer and the book chronicles the injustices of the investigation.  Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  Visit the Contemporary Jewish Museum this winter for its new exhibit, "First Light: Rituals of Glass and Neon Art." Now on view through April 28. Book tickets today at thecjm.org. 

This week on Unorthodox, we’re all about the two-strain solution.  We talk to Jewish actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who played Meadow Soprano on the HBO show, The Sopranos. She tells us about her experience on the hit show, and everything she’s been up to in the 25 years since.  We also share another story from our Israel trip: producer Elie Bleier takes Tanya Singer to his favorite hummus joint and makes the case that one of their dishes might truly bring peace to the Middle east. Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  Visit the Contemporary Jewish Museum this winter for its new exhibit, "First Light: Rituals of Glass and Neon Art." Now on view through April 28. Book tickets today at thecjm.org.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re devoting the episode to stories of remembrance.  We share a teaser from Covering Their Tracks, a new Tablet Studios series that tells the story of the French National Railway’s complicity with the Nazis during WWII, and a decades-long pursuit of justice. We sat down with host and documentarian Matthew Slutsky to discuss the show.  Our Gentile of the Week is Kathryn Huether, a professor of musicology at Vanderbilt who studies sonic representations of the Holocaust.  Plus, we share another installment of Beautifully Jewish, our series dedicated to celebrating the objects that enrich our Jewish lives. This time, Stephanie and Tanya travel to the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center to see a very special dress with a very special story behind it. This segment was created with the support of Lion Brand Yarns.  Episode art courtesy of Illinois Holocaust Museum, gift in memory of Cantor Leopold Fleischer and family.  Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  Visit the Contemporary Jewish Museum this winter for its new exhibit, "First Light: Rituals of Glass and Neon Art." Now on view through April 28. Book tickets today at thecjm.org.  Lion Brand Yarns is a fifth generation, family-owned business, sold online, at National Craft chains, Mass Market and independent shops. Lion Brand Yarns is passionate about helping people enjoy the pleasures of working with yarn and committed to creating a more colorful, connected, comforting, and caring world.

It’s been more than 100 days since Hamas massacred more than 1,300 Israelis and kidnapped hundreds more into Gaza. To commemorate this grim milestone, we are pausing our regular programming to honor those who were killed that day and those still being held captive. We’re sharing stories reported from Israel and segments from our Testimonies Archive. List of hostage names courtesy of BringThemHomeNow.org.  Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS: Visit the Contemporary Jewish Museum this winter for its new exhibit, "First Light: Rituals of Glass and Neon Art." Now on view through April 28. Book tickets today at thecjm.org.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re trading Shia LaBeouf for Alanis Morrisette.  Our Jewish guest is comedian and podcaster Moshe Kasher, who tells us about his new book, Subculture Vulture: A Memoir in Six Scenes—especially the Jewish stuff.  We’re also sharing another story from our December trip to Israel, about Blend.ar, a nonprofit Arabic and Hebrew-language program that connects Jewish and Arab Israelis.  Listen to the Testimonies Archive for more eyewitness audio accounts from Israel, and read Tablet’s coverage here.  Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  Visit the Contemporary Jewish Museum this winter for its new exhibit, "First Light: Rituals of Glass and Neon Art." Now on view through April 28. Book tickets today at thecjm.org. 

This week on Unorthodox, it’s our final episode of 2023. We bring you the latest installment of The Archive, our series exploring the collection of the National Library of Israel. This one is all about Franz Kafka: his feelings on Zionism, his attempts to learn Hebrew, and the tangled web in which his manuscripts were trapped. Then, we hear from Israeli historian and political commentator Gadi Taub about his new video podcast, Israel Update, which he hosts alongside the Hudson Institute’s Michael Doran. You can follow along on Tablet at tabletmag.com/israelupdate.  Finally, we’re sharing another installment of our country-crossing series, Across the JEW.S.A, created with the support of the Jewish Federations of North America. Liel travels north to Montreal to visit one of the oldest Jewish communities in Canada. You can catch up on all our travels Across the JEW.S.A. at tabletmag.com/jewsa.  Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: .  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  NLI, the National Library of Israel, proudly supports our series The Archive. Discover the treasures, collections, and stories of the National Library of Israel here. Simplify your giving with the Jewish Communal Fund, the nation's largest Jewish donor-advised fund. Act by December 29th to lock in the maximum charitable deduction for 2023. Get started at JCFNY.org. The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards honor up to 15 Jewish teens from across the United States with an award of $36,000 to recognize their impact and leadership to repair the world. Learn more at DillerTeenAwards.org. Don’t miss Harmony, the acclaimed new musical from Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman that Entertainment Weekly calls “powerful, moving and more resonant than ever.” Get tickets today at HarmonyANewMusical.com.

This week, Unorthodox is publishing daily dispatches from Israel.  On Friday, Tanya Singer delivers the fruits of the Beautifully Jewish Craft-Along, bringing handknit hats to IDF soldiers, crocheted dolls to hospitalized children, and handmade cards to Israelis across the country. Along the way, she encounters all sorts of crafters and creators, and reveals the common threads of resilience and generosity that make the tapestry of the Jewish people so strong. For more eyewitness accounts from Israel, listen to the Testimonies Archive, a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation.  Unorthodox’s reporting from Israel was made possible thanks to support from the Natan Foundation, the Maimonides Fund, and Tablet. Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week, Unorthodox is publishing daily dispatches from Israel.  On Thursday, we meet some of the non-Jews who make up the Jewish state. We visit El Masar Elementary School in Daliyat El Carmel and speak with Druze students, parents, and teachers affected by the war. We also meet Tareq Nassar and Mona Suliman of the Sinsila Center Beekeeping Project in East Jerusalem, which encourages Muslim women to cultivate profitable and climate-friendly beehives on their rooftops. Plus, a special visit to a 700-year-old Coptic Christian tattoo shop in Jerusalem’s Christian quarter, where one of our producers gets some ink. For more eyewitness accounts from Israel, listen to the Testimonies Archive, a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation.  Unorthodox’s reporting from Israel was made possible thanks to support from the Natan Foundation, the Maimonides Fund, and Tablet. Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  Simplify your giving with the Jewish Communal Fund, the nation's largest Jewish donor-advised fund. Act by December 29th to lock in the maximum charitable deduction for 2023. Get started at JCFNY.org. The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards honor up to 15 Jewish teens from across the United States with an award of $36,000 to recognize their impact and leadership to repair the world. Learn more at DillerTeenAwards.org. Don’t miss Harmony, the acclaimed new musical from Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman that Entertainment Weekly calls “powerful, moving and more resonant than ever.” Get tickets today at HarmonyANewMusical.com.

This week, Unorthodox is publishing daily dispatches from Israel.  Today, we catch up with cookbook author Adeena Sussman and take a trip to the Shuk HaCarmel, southern Tel Aviv’s famous open-air market, to get a taste of how Israel’s famed food scene has been impacted by Oct. 7 (and, of course, sample the delicious local wares).  For more eyewitness accounts from Israel, listen to the Testimonies Archive, a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation.  Unorthodox’s reporting from Israel was made possible thanks to support from the Natan Foundation, the Maimonides Fund, and Tablet. Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week, Unorthodox is publishing daily dispatches from Israel.  On Tuesday, we visit Roy Shimshon at his dog sanctuary in Moshav Tidhar in Southern Israel, where he is caring for nearly 100 dogs, most of whom have been separated from their owners since Oct. 7. His story gives voice to those who can’t speak for themselves: The animals left behind when their owners were killed, kidnapped, or displaced from their homes.  For more eyewitness accounts from Israel, listen to the Testimonies Archive, a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation.  Unorthodox’s reporting from Israel was made possible thanks to support from the Natan Foundation, the Maimonides Fund, and Tablet. Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week, Unorthodox is publishing daily dispatches from Israel.  Today, we head to Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the communities most brutally attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7. Liel, Josh, and Tablet’s Armin Rosen meet up with Chen Kotler, a lifelong Kfar Aza resident, who shows them the devastation firsthand.  For more eyewitness accounts from Israel, listen to the Testimonies Archive, a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation.  Unorthodox’s reporting from Israel was made possible thanks to support from the Natan Foundation, the Maimonides Fund, and Tablet. Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re sharing nine stories of Jewish light during a time when it’s never felt more necessary.  Liel brings us a reminder of the true spirit of Hanukkah. We share reflections from attendees and vendors at Tablet’s first Hanukkah Bazaar on how this year’s Hanukkah feels more important than ever. Producer Elie Bleier brings us a story from a makeshift army base near the Gaza Border, where Israeli civilians from across the country traveled to make IDF soldiers a surprising pick-me-up. Sunflowers founder Hadar Kess tells us about her work to help orphaned Israeli children. We bring you a story from our Testimonies Archive, about the 30 day memorial, or shloshim, of Nova music festival victim Oriya Ricardo, and the surprising musical guest who was there. We learn about the heroism of Awad Darawshe, a paramedic murdered at the Nova music festival on October 7th. Brett and Diana Abrams tell us about creating Pizza 4 Moms, which allows Americans to donate meals to be delivered to Israeli families. Danielle Boutin tells us about the work that her foundation, Afya, is doing to donate surplus US medical supplies to Israel. And finally, Producer Josh Kross takes to the streets of Tel Aviv to investigate the latest in the quest to make the perfect sufganiyah.  Listen to the Testimonies Archive, a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for more eyewitness audio accounts from Israel. Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  Simplify your giving with the Jewish Communal Fund, the nation's largest Jewish donor-advised fund. In good times or during times of crisis, JCF enables you to respond quickly. Open a fund with as little as $5,000 and let JCF streamline your charitable giving. Act by December 29th to lock in the maximum charitable deduction for 2023. Get started at JCFNY.org. The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards honor up to 15 Jewish teens from across the United States with an award of $36,000 to recognize their impact and leadership to repair the world. Learn more at DillerTeenAwards.org. Don’t miss Harmony, the acclaimed new musical from Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman that audiences are raving about. It’s “powerful, moving and more resonant than ever” says Entertainment Weekly and what we need in a world full of discord. Get tickets today at HarmonyANewMusical.com.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re coming to you live from Baltimore, where we appeared at the 2023 Conservative/Masorti Shabbaton & Convening. We’re also sharing a new Beautifully Jewish segment for Hanukkah, featuring designer Jonathan Adler, Gabriel Goldstein of the Yeshiva University Museum, and a trip to visit Ahuva Gottdeiner, aka Homegrown Kosher, in Monsey, NY.  For more Beautifully Jewish, join our new Facebook group.  Listen to the Testimonies Archive for more eyewitness audio accounts from Israel, and read Tablet’s coverage here.  Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  Simplify your giving with the Jewish Communal Fund, the nation's largest Jewish donor-advised fund. In good times or during times of crisis, JCF enables you to respond quickly. Open a fund with as little as $5,000 and let JCF streamline your charitable giving. Act by December 29th to lock in the maximum charitable deduction for 2023. Get started at JCFNY.org. Visit the Contemporary Jewish Museum on December 9 for Shabbat at Jewseum to celebrate Hanukkah with a day of art, stories, and community. Book tickets at thecjm.org.  The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards honor up to 15 Jewish teens from across the United States with an award of $36,000 to recognize their impact and leadership to repair the world. Learn more at DillerTeenAwards.org. Be proudly Jewish with our book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, covering everything from Jewish history and pop culture to holidays and food. Get a 20% discount on Newish Jewish and the entire Artisan Books Hanukkah shop with code UNORTHODOX.  Don’t miss Harmony, the acclaimed new musical from Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman that audiences are raving about. It’s “powerful, moving and more resonant than ever,” says Entertainment Weekly. Get your tickets today at HarmonyANewMusical.com.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re rooting for the heroes.  Our Jewish guest is philosopher and filmmaker Bernard-Henri Lévy, who returns to the show to tell us about the newest film in his Ukraine trilogy, called Glory to the Heroes. The film is a tribute to everyday Ukrainian heroes, including some Ukrainian-born Israeli soldiers who finished their service in the IDF and volunteered to fight for Ukraine. Get tickets for the local U.S. screenings here.  Our Gentile of the Week is Brooke Eby. She was diagnosed with ALS at age 33 and joins us to talk about her experience having a terminal illness at such a young age, and how she’s raising awareness about the realities of ALS.  Join us at Tablet’s first ever Hanukkah Bazaar in New York City on Sunday, Dec. 3 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Get your tickets at hanukkahbazaar.com. Listen to the Testimonies Archive for more eyewitness audio accounts from Israel, and read Tablet’s coverage here.  Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  The Jewish Communal Fund is the nation's largest Jewish donor-advised fund. Open a fund with as little as $5,000 and let JCF streamline your charitable giving. Act by Dec. 29 to lock in the maximum charitable deduction for 2023. Get started at jcfny.org. Visit the Contemporary Jewish Museum on December 9 for Shabbat at Jewseum to celebrate Hanukkah with a day of art, stories, and community. Book tickets at thecjm.org.  The National Yiddish Theater is presenting Amid Falling Walls, a tribute to the indomitable Jewish spirit during the Holocaust. You can see the show November 14 to December 10 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Get tickets at nytf.org.  The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards honor up to 15 Jewish teens from across the United States with an award of $36,000 to recognize their impact and leadership to repair the world. Learn more at DillerTeenAwards.org. Be proudly Jewish with our book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, covering everything from Jewish history and pop culture to holidays and food. Get a 20% discount on Newish Jewish and the entire Artisan Books Hanukkah shop with code UNORTHODOX.

Today, we’re bringing Unorthodox listeners a special Beautifully Jewish Thanksgiving. Beautifully Jewish is a monthly audio series on Unorthodox that explores Jewish material culture, the ritual objects that inspire us, and the people who make them. On today’s segment, hosts Stephanie Butnick and Tanya Singer celebrate an unexpectedly significant object: the folding chair.  You’ll also get an update on the Beautifully Jewish craft-along for Israel and hear from Israeli knitwear designer Inbal Gross, who just days before the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks had organized Israel’s first fiber festival.  Join our new Beautifully Jewish Facebook group at tabletm.ag/beautifullyfb. Shop for all things beautiful and Jewish at Tablet’s first ever Hanukkah Bazaar in New York City on Sunday, Dec. 4 from 11am-7pm. Get your tickets at hanukkahbazaar.com.  Join our Beautifully Jewish Craft-Along! We’re meeting virtually every Monday in November to craft in support of children being treated in Israel’s hospitals and the brave men and women of the Israeli Defense Forces. Find out more at tabletmag.com/craftalong. Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS: The Jewish Communal Fund is the nation's largest Jewish donor-advised fund. Open a fund with as little as $5,000 and let JCF streamline your charitable giving. Act by December 29 to lock in the maximum charitable deduction for 2023. Get started at jcfny.org. 

Ep. 389: Dark times call for bright lights, and we’re excited to announce Tablet’s Hanukkah Bazaar, taking place Sunday, Dec. 3 in New York City, featuring 40+ amazing vendors. Find out more at hanukkahbazaar.com.  Today we head Across the Jew.S.A to Washington D.C., for a special dispatch from this week’s March for Israel.  We also talk with Israeli writer Etgar Keret. Known for his short story collections, he’s pivoted in the weeks since the Oct. 7 attacks and is channeling his energy and talents toward helping his fellow Israelis who are looking for hope, and a bit of entertainment.  And finally, Stephanie catches up with her Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sister, LeElle Slifer, who has several relatives who were abducted or murdered by Hamas on Oct. 7. LeElle tells us why it’s been so important to share her family’s story widely here in the U.S.  Join our Beautifully Jewish Craft-Along. We’re meeting virtually every Monday in November to craft in support of children being treated in Israel’s hospitals and the brave men and women of the Israeli Defense Forces. Find out more at tabletmag.com/craftalong. Listen to the Testimonies Archive for more eyewitness audio accounts from Israel, and read Tablet’s coverage here.  Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  Visit the Contemporary Jewish Museum on December 9 for Shabbat at Jewseum to celebrate Hanukkah with a day of art, stories, and community. Book tickets at thecjm.org.  Visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust to see their new exhibit, Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark. Plan your visit at www.mjhnyc.org.  The National Yiddish Theater is presenting Amid Falling Walls, a tribute to the indomitable Jewish spirit during the Holocaust. You can see the show November 14 to December 10 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Get tickets at nytf.org.  The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards honor up to 15 Jewish teens from across the United States with an award of $36,000 to recognize their impact and leadership to repair the world. Learn more at DillerTeenAwards.org. Be proudly Jewish with our book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, covering everything from Jewish history and pop culture to holidays and food. Get a 20% discount on Newish Jewish and the entire Artisan Books Hanukkah shop with code UNORTHODOX.

This week on Unorthodox, we talk with writer and political advisor Dan Senor about his new book, The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World (a follow up to his 2011 book, Startup Nation, also co-written with Saul Singer). This interview will also air on Senor’s podcast Call Me Back. We also speak with Gila Sacks, daughter of the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, who joins us to talk about what her father might have said about the present moment.  Join our Beautifully Jewish Craft-Along! We’re meeting virtually every Monday in November to craft in support of children being treated in Israel’s hospitals and the brave men and women of the Israeli Defense Forces. Find out more at tabletmag.com/craftalong. Listen to the Testimonies Archive for more eyewitness audio accounts from Israel, and read Tablet’s coverage here.  Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  Visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust to see their new exhibit, Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark. Plan your visit at www.mjhnyc.org.  The National Yiddish Theater is presenting Amid Falling Walls, a tribute to the indomitable Jewish spirit during the Holocaust. You can see the show November 14 to December 10 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Get tickets at nytf.org.  The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards honor up to 15 Jewish teens from across the United States with an award of $36,000 to recognize their impact and leadership to repair the world. Learn more at DillerTeenAwards.org. Be proudly Jewish with our book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, covering everything from Jewish history and pop culture to holidays and food. Get a 20% discount on Newish Jewish and the entire Artisan Books Hanukkah shop with code UNORTHODOX. 

This week on Unorthodox, we’re continuing our travels Across the JEW.S.A. We head to Miami, where newer communities are redefining Jewish life in Florida. Across the JEW.S.A. is created with the support of the Jewish Federations of North America. You can catch up on some of the other stops we’ve made at tabletmag.com/jewsa.  We’re also sharing highlights from the Jewish Priorities conference that Liel and Stephanie moderated at The Weitzman Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia. The conference was inspired by “Jewish Priorities: Sixty-five proposals for the future of our people,” a collection of 65 essays from notable Jewish thinkers about the most pressing issues facing Jews today. Join our Beautifully Jewish Craft-Along! We’re meeting virtually every Monday in November to craft in support of children being treated in Israel’s hospitals and the brave men and women of the Israeli Defense Forces. Find out more at tabletmag.com/craftalong. Listen to the Testimonies Archive for more eyewitness audio accounts from Israel, and read Tablet’s coverage here.  Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  Visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust to see their new exhibit, Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark, opening October 15th. Plan your visit at www.mjhnyc.org.  The National Yiddish Theater is presenting Amid Falling Walls, a tribute to the indomitable Jewish spirit during the Holocaust. You can see the show November 14 to December 10 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Get tickets at nytf.org.  The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards honor up to 15 Jewish teens from across the United States with an award of $36,000 to recognize their impact and leadership to repair the world. Learn more at DillerTeenAwards.org. The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History teaches the powerful and true stories of Jewish life in America as an antidote to antisemitism. Visitors of all backgrounds can engage with the varied and vibrant history of American Jews. Find out more at TheWeitzman.org.

This week on Unorthodox, a mixup with a third (reich) party vendor.  We speak with Israeli actress Swell Ariel Or, who you may remember from the show Beauty Queen of Jerusalem. She moved to the United States just weeks ago, and gives us her perspective on the war as an Israeli living abroad. You can donate to the Israel Reservist Fund that Or started at: www.israelreservistfund.com.  Ani Wilcenski, Tablet’s audience editor, helps us make sense of the social media landscape since the war in Israel began and sheds light on what our role is amidst it.  We’re also joined by artist Jeanette Kuvin Oren, who you may remember from last year’s Hanukkah episode. She tells us about the art classes she’s been teaching to displaced children in Israel.  Join our Beautifully Jewish Craft-Along. Over the next 6 weeks, we’re going to meet virtually to craft in support of children being treated in Israel’s hospitals and to support the brave men and women of the Israeli Defense Forces. Find out more at tabletmag.com/craftalong.      Listen to the Testimonies Archive for more eyewitness audio accounts from Israel, and read Tablet’s coverage here.  Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  Visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust to see their new exhibit, Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark, opening October 15th. Plan your visit at www.mjhnyc.org.  The National Yiddish Theater is presenting Amid Falling Walls, a tribute to the indomitable Jewish spirit during the Holocaust. You can see the show November 14 to December 10 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Get tickets at nytf.org. 

This week on Unorthodox, we’re processing our emotions about the war on Israel alongside our listeners. We talk with Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm, host of the podcast Good Faith Effort, about turning to Jewish law and ethics for insight on how to deal with a dark and violent moment.  Our second guest this week is the actress Lisa Edelstein. She joins us to discuss her newest project, the PBS series Little Bird, as well as her experience as a Jewish actress in Hollywood.  Listen to the Testimonies Archive for more eyewitness audio accounts from Israel, and read Tablet’s coverage here. Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  Hadassah is hosting “Inspire Zionism: Tech, Trailblazers and Tattoos,” a two-day online event featuring panels with inspiring Zionists, hosted by our own Stephanie Butnick. To join the conversation October 25 and 26, register at go.hadassah.org/inspire.  The Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust’s newest exhibit is ‘Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark.’ Plan your visit at www.mjhnyc.org.  The National Yiddish Theater presents Amid Falling Walls, a tribute to the indomitable Jewish spirit during the Holocaust, running Nov. 14 to Dec. 10 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Get tickets at nytf.org.

Today on Unorthodox, we’re welcoming Shabbat after a painful week. Rabbi Diana Fersko walks us through the basics of Shabbat, and shares additional prayers we can incorporate into our practice on this particular week. Host emeritus Mark Oppenheimer returns to dispense some corduroy wisdom as we navigate this unprecedented moment, and Liel shares some levity with an unexpected account of how one Jewish mother outwitted her Hamas captives. Listen to the Testimonies Archive for more eyewitness audio accounts from Israel, and read Tablet’s coverage here. Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re sharing stories from Israel. We’ll hear firsthand from those who have faced unspeakable tragedy, and acted with incredible bravery since the terror attack on Oct. 7. You’ll hear from someone who escaped the NOVA music festival, friends donating supplies in Tel Aviv, and a report from the missing persons center near Ben Gurion Airport, where Israelis are coming in droves to look for information about their loved ones.  This episode features a rendition of “Avinu Malkeinu” performed by Regina Spektor, and “Eli, Eli” sung by from Jenny Penkin and J.Lamotta. Listen to the Testimonies Archive for more eyewitness audio accounts from the Hamas massacre in Israel, and read Tablet’s coverage of the war here. Reach us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Check out our Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Our hearts and minds are heavy right now, and we here at Unorthodox are working hard to bring you a special episode in the coming days. In the meantime, we know many of you have questions about how we got here. To get to the root of some of them, Tablet Magazine hosted a zoom, moderated by our own Liel Liebovitz, and we want to share it with you now.

Vote for us in the Signal Awards! We’re finalists for our Across the JEW.S.A: Louisville, Kentucky, episode (vote here!) and for our limited series podcast The Franchise: Jews, Sports, and America (vote here!). This week on Unorthodox, we’re battling the Spelling Bee.  Our beloved co-host Liel Leibovitz joins us as our first guest to tell us about his new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book. Listeners have a very special opportunity: preorder the book (from the publisher, your local bookstore, or anywhere else), upload a picture or screenshot of your receipt to tabletm.ag/preorder and fill out the short, accompanying form. You’ll then get invited to a special virtual event with Liel and will get entered to win one of 10 gift packages curated by Liel himself!  We also interview Leore Dayan, the creator and screenwriter of Normal, a new, semi-autobiographical Israeli TV show from Israeli production company Dori Media that’s currently available to stream on ChaiFlicks. Leore is the grandson of Israeli military legend Moshe Dayan and the son of famed director Assi Dayan. He shares with us how his complicated family legacy impacted him and informed Normal.  We love to hear from you! Send us emails at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Check out our Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS: Hadassah is hosting “Inspire Zionism: Tech, Trailblazers and Tattoos,” a two-day online event featuring panels with inspiring Zionist women, hosted by our own Stephanie Butnick. To join the conversation October 25 and 26, register at go.hadassah.org/inspire.  Visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust to see their new exhibit, Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark, opening October 15th. Plan your visit at www.mjhnyc.org.  The National Yiddish Theater is presenting Amid Falling Walls, a tribute to the indomitable Jewish spirit during the Holocaust. You can see the show November 14 to December 10 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Get tickets at nytf.org. 

Unorthodox listeners, our show The Franchise has been nominated for the best sports documentary series in Signal Awards’s Listener's Choice competition! And we need your vote as we're currently running in second place behind some dogs on New Hampshire Public Radio. Voting closes THIS THURSDAY October 5: Now is the time to show your love for us and Jews in sports. Vote NOW by clicking here or by going to https://tabletm.ag/votethefranchise If you have any issues getting signed in to vote, email jkross@tabletmag.com and our producer Josh will help you get it done.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re celebrating Sukkot in style. We head to the Malina sukkah, where we hear from Joshua’s parents, Fran and Robert, about their family traditions.  We’re also sharing the second installment of Beautifully Jewish, our series celebrating Jewish material culture, the ritual objects that inspire us, and the people who make them. Stephanie and Tanya explore how something as temporary as a sukkah can be a beautiful and meaningful structure, with the help of Rabbi Adam Baldachin of Shaarei Tikvah, artist Yaeli Vogel (Unorthodox listeners get 10% off using that link), and the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. You can see photos and more at tabletmag.com/beautifullyjewish. Then we’re bringing you the latest installment of The Archive, our series exploring the collections of the National Library of Israel. We learn how Napoleon left his comfort zone and ended up in Israel, a story that ends with the French giving away the Rosetta Stone in exchange for a ride home.  And finally, we hear from producer Josh Kross, who never really connected with Sukkot until he moved upstate and reconsidered how his rural home is sort of like a permanent sukkah.  Share your favorite beautifully Jewish things in our Unorthodox Facebook group, via email at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or on social media using the hashtag #beautifullyjewish. Leave a message on our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Special thanks to Josh Mack and Rebecca Frank of the Museum of Jewish Heritage. The Aryeh Steinberger sukkah panels panel loan by Jehuda, George, Robert and Paul, sons of Jeno and Piroska Lindenblatt. Lower panel loan by Magda Tewner, granddaughter of Aryeh Steinberger. In addition, the Museum acknowledges with appreciation Irene White, and Richard and Alexander Platschek and Perel Rosenfeld, children of Andor Platschek Weiss.  Check out our Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS: Hadassah is hosting “Inspire Zionism: Tech, Trailblazers and Tattoos,” a two-day online event featuring panels with inspiring Zionist women, hosted by our own Stephanie Butnick. To join the conversation October 25 and 26, register at go.hadassah.org/inspire.  NLI, the National Library of Israel, proudly supports our series The Archive. Discover the treasures, collections, and stories of the National Library of Israel here. American Jewish University (AJU) invites you to join them for their fall semester of online learning. To learn more and register, visit aju.edu/open and use code Unorthodox for a 10% discount.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re preparing for Yom Kippur by learning how to communicate better.  We interview linguist Deborah Tannen, who coined our favorite phrase, “cooperative overlap.” She explains the real reason why we’re always interrupting each other on this show, and shares some tips for talking to people with different conversational styles.  We talk to Julie Rice, co-founder of Soul Cycle, whose new project, Peoplehood, teaches people how to better listen and communicate with each other. She tells us why we should be working out our “empathy muscles,” and what we can learn when we finally shut up and listen. We chat with Mitchell Silk, the former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Markets (and the first Hasidic Jew to be appointed to a Senate-confirmed position in the federal government). He recently published the first English translation of the Kedushas Levi, a classic Hasidic commentary on the Torah. He shares how communication, whether in Chinese, Hebrew, or English, is the key to revealing what we all have in common.  Vote for us in the Signal Awards! We’re finalists for our ‘Across The JEW.S.A: Louisville, Kentucky’ episode (vote here!) and for our limited series podcast ‘The Franchise: Jews, Sports, and America’ (vote here!). We appreciate your support.  We love to hear from you! Send us emails at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Check out our Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS: Hadassah is hosting “Inspire Zionism: Tech, Trailblazers and Tattoos,” a two-day online event featuring panels with inspiring Zionist women, hosted by our own Stephanie Butnick. To join the conversation October 25 and 26, register at go.hadassah.org/inspire.  This High Holiday season, help HIAS provide vital services to refugees in more than 20 countries around the world. All donations through September 22 will be matched, doubling your impact. You can learn more at hias.org/unorthodox.  American Jewish University (AJU) invites you to join them for their Fall semester of online learning. To learn more and register, visit aju.edu/open and use code unorthodox for a 10% discount.

This week on Unorthodox, you’re totally invited to our bat mitzvah.  First we talk to Amanda Stern—aka Fiona Rosenbloom—the author of the young adult novel You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, which the new Netflix film is based on. She shares (pre-strike!) what it was like to have her novel adapted into an Adam Sandler movie and gives us an update on what she’s working on now.  Then director Guy Nattiv joins us to discuss Golda, his new film about former Israeli prime minister Golda Meir. He tells us about the experience of making a film about one of Israel’s most iconic figures, working with Helen Mirren, and more. We love to hear from you! Send us emails at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Check out our Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS: Hadassah is hosting “Inspire Zionism: Tech, Trailblazers and Tattoos,” a two-day online event featuring panels with inspiring Zionist women, hosted by our own Stephanie Butnick. To join the conversation October 25 and 26, register at go.hadassah.org/inspire.  This High Holiday season, help HIAS provide vital services to refugees in more than 20 countries around the world. All donations through September 22 will be matched, doubling your impact. You can learn more at hias.org/unorthodox. American Jewish University (AJU) invites you to join them for their Fall semester of online learning. To learn more and register, visit aju.edu/open and use code unorthodox for a 10% discount.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re unveiling our newest series: Beautifully Jewish, hosted by Stephanie Butnick with Tanya Singer. It’s a celebration of the objects that enrich our Jewish identities and observance, from Shabbat candlesticks to menorahs, tallis covers, mezuzahs, and much more.   Each month, Beautifully Jewish will celebrate Jewish material culture, the ritual objects that inspire us, and the people who make them. We’ll also get hands on, helping listeners create new Jewish things to connect with.  We’re starting our journey at the very beginning: Gabe Goldstein, interim director and chief curator at Yeshiva University Museum, helps us understand the deep connection between Jews and things, tracing it all the way back to the creation of the Mishkan, in Exodus. Fiber artist Heather Stoltz shows us the High Holiday Torah covers she made for her synagogue, Temple Israel Center of White Plains. And Tanya teaches Stephanie to knit, helping her on her journey to explore the many ways in which Judaism celebrates beauty and craft.  Share your favorite beautifully Jewish things in our unorthodox Facebook group, via email at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or on social media using the hashtag #beautifullyjewish.   Check out our Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS: Hadassah is hosting “Inspire Zionism: Tech, Trailblazers and Tattoos,” a two-day online event featuring panels with inspiring Zionist women, hosted by our own Stephanie Butnick. To join the conversation October 25 and 26, register at go.hadassah.org/inspire.  HIAS: This High Holiday season, help HIAS provide vital services to refugees in more than 20 countries around the world. All donations through September 22 will be matched, doubling your impact. You can learn more at hias.org/unorthodox. American Jewish University (AJU) invites you to join them for their Fall semester of online learning. To learn more and register, visit aju.edu/open and use code unorthodox for a 10% discount.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re chowing down.  Cookbook author and chef Jake Cohen returns to the show to tell us about his new cookbook, I Could Nosh: Classic Jew-ish Recipes Revamped for Every Day. He also shares some recipes for your Rosh Hashanah table.  Producer Quinn Waller brings us along to Lee Lee’s Baked Goods in Harlem to talk to Alvin Lee Smalls, the man behind some of the best rugelach in New York City.  Tablet writer Maggie Phillips returns to the show to visit PLNT Burger and chat with co-founders Seth Goldman and Julie Farkas about the surprising Jewish ethos behind the business and their work to make burgers available to people of all faiths.  We’re also taking a trip Across the JEW.S.A to the thriving Orthodox community in the Catskills. Across the JEW.S.A. is created with the support of the Jewish Federations of North America. You can catch up on the rest of our travels across the JEW.S.A. at tabletmag.com/jewsa. We love to hear from you! Send us emails at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Check out our Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  Hadassah is hosting “Inspire Zionism: Tech, Trailblazers and Tattoos,” a two-day online event featuring panels with inspiring Zionist women, hosted by our own Stephanie Butnick. To join the conversation October 25 and 26, register at go.hadassah.org/inspire.  MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger is fighting hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds in the United States and Israel. Visit mazon.org/unorthodox to join their fight to end hunger: Right now your donation will be doubled, up to $100,000!

This week on Unorthodox, we’re continuing our journey through the Hebrew month of Elul up to the High Holidays by focusing on music. Rabbi Josh Warshawsky returns to the show to walk us through the melodies of the High Holidays, plus he shares his new version of Hineni.  Then, we’re re-airing a segment with Ladino singer Sarah Aroeste, who shares her musical tribute to the lost Sephardic community of Monastir.  We’re also bringing you our latest installment of The Archive, our series exploring the collections of the National Library of Israel. This week, we dive into the library’s music collection and sound archive.  We love to hear from you! Send us emails at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Check out our Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  Hadassah is hosting “Inspire Zionism: Tech, Trailblazers and Tattoos,” a two-day online event featuring panels with inspiring Zionist women, hosted by our own Stephanie Butnick. To join the conversation October 25 and 26, register at go.hadassah.org/inspire.  Cutting Edge Foods is a family business that has been producing premium kosher meats for over four decades. Get 10% off your order at cuttingedgefoods.com with the code UNORTHODOX.  NLI, the National Library of Israel, proudly supports our series The Archive. Discover the treasures, collections, and stories of the National Library of Israel here.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re entering Elul, the Hebrew month leading up to the High Holidays. During this period, we try to be a little more introspective, to consider how we spent the last year, and how we are preparing for the next. But how do we do that, exactly?  To guide us, Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to discuss the purpose of Elul and how we can get the most out of this month. (Rabbi Bashevskin’s book, Sin•a•gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought, is another helpful tool.)  Then, we talk with Rabbi Diana Fersko about her new book, We Need to Talk About Antisemitism. (The other book Rabbi Fersko recommends is Anti-Judaism: The Western Tradition, by David Mirenberg.)  We’re also sharing our favorite archival excerpts from our 2021 Elul podcast, How to Fix a Soul in 30 Days, hosted by Kylie Unell. We love to hear from you! Send us emails at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Check out our Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  Hadassah is hosting “Inspire Zionism: Tech, Trailblazers and Tattoos,” a two-day online event featuring panels with inspiring Zionist women, hosted by our own Stephanie Butnick. To join the conversation October 25 and 26, register at go.hadassah.org/inspire.  The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut, is a podcast that explores what holds us together in divided times. Listen to their latest episode about social media at jfeds.org/podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.  Cutting Edge Foods is a family business that has been producing premium kosher meats for over 4 decades. Get 10% off your order at cuttingedgefoods.com with the code UNORTHODOX.

This week on Unorthodox, was Oppenheimer a flop-enheimer? Our Gentile of the Week is podcaster and musician Hrishikesh Hirway. He hosted The West Wing Weekly with Joshua Malina, and he returns to Unorthodox to talk about his current podcast (and Netflix series) Song Exploder. He also shares his new single, Cascade, and asks a music-themed GOTW question.  We’re also taking a trip Across the JEW.S.A. Liel brings us along to a Jewish summer camp off the beaten path in Colorado. Across the JEW.S.A. is created with the support of the Jewish Federations of North America. You can catch up on the rest of our travels across the JEW.S.A. at tabletmag.com/jewsa. We love to hear from you! Send us emails at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Check out our Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  PJ Library sends thousands of children free Jewish storybooks and activities every month. Sign up Jewish kids from age zero to 12 to start reading this summer at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox.   Hadassah is hosting “Inspire Zionism: Tech, Trailblazers and Tattoos,” a two-day online event featuring panels with inspiring Zionist women, hosted by our own Stephanie Butnick. To join the conversation October 25 and 26, register at go.hadassah.org/inspire. The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut, is a podcast that explores what holds us together in divided times. Listen to their latest episode about social media at jfeds.org/podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re talking about Tisha B’Av and what we can learn from this ancient day of mourning. Then, we’re bringing you an extended conversation with our Gentile of the Week Bill Courtney about the things we all can do to give up resentment and division and commit ourselves to empathy and change. He’s the football coach depicted in the Academy Award-winning documentary, Undefeated, and now hosts the new podcast, An Army of Normal Folks.  We love to hear from you! Send us emails at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Check out our Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox: Kosher shrimp cocktail?  Our Jew of the Week is comedian and podcaster Sarah Silverman. She joins us to talk about her new—and extremely Jewish—comedy special, Someone You Love, plus what it’s like playing poker with Joshua Malina  We’re also bringing you our latest installment from The Archive, our series exploring the collections of the National Library of Israel. This week, we learn about the manuscripts of Ahmed Ibn Taymiyya, one of the most influential thinkers in the history of Islam.  We love to hear from you! Send us emails at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Check out our Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  PJ Library sends thousands of children free Jewish storybooks and activities every month. Sign up Jewish kids from age zero to 12 to start reading this summer at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox.   NLI, the National Library of Israel proudly supports our series The Archive. Discover the treasures, collections, and stories of the National Library of Israel here.

This week on Unorthodox, class is in session.  First, we discuss the new Israeli TV show The Lesson, and talk to the show’s writer and creator, Deakla Keydar. (Sponsor note: You can stream ‘The Lesson’ exclusively on ChaiFlicks; Unorthodox listeners get 40% off a subscription with the code LESSONPOD).  Then, we chat with Benyamin Cohen, who runs Albert Einstein’s official social media presence. He returns to the show to tell us about his new book, "The Einstein Effect: How the World’s Favorite Genius Got into Our Cars, Our Bathrooms, and Our Minds.” We love to hear from you! Send us emails at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Check out our Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS The Lesson stars Doron Ben-David (Steve from Fauda) and just won Israel’s Best TV Drama Series award. The show is streaming exclusively on ChaiFlicks, and you can get 40% off your new subscription by using the code LESSONPOD at checkout.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re playing the name game. First, we’re re-airing a 2019 segment in which our former editor Noah Levinson investigates the real story behind the myth of name changes at Ellis Island. For more, check out A Rosenberg by Any Other Name: A History of Jewish Name Changing in America, written by Kirsten Fermaglich. We’re also bringing you a preview of our new Tablet Studios podcast, What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead. We’re joined by the podcast’s co-host, Tablet deputy editor Jeremy Stern, to discuss the show and play a segment. You can subscribe to What Really Matters on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or wherever you listen to podcasts. We love to hear from you! Send us emails at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Check out our Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com. Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS The Lesson stars Doron Ben-David (Steve from Fauda) and just won Israel’s Best TV Drama Series award. The show is streaming exclusively on ChaiFlicks, and you can get 40% off your new subscription by using the code LESSONPOD at checkout. Betrayal: The Failure of American Jewish Leadership is a new book edited by Dr. Charles Jacobs and Avi Goldwasser. Get your copy at Amazon and check out their movement to challenge Jewish leaders at jewishleadershipproject.org.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re ready to buzz in. Our Jew of the Week is JCC Krakow director Jonathan Ornstein, who returns to the show to tell us about Jewish life in Poland today.  Our Gentile of the Week is Antonio Pagliarulo, who joins us to talk about his new book, The Evil Eye: The History, Mystery, and Magic of the Quiet Curse.  Plus, we’re taking a trip Across the JEW.S.A. to Deadwood, South Dakota, to learn about its surprising Jewish history. Across the JEW.S.A. is created with the support of the Jewish Federations of North America. You can catch up on the rest of our travels across the JEW.S.A. at tabletmag.com/jewsa.   We love to hear from you! Send us emails at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Check out our Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS The Lesson stars Doron Ben-David (Steve from Fauda) and just won Israel’s Best TV Drama Series award. The show is streaming exclusively on ChaiFlicks, and you can get 40% off your new subscription by using the code LESSONPOD at checkout. Betrayal: The Failure of American Jewish Leadership is a new book edited by Dr. Charles Jacobs and Avi Goldwasser. Get your copy at Amazon and check out their movement to challenge Jewish leaders at jewishleadershipproject.org.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re looking for the recipe for Coronation Cholent.  Our Jew of the Week is Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis. He joins us to talk about life as Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations, what it was like to spend the night at St. James’s Palace when King Charles’s coronation fell over Shabbat, and why he’s so dedicated to interfaith work. Our second Jew of the Week is Zak Rosen. He hosts the podcast The Best Advice Show and co-hosts Slate’s parenting podcast, Mom and Dad Are Fighting. He joins us to share some of the unconventional advice he’s received. We’re also bringing you our latest installment from The Archive, our series exploring the collections of the National Library of Israel. This week, we learn about Gandhi’s surprising letter to Hitler, and his correspondence with the Jews of Bombay. We love to hear from you! Send us emails at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Check out our Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com. Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS Hebrew College offers educators a Master in Jewish Education degree, graduate certificates, and non-credit options like short courses, workshops, and coaching. Learn more at hebrewcollege.edu/matarot.  NLI, the National Library of Israel proudly supports our series The Archive. Discover the treasures, collections, and stories of the National Library of Israel here.  NATIV is a college leadership gap-year program that invites you to explore Israel from big cities to small villages and historical sites. Grow your independence, make lifelong friends and participate in specialized leadership seminars. Apply today at www.nativ.org.  Betrayal: The Failure of American Jewish Leadership is a new book edited by Dr. Charles Jacobs and Avi Goldwasser. Get your copy at Amazon and check out their movement to challenge Jewish leaders at jewishleadershipproject.org.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re celebrating our proximity Tony Award. Our Jew of the Week is the comedian Alex Edelman. He returns to Unorthodox to celebrate his solo show, Just for Us, heading to Broadway for the summer. He also shares why it’s important to him to be pushing the conversation on Jewish art forward, beyond the low-hanging fruit of “bubbes, brisket, and bagels." Our Gentile of the Week is author and sportswriter Will Leitch. He joins us to talk about his new novel, The Time Has Come, and share his insights about the challenges and joys of fatherhood, baseball, and Little League. We love to hear from you! Send us emails at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Check out our Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS Hebrew College offers educators a Master in Jewish Education degree, graduate certificates, and non-credit options like short courses, workshops, and coaching. Learn more at hebrewcollege.edu/matarot

This week on Unorthodox, we’re marching together. Or are we? Our Jew of the Week is the comedian Modi. He joined us to talk about coming out to his mother about being a comedian, and why he’s finding what he calls “moshiach energy” in being openly gay—and proudly Jewish.  And returning to the show as our most gentilic gentile of the week is our friend and rabbi, Father James Martin, a Jesuit priest and editor at large for America Magazine. He joined us to talk about his work on LGBTQ issues within the Church, as well as his last book, Learn to Pray and the upcoming Come Forth.  Join us June 22 for a special Unorthodox night on Broadway! We have a block of orchestra tickets for Leopoldstadt, starring our new co-host Joshua Malina, and after the show Stephanie and Liel will do a Q&A on-stage with Joshua. Get your tickets at bit.ly/uobroadway. We love to hear from you! Send us emails at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Check out our Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS: Soul Doctor - On June 13th, experience the untold story of the powerful friendship between high priestess of soul, Nina Simone, and Jewish music icon Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach on the big screen. For one day only, movie theaters nationwide will be screening "Soul Doctor," the smash-hit Broadway musical the New York Times called "inspiring and absorbing with beautiful music." Visit SoulDoctorMovie.com.

This week on Unorthodox, the curious case of the Hitler-branded cocaine.   Our Jewish guest this week is David Cowan, who produced the documentary Afghan Dreamers, which follows an all-girls robotics team from Afghanistan as they compete in international competitions against the backdrop of the threat of Taliban rule.  We’re also bringing you another installment of our series Across The JEW.S.A., created with the support of the Jewish Federations of North America. We head to New Orleans for Jazz Fest and a very special Shabbat.  Join is June 22 for a special Unorthodox night on Broadway! We have a block of orchestra tickets for Leopoldstadt, starring our new co-host Joshua Malina, and after the show Stephanie and Liel will do a Q&A on-stage with Joshua. Get your tickets at bit.ly/uobroadway. We love to hear from you! Send us emails at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869.  Check out our Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  PJ Library sends thousands of children free Jewish storybooks and activities every month. Sign up Jewish kids from age zero to twelve to start reading this summer at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox.   The Jewish Federations of North America represent over 350 Jewish communities in the U.S. and Canada and raise and distribute more than $1 billion annually to build flourishing Jewish communities domestically, in Israel, and around the world. Find out more at jewishfederations.org.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re officially welcoming our new co-host, Joshua Malina! To celebrate Joshua’s arrival and his role as Hermann Merz in the Tony-nominated play Leopoldstadt, join us June 22 for a special Unorthodox night on Broadway. After the show, Stephanie and Liel will do a Q&A on-stage with Joshua. Get your tickets at bit.ly/uobroadway. Our Jew of the Week is Aaron Saidman, executive producer of Netflix’s Jewish Matchmaking, as well as its predecessor, Indian Matchmaking. We chat with him about the pressure of representing Judaism on TV, and what his mom thinks of the hit show.  Our Gentile of the Week is actor Aaron Neil, who plays Ernst in Leopoldstadt on Broadway and shares a dressing room with our own Joshua Malina. He tells us about originating the role of Ernst in London before the show came to Broadway, shares his experience being part of the beloved film ‘Paddington 2,’ and discusses his own faith journey.  We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Check out our Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  PJ Library sends thousands of children free Jewish storybooks and activities every month. Sign up Jewish kids from age zero to twelve to start reading this summer at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox. 

Each year for Shavuot, we air our annual Conversion Episode, in which we share stories of people finding their way to Judaism. This year, inspired by our showrunner Courtney Hazlett’s Tablet article, “Don’t Call Me a Convert,” we’re focusing on the Jewish journeys we’re all on. Plus, at the end of the episode, we reveal our new co-host!  But first: We’re talking about interfaith relationships, and what we can learn from them, with Dr. Keren McGinity, interfaith specialist at the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and a research associate at the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute. She consults with Jewish clergy and congregations and has written two books about intermarriage: Still Jewish: A History of Women & Intermarriage in America and Marrying Out: Jewish Men, Intermarriage, and Fatherhood.  Next we talk with Vicki Messler, who works at a Jewish day school, helps with programming at her local JCC, and is raising a Jewish family, all while not being halachically Jewish herself. She tells us why she’s committed to creating Jewish community, and about her own faith journey.  Then we hear a candid conversation between our own Liel Leibovitz and his wife Lisa Ann Sandell, which was excerpted from their appearance on Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin’s 18Forty podcast. Liel and Lisa, who are both Jewish, discuss what happened when Liel started living a more observant life about a decade ago, keeping kosher and praying regularly, and taking on a host of other practices that Lisa hadn’t necessarily signed on for as his spouse. Their honest and intimate discussion reveals how we’re all evolving in our Jewish practice, and how those changes play out within ourselves, our families, and our communities.  Finally, we call up the listener who wrote to us asking, as an “aspiring Jew” going through the conversion process, whether she would ever feel Jewish enough. Spoiler alert: We’re all Jewish enough.  We want to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re smuggling fruit roll-ups into Israel.  First, we chat with Rabbi Ari Lamm about the surprising spirituality of this year’s NBA Playoffs.  Journalist Gabby Deutch joins us to talk about her 5-part investigative series about the 1984 murder of Rabbi Philip Rabinowitz of Kesher Israel Congregation in Washington, DC, a crime which remains unsolved nearly 40 years later.  We’re also bringing you the second installment of The Archive, our series exploring the collection of the National Library of Israel. Liel takes a look at Maimonides’ 12th-century manuscripts and learns about the Jewish thinker’s nomadic adventures. We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  Join Hadassah for “Israel at 75: Successes and Challenges,” a free Zoom event on May 18 featuring Yossi Klein Halevi, Isabel Kershner, and Hen Mazzig. Register at events.hadassah.org/75. Tivnu is a gap year program that brings high school grads to Portland, Oregon for social justice internships, adventures in the Pacific Northwest, and Jewish inspiration. Attend a Tivnu info session on May 18 at 8 p.m. EST, and find out more at tivnu.org.

This week on Unorthodox, Grover goes to Israel, and we go to Portland, Maine!  Our Jewish guest this week is Natasha Feldman, aka Nosh With Tash. She tells us about her new cookbook, “The Dinner Party Project,” and gives us some fool-proof tips on throwing a successful, low-stress dinner party.  We’re also sharing the latest installment of our Across the Jew.S.A. series, created with support of the Jewish Federations of North America. Producers Robert Scaramuccia and Quinn Waller traveled to Portland, ME, to learn how Jewish immigrants made a home there, and how today’s Jewish community is helping new immigrants feel at home, too.  We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  Join Hadassah for “Israel at 75: Successes and Challenges,” a free Zoom event on May 18 featuring Yossi Klein Halevi, Isabel Kershner, and Hen Mazzig. Register at events.hadassah.org/75. The Inaugural Global Jewish Fertility Support Summit is taking place Sunday, May 7 via Zoom, and features prominent voices from major fertility organizations worldwide. Learn more and register for FREE at iwassupposedtohaveababy.org.   Tivnu is a gap year program that brings high school grads to Portland, Oregon for social justice internships, adventures in the Pacific Northwest, and Jewish inspiration. Attend a Tivnu info session on May 18 at 8 p.m. EST, and find out more at tivnu.org.

After 360 episodes, we’re bidding adieu to our founding host, Mark Oppenheimer. We have good wishes from a famous friend, memories from listeners and Tablet staff, poignant interviews, and a final trip to Friendly’s.  To keep up with Oppenheimer happenings, you can subscribe to Mark’s newsletter at markoppenhiemer.substack.com.  We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  Join Hadassah for “Israel at 75: Successes and Challenges,” a free Zoom event on May 18 featuring Yossi Klein Halevi, Isabel Kershner, and Hen Mazzig. Register at events.hadassah.org/75. storymark is a podcast about leaders and the moments that make them. Each guest is leaving a unique mark on their industry and the world—and all are anchored by a connection to Israel. Learn more at storymarkpodcast.org. The Inaugural Global Jewish Fertility Support Summit is taking place Sunday, May 7 via Zoom, and features prominent voices from major fertility organizations worldwide. Learn more and register for FREE at iwassupposedtohaveababy.org. 

This week on Unorthodox, we're discussing the protests in Israel and the larger context in which they are occuring.  Our Jewish guest this week is the writer Jonathan Rosen. He joined us to talk about his new book, The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions.  We’re also bringing you a dispatch from Armenia. Liel traveled to Yerevan to learn about Birthright Armenia, and how it could teach Israelis and American Jews a lesson or two.  Check out Zionism: The Tablet Guide, a new book edited by Liel Leibovitz and Tablet Magazine. Unorthodox listeners are invited to an exclusive Zoom webinar with Liel where he will discuss the history of Zionism and answer your questions, free with purchase of a copy of the book. Register at tabletm.ag/listenerzoom.  We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  Join The 92nd Street Y, New York for a series of conversations and celebrations with some of today’s leading Israeli thinkers and artists as part of their 150th anniversary series, “Israel at 75,” starting April 16. Tickets at 92ny.org. Join Hadassah for “Israel at 75: Successes and Challenges,” a free Zoom event on May 18 featuring Yossi Klein Halevi, Isabel Kershner, and Hen Mazzig. Register at events.hadassah.org/75.

This week on Unorthodox, are green eggs and ham kosher?  Our Jew of the Week is audio producer and podcast guru Arielle Nissenblatt, who joins us to talk about all things audio and gives us some podcast recommendations.  Our Gentile of the Week is Andrea Wakefield, co-owner of the Italian restaurant Mrs. Robino’s in Wilmington, Delaware (and Liel’s favorite restaurant on the planet). She joined us at our live show in Wilmington and tells us all about the restaurant and her family’s story. We’re also bringing you the first installment in a new series called The Archive, in which we explore the collection of the National Library of Israel. We kick things off with a look at Sir Isaac Newton’s Hebrew-inflected writings on … the end of days.  We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSORS:  Join The 92nd Street Y, New York for a series of conversations and celebrations with some of today’s leading Israeli thinkers and artists as part of their 150th anniversary series, “Israel at 75,” starting April 16. Tickets at 92ny.org. Join Hadassah for “Israel at 75: Successes and Challenges,” a free Zoom event on May 18 featuring Yossi Klein Halevi, Isabel Kershner, and Hen Mazzig. Register at events.hadassah.org/75. storymark is a podcast about leaders and the moments that make them. Each guest is leaving a unique mark on their industry and the world—and all are anchored by a connection to Israel. Learn more at storymarkpodcast.org.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re revisiting our 2020 Passover episode, in which we served up everything you need to know to pull off a meaningful and memorable Seder. The episode was created to address the fact that many people were suddenly hosting a Passover Seder for the very first time, under challenging and confounding circumstances, but we think there’s still a lot to be gained from going back to the basics. We walk you through the steps of the Seder, with special guests, perfect-for-Passover music, 10 Plagues cocktails, and more. Our guide is Tablet’s own “Passover Haggadah: An Ancient Story for Modern Times.”  We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSOR:  Join Hadassah for "Israel at 75: Successes and Challenges," a free Zoom event on May 18 featuring Yossi Klein Halevi, Isabel Kershner, and Hen Mazzig. Register at events.hadassah.org/75.

This year we’re traveling Across the Jew.S.A – visiting 12 places around the country with fascinating Jewish stories. On this installment, producer Josh Kross and showrunner Courtney Hazlett head to Louisville, Kentucky to learn about the bourbon industry’s Jewish history, find a surprising Seinfeld connection, and more Across the JEW.S.A. is created with support from the Jewish Federations of North America. Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re investigating Faux-hanim. Our first guest is Chanie Apfelbaum, creator of the popular kosher food blog Busy in Brooklyn. She joined us to talk about her new cookbook, Totally Kosher, and share fun ways to incorporate all sorts of cuisines into your kosher cooking.  Next we celebrate Opening Day with a chat with Zack Hample, a baseball fanatic who has caught more than 12,000 baseballs at Major League stadiums.  Plus, some big news from the Corduroy Rav. (You can subscribe to Mark’s newsletter here.)  We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSOR: storymark is a podcast about leaders and the moments that make them. Each guest is leaving a unique mark on their industry and the world—and all are anchored by a connection to Israel. Learn more at storymarkpodcast.org.

This week on Unorthodox, are the Muppets Jewish?  Our Jew of the Week is Ruth Markel, whose son, Dan Markel, was murdered in 2014 (the case is featured on the first season of the podcast Over My Dead Body). She joined us to discuss the book she’s written about dealing with the trauma of losing a son to murder, as well as becoming an activist against grandparent alienation.  Our Gentile of the Week is comedian Zarna Garg, who tells us how her experience as an Indian immigrant influences her comedy, as well as the role of funny Jewish moms in her comedy journey.  Her question for the hosts is a spicy one: how do Jewish parents feel about their kids dating outside the religion?  We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSOR: The Sassoons, now on view at the Jewish Museum, reveals the fascinating story of a remarkable Jewish family. Explore a rich selection of artwork collected by family members over time, including portraits by John Singer Sargent, illuminated manuscripts, and rare Judaica. Learn more at thejewishmuseum.org. 

This week on Unorthodox, we’re going down the rabbit hole.  Our Jew of the Week is Hen Mazzig, who joined us to talk about fighting antisemitism online, as well as his new book, The Wrong Kind of Jew: a Mizrahi Manifesto. Our Gentile of the Week is Gabriel Said Reynolds, who teaches theology at Notre Dame and runs a popular YouTube channel called Exploring the Quran and the Bible.  We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. SPONSOR: The Sassoons, now on view at the Jewish Museum, reveals the fascinating story of a remarkable Jewish family. Explore a rich selection of artwork collected by family members over time, including portraits by John Singer Sargent, illuminated manuscripts, and rare Judaica. Learn more at thejewishmuseum.org.  storymark is a podcast about leaders and the moments that make them. Each guest is leaving a unique mark on their industry and the world - and all are anchored by a connection to Israel. Learn more at storymarkpodcast.org.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re streaming History of the World, Part II. Our Jew of the Week is professor and Jewish comedy expert Jeremy Dauber, who joins us to talk about his new book, Mel Brooks: Disobedient Jew.  Our Gentile of the Week is actress Elisa Donovan, who tells us about acting in Clueless, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Beverly Hills, 90210, and about the experiences she writes about in her new book, Wake Me When You Leave: Love and Encouragement via Dreams from the Other Side. Her question for the hosts is what to give as a bar mitzvah gift. We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: The Sassoons, now on view at the Jewish Museum, reveals the fascinating story of a remarkable Jewish family. Explore a rich selection of artwork collected by family members over time, including portraits by John Singer Sargent, illuminated manuscripts, and rare Judaica. Learn more at thejewishmuseum.org. 

This week on Unorthodox, it’s Purim! We’re bringing you fresh takes about the holiday Purim from our own Liel Leibovitz, as well as friend of the pod—and frequent Take One guest—Dovid Bashevkin.  In honor of Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion month, we visit Shemesh Farms in Malibu, CA, to learn about how they provide meaningful work and community to adults with diverse abilities.  We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, pshhhhhhhhhh.  Our gentiles of the week are Ashley McKinless and Zac Davis, the hosts of the Jesuitical podcast. We each assign them something to give up for Lent and also prepare Rootless Cosmopolitans for them (the recipe for which can be found on our newsletter).  We’re also bringing you the second installment of Across the JEW.S.A., our series highlighting different Jewish communities across America. Stephanie Butnick travels to Seattle, Washington, to discover the city’s surprising Sephardic history and learn about the challenges facing of the future of Sephardic Seattle. Across the JEW.S.A. is created with support from the Jewish Federations of North America. We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, do Jews celebrate Valentine’s Day?  Our Jew of the Week is returning guest David Sax, who joins us to talk about his newest book, The Future Is Analog: How to Create a More Human World.  Our Gentile of the Week is writer and surfer (and surf writer) William Finnegan, who talks to us about his memoir, Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life, and his experiences reporting on war and poverty around the world.  We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, Belgium is still the worst.  Our Jew of the Week is the novelist Gabrielle Zevin. She joins us to talk about her newest novel, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, plus how video games can be vehicles for teaching morality and how she approaches writing about Holocaust survivors.  Plus, the hosts discuss the new Netflix disaster that is You People, with insight from our managing producer and Hollywood correspondent, Courtney Hazlett.  We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Study and practice Jewish sacred chanting with Sacred Chant: Healing the Spirit, Transforming the Mind, Deepening Love, the new four-week program from the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Sign up by February 10th at JewishSpirituality.org.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re eating macaro(o)ns.  Our Jew of the Week is writer Bill Deresiewicz, who returns to the show to talk about his latest book, The End of Solitude, which laments how we’ve forgotten how to be alone in the digital age.  Our Gentile of the Week is audiobook narrator and author Julia Whelan, who tells us about her new book, Thank You for Listening, and what it’s like to be the voice behind so many of today’s bestsellers.   We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, stories of survival and Jewish pride in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.  First, host Stephanie Butnick shares the lesson her Holocaust survivor grandparents taught her about taking every opportunity to celebrate life, starting with her over-the-top baby party.  California restaurateur Victor Ivry shares the story of honoring his mother, Auschwitz survivor and “witness to history” Liselotte Ivry, by getting a tattoo of her concentration camp number on his arm.  Abigail Pogrebin shares a preview of the latest installation of The Minyan, featuring her conversation with 10 Holocaust survivors. You can read the full version at tabletmag.com/minyan.  Host Mark Oppenheimer offers his take on how to reframe our response to antisemitism. First graders at Central Synagogue in New York City share their favorite blessings in an excerpt from our kids game show podcast, Hebrew School.  Jewelry designer Rachie Shnay tells us about her Mazel Collection, a line of Star of David bling that Jewish celebrities like Gal Gadot, Debra Messing, Emmanuelle Chriqui, and Selma Blair have been wearing loudly and proudly.  And finally, Tablet Studios’ general manager Tanya Singer introduces us to her relatives Eva Bender and Samuel Marder, who share their moving story of survival and strength.  We love to hear from you. Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, who deserves a spot on the Jewish Mount Rushmore?  Our first guest is author Rina Raphael, who joins us to talk about her book, The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of Self-Care.  Then we’re joined by "Weird Al" Yankovic’s drummer of more than 40 years, Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz, who talks with Liel about bringing brilliant parody music to life for more than 40 years.  Plus, our hosts answer a Gentile of the Week question from Tabitha Soren, who was our guest a few episodes back.  We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re starting our journey Across the JEW.S.A.  But first, viral Yiddish singing sensation Mendel Goldman stops by to treat us to his musical stylings. Then, we bring you the first installment of our new series, Across the JEW.S.A. In the inaugural segment, Liel travels to the first state of Delaware to see the unique way that Wilmington is building Jewish community. Across the JEW.S.A. is created with support from the Jewish Federations of North America.  Finally, our Gentile of the Week is walker and writer Jonathon Stalls, who tells us about walking across America and his book WALK: Slow Down, Wake Up, and Connect at 1-3 Miles per Hour.  We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management: Earn your master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Innovation while you work. Learn more at zschool.huc.edu.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re wishing you a Christmas Sameach.  We have two gentiles this week—a Christmas miracle! First, CBS Sunday Morning contributor Faith Salie returns to the show to tell us about how her interfaith family navigates the holidays. We’re also sharing our interview with gospel legend Donald Lawrence, recorded live in Chicago at the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly. Then we hear from Rabbi Dr. Stuart Halpern about why he doesn’t let his kids watch That Very Special Christmas Episode. Plus, the story of a Jewish mall santa.  We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re celebrating Hanukkah with eight stories that bring light to the Jewish world.  We talk with 102-year-old former Nuremberg war crimes prosecutor Ben Ferencz, sing with rabbi and musician Josh Warshawsky, and tell stories with Peninnah Schram. We gab with former Real Housewife and new Jew Leah McSweeney and visit Muhlenberg College, a Lutheran liberal arts school that has become an unexpected haven for Jewish students. We stop by the butcher, meet one of the very few female Jewish Torah scribes, and learn the story behind this year’s official USPS Hanukkah stamp.  We love to hear from you! Send us your New Year’s Resolutions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox: do Jews have Sweet Sixteen parties? Our Jewish guest this week is the writer Isabel Kaplan. She joins Stephanie to talk about her new novel, NSFW, the subtle ways that sexism crops up in everyday life and work, and more.  Our Gentile of the Week is photographer Tabitha Soren. She chats with Mark about her approach to her work as an artist and remembers her on-air days at MTV News.  We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re lining up outside Santa’s Court at the mall.  First we talk with MSNBC anchor Katy Tur about her memoir Rough Draft. She tells us about her experience covering the Trump campaign, her relationship to her jewish identity, and what it was like growing up with parents who brought new meaning to the phrase, “helicopter parent.” Then, we catch up with writer and Tablet contributor Douglas Century, who joins to talk about his book, The Last Boss of Brighton: Boris “Biba” Nayfeld and the Rise of the Russian Mob in America.  We have brand new Unorthodox swag! Get your tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Across the JEW.S.A. is a new Unorthodox project that will showcase 12 of the most inspiring Jewish stories across the country. Nominate your hometown at tabletm.ag/acrossthejewsa. Across the JEW.S.A. was created with support from the Jewish Federations of North America. We’re heading back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Hey there J-Crew! We are dropping into your feed on Black Friday, or Black Shabbos, as we call it, to share a conversation with Tablet’s editor in chief Alana Newhouse, who published a piece this week that offers a new framework for viewing the divides facing Americans today. She tells us why she wrote the piece and what we can take away from it in our own lives.  The art is an illustration by Doug John Miller

This week on Unorthodox, the mystery boxes are revealed! Mark, Stephanie, and Liel reveal the contents of their fundraiser giveaways, as well as the lucky winners. Culinary historian Michael Twitty returns to the show to talk about his new book, Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew.  Then, producer Quinn Waller teams up with cookbook author and Food Network star Molly Yeh to make challah in the latest installment of Quinn’s Cook Like a Jew series.  Finally, we share an interview with food writer and self-professed 'pizza bagel' Shannon Sarna, recorded live at our recent West Orange, NJ live show. She tells us about her new book, Modern Jewish Comfort Food, and shares her tricks for the perfect challah.  We have brand new Unorthodox swag! Get your tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  Across the JEW.S.A. is a new Unorthodox project that will showcase 12 of the most inspiring Jewish stories across the country. Nominate your hometown at tabletm.ag/acrossthejewsa. Across the JEW.S.A. was created with support from the Jewish Federations of North America. We’re heading back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re hiring a bat-tender.  Our Jew of the Week is actor Eric Ladin. You might know him from Ozark, Boardwalk Empire, or the film version of Where the Crawdads Sing. He tells us about growing up in Houston’s Jewish community, plays some Jewish geography (Camp Greylock forever), and introduces Mark to middle-aged dad whiskey.   Our Gentile of the Week is author and interfaith leader Eboo Patel. He’s the founder of Interfaith America, and he joins us to explain what interfaith work really looks like (hint: it’s not what you think), and why it’s anything but boring.  Across the JEW.S.A. is a new Unorthodox project that will showcase 12 of the most inspiring Jewish stories across the country. Nominate your hometown at tabletm.ag/acrossthejewsa. Across the JEW.S.A. was created with support from the Jewish Federations of North America. Check out the latest installment of The Minyan, Abby Pogrebin’s roundtable series about the state of the American Jewish community, which features her conversation with 10 Jews with disabilities. Read it at tabletmag.com/minyan We have brand new Unorthodox swag! Get your tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re heading back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors:  Soom tahini is the perfect ingredient for your fall meals. Use discount code UNORTHODOX22 for 10% off your next order at soomfoods.com.  

This week on Unorthodox, an upcoming Oppenheimer simcha sparks a spirited debate.  Our Jew of the Week is the one and only Letty Cottin Pogrebin—feminist icon, writer, activist and author of the new book Shanda: A Memoir of Shame and Secrecy. She tells us about her personal Jewish awakening, and about reckoning with her Jewish identity within the feminist movement. (If Cottin Pogrebin’s description of being excluded from the minyan at her mother’s shiva sounds familiar, here is her daughter Abigail Pogrebin sharing a similar story from Ruth Bader Ginsburg.)   Across the JEW.S.A. is a new Unorthodox project that will showcase 12 of the most inspiring Jewish stories across the country. Nominate your hometown at tabletm.ag/acrossthejewsa. Across the JEW.S.A. was created with support from the Jewish Federations of North America. We’re heading back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors:  Soom tahini is the perfect ingredient for your fall meals. Use discount code UNORTHODOX22 for 10% off your next order at soomfoods.com.   Institute for Jewish Spirituality: Sign up today for Shema: The Practice of Sacred Listening at JewishSpirituality.org. Registration closes on November 11.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re debuting a new look and some brand new merch!  We’ve got three great guests. First, we’re bringing you an interview we recorded live at the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly this past week in Chicago. We talked to Jewish Federations of North America President and CEO Eric Fingerhut about the most important issues facing American Jews, what he loves most about his job, and how we build a stronger Jewish community. Our Gentile of the Week is Joe Coscarelli, New York Times culture reporter and author of Rap Capital: An Atlanta Story. He explains how Atlanta rap became the most consequential musical ecosystem, tells us about #billiondollarlawyer Drew Findling, and breaks down the long and complicated relationship between Jewish music executives and hip hop artists. We’re also bringing you a conversation between Tablet executive editor Wayne Hoffman and author Roslyn Bernstein, whose new book, The Girl Who Counted Numbers, is a historical novel set in Jerusalem during the 1961 Adolf Eichmann trial.  We’re excited to announce Across the JEW.S.A. — a new project that will take us to 12 cities or towns in 2023 to showcase the most inspiring Jewish stories across the country. Nominate your hometown at tabletm.ag/acrossthejewsa. Across the JEW.S.A. was created with support from the Jewish Federations of North America. We’re heading back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors:  Soom tahini is the perfect ingredient for your fall meals. Use discount code UNORTHODOX22 for 10% off your next order at soomfoods.com.   The Other Israel Film Festival returns with eye-opening films and in-depth conversations exploring the relationship between history, culture, and identity in Israeli and Palestinian societies. The festival takes place Nov. 3–10 at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, with films also streaming online. For more information and tickets, visit otherisrael.org. Institute for Jewish Spirituality: Sign up today for Shema: The Practice of Sacred Listening at JewishSpirituality.org. Registration closes on November 11.

Liel takes us on a tour of the horror movies of his childhood and wonders how Jews can participate in Halloween… Jewishly. Plus, what horror movies can teach us about us ourselves and Jewish identity

This week on Unorthodox, we’re getting together around the table.  Our Jewish guest is Phil Rosenthal, who returns to the show to tell us about Season 6 of his delightful travel food show, Somebody Feed Phil, which includes a tribute to his late parents, Max and Helen Rosenthal, and the accompanying cookbook, Somebody Feed Phil: The Book. He also tells us what his Yom Kippur break-fast looks like, why he scoops out his bagel, and why Jews aren’t the only cultural group who finds connection over food.  Our Gentile of the Week is the multi-talented Faith Salie, a contributor to CBS Sunday Morning, frequent panelist on NPR’s “Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me,” and author of Approval Junkie. She brings us Coca-Cola Cake and tells us about growing up Catholic in Atlanta and learning about Judaism as she raises Jewish children with her husband.  We’re heading back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors:  Soom tahini is the perfect ingredient for your fall meals. Use discount code UNORTHODOX22 for 10% off your next order at soomfoods.com.   The Other Israel Film Festival returns with eye-opening films and in-depth conversations exploring the relationship between history, culture, and identity in Israeli and Palestinian societies. The festival takes place Nov. 3–10 at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, with films also streaming online. For more information and tickets, visit otherisrael.org.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re raising the roof. First we check in with Israeli actor Michael Aloni of Shtisel and Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, to hear about his new film Plan A, in theaters and streaming this week.  Then we hear from Mordechai Levovitz, founder of JQY, an organization that supports queer Jewish youth, about his personal journey and the ongoing legal battle between Yeshiva University and the YU Pride Alliance.   Our Gentile of the Week is Pastor Corey Brooks, founder and Senior Pastor of New Beginnings Church of Chicago and founder and CEO of Project H.O.O.D. He tells us about the great work he is doing for his Chicago community, including living on a roof to raise money for a new community center. This interview was recorded live at Congregation Beth Shalom in Northbrook, IL.  Finally, we call up our friend and former colleague Yair Rosenberg, who now writes the Deep Shtetl newsletter for The Atlantic, and who just released a beautiful album of Shabbat music called Az Yashir. We’re heading back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors:  Soom tahini is the perfect ingredient for your fall meals. Use discount code UNORTHODOX22 for 10% off your next order at soomfoods.com.  

Hey JCrew, we've got something extra we want to share with you. The Franchise is a new, eight-part series exploring how contemporary American Jewish culture imprinted itself onto sports and how sports imprinted itself onto Jewish traditions. Hosted by Meredith Shiner and produced by the team behind Unorthodox, the No. 1 Jewish podcast, The Franchise highlights the moments and the people—athletes, fans, stat geeks, journalists, and team owners—who are writing this uniquely, American Jewish story. The series begins in 1965 with Sandy Koufax, and traces the arc of American Jews and sports since then: from probing the so-called Koufax curse that befalls Jewish athletes who play on Yom Kippur to reevaluating the "Jewish Jordan" phenomenon and wondering why Jews love teams that always seem to lose, and much more. The Franchise premiers on Wednesday, Oct. 12. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re shaking the lulav and the etrog and celebrating Sukkot.   First, we’re learning all about the global history of the etrog thanks to Be Fruitful: The Etrog in Jewish Art, Culture, and History. We talk to Warren Klein, one of the collection’s editors, and Jenna Weissman Joselit, a favorite Unorthodox guest and contributor to the collection.  Next, we talk with Roger Studley, the founder of Urban Moshav, a nonprofit dedicated to creating Jewish co-housing communities, about Berkeley Moshav and the role that co-housing plays in building community.  Finally, we’re re-sharing the 2018 trip our former editor Sophia Steinert-Evoy’s took to the only commercial etrog farm in the U.S., in Exeter, CA, to meet the non-Jews running it.  We’re heading back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors:  Soom tahini is the perfect ingredient for your fall meals. Use discount code UNORTHODOX22 for 10% off your next order at soomfoods.com.  

This week on Unorthodox, we’re sorry. It’s our eighth annual Apology episode, and we’re bringing you stories of reckoning, atonement and… goats? Stephanie Butnick visits the goats who inhabit a steep, rocky patch of Manhattan each summer to learn about the biblical scapegoat of Yom Kippur, with help from Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky and former Riverside Park Conservancy President and CEO Daniel Garodnick.  What’s repentance all about, anyway? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain the concept of teshuva, and what the medieval Jewish philosopher Maimonides has to say about asking for forgiveness.  Professor and author Stewart Davenport, who grew up in Birmingham, AL, shares a candid reflection about arriving at Princeton as a college freshman and seeing the world differently. Plus, Liel starts a new Tzom Gedaliah tradition with a call to Rabbi Rachel Timoner. Don’t miss our previous Apology episodes: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021.  We’re heading back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors:  Soom: Soom tahini is the perfect ingredient for your fall meals. Use discount code UNORTHODOX22 for 10% off your next order at soomfoods.com.   HIAS: This High Holiday season, help HIAS help refugees in the United States, Ukraine and more than 20 other countries. Make a matched gift today at hias.org/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re not holding back.  Our Jewish guest this week is Kim Kushner, who joins us to talk about her Moroccan-influenced take on kosher cooking, her favorite Shabbat meals, and her new cookbook, The Modern Table.   We also bring you Gentile-Jewish filmmaker combo Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein, who tell us about the process of making their new PBS documentary, The U.S. and the Holocaust, which explores America’s response to World War II.  Our annual fundraiser is underway, and this year we’re upping the stakes: for every $100 you donate, you’ll be entered to win a mystery gift box curated by Stephanie, Mark, or Liel. Donate at tabletm.ag/mysterybox, and thank you for your support. We’re heading back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors:  Soom tahini is the perfect ingredient for your fall meals. Use discount code UNORTHODOX22 for 10% off your next order at soomfoods.com.  

This week on Unorthodox, lots of lox drama at one Manhattan synagogue. Our Gentile of the Week is author and podcaster Michael Lewis, who gamely revisits his 1993 Toy Goy article in the New Republic, tells us about being on the receiving end of antisemitic taunts for attending the Isidore Newman School in New Orleans and shares what he learned researching his 2016 book, The Undoing Project, about the friendship between Israeli cognitive psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman. Our Jew of the Week is Dana Bash, CNN’s chief political correspondent and the co-anchor of CNN’s State of the Union. She joins us to tell us what she learned while reporting her recent CNN special, “Rising Hate: Antisemitism in America,” and why she decided to also make the story personal.  Our annual fundraiser is underway, and this year we’re upping the stakes: for every $100 you donate, you’ll be entered to win a mystery gift box curated by Stephanie, Mark, or Liel. Donate at tabletm.ag/mysterybox, and thank you for your support. We’re heading back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors:  Soom tahini is the perfect ingredient for your fall meals. Use discount code UNORTHODOX22 for 10% off your next order at soomfoods.com. 

We're excited to introduce Gatecrashers, our newest Tablet Studios podcast. This 8-part series, hosted by our own Mark Oppenheimer, tells the hidden history of Jews in the Ivy League. Each episode focuses on one of the Ivies, and the series spans the last hundred years. Today, Mark shares the trailer and offers a behind the scenes look at Gatecrashers, with the help of Tablet Studios producer Quinn Waller and director of partnerships Tanya Singer. Stick around to the end for an exclusive preview of the first episode, about Columbia University and its forgotten campus for Jews. Gatecrashers launches on September 13 with two episodes: Columbia and Princeton. Subscribe now to Gatecrashers on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find Unorthodox.

We're off this week, but our fundraiser keeps going! For every $100 you donate, you’ll be entered to win a mystery gift box curated by Stephanie, Mark, or Liel. Donate at tabletm.ag/mysterybox. We're so grateful for your support, which lets us continue to make not just Unorthodox, but also our growing slate of Tablet Studios shows. One of them is Liel's daily Talmud podcast, Take One, and today he is sharing a favorite episode from the archive. We’ll be in the Chicagoland area on September 8th for a live podcast taping at Congregation Beth Shalom in Northbrook, Illinois. Our Jewish guest is Chicago food writer John Kessler and our Gentile of the Week is Corey Brooks, founder and Senior Pastor of New Beginnings Church of Chicago and founder and CEO of Project H.O.O.D. We'll also be joined by Meredith Shiner, the host of our forthcoming podcast about Jews and sports. There will be schmoozing, giveaways, and more. Get your (free!) tickets at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive.

Our annual fundraiser is underway, and this year we’re upping the stakes: for every $100 you donate, you’ll be entered to win a mystery gift box curated by Stephanie, Mark, or Liel. Donate at tabletm.ag/mysterybox, and thank you for your support. Our Jew of the Week is Ilana Horwitz, who teaches the sociology of religion and education at Tulane. She joins us to talk about her new book, God, Grades, and Graduation: Religion's Surprising Impact on Academic Success.    Our gentile of the week is Australian writer Tim Winton, who chats with us about surfing, writing, and the feral camel population in Australia. We’re heading back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Explore the fundamentals of Jewish mindfulness practices with Awaken: Essential Jewish Mindfulness, the new four-week intro program from the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Sign up today at JewishSpirituality.org.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re kicking off our annual fundraiser and upping the stakes: for every $100 you donate, you’ll be entered to win a mystery gift box curated by Stephanie, Mark, or Liel. Donate at tabletm.ag/mysterybox. Abby Pogrebin returns to the show to tell us about the latest installment of The Minyan, her roundtable interview series for Tablet. She spoke with 10 Orthodox women about their identities and experiences and shares some of that conversation, and the insights it inspired. Check out The Minyan at tabletmag.com/minyan.  We also talk to Allison Josephs of Jew in the City about her work getting Hollywood to portray Orthodox Jews with more accuracy and depth.   We’re heading back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Explore the fundamentals of Jewish mindfulness practices with Awaken: Essential Jewish Mindfulness, the new four-week intro program from the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Sign up today at JewishSpirituality.org.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re getting serious. It’s Tisha B’Av, the Jewish day of mourning that commemorates the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. (Read more about it here.) Our Jewish guest is Rebecca Soffer of Modern Loss, who returns to the show tell us about her new book, The Modern Loss Handbook: An interactive Guide to Moving Through Grief and Building Your Resilience.  Our Gentile of the Week is Walter Russell Mead, who joins us to discuss his new book, The Arc of a Covenant: The United States, Israel, and the Fate of the Jewish People. He tells us why he wanted to dispel many preconceived notions about America’s support for Israel, and explains why so many non-Jews throughout American history have supported the creation of a Jewish state. We’re heading back on the road! Check out our tour schedule at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive.  Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re melting down. To beat the heat, we’re bringing you interviews with two very cool Jews.  First we talk to singer songwriter Lisa Loeb, who has been entertaining music lovers of all ages since her breakout 1994 hit “Stay.” She shares how her childhood love of summer camp inspired her “Camp Lisa” record and foundation, plus she tells us about her eyewear collection and the similarities she’s discovered between performing for toddlers and drunk adults.  Our second guest is cantor-turned-jazz-singer Yisroel Leshes, who tells us about digging into the rich archives of 1920s-1940s Yiddish theater and reinterpreting those songs for a modern audience. You can catch Yisroel performing his music and showcasing other Jewish and Israeli music at his monthly pop-up series in New York City.   Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox: ‘Funny Girl’ casting shakeups, letters from camp, and more.  Our Jewish guest this week is Michael Uslan, who produced the Batman films. He talks with us about comic books as literature, and what makes Batman different from other superheroes.  Our Gentile of the Week is Iranian-American comedian and “Fake the Nation” podcast host Negin Farsad. She tells us about being mistaken for a Jew and shares her upcoming projects.  We want to hear from you! Take our listener survey and be entered to win a Russ & Daughters gift card: tabletm.ag/survey2022  We’re looking for contestants on our kids game show podcast Hebrew School! Do you know a curious kid aged 7-12 who wants to be challenged with fun Jewish quizzes and games? Go to tabletm.ag/hebrewschool for more information and to apply.  Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re wishing you a hearty ‘Shalom yellow.’ Our first Jew of the Week is Mike Pesca, host of the long-running daily podcast “The Gist,” which he recently relaunched independently. He tells us what podcasts he’s listening to, why it’s important to talk to people you disagree with, and about his childhood as a self-described ‘pizza bagel’ (half Jewish, half Italian).   Our second Jew of the Week is Argentinian journalist Javier Sinay, author of the newly translated book, The Murders of Moisés Ville: The Rise and Fall of the Jerusalem of South America. He tells us about the Jewish immigrant colony in Argentina that was home to Jewish gauchos, and how he went about solving a series of mysterious 1897 murders in the thriving Jewish enclave.  We want to hear from you! Take our listener survey and be entered to win a Russ & Daughters gift card. TK here:  We’re looking for contestants on our kids game show podcast Hebrew School! Do you know a curious kid aged 7-12 who wants to be challenged with fun Jewish quizzes and games? Go to tabletm.ag/hebrewschool for more information and to apply.  Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re packing our trunks and heading to summer camp.   Our Jew of the Week is Meredith Shiner, host of our forthcoming Tablet Studios podcast about Jews and sports. She joins us today to discuss the new Sandy Koufax statue at Dodger Stadium, which was unveiled during Shabbat. Stay tuned for more about Meredith’s show, which launches this fall.    Our Gentile of the Week is Swami Tyagananda, a teacher at the Vedanta Center in Boston and Hindu chaplain at MIT and Harvard, who was part of The Tent, Tablet’s interfaith project. He explains how religion and spirituality play an important role in modern life, and asks a profound question about what Judaism believes about reincarnation. For more Swami Tyagananda, you can listen to his podcast here. We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tabletstudios@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, bubbe or buh-bye?  Our Jew of the Week is Zachary Noah Piser, the new star of Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen. He joins us to talk about his experience taking over the title role in the show—which ends its Broadway run this fall—and his Jewish-Asian identity.  We hear from friend of the show Abigail Pogrebin about her new Tablet project, The Minyan, a series of roundtable discussions about the state of the Jewish community in America from a variety of perspectives. She shares a bit of audio from her first installment, a discussion with LGBTQ Jews.  We also check in with former guest Jonathan Ornstein, director of the Krakow JCC, who tells us about the work they are doing to help Ukrainian refugees.  We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tabletstudios@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re digging in.  Benedetta Guetta, author of the new cookbook, Cooking alla Giudia, joins us to discuss the fascinating—and delicious—culinary history of the Jews of Italy. We learn that Jews are responsible for bringing the orecchiette pasta shape to Italy, that Jews taught Italians how to cook eggplant, and that the Jews of Italy made kosher prosciutto using goose (here’s her recipe).  Barry Levenson tells us about the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, WI, which the former Wisconsin assistant attorney general founded to celebrate the condiment. He tells us about hosting the World-Wide Mustard Competition, the connections between Jews and mustard, and shares some of his favorite mustards, all of which are available for purchase through the museum’s store..   Our Gentile of the Week is Eric Huang, the former 11 Madison Park chef behind the fried chicken pop-up Pecking House. He tells us about shifting from fine dining to pandemic pop-up fame and shares his thoughts on a few of the Jewish culinary staples he grew up eating at friends’ houses.   We’re excited to feature the second installment of Cook Like a Jew, from associate producer Quinn Waller. First she learned to make chicken soup, and today she’s back to uncover the secrets of making homemade hummus with Liel. Join us June 16 at 5 p.m for “Can I Laugh At That?” a virtual panel discussion about comedy during trying times, hosted by Judy Gold and featuring Alex Edelman, Negin Farsad, and Mike Yard. Learn more and register at tabletm.ag/canilaugh.   We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tabletstudios@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, three of our favorite guests return to the show to tell us about their latest projects.  First we visit Philadelphia restaurateurs Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook at their new Brooklyn restaurant Laser Wolf, a shipudiya, or Israeli skewer house, named for the butcher in Fiddler on the Roof. You can listen to our 2019 road trip to Philadelphia, where we spoke to Solomonov and Cook at their restaurant Zahav, on Episode 204.  Tablet columnist James Kirchick also returns to the show to talk about his new book, Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington.  Unorthodox joins The WNET Group’s Exploring Hate and All Arts on June 16 at 5 p.m to present “Can I Laugh At That?” a virtual panel discussion about comedy during trying times, hosted by Judy Gold and featuring Alex Edelman, Negin Farsad, and Mike Yard. Learn more and register at tabletm.ag/canilaugh.   We are hiring a community manager! Help us connect with the audiences of all our shows, run our social media, and generally be our cheerleader. It’s a paid six-month, part-time position, and a chance to work with your favorite Jewish podcasters. Learn more at tabletm.ag/community. We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tabletstudios@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today we are sharing a special weekly edition of Kylie Unell’s podcast miniseries, 49 Days to Stretch My Soul. Kylie is putting her own spin on the Jewish tradition of counting the Omer—the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot—with a daily practice that includes everything from exploring the lyrics of Steven Sondheim, interviewing a ballet dancer, immersing herself in nature, and more. This final week is all about queenliness, and majesty. 

Today we are sharing a special weekly edition of Kylie Unell’s podcast miniseries, 49 Days to Stretch My Soul. Kylie is putting her own spin on the Jewish tradition of counting the Omer—the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot—with a daily practice that includes everything from exploring the lyrics of Steven Sondheim, interviewing a ballet dancer, immersing herself in nature, and more. This sixth week is all about connection and foundation. 

This week, we present our fifth-annual Conversion Episode. Each year on the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, we read the Book of Ruth, which tells the story of the first convert to Judaism. To celebrate Ruth and all the Jews by choice since then, we’re sharing three deeply personal stories about the path to becoming Jewish.  First we hear from our associate producer Quinn Waller, who is in the process of converting. Despite all her learning and studying, she is still dogged by feelings of inauthenticity, and she brings us along as she works through those emotions.  Listener Hunter Thomas shares his story of how a Jewish podcast (hi!) and a Jewish museum ultimately sparked his decision to convert.  We also catch up with Yael Wallace, whose story we shared on our 2019 conversion episode, and whose life since then has taken several dramatic turns. It’s an update you won’t want to miss.  Listen to all our conversion episodes here. To learn all about the holiday of Shavuot and get delicious dairy recipes, including Joan Nathan’s blintzes and cheesecake, head to tabletmag.com/shavuot.We are hiring a community manager! Help us connect with the audiences of all our shows, run our social media, and generally be our cheerleader. It’s a six-month, part-time position, and a chance to work with your favorite Jewish podcasters. Learn more at tabletm.ag/community We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tabletstudios@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today we are sharing a special weekly edition of Kylie Unell’s podcast miniseries, 49 Days to Stretch My Soul. Kylie is putting her own spin on the Jewish tradition of counting the Omer—the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot—with a daily practice that includes everything from exploring the lyrics of Steven Sondheim, interviewing a ballet dancer, immersing herself in nature, and more. This fifth week is all about endurance and perseverance. 

This week, we’re back together, and totally off the wall.  We’re airing the interviews from our live show in Virginia Beach, hosted by the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. Our Jew of the Week is Congresswoman Elaine Luria, who represents Virginia's Second Congressional District. She tells us about her 20-year career in the Navy; being a fourth-generation Jewish Alabaman before moving to Virginia; and hosting a Passover Seder on an aircraft carrier.  Our Gentile of the Week is NFL Hall of Famer Bruce Smith, who played for the Buffalo Bills for 15 seasons and finished out his career with the Washington Redskins. After he retired, he moved back to Virginia Beach. He tells us how to pronounce words like a local, what he learned from his football career, and whether Liel could make it in the NFL.  We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tabletstudios@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today we are sharing a special weekly edition of Kylie Unell’s podcast miniseries, 49 Days to Stretch My Soul. Kylie is putting her own spin on the Jewish tradition of counting the Omer—the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot—with a daily practice that includes everything from exploring the lyrics of Steven Sondheim, interviewing a ballet dancer, immersing herself in nature, and more. This fourth week is all about Netzach, or endurance and perseverance. 

This week, we’re deep dishing about Licorice Pizza. Our Jew of the week is actress, neuroscientist, and Jeopardy! co-host Mayim Bialik, who makes her directorial debut with the “very, very Jewish” film As They Made Us.  Mayim wrote the film, about a woman coming to terms with her father’s decline and death, at the end of the traditional Jewish year of mourning following her own father’s death in 2015. She tells us about the film’s casting (Dustin Hoffman and Candace Bergen play the parents to Glee star Dianna Agron), how Jewish mourning rituals deepened her connection to Judaism, and what she’s learned from hosting the iconic game show.  Our Gentile of the Week is Eddie Chang, who moderates the Buy Nothing Facebook group for New York City’s Upper East Side neighborhood. He tells us why he prefers sourcing items from the group’s twelve thousand members to buying things on Amazon, the best things he’s found through the group, and what he’s learned about the power of community along the way. His question for the hosts is which Jewish TV show is superior: Seinfeld or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Upcoming events: May 11. 2022 (virtual) — Stephanie Butnick will be in conversation with authors Gary Shteyngart and Claire Stanford as part of the Jewish Book Council and the Jewish Museum’s Unpacking the Book series. 7 p.m. Eastern; register here. May 15, 2022 - Mark Oppenheimer will be discussing his book, Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood at Temple Beth Israel in Skokie Illinois. 10 a.m. Central; tickets here.    May 25, 2022 — Mark, Stephanie, and Liel will be live in New York City for Central Synagogue’s Shavuot Boot Camp with Abigail Pogrebin. 5:30 p.m. Eastern; stream the event here. Find all our events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way, contact tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Spertus Institute’s Jewish Studies graduate programs make serious study available in a flexible formate for students of all ages, backgrounds, and knowledge levels. Find out more at spertus.edu/jewishstudies.

Today we’re sharing a special weekly edition of Kylie Unell’s podcast miniseries, 49 Days to Stretch My Soul. Kylie is putting her own spin on the Jewish tradition of counting the Omer—the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot—with a daily practice that includes everything from exploring the lyrics of Steven Sondheim, interviewing a ballet dancer, immersing herself in nature, and more. This third week is all about Tipheret, or discipline and harmony.

This week, we’re celebrating motherhood: the messy, the funny, the sad, and the profound.  First, an interview with Jewish Fertility Foundation’s Elana Frank, host of the podcast Fruitful and Multiplying. Then we talk to comedian Ester Steinberg about her postpartum comedy special, Burning Bush. We also hear from Rabbi Ilana Garber about her son’s diagnosis of Fragile X Syndrome, and Unorthodox producer Robert Scaramuccia shares a moving story about his mother. We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Upcoming events: May 15, 2022 - Mark Oppenheimer will be discussing his book, Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood at Temple Beth Israel in Skokie Illinois. 10 a.m. Central; tickets here.  May 22. 2022 (virtual) — Stephanie Butnick will be in conversation with authors Gary Shteyngart and Claire Stanford as part of the Jewish Book Council and the Jewish Museum’s Unpacking the Book series. 7 p.m. Eastern; register here.   May 25, 2022 — Mark, Stephanie, and Liel will be live in New York City for Central Synagogue’s Shavuot Boot Camp with Abigail Pogrebin. 5:30 p.m. Eastern; register here Get all our events info at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Get your copy of The Tab, Tablet’s free, printable weekly digest, at tabletm.ag/tab.  Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tabletstudios@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today we’re sharing a special weekly edition of Kylie Unell’s podcast miniseries, 49 Days to Stretch My Soul. Kylie is putting her own spin on the Jewish tradition of counting the Omer—the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot—with a daily practice that includes everything from exploring the lyrics of Steven Sondheim, interviewing a ballet dancer, immersing herself in nature, and more. This second week is all about Gevurah, or discipline and restraint.

This week, we’re putting the pieces together.  Our Jewish guest is A.J. Jacobs, whose new book [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/622520/the-puzzler-by-aj-jacobs/] is The Puzzler: One Man’s Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, From Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life. He explains why puzzles are such a useful way to see the world, tries to stump us with some Jewish riddles, and tells us what it’s like to appear as a New York Times Crossword clue. Listen to A.J.’s previous appearances on Unorthodox—on our very first episode in 2015, in 2017, and in 2018. We mark Yom Hashoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, with two special segments. First Liel talks to director Barry Levinson, whose latest film, The Survivor [​​https://www.hbo.com/movies/the-survivor], tells the true story of Harry Haft, a boxer who was forced to fight fellow inmates in Auschwitz. Then we hear a recording of a Yiddish song performed by Avi Wisnia and his late grandfather, Cantor David Wisnia. For more check out mypolishwisnia.com. [https://mypolishwiznia.com] We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Upcoming events: May 15, 2022 - Mark Oppenheimer will be discussing his book, Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood at Temple Beth Israel in Skokie Illinois. 10 a.m. Central; tickets here.  May 22. 2022 (virtual) — Stephanie Butnick will be in conversation with authors Gary Shteyngart and Claire Stanford as part of the Jewish Book Council and the Jewish Museum’s Unpacking the Book series. 7 p.m. Eastern; register here. Get all our events info at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Check out The Tab, Tablet magazine's new printable weekly digest. Laid out in an attractive PDF for reading on a tablet or desktop, or to be printed, The Tab takes you into Shabbat and through the weekend, for free. Get your copy at tabletm.ag/tab.  Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tabletstudios@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: HIAS: Make a gift to support HIAS’ emergency response in Ukraine at hias.org/unorthodox.

Today we’re sharing a special weekly edition of Kylie Unell’s new podcast miniseries, 49 Days to Stretch My Soul. Kylie is putting her own spin on the Jewish tradition of counting the Omer—the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot—with a daily practice that includes everything from exploring the lyrics of Steven Sondheim, interviewing a ballet dancer, immersing herself in nature, and more. This first week is all about Chesed, or Lovingkindness.

This week, we’re grabbing our passports.  First we talk to Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman about their off-Broadway musical Harmony, which tells the true story of the Comedian Harmonists, a trailblazing troupe of Jewish-and-gentile entertainers in 1920s Germany.    Professor Andy Markovits joins us to discuss his new memoir, The Passport as Home: Comfort in Rootlessness, about what he learned growing up as a Jew in Romania and Vienna before emigrating to the United States, and why he’s chosen to embrace the idea of the rootless cosmopolitan, despite (or perhaps in spite of) the term’s antisemitic origin.   Our Gentile of the Week is Tablet’s own Maggie Phillips, who reports about different religious communities in the U.S. as part of a grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations to improve religious literacy. You can read Maggie’s work here.  We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Upcoming events: May 15, 2022 - Mark Oppenheimer will be discussing his book, Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood at Temple Beth Israel in Skokie Illinois. 10 a.m. Central; tickets here.  May 22. 2022 (virtual) — Stephanie Butnick will be in conversation with authors Gary Shteyngart and Claire Stanford as part of the Jewish Book Council and the Jewish Museum’s Unpacking the Book series. 7 p.m. Eastern; register here. Get all our events info at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Check out The Tab, Tablet magazine's new printable weekly digest. Laid out in an attractive PDF for reading on a tablet or desktop, or to be printed, The Tab takes you into Shabbat and through the weekend, for free. Get your copy at tabletm.ag/tab.  Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tabletstudios@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: HIAS: Make a gift to support HIAS’ emergency response in Ukraine at hias.org/unorthodox.

We're excited to share a brand new Tablet Studios podcast hosted by our friend Kylie Unell. You might remember Kylie's spiritual journey in the lead-up to the High Holidays last year on "How to Fix a Soul in 30 Days". Now, Kylie is back with another show for another holiday season. The Jewish tradition of counting the Omer, or Sefirat Haomer, marks the 49 days between the second night of Passover and the start of Shavuot, and offers daily opportunities for spiritual challenge and growth. Kylie is putting her spin on this age-old tradition with "49 Days to Stretch my Soul," a new podcast featuring her daily reflections, readings, and conversations. "49 Days" airs each weekday for the seven weeks of the Omer. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and please leave a review. Write to us at podcasts@tabletmag.com. For more information about all of Tablet’s podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week we’re sharing a special bonus episode to accompany your pre-Passover prep.  You heard musician Josh Warshawsky sing the order of the Seder on last week’s Passover episode, proving that even the Haggadah's table of contents offers musical inspiration. Today we’re airing Mark’s interview with Warshawsky, in which the rabbi and song leader discusses the various melodies of the Haggadah and takes us on a song-filled journey from start to finish.  We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Check out our upcoming events: tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Download The Tab, a printable weekly digest from Tablet: tabletm.ag/tab.  Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re digging into Passover traditions.   Stephanie Butnick rids her home of chametz, or leavened bread, with a legalistic assist from producer Robert Scaramuccia. Featuring Rivkah Slonim.  Liel Leibovitz explores the tradition of Jewish first-born sons fasting before Passover, which takes him in some unexpected literary directions. Featuring Erica Brown and Andre Aciman.  Producer Josh Kross interrogates the Wicked Child archetype, with the help of his teenage son. Featuring Rabbi Sari Laufer. Mark Oppenheimer explores the meaning behind the afikoman, and the various traditions surrounding the end-of-Seder snack. Featuring Dovid Bashevkin. Get prepared for Passover with Tablet's “Passover Haggadah: An Ancient Story for Modern Times,” available at tabletm.ag/passover.  We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. We’ve got events coming up! April 7 — We’ll be doing a live show at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, hosted by the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, with schmoozing and book signing afterwards. 7:30 p.m. Eastern, get your tickets here. April 11, 2022 (virtual) — Stephanie Butnick will be in conversation with authors Lisa Bar­r and James McAuley. 7 p.m. Eastern; register here. May 15, 2022 - Mark Oppenheimer will be discussing his book, Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood at Temple Beth Israel in Skokie Illinois. 10 a.m. Central; tickets here.  May 22. 2022 (virtual) — Stephanie Butnick will be in conversation with authors Gary Shteyngart and Claire Stanford as part of the Jewish Book Council and the Jewish Museum’s Unpacking the Book series. 7 p.m. Eastern; register here. Get all our events info at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Check out The Tab, a new printable weekly digest from Tablet: tabletm.ag/tab.  Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Harry’s New customers can get a Harry’s Trial Set for just $3 at harrys.com/unorthodox. KOL Foods Use code UnorthodoxPesach for 10% off your Passover order at kolfoods.com.  HIAS Make a gift to support HIAS’ emergency response in Ukraine at hias.org/unorthodox.  ChaiFlicks Get your first month of streaming for only $3 by entering code UNORTHODOX at checkout at chaiflicks.com.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re calling the lox-smith.  Our Jew of the Week is Massachusetts State Senator Eric Lesser, who worked for the Obama campaign and administration and helped bring the first Seder to the White House. He’s now running for Lieutenant Governor, and he joins us for some Western Massachusetts Jewish geography and Friendly’s reminiscences.  Then we share a segment from our producer Quinn Waller. She’s converting to Judaism, and with her first Passover coming up, she’s getting into the kitchen and learning how to do it right.  Get prepared for Passover with Tablet's “Passover Haggadah: An Ancient Story for Modern Times.” Our publisher is offering discounted sets at tabletm.ag/passover.  We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. We’ve got events coming up! April 7 — We’ll be doing a live show at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, hosted by the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, with schmoozing and book signing afterwards. 7:30 p.m. Eastern, get your tickets here. April 11, 2022 (virtual) — Stephanie Butnick will be in conversation with authors Lisa Bar­r and James McAuley. 7 p.m. Eastern; register here. May 15, 2022 - Mark Oppenheimer will be discussing his book, Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood at Temple Beth Israel in Skokie Illinois. 10 a.m. Central; tickets here.  May 22. 2022 (virtual) — Stephanie Butnick will be in conversation with authors Gary Shteyngart and Claire Stanford as part of the Jewish Book Council and the Jewish Museum’s Unpacking the Book series. 7 p.m. Eastern; register here. Get all our events info at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Check out The Tab, a new printable weekly digest from Tablet: tabletm.ag/tab.  Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: KOL Foods offers healthy, sustainable, kosher meat and poultry. Use code UnorthodoxPesach for 10% off your order at kolfoods.com. 

This week on Unorthodox, we’re all connected.  Our Jewish guest is Julie Platt, the new chair of the Jewish Federations of North America, and the mother of some very talented Jewish children. She tells us about the work JFNA is doing to help Jews in Ukraine, and shares her theories on why so many Camp Ramah alums end up on Broadway, her sons included.  Our Gentile of the Week is Father Thomas Soroka, an Eastern Orthodox priest at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Pittsburgh. He’s one of the faith leaders participating in The Tent, Tablet’s month-long project to promote faith accessibility and interfaith conversation. We talk about what orthodoxy means for Christians and he sheds some light on the religious context of the war in Ukraine. You can listen to Father Soroka’s radio shows here.  We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. We’ve got events coming up! April 7 — We’ll be doing a live show at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, hosted by the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, with schmoozing and book signing afterwards. 7:30 p.m. Eastern, get your tickets here. April 11, 2022 (virtual) — Stephanie Butnick will be in conversation with authors Lisa Bar­r and James McAuley. 7 p.m. Eastern; register here. May 15, 2022 - Mark Oppenheimer will be discussing his book, Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood at Temple Beth Israel in Skokie Illinois. 10 a.m. Central; tickets here.  May 22. 2022 (virtual) — Stephanie Butnick will be in conversation with authors Gary Shteyngart and Claire Stanford as part of the Jewish Book Council and the Jewish Museum’s Unpacking the Book series. 7 p.m. Eastern; register here. Get all our events info at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Check out The Tab, Tablet magazine's new printable weekly digest. Laid out in an attractive PDF for reading on a tablet or desktop, or to be printed, The Tab takes you into Shabbat and through the weekend, for free. Get your copy at tabletm.ag/tab.  Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tabletstudios@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: KOL Foods offers healthy, sustainable, kosher meat and poultry. Use code UnorthodoxPesach for 10% off your order at kolfoods.com. 

This week on Unorthodox, we’re throwing a party. Our Jewish guest this week is Judith Rosenbaum, CEO of the Jewish Women’s Archive, who joins us to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the bat mitzvah in America. We talk about the first girl to be become a bat mitzvah, in 1922, plus what bat mitzvahs have meant for Jewish girls and women in the intervening century .  We also speak with Debbie Haback, who co-wrote the 1986 Preppy Handbook parody, The Jewish American Princess Handbook. Plus, we hear an essay from lawyer and writer Emma Sokoloff-Rubin about growing to love her curly Jewish hair.  We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Check out Tablet’s month-long interfaith project, The Tent, at welcometothetent.com.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. We’ve got events coming up! April 7 — We’ll be doing a live show at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, hosted by the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, with schmoozing and book signing afterwards. 7:30 p.m. Eastern, get your tickets here. April 11, 2022 (virtual) — Stephanie Butnick will be in conversation with authors Lisa Bar­r and James McAuley. 7 p.m. Eastern; register here. May 22. 2022 (virtual) — Stephanie Butnick will be in conversation with authors Gary Shteyngart and Claire Stanford as part of the Jewish Book Council and the Jewish Museum’s Unpacking the Book series. 7 p.m. Eastern; register here. Get all our events info at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Check out The Tab, Tablet magazine's new printable weekly digest. Laid out in an attractive PDF for reading on a tablet or desktop, or to be printed, The Tab takes you into Shabbat and through the weekend, for free. Get your copy at tabletm.ag/tab.  Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tabletstudios@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: KOL Foods offers healthy, sustainable, kosher meat and poultry. Use code UnorthodoxPesach for 10% off your order at kolfoods.com.  ChaiFlicks, the Jewish streaming service, features the best TV and film from across the Jewish world. Get your first month’s subscription for only $3 by using code UNORTHODOX at checkout : www.chaiflicks.com 

This week on Unorthodox, we’re doing the Wordle.   Evan Jacobson is a TikTok saxophone sensation. You might have seen his viral series where he adds sax solos to “songs that don’t need them.” We got him to compose sax solos to such cultural Jewish anthems as "Sunrise, Sunset" and Jeff Buckley’s cover of "Hallelujah." Shawn Setaro is a writer and podcaster, who created and hosted The Cipher, a hip-hop podcast produced by Unorthodox's own Josh Kross. He talks with us about his new book, Dummy Boy: Tekashi 6ix9ine and the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods. We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Check out Tablet’s month-long interfaith project, The Tent, at welcometothetent.com Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. We’ve got events coming up! April 7 — We’ll be doing a live show at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, hosted by the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, with schmoozing and book signing afterwards. 7:30 p.m. Eastern, get your tickets here. April 11, 2022 (virtual) — Stephanie Butnick will be in conversation with authors Lisa Bar­r and James McAuley. 7 p.m. Eastern; register here. May 22. 2022 (virtual) — Stephanie Butnick will be in conversation with authors Gary Shteyngart and Claire Stanford as part of the Jewish Book Council and the Jewish Museum’s Unpacking the Book series. 7 p.m. Eastern; register here. Get all our events info at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Check out The Tab, Tablet magazine's new printable weekly digest. Laid out in an attractive PDF for reading on a tablet or desktop, or to be printed, The Tab takes you into Shabbat and through the weekend, for free. Get your copy at tabletm.ag/tab.  Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tabletstudios@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. New customers can get a Starter Set—which includes a five-blade razor, weighted handle, foaming shave gel with aloe, and a travel cover—for just $3 at harrys.com/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re getting jiggy with it.  Our Jewish guest is Lenny Solomon, frontman of the Jewish rock band Shlock Rock. He talks with us about what it takes to create a great parody song, the role of humor in music, and accounting. You can donate to his fundraiser for his musical, Daniel in Babylon, here. Our Gentile of the Week is professor and writer Devoney Looser, who teaches us about Jane Austen and roller derby, and the surprising ways in which these two subjects intersect. Check out Tablet’s month-long interfaith project, The Tent, at welcometothetent.com. We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. We’ve got events coming up! April 7 — We’ll be doing a live show at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, hosted by the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, with schmoozing and book signing afterwards. 7:30 p.m. Eastern, get your tickets here. Get all our events info at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Check out The Tab, Tablet magazine's new printable weekly digest. Laid out in an attractive PDF for reading on a tablet or desktop, or to be printed, The Tab takes you into Shabbat and through the weekend, for free. Get your copy at tabletm.ag/tab.  Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tabletstudios@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re lifting off.  This week we’re doing things a little differently. With the situation in Ukraine heating up, two Tablet writers offer their perspective. Vladislav Davidzon talks to us from the ground in Kyiv and Armin Rosen takes us to Uman for the annual Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage to the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov.  We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. We’ve got events coming up! Feb. 24 — Mark will be the keynote speaker at the Jewish Festival of Learning at Cal Poly State University - San Luis Obispo. 5 p.m. PST; register here.  Feb. 24 — Stephanie will be in conversation with authors Gal Beckerman (“The Quiet Before”) and Talia Lavin (“Culture Warlords”) for the Jewish Book Council and the Jewish Museum’s Unpacking the Book series. 7 p.m. EST; register here. Feb. 25-27 — Mark will be the Scholar in Residence at Har Zion Temple in Penn Valley, PA. Register for his talks here.  April 7 — We’ll be doing a live show at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, hosted by the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, with schmoozing and book signing afterwards. 7:30 p.m. Eastern, get your tickets here. Get all our events info at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Check out The Tab, Tablet magazine's new printable weekly digest. Laid out in an attractive PDF for reading on a tablet or desktop, or to be printed, The Tab takes you into Shabbat and through the weekend, for free. Get your copy at tabletm.ag/tab.  Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tabletstudios@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re ordering gazpacho for the table.  Our Jewish guest this week is Tablet’s very own Wayne Hoffman, whose new book is The End of Her: Racing Against Alzheimers to Solve a Murder. He talks with us about family legends, coming to terms with his mother’s decline, and the morass of memory. We’re giving away a few free copies of Wayne’s book on our Instagram and Facebook accounts.  We’ve got events coming up! Thursday, April 7 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern, we’ll be doing a live show at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, hosted by the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, with schmoozing and book signing afterwards. Get your tickets here. Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. Eastern, Stephanie will be discussing Wayne Hoffman’s new book, The End of Her, at Manhattan’s KGB Bar, 85 E. 4th St.  Thursday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. Eastern (virtual), Stephanie will be in conversation with authors Gal Beckerman (“The Quiet Before”) and Talia Lavin (“Culture Warlords”) for the Jewish Book Council and the Jewish Museum’s Unpacking the Book series. Register here.    Get all our events info at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Check out The Tab, Tablet magazine's new printable weekly digest. Laid out in an attractive PDF for reading on a tablet or desktop, or to be printed, The Tab takes you into Shabbat and through the weekend, for free. Get your copy at tabletm.ag/tab.  Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tabletstudios@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: ChaiFlicks is now streaming the hit Israeli comedy called “The New Black,” which follows four rebellious students at a yeshiva in Jerusalem as they try to reconcile their desire for modern life with their religious upbringing. Watch it now at chaiflicks.com.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re throwing it back.  Our Gentile of the week is writer Chuck Klosterman, whose new book is The Nineties. He tells us why the 90s were the last real decade, plus what it’s like to earnestly promote a book about an era when apathy reigned supreme. We, on the other hand, are happy to be commercial sellouts—we’re giving away copies of The Nineties on our Instagram and Facebook accounts. We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Check out The Tab, Tablet magazine's new printable weekly digest. Laid out in an attractive PDF for reading on a tablet or desktop, or to be printed, The Tab takes you into Shabbat and through the weekend, for free. Get your copy at tablet.ag/tab.  Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. New customers can get a Starter Set—which includes a five-blade razor, weighted handle, foaming shave gel with aloe, and a travel cover—for just $3 at harrys.com/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re all self-upgrading to business class.  Our Jewish guest is investigative journalist Carl Bernstein, of Watergate team Woodward and Bernstein, whose new memoir is Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom.   Our Gentile of the Week is The Great British Baking Show semi-finalist Jürgen Krauss, who won our hearts with his Passover plava recipe on Season 9. Krauss, who isn’t Jewish himself but is married to a Jewish woman and raising a Jewish family, tells us about representing his family’s Jewish faith in his flavors. He also shares a new Passover pavlova recipe with Unorthodox—check it out here. We love to hear from you! Send us your emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel.  Check out The Tab, Tablet magazine's new printable weekly digest. Laid out in an attractive PDF for reading on a tablet or desktop, or to be printed, The Tab takes you into Shabbat and through the weekend, for free. Get your copy at tabletm.ag/tab.  Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email tabletstudios@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Thirty Six is a new podcast from SoulShop and Bnai Zion hosted by Justin Hayet, who scours Israel to find the 36 most fascinating souls who bring an ancient Jewish tradition to life. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re bringing you a conversation with Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker of Temple Beth Israel in Colleyville, TX, who was held hostage along with three congregants during a Shabbat service two weeks ago Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Check out The Tab, Tablet magazine's new printable weekly digest. Laid out in an attractive PDF for reading on a tablet or desktop, or to be printed, The Tab takes you into Shabbat and through the weekend, for free. Get your copy at tablet.ag/tab.  Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Thirty Six is a new podcast from SoulShop and Bnai Zion hosted by Justin Hayet, who scours Israel to find the 36 most fascinating souls who bring an ancient Jewish tradition to life. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.    American Jewish World Service Renew your commitment to tikkun olam with a twice-matched gift to support social justice organizations in 18 countries around the world. Make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox.   The Institute for Jewish Spirituality’s online introductory course in Jewish meditation will help you find calm in challenging situations. Sign up for “The Gift of Awareness” at jewishspirituality.org and use discount code Unorthodox for 20% off the 8-part course.  

This week, we’re reflecting on the rabbi and three congregants held hostage at a Texas synagogue last Saturday.  We’re also sharing an interview with Mark Podwal, an artist who has illustrated for the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Times —and who has a day job as a dermatologist. He tells us how his art, rich with Jewish themes and imagery, is his expression of his Jewish identity Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors   The Institute for Jewish Spirituality’s online introductory course in Jewish meditation will help you find calm in challenging situations. Sign up for “The Gift of Awareness” at jewishspirituality.org and use discount code Unorthodox for 20% off the 8-part course.     American Jewish World Service Renew your commitment to tikkun olam with a twice-matched gift to support social justice organizations in 18 countries around the world. Make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox. Thirty Six is a new podcast from SoulShop and Bnai Zion hosted by Justin Hayet, who scours Israel to find the 36 most fascinating souls who bring an ancient Jewish tradition to life. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.  Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. Get a trial set for just $3 when you go to HARRYS.COM/UNORTHODOX. 

This week on Unorthodox, more Israel-related animal conspiracy theories.   Before she was Liz Lange, our Jewish guest was Liz Steinberg, niece of corporate raider Saul Steinberg. She tells the story of her family’s spectacular rise and eventual fall in the new podcast, “The Just Enough Family.”  Our Gentile of the Week is Delvyn Case, a Christian composer who has written a cantata about the binding of Isaac, based on his reading of one rabbi's midrash that suggests that Abraham actually killed Isaac. Plus, more news from Belgium!  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management Earn your master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Innovation while you work. Learn more about the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management at zschool.huc.edu. Scholarships available. AJWS supports activism in 18 countries around the world, and when you donate to AJWS this holiday season, your gift will be matched to make double the impact. Give today at AJWS.org/unorthodox.  Thirty Six is a new podcast from SoulShop and Bnai Zion hosted by Justin Hayet, who scours Israel to find the 36 most fascinating souls who bring an ancient Jewish tradition to life. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.  The Power Of is a new podcast featuring host Noam Weissman and a diverse range of guests discussing how Jewish wisdom can help us find real, practical meaning within our own lives. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. 

This week, we’re celebrating a major milestone: 300 episodes. That’s more than 18,000 minutes of tape over six years, featuring thousands of News of the Jews items, hundreds of amazing Jews and Gentiles of the Week, and way too many jokes about Belgium. We’ve been through a lot together, J-Crew. There was the Saran Wrap vs. tin foil fight, the debate over backing into parking spaces, and endless discussions of what activities might accurately be categorized as “Jewish.” We’ve shared stories of conversion and atonement and nose jobs, and performed live shows across the country, from St. Louis to San Diego, and Denver to Detroit. Along the way, our team wrote a book, welcomed three human children and six podcast babies, and even got to be part of a proposal and then a wedding. Today, we’re celebrating everything that makes Unorthodox the #1 Jewish podcast with a special episode hosted by friend-of-the-show and “Making It” judge Simon Doonan. You’ll hear stories from our hosts—about Stephanie finding her voice, Mark learning what happens when an off-hand comment incites an unexpected online mob, and Liel realizing that fighting about politics isn’t always worth it — and messages from listeners and some of our favorite former guests. On behalf of the entire Unorthodox team, Shalom friends—and thanks for listening. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation at bit.ly/givetounorthodox. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management - Earn your master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Innovation while you work. Learn more about the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management at zschool.huc.edu. Scholarships available. The Power Of is a new podcast featuring host Noam Weissman and a diverse range of guests discussing how Jewish wisdom can help us find real, practical meaning within our own lives. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. AJWS supports activism in 18 countries around the world, and when you donate to AJWS this holiday season, your gift will be matched to make double the impact. Give today at AJWS.org/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re drinking the eggnog and going all in on Christmas. Did you know your favorite Christmas song was probably written by a Jew? Marc Tracy returns to the show to shed light on the surprising history of Jewish songwriters and Christmas music, and shares a list of the 10 best Christmas songs written by Jews.  It wouldn’t be a bunch of Jews talking about a holiday—even one that isn’t our own—without a serious discussion of food. Jewish cookbook author and New York Times Cooking columnist Melissa Clark tells us about the chocolate babka rugelach recipe she contributed to the Times’ Christmas cookie collection. Our super-intern Quinn Waller—our Quinntern—brings us an amazing personal story about the Christmas spirit she grew up with, and how she continued to believe in Santa long after all her friends stopped.  What’s it like being a Jewish ballerina and dancing in “The Nutcracker,” the most Christmas-y ballet of all time? American Ballet Theater principal dancer Skylar Brandt, who this year is performing the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” tells us all about it.   New York-area listeners, travel back in time to 1970s NYC's haute kosher Chinese restaurant, Moshe Peking, for a prix-fixe dinner to remember on December 25, 2021. Chef Eric Huang of Pecking House and Wall Street Grill’s Joey Paulino reimagine the iconic Moshe Peking menu with a 5-course feast of short ribs, duck dumplings, sesame noodles, and more, all under OU supervision at Wall Street Grill. Get your ticket at bit.ly/moshepeking. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation at bit.ly/givetounorthodox. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors AJWS supports activism in 18 countries around the world, and when you donate to AJWS this holiday season, your gift will be matched to make double the impact. Give today at AJWS.org/unorthodox.  Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards recognize 15 extraordinary Jewish teenagers with $36,000 toward their initiatives. Learn more and apply or nominate a teen at dillerteenawards.org/unorthodox.  Spertus Institute’s Certificate in Jewish Leadership is a skill-building resource specifically geared to the particular needs of Jewish organizations. Find out more at spertus.edu/certificate.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re diving deeper into the cream cheese shortage.  Our first guest is Dorothy Kalins, cookbook writer and former editor in chief of Saveur magazine. Liel talks to her about her new book, “The Kitchen Whisperers: Cooking with the Wisdom of Our Friends.” Then Liel sits down with retired Harvard professor Ruth Wisse, whose new memoir is “Free Like a Jew: A Personal Memoir of National Self-Liberation.”  Our 300th episode is coming up this month, and we want you to be part of it. Has Unorthodox meant something to you, or played a part in your Jewish journey? Has a particular interview made you think, or a special episode stuck with you? Share your Unorthodox story by recording a voice memo on your phone and emailing it to unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leaving a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you're calling from.  New York-area listeners, travel back in time to 1970s NYC's haute kosher Chinese restaurant, Moshe Peking, for a prix-fixe dinner to remember on December 25, 2021. Chef Eric Huang of Pecking House reimagines the iconic Moshe Peking menu with a 5-course feast of short ribs, duck dumplings, sesame noodles, and more, all under OU supervision at Wall Street Grill. Get your ticket at bit.ly/moshepeking. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation at bit.ly/givetounorthodox. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors:  AJWS supports activism in 18 countries around the world, and when you donate to AJWS this holiday season, your gift will be matched to make double the impact. Give today at AJWS.org/unorthodox.  Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards recognize 15 extraordinary Jewish teenagers with $36,000 toward their initiatives. Learn more and apply or nominate a teen at dillerteenawards.org/unorthodox.  Rothys makes stylish and sustainable shoes and accessories. Get $20 off your first  purchase at rothys.com/UNORTHODOX.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re prepping for the great cream cheese shortage of 5782. First we call up friend of the show Joshua Malina, who wrote an impassioned essay in the Atlantic asking why, after such a public history of antisemitism, Mel Gibson is still getting work in Hollywood.  Then we talk to Yonit Levi, Israel’s Channel 12 evening news anchor, who recently launched the podcast Unholy with The Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland.  Our Gentile of the Week is University of Oregon professor Annelise Heinz, whose new book, Mahjong: A Chinese Game and the Making of Modern American Culture, delves into the Jewish community’s enthusiastic embrace of the tile game.  Our 300th episode is coming up this month, and we want you to be part of it. Has Unorthodox meant something to you, or played a part in your Jewish journey? Has a particular interview made you think, or a special episode stuck with you? Share your Unorthodox story by recording a voice memo on your phone and emailing it to unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leaving a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you're calling from.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation at bit.ly/givetounorthodox. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: AJWS supports activism in 18 countries around the world, and when you donate to AJWS this holiday season, your gift will be matched to make double the impact. Give today at AJWS.org/unorthodox.  Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards recognize 15 extraordinary Jewish teenagers with $36,000 toward their initiatives. Learn more and apply or nominate a teen at dillerteenawards.org/unorthodox.  Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. Get $5 off any holiday shave set at harrys.com/unorthodox. 

This week on Unorthodox, we really can’t stop talking about Hanukkah—read our op-ed all about it in the Washington Post. First we talk to actress Sarah Podemski, who stars on the new FX on Hulu show Reservation Dogs. She tells us about her “Anishinaabe/Ashkenazi” heritage and growing up in Toronto’s Jewish community, plus her experience working with an all-Indigenous cast and creative team on Reservation Dogs.     Then Liel has a candid conversation with New York Times columnist Ross Douthat about his new book, The Deep Places, an account of his confounding struggle with chronic Lyme Disease.    Throughout the episode you’ll hear “The Hanukkah Song 2.0” from our friends Kosha Dillz and Nissim Black.  We’re looking for listeners to be part of two upcoming episodes. Send us your best Jew-at-Christmas stories, like the time you accidentally ruined Santa for the whole class. And on a more earnest note, has Unorthodox meant something special to you? Share your story for our 300th episode. You can leave us a voicemail at 914-570-4869 or even better, record a voice memo on your phone and email it to unorthodox@tabletmag.com.  Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation at bit.ly/givetounorthodox. Send comments and questions to unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards recognize 15 extraordinary Jewish teenagers with $36,000 toward their initiatives. Learn more and apply or nominate a teen at dillerteenawards.org/unorthodox.  AJWS supports activism in 18 countries around the world. When you give to AJWS this Hanukkah, your gift will be matched to make double the impact. Give today at AJWS.org/unorthodox.  Chai Flicks streams Jewish and Israeli movies and TV, with hundreds of films, series, and documentaries to choose from. Visit ChaiFlicks.com and enter code CHECKOUT to get 50% off your first month subscription. Hanukkah Homecoming Hundreds of communities are throwing Hanukkah Homecoming events this weekend. Find all the Hanukkah happenings in one place at hanukkahhomecoming.org.  Tikvah Scholars Program at Yale University brings together Jewish 10th and 11th grade students to push their intellectual limits with world-class faculty. Learn more and apply or nominate a teen at tikvahscholars.org. 

Stacy Keach joins Liel to discuss his upcoming presentation of the play "Vienna," created by Stacy Keach Zoom Theater (SKZ). The show begins airing on YouTube on Sunday, November 28, and will be available through Wednesday, December 1. Admission is free. Donations are welcome to benefit The Actors Fund of America. To access the production, visit stacykeachzoomtheater.com.

Unorthodox is off this week for Thanksgiving, but we're bringing you "Pigging Out," an episode from our friends at Israel Story: "Not once, but twice, does the Bible admonish us to abstain from eating the flesh of the pig. And though there are many other animals we are commanded to avoid, the pig has—over the centuries—become the quintessential symbol of all that is unkosher, impure, and morally reprehensible. But was that always the case? In an episode that starts in prehistoric times and ends in the 21st century, we explore the place of all kinds of porcines—from piggy banks to pork sausages and from wild boars to Iron Age bones—in Israeli society." Send us your stories for our Unorthodox Christmas episode at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation at bit.ly/givetounorthodox. Send comments and questions to unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, it’s beginning to look a lot like Hanukkah! The Festival of Lights starts Sunday, Nov. 28, and we could think of no better way to kick off a holiday about the triumph of Jewish observance over assimilation than with a special episode featuring some amazing Jews whose work celebrates Jewish culture and identity.  Comedian and proud Jew Judy Gold—aka @jewdygold—joins us to discuss embracing her Jewishness on stage and off, and lighting Hanukkah candles in hotel rooms as she tours the country during the ‘holiday season.’ For more Judy Gold, check out her podcast “Kill Me Now” and her book Yes, I Can Say That, and find her tour schedule at judygold.com. Listen to Judy’s previous appearances on the show here and here.  Jake Cohen, author of Jew-ish: A Cookbook: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch, shares his Hanukkah menu (a latke bar!) and tells us why he loves wearing his Star of David necklace on Good Morning America. We’re giving away free copies of Jew-Ish to a few lucky listeners! Check out the giveaway on our Instagram and in our Facebook group.  Plus we talk #HanukkahFails with Rachel Kenneth and hear new Hanukkah music from Sarah Aroeste and Jeremiah Lockwood. Tablet’s 100 Most Jewish Foods book has been reimagined as a jigsaw puzzle, memory game, and sticker book, just in time for Hanukkah. Shop the whole set here. Send us your stories for our Christmas episode at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation at bit.ly/givetounorthodox. Send comments and questions to unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: AJWS supports more than 500 grassroots human rights organizations in 18 countries around the world. Made a twice matched donation today at AJWS.org/unorthodox.  Rothy’s shoes are stylish, comfortable, and sustainable. Get $20 off your first purchase at rothys.com/UNORTHODOX. Chai Flicks is a streaming service dedicated to Jewish and Israeli movies and TV, with hundreds of films, series, and documentaries to choose from. Visit ChaiFlicks.com and enter code CHECKOUT to get 50% off your first month subscription. Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. New customers can get a Starter Set—which includes a five-blade razor, weighted handle, foaming shave gel with aloe, and a travel cover—for just $3 at harrys.com/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, are we ready for a Better Bagel? Our guest is novelist Alice McDermott, whose latest book is What About the Baby? Some Thoughts on the Art of Fiction. She tells us about her 1998 National Book Award-winning novel, Charming Billy, as well as her Catholic faith, relationship with the church, and what she misses now that she’s no longer teaching. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation at bit.ly/givetounorthodox. Send comments and questions to unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Tablet’s 100 Most Jewish Foods book has been reimagined as a jigsaw puzzle, memory game, and sticker book, just in time for Hanukkah. Check out the whole set here. Sponsors: Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards recognize 15 extraordinary Jewish teenagers from across the United States with an award of $36,000 to honor their initiatives to help change the world. Nominate a teen by January 7 at dillerteenawards.org/unorthodox. AJWS supports more than 500 grassroots human rights organizations in 18 countries around the world. Made a twice matched donation today at AJWS.org/unorthodox. Spertus Institute’s Certificate in Jewish Leadership is specifically geared to the particular needs of Jewish organizations. Find out more at spertus.edu/certificate.

This week on Unorthodox, our national nightmare is over: Stephanie returns to the show! We talk to comedian Alex Edelman, whose new one-man show, “Just For Us,” is about the time he infiltrated a white supremacist gathering. Edelman, who was raised Orthodox, tells us about starting to wrap tefillin again during the pandemic, his work on Saturday Night Seder, and why some Jewish comedians miss the mark for him. “Just For Us” runs Dec. 1-19 at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York. Then we visit Sherry Herring, New York City’s latest culinary import from Tel Aviv and Liel’s favorite place on Earth, to sample chipotle tuna and piri piri sardine sandwiches and learn about the Jewish love of smoked fish. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation at bit.ly/givetounorthodox. Send comments and questions to unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards recognize 15 extraordinary Jewish teenagers from across the United States with an award of $36,000 to honor their initiatives to help change the world. You can nominate a teen today or they can apply directly by January 7. Visit dillerteenawards.org/unorthodox to learn more. Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. New customers can get a Starter Set—which includes a five-blade razor, weighted handle, foaming shave gel with aloe, and a travel cover—for just $3 at harrys.com/unorthodox. Rothy’s shoes are stylish and sustainable, and now they’re available for men too! Get $20 off your first purchase at rothys.com/UNORTHODOX.

Three years after the Tree of Life synagogue shooting that killed 11 Jews, we return to Pittsburgh with a special episode based on Mark Oppenheimer's reporting for his new book, Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood. You’ll hear from the local high schoolers who planned the Saturday night vigil that drew thousands of people, from the Pulitzer-winning editor of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette explaining how he conceived the paper's famous Hebrew-language front page headline, and from the archivist responsible for cataloging the thousands of pieces of mail received by the synagogue from around the world. Listeners will learn about the evangelical Christian carpenter who drove nine hours to place handmade crosses, to which he affixed Stars of David, outside the synagogue, and the member of the Jewish burial society who was shot in the attack and who then helped prepare the bodies of fellow members for burial. Listen to our 2018 episode, recorded from Pittsburgh in the hours following the shooting, here. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation at bit.ly/givetounorthodox. Send comments and questions to unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: The 15th annual Other Israel Film Festival is taking place November 4–11 at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. This festival provides an in-depth look into Israeli and Palestinian societies, and this year features both in-person and virtual screenings. For more info and tickets, visit otherisrael.org.

This week on Unorthodox, former guest Gavriel Savit joins us for a spooktacular Halloween episode. We talk about the Jewishness of Dune, William Shatner’s mission to the moon, why some religious Jews don’t celebrate Halloween, and more. Our Jewish guest is actor, author, and substance abuse counselor Stacey Nelkin, who starred in the 1982 film Halloween III: Season of the Witch. She joins us to reminisce about the critically panned cult classic. Our Gentile of the week is Carrie Harris, a fiction writer whose work features monsters, mayhem, and murder. She tells us why horror writing flourishes in uncertain times, and reads a passage from her new young adult book, Elder God Dance Squad, which she describes as ‘Stranger Things meets Bring It On.’ Dara Horn, author of the new book People Love Dead Jews, and host of the podcast “Adventures with Dead Jews,” gets us in the holiday spirit with a reading of “The Dead Town” by Yiddish writer I.L. Peretz. (Translated by Helen Frank and Hillel Halkin, abridged and adapted by Dara Horn.) Listen to Liel on a special crossover episode of “People of the Pod,” discussing “How the Jews Went Right in Britain.” It’s the first installment of “21st Century Europe and the Jews,” a four-part collaboration between Tablet and American Jewish Committee. Listen to the episode here, and learn more about the series here. It’s that time of the year! Please support Unorthodox and the other Tablet shows you know and love by visiting bit.ly/givetounorthodox. Send comments and questions to unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Rothy’s shoes are stylish and sustainable, and now they’re available for men too! Get $20 off your first purchase at rothys.com/UNORTHODOX

This week, while Mark’s on book tour and Stephanie is dancing with diapers, we’re bringing you a minisode with a special story of the impact of a single hungry draft dodger. Enjoy! On October 19 at 12pm ET, Liel will be moderating a live discussion along with Manya Brachear Pashman of American Jewish Committee's podcast, People of the Pod. This is the first in a four-part series by Tablet Magazine and AJC titled “21st Century Europe and the Jews”, which aims to address timely issues related to Jewish life and the protection of democracies in Europe. The series will delve into the most pressing issues in the United Kingdom, Poland, France, and Germany. The October 19th live program, “How the Jews Went Right in Britain,” will start with the UK. Go to AJC.org/Tablet to register, and for more details! Please support Unorthodox and the other Tablet shows you know and love by visiting bit.ly/givetounorthodox and giving a gift of any amount! Aa always, let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

In this week's news, the Orthodox Union won't certify "Impossible Pork," Maccabi Haifa receives an interesting welcome in Berlin, and Mark owns a wetsuit. Tablet Studios is proud to bring you Radioactive, a new narrative podcast about Radio Priest and renowned antisemite Father Charles Coughlin. Enjoy this sneak peek, as well as Liel's conversation with host Andrew Lapin, and make sure to subscribe Liel also sits down with pianist Simone Dinnerstein, who recently conducted a walking tour throughout Green-Wood Cemetery including performances on several pianos scattered throughout the route. We are launching our fundraiser! Please support Unorthodox and the other Tablet shows you know and love by visiting bit.ly/givetounorthodox and giving a gift of any amount! Aa always, let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. Get a Harry's trial shave set for just $3 at harrys.com/unorthodox. 

This week on Unorthodox, we interrupt our usual programming to talk about interrupting, and the battle between extroverts in introverts. Liel speaks with Professor Jacques Berlinerblau about his new book The Philip Roth We Don't Know: Sex, Race, and Autobiography, and Mark speaks with Hanna Stein, who portrays Shira Liedman on the Netflix's Never Have I Ever, and who was connected to us by her dad, a proud member of the J-Crew. We are launching our fundraiser! Please support Unorthodox and the other Tablet shows you know and love by visiting bit.ly/givetounorthodox and giving a gift of any amount! As always, let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Happy Sukkot, J-Crew! While we sit here in our huts, shaking our palm fronds and citrons,we bring you a slew of Jews redefining the term "modern day heroes." First, Tablet Chief Administrative Office Sam Hacker heroically swoops in to guest host, saving the show from another week of just Mark and Liel. Then, Liel speaks with author E. Lockhart, the author of Whistle: A New Gotham Hero, featuring DC Comics' first Jewish superhero in over 40 years, Willow Zimmerman. Finally, Mark speaks with Jonathan Lipnicki, a jiu-jitsu and MMA trained fighter using his talents to protect Jews from antisemitic attacks. Oh and you might remember him from such movies as Jerry Maguire and Stuart Little. As always, let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: AJWS supports activists working with vulnerable communities around the globe throughout the ongoing pandemic. Make your double-matched, tax-deductible donation today at AJWS.org/unorthodox. Rothy's shoes aren't just for women anymore! Rothy’s now sells men’s sneakers and men’s driving loafers. Right now, you can get $20 off your first purchase at rothys.com/UNORTHODOX

Welcome to our annual apology episode! As we do every year, we searched far and wide for stories about apologies, forgiveness, and repentance. We hope this episode inspires you to approach Yom Kippur with some new insights and appreciation for making amends. First, we speak with legal scholar and Former Dean of Harvard Law School Martha Minow about US law and forgiveness, and whether the justice system should perhaps be more forgiving. Then, Rabbi Jonathan Spira-Savett, host of the new podcast Tov!, speaks with Producer Robert about the concept of teshuva, repentance, and the source he believes can educate us all on repentance--NBC's The Good Place, starring Kristen Bell and Ted Danson. Next, writer Simone Ellin recounts her experience confronting her childhood bullies, and uncovers the surprising truth about how others remember events that were so traumatic to her. We hear from author Susan Shapiro about her new memoir, The Forgiveness Tour, which explores many of the subjects we talk about when we talk about apologies--should you forgive someone who doesn't apologize, what Judaism has to say about forgiveness, and whether some sins are truly unpardonable. And you know it isn't an Unorthodox apology episode without a visit from our favorite apology expert, former Tablet colleague and Founder of the blog SorryWatch, Marjorie Ingall. Sorry, not sorry. As always, let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: AJWS supports activists working with vulnerable communities around the globe throughout the ongoing pandemic. Make your double-matched, tax-deductible donation today at AJWS.org/unorthodox. Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. Get a Harry's trial shave set for just $3 at harrys.com/unorthodox. 

Happy Jewish Year 5782! While we normally celebrate new beginnings on Rosh Hashana, this year we are choosing to turn to the comfort of some of our favorite things. Join us to celebrate Rosh Hashana and celebrate the new Jewish year with the equivalent of a hug for your years. First, we bring you our interview with star of stage and screen Tovah Feldshuh, who spoke with us a couple months back as part of a live show with the Community Scholar Program  and the Merage Jewish Community Center sponsored by the Jewish Community Foundation Orange County and Jewish Federation Orange County. Then, Liel speaks with Doni Zasloff and Eric Lindberg of the Jewish Bluegrass band Nefesh Mountain.  The duo also perform a special song to ring in the new year with Unorthodox. Finally, we bring you a sneak peak of our new Tablet Studios podcast, Adventures with Dead Jews, hosted by author Dara Horn. Join her as she endevours to uncover why everyone loves dead Jews. As always, let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: AJWS supports activists working with vulnerable communities around the globe throughout the ongoing pandemic. Make your double-matched, tax-deductible donation today at AJWS.org/unorthodox. Unpacking Israeli History the hit podcast from Unpacked is now available wherever you find your podcasts. 

While the Unorthodox team is taking a short break, we wanted to share a sneak peek into Antisemitism, Explained, a new project by Tablet journalist (and former Unorthodox guest) Yair Rosenberg. You can watch the whole series at: http://bitly.com/AntisemitismExplained The resurgence of attacks against Jews and Jewish institutions across the USA and the globe has brought the issue of antisemitism into sharp focus once again. To understand the historical roots of current antisemitic events and to unpack how antisemitism shapes and affects young Jews’ identities and the world in which they live, OpenDor Media’s division Unpacked produced a series of six YouTube videos written by award-winning journalist Yair Rosenberg, designed to debunk seven of the most common myths about this phenomenon. Listen for a taste of what you might learn from these videos, as well as an interview between Liel and Yair. As always, let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

While Stephanie is off hanging with baby Edith, Mark and Liel are taking a serious look at the relationship between Israeli Jews and the American Diaspora.  Massachusetts born and raised Mark digs deep into Liel’s perspectives about the United States while growing up in Israel, and how they have changed now that he’s been in America for over 20 years. Are the American and Israeli Jewish communities heading for a “divorce" like so many have predicted, or can we bring the communities closer together, and how. Can sports help? Liel speaks with Zvika Klein, an American born Israeli journalist covering American Jewry on how he sees this very special relationship. Liel also speaks with Guri Alfi, Israel's top stand-up comic who just starred in a reality show called The New Jew, all about American Jews, the first ever of its kind. Finally, we hear from Yoni Rosenblatt, a doctor for Israel's baseball team on their recent Olympic journey, and what it means for the Americans on the team to represent the Jewish state. As always, let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: KOL Foods wants to give you a free turkey breast! Head to KOLFoods.com and use promo code UnorthodoxRH while you check out for 10% off your order. If you're one of the first 15 new customers to order, you'll get a free turkey breast. And remember, you have until Monday, August 16 to save on shipping. Shana tovah!

This week on Unorthodox, we have a very special guest host! Former all-star Unorthodox guest Kylie Unell joins Mark and Liel to talk about the important news of the Jews, including Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher's lack of showers, and Argentina's lack of tact. Enjoy a sneak peak of Kylie's upcoming Tablet podcast How to Fix a Soul in 30 Days. Get ready for Jewish Year 5782 by traveling along with Kylie as she searches for her soul. We also speak with GOTW Liam McCabe, senior staff writer for Wirecutter, about the high stakes responsibility of recommending home appliances. As always, let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: KOL Foods wants to give you a free turkey breast! Head to KOLFoods.com and use promo code UnorthodoxRH while you check out for 10% off your order. If you're one of the first 15 new customers to order, you'll get a free turkey breast The Institute for Jewish Spirituality presents The Shofar Project  an incredible, free program. It runs throughout the month of Elul, right up to Rosh Hashanah. Sign up at jewishspirituality.org. Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. Get a Harry's trial shave set for just $3 at harrys.com/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, it's all about free lobster, dog crimes, and of course...Israeli stray cats. We speak with Jaren Lewison, star of the Netflix show "Never Have I Ever." He tells us about playing a Jewish character on a hit TV show, working with Mindy Kaling and Andy Samberg, and balancing college life (go ZBT!) and acting. Then we hear from Gentile of the Week Andrew Gruel, Founder and Executive Chef of Slapfish Restaurant, who spoke with us about his work combating hunger, including providing free lobster to those in need. But first, an important request from our own Mark Oppenheimer. Can you help him out? Leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869, or email him at moppenheimer@tabletmag.com. As always, let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: KOL Foods wants to give you a free turkey breast! Head to KOLFoods.com and use promo code UnorthodoxRH while you check out for 10% off your order. If you're one of the first 15 new customers to order, you'll get a free turkey breast

This week on Unorthodox, we’re talking all things Jewish pregnancy, from traditions and superstitions to genetic testing and fertility treatment. First we hear from Estie Rose, a genetic counselor and outreach coordinator for JScreen, a genetic testing nonprofit based at Emory University, about the importance of screening for Tay-Sachs, the BRCA gene, and other specifically Jewish conditions when planning for pregnancy. Then Dr. Bat-Sheva Maslow, a reproductive endocrinologist at Extend Fertility, explains halachic infertility, how common it really is, and what experts like them can do to solve/cure/manage fertility challenges. Next, we dive into the superstitions that arise when you’re expecting Jewishly. To cover what these traditions are and why they have such a strong hold over so many of us, we turn to Rabbi Mychal Springer, adjunct professor at Jewish Theological Seminary and manager of clinical pastoral education at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Dara Horn, whose forthcoming book is People Love Dead Jews, and Esther Levy-Chehebar, a Tablet contributor who has written about her family’s Syrian Jewish pregnancy traditions. Then Rabbi Miriam-Simma Walfish, faculty and senior pedagogy coach at the Hadar Institute, tells us about some of the biblical mothers whose stories still resonate today. Finally, we speak to Anita Diamant, the bestselling author of novels like The Red Tent, about her pregnancy guide The New Jewish Baby Book and why we spend so much time puzzling over baby names. Send us your stories for our upcoming special episodes. Were you or someone you know a Jewish scout? Do you have stories of apologies given or owed, for our annual Yom Kippur Apology episode? Leave us a voicemail (under a minute long) at (914) 570-4869, or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to unorthodox@tabletmag.com to be featured on the episode. Like the show? Rate us on iTunes! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: AJWS supports activists working with vulnerable communities around the globe throughout the ongoing pandemic. Make your twice-matched, tax-deductible donation today at AJWS.org/unorthodox. KOL Foods wants to give you a free turkey breast! Be one of the first ten people to head to KOLFoods.com and use promo code UnorthodoxRH while you check out for 10% off your order.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re observing Tisha B’Av, the Jewish day of mourning, and Tu B’Av, the Jewish Valentine’s Day, all at once. First we hear from Menachem Kaiser, author of “Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure,” his story of attempting to reclaim an apartment building in Sosnowice, Poland that his family owned before the Holocaust, and his unlikely discovery of a familial connection to... Nazi treasure hunters. Then we talk to NFL reporter Jori Epstein and Holocaust survivor Max Glauben about collaborating to write “The Upstander,” a book that tells the story of Max’s life and the lessons he wants to share. And finally, in honor of Tu B’Av, the Jewish Valentine’s Day, we check in with Unorthodox listeners Sabrina and Brian Cartan, who ran into Jeff Goldblum while taking their wedding photos this weekend. Send us your stories for our upcoming special episodes. Were you or someone you know a Jewish scout? Do you have stories of apologies given or owed, for our annual Yom Kippur Apology episode? Leave us a voicemail (under a minute long) at (914) 570-4869, or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to unorthodox@tabletmag.com to be featured on the episode. Like the show? Rate us on iTunes! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: AJWS supports activists working with vulnerable communities around the globe throughout the ongoing pandemic. Make your twice-matched, tax-deductible donation today at AJWS.org/unorthodox. Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. New customers can get a Starter Set for just $3 at harrys.com/unorthodox.

Unorthodox is off this week, but we wanted to bring you the latest from two of our other podcasts. First you'll hear an update from our Tablet colleague Armin Rosen, who spent last week reporting from the aftermath of the building collapse in Surfside, Florida, and who dropped by Take One, our daily Talmud podcast, to weigh in on a page of Talmud that feels eerily relevant to the Surfside tragedy. Then you'll hear Episode 4 of our kids quiz show Hebrew School, which is back for Season 2, hosted by Sabrina Marielle Friedman and Frank Spiro. We'll be back next week with a new episode of Unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox: Bagels and latkes and shvantzes, oh my. Our first guest is David Fishof, the longtime music agent and producer who created Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp, where music fans get to schmooze with rock icons. He tells us about the Jewish influences behind his work, his favorite musicians to work with, and the new documentary about Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp. Next we talk to Sports Illustrated’s L. Jon Wertheim, who returns to the show to tell us about his latest book, Glory Days: The Summer of 1984 and the 90 Days That Changed Sports and Culture Forever. Be part of our upcoming Yom Kippur apology episode! Do you have a story of an apology given or owed? Leave us a voicemail (under a minute long) at (914) 570-4869, or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to unorthodox@tabletmag.com to be featured on the episode. Like the show? Rate us on iTunes! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. New customers can get a Starter Set for just $3 at harrys.com/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, vegemite drama in Israel. Our first guest is Shira Haas, the Israeli actress best known for her starred role on the Netflix series Unorthodox and the Israeli hit Shtisel. She tells us about learning English by watching TV as a kid, how she responds to criticism of Unorthodox’s portrayal of Orthodox Judaism, and her upcoming role as Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. Our next guest is Daniel Oppenheimer, brother of our host Mark, who returns to the show to tell us about his latest book, an appreciation of the critic Dave Hickey. Send us your stories for our upcoming special episodes. Were you or someone you know a Jewish scout? Do you have stories of apologies given or owed, for our annual Yom Kippur Apology episode? Leave us a voicemail (under a minute long) at (914) 570-4869, or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to unorthodox@tabletmag.com to be featured on the episode. Like the show? Rate us on iTunes! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, the curious case of the kosher ham. Our Jewish guest is Raviv Ullman, who starred in the early aughts Disney Channel show Phil of the Future and who now hosts the weekly parsha podcast “The Study.” The Israeli-born actor tells us about embracing the rituals of Jewish life during the pandemic, and finding the value of identifying modern themes in ancient Jewish texts, even when those themes might be challenging. Our Gentile of the Week is investigative reporter Madeleine Baran, who hosts the podcast “In The Dark” from APM Reports. Her reporting for the show helped lead the Supreme Court to overturn the conviction of death row inmate Curtis Flowers. Send us your stories for our upcoming special episodes. Were you or someone you know a Jewish scout? Do you have stories of apologies given or owed, for our annual Yom Kippur Apology episode? Leave us a voicemail (under a minute long) at (914) 570-4869, or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to unorthodox@tabletmag.com to be featured on the episode. Like the show? Rate us on iTunes! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, it’s everyone vs. Bibi. Our Jewish guest is Iranian American writer Roya Hakakian, whose latest book, A Beginner's Guide to America: For the Immigrant and the Curious, paints a portrait of what the new immigrant experience in America is really like. She explains how, in addition to the grand ideals of liberty and opportunity offered in America, the mundane day-to-day elements of American life—like being able to return clothing to a store—remain jaw-droppingly liberating for immigrants, long after they’ve arrived. Our Gentile of the Week is poet and Yale Divinity School professor Christian Wiman, who shares how Abraham Joshua Heschel inspired his personal religious journey, and how that journey is foundational to his poetry. His question for the hosts is a personal one: Do they believe in god, or is their connection to Judaism more cultural? Like the show? Rate us on iTunes! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: AJWS supports activists defending the sexual health and rights of women, girls and LGBTQI+ people across the world. This Pride Month, make a twice-matched gift to AJWS that supports local organizations advocating for justice for all people and building equitable communities at AJWS.org/unorthodox. Harry’s is the perfect gift for Father’s Day. New customers can get a Starter Set for just $3, and from now until June 20, take $5 off any shave set at harrys.com/unorthodox.

Unorthodox is off this week, but we’re bringing you "The Deal with Nissim Black," a new podcast from our friends over at the Joshua Network, [link out]. The show features Nissim Black, who was featured on our conversion episode last month, in conversation with a wide range of Jewish guests. This episode features Nissim’s interview with former Unorthodox guest Eve Barlow . In this conversation, which was recorded about a month ago, Nissim and Eve get deep into their experiences of being Jews and finding their place in the world. Have a story to share on our upcoming episode about Jewish scouting or our annual Apology Episode? Send us an email or voicenote at unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave us a voicemail at at (914) 570-4869. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, ceasefire in Israel and chaos on social media. Our Jewish guest this week is former Late Show with Stephen Colbert writer Jen Spyra, who returns to the show to discuss her debut book, a wacky collection of short stories called Big Time. Our Gentile of the week is novelist John Green, whose latest book, The Anthropocene Reviewed, is based on his podcast of the same name, which reviews various facets of our modern lives using a five-star scale. He also tells us about the infamous Anne Frank house kissing scene in his novel-turned-film, The Fault in Our Stars. Join us for virtual events! Sunday, May 30 — Liel will be talking to Andrew Fox about his new book, The Bad Luck Spirits' Social Aid and Pleasure Club, a fantasy tale about a Jewish ayin harah, or evil eye, named Kay Rosenblatt living in New Orleans and doing her best to deal with the chaos that ensues after her fellow demons summon a hurricane. 11:30 a.m. EDT; register here. Tuesday, June 1 — Liel will be talking to Sohrab Ahmari, New York Post op-ed editor and author of The Unbroken Thread: Discovering the Wisdom of Tradition in an Age of Chaos, about his journey from Iran to America, his conversion to Catholicism, and about how our faith traditions give us the tools we so desperately need to survive and thrive in these scary and tumultuous times. 7:30 p.m. EDT; Register here. Thursday, June 3 — Stephanie will be interviewing Sarah Maslin Nir, New York Times reporter and author of Horse Crazy: The Story of a Woman and a World in Love with an Animal, about her family’s Holocaust history (and, of course, horses), presented by the Museum of Jewish Heritage. 7 p.m. EDT; Register here. Find out about all our upcoming events at www.tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Like the show? Rate us on iTunes! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. New customers can get a starter set valued at $13 for just $3 at HARRYS.COM/UNORTHODOX.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re doing our best to process—and to help you process—what’s going on in Israel and Gaza. First we talk with Israeli journalist Matti Friedman, whose recent article for Tablet, “Jerusalem of Glue,” highlights the gap between the outward narrative of conflict and the more cohesive day-to-day reality on the ground in the city. He’s been on the show before, talking about his book Spies of No Country: Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel. Then we take you into the bomb shelters of Tel Aviv, where Carrie Keller-Lynn and Aliza Landes, hosts of the podcast “Us Among the Israelis, have been documenting their experiences as an audio diary. We're here for you as we all process this together. Send us a note at unorthodox@tabletmag.com and let us know how we can be a resource for you.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re proud to present our fourth-annual conversion episode. On Shavuot we read the Book of Ruth, which tells the story of the first convert to Judaism. To celebrate Ruth and all the Jews by choice since then, we’re sharing stories of conversion from all over the world. First, an interview with New York Times reporter Nellie Bowles, who has been chronicling her conversion process in her online newsletter, “Chosen by Choice.” Tablet Fellow Nina Lichtenstein describes converting for her Jewish husband (and her Jewish mother-in-law) more than two decades ago, and staying Jewish for herself after their divorce. Rapper Nissim Black shares his spiritual journey, which took him from devout Christianity to gangster rap and finally to Orthodox Judaism. Novelist Jessamyn Hope tells the story of her Italian Catholic mother’s conversion to Reform Judaism, and the many conflicted feelings Jessamyn had about it throughout her own life. Tablet Fellow Elie Bleier brings us a report from Israel about Nativ, a program that expedites conversions for soldiers serving in the IDF who aren't considered Jewish by the rabbinate. Plus, hear stories from our listeners about their own conversion experiences. Want more Unorthodox? Listen to our previous conversion episodes: 2020 Conversion Episode 2019 Conversion Episode 2018 Conversion Episode Like the show? Rate us on iTunes! Find out about all our upcoming events at www.tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: AJWS supports activists on the ground in India helping communities during the COVID-19 surge. You can help get personal protective equipment, psychosocial support, and other critically needed aid to communities like those in India by making a twice-matched, tax-deductible donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox: Gal Gadot’s pandemic injury. First we speak to Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, the Linfield University professor who was fired after publicizing accusations of sexual misconduct and anti-Semitism regarding the board of trustees and the college president. Then we welcome back one of our favorite Gentiles of the Week, Noreen Malone, who is hosting the fifth season of Slate’s Slow Burn podcast, where she breaks down the lead-up to the second Iraq War. Her question for the hosts is whether it’s rude to order blatantly non-kosher items when dining out with people who keep kosher. And finally, we call up Tel Aviv-based Tablet contributor Dana Kessler, who tells us about her most recent article for the magazine, about a new digital compilation of Turkish and Israeli music. We’re recording a new season of Hebrew School, our kids game show podcast! Do you know a child aged 7-12 who should be a contestant? Email hebrewschool@tabletmag.com to apply. Upcoming virtual events: Sunday, May 23 — Stephanie and Liel will be speaking with the Jewish Federation of Reading, PA. 11 a.m. EDT; Register here. Thursday, June 3 — Stephanie will be interviewing journalist Sarah Maslin Nir about her book Horse Crazy and her family’s Holocaust history. 7 p.m. EDT; Register here. Find out about all our upcoming events at www.tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. Get a special offer and a Harry’s Starter Set and Body Wash at harrys.com/unorthodox. AJWS supports activists on the ground in India helping communities during the COVID-19 surge. You can help get personal protective equipment, psychosocial support, and other critically needed aid to communities like those in India by making a twice-matched, tax-deductible donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re celebrating Lag B’Omer (and figuring out what, exactly, this holiday is all about). Our first guest is Juliet Litman, podcast host and head of production at the Ringer. She discusses one of her favorite podcasts, the surprisingly Jewish “Table Manners with Jesse Ware,” gives us her take on last season’s Bachelorette bagel drama, and offers her pick for the most Jewish sports team. Then it’s a Jew-Gentile double header: TV producer Amy Solomon, editor of the new book Notes from the Bathroom Line: Humor, Art, and Low-Grade Panic from 150 of the Funniest Women in Comedy, and actress and comedian Lauren Lapkus, one of the book’s contributors, join us to discuss Gilda Radner, funny women, and the perfect Hanukkah dessert. Join us Sunday, May 2 at 7 p.m. EDT/4 p.m. PDT for a special free virtual live show with Tovah Feldshuh, presented by the Community Scholar Program of Orange County California. Register at http://bit.ly/cspunorthodoxlive.This event is co-sponsored by the Merage Jewish Community Center and is made possible by a grant from the Albert and Rhoda Weissman Arts Endowment Fund, a joint program of Jewish Community Foundation Orange County and Jewish Federation Orange County Share your conversion story for our annual Shavuot episode! Leave us a voicemail (under a minute long) at (914) 570-4869, or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to unorthodox@tabletmag.com to be featured on the episode. We’re launching a new season of Hebrew School, our kids game show podcast! Do you know a child aged 7-12 who should be a contestant? Email hebrewschool@tabletmag.com to apply. Upcoming virtual events: Thursday, April 29 — Stephanie will be moderating Rachel Bloom and Tovah Feldshuh in ‘A Conversation Between a (Television) Daughter and Mother,’ presented by The Jewish Museum and the Jewish Book Council, 7 p.m. EDT. Register here. Thursday, April 29 — Liel will be talking about podcasting with JCast Network's Darone Ruskay, presented by Ansche Chesed. 7 p.m. EDT; Register here. Sunday, May 23 — Stephanie and Liel will be speaking with the Jewish Federation of Reading, PA. 11 a.m. EDT; Register here. Find out about all our upcoming events at www.tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: American Jewish World Service supports more than 500 social justice organizations fighting for justice around the world, including at the forefront of action against the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges it’s created.AJWS is currently twice-matching all donations; find out more and make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, Andrew Cuomo’s Jewish “tree houses” and Israel’s wild boars. Our Jewish guest is Devin Gordon, author of the new book “So Many Ways to Lose: The Amazin' True Story of the New York Mets—the Best Worst Team in Sports.” He tells us why Mets fandom is a profound spiritual exercise in perpetual disappointment, and Liel offers his take on why the Mets are a fundamentally Jewish team. Our Gentile of the week is writer, speaker, and activist Julie Lythcott-Haims, author of “How to Raise an Adult,” and most recently, “Your Turn: How to Be an Adult.” She explains the societal factors making it harder for today’s young adults to grow into their full potential, and offers advice for young people on how best to build meaningful and full adult lives. Her question for the hosts is how non-Jews can be better allies to the Jewish community. Share your conversion story for our annual Shavuot episode! Leave us a voicemail (under a minute long) at (914) 570-4869, or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to unorthodox@tabletmag.com by April 30 to be featured on the episode. Upcoming virtual events: Sunday, May 2 — Join us at 7 p.m. EDT/4 p.m. PT for a special virtual live show with Tovah Feldshuh, presented by the Community Scholar Program of Orange County California. It's free, but you'll need to register: http://bit.ly/cspunorthodoxlive. This event is co-sponsored by the Merage Jewish Community Center and is fully funded by a grant from the Albert and Rhoda Weissman Arts Endowment Fund, a joint program of Jewish Community Foundation Orange County and Jewish Federation Orange County Thursday, April 29 — Stephanie will be moderating Rachel Bloom and Tovah Feldshuh in ‘A Conversation Between a (Television) Daughter and Mother,’ presented by The Jewish Museum and the Jewish Book Council, 7 p.m. EDT. Register here. Thursday, April 29 — Liel will be talking about podcasting with JCast Network's Darone Ruskay, presented by Ansche Chesed. 7 p.m. EDT; Register here. Find out about all our upcoming events at www.tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: American Jewish World Service supports more than 500 social justice organizations fighting for justice around the world, including at the forefront of action against the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges it’s created.AJWS is currently twice-matching all donations; find out more and make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox. Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. Get a special offer and a Harry’s Starter Set and Body Wash at harrys.com/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, Stephanie is out and Liel and Mark are podcasting from their man cave. Our Jewish guest is author Walter Isaacson, known for his biographies of Steve Jobs and Leonardo da Vinci, whose latest book is The Code Breaker Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race. We talk to him about the Jewish implications for the CRISPR gene editing technology, and the way that Jewish history can be mapped onto the history of scientific developments in America over the past century. He also tells us about growing up in Jewish New Orleans, and why his high school alma mater, the Isidore Newman School, produces so many fellow luminaries, like Michael Lewis, Eli and Payton Manning, and Odell Beckham Jr. Our Gentile of the week is Anne Bogel, who runs the literary community Modern Mrs. Darcy and hosts the podcast “What Should I Read Next?” She talks to Stephanie and Unorthodox producer Sara (who recently appeared on Anne’s podcast) about how she comes up with book recommendations for each of her podcasts guests based on their favorite and least favorite books, and explains why it’s important to understand and articulate why you don’t like a particular book. Her question for us is about bar and bat mitzvah gifts for her children’s classmates. Share your conversion story for our annual Shavuot episode! Leave us a voicemail (under a minute long) at (914) 570-4869, or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to unorthodox@tabletmag.com by April 30 to be featured on the episode. Upcoming virtual events: Tuesday, April 20 — Stephanie will be interviewing Bess Kalb, author of No One Will Tell You This But Me, for the Mandel JCC Book Festival, 7 p.m. EDT. Register here. Thursday, April 29 — Stephanie will be moderating Rachel Bloom and Tovah Feldshuh in ‘A Conversation Between a (Television) Daughter and Mother,’ presented by The Jewish Museum and the Jewish Book Council, 7 p.m. EDT. Register here. Find out about all our upcoming events at www.tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our.Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: American Jewish World Service supports more than 500 social justice organizations fighting for justice around the world, including at the forefront of action against the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges it’s created.AJWS is currently twice-matching all donations; find out more and make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox. The William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education at JTS provides an unparalleled academic experience that prepares its educators to work in diverse settings. MA degrees can be pursued fully online, for professionals in the field, or full-time in-residence in New York City. Learn more about the William Davidson School here or email edschool@jtsa.edu. Unstoppable is the ultimate immigrant story and an inspiring manual for survival in the face of tremendous odds. The true-life story of Siggi Wilzig offers a roadmap for recovery, vividly rendered by biographer Joshua M. Greene. Order this breathtaking and timely read here.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re down to the championship round of our Jewish Name of the Year bracket. Our Jewish guest is Israeli actress and activist Noa Tishby, whose new book is Israel: a Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth. Tishby, who describes herself as “100% Israeli and 100% American,” tells us about bringing the Israeli show In Treatment to American audiences, her first experience in bridging Israeli and American culture. She also explains how her pro-Israel activism grew from dinner party defenses to her latest project, a book designed to demystify the Jewish State for international audiences. Enter to win a free copy of Noa Tishby's book here: bit.ly/tishbygiveaway Our Gentile of the Week is Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz, whose memoir is Remain in Love: Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Tina. He tells us about attending Shadyside Academy in Pittsburgh (where he was friends with Mark Oppenheimer’s uncle!) before meeting future Talking Heads bandmates David Byrne and Tina Weymouth (also his future wife) at the Rhode Island School of Design and going on to conquer the music scene. His question for us is about what it means, logistically, to keep kosher. Upcoming virtual events: Tuesday, April 20 — Stephanie will be interviewing Bess Kalb, author of No One Will Tell You This But Me, for the Mandel JCC Book Festival, 7 p.m. EDT. Register here. Thursday, April 29 — Stephanie will be moderating Rachel Bloom and Tovah Feldshuh in ‘A Conversation Between a (Television) Daughter and Mother,’ presented by The Jewish Museum and the Jewish Book Council, 7 p.m. EDT. Register here. Find out about all our upcoming events at www.tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. As always, send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our.Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: American Jewish World Service supports more than 500 social justice organizations fighting for justice around the world, including at the forefront of action against the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges it’s created. AJWS is currently twice-matching all donations; find out more and make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox. The William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education at JTS provides an unparalleled academic experience that prepares its educators to work in diverse settings. MA degrees can be pursued fully online, for professionals in the field, or full-time in-residence in New York City. Learn more about the William Davidson School here. Unstoppable is the ultimate immigrant story and an inspiring manual for survival in the face of tremendous odds. The true-life story of Siggi Wilzig offers a roadmap for recovery, vividly rendered by biographer Joshua M. Greene. Order this breathtaking and timely read here.

This week, we’re filling up on matzo and revealing the Final Four competitors in our Jewish Names of the Year bracket. Our first guest is actress Emmanuelle Chriqui, who starred as Sloan in Entourage and Dalia in You Don’t Mess with The Zohan. She tells us about growing up in Canada to Moroccan Jewish parents, her latest TV role, and her involvement with the Black-Jewish Entertainment Alliance . Then, Orthodox sex therapist Bat Sheva Marcus returns to the show talk about her new book, Sex Points: Reclaim Your Sex Life with the Revolutionary Multi-point System. Lastly, Mark spoke with Shuly Rubin Schwartz, the first woman to serve as chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary. Upcoming virtual events: Thursday, April 29 — Stephanie will be moderating Rachel Bloom and Tovah Feldshuh in ‘A Conversation Between a (Television) Daughter and Mother,’ presented by The Jewish Museum and the Jewish Book Council, 7 p.m. EDT. Register here. Find out about all our upcoming events at www.tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our.Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: American Jewish World Service supports more than 500 social justice organizations fighting for justice around the world. AJWS is currently twice-matching all donations; find out more and make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox. Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. Get a Harry’s Starter Set and a free body wash at harrys.com/unorthodox.

This week, it’s the full Oppenheimer. First, Mark interviews McKay Coppins, a staff writer at The Atlantic who recently wrote an article about the future of Mormonism—“the most American religion”—and America. He talks about his own Mormon faith, confirms Mark’s assessment that Jews and Mormons have a lot in common, and asks how to ready his home to invite kosher-keeping Jewish friends over for a meal. Then, it’s everything you’ll ever need to know about what Jewish law says about pets! Mark offers a reading from a book called Pets in Halacha: A Comprehensive Halachic Guide for Pet Owners, by Rabbi Chaim L. Belsky. There’s still time to order Tablet’s The Passover Haggadah: An Ancient Story for Modern Times before Passover! Upcoming virtual events: Thursday, March 25 — Stephanie will be prepping for Passover with Jake Cohen, author of the new cookbook Jew-ish.Join them for cooking and conversation, presented by the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, at 5 p.m. EDT. Register here. Later that evening, Stephanie will be interviewing Menachem Kaiser about his new book, Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register here. Thursday, April 29 — Stephanie will be moderating Rachel Bloom and Tovah Feldshuh in ‘A Conversation Between a (Television) Daughter and Mother,’ presented by The Jewish Museum and the Jewish Book Council, 7 p.m. EDT. Register here. Find out about all our upcoming events at www.tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our.Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our  Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: American Jewish World Service supports more than 500 social justice organizations fighting for justice around the world. AJWS is currently twice-matching all donations; find out more and make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox. Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger is working to ensure that everyone in this country can feed themselves and their families with dignity. All donations are being doubled through the month of April; make your donation at MAZON.org.

This week, we’re kicking off our Passover celebrations, live from the Oppenheimer home. Mark is joined by four of his children as they sit around the Seder table and wonder where, exactly, all these Passover traditions came from. Helping them along the way are co-hosts Stephanie and Liel, and a near minyan of all-star guests. First, historian and Tablet columnist Jenna Weissman Joselit expounds on the material culture associated with the home-based holiday—Seder plates, matzo covers, and afikoman bags—and wonders why Jewish ritual objects don’t always rise to the level of beauty of our other cherished home items. (Stephanie offers some beautiful holiday favorites: Seder plates from Isabel Halley Ceramics, Judaica Standard Time, Via Maris, and Apeloig Collection.) Then we talk to family therapist (and Mark’s sister-in-law!) Dr. Jessica Grogan, who tells us how the rigid archetypes of the Four Children can serve as a useful counter-example for how we see our own children. Adam Teeter of Vinepair shares the secrets of how wine can unlock memories through your olfactory system. Rabbi Gabi Weinberg from The Bnai Zion Foundation shares a story about the significance of buying matzo—and keeping the receipts—in his family. Dovid Bashevkin explains why Passover is such a big deal in the of Jewish holidays. The hosts interview Ben Freeman about his new book, Jewish Pride: Rebuilding a People, and makes the case that Passover is a holiday all about Jewish pride. And finally, our favorite cantorial student, Jacob Sandler, returns to the show to teach the hosts that there is more fun to be had after the Seder meal, specifically in the singing of “Hallel.” Check out last year’s Passover episode, “Our Socially Distanced Seder Guide,” for more on hosting a Seder on your own or for the first time. Need a Haggadah? Check out Tablet’s The Passover Haggadah: An Ancient Story for Modern Times. Upcoming virtual events: Thursday, March 25 — Stephanie will be prepping for Passover with Jake Cohen, author of the new cookbook Jew-ish. Join them for cooking and conversation, presented by the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, at 5 p.m. EDT. Register here. Later that evening, Stephanie will be interviewing Menachem Kaiser about his new book, Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register here. Thursday, April 29 — Stephanie will be moderating Rachel Bloom and Tovah Feldshuh in ‘A Conversation Between a (Television) Daughter and Mother,’ presented by The Jewish Museum and the Jewish Book Council, 7 p.m. EDT. Register here. Find out about all our upcoming events at www.tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our.Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Kol Foods has everything you need to create a kosher, ethical, sustainably-sourced Passover Seder spread, from delicious briskets to 100% grass-fed lamb shank bones. Use promo code UNORTHODOXPESACH for 10% off your entire Passover order at KOLFoods.com. “The Telling: How Judaism's Essential Book Reveals the Meaning of Life” is a new book by Mark Gerson all about the Passover Haggadah. This book enables readers to make the Seder what it should be: the most interesting, inspiring, and memorable night of the Jewish year. Find out more and get your copy at thetellingpassover.com. American Jewish World Service grantees are leading the effort to promote human rights, empower women and girls to fight for equal rights, and advance environmental justice in the face of climate change. AJWS is currently twice-matching all donations; find out more and make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, Charles Barkley does the hora. Our Jewish guest is Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer, who stars in the new Apple TV+ psychological thriller Losing Alice, Israel’s latest international TV export. Zurer tells us about being part of that other hit Israeli show, Shtisel, and about the unlikely acting role that got her cast by Steven Spielberg in his 2005 film, Munich. Our Gentile of the Week, Father James Martin, joins us again on the show, this time to tell us about his latest book, Learning to Pray: A Guide for Everyone. Our favorite Jesuit priest and America Magazine editor at large comes bearing simple and universal tips for understanding prayer and incorporating it into our lives, whatever they look like. (You can also listen to Father Jim live with Judy Gold in 2018, and, more recently, helping us ring in the Jewish New Year in 2020.) We’re taking votes for our Jewish Name of the Year bracket! Join our. Facebook group to submit your votes. Get the Tablet Haggadah in time for Passover. Click here for information. Join us for our virtual events! Thursday, March 11: Stephanie and Mark will be discussing The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia as part of the Mandel JCC of the Palm Beaches' Book Festival at 7:30 p.m. EST. Register here. Thursday, March 25: Stephanie Butnick will be interviewing Menachem Kaiser about his new book, Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register here. Thursday, April 29 — Stephanie Butnick will be moderating Rachel Bloom and Tovah Feldshuh in ‘A Conversation Between a (Television) Daughter and Mother,’ presented by The Jewish Museum and the Jewish Book Council, 7 p.m. EDT. Register here. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our. Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re sharing an episode of “Hearing with Tali Farhadian Weinstein,” a podcast from Pushkin Industries. Tali is an Iranian-Jewish prosecutor running for District Attorney in Manhattan, and her show features interviews with policy experts, journalists, and community members. In this episode of Hearing, Tali talks to former Unorthodox guest Rabbi Angela Buchdahl of Manhattan's Central Synagogue about the points of intersection around faith, personal identity, and the fight for racial justice. To hear more episodes of Tali's show, check out www.pushkin.fm/show/hearing-with-tali-farhadian-weinstein/. Join us for these upcoming ‘Unorthodox’ virtual events! Wednesday, March 10: Mark, Stephanie, and Liel will be returning to the Washington Hebrew Congregation virtually to discuss The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia at 8 p.m. EST. Register here. Thursday, March 11: Stephanie and Mark will be discussing The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia as part of the Mandel JCC of the Palm Beaches' Book Festival at 7:30 p.m. EST. Register here. Thursday, March 25: Stephanie Butnick will be interviewing Menachem Kaiser about his new book, Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, at 7 p.m. EST. Register here. As always, send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Kol Foods has everything you need to create a kosher, ethical, sustainably-sourced Passover Seder spread, from delicious briskets to 100% grass-fed lamb shank bones. Use promo code UNORTHODOXPESACH for 10% of your entire Passover order at KOLFoods.com.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re celebrating Purim and breaking the mold. First, Stephanie welcomes her special Purim co-hosts, friends of the show Kylie Unell and Abigail Pogrebin, who help her tell the story of Purim and offer their takes on some of the holiday’s larger themes. Next, Stephanie is joined by Anna Solomon, author of The Book of V., a fictionalized redefining of the story of Vashti. She explains that the binaries we’ve been taught — “that Vashti is wanton, wicked, selfish; and Esther virtuous, brave, selfless” — don't match up with what we actually find in The Book of Esther. From Vashti to Esther: Liel sits down with English professor Shaina Trapedo, who wrote about Purim-inspired beauty pageants for Esther in America, a new collection edited by former Unorthodox guest Stuart Halpern. She tells us about the surprising history of Jewish beauty pageants in America, and explains why the Esther aesthetic is more complex than it may seem. And finally, Mark checks in with former guest Shay Khatiri to find out what it’s like to be named after Ahasuerus. There’s just one week left to enter our Jewish Name of the Year bracket! Do you have a great Jewish name or know someone with a great Jewish name? Email your suggestions to unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Join us Tuesday, March 2 at 2 p.m. EST for Zibby Owen’s next virtual book club. Stephanie will be joining Zibby to talk to Melissa Gould about her memoir Widow-ish, her story of young widowhood, grief, and finding love again. Sign up at zibbyowens.com/virtualbookclub. As always, let us know what you think of the show. Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. We’ve got virtual events! Tuesday, March 2: Stephanie will be discussing Tablet's first book, The 100 Most Jewish Foods: A Highly Debatable List, at the Springfield JCC at 7 p.m. EST; Register here. Wednesday, March 10: Mark, Stephanie, and Liel will be returning to the Washington Hebrew Congregation virtually to discuss The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia at 8 p.m. EST. Register here. Thursday, March 11: Stephanie and Mark will be discussing The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia as part of the Mandel JCC of the Palm Beaches' Book Festival at 7:30 p.m. EST. Register here. Thursday, March 25: Stephanie Butnick will be interviewing Menachem Kaiser about his new book, Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, at 7 p.m. EST. Register here. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Kol Foods has everything you need to create a kosher, ethical, sustainably-sourced Passover Seder spread, from delicious briskets to 100% grass-fed lamb shank bones. Use promo code UNORTHODOXPESACH for 10% of your entire Passover order at KOLFoods.com.

Ep. 263:This week on Unorthodox, we’re waiting for our Israeli Pizza Hut delivery by drone. Our first Jewish guest is actress Jackie Tohn, host of the Netflix cooking competition Best Leftovers Ever! She tells us about understanding the importance of leftovers from a young age as the grandchild of Holocaust survivors, and also about using that real-life identity to inform her character Melrose on the hit Netflix series G.L.O.W. Then we’re joined by linguist Sarah Bunin Benor, who returns to the show to tell us about the strange trend of anti-Semites adopting Yiddishisms, plus her research into the world of Jewish summer camp Hebrew. Do you have a great Jewish name or know someone with a great Jewish name? Enter our Jewish Name of the Year bracket! Email your suggestions to unorthodox@tabletmag.com. As always, let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Harry’s: Get a starter shave set plus a free body wash for just $3 when you visit harrys.com/unorthodox. Hebrew Union College: Discover HUC’s new series of free public programs that offer a scholarly Jewish lens on issues that shape our identity today. Find out more and sign up at huc.edu/HUCconnect.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re giving you a taste of some other podcasts we’ve been working on. First, you’ll hear an episode of Liel’s daily Daf Yomi podcast, Take One, featuring special guest Sister Helen Prejean, a passionate advocate against capital punishment, as they discuss a page of Talmud that references the death penalty. Next, you’ll hear Stephanie’s interview with Tablet’s newest podcast hosts, Aimee Friedman and Lisa Sandell, about their show Anxiously. Each week Lisa and Aimee grapple with one of their anxieties—from the trivial to the existential—in a humorous and heartfelt way, helped along by smart and entertaining guests who offer perspective and advice. After the interview you’ll hear the pilot episode of Anxiously, and you can listen to the second and third episode as well. Subscribe to Anxiously and Take One wherever you listen to podcasts, and please consider rating and reviewing both shows (and Unorthodox!) on iTunes. We’re getting our Jewish Name of the Year bracket ready for March Madness! Do you have a great Jewish name or know someone with a great Jewish name? Email suggestions to unorthodox@tabletmag.com. As always, let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re firing up our Jewish space lasers. Mark and Liel talk to legendary actor Ed Asner about his latest project, The Tattooed Torah, an animated short about the inspiring journey of a Torah scroll and the little boy who swore to rescue it from the Nazis, about great TV and why they don't make shows like they used to, and about standing up to your political beliefs, even when you have to pay the price. Then Liel talks with author Cambria Gordon about her YA book, The Poetry of Secrets, which tells the story of a young Jewish woman in Inquisition-era Spain whose family was forced to convert to Catholicism, but continue to practice Judaism in secret. Do you have a great Jewish name or know someone with a great Jewish name? Enter our Jewish Name of the Year bracket! Email your suggestions to unorthodox@tabletmag.com. As always, let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com.

This week on Unorthodox, two Jewish guests and a whole lot of books. Our first guest is Zibby Owens, host of the podcast “Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books.” She tells us about tirelessly promoting book authors during the pandemic, even as she dealt with her own family’s COVID-19 trauma (and planned two Zoom bar and bat mitzvahs). The resulting quarantine anthology, Moms Don’t Have Time To, features essays from more than 60 writers, including a few Unorthodox guests. Our second guest is poet David Beispiel, whose recent memoir is A Place of Exodus: Home, Memory, and Texas. He tells us about being kicked out of Hebrew School as a questioning teen in Houston’s heavily Jewish Meyerland community, and ultimately being pulled back to Jewish Houston after years of spiritual and physical wandering. We’re looking for two new hosts for our kids game show podcast Hebrew School! All you need to do is record a short video introducing yourself and telling us why you'd make the perfect host, and send it to hebrewschool@tabletmag.com. Do you have a great Jewish name or know someone with a great Jewish name? Enter our Jewish Name of the Year bracket! Email your suggestions to unorthodox@tabletmag.com. As always, let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. The Branch is a podcast that shares stories about Jews and Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians who are breaking barriers, creating bonds, having tough conversations, and demonstrating what equal, shared society can look like. Listen to the branch wherever you get your podcasts or at hadassah.org/thebranch. American Jewish World Service grantees are leading the effort to promote human rights, empower women and girls to fight for equal rights, and advance environmental justice in the face of climate change. AJWS is currently twice-matching all donations; find out more and make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox. Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. New customers can get a Harry’s trial shave set for just $3 at harrys.com/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re live (virtually) from Beth Sholom Congregation in Elkins Park, PA. Our special guests this week are Jamie and Brian Stelter. Jamie Stelter, who had her bat mitzvah at Beth Sholom, is the traffic reporter for NY1, and Brian Stelter is the chief media correspondent for CNN and host of Reliable Sources. They talk to us about filming their TV appearances from their apartment during the pandemic, the first rule of Challah Club, and why they love Shabbat. We’re looking for two new hosts for our kids game show podcast Hebrew School! All you need to do is record a short video introducing yourself and telling us why you'd make the perfect host, and send it to hebrewschool@tabletmag.com. Do you have a great Jewish name or know someone with a great Jewish name? Enter our Jewish Name of the Year bracket! Email your suggestions to unorthodox@tabletmag.com. We’ve got virtual events! See our full schedule here. As always, let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Sponsors: American Jewish World Service grantees are leading the effort to promote human rights, empower women and girls to fight for equal rights, and advance environmental justice in the face of climate change. AJWS is currently twice-matching all donations; find out more and make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox. The Beren Summer Fellowship is the Tikvah Fund’s premier summer program for undergraduates or recent graduates in New York City. Fellows will partake in intensive academic seminars led by world-class teachers and will conduct their own research projects. Visit TikvahFund.org/college for more information and to apply. Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. New customers can get a Harry’s trial shave set for just $3 at harrys.com/unorthodox.

Our Jewish guest is Mike Rothschild, a conspiracy theory researcher and debunker who is writing a book about the QAnon conspiracy theory. He tells us what QAnon is and explains the anti-Semitism inherent in the conspiracy theory, confirming for us that all conspiracy theories have Jew-hatred at their core. He also confirms that everyone he interacts with in these worlds asks if he’s one of those Rothschilds. Our Gentile of the Week is NPR and Slate sports commentator Stephen Fatsis, author of Word Freak, a book about the world of competitive Scrabble players. He tells us about his annual Name of the Year bracket, which he has been running with his college friends since the 80s, and gives us tips on how to start our own Jewish Name of the Year bracket. Do you have a great Jewish name or know someone with a great Jewish name? Enter our Jewish Name of the Year contest! Email your suggestions to unorthodox@tabletmag.com. We’ve got virtual events! Join us tonight at the Temple Emanuel Streicker Center, where we will be talking about our book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia. See our full schedule of events here. Let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Sponsors: American Jewish World Service grantees are leading the effort to promote human rights, empower women and girls to fight for equal rights, and advance environmental justice in the face of climate change. AJWS is currently twice-matching all donations; find out more and make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox. “Hadassah on Call” is the new podcast from former Unorthodox guest Benyamin Cohen. He goes behind the scenes of Hadassah's world-renowned hospital in Israel, checking in with the healthcare superstars saving lives every day. Subscribe to “Hadassah On Call” wherever you get your podcasts or at hadassah.org.

This week on Unorthodox: the full Luxembourg. Our first guest is essayist and critic William Deresiewicz, whose new book The Death of the Artist: How Creators Are Struggling to Survive in the Age of Billionaires and Big Tech. He tells us about getting kicked out of Jewish day school as a teen, his work since then, and why it’s so hard to be an artist today. Our second guest is sportswriter and Tablet contributor Yaron Weitzman, author of the book Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports. He tells us about being Shabbat-observant in a world of weekend sporting events, and shares his thoughts on Deni Avdija, Israel’s new NBA draft pick. Join us Monday, Jan. 11 at 6 p.m EST. for a virtual Unorthodox live show with special married guests Jamie and Brian Stelter at Beth Sholom Congregation in Elkins Park, PA. Jamie is NY1’s traffic anchor and co-hosts Mornings on 1, and Brian hosts CNN’s Reliable Sources. Register here. On Jan. 14 at 6:30 p.m. EST, we’ll be at the Temple Emanuel Streicker Center discussing our book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia. Register here. See our full schedule of virtual events here. Let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Sponsors: Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership’s Certificate in Jewish Leadership is a four-part program geared to the particular needs of Jewish organizations. Find out more at spertus.edu/certificate. Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. New customers can get a Harry’s trial shave set for just $3 at harrys.com/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re celebrating the other New Year. Our Jewish guest is Rabbi Tiferet Berenbaum of Temple Beth Zion in Brookline, Massachusetts. She tells us about her path to the rabbinate, her passion for Jewish education, and what she’s learned running TBZ’s Hebrew school. Our Gentile of the Week is Peter Sis, the Czech-American illustrator, author, and MacArthur genius. He tells us about his latest picture book, Nicky and Vera, which tells the story of Nicholas Winton, the “British Schindler” who saved hundreds of Czech children from the Nazis. Join us Monday, Jan. 11 at 6 p.m EST. for a virtual Unorthodox live show with special married guests Jamie and Brian Stelter at Beth Sholom Congregation in Elkins Park, PA. Jamie is NY1’s traffic anchor and co-hosts Mornings on 1, and Brian hosts CNN’s Reliable Sources. Register here. On Jan. 14 at 6:30 p.m. EST, we’ll be at the Temple Emanuel Streicker Center discussing our book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia. Register here. See our full schedule of virtual events here. Let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Sponsors: American Jewish World Service is fighting poverty and pursuing justice in the developing world. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, AJWS is currently twice-matching all donations; find out more about the organization and make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re celebrating the very 2020 calendar crossover of Christmas and the 10th of Tevet, a minor Jewish fast day. Our Jewish guest is writer and comedian Merrill Markoe, whose new graphic memoir is “We Saw Scenery: The Early Diaries of Merrill Markoe.” Our Gentile of the Week is Phillipe Etienne, the French ambassador to the United States, who gave us a lesson in the French notion of secularism and discussed rising anti-Semitism in France. Join us Monday, Jan. 11 at 6 p.m EST. for a virtual Unorthodox live show with special married guests Jamie and Brian Stelter at Beth Sholom Congregation in Elkins Park, PA. Jamie is NY1’s traffic anchor and co-hosts Mornings on 1, and Brian hosts CNN’s Reliable Sources. Register here. On Jan. 14 at 6:30 p.m. EST, we’ll be at the Temple Emanuel Streicker Center discussing our book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia. Register here. See our full schedule of virtual events here. Let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Sponsors: The William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education is offering a special one-day online program for young professionals and college students called “Jewish Ed U: Creating Joyful Learning.” Learn more about the Jan. 10 event at www.jtsa.edu/jewishedu. American Jewish World Service is fighting poverty and pursuing justice in the developing world. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, AJWS is currently twice-matching all donations; find out more about the organization and make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox. Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. New customers can get a Harry’s trial shave set for just $3 at harrys.com/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox: Hallmark Hanukkah movies, puppies for Hanukkah, and so much more. First we talk with linguist Sarah Bunin Benor, who made her first Unorthodox appearance all the way back on Ep. 102. She returns to the show to explain why some people say “lat-key” instead of “latke,” and settle other holiday pronunciation debates. Then it’s time for some music to get us in the holiday spirit! Jazz guitarist Peter Curtis tells us about being so inspired by the fact that Jewish songwriters created some of the most famous Christmas songs that he recorded his own album of covers, called “Christmas With Your Jewish Boyfriend.” Shira Kobren is the band leader of Shira & Friends, a New York City-based “kindie” rock band, whose new album, “B’yachad,” features a special Hanukkah song for kids. Jewish rapper Kosha Dillz shares his new Hanukkah song, Schmoozin’, on which he raps about “farbrengen the party,” much to Liel’s delight. He also gives us Jewish rap names and helps kickstart our freestyle careers. We’ve got virtual events! See our full schedule at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Thursday, Dec. 10: Celebrate the first night of Hanukkah with Stephanie, Mayim Bialik, and G.L.O.W. star Jackie Tohn at NuRoots’ “First Night” event, at 7 p.m. P.S.T. Register here. Saturday, Dec. 12: All three hosts will be speaking at the JCC Ann Arbor Jewish Book Festival. 8 p.m. EST; Register here. Monday, Dec. 14: Stephanie joins Liberation75, 3GNY, and Shai DeLuca for a Hanukkah fireside chat. 12 p.m. EST; Register here. Tuesday, Dec. 15: Liel and Stephanie will be speaking at Sarasota, FL’s ‘People of the Book’ author series. 7 p.m. EST; Register here. Wednesday, Dec. 16: All three hosts will be at Richmond VA’s Weinstein JCC Front Row at the J: Sip and Learn Series. 7:30 p.m. EST; Register here. Let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Sponsors: Soom Foods’ tahini, chocolate sweet tahini, and silan date syrup are the perfect gift to give this holiday season. Head to soomfoods.com and use code UNORTHODOX to get 15% off your first order. American Jewish World Service is fighting poverty and pursuing justice in the developing world. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, AJWS is currently twice-matching all donations; find out more about the organization and make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox. Institute for Jewish Spirituality offers Jewish tools to help respond to the anxiety and stress of our times. Join them for ‘Rededication, Resilience and Renewal,’ a half-day online retreat Sunday, December 13. Learn more and register at  jewishspirituality.org.

This week on Unorthodox, one Mark Oppenheimer is not enough. Our first guest is Colorado Governor Jared Polis, who is the state’s first Jewish governor and the first openly gay governor in the U.S. He tells us about his Jewish upbringing, extolls the many virtues of the State of Colorado, and explains why he’s got his eyes on 2022, not 2024. Next we talk to the other Mark Oppenhemer: the South African advocate, podcaster (our own Mark Oppenheimer was a guest on his show, Brain in a Vat), and general Oppenheimer-about-town. He recalls the moment he first discovered that he wasn’t the only Mark Oppenheimer, explains his legal work surrounding free speech, and tells us about the South African Jewish community. Our third guest is Brian Hersch, the inventor of party games like Taboo, Jewish Taboo, and Super Scattergories. His latest game is Boom Again, a trivia game designed for Baby Boomers. He quizzes us on I Love Lucy and The Jetsons, and we find out that Liel might secretly be a Boomer. Celebrate the first night of Hanukkah with Stephanie, Mayim Bialik, and G.L.O.W. star Jackie Tohn at NuRoots’ “First Night” event, Thursday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. P.S.T. Register at nuroots.org/firstnight. Let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Sponsors: The Other Israel Film Festival provides an in-depth look into Israeli and Palestinian societies through films and conversations. Films stream December 3 through 10, with daily Q&As and other live events; find the full schedule at otherisrael.org. Soom Foods’ tahini, chocolate sweet tahini, and silan date syrup are the perfect gift to give this holiday season. Head to soomfoods.com and use code UNORTHODOX to get 15% off your first order. American Jewish World Service is fighting poverty and pursuing justice in the developing world. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, AJWS is currently twice-matching all donations; find out more about the organization and make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox. Institute for Jewish Spirituality offers Jewish tools to help respond to the anxiety and stress of our times. Join them for ‘Rededication, Resilience and Renewal,’ a half-day online retreat Sunday, December 13. Learn more and register at  jewishspirituality.org. Harry’s Holiday Shave Sets make the perfect gift this season. Get 5$ off a holiday shave set at harrys.com/unorthodox.

This week, a mini-holiday mashup. First, associate producer Robert Scaramuccia brings us the story of Aaron Hartman, a Jewish man from Atlanta, GA with Williams Syndrome, and his very unique pandemic birthday present. We also bring you a Hanukkah gift guide that includes products our listeners make themselves! Find these suggestions and more by joining our Facebook group. Join the hosts Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. E.S.T. for the Museum of Jewish Heritage’s Generation to Generation event, which is honoring the Butnick family. Stephanie will be interviewing Michael Zegen from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and the band Golem will be performing. Register at bit.ly/butnickfam. Celebrate the first night of Hanukkah with Stephanie, Mayim Bialik, and G.L.O.W. star Jackie Tohn at NuRoots’ “First Night” event, Thursday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. P.S.T. Register at  nuroots.org/firstnight. Let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Shalom, friends

This week on Unorthodox, Mark says goodbye to a staple of his childhood as Friendly’s files for bankruptcy. To cheer him up, we’ve got two great Jewish guests. First we talk to comedian Gilbert Gottfried, whose voice you may have recognized on our 2019 episode celebrating the publication of our book, “The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia.” He explains why comedy in dark times is essential and cathartic, tells us about his own podcast, "Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast," where he schmoozes with and celebrates show business legends, and regales us with the story of his family’s infamous Zoom bat mitzvah incident. Our next guest is Gavriel Savit, who started his Unorthodox journey as an angry letter-writer, became Mark’s neighbor in New Haven, welcomed us into his home to record an episode, and finally joins us as a proper guest to tell us about his magical and deeply Jewish young adult novel, “The Way Back.” He makes the case that the fantasy genre is in fact quite Jewish—is Hogwarts basically a yeshiva?—and explains why a book like his, which is proudly filled with Jewish imagery and takes place in an Eastern European shtetl, can still hold universal appeal. Let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Sponsors: Wisdom Studio is offering two new four-week programs focused on Jewish Women. “When Bubbe Met Amy” explores the work of funny Jewish women like Amy Schumer, Tiffany Haddish, Rachel Bloom, Abbi Jacobson, and Ilana Glazer, and “Not a Nice Jewish Girl” explores the role and history of women in Israeli cinema. Learn more at gordoncenter.com/wisdom-studio. The Great Courses Plus offers thousands of online classes on hundreds of topics, all taught by professors and experts in their fields. We’re currently streaming the course on “Jewish Intellectual History: 16th to 20th Century.” Start your free trial at thegreatcoursesplus.com/unorthodox. American Jewish World Service is fighting poverty and pursuing justice in the developing world. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, AJWS is currently twice-matching all donations; find out more about the organization and make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox. ORT America combines Jewish values with an education that prepares students for careers and lives of meaning. Thousands of ORT students in 30 countries are learning to address today’s most urgent challenges: climate change, cybersecurity, medical advancements and more. Change the world with them at ortamerica.org. PJ Library sends free storybooks to children (newborn to 12 years old), making it easy to start sharing Jewish traditions. Sign up at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, we remember Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, who died this week at 72. He first visited the show in December 2018, and he returned in September 2020 to discuss his most recent book, “Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times.” May his memory be a blessing. Our Gentile of the Week is Tom Colicchio, head judge on Bravo’s “Top Chef” and founder of Crafted Hospitality. He shared his love of whitefish in Tablet’s “100 Most Jewish Foods” book, and he joins us to talk about his first Passover Seder with his now-wife’s family, proposing to her over pastrami at New York’s 2nd Ave Deli, and his heightened awareness of anti-Semitism as he raises Jewish children. Our Jewish guest is Temple University professor Lila Corwin Berman, who spoke with us about her new book, “The American Jewish Philanthropic Complex: The History of a Multibillion-Dollar Institution.” Let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Sponsors: The Great Courses Plus offers thousands of online classes on hundreds of topics, all taught by professors and experts in their fields. We’re currently streaming the course on “Jewish Intellectual History: 16th to 20th Century.” Start your free trial at thegreatcoursesplus.com/unorthodox. Kol Foods Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Order your delicious, ethically raised Glatt Kosher turkey at kolfoods.com and use the code UNORTHODOX1120 to save 10% off your order. Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. Get a free Harry's trial shave set at harrys.com/unorthodox.

This week, we’re dropping an early episode to keep you company while you vote. Our first Jewish guest is Eve Barlow, a Scottish music journalist in LA who has lately started calling out anti-Semitism in America and abroad, including in her recent Tablet essay, “Wake Up America, and Smell the Anti-Semitism,” Next we talk to Gentile of the Week Vineet Chander, the Hindu chaplain at Princeton University and the first full-time Hindu chaplain at a U.S. university.  And for a final treat, we’re joined by Adam Weiner, frontman of the band Low Cut Connie, who shares a song with us.   Send us questions and comments at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us.    Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more.   Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.    Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt.   Sponsors:   American Jewish World Service is fighting poverty and pursuing justice in the developing world. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, AJWS is currently matching all donations tenfold; find out more about the organization and to make your matched donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox.   Kol Foods Thanksgiving is coming! Order your delicious, ethically raised Glatt Kosher turkey at kolfoods.com and use the code UNORTHODOX1120 to save 10% off your order.    Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. Get a free Harry's trial shave set at harrys.com/unorthodox. 

Comedian Judy Gold on her new book, “Yes I Can Say That,” and California Representative Katie Porter on the key to pandemic economic recovery This week on Unorthodox, we’re spoiling the new Borat movie for you. But we have two all-star returning guests that more than make up for it. Jewish guest Judy Gold was on our January 2018 live show with Father Jim Martin, and she joins us again to tell us about her new book. “Yes, ICan Say That: When They Come for the Comedians, We Are All in Trouble.” She explains the value of comedy in dark times, why Jews rely so deeply on humor for healing, and why she always talks about the Holocaust in her sets. Our Gentile of the Week is Congresswoman Katie Porter, who represents California’s 45th Congressional District and who was our guest at our January 2019 live show in Washington, D.C. Representative Porter joins us with her trademark whiteboard to explain why she decided to run for Congress in 2018, what she’s learned since then, and why childcare is key to our economic recovery. Her question for us: Why do Jews donate money in increments of $18? Send us questions and comments at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Sponsors: Hebrew College trains aspiring rabbis, cantors, and educational leaders. Join us for an online open house on November 16, to experience the vibrant pluralistic communities of Hebrew College. Learn more and register at hebrewcollege.edu/virtualvisit. Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. Get a free Harry's trial shave set at harrys.com/unorthodox. Kol Foods Thanksgiving is coming! Order your delicious, ethically raised Glatt Kosher turkey at kolfoods.com and use the code UNORTHODOX1120 to save 10% off your order American Jewish World Service is the leading Jewish organization working to fight poverty and pursue justice in the developing world. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, AJWS is currently matching all donations tenfold; find out more about the organization and make your matched donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re recovering from our potentially poisonous etrog-tinis. Our first Jewish guest is actor and comedian Michael Ian Black, best known for "Wet Hot American Summer" and VH1’s “I Love The …” series, whose latest book is "A Better Man," a meditation on masculinity written in the form of a letter to his college-aged son. He tells us about the book, which is far more earnest than you might expect from the comic actor, and why he wants to offer boys and young men a better path than “toxic masculinity.” He also explains the Jewish influences on his thinking and parenting, and tells us about changing his name from Schwartz to Black when he got into showbiz (there was another Michael Schwartz in the Guild already). Our second Jewish guest is Kylie Unell, a Ph.D. student in Jewish thought at New York University and the author of an essay in JTA titled, “My mom is white and my dad is black. Don’t call me a ‘Jew of Color.’” She tells us how growing up in Kansas and then Israel and attending college in New York City shaped her Jewish identity and pushed her to reject other labels—like “Modern Orthodox”—which she felt didn’t fully capture her identity. She also tells us about drawing on Jewish history (like hosting a Moses Mendelssohn-themed Shabbat dinner) to create a new spiritual community for young Jews. Join us for our upcoming virtual events! Thursday 10/22, 6:30 p.m. EDT: Mark will be part of the panel event “What Have We Learned from the Pittsburgh Synogogue Attack?” Register here. Thursday 10/22, 7 p.m. EDT: Stephanie will be interviewing (a different) Ben Cohen as part of Generally Speaking, her interview series with children of Holocaust Survivors, presented by the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Register here. Saturday, 10/24, 7:30 p.m. PT: An Evening with Unorthodox, brought to you by the Stroum JCC Virtual BookFest. Register here. Send us questions and comments at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Sponsors: American Jewish World Service is the leading Jewish organization working to fight poverty and pursue justice in the developing world. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, AJWS is currently matching all donations tenfold; find out more about the organization and to make your matched donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox. Decision Points is a podcast that examines the key moments and figures that impacted the relationship between Israel and the U.S. The show, which just launched its second season, is hosted by David Makovsky, director of the Project on Arab-Israel Relations at the Washington Institute for Near East policy and a member of the peace team during the Obama Administration. The Bronfman Center at NYU congratulates Rabbi Yehuda Sarna for his 18 years of service to the Bronfman Center and the global Jewish community. Find out more at bit.ly/sarna18.

This week on Unorthodox, it’s Nobel Prize season! We're celebrating by airing a special virtual live show, presented by ORT America, featuring actress and neuroscientist Mayim Bialik, who shares our hobby of Googling Nobel Prize winners to see if they’re Jewish. Stars—they’re just like us! Listen as we chat with the Blossom and The Big Bang Theory actress about discovering observant Judaism in college, singing Jewish music with her quartet, and getting stopped by star-struck fans in synagogue. She also gives us a preview of her new mental health podcast, Mayim Bialik's Breakdown. We're almost at 1,000 donors in our fundraising drive! Help us get over the finish line by donating at bit.ly/unorthodox2020fundraiser. Everyone who gives will be entered into a raffle to spend some virtual time with the hosts. Let us know what you think of the show, and share your 5781 resolutions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Sponsors: American Jewish World Service is the leading Jewish organization working to fight poverty and pursue justice in the developing world. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, AJWS is currently matching all donations tenfold; find out more about the organization at AJWS.org/unorthodox. Hebrew College trains aspiring rabbis, cantors, and educational leaders. Join us for Ta Sh'ma, an online open house on November 16, to experience the vibrant pluralistic communities of Hebrew College. Learn more and register at hebrewcollege.edu/virtualvisit. A Better Man is the latest book by comedian and actor Michael Ian Black. Part memoir, part advice book, it’s a heartfelt look at boyhood and a radical plea for rethinking masculinity, in the form of a letter from the comedian to his son. On sale now; Michael Ian Black will be the guest on next week’s Unorthodox episode.

This week on Unorthodox, we're shaking that lulav and etrog for Sukkot. To help us understand the various Jewish holidays that arrive in quick succession after the High Holidays—Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Shemini Atzeret—we talk to Roberta Kwall, author of Remix Judaism: Preserving Tradition in a Diverse World. She tells us about the traditional “smashing of the willows” and other lesser known Jewish practices that can add meaning to our modern Jewish identity. Then we're joined by Peter Sagal, host of NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me. He tells what he's learned from hosting the very entertaining news quiz show for more than 20 years, and why it's important to find humor even when the headlines are bad. Finally Mark chats with David French, senior editor at the Dispatch and author of Divided We Fall: America's Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation. He explains the rift between Conservatives who, like him, don't support Trump and those who do, and warns against the danger of today's hyperpartisan era. Help us get to 1,000 donors in our fundraising drive! Everyone who gives will be entered into a raffle to spend some virtual time with the hosts. Donate at bit.ly/unorthodox2020fundraiser. Let us know what you think of the show, and share your 5781 resolutions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Sponsors: PJ Library sends free storybooks to children (newborn to 12 years old), making it easy to start sharing Jewish traditions. Sign up at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox. American Jewish World Service is the leading Jewish organization working to fight poverty and pursue justice in the developing world. AJWS is currently triple-matching all donations; go to AJWS.org/unorthodox to find out more about the organization and to make your matched donation. Harry's is a great shave at a great price. Get a free Harry's trial shave set at harrys.com/unorthodox.

Just a few updates while we take the week off to celebrate 5781. Please join us for a virtual live show presented by ORT America with special guest — actor, author, and neuroscientist Mayim Bialik. Details at bit.ly/unorthodoxliveevents Please consider donating to Unorthodox! Our annual fundraiser is underway, and we're trying to get to 1,000 donors. Everyone who gives will be entered into a raffle to spend some virtual time with the hosts. Donate at bit.ly/unorthodox2020fundraiser.  Join Mark for a storytelling class as part of the Wisdom Studio. Visit here for more details. Finally, send us your stories about Jews and the Boy Scouts of America. Call us at ‪(914) 570-4869‬ and tell us your story!

Each year for Yom Kippur, we bring you a special episode all about apology and atonement. (Listen to our previous episodes: from 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015.) This year, we’re focusing on the theme of reconciliation—across the political divide and the religious spectrum, and beyond. Our first story comes from Chris Haugh and Jordan Blashek, two friends who decided to drive across the country together in 2016. Chris, a Berkeley born, Obama-loving liberal, and Jordan, a former marine and proud conservative, were forced to confront their vast political differences as the presidential campaign unfolded around them across the United States. You can read the full story of this and their subsequent cross-country drives in their new book, Union: A Democrat, A Republican, and a Search for Common Ground. Next we talk to Tablet columnist Marjorie Ingall, whose website (and soon to be book) SorryWatch.com chronicles the good, the bad, and the ugly of public apologies. She reminds us how to apologize (there are six steps!), helps us interpret corporate apologies in a year full of them, and reminds us that forgiveness isn’t mandatory. Then we hear from Jericho Vincent, author of the 2014 memoir Cut Me Loose: Sin and Salvation After My Ultra-Orthodox Girlhood, which tells the painful and traumatic story of leaving Orthodox Judaism as a teen. Since then, Jericho has been on a long and winding spiritual journey, exploring Buddhism, Sufi Islam, scientific atheism, and ultimately creating an entirely new conception of Judaism—and starting in a rabbinical program. This summer, Jericho struck up a correspondence with Orthodox writer and educator Dovid Bashevkin, whose book Sin•a•gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought covers many of the areas that have long fascinated Jericho. Jericho and Dovid tell us what their ongoing conversations—about everything from Jewish texts to the ongoing social and political unrest in America—can teach us about reconciliation and rebuilding in today’s stratified world. Finally, our associate editor Robert Scaramuccia tells the story of an offhand joke he made as a teenager at the Boys State summer camp, and how it has haunted (and helped) him ever since. Robert brings us along on his quest to apologize for what he said—once he figures out what exactly that was.  Please consider donating to Unorthodox to help us keep making shows like this. Our annual fundraiser is underway, and everyone who gives will be entered into a raffle to spend some virtual time with the hosts. Donate at bit.ly/unorthodox2020fundraiser.  Let us know what you think of the show, and share your 5781 resolutions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Sponsors American Jewish World Service is the leading Jewish organization working to fight poverty and pursue justice in the developing world. AJWS will triple match any donation made before midnight Sept. 27; go to AJWS.org/unorthodox to find out more about the organization and to make your donation.  Soom Foods is the preferred tahini of restaurants like Michael Solomonov’s Zahav. Soom Foods also makes a chocolate tahini spread and silan date syrup. All products are dairy-free, gluten-free, and certified kosher. Go to soomfoods.com and use code UNORTHODOX to get 15% off your first order. PJ Library sends free storybooks to children (newborn to 12 years old), making it easy to start sharing Jewish traditions. Sign up at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox, The Great Courses Plus offers online classes on everything from film to wine, personal finance, and public speaking, from professors and experts in their fields. Start your free trial at thegreatcoursesplus.com/unorthodox. 

As the sun set for Rosh Hashanah this past Friday night, Jews in America and across the world learned of the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It was like a gut punch, resounding across social media. The 87-year-old trailblazing Supreme Court Justice-- the second female Justice-- spent her entire career, her entire life really, fighting for equal rights for women and minorities, fighting so that everyone could have an equal shot. Her death, which plunges the country into a fight over exactly when, and by whom, she will be succeeded, is keenly felt by the Jewish community, who mourns her as a tzaddik, or righteous person.  Today you’re going to hear from Abigail Pogrebin, writer, friend of the show, and host of Tablet’s Parsha in Progress podcast. In 2005 she published a book called Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish. She has kindly agreed to read the chapter on Ruth Bader Ginsberg.  You can find Stars of David, and more of Abby’s work, including her latest book -- My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays; One Wondering Jew -- at https://abigailpogrebin.com/ For more RBG on Unorthodox, listen to episode 19, Leading Ladies, in which we interview Irin Carmon about her book, Notorious RBG, which details the Justice’s most recent turn as feminist pop culture icon. https://www.tabletmag.com/podcasts/unorthodox/leading-ladies We’re at work on our annual apology episode, which airs this Thursday, and which focuses on the notion of reconciliation, which, frankly, has never seemed so important. 

This Jewish New Year will definitely be different from all others, but we're here to help you ring in 5781 with as much enjoyment and enlightenment as possible. First we talk to Rabbi Sandra Lawson of Elon University about her plans for High Holiday services on campus this year, as well as her experience as a gay, black rabbi navigating the Jewish world. She also shared how she uses music and social media to get her rabbinic message out to broad audiences. You can follow Rabbi Sandra on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Then Stephanie talks with Aliza Kline and Zoe Plotsky of OneTable, a platform that helps millennials gather for Shabbat meals. They tell us about their new High Holiday initiative, HereFor, which offers a variety of resources and virtual gatherings to help Jews feel connected and engaged this holiday season. Our Gentile of the Week is Father James Martin, a Jesuit priest and editor-at-large at America magazine, who first joined us on the show for Ep. 121 alongside comedian Judy Gold (he then appeared on her podcast, too). He shares his thoughts on the need for humor in dark times, and offers us some Jesuit-inflected wisdom for the Jewish New Year. Want more of the hosts? Listen to Stephanie on the Change Talk podcast as she sets intentions for 5781 with host Noah Pile. And share your 5781 intentions and resolutions at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Our annual fundraiser is underway, but we're doing things a little differently this year. We're looking to get as many participants as we can, giving whatever amount they're able. Everyone who gives will be entered into a raffle to spend some virtual time with the hosts. Head to bit.ly/unorthodox2020fundraiser to donate. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube page! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: The Great Courses Plus Learn about everything from film to wine, personal finance, and public speaking, from professors and experts in their fields. Start your free trial at thegreatcoursesplus.com/unorthodox. Harry's is a great shave at a great price. Get a free Harry's trial shave set at harrys.com/unorthodox. PJ Library sends free storybooks to children (newborn to 12 years old), making it easy to start sharing Jewish traditions. Sign up at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox, and check out their digital guide to High Holidays at home at pjlibrary.org/highholidays.

Our Jewish guest is Michael Oren, former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. and a former member of the Knesset. He talks to Liel about his new collection of short stories, The Night Archer, plus how writing fiction has long been an escape from his day job in politics. Our Gentile of the Week is political satirist and journalist P.J. O'Rourke. He talks to Mark about his latest book, A Cry from the Far Middle: Dispatches from a Divided Land, plus whether conservatives can be as funny as liberals, and whether gentiles can be as funny as Jews. His question for us: Does the god of the Hebrew Bible have a sense of humor? We're doing our annual fundraiser a little differently this year. We're not looking to hit a specific dollar amount. Instead, we're looking to get as many participants as we can, giving whatever amount they're able. Everyone who gives will be entered into a raffle to spend some virtual time with the hosts. Head to bit.ly/unorthodox2020fundraiser to donate. Tablet Magazine's Fall 2020 journalism program is a paid three-month remote fellowship for 10 aspiring journalists, run by our very own Mark Oppenheimer. More information here; apply by Sept. 11 to fellowship@tabletmag.com. What are your 5781 resolutions? Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube page! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: Kol Foods is getting you ready for the High Holidays with kosher and ethically raised meat. Go to KOLFOODS.com and use the code UNORTHODOX0920 to get 10% on your order. Soom Foods is the preferred tahini of restaurants like Michael Solomonov’s Zahav, and their silan date syrup is the perfect addition to your High Holiday table. All Soom products are dairy-free, gluten-free, and certified kosher. Go to soomfoods.com and use code UNORTHODOX to get 15% off your first order. Unorthodox Wines are perfect for Rosh Hashanah—try their Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc or Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Bordeaux blend. Unorthodox Wines are all vegan and certified kosher by the OU. Go to bit.ly/unorthodoxwine and get their wines delivered to you for free, for a limited time. You can also find Unorthodox Wines at a wine store near you.

This week on Unorthodox, summer trips to the beach spark our latest debate: Do Jews like the beach? Our Jewish guest is Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, former chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, who returns to the show to talk about his latest book, Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times. Listen for Rabbi Sacks' advice for how we can build a more moral society, plus why he thinks the themes of the High Holidays have never been more relevant, and his take on the Queen's corgis. Our Gentile of the Week is Holly Huffnagle, the American Jewish Committee's newly appointed U.S. director for combating anti-Semitism. Shes's worked in the State Department and at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and volunteered at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oswiecim, Poland. She explains why she believes anti-Semitism is a societal problem, not a Jewish one, tells us about the surprising Twitter backlash following the announcement of her new role, and shares what she told Nick Cannon when she met with him after his recent anti-Semitic remarks. We're doing our annual fundraiser a little differently this year. We're not looking to hit a specific dollar amount—instead, we're looking to get as many participants as we can, giving whatever amount they're able. Everyone who gives will be entered into a raffle to spend some virtual time with the hosts. Head to bit.ly/unorthodox2020fundraiser to donate. Tablet Magazine's Fall 2020 journalism program is a paid three-month remote fellowship for 10 aspiring journalists, run by our very own Mark Oppenheimer. More information here; apply by Sept. 10 to fellowship@tabletmag.com. What are your 5781 resolutions? Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube page! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: Kol foods is getting you ready for the High Holidays. Go to KOLFOODS.com and use the code UNORTHODOX0920 to save 10 percent on your order.

This week on Unorthodox: The Israeli hockey star playing for Auschwitz. Our first guest is Esther Povitsky, who played Maya on “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend“ and whose new Comedy Central stand-up special is “Hot For My Name.” Esther tells us about growing up in Skokie, IL, why she decided to include her parents Maury and Mary in her special, and how her Jewish identity has influenced her comedy. Next we talk to Natan Sharansky, the legendary refusenik (the term for Jews who were refused exit visas by the Soviet authorities). He was imprisoned for nine years — at one point being held a Soviet gulag — and after his release he emigrated to Israel, where he served as a member of the Israeli Parliament and the head of the Jewish Agency. He tells us about his new memoir, “Never Alone: Prison, Politics, and My People,” and what he's learned over a lifetime of activism. Joan Knows Best is a weekly video series featuring Joan Nathan cooking her favorite Shabbat recipes with her son, David Henry Gerson. This Friday, August 14, at 1 p.m. EDT, they'll be making a rhubarb tart with fresh strawberries and currant glaze. Tune in on Tablet's Facebook page, and get the recipes and more info here. Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube page! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: Harry's: Get a free Harry's trial shave set at harrys.com/unorthodox. Harry’s is donating $1 million worth of shaving supplies to hospitals across the U.S.

This week on Unorthodox, we're calling an emergency meeting of the Unorthodox club. First we talk to Rachel Shukert, a longtime Tablet contributor (and a contributor to The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia!) who is an executive producer and showrunner for The Baby-Sitters' Club reboot on Netflix. She tells us about growing up reading the series of books by Ann M. Martin, recreating the 90's series as a TV show set in the present, and what she's learned about today's teenagers from working with the actors on the show. Then Stephanie sits down with Adam Eli, the activist and author of "The New Queer Conscience," which is part of Penguin Random House's Pocket Change Collective. He tells us about initially rejecting his Jewish identity after he came out as queer, then ultimately realizing that his Jewish and queer identity could actually strengthen and reinforce each other. He shares how his Jewish background influences his queer activism, and offers advice to families whose children may be queer or questioning. Follow Adam Eli on Instagram @AdamEli and get a discount (!) on "The New Queer Conscience" using this link. Join Stephanie and former Unorthodox guest Beth Ricanati for a live challah-baking workshop Thursday, August 6 at 5 p.m. EDT in the Unorthodox Facebook group. Beth is a doctor who strongly believes in the healing power of baking bread, and she's going to share the magic of weekly challah baking with us. "Joan Knows Best" is a new weekly video series featuring Joan Nathan cooking her favorite Shabbat recipes with her son, David Henry Gerson. This Friday, August 7, at 12 p.m. EDT, they'll be making double-roasted lemon chicken. Tune in at live.tabletmag.com/joanknowsbest and get the recipes here. Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube page! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: The Great Courses Plus: With thousands of lectures on all kinds of topics presented by subject-matter experts from top universities and institutions, keep learning with the Great Courses Plus. Get a free trial with unlimited access at thegreatcoursesplus.com/UNORTHODOX.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re observing Tisha B’Av, the commemoration of the destruction of both temples in Jerusalem. Observant Jews typically fast on this day, and because the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av falls during the summer months, it makes for one strange and somber day at Jewish summer camps. Because the destruction of the ancient temples can seem a bit, well, distant, the Ninth of Av has become in recent years a kind of catch-all day for Jewish mourning: a commemoration of all the historic suffering we’ve faced as a people. Today we’re focusing on the legacy of the Holocaust, as seen through three different families. Our guests are the children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors who pieced together their family’s story through research, travel, and interviews, and who now are sharing those stories in book—and podcast—form. Our first guest is Esther Safran Foer, whose memoir I Want You to Know We’re Still Here is about her journey to uncover what happened to her parents during the Holocaust. Tragedy followed her parents when they immigrated to America, and only later in life did her mother finally open up about her painful past. Next we speak with British musician Andrew Evans, who was raised in the Church of England but was inspired by Brexit to dig into his unspoken family history and uncover the true story of his Holocaust-surviving grandfather. He chronicles his discoveries in the podcast “Unbordered.” Our third guest is Daphne Geismar, a book maker by trade, who turned her craft on her own family’s story of survival in Nazi-occupied Netherlands. The result is her book Invisible Years. Let us know what you think of the show: Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: The Great Courses Plus: With thousands of lectures on all kinds of topics presented by subject-matter experts from top universities and institutions, keep learning with the Great Courses Plus. Get a free trial with unlimited access at thegreatcoursesplus.com/UNORTHODOX. Harry's: Get a free Harry's trial shave set at harrys.com/unorthodox. Harry’s is donating $1 million worth of shaving supplies to hospitals across the U.S.

This week on Unorthodox, we're working on our topspin. Our first guest is Noah Rubin, a former Wimbledon junior singles champion who went pro at age 19. He tells us about his tennis-themed bar mitzvah, the reality of life on the professional circuit, and his project Behind the Racquet: a website and podcast that sheds light on the often overlooked mental health challenges that face professional tennis players. Our next guest is Jenny Caplan, who teaches religious studies and Jewish studies at Towson, and whose work focuses on expressions of Jewish identity in American pop culture. She tells us about her recent scholarly article, published in the Journal of Modern Jewish Studies, that calls for retiring the Jewish American Princess archetype and replacing it with a new one: the Modern Ashkenazi-American Woman. Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies here.

This week on Unorthodox, we puzzle over swastika jewelry and celebrities saying anti-Semitic things. We also hear from Zack Banner, the Pittsburgh Steelers player who spoke out against anti-Semitism. Read his full interview with Tablet’s Yair Rosenberg on tabletmag.com. Our Jewish guest is Brad Kolodny, author of Seeking Sanctuary: 125 Years of Synagogues on Long Island, a photo-filled survey of Jewish life in the New York City suburb. He tells us about some of the most iconic synagogues in the area, and quizzes Stephanie about Jewish celebrities from Long Island. Next we hear from three people behind the Jewish book and film festivals in Wyomissing PA, all of whom are gentiles. Nancy Russo, Amanda Hornberger, and John Nelka tell us how they became involved in Jewish arts programming, and what they've learned along the way. Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: This episode is sponsored by the Institute for Jewish Spirituality’s new online retreat-at-home, running Sunday, July 19 through Tuesday, July 21. Go to jewishspirituality.org to learn more and register. Sponsors: This episode is sponsored by the Institute for Jewish Spirituality’s new online retreat-at-home, running Sunday, July 19 through Tuesday, July 21. Go to jewishspirituality.org to learn more and register.

This week on Unorthodox, we're talking Yiddish, curse words, and much more. Our first guest is return Gentile of the Week John McWhorter, linguist and host of the Lexicon Valley podcast. John was a guest on the show back in 2016, and then we did an Unorthodox/Lexicon Valley crossover episode the following year. He returned to the show to tell us all about his upcoming book on curse words (note: this segment is definitely NSFW) and his enduring love of Yiddish. In addition to that interview, which was recorded in May, we check back in with McWhorter to discuss America's racial reckoning, and the language that surrounds it. Then we hear from Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll, co-founder of Chochmat Nashim, an organization that supports women in Orthodox Jewish spaces. She tells us about the custom in some Orthodox communities in Israel and the U.S. to exclude images of women and girls from newspapers, advertisements, and even health brochures, which she is working to change. As always, let us know what you think of the show. Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: Harry's: Get a free Harry's trial shave set—complete with a 5-blade razor with a weighted ergonomic grip, rich lathering shave gel, and a travel blade cover—at harrys.com/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, we explore the role Jews played in the American psychedelic movement of the 1950s and 60s, and learn why some rabbis and spiritual leaders today are advocating for using psychedelics to unlock Jewish spiritual experiences. First, we talk to Jesse Jarnow, author of Heads: A Biography of Psychedelic America, who tells us about the emergence of psychedelic use in mid-century America, and the many Jews involved in that countercultural scene. Then, contributor Alix Wall brings us the story of three Jews—a Holocaust survivor, a Bay Area rabbi, and a Harvard professor-turned-guru—who all advocate for psycheledics playing a larger role in our personal and communal lives. Featured in this segment is Rabbi Zac Kamenetz, who is undergoing certification by the California Institute for Integral Studies to become the first rabbinic psychedelic guide. He wants to rekindle the mystical core of Jewish tradition, allowing Jews to connect with the divine through safe and supported experiences using a clinical model within a distinctly Jewish context. Also featured is George Sarlo, an 82-year-old Holocaust survivor from Hungary whose guided experience with ayahuasca in Mexico healed his childhood trauma and lifelong depression, and also brought him back into the Jewish community. He established the George Sarlo Foundation to provide funding and research for the use of psychedelics to treat addiction and trauma. Dr. Gabor Maté was the friend who convinced Sarlo to try psychedelics as treatment for trauma, an approach pionered by Dutch psychiatrist Jan Bastiaans, who treated hundreds of Holocaust survivors with psychedelic drugs. As always, let us know what you think of the show. Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies here.

This week on Unorthodox, three books to add to your summer reading list. Our first guest is historian and U.C.L.A professor Sarah Abrevaya Stein, who is the author of Family Papers: A Sephardic Journey Through the Twentieth Century. She tells us how she pieced together the Levy family story across generations and continents through their correspondence, what this family's journey can teach us about the global Sephardic experience, and what the records we leave behind today might look like to future historians. Next we talk to David Sax, author of The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter and, most recently The Soul of an Entrepreneur: Work and Life Beyond the Startup Myth. He explains the value of analog products and ideas in today's tech-saturated climate, argues that true entrepreneurs aren't the Silicon Valley disrupters we read about in the news, and makes the case for entrepreneurship as an often necessary Jewish habit. Our final guest is Daniel Torday, who teaches creative writing at Bryn Mawr college and whose latest novel is BOOMER1, a tale of ageist angst taken to farcical and violent extremes. He tells us why our current cultural and economic moment is ripe for resentment towards Baby Boomers (Americans born roughly between 1946 and 1964), why intergenerational strife was such a compelling topic to take on, and what it's like to have his novel exist in the world alongside memes like 'OK Boomer.' Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Consider making a donation to Unorthodox. Sponsors: Masa Israel: Whether you’re interested in making a career change, volunteering, or just finding a new adventure, join young professionals from around the world and experience Israeli society first-hand through one of Masa Israel’s career development programs. If you or someone you know is looking to make next year meaningful and productive, visit masaisrael.org/unorthodox.

This week, we reflect on the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests that have spread across the world, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets to decry racism and police violence. Our first guest is Jason Kirschner, Mark's first cousin and close friend from childhood. Their Northeast Jewish suburban upbringings were strikingly similar, except that Jason is black. The cousins catch up by phone, and discuss race for the first time. Then we talk to Rabbi Alex Ozar of Yale's Slifka Center for Jewish Life, who is writing his PhD on what Jewish ethics teach us about our responsibility for social justice, focusing on the work of Hannah Arendt, Abraham Joshua Heschel, and Joseph Soloveitchik. He explains what our obligations are as Jews in the face of injustice. Let us know what you think of the show: Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.

This week on Unorthodox: Nazi alligators and Hitler's childhood home. First we talk to Naama Shefi of the Jewish Food Society, who returns to the show along with Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper, the fourth-generation owners of Russ and Daughters, to tell us about their work feeding healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can support the Jewish Food Society's initiative here. Then we sit down with Israeli musician Yair Nitzani, who talks about the strange reality of being a rock star in Israel (he'd head home on his moped after playing stadium shows), plus his work with the hit Israel band T-Slam and his Jon Stewart-inspired news satire television show. Have thoughts about the show? Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Join our Facebook group to get more Unorthodox and connect with other listeners. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Consider making a donation to Unorthodox if you like what you hear each week. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: "PsalmSeason: An Online Encounter with the Wisdom of the Psalms" is a new interfaith initiative that launched with a concert featuring 18 performances from artists around the world. Watch the concert at IFYC.org/psalmseason, and stay tuned for new personal reflections, poetry, and music every week for 18 weeks. The Institute for Jewish Spirituality has pioneered the development and teaching of Jewish mindfulness practices for over 20 years. Save $50 now by going to jewishspirituality.org and clicking on The Gift of Awareness. Harry's is a great shave at a great price. Get a free Harry's trial shave set—complete with a 5-blade razor with a weighted ergonomic grip, rich lathering shave gel, and a travel blade cover—at harrys.com/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, we're proud to present our third annual conversion episode. On Shavuot, the Jewish holiday that starts tonight at sundown, we read the Book of Ruth, which tells the story of a Moabite woman who converts to Judaism and becomes the great-great-grandmother of King David. Shavuot is the perfect time to celebrate those who convert to Judaism, and on today's episode you'll hear a variety of stories featuring Jews by choice and their different journeys. (Listen to our 2019 episode here and our 2018 episode here.) First, we hear from Lynn Hyde, a resident of Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood, who was living a Jewish-adjacent life but was moved to undergo conversion following the Tree of Life shooting in 2018. Stephanie talks to two of her Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sisters—her 'little little' and her 'little little little'—who are both in the process of converting. (One of them even sent Stephanie the mezuzah that she mounted on her doorpost in a previous episode) David Ben-Moshe shares his complex journey to Judaism, exposing some of the injustices within the American criminal justice system as well as the Israeli rabbinate’s standards for who is a Jew. We also hear from Rabbi Shira Stutman of Sixth and I in Washington, D.C., who has overseen more than 300 conversions in the DC area and for 10 years has led Jewish Welcome Worship, a year-long course designed for people in their 20s & 30s who want to learn more about Judaism and/or convert. She takes us behind the scenes on the other side of the conversion process, telling us about the different types of people she's encountered, why they want to convert, and why the Jewish partners can sometimes be a real pain. And finally, Alix Wall brings us the moving story of Vy Nguyen, who at 25 was diagnosed with an extremely rare soft-tissue cancer. She was raised Buddhist, but met with every chaplain at the hospital to see what their religion had to say about her predicament. Moved by the words of the hospital's Jewish chaplain, Dr. Bruce Feldstein, she began an Orthodox conversion, a process that continued throughout many hospitalizations and surgeries, and finally took her to the mikveh and then the chuppah. If you like what you heard today, please consider making a donation to Unorthodox. Your generous support allows us to continue bringing you ambitious episodes and reported features, and we're deeply grateful. Tell us what you thought of the show: Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Join our Facebook group to get more Unorthodox and connect with other listeners. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Shalom, friends.

Description: Join us this Saturday, May 23 at 9 p.m. for a virtual Unorthodox live show! It's part of the Great Big Jewish Food Fest, and we'll be joined by Bon Appetit's Sarah Jampel. RSVP at bit.ly/unorthodoxjff. This week on Unorthodox, we're heading to Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Our guest is Matthew Weiner, creator of the TV series 'Mad Men' and 'The Romanoffs,' and an executive producer on 'The Sopranos.' He joins us to talk about why everyone seems to be binge-watching 'Mad Men' lately, as well as what the show had to say about Jewishness in 1960s America, and how it was influenced by his own Jewish upbringing in Los Angeles. Be part of our upcoming special episodes! Do you have a story to share about a lesser-known Jewish community for our Jews Around the World episode? Send us your story as a voicemail at (914) 570-4869, or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Our Spring and Summer 2020 tour events have been postponed. Stay tuned for updates on rescheduled dates, and join our Facebook group to see much more of us and connect with other listeners. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: Harry's: Get a free Harry's trial shave set—complete with a 5-blade razor with a weighted ergonomic grip, rich lathering shave gel, and a travel blade cover—at harrys.com/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox: How to build an eruv in Animal Crossing, and saying goodbye to Jerry Stiller. Our first guest is former Israeli Member of Knesset Einat Wilf. Well known in Israeli politics for her left-wing positions and advocacy of education and women's rights, she joins us to talk about her shift in thinking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which culminated in a book she co-authored, newly published in English, called The War of Return: How Western Indulgence of the Palestinian Dream Has Obstructed the Path to Peace. Next we talk to Adam Zucker, the filmmaker behind American Muslim, and Mohamed Bahi, one of the activists in the film. Bahi—who was inspired to learn more about his Muslim faith after 9/11, when his high school football teammates stopped calling him "Mo" and started calling him "Mohamed"—tells us about his organization Muslims Giving Back, and how he helps New York's Muslim community through food banks, volunteer work, and refugee assistance. Be part of our upcoming special episodes! Do you have a story to share about conversion, and what books or movies helped you along the way? Want to tell us about a lesser-known Jewish community for our Jews Around the World episode? Send us your story as a voicemail at (914) 570-4869, or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Our tour events for Spring 2020 have been postponed. Stay tuned for updates on rescheduled dates, and join our Facebook group to see much more of us and connect with other listeners. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: The Great Courses Plus is offering a free month of unlimited access to their entire library of online courses. Start your free month at thegreatcoursesplus.com/unorthodox.

This week, it's vinyl records vs. Spotify playlists. We talk to Nick Hornby, the English author of High Fidelity, Fever Pitch, About a Boy and many other books that were also adapted into feature films. We chatted with him about the new Hulu adaptation of High Fidelity starring Zoë Kravitz as a record store owner in Brooklyn, what music means to the kids today, and how his puzzle hobby is keeping him busy in quarantine. Then, Stephanie talks to Rachel Rosenthal, who teaches Talmud at the Jewish Theological Seminary and writes frequently about the intersection of Jewish text and modern life. She discusses stories of infertility in the Hebrew Bible, as well as her own experience with infertility as a Modern Orthodox woman. Finally, we check back in with filmmaker Rachel Myers and her grandmother Roberta Mahler, the director and star of Wendy's Shabbat, a documentary about a group of seniors who meet each week for Shabbat dinner at a local Wendy’s fast-food restaurant. Rachel and Roberta, who were guests on Unorthodox back in 2018, tell us about adjusting to life in quarantine, and the surprising new Shabbat traditions their family has created. Join us for Tablet Live, a series of Zoom conversations with some of the most interesting artists, writers, and thinkers around. On Thursday, May 7 at 7 p.m., Stephanie and Liel will be in conversation about Liel's new book, Stan Lee: A Life in Comics, and on Sunday, May 10 at 2 p.m., Stephanie will be joined onscreen by Israeli chef (and former Unorthodox guest) Einat Admony, as they make a recipe from Einat's cookbook, Shuk. More info at bit.ly/tabletlive. Be part of our upcoming special episodes! Do you have a story to share about conversion, and what books or movies helped you along the way? Want to tell us about a lesser-known Jewish community for our Jews Around the World episode? Send us your story as a voicemail at (914) 570-4869, or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Our tour events for Spring 2020 have been postponed. Stay tuned for updates on rescheduled dates, and join our Facebook group to see much more of us and connect with other listeners. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: The Great Courses Plus is offering a free month of unlimited access to their entire library of online courses. Start your free month at thegreatcoursesplus.com/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox: Anne Frank the vlogger. Our guest this week is Michael O’Loughlin, a reporter at America Magazine and the host of their new podcast 'Plague: Untold Stories of AIDS and the Catholic Church.' We set down with him in early March to talk about the history of gay Catholics and the AIDS epidemic, the unexpected stories he spotlights on the podcast, and whether the Catholic church was prepared to handle the COVID crisis. A.J. Jacobs also returns to give us an update on a homework assignment. Then, we hear a new song by Israeli-born, New Jersey-bred musician Eef Barzelay, of the band Clem Snide. We've got (virtual) events! Join us for Tablet Live, a series of Zoom conversations with some of the most interesting artists, writers, and thinkers around. Check out the full schedule at bit.ly/tabletlive. Stephanie will be in conversation with Keith Gessen and Esther Safran Foer on Thursday, April 20th at 7 p.m. as part of the Unpacking the Book Series with the Jewish Book Council and The Jewish Museum. RSVP and get the Zoom info at  https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/events. Be part of our upcoming special episodes! Do you have a story to share about conversion, and what books or movies helped you along the way? Want to tell us about a lesser-known Jewish community for our Jews Around the World episode? Send us your story as a voicemail at (914) 570-4869, or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Our tour events for Spring 2020 have been postponed. Stay tuned for updates on rescheduled dates, and join our Facebook group to see much more of us and connect with other listeners. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. This episode is sponsored by Harry's, a great shave at a great price. Get a free trial set with a 5-blade razor, shave gel, and a travel blade cover at harrys.com/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, we're talking about why everyone seems to be talking about Anne Frank these days. Our first guest is comedian Ophira Eisenberg, who tells us about hosting NPR's usually-live game show Ask Me Another remotely, and how humor is helping her through these strange and scary times. Stephanie talks with Israel Story host Mishy Harmon about Israpalooza, the day-long virtual celebration of Yom Ha’Atzmaut. Log on Wednesday, April 29 to hear from Itkhak Perlman, David Broza, Joan Nathan, Moshe Safdie, and more. More info at israpalooza.org/. Then, we talk to our super secret special guest. It's ... Liel! He joins us to discuss his brand new book, Stan Lee: A Life in Comics. This wonderful book offers a spiritual biography of the Marvel Comics legend, and makes a compelling case for just how deeply spiritual—and deeply Jewish—Lee's work was. Plus he tells us which Marvel character was inspired by which biblical figure. (P.S. Get 25 percent off the book price and free shipping when you use the code STAN LEE at www.jewishlives.org) We've got (virtual) events! Join us for Tablet Live, a series of Zoom conversations with some of the most interesting artists, writers, and thinkers around. The series kicks off Thursday, April 23 7 p.m. at bit.ly/tabletlive with hear Liel talk to Israeli-born musician Eef Barzelay, the lead singer and songwriter of the band Clem Snide. Stephanie will be in conversation with Keith Gessen and Esther Safran Foer on Thursday, April 20th at 7 p.m. as part of the Unpacking the Book Series with the Jewish Book Council and The Jewish Museum. RSVP and get the Zoom info at https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/events. Be part of our upcoming special episodes! Do you have a story to share about conversion, and what books or movies helped you along the way? Want to tell us about a lesser-known Jewish community for our Jews Around the World episode? Send us your story as a voicemail at (914) 570-4869, or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Our tour events for Spring 2020 have been postponed. Stay tuned for updates on rescheduled dates, and join our Facebook group to see much more of us and connect with other listeners. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here.

Heya, J-Crew! It's us, your favorite chatty Jews. We know, it's not Thursday, and the next episode of Unorthodox doesn't drop for a bit (although, let us tell you, it's going to be a beauty). But we're here today to break a very special bit of news: We've got a brand new podcast! It's called Hebrew School, and it's the perfect game show for kids who want to learn a bit about Judaism and have some fun doing it. Adults will love it too, we promise.  Hosted by Stephanie and Liel, and featuring real kids as contestants, the show is a weekly, 20-minute session of the best—and wildest—Hebrew school you have ever attended. Want to hop in a time machine and eavesdrop on key moments in Jewish history? Wonder how to say "app" or "chat" in Hebrew? Think you can tell which quote comes from the Bible and which is a Taylor Swift lyric? This, friends, is the perfect game for you. Think you can beat the experts? Then listen and play along at home. Want to be on the show, and are between the ages of 7 and 12? Email us at hebrewschool@tabletmag.com.  And, as ever, please please please subscribe and rate us on iTunes.

This week, two Jews and a Quaker walk into a podcast! First, Stephanie has lunch with A.J. Jacobs—over Zoom. He explains his fondness for dining via the videoconferencing service, which he started doing five years ago while working from home. He tells us about returning to the germaphobic habits he worked hard to abandon, reminds us to remain grateful during trying times, and tells us about his puzzling latest project. Then, Mark checks in with Eric Ackland, owner of Amazing Books and Records in Pittsburgh, PA. Eric was on our conversion episode in 2019, telling the story of his journey from secular Judaism to Orthodoxy. He returns to candidly share the financial uncertainty now facing his business, which has closed both its locations and is now relying on online sales. Finally, we talk to Andy Boone, our first Quaker guest, and Mark's poker buddy. He tells us about his love of hobbies, including most recently, birding, and helps us embrace the Quaker-friendly values of silence and contemplation. Be part of our upcoming special episodes! Do you have a story to share about conversion, and what books or movies helped you along the way? Want to tell us about a lesser-known Jewish community for our Jews Around the World episode? Send us your story as a voicemail at (914) 570-4869, or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Our tour events for April 2020 have been postponed. Stay tuned for updates on rescheduled dates, and join our Facebook group to see much more of us, and connect with other listeners. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: The Great Courses Plus is offering a free month of unlimited access to their entire library of online courses. Start your free month at thegreatcoursesplus.com/unorthodox.

On today’s Unorthodox bonus episode, Liel has a conversation with author Sharon Cameron about her new novel, The Light in Hidden Places, which is based on the true story of a 16-year-old girl who hid thirteen Jews in her attic, while Nazis bunked below. Then we have another joke by Columbia University professor Jeremy Dauber, an expert on Jewish humor. If you want to keep these minisodes going, we’d love for you to rate Unorthodox on iTunes and set up a recurring donation—we suggest $5/month, which is to say one fancy coffee a month—at tabletmag.com/donate And, as always, if you want to keep up with all things Unorthodox, join our Facebook group here! Shalom, friends. Stay well.

This week, an episode all about… food! Listen in as Stephanie tours the Joyva factory and learns about how the Passover jelly rings (and the marshmallow twists, and the halvah bars) get made at the family-run confection company. Then, live from Encinitas, CA, our interview with chef Einat Admony recorded at The Hive at Leichtag Commons. She tells us about her Taim falafel empire, growing up Mizrahi in Israel, and bringing the eggplant dish known as sabich to American diners. You’ve heard us talk about Soom Foods and their tahini-based products, and this week we sit down with Amy Zitelman, who founded the company with her two sisters. (You better believe their parents are kvelling.) Last but not least, Stephanie chats with Pati Jinich [https://patijinich.com/], the host of Pati’s Mexican Kitchen on PBS. She tells us about growing up in Mexico City eating Ashkenazi dishes that incorporated elements of Mexican cuisine, like gefilte fish a la Veracruzana, and why her family’s Yom Kippur break-fasts are unlike anything she’s experienced in the U.S. Tell us what you're doing for this year's Seder. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Our tour events for April 2020 have been postponed. Stay tuned for updates on rescheduled dates, and join our Facebook group to see much more of us, virtually, in the coming weeks. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: The Great Courses Plus is offering a free month of unlimited access to their entire library of online courses. Start your free month at thegreatcoursesplus.com/unorthodox. Harry's, a great shave at a great price. Get a free trial set with a 5-blade razor, shave gel, and a travel blade cover at harrys.com/unorthodox.

Today we're bringing you two very special interviews. First, we talk with Marcy Goldman, author of the perfectly named Newish Jewish Cookbook, about her Caramel Matzoh Crunch recipe and what else she's making for Passover. And then, we listen in on Stephanie's early March visit to New York City restaurant Jack’s Wife Freda. She sat down with owners Maya and Dean Jankelovitz, who told me about their Seders growing up in Israel and South Africa, and offered some expert tips about hosting a Passover seder. Tell us what you're doing to make this year's Seder special: Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here.

On today’s Unorthodox dispatch, Liel prepares for Shabbat HaGadol with a conversation with Yeshiva University's Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern about someone who is clearly missing from the Passover story. You can read Stu's article about it here. Then we have another joke by Columbia University professor Jeremy Dauber, an expert on Jewish humor. If you want to keep these minisodes going, we’d love for you to rate Unorthodox on iTunes and set up a recurring donation—we suggest $5/month, which is to say one fancy coffee a month—at tabletmag.com/donate And, as always, if you want to keep up with all things Unorthodox, join our Facebook group here! Shalom, friends. Stay well.

Passover has always offered solace and meaning during difficult times. This year's Seder looks very different from all other Seders, and we've got you covered. This episode walks you through the steps of the Seder, with special guests, perfect-for-Passover music, and more. Our guide is Tablet's new Passover Haggadah: An Ancient Story for Modern Times, which you can still order online on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. A digital version is available at bit.ly/tablethaggadahdigital. Tell us how you're making this year's Passover Seder special. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Our tour events for April 2020 have been postponed. Stay tuned for updates on rescheduled dates, and join our Facebook group to see much more of us, virtually, in the coming weeks. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: In this time of anxiety, Jewish-based mindfulness and meditation may be the thing you need. Check out the Institute for Jewish Spirituality at Jewishspirituality.org/unorthodox and use the code Unorthodox20 at checkout for a 20% discount. From South Africa, Unorthodox Wines are perfect for the Passover seder, and a good companion during these most trying of times. Try the Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc or a Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Bordeaux blend. All the wines are Mevushal and Kosher for Passover and certified kosher by the OU. Go to bit.ly/unorthodoxwine and get Unorthodox Wines delivered to your door. You can also purchase Unorthodox Wines at wine stores, which currently remain open in the Northeast, Missouri, Michigan, the Mid-Atlantic and Florida.

Producer Josh Kross goes deep into the Facebook group to make another Havdalah service to bring a little light into your Saturday night social distancing. If you want to keep these minisodes going, we’d love for you to rate Unorthodox on iTunes and set up a recurring donation—we suggest $5/month, which is to say one fancy coffee a month—at tabletmag.com/donate And, as always, if you want to keep up with all things Unorthodox, join our Facebook group here! Shalom, friends. Stay well.

On today’s Unorthodox dispatch, Liel prepares for a much-needed Shabbat with a joke by Columbia University professor Jeremy Dauber, an expert on Jewish humor, as well as a couple songs by Avi Wisnia, and a few timely words of wisdom from this week's parsha. Avi Wisnia is an award-winning singer, songwriter, storyteller and educator based in Philadelphia. For more information visit www.aviwisnia.com or find him on social media @aviwisnia You can also stream and download all music at aviwisnia.bandcamp.com If you want to keep these minisodes going, we’d love for you to rate Unorthodox on iTunes and set up a recurring donation—we suggest $5/month, which is to say one fancy coffee a month—at tabletmag.com/donate And, as always, if you want to keep up with all things Unorthodox, join our Facebook group here! Shalom, friends. Stay well.

This week on Unorthodox, the hosts catch up from their home studios and discuss the latest News of the Jews in this strange new world. Actor and writer Jesse Eisenberg returns to the show to discuss his two new movies out this week, Resistance and Vivarium. He tells us about playing a young Marcel Marceau saving Jewish children in France during the Holocaust in Resistance, and how Coronavirus shutdowns are affecting the movie industry. (You can watch Resistance on Video on Demand starting March 27.) We’re going to continue dropping mini episodes in addition to our weekly Thursday episodes, so watch your podcast feeds for more (and subscribe on iTunes). Our tour events for March and April 2020 have been postponed. Stay tuned for updates on rescheduled dates, and join our Facebook group to see much more of us, virtually, in the coming weeks. Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: In this time of anxiety, Jewish-based mindfulness and meditation may the thing you need. Check out the Institute for Jewish Spirituality at Jewishspirituality.org/unorthodox and use the code unorthodox20 at checkout for a 20 percent discount. Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. Get $5 off a Trial Set when you go to harrys.com/unorthodox. Kol Foods is the organic kosher butcher offering delicious meats from animals raised using healthy, ethical, and sustainable methods. Kol has everything you need for the Passover Seder and beyond, delivered safely to your door. Go to Kol Foods.com and use coupon code Unorthodox3020 to get 10 percent off your order.

Producer Josh Kross does another impromptu Havdalah service to bring a little light into your Saturday night social distancing. If you want to keep these minisodes going, we’d love for you to rate Unorthodox on iTunes and set up a recurring donation—we suggest $5/month, which is to say one fancy coffee a month—at tabletmag.com/donate And, as always, if you want to keep up with all things Unorthodox, join our Facebook group here! Shalom, friends. Stay well.

On today’s Unorthodox dispatch, Liel prepares for a much-needed Shabbat with a joke by Columbia University professor Jeremy Dauber, an expert on Jewish humor, as well as a song by the Jewbador, Jim Knable, and a few timely words of wisdom from this week's parsha. If you want to keep these minisodes going, we’d love for you to rate Unorthodox on iTunes and set up a recurring donation—we suggest $5/month, which is to say one fancy coffee a month—at tabletmag.com/donate And, as always, if you want to keep up with all things Unorthodox, join our Facebook group here! Shalom, friends. Stay well.

This week, our hosts are connecting via Zoom conference to discuss their new remote realities and read a lot of listener mail. We also hear from Tablet writer Yair Rosenberg, who composed and recorded an album of original modern melodies for traditional Jewish songs (listen to the first single, a Mumford and Sons-esque “Shalom Aleichem,” here). We’re going to continue dropping mini episodes in addition to our weekly Thursday episodes, so watch your podcast feeds for more (and subscribe on iTunes). Our tour events for March and April 2020 have been postponed. Stay tuned for updates on rescheduled dates, and join our Facebook group to see much more of us, virtually, in the coming weeks. Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: The Great Courses Plus is an online streaming service that offers unique perspectives from engaging experts at the top of their fields. Get an entire month of courses for free when you sign up at thegreatcoursesplus.com/UNORTHODOX. Fleishigs magazine is like getting a gorgeous kosher cookbook delivered every month. Each issue features restaurant reviews, wine pairings, kosher destination wedding reviews, and more. Save Monday when you subscribe at fleishigs.com using discount code UNORTHODOX. Kol Foods is the organic kosher butcher offering delicious meats from animals raised using healthy, ethical, and sustainable methods. Kol has everything you need for the Passover Seder and beyond, delivered safely to your door. Go to Kol Foods.com and use coupon code Unorthodox3020 to get 10% off your order.

On today’s Unorthodox dispatch, producer Sara Fredman Aeder shares an audio diary recorded over the last week as her family has been living under quarantine in Westchester, NY. If you want to keep these minisodes going, we’d love for you to rate Unorthodox on iTunes and set up a recurring donation—we suggest $5/month, which is to say one fancy coffee a month—at tabletmag.com/donate And, as always, if you want to keep up with all things Unorthodox, join our Facebook group here! Shalom, friends. Stay well.

On today’s Unorthodox dispatch, we’re talking to Tablet’s book critic Adam Kirsch about what to read now that you might have a bit more time on your hands. If you want to keep these minisodes going, we’d love for you to rate Unorthodox on iTunes and set up a recurring donation—we suggest $5/month, which is to say one fancy coffee a month—at tabletmag.com/donate. And, as always, if you want to keep up with all things Unorthodox, join our Facebook group here! Shalom, friends. Stay well. 

On the latest Unorthodox COVID-19 minisode, Mark pulls his daughter Klara, age nine, into his basement studio, where she offers reflections on how real-life self-quarantine differs from the good times she’d come to expect from the scarlet-fever chapter in Sydney Taylor’s classic children’s novel. Also, Mark reflects on attending twins’ double bat mitzvah on Shabbat morning ... despite all the shul closings around the country. With music from Coma Svensson. If you want to keep these minisodes going, we’s love for you to rate Unorthodox on iTunes and set up a recurring donation—we suggest $5/month, which is to say one gourmet coffee a month—at tabletmag.com/donate. And, as always, if you want to keep up with all things Unorthodox, join our Facebook group here! Shalom, friends. Stay well.

Unorthodox producer Josh Kross tries to bring some light at the end of Shabbat with some help from our Facebook group and Stephanie's talk with Swipe Out Hunger's Rachel Sumekh about her organization's response to COVID-19.

While the world is quarantining and canceling around us, we decided to bring you all a little Shabbat light.

This week, it’s coronavirus vs. Purim, with a quarantine update from one of our producers. Our Jewish guest is Wall Street Journal sports reporter Ben Cohen, who joins us to discuss his new book, The Hot Hand: The Mystery and Science of Streaks. The last of the host’s spouses to appear on the show, Ben tells us about his deep dive into the world of patterns, probability, and statistics, plus the many Israeli psychologists he encountered in his research, and, of course, life with Cat Stevens. Our Gentile of the Week is Mo Rocca, who returns to the show to discuss his new book Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving, an outgrowth of his podcast of the same name. He tells us why he was inspired to dig through history to discover quirky and overlooked life stories, and what he learned about humanity along the way. Our tour events for March 2020 have been postponed. Stay tuned for more information about livestream offerings and rescheduled dates. Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: The Great Courses Plus is an online streaming service that offers unique perspectives from engaging experts at the top of their fields. Get an entire month of courses for free when you sign up at thegreatcoursesplus.com/UNORTHODOX. Fleishigs Magazine is like getting a gorgeous kosher cookbook delivered every month. Each issue features restaurant reviews, wine pairings, kosher destination wedding reviews, and more. Save monday when you subscribe at fleishigs.com using discount code UNORTHODOX. Kol Foods is the organic kosher butcher offering delicious meats from animals raised using healthy, ethical, and sustainable methods. Kol has everything you need for the Seder, including Seder plate bones. Go to KolFoods.com and use coupon code Unorthodox3020 to get 10% off your order.

This week, we’re getting into the festive Purim spirit. Our first guest is fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi, who tells us about growing up gay in Brooklyn’s Syrian Jewish community, how his years at Yeshiva at Flatbush instilled in him a strong work ethic, and getting his first taste of high fashion at synagogue. For more from Isaac, check out his memoir, I.M. (You can read Adam Kirsch’s review for Tablet here.) Next Stephanie talks to Simi Polonsky and Chaya Chanin, the sisters behind The Frock NYC, which offers high end, unique, modest clothing. They tell us about growing up Orthodox in Australia and bristling against the restrictive clothing conventions of their religious community, and explain why they believe being modest and fashionable aren’t mutually exclusive. Finally Rabbi Ari Lamm returns to the show to offer a truly unexpected take on the Purim story. Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Come see us on tour! March 12 – Boca Raton, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Liel March 17 – Long Island, New York: Book talk with Stephanie March 19 – Virginia Beach, Virginia: Unorthodox live show Like the book? Leave us a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. Get $5 off a Trial Set when you go to harrys.com/unorthodox. Fleishigs Magazine is like getting a gorgeous kosher cookbook delivered every month, with recipes ranging from traditional orange beef and kugel to more out-there ideas like cholent pot-pie and liver tacos. Each issue features restaurant reviews, wine pairings, travel features, kosher destination wedding reviews, and more. Save money and subscribe at fleishigs.com using discount code UNORTHODOX. “Declaring Israel’s Independence” is a free online course from the Tikvah Fund, taught by historian Martin Kramer. Immerse yourself in this sweeping study of the most dramatic days of 1948, when Israel’s founders tackled the deepest questions of Zionist statecraft as they wrote Israel’s Declaration of Independence. Enroll today at Declaration.TikvahFund.org/Tablet.

 This week on Unorthodox: Jewish royal watching, Belgian parades, and more. Liel speaks with Harvard professor emeritus Ruth Wisse about the reissue of her book Jews and Power. She shares her theory about how the impulse to want to be a mensch might be leaving Jews defenseless, why she thinks the Holocaust is being mistaught in American schools, and more. Our Gentile of the Week is Antonia Eliason, an associate professor of law at the University of Mississippi who is running for U.S. Congress as a democratic socialist. She tells us what democratic socialism means, why she thinks her campaign has a shot in a red state, and gives us a bit of background on Jews and socialism. Her Gentile of the Week question is about Tisha B’Av today. Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Come see us on tour! March 2 – New York, NY: Stephanie in conversation with Matti Friedman @ 92Y March 6 – Amherst, Massachusetts: Stephanie @ Yiddish Book Center March 12 – Boca Raton, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Liel March 17 – Long Island, New York: Book talk with Stephanie March 19 – Virginia Beach, Virginia: Unorthodox live show Like the book? Leave us a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: Get ready for Purim with an order of delicious tahini products from Soom Foods. Head to soomfoods.com and use the code UNORTHODOX to receive 15% off your order. Try the pantry sampler, which includes their tahini, chocolate sweet tahini halva spread, and silan date syrup.

This week we’re bringing you two interviews from our live show at the Valley of the Sun JCC in Phoenix, Arizona. First up, we get a double shot of rabbinical wisdom from Pinchas Allouche, the founding rabbi of Congregation Beth Tefillah, and Shmuly Yanklowitz, the president & dean of Valley Beit Midrash. They each share the story of their unlikely journey towards becoming a rabbi, and explain how they’re trying to make Judaism accessible to all sorts of Jews today. Our Gentile of the Week is NBA Hall-of-Fame player Paul Westphal. Westphal won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 1974 and coached the Phoenix Suns to the NBA Finals in 1993. He tells us about his love of Israel, and brings the hosts one of the thorniest Gentile of the Week questions ever. We also have a special treat: Mark and Stephanie’s appearance on Liel’s other podcast, Take One. Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Come see us on tour! Feb. 20 – New York City: Stephanie in conversation with authors Goldie Goldbloom and Abby Chava Stein Feb. 26 – Naples, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Mark March 6 – Amherst, Massachusetts: Stephanie @ Yiddish Book Center March 12 – Boca Raton, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Liel March 17 – Long Island, New York: Book talk with Stephanie March 19 – Virginia Beach, Virginia: Unorthodox live show Like the book? Leave us a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: Send your kids to a Jewish camp this summer! More than 180,000 campers and college-age counselors use the Foundation for Jewish Camp website to find their camp every summer. Go to onehappycamper.org/unorthodox and find the right camp for you. Get ready for Purim with an order of delicious tahini products from Soom Foods. Head to soomfoods.com and use the code UNORTHODOX to receive 15 percent off your order. Try the pantry sampler, which includes their tahini, chocolate sweet tahini halva spread, and silan date syrup.

This week, we’re celebrating secular Tu B’Av, aka Valentine’s Day. The creator of stars of Soon By You, the popular web series that’s basically ‘Friends’ with modern Orthodox Jews, return to the show to update us on their latest season, deciding to take on controversial issues like LGBT dating in the religious world, and what it’s like to write and star in a show about singles now that they’re married. Next, very few things leave all three of us speechless, but this update from contributor Hal Karp truly blew us away. We hope you enjoy listening. And finally, Cantorial student Jacob Sandler joins us to teach us how to bring more life info synagogue services, and leads us in a rousing rendition of “Adon Olam,” set to a Backstreet Boys song. Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Come see us on tour! Feb. 20 –New York City: Stephanie in conversation with authors Goldie Goldbloom and Abby Chava Stein Feb. 26 – Naples, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Mark March 6 – Amherst, Massachusetts: Stephanie @ Yiddish Book Center March 12 – Boca Raton, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Liel March 17 – Long Island, New York: Book talk with Stephanie March 19 – Virginia Beach, Virginia: Unorthodox live show Like the book? Leave us a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: Send your kids to a Jewish camp this summer! More than 180,000 campers and college-age counselors use the Foundation for Jewish Camp website to find their camp every summer. Go to onehappycamper.org/unorthodox and find the right camp for you. This episode is also sponsored by Harry's. New customers get $5 off any shave set with a 5-blade razor, weighted handle, foaming shave gel with aloe, and a travel cover when they go to Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX.

This week, we’re putting more truth on the wheel. First, Mark talks to Mark Galli, who until recently was the editor in chief of evangelical magazine Christianity Today. Just before retiring he published a highly controversial editorial arguing that President Trump should be removed from office. He describes the fallout from the article, and shares his thoughts about where evangelical Christians stand politically and culturally today. Then we welcome back film critic Jordan Hoffman, who tells us about the Jewish films, actors, and directors to look out for at this Sunday’s Academy Awards, and gives us his Oscars predictions. Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Come see us on tour! Feb. 6 – Scotch Plains, New Jersey: Book talk with Stephanie Feb. 9 – Wyomissing, Pennsylvania: Book talk with Mark Feb. 11– New York City: Stephanie moderating Q&A following ‘Latter Day Jew’ screening Feb. 20 –New York City: Stephanie in conversation with authors Goldie Goldbloom and Abby Chava Stein Feb. 26 – Naples, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Mark March 6 – Amherst, Massachusetts: Stephanie @ Yiddish Book Center March 12 – Boca Raton, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Liel March 17 – Long Island, New York: Book talk with Stephanie March 19 – Virginia Beach, Virginia: Unorthodox live show Like the book? Leave us a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: Send your kids to a Jewish camp this summer! More than 180,000 campers and college-age counselors use the Foundation for Jewish Camp website to find their camp every summer. Go to one happycamper.org/unorthodox and find the right camp for you.

This week, presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Mike Bloomberg are leaning into their Jewishness (see here and here), and we’re here to analyze their efforts. Our Jewish guest is Andrew Rehfeld, the new president of Hebrew Union College, the Reform movement’s rabbinic and educational training ground. He tells us how the institution is adapting to face the challenges of the 21st century, targeting three areas: strengthening Jewish education, Jewish engagement, and Jewish identity; as he puts it, “the knowing, the doing, and the being of Jewish.” He also explains the history and theology of Reform Judaism, and shares where he sees the movement today and going forward. Our Gentile of the Week is Ed Gaskin, a devout Christian who started attending Shabbat services following the Tree of Life shooting in October 2018, to show solidarity with the Jewish community. He’s attended all but four weekly Shabbat services since. He tells us what he’s learned from a year at Temple Beth Elohim in Boston, as well as some of the questions he’s received about his undertaking, both from Jewish congregants and his Christian friends. Let us know what you think of the show: Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Come see us on tour! Feb. 6 – Scotch Plains, NJ: Book talk with Stephanie Feb. 9 – Wyomissing, PA: Book talk with Mark Feb. 11– New York, NY: Stephanie moderating Q&A following ‘Latter Day Jew’ screening Feb. 20 –New York, NY: Stephanie in conversation with authors Goldie Goldbloom and Abby Chava Stein Feb. 26 – Naples, FL: Book talk with Stephanie and Mark March 6 – Amherst, MA: Stephanie @ Yiddish Book Center March 12 – Boca Raton, FL: Book talk with Stephanie and Liel March 17 – Long Island, NY: Book talk with Stephanie March 19 – Virginia Beach, VA: Unorthodox live show Like the book? Leave us a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: “Those Who Were There” is a podcast presented by the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies at Yale University. The Fortunoff Archive holds more than 4,400 testimonies recorded in over a dozen countries, and the first season of the podcast features 10 episodes drawn from the archive. In every episode, a survivor or witness shares their own story. For more visit fortunoff.library.yale.edu/podcast The Yiddish Book Center’s Great Jewish Books Summer Program brings rising high school juniors and seniors together to read and discuss modern Jewish literature, study with outstanding professors, and meet published authors. Every participant receives a scholarship for the full cost of tuition, room, board, books, and special events. Learn more and apply at www.yiddishbookcenter.org/greatjewishbooks

This week, we learn how to complain better. Our first guest is Amy Fish, the ombudsman for Concordia University in Montreal and the author of I Wanted Fries with That: How to Ask for What You Want and Get What You Need. She tells us what she learned working as “chief complaints officer” for a university (and before that a Jewish nursing home!), and shares a few simple tricks to help us all better ask for what we want—and get it. Then, Mark sits down with Carolyn Karcher, professor emerita at Temple University and the editor of Reclaiming Judaism from Zionism, a collection featuring 40 rabbis, activists, and writers. She explains how she came to oppose Zionism, and how she sees anti-Zionism functioning within the Jewish community today. Let us know what you think of the show: email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Come see us on tour! Jan 26 – New York: Stephanie in conversation with David G. Marwell, author of Mengele: Unmasking the Angel of Death Feb. 6 – Scotch Plains, New Jersey: Book talk with Stephanie Feb. 9 – Wyomissing, Pennsylvania: Book talk with Mark Feb. 26 – Naples, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Mark March 12 – Boca Raton, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Liel Copies of The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia will be sold and signed at each event. Like the book? Leave us a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here This episode is sponsored by a new podcast called Those Who Were There, presented by the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies at Yale University. The Fortunoff Archive holds more than 4,400 testimonies recorded in over a dozen countries, and the first season of the podcast features 10 episodes drawn from the archive. In every episode, a survivor or witness shares their own story. For more visit http://fortunoff.library.yale.edu/podcast This episode is also sponsored by Harry's. New customers get $5 off any shave set with a 5-blade razor, weighted handle, foaming shave gel with aloe, and a travel cover when they go to Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX.

This week on Unorthodox: Three Jews, infinite opinions. First, Mark sits down with Yiscah Smith, a Jewish educator, spiritual activist, and author. Yiscah discussed her journey as a trans woman and teacher of Torah; her documentary, I Was Not Born a Mistake will be shown at the New York Jewish Film Festival on Tuesday, January 21. More info here. Our next guest is Danny Dayan, Israel’s Consul General in New York. Liel spoke with him about the communities he’s prioritized outreach to, the challenge he faces in getting Israeli and American Jews to understand each other, and his solutions to that challenge. And finally, Mark speaks with Dr. Carol Gilligan, feminist activist and NYU professor, about anti-Semitism and the Women’s March, which takes place this weekend across the country. Let us know what you think of the show: email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Come see us on tour! Jan. 8, 2020 – Westport, Connecticut: Book talk with Mark and Liel Jan. 10, 2020 — Fountain Valley, CA: Book talk with Stephanie Feb. 6, 2020 – Scotch Plains, New Jersey: Book talk with Stephanie & Liel Feb. 9, 2020 – Wyomissing, Pennsylvania: Book talk with Mark and Liel Feb. 26, 2020 – Naples, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Mark March 12, 2020 – Boca Raton, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Liel Copies of The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia will be sold and signed at each event. Like the book? Leave us a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here Do you know a high school student who wants to deepen their engagement with Judaism? Nominate them today for the Maimonides Scholars Program, where they’ll debate and discuss Jewish thought, Zionism, philosophy, and politics at Yale University over two weeks in the summer of 2020. The application closes on January 27, so nominate a student today at maimonidesscholars.org/Unorthodox

Unorthodox is off this week, so instead we're introducing you to Take One, the new Daf Yomi podcast from Tablet Magazine hosted by our own Liel Leibovitz. As Jews around the world begin a new seven-and-a-half year cycle of Daf Yomi, reading the entire Talmud one page per day, Tablet Magazine's new podcast, Take One, will offer a brief and evocative daily read of the daf. We launch the cycle with a brief introduction to the Talmud at large before diving into the text with Tractate Berakhot, page 2, and a meditation on the meaning of time, why you might want to think twice before you Netflix and chill, and how all these rabbinic strictures can help us make sense of our modern, messy lives.

We’re starting 2020 with our favorite combo: Talmud and food. First, Adam Kirsch reflects on completing the seven-year cycle of Daf Yomi, the practice of reading one page of Talmud each day, which he chronicled in a column for Tablet. He tells us what he learned as a reader and literary critic from this intense textual undertaking, plus how his life has changed in the seven years since he started. He also makes the case that more Jews should take on Daf Yomi, if only to better understand what our ancestors were up to, and offers some tips for beginners. Then we sit down with the Seattle-based food writer and podcaster Rachel Belle, host of “Your Last Meal.” She tells us about asking people like Isaac Mizrahi, Rainn Wilson, and William Shatner what their last meal on earth would be, and dishes about how food ties into her Jewish identity. Then she asks the hosts what their last meals would be, in a beshert-cross-podcast segment airing on her show as well. Let us know what you think of the show: email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Come see us on tour! Jan. 8, 2020 – Westport, Connecticut: Book talk with Mark and Liel Jan. 10, 2020 — Fountain Valley, CA: Book talk with Stephanie Feb. 6, 2020 – Scotch Plains, New Jersey: Book talk with Stephanie & Liel Feb. 9, 2020 – Wyomissing, Pennsylvania: Book talk with Mark and Liel Feb. 26, 2020 – Naples, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Mark March 12, 2020 – Boca Raton, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Liel Copies of The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia will be sold and signed at each event. Like the book? Leave us a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: Do you know a high school student who wants to deepen theirengagement with Judaism? Nominate them for the Maimonides Scholars Program, where they’ll debate and discuss Jewish thought, Zionism, philosophy, and politics at Yale University over two weeks in the summer of 2020. The application closes on January 27, so nominate a student today at maimonidesscholars.org/Unorthodox.

This week, we’re coming to you live from Denver’s JCC Mizel Arts and Culture Center as part of the 12th annual Neustadt Jewish Arts, Authors, Movies, and Music Festival. Our Jewish guest is Sue Salinger, director of the Denver region of Hazon, the environmental organization working to strengthen Jewish life and contribute to a more environmentally sustainable world. She tells us what Jewish tradition teaches us about farming and sustainability, what makes Denver’s Jewish community unique, and why Judaism calls us to act against climate change. Our Gentile of the week is Michael Johnston, a teacher and politician who served as the Colorado State Senator from the 33rd district from 2009 to 2017, and is currently a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2020. He tells us about the culture shock of leaving Vail, CO to attend Yale University, explains how his work as a teacher got him interested in politics, and weighs in on the 2020 Democratic primary. And finally, a musical tribute on the eve of Leonard Cohen’s third yahrzeit from Eve Ilsen, a storyteller, singer, and psychotherapist. She was ordained as a rabbinic pastor of the Aleph Alliance for Jewish Renewal, by her late husband, Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. Let us know what you think of the show: email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Come see us on tour! Dec. 19 – St. Louis: Book talk with Stephanie and Liel Jan. 8, 2020 – Westport, Connecticut: Book talk with Mark and Liel Jan. 10, 2020 — Fountain Valley, CA: Book talk with Stephanie Feb. 6, 2020 – Scotch Plains, New Jersey: Book talk with Stephanie & Liel Feb. 9, 2020 – Wyomissing, Pennsylvania: Book talk with Mark and Liel Feb. 26, 2020 – Naples, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Mark March 12, 2020 – Boca Raton, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Liel Copies of The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia will be sold and signed at each event. Like the book? Leave us a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: Sony Pictures Classics presents The Song of Names, a new film from Francois Girard starring Tim Roth and Clive Owen, and featuring a score by two-time Academy Award winner Howard Shore. When a Jewish music prodigy disappears, a childhood friend starts an obsessive search that spans over two continents and a half century. The Song of Names opens in New York and Los Angeles on December 25th and comes to a theatre near you this January.

New York-area listeners: Enter to win a spot at our first-ever Unorthodox Shabbat dinner, January 3rd at the Freehand New York. This week on Unorthodox, we’re getting into the Hanukkah spirit.  But first, a discussion of the terrifying anti-Semitic shooting at a Jersey City kosher market that killed four people. Then, Rabbi Ari Lamm explains the real story of Hanukkah, which is less about oil and miracles and more about Jews battling each other over assimilation. And since the holiday season is synonymous with movies, we talk to Clive Owen and Howard Shore, the star and composer of The Song of Names, which opens in theaters on Christmas. The film, based on the novel of the same name by Norman Lebrecht, features Owen as a Hasidic violin prodigy. We also chat with Rabbi Daniel Cohen of Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel in South Orange, NJ, about how he incorporates the latest technology into his work. Let us know what you think of the show: email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Come see us on tour! December 19 – St. Louis: Book talk with Stephanie and Liel January 8, 2020 – Westport, Connecticut: Book talk with Mark and Liel February 6, 2020 – Scotch Plains, New Jersey: Book talk with Stephanie & Liel February 9, 2020 – Wyomissing, Pennsylvania: Book talk with Mark and Liel February 26, 2020 – Naples, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Mark March 12, 2020 – Boca Raton, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Liel Copies of The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia will be sold and signed at each event. Like the book? Leave us a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: Hebrew College’s vibrant and pluralistic community trains aspiring rabbis, cantors, and educational leaders. Learn more at hebrewcollege.edu/explore. Applications for Fall 2020 are due January 15, 2020. Adeena Sussman’s cookbook Sababa shares the vibrant flavors of Israeli home cooking, and makes a great Hanukkah gift for the foodie in your life. Get a copy of Sababa online or at your favorite bookstore

This week on Unorthodox, we’re very literally all over the place. First, we bring you News of the Jews from our live show earlier this week at the Valley of the Sun JCC in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Then we call Wall Street Journal reporter Louise Radnofsky to figure out why so many figure skaters perform to the Schindler’s List theme song. Stephanie sits down with Sarah Hurwitz, a former speechwriter for Michelle Obama and the author of the new book Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life—in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There). She tells us about rediscovering and embracing Judaism while working in the White House, how she’s using the skills she honed as a speechwriter to make Judaism more accessible, and the advice she has for people who want to make Jewish practice a bigger part of their life but aren’t sure how to do so. Our Gentile of the Week is Jackson Crawford, a professor of Old Norse mythology, who chatted with Mark while we were in Denver last month. He tells us about translating Norse poetry, bringing an ancient world to life through his YouTube channel, and the strange conspiracy theories circulating about him on the internet. Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Come see us on tour! December 15 – New Haven, Connecticut: Brunch and book talk with all three hosts December 19 – St. Louis: Book talk with Stephanie and Liel January 8, 2020 – Westport, Connecticut: Book talk with Mark and Liel February 6, 2020 – Scotch Plains, NJ: Book talk with Stephanie & Liel February 9, 2020 – Wyomissing, PA: Book talk with Mark and Liel February 26, 2020 – Naples, FL: Book talk with Stephanie and Mark March 12, 2020 – Boca Raton, FL: Book talk with Stephanie and Liel Copies of The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia will be sold and signed at each event. Like the book? Leave us a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: Soom Foods makes delicious tahini products that are dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free, and certified kosher. Try the pantry sampler, which includes their tahini, chocolate sweet tahini halva spread, and silan date syrup. Head to soomfoods.com and use code UNORTHODOX to get 15 percent off your order.Adeena Sussman’s cookbook Sababa shares the vibrant flavors of Israeli home cooking, and makes a great Hanukkah gift for the foodie in your life. Get a copy of Sababa online or at your favorite bookstoreHarry’s limited-edition holiday sets are the perfect gift this season. Get $5 off any shave set when you go to Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX. (Free shipping through Dec. 16.)

This week on Unorthodox, we’re kicking off December with three very festive interviews. First up, designer Jonathan Adler and his husband, three–time Unorthodox guest Simon Doonan. Jonathan tells us about growing up with a one-room shul-house in rural southern New Jersey and how he developed his love for pottery and ceramics at summer camp. Simon talks about his new book, Drag: The Complete Story, and explains how Barbra Streisand became an icon in the drag world and in gay culture more broadly. Next up is Stephen Schragis, whose One Day University offers continuing education experiences across the country. He offers his theories on why Jews love learning for learning’s sake (or at least sign up so frequently for his courses), and tells us about the time he got Donald Trump to lecture to a group of 30,000 people. Finally we check in with our favorite food blogger and TV personality, Molly Yeh, who tells us about her upcoming latke-filled Food Network special, Ultimate Hanukkah Challenge, which premieres Saturday, December 21. (Listen to Molly’s previous Unorthodox appearances here.) Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Come see us on tour! December 5 – Port Washington, New York: Book talk December 6-7 – Encinitas, California: An Unorthodox Shabbat and Unorthodox live show December 9 – Phoenix: Unorthodox live show December 15 – New Haven, Connecticut: Brunch and book talk December 19 – St. Louis: Book talk January 8, 2020 – Westport, Connecticut: Book talk Copies of The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia will be sold and signed at each event. Like the book? Leave us a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: Our world needs more healing, and our tradition needs more caring and committed leaders. Hebrew College’s vibrant and pluralistic community trains aspiring rabbis, cantors, and educational leaders. Learn more at hebrewcollege.edu/explore. Applications for Fall 2020 are due on January 15, 2020. Soom Foods makes delicious tahini products that are dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free, and certified kosher. Try the pantry sampler, which includes their tahini, chocolate sweet tahini halva spread, and silan date syrup. Head to soomfoods.com and use code UNORTHODOX to get 15 percent off your order. Adeena Sussman’s Israeli cookbook Sababa is the perfect Hanukkah gift for the foodie in your life. Named a best Fall 2019 cookbook by The New York Times and Bon Appetit, Sababa shares the vibrant flavors of Israeli home cooking. Get a copy of Sababa online or at your favorite bookstore.

Live from Detroit with Jackie Victor of Avalon International Breads and Phil Goldsmith of New York Bagel, plus a road trip to Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor, MI We talked carbohydrates and community on stage at the JCC of Metro Detroit with two Jewish guests who run Detroit institutions: Jackie Victor, CEO and co-founder of Avalon International Breads, and Phil Goldsmith, fourth-generation owner of New York Bagel. Jackie tells us about opening a bakery in downtown Detroit in the 1990s (much to the surprise of her family and the realtor), and how that bakery continues to champion sustainability and community even as it’s become the largest bread distributor in the area. Phil tells us about taking over the family business, which was founded in Detroit by great-grandfather Morris Goldsmith in 1921, explains how chains like Panera and Einstein Bros Bagels have changed the landscape of bagel-making throughout America (he recently added blueberry bagels to the menu), and clues us into what a ‘dogel’ is (you can buy them online!). Since that wasn’t enough food for us, the next morning we made a pilgrimage to Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor, MI. We ate sandwiches and rugelach and sat down with owner Ari Weinzweig, who told us about the surprising Jewish anarchist roots of his iconic deli (his latest book is a pamphlet called Going into Business with Emma Goldman), his favorite menu offerings, and the upcoming Zingerman’s Food Tours trip to Israel. Let us know what you think of the show: Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Come see us on tour! December 5 – Port Washington, New York: Book talk December 6-7 – Encinitas, California: An Unorthodox Shabbat and Unorthodox live show December 9 – Phoenix: Unorthodox live show December 15 – New Haven, Connecticut: Brunch and book talk December 19 – St. Louis: Book event Copies of The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia will be sold and signed at each event. Like the book? Leave us a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. For more information about the Jewish Star contest, visit JewishRockRadio.com. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox. This episode is also sponsored by J. Press. Get 15 percent off your first order when you use the code Unorthodox15 at jpressonline.com or in one of their retail stores in New Haven, New York, or Washington, D.C. Offer good through Dec. 24, 2019. Looking for the perfect Hanukkah gift for the foodie in your life? Get them Adeena Sussman’s new Israeli cookbook, Sababa. Named a best Fall 2019 cookbook by The New York Times and Bon Appetit, Sababa shares the vibrant flavors of Israeli home cooking. Get a copy of Sababa online or at your favorite bookstore.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re coming to you from, well, all over the place. First, we check in on our hosts to see what was up when they were in Cincinnati this past weekend, and we even get some news fresh from Cincinnati’s Jewish newspaper, The American Israelite. Our first Jewish guests are Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook, co-owners of the James Beard award-winning restaurant Zahav and several other Philadelphia mainstays. We visited them at Zahav and talked about what makes the place so special, what “Israeli” food really is, and how food will be the key to future diplomacy. They also share recipes from their cookbooks, Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking and Israeli Soul: Easy, Essential, Delicious. Our Second interview is with writer and Parsha in Progress podcast host Abigail Pogrebin. We talk about her journey from unaffiliated Jew to active synagogue member and author of several books about Judaism, including Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish and My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew. She also tells us how her journey lead to creating the Tablet podcast Parsha in Progress a 10 minute look into each week’s Torah portion, which she hosts alongside Rabbi Dov Linzer. Come see us on tour! November 21 – New York: Book talk November 22 – New York: Shabbat book talk December 5 – Port Washington, New York: Book talk December 6-7 – Encinitas, California: An Unorthodox Shabbat and Unorthodox live show December 9 – Phoenix: Unorthodox live show December 15 – New Haven, CT: Brunch and book talk December 17 –  New York: Stephanie talks to the team behind Hadassah’s podcast The Branch, Dina Kraft and Josh Kross December 19 – St. Louis: Book event Copies of The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia will be sold and signed at each event. Like the book? Leave us a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re coming to you from Temple Beth El in Stamford, CT. Our Jewish guest is Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, author of more than 15 books, including the recently updated and reissued Words that Hurt, Words that Heal. Rabbi Telushkin tells us about the most common types of questions he fields as a rabbi, why he’s so interested in Jewish laws of ethical speech, and what he learned from the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Our gentile of the week is Farooq Kathwari, CEO of the Ethan Allen furniture company and author of Trailblazer: From the Mountains of Kashmir to the Summit of Global Business and Beyond. He tells us about his childhood in Kashmir, his interfaith work on the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, and and why it feels perfectly right to be an immigrant at the helm of a famous furniture company named after a Revolutionary War hero. Come see us on tour! November 14 – Margate, New Jersey: Book talk November 17 – Cincinnati: Unorthodox live show November 20 – Dresher, Pennsylvania: Book talk November 21 – New York: Book talk November 22 – New York: Shabbat book talk December 5 – Port Washington, New York: Book talk December 6-7 – Encinitas, California: An Unorthodox Shabbat and Unorthodox live show December 9 – Phoenix: Unorthodox live show December 15 – New Haven, CT: Brunch and book talk December 19 – St. Louis: Book event Copies of The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia will be sold and signed at each event. Like the book? Leave us a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox. Get ready for Thanksgiving with KOL Foods. Go to kolfoods.com and use the code UNORTHODOX to receive a 10 percent discount on your next order.

We’re taking this week off, but we wanted to bring you an unedited look into a conversation Mark was desperate to set up between two of his friends, Liel Leibovitz and Jay Michaelson.  These are two Jews who are very in sync in some ways, but extremely different in others.  Come explore with them as they talk about some of the most important issues we’re all facing.

This week on Unorthodox, comedian Nick Kroll returns to the show to talk about 'Big Mouth,' his raunchy Netflix animated show about puberty, now in its third season. He tells us about hosting Purim talent shows with 'Big Mouth' co-creator Andrew Goldberg at their Jewish day school in Westchester, NY, explains how his own adolescent experiences influenced the show, and shares his bar mitzvah horror story. Our Gentile of the Week is Sarah Blake, author of the novel The Guest Book, which tells the story of the uber-WASPy Milton family over three generations, centered around the island in Maine that the family bought during the Depression. She tells us how the story was modeled on elements of her own upbringing, describes how the few Jewish characters who appear throughout the book ultimately change the course of the Milton dynasty, and speaks candidly about what it's like to be a WASP in 2019 America. Come see us on tour! Copies of The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia will be sold and signed at each event: November 2 – Detroit, MI: Unorthodox live show November 3 – Detroit, MI: Panel event November 4 – Denver, CO: Book talk and Unorthodox live show November 6 – Houston, Texas: Jewish Book Fair signing and teen event November 14 – Margate, NJ: Book talk November 17 – Cincinnati, OH: Unorthodox live show November 20 – Dresher, PA: Book talk November 21 – New York, NY: Book talk November 22 – New York, NY: Shabbat book talk December 5 – Port Washington, NY: Book talk December 7-8 – Encinitas, CA: An Unorthodox Shabbat and Unorthodox live show December 9 – Phoenix, AZ: Unorthodox live show December 19 – St. Louis, MO: Book event Like the book? Leave us a review! (Amazon or Goodreads). Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is also sponsored by J. Press. Get 15 percent off your first order when you use discount code Unorthodox15 at jpressonline.com or in one of their retail stores in New Haven, New York, or Washington, D.C. Offer good through December 24, 2019. Get ready for Thanksgiving with KOL Foods. Go to kolfoods.com and use the code UNORTHODOX to receive a 10 percent discount on your next order. Order before November 3, 2019 and you can get $1 off per pound on all whole turkeys with the KOL Foods Thanksgiving Early bird sale.

This week on Unorthodox, we're marking the one-year anniversary of the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh, which occurred on October 27, 2019. Two days after the shooting, we aired a special episode recorded from Pittsburgh, featuring voices from the community. This year we're revisiting the horror of the massacre and checking in with local Pittsburgh Jews about their reflections one year later. We talk to Pittsburgh-based writer Beth Kissileff, who explains Jewish notions of vengeance and offers her thoughts on the appropriate punishment for the murderer. Mark, who has been reporting a book about the shooting for the past year, shares audio from his interviews with Andrea Wedner, daughter of Rose Malinger, one of the victims, Andrea's husband Ron Wedner, and Joe Charny.Sending our love to the Pittsburgh Jewish community, today and always. Get your copy of The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, our brand new guide to all things Jewish (and Jew-ish), here [https://workman.com/products/the-newish-jewish-encyclopedia]. Leave us a review! (Amazon or Goodreads). Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. See us on tour! Liel Leibovitz will be at Arts Matter Shabbat in Boston, MA on October 25 at 6 p.m. (details here), and Stephanie Butnick will be at the Jewish Book Festival in Tampa, FL, on October 29 at 7 p.m. (details here). Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by the fine haberdashery, J. Press. Head to jpressonline.com and use code Unorthodox15 for 15% of your first order through November. You can even use the code in one of their three retail stores in New Haven, New York, or Washington, D.C.

This week on Unorthodox, we're celebrating all the Jewish holidays, including reaching our 200th episode! We talk to a gematria expert to find out just what the number 200 symbolizes in Jewish numerology, and hear some words of wisdom from our boss, Alana Newhouse. Our first guest is Jodi Kantor, co-author of the new book 'She Said,' which details the allegations of sexual misconduct against Harvey Weinstein first reported on by Jodi and Megan Twohey in the New York Times in 2017. She talks to Stephanie about the process of reporting such a complex story, first for the New York Times and then for this book, and the roles that people like Jill Kargman and Gwyneth Paltrow played throughout the process. She also explains why the Weinstein story is fundamentally not a Jewish story, despite the fact that several of the main characters, including Weinstein, are Jewish. Then Liel sits down with Peter Pomerantsev, author of 'This Is Not Propaganda: Adventures in the War Against Reality,' to discuss how the Internet is enabling autocratic rulers from Russia to the Phillipines to create disinformation on a massive scale, and how too much access to information can be as hazardous to democracy as not enough. Get your copy of The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, our brand new guide to all things Jewish (and Jew-ish), here [https://workman.com/products/the-newish-jewish-encyclopedia]. Leave us a review! (Amazon or Goodreads). Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. See us on tour! Liel Leibovitz will be at Arts Matter Shabbat in Boston, MA on October 25 at 6 p.m. (details here), and Stephanie Butnick will be at the Jewish Book Festival in Tampa, FL, on October 29 at 7 p.m. (details here). Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by the fine haberdashery, J. Press. Head to jpressonline.com and use code Unorthodox15 for 15% of your first order through November. You can even use the code in one of their three retail stores in New Haven, New York, or Washington, D.C.

This week on Unorthodox, a special live show recorded at the San Francisco JCC. We’re joined by guest host Bari Weiss, New York Times opinion editor and writer and the author of How to Fight Anti-Semitism [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/616727/how-to-fight-anti-semitism-by-bari-weiss/]. We also talk to New Yorker writer Andrew Marantz, author of the new book Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/562022/antisocial-by-andrew-marantz/9780525522263]. Get your copy of The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, our brand new guide to all things Jewish (and Jew-ish), here [https://workman.com/products/the-newish-jewish-encyclopedia]. Leave us a review! (Amazon or Goodreads). Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. See us on tour! Liel Leibovitz will be at Arts Matter Shabbat in Boston, MA on October 25 at 6 p.m. (details here), and Stephanie Butnick will be at the Jewish Book Festival in Tampa, FL, on October 29 at 7 p.m. (details here). Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt.

The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, our guide to all things Jewish (and Jew-ish), is here! To celebrate, we put together a very special episode featuring some familiar voices. Get a taste of the book from its contributors and hear about famous Jews, favorite holidays, and beloved Jewish foods from Mario Cantone, Corey Feldman, Tovah Feldshuh, Bethenny Frankel, Gilbert Gottfried, Steve Guttenberg, Tone Loc, Jon Lovitz, Pauly Shore, The Sugarhill Gang, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, and even Margaret Thatcher. Thanks to Gary Greengrass, Jordan Hoffman, Wayne Hoffman, Lisa Ann Sandell, Marc Tracy, and Alana Newhouse. Special thanks to our producer, Josh Kross, for putting together this wild episode. Like the book? Leave us a review! (Amazon or Goodreads). Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. See us on tour! Liel Leibovitz will be at Arts Matter Shabbat in Boston, MA on October 25 at 6 p.m. (details here), and Stephanie Butnick will be at the Jewish Book Festival in Tampa, FL, on October 29 at 7 p.m. (details here). Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

We're closing the book on 5779 with our fifth-annual apology episode (listen to previous year's episodes here [https://www.tabletmag.com/tag/unorthodox-apology]). Join us for stories of apologies, discussions about friendship, and an exploration of one of the most controversial figures in recent Jewish history. First we talk to our Tablet colleague Marjorie Ingall, who co-edits the site SorryWatch.com. She reminds us how to offer a proper apology, and shares the best (and worst) public apologies of the past year. Stephanie sits down with Lauren Mechling, author of the new novel How Could She, and Did Jew Know author Emily Stone to discuss the female friendships that animate Lauren's novel, and reflect on the challenges of maintaining our relationships, particularly as we approach the New Year. In a special reported segment, we talk to Neshama Carlebach and Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl about the complicated legacy of rabbi and composer Shlomo Carlebach. Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Thanks to the Jewish Book Council for their help with this episode.

This week we're going to party like it's 5779, while we still can. First we sit down with Samantha Frank and Rena Singer, the rabbi and rabbinical student behind Modern Ritual, which models passionate, feminist Jewish life and content on Instagram. They tell us why they're they're thinking beyond congregational posts, and why they believe social media is the way to connect with young Jews today. We also talk to Saul Austerlitz, whose new book is Generation Friends: An Inside Look at the Show the Defined a Television Era. He gives us some Friends casting what-ifs and offers his theory on why the show remains incredibly popular on streaming platforms 25 years after it premiered. Liel talks to Wesleyan University president Michael Roth about his new book on free speech and political correctness on campus. Join us in San Francisco Monday, Sept. 23.  Get your tickets here and use code TABLET50 for 50% off the ticket price.  Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by KOL Foods, delivering great tasting, healthy, sustainable, and ethically raised kosher meat. Get a 10 percent discount on your next order using the code UNORTHODOX at kolfoods.com. This episode is also brought to you by the Tikvah Fund’s free online course, Tevye the Dairyman. Professor Ruth Wisse guides you story by story as Sholem Aleichem's famous character confronts the challenges of revolution, materialism, assimilation, and anti-Semitism. Visit tevye.tikvahfund.org/unorthodox to sign up today. (edited) 

Join us for 'The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia' launch party next Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the JCC Manhattan! There will be wine from our friends at Unorthodox Wines, and you'll be able to buy the book two weeks before its official publication date! Can't make it? Preorder the book and you could win a Zabar's gift basket! To enter, forward a copy of your receipt or confirmation to unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Our Jewish guest this week is Israeli writer Etgar Keret, winner of the Sapir Prize, one of Israel's most prestigious literary awards. His new story collection, newly published in English, is called Fly Already, and he joins Stephanie and Liel to discuss his characteristically quirky short stories, the influence of of the Holocaust on his work, and the starkly different reception he—and his work—receives in Israel vs. the United States. Our Gentile of the Week is Henry G. Brinton, senior pastor at Fairfax Presbytarian Church in Fairfax, VA and a contributor to the Huffington Post. He and Stephanie talk about their shared connection with two religion professors at Duke University, Brinton's career-long focus on building interfaith community, and his new novel, City of Peace. Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by KOL Foods, delivering great tasting, healthy, sustainable, and ethically raised kosher meat. Get a 10 percent discount on your next order using the code UNORTHODOX at kolfoods.com. This episode is also brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox. 

 'The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia,' our guide to all things Jewish (and Jew-ish), is out next month! Pre-order your copy today and you could win a Zabar's gift basket—to enter, forward a copy of your receipt or confirmation to unorthodox@tabletmag.com. This week, two more Jewish guests! We sit down with food writer Adeena Sussman, whose new cookbook is Sababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavors From My Israeli Kitchen. She tells us why we should be eating more tahini (which is the same thing as tahina), how she puts her own spin on Israeli food as a California native transplanted to Tel Aviv, and how we can easily incorporate Middle Eastern herbs and spices into our dishes. Next, we hear an interview Stephanie did with author Dani Shapiro, whose memoir Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love begins with the surprising results of an online DNA kit she submitted on a whim. Dani discusses what it was like to grow up always being told she didn't "look Jewish," how the discovery of her paternity affected her sense of identity—Jewish and otherwise, and whether we can realistically expect family secrets to stay hidden in today's modern era. Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by KOL Foods, delivering great tasting, healthy, sustainable, and ethically raised kosher meat. Get a 10 percent discount on your next order using the code UNORTHODOX at kolfoods.com.

If you enjoy this podcast, there's something you can do to help keep us going: Donate to the Unorthodox fundraiser and make us stronger in 5780 and beyond. This week, we're pledging our loyalty to Unorthodox with two amazing Jewish guests. Our first guest is actress Michaela Watkins, who you've seen in Casual, Transparent, and The New Adventures of Old Christine. She's in the new film Brittany Runs a Marathon and the new CBS comedy The Unicorn. Michaela talked to Stephanie about playing Jewish (and non-Jewish) characters, how she reconnected with her Judaism through the organization Reboot, and the ways her Jewish identity impacts her political activism. Our next guest is historian Pamela Nadell, whose latest book is America’s Jewish Women: A History from Colonial Times to Today. She tells us about unearthing forgotten stories of Jewish women, like Grace Nathan, a wife and mother who witnessed this country's founding, and contextualizing the lives of well-known Jewish women, like Nathan's great-granddaughter Emma Lazarus, whose poem, "The New Colossus," has long been synonymous with America's welcoming attitude toward immigrants.  She also warns against the recent revision of that poem by the acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and explains how Jewish women in America have long been ahead of their time. Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by KOL Foods, delivering great tasting, healthy, sustainable, and ethically raised kosher meat. Get a 10 percent discount on your next order using the code UNORTHODOX at kolfoods.com.

This week: a special update from Stephanie’s apartment and a reminder to donate to the Unorthodox fundraiser! Gifts of $180 and above get you a hot-off-the-press copy of our forthcoming book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia; gifts of any size get you our eternal love and appreciation. Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

Don't forget to donate to the Unorthodox fundraiser! Help us keep going strong in 5780 and beyond. This week on Unorthodox: A whole lot of Jewish guests! First we sit down with Cindy Chupack, an Emmy-winning TV writer and producer who's worked on shows like Sex and the City, Modern Family, and Everybody Loves Raymond. Her latest film, which she co-wrote and directed, is Otherhood, now streaming on Netflix. It's about three mothers whose grown sons seem to have forgotten them, and so together they descend on New York City to push their way back into their son's lives. Stephanie chats with Erin Davis, host of the dating show Bubbies Know Best, and S.J. Mendelson, one of the bubbies. The premise of the show? Three grandmothers meet each contestant, ask him or her some probing questions, then select a date for them from a group of prospective suitors. Kibbitzing ensues. Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt.

Donate to the Unorthodox fundraising drive and help us keep going strong! Our Jewish guest is Taffy Brodesser-Akner, New York Times Magazine writer and author of Fleischman is in Trouble. She tells us about the moment she learned her debut novel was a New York Times bestseller, why she writes from such a specific—and jewish—place, and why people are always asking her about Philip Roth. Our Gentile of the Week is Umber Ahmad, the banker-turned baker behind Mah-Ze-Dahr bakery in Manhattan's West Village. She brings us their delicious old-fashioned donuts, which are made with buttermilk, lemon zest, and vanilla bean and are fried and then glazed. She tells us about growing up in Northern Michigan to Pakistani immigrant parents, and learning from a young age to use food to tell stories and create community. Her question for the hosts is about how food became such an integral part of the Jewish holiday calendar. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt.

It’s that time of the year: The Unorthodox fundraising drive! Help us keep going strong in 5780 and beyond—donate here. Our Jewish guest this week is Liz Feldman, writer and creator of Dead to Me, the new Netflix series starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini. She tells us about the Jewish elements of the hit traumedy which was just renewed for a second season. Our Gentile of the Week is Dennis Schleicher, who shares his conversion story. After coming out as gay as a teenager and leaving his family and their evangelical church, he ends up converting to Mormonism as an adult. (His book is called ‘Is He Nuts: Why a Gay Man Would Become a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ.’) It’s the last week to fill out our listener survey for a chance to win an autographed copy of our forthcoming book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia.. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox

We're off this week, recharging in various locations, but we didn't want to leave your feed completely empty.  Instead, Mark has a story he's been trying to find a place to tell for years. As our fourth birthday approaches, we wanted to expand our own creation myth, back to when Mark was 15 years old. Here's a few links for when you're done: First, take our survey here or at http://bit.ly/uosurvey19 Second, our 2019 Fundraiser is here, at http://tabletmag.com/donate

This week in 'News of the Jews,' Israel's new Education Minister endorsed gay conversion therapy, a controversial and widely discredited practice. We're bringing you an interview (recorded before those comments were made) with Mathew Shurka founder of Born Perfect, an organization that lobbies against conversion therapy. Mathew tells us about his own experience—he spent five years in conversion therapy as a teen—and how he found his calling in activism after an 'It Gets Better' video he recorded in 2012 went viral. Our Gentile of the Week, recorded at our Chicago live show last month, is Greta Johnsen, who hosts the Nerdette podcast and anchors Weekend Edition Saturday on WBEZ Chicago. She tells the audience at the Logan Square Auditorium what it means to be a nerdette, shares her favorite moments of the podcast, and asks the hosts a question about Jewish food. Tell us what you really think! Fill out our listener survey for a chance to win an autographed copy of our forthcoming book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. This week's outro music is 'Adon Olam' sung to the tune of the 'Golden Girls' theme song by Kol Zimra. The song is featured in Latter Day Jew, Aliza Rosen's new film about former Unorthodox guest H. Alan Scott. Contact info@kolzimra.com for engaging harmony music at your next simcha. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

This episode was recorded live at the Hollis Hills Bayside Jewish Center in Queens. Our Jewish guest is Leon Neyfakh, who hosts the new podcast Fiasco, which tells the story of the 2000 election. He previously hosted two seasons of the hit podcast Slow Burn—the first focused on Watergate, and the second on the Clinton impeachment. He tells us why he focuses on what it was like to live through these explosive moments in American history as they slowly unfolded, and what he's learned about today's political dramas by digging into recent history Our gentile of the week is Clare Malone, a senior political writer at FiveThirtyEight, where she covers the 2020 presidential election and appears on the weekly FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast. She accepts our challenge to name all 24 Democrats running for president, and gives us her predictions of what's to come in the 2020 campaign. Following in the footsteps of her sister Noreen, who in 2017 inquired about the phrase 'Jewish American Princess' and inspired an entire special episode on the topic, Clare asks what the deal is with the word 'shiksa.' Tell us what you really think! Fill out our listener survey for a chance to win an autographed copy of our forthcoming book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group.

In honor of the 4th of July, we present our second-annual Jews Across America episode, celebrating the diversity of Jewish life throughout this great nation. (You can listen to last year's episode here) We have a bunch of star-studded guests! Blair Braverman, the second Jewish woman to complete the Iditarod, joined us at our Chicago live show with her dog, Flame, to tell us about how a Jewish girl from California becomes a dog sledding phenom. (Check out her memoir, Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube, too) Stanford M. Adelstein, a former State Senator from South Dakota and the subject of the new book The Question Is "Why?": A Jewish Life in South Dakota, tells us how Jews got to South Dakota, and how Jewish life there has changed in his 87 years. Melissa Untereker, an lawyer with Frontera Immigration Law in El Paso, Texas, explains how Judaism informs her work, and how local religious groups are stepping up to help refugees. (If you'd like to help, she recommends starting here. Rabbi Neil Amswych of Temple Beth Shalom in Santa Fe tells us about how an English rabbi came to helm a New Mexico synagogue, and what makes his adopted community so special. Josh Furman, a historian at Rice University who runs the university's Houston Jewish History Archive, talks to us about preserving Jewish items in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, and his favorite item in the collection. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox. This episode is also brought to you by The Franciska Show, a podcast about Jewish women in the arts. Neshama Carlebach will be a guest on the July 9th episode. Subscribe today. 

Unorthodox is off this week, but we have something special for you instead. Mark Oppenheimer was a recent guest on Slate’s Trumpcast, where he explained everything you could ever want to know about Trump and the Jews.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group.

Our first Jewish guest this week is Matthew Futterman, deputy sports editor at the New York Times and author of the new book, Running to the Edge. A 23-time marathoner, Matt breaks down the major transformations in both professional and recreational running over the past few decades, and describes the more meditative aspects of the sport, explaining how running is, for him, a form of prayer. Our second Jewish guest is Tony and Academy Award-winning actor Joel Grey, whose credits include Cabaret, Wicked, and Chicago. His latest role is directing the Yiddish production of Fiddler on the Roof at Stage 42. He tells us about growing up around Yiddish (his father was musician and comedian Mickey Katz, who wrote Yiddish parodies of popular songs), having a daughter in the business (Jennifer Grey starred as Baby in Dirty Dancing), and about his love of photography (he just published his fifth book of photography, "The Flower Whisperer"). We'd love to hear what you thought of this week's show. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We’re heading to Chicago! See us live Wednesday, June 26 at 7 p.m. at the Logan Square Auditorium with Iditarod finisher Blair Braverman and Nerdette podcast host Greta Johnsen. Presented with Hadassah Chicago-North Shore. Get your tickets here. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group.

This week, we're celebrating the papas (the PAPAS!) Our Jewish guest is Violet Ramis Stiel, whose memoir Ghostbuster's Daughter is about growing up as the eldest child of comedy legend Harold Ramis. She tells us about life with an unconventional yet loving father, how her upbringing influenced her own parenting style, and finally grasping the impact her father had on American culture after his 2014 death. Our gentile of the week is Matt Schneider, who created the City Dads Group and hosts The Modern Dads Podcast. The primary care giver for his children, he tells us about how being rejected from the local mom's group inspired him to start a group for fathers, which now offers programming in more than 30 cities, including a New Dad Bootcamp. We'd love to hear what you thought of this week's show. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We’re heading to Chicago! See us live Wednesday, June 26 at 7 p.m. at the Logan Square Auditorium with Iditarod finisher Blair Braverman and Nerdette podcast host Greta Johnsen. Presented with Hadassah Chicago-North Shore. Get your tickets here. This episode is sponsored by Unpacked, a new series of Jewish educational videos from Jerusalem U that offers a complete history of modern day Israel, 10 minutes at a time. Check it out at unpacked.media/unorthodox.

Last May, in honor of Shavuot, the holiday that celebrates the most famous convert to Judaism, Ruth, we put together a special episode all about conversion. We were so moved by the overwhelming response, both from converts and not, that we made another episode. This year we're back with a whole new range of stories. We hear from Ashley Wallace, who grew up in a Christian family in Alabama and who found support throughout her conversion from her friend Will Docimo. We talk to Rabbi Dr. Stuart W. Halpern, author of the new book, Gleanings: Reflections on Ruth, about why Shavuot is the perfect time to celebrate conversion stories. Listener Rebecca Cynamon-Murphy lets us listen in on her conversion audio diary, all the way to the mikveh. Pittsburgh record store owner Eric Ackland shares his journey from secular Judaism to Orthodoxy (not technically a conversion, but still a great story). Plus we hear from listeners who called in to share their own conversion stories. We'd love to hear what you thought of this week's show. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We’re heading to Chicago! See us live Wednesday, June 26 at 7 p.m. at the Logan Square Auditorium with special guest Blair Braverman, who recently became the second Jewish woman to complete the Iditarod. Presented by Hadassah Chicago-North Shore. Get your tickets here. This episode is sponsored by Harry's. Get your free trial shave set at Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX.

Tradition, tradition! We sit down with legendary actress Jackie Hoffman, who plays Yenta in the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene's production of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ in Yiddish, and Motl Didner, the Folksbiene's associate artistic director. Hoffman tells us about learning her lines in Yiddish and her favorite role of all time. Didner teaches us a few key phrases in Yiddish We also chat with Australian punk rocker-turned-novelist Bram Presser, who wrote The Book of Dirt which won the National Jewish Book Award for debut fiction. He tells us about discovering the real story of his Holocaust survivor grandfather's wartime years, which shapes the book, as well as his Yiddish punk background with the band Yidcore. We’re heading to Chicago! We'll be at the Logan Square Auditorium Wednesday, June 26 at 7 p.m. with special guest Blair Braverman, who recently became the second Jewish woman to complete the Iditarod. Presented with Hadassah Chicago-North Shore. Get your tickets here. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group.

Our Jewish guest is Judith Viorst, who has written many books for children, including the classic Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. She tells us about her new poetry collection, Nearing Ninety: And Other Comedies of Late Life, which candidly and humorously captures the realities of growing older. Our gentile of the week is Edward Lee, the chef/owner of several restaurants in Louisville, Kentucky. His book Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef's Journey to Discover America's New Melting-Pot Cuisine, is a memoir of his culinary roadtrip across the United States. He tells us why the best deli in the country is found in Indiana, and what happens when you visit Dearborn, MI looking to eat during Ramadan. Join us Wednesday, May 29 at 8 p.m. at the Hollis Hills Bayside Jewish Center in Queens, NY, for a live taping with Leon Neyfakh, host of the podcasts Slow Burn and the forthcoming FIASCO, and FiveThirtyEight writer and podcaster Clare Malone. Get your tickets here. We’re heading to Chicago! We'll be at the Logan Square Auditorium Wednesday, June 26 at 7 p.m. with special guest Blair Braverman, who recently became the second Jewish woman to complete the Iditarod. Presented with Hadassah Chicago-North Shore. Get your tickets here. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. We're also sponsored by FindYourSummer.org, with nearly 400 summer programs for Jewish teens to choose from, ranging from domestic and international travel to internships and more. New York-area teens are eligible for scholarships to select programs. Find your program at FindYourSummer.org.

Spies, sex, and comedy! Our Jewish guest is journalist Matti Friedman, whose newest book, 'Spies of No Country: Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel', explores the little-known story of four Mizrahi Jews who went undercover as Arabs during the time of the country's founding. He tells us how the story of these young Jewish men from Arab countries, who risked their lives as part of a ragtag intelligence unit, adds texture to the overwhelmingly Ashkenazi narrative of Israel's founding. Our gentile of the week is Pete Holmes, who talks to us about his new book, 'Comedy Sex God', his HBO show Crashing, and his journey from being raised Evangelical Christian to becoming a follower of spiritual teacher Ram Dass. Join us Wednesday, May 29 at 8 p.m. at the Hollis Hills Bayside Jewish Center for a live taping with Leon Neyfakh, host of the podcasts Slow Burn and the forthcoming FIASCO, and FiveThirtyEight writer and podcaster Clare Malone. Get your tickets here. We’re heading to Chicago! See us live Wednesday, June 26 at 7 p.m. at the Logan Square Auditorium with special guest Blair Braverman, who recently became the second Jewish woman to complete the Iditarod. Presented with Hadassah Chicago-North Shore. Get your tickets here. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. This episode is sponsored by Unpacked, a new series of Jewish educational videos from Jerusalem U that offer a complete history of modern day Israel, 10 minutes at a time. Check it out at unpacked.media/unorthodox. We're also sponsored by FindYourSummer.org, with nearly 400 summer programs for Jewish teens to choose from, ranging from domestic and international travel to internships and more. New York-area teens are eligible for scholarships to select programs. Find your program at FindYourSummer.org. Additional support comes from Harry's. Get your free trial shave set at Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX.

We're talking about the mamas (the mamas) in honor of Mother's Day. Our Jewish guest is Catherine Reitman, creator and star of the Netflix show Workin Moms. She tells us how spending Mother's Day after her first child was born on a film set far from her family inspired her to create the show, which follows four mothers as they navigate their personal and professional lives after having children. We also talk to Judith Rosenbaum, executive director of the Jewish Women’s Archive, about their new initiative to honor all the inspirational woman in our lives.  Our gentile of the week is Karen Malone Wright, founder of The Not Mom, an online space for women who do not have children, either by choice or by chance. She tells us what not to say to a woman who doesn't have children, on Mother's Day or any day, and what she's learned from childless and childfree women around the world who have attended her Not Mom summits. Plus, producer Josh Kross brings us an unexpected story of an escape from Russia. Join us Wednesday, May 29 at 8 p.m. at the Hollis Hills Bayside Jewish Center for a live taping with special guests Leon Neyfakh, host of the podcasts Slow Burn and the forthcoming FIASCO, and FiveThirtyEight writer and podcaster Clare Malone. Get your tickets here. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group.

It's a star-studded, carb-filled post-Passover episode! Our first Jewish guest is designer Rebecca Minkoff, who tells us about sewing her own bat mitzvah dress, starting a handbag and clothing company with her brother, Uri, and her early involvement with—and break from—the Women's March (plus how she continues to support women today). Our second Jewish guest is Moriel Rothman-Zecher, author of Sadness is a White Bird, a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award in Debut Fiction. He tells us about moving from America to Israel as a teen--a journey mirrored by the book's protagonist--and how, after years of excitement about the idea of serving in the Israel Defense Forces, he ultimately become a conscientious objector, serving two weeks in military jail after refusing to join the IDF. Our gentile of the week is Gretchen Rubin, whose latest book is Outer Order, Inner Calm. She explains how getting control of our stuff helps us get control of our lives, and describes the four personality tendencies (upholders, questioners, obligers, and rebels) that animated her last book. Plus, we call Blair Braverman, the Jewish dog sledder who recently completed the Iditarod! Join us Wednesday, May 29 at 8 p.m. at the Hollis Hills Bayside Jewish Center for a live taping with special guests Leon Neyfakh, host of the podcasts Slow Burn and the forthcoming FIASCO, and FiveThirtyEight writer and podcaster Clare Malone. Get your tickets here. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. This episode is sponsored by Harry's. Get your free trial shave set at Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX.

Since we're off this week, we're bringing you a special Kosher for Passover treat in our feed, a taste of our sister podcast, Israel Story.  We've got a Ruth-themed episode from them called Whither Thou Goest.  If you like what you hear, you should subscribe to their show wherever you listen to ours, AND check out israelstory.org to see their upcoming U.S. tour schedule—they’ll be here from May 7 to may 21st, and might just be heading to your city for a live show. With that,  I’ll leave you to listen. Chag Sameach and see you next week!

We're getting in the mood for matzo with a jam packed Passover episode. We speak with New York Times food writer Melissa Clark about her Passover menu, which includes a new brisket recipe, and, later on in the week, matzo lasagna. Paul Germain, the TV writer responsible for the Rugrats Passover episode, which aired in 1995 and offered a remarkable animated retelling of the story of Exodus, tells us about how that episode got made. PLUS Cat Goldberg on 4/20 seders,  Gabriel Stulman on the Moroccan celebration of Mimouna, And thanks to The Marshall Project's Simone Weichselbaum, disgraced former charity head William Rapfogel tells us about the time he threw a Seder behind bars. Episode sponsors: The UJA-Federation Matzah Challenge is back! Here’s how it works: Take a picture of your matzah creation between April 19 and April 27 and post it to Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter with the hashtag #matzahchallenge. Tag a friend: for every matzah photo that’s posted, $18 will be donated to someone in need. One Day University brings together the best professors to give their most engaging lectures to audiences of all ages. On April 28, Mark Oppenheimer will be teaching a class called 'American Jews: Where are they now?' Register at www.OneDayu.com. or by calling 800 300 3438. The kosher meal kit service JChef delivers all the ingredients you need to make delicious kosher recipes without schlepping to the market. If you order between now and Passover, you'll get 30 percent off your first order—and if you refer a friend who places an order, you'll also get a free classic meal box. Go to JChef.com/Unorthodox to get yours today. Unorthodox Wines is a unique take on kosher wine that's perfect for your Seder. Get free shipping on your order at www.bitly.com/unorthowine.

Everything you ever wanted to know about Jewish last names, with name change stories from our hosts and listeners. Plus, Noah Levinson investigates the story behind immigrant name changes at Ellis Island. Want to share your family's story? Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by Unorthodox Wine, offering beautiful kosher wines from South Africa. Get free shipping on any order when you visit bitly.com/unorthowine. This episode is also brought to you by KOL Foods, delivering great tasting, healthy, sustainable, and ethically raised meat. This Passover, go to KOLFoods.com and use the code UNORTHODOX to receive a 10-percent discount on your next order. Additional support comes from JChef, the new kosher meal kit and the perfect solution for Passover. Go to Jchef.com/unorthodox and use coupon code Unorthodox30 to get 30 percent off your first order. Plus, refer a friend who places an order before Passover and you’ll get a free classic meal box. (edited) 

This week on Unorthodox, it's Adar Madness! Make your picks for Liel's middle name here. We've got two Jewish guests this week. The first is psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb, who writes the “Dear Therapist” column for The Atlantic. Her latest book, Maybe You Should Talk To Someone, is about her life as a therapist, and about starting to see a therapist herself after an unexpected and traumatic breakup. Our second guest is Clevelander Harley Cohen, who was assigned the seat next to Mark on the flight to Cleveland for our November live show at the Mandel JCC. Harley is a Jewish Deadhead (a Grateful Dead megafan), and he told Mark about his embrace of Jewish practice later in life and his love of the iconic jam band, and the ways in which the two are intertwined. We love to hear from you! Send comments and questions for Unorthodox to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by Hebrew College. The Jewish community needs rabbis who are creatively engaging with Jewish tradition, and Hebrew College’s rabbinical school is currently accepting applications. Visit Hebrewcollege.edu/unorthodox to find out more. This episode is also brought to you KOL Foods, delivering the best tasting, healthiest, most sustainable, and most ethically raised meat anywhere! Go to KOLFoods.com and use the code UNORTHODOX to receive a 10 percent discount on your next order. Additional support comes from Unorthodox Wine, offering beautiful kosher wines from South Africa. Get free shipping on any order when you visit bitly.com/unorthowine.

This week on Unorthodox, you'll never look at an Einstein Bros. bagel the same way again. Our Jewish guests are David Rossmer and Steve Rosen, co-writers and co-stars in the Off-Broadway play The Other Josh Cohen. They tell us about meeting at the performing arts summer camp French Woods and working together ever since, most recently collaborating on this rollicking musical tale of mistaken identity (apparently there are a lot of Josh Cohens out there!). Our gentile of the week is Drew Magary, a columnist for GQ and Deadspin, and the author of the memoir Someone Could Get Hurt: A Memoir of Twenty-First-Century Parenthood. He tells us about his highly controversial recent columns about bagels, and asks us if he's in for a year of shlepping his now 12-year-old daughter to bar mitzvahs in the Maryland area. We love to hear from you! Send comments and questions for Unorthodox to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is also sponsored by JChef, the new kosher meal kit and the perfect solution for Passover. Go to Jchef.com/unorthodox and use coupon code Unorthodox30 to get 30 percent off your first order. This episode is also sponsored by Harry's, offering a great shave at a great price. Get a free trial shave set at Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX. Additional support comes from Unorthodox Wine, offering beautiful kosher wines from South Africa. Get free shipping on any order when you visit bitly.com/unorthowine.

This week on Unorthodox, we're celebrating the publication of The 100 Most Jewish Foods: A Highly Debatable List with an episode dedicated to Jewish food. Throughout the episode you’ll hear from contributors to the book—including Jill Kargman, Gil Hovav, Gail Simmons, Shalom Auslander, Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs of Food52, and many more—who will be reading their entries. We talk to Tablet editor-in-chief Alana Newhouse, who edited the collection, as well as Gabriella Gershenson, who edited the recipes in the book. We also sit down with Dr. Beth Ricanati, the author of Braided: A Journey of a Thousand Challahs, who tells us about the healing power of baking bread. Naama Shefi and Amanda Dell tell us about their work at the Jewish Food Society and their Schmaltzy storytelling events. Plus, Brette Warshaw explains the difference between corned beef and pastrami, listener Sonia Marie Leikam tell us about brewing kosher beer in Portland, and the story of a special pie delivery to Pittsburgh's Jewish community. Get your copy of The 100 Most Jewish Foods at Tabletmag.com/100JewishFoods. Tell us your Jewish food memories! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. The music on today's episode is by the klezmer duo Farnakht. This episode is sponsored by Hebrew College. The Jewish community needs rabbis who are creatively engaging with Jewish tradition, and Hebrew College’s rabbinical school is currently accepting applications. Visit Hebrewcollege.edu/unorthodox to find out more. This episode is brought to you by Unorthodox Wine, offering beautiful kosher wines from South Africa. Get free shipping on any order when you visit bitly.com/unorthowine. This episode is brought to you KOL Foods, delivering the best tasting, healthiest, most sustainable, and most ethically raised meat anywhere! Go to KOLFoods.com and use the code UNORTHODOX to receive a 10 percent discount on your next order. Unorthodox is supported by the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, which is presenting Diaspora Songs: Yiddish Meets Ladino, Thursday, March 28, at 7:30 pm.  The event is a part of Carnegie Hall’s “Migrations, The Making of America Festival” and co-sponsored by The Yiddish Book Center. Visit jccmanhattan.org/music for tickets. 

This week on Unorthodox, an update from Belgium, and Lin-Manuel Miranda's bar mitzvah-dancing past. This week's interviews were recorded live at the Marlene Meyerson Manhattan JCC during our Valentine's Day show. Our Jewish guest is dating app ghostwriter Meredith Golden, whose job is to make your dating profile better and to get you dates! She tells us about the mistakes most men and women are making on their profiles, and polls the audience about with dating apps they prefer. Our next guests are Jess Salomon and Eman El-Husseini, married comedians from Canada. Jess is Jewish and Eman is Palestinian, and they tell us about how they met, what their parents think, and the comedy they've found in the tensions of their particular union. This episode is brought to you by Unorthodox Wine, offering beautiful kosher wines from South Africa. Get free shipping on any order when you visit bitly.com/unorthowine. This episode is brought to you KOL Foods, delivering the best tasting, healthiest, most sustainable, and most ethically raised meat anywhere! Go to KOLFoods.com and use the code UNORTHODOX to receive a 10 percent discount on your next order. The Jewish Education Project is doing incredible work empowering Jewish educators across the country. On April 11, the Jewish Education Project is throwing a party honoring its retiring CEO Bob Sherman, and recognizing the impact of the UJA-Federation New York’s John Ruskay and Alisa Rubin Kurshan .Visit JewishEdProject.org/Benefit and use the promo code UNORTHODOX for a special discount for Unorthodox listeners.

This week on Unorthodox: two Jews, many opinions! Returning to the show is writer and illustrator Christopher Noxon. He tells us about his new book, “Good Trouble: Lessons from the Civil Rights Playbook,” an illustrated history of the civil rights movement. Our second guest is French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy, the author of more than 30 books, including The Genius of Judaism. He joins us to discuss his most recent book, The Empire and the Five Kings: America's Abdication and the Fate of the World. We love to hear from you! Send comments and questions for Unorthodox to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is also sponsored by Harry's, offering a great shave at a great price. Get a free trial shave set at Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX. This episode is brought to you by Unorthodox Wine, offering beautiful kosher wines from South Africa. Get free shipping on any order when you visit bitly.com/unorthowine. This episode is sponsored by Hebrew College. The Jewish community needs rabbis who are creatively engaging with Jewish tradition, and Hebrew College’s rabbinical school is currently accepting applications. Visit Hebrewcollege.edu/unorthodox to find out more. 

This week on Unorthodox, we've got a special episode dedicated to circumcision and the Jewish mitzvah known as the brit, or bris, that signifies entry into the tribe for eight-day-old Jewish males. We talk to Dr. Emily Blake, the mohel who performed Mark's son's bris, about why this biblical practice has remained so central to the Jewish experience, even among the non-observant.  The folks at BimBam explain Lech Lecha, the parsha in which Abraham and God enter into the covenant that defines the Jewish people. Hayim Leiter, a rabbi and mohel in Jerusalem, tells us about Safer Habrit, his organization that provides circumcision education and advocates against the controversial practice known as metzitzah b'peh. Sara Fredman Aeder tells us about approaching Jewish circumcision from a scholarly perspective and, later, a personal one, and Lizzie Skurnick shares her experience weighing circumcision as a single mother by choice. Producer Noah Levinson talks with Australian medical historian Dr. Robert Darby, (www.historyofcircumcision.net) about the speculation surrounding the British royal family's possible circumcisions, including the role of the "royal mohel.". And finally, Cristian Uriostegui tells the story of getting circumcised his junior year in college, The BimBam explainer was read by Emily Shapiro Katz, a Jewish educator in Beer Sheva, Israel; watch the animated version at bimbam.com. We'd love to know what you think about this episode! Send comments and questions for Unorthodox to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. This episode is brought to you by Unorthodox Wine, offering beautiful kosher wines from South Africa. Get free shipping on any order when you visit bitly.com/unorthowine. 'The 100 Most Jewish Foods: A Highly Debatable List' comes out March 19! Featuring the biggest names in food—Jewish and not—and recipes for some of the most beloved, polarizing, and enduring Jewish foods, it’s the perfect gift to bring to this year’s Passover seder. Pre-order your copy today and you could win a $150 gift card to Russ & Daughters: to enter, forward a copy of your receipt or confirmation to 100foods@tabletmag.com.

 This week on Unorthodox, we'd like to thank the Academy... and our three Jewish guests! First we get glammed up with shoe designer Stuart Weitzman, who tells us about getting his big break when Aretha Franklin wore his shoes to the 1983 American Music Awards, and how he made red carpet history when he designed $1 million shoes for Mulholland Drive actress Laura Harring to wear to the 2002 Oscars. Since then, the 'shoe cam' has become a standard feature of award shoe red carpets. Then film critic Jordan Hoffman returns to the show to tell us what to expect at Sunday's Academy Awards, at which only a few Jews are nominated and some non-Jews are up for Jewish roles. Finally, a special Oscars treat: Liel calls up actor Kurt Fuller, who talks about being 'that guy' in hundreds of films, including Ghostbusters II, Wayne's World, Anger Management, and just about every movie you've ever seen. We love to hear from you: Send comments and questions for Unorthodox to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by Hebrew College. The Jewish community needs rabbis who are creatively engaging with Jewish tradition, and Hebrew College’s rabbinical school is currently accepting applications. Visit Hebrewcollege.edu/unorthodox to find out more. This episode is also sponsored by Harry's, offering a great shave at a great price. Get a free trial shave set at Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX. Unorthodox is hiring! We're looking for a part-time associate producer to handle guest booking, episode scheduling, live show planning, and more. Click here for more information. To apply for the position, email jkross@tabletmag.com with the subject line ‘associate producer.’

This week, we're live and wide awake from Seattle. Our Jewish guest is Rabbi Will Berkovitz, CEO of Jewish Family Service Seattle. He tells us why helping resettle refugees is about more than simply "Jewish values," describes the surprising pushback he's received from some Jews over his social activism, and explains how he was inspired to become a rabbi after attending a Catholic college. Our gentile of the week is Dan Savage, the Seattle-based sex-advice columnist and host of Savage Lovecast. He returns to the show to answer love and relationship questions from Unorthodox listeners just in time for Valentine's Day (or as we call it, secular Tu B'Av). (For the uninitiated, Dan is very open and uncensored in his discussion of sex and relationships, so we really mean the obscenity warning this week.) We love to hear from you: Send comments and questions for Unorthodox to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by Hebrew College. The Jewish community needs rabbis who are creatively engaging with Jewish tradition, and Hebrew College’s rabbinical school is currently accepting applications. Visit Hebrewcollege.edu/unorthodox to find out more. 'The 100 Most Jewish Foods: A Highly Debatable List' comes out March 19! Featuring the biggest names in food—Jewish and not—and recipes for some of the most beloved, polarizing, and enduring Jewish foods, it’s the perfect gift to bring to this year’s Passover seder. Pre-order your copy today and you could win a $150 gift card to Russ & Daughters: to enter, forward a copy of your receipt or confirmation to 100foods@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is hiring! We're looking for a part-time associate producer to handle guest booking, episode scheduling, live show planning, and more. Check out bit.ly/unorthodoxproducer for more information. To apply for the position, email jkross@tabletmag.com with the subject line ‘associate producer.’ (edited)  Message Input Message #episodecopy

This week's episode was recorded live at Adat Shalom in Los Angeles. Our first Jewish guest is Rachel Sumekh, who founded Swipe Out Hunger, the leading nonprofit in addressing hunger on college campuses. She tells us why Swipe Out Hunger is a fundamentally Jewish project, inspired in part by her family's dependence on food assistance after her parents immigrated to the U.S. from Iran, and how, as a Persian Jewish woman in the technology and social entrepreneurship world, she's hoping to be more of a norm than an exception. Our second Jewish guest is actor, screenwriter, and director Lauren Miller Rogen, whose most recent film, Like Father, stars Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer and is streaming on Netflix. After her mother was diagnosed, at age 55, with early onset Alzheimer's, Lauren created Hilarity for Charity, which has raised more than $10 million for Alzheimer's awareness and research through star-studded variety shows fundraisers. Lauren tells us about moving from Long Island to Lakeland, Fl and becoming one of very few Jewish students, explaining Hanukkah to her dentist, and what it’s like directing her husband Seth in her films. Our gentile of the week is Jonathan Groff, executive producer and co-showrunner on ABC's Blackish. He also worked on How I Met Your Mother and Scrubs, and spent five seasons as head writer on Late Night with Conen O'Brien. He tells us about sharing a name with that other Jonathan Groff (this Jonathan Groff's Twitter handle is @NotThatGroff), and growing up in a rectory as the son of an Episcopal priest Join us Wednesday, February 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan for a special Valentine's Day live show featuring dating app ghostwriter Meredith Golden and married female comedians Jess Salomon, who is Jewish, and Eman El-Husseini, who is Palestinian. Get your tickets here. This episode is sponsored by Hebrew College. The Jewish community needs rabbis who are creatively engaging with Jewish tradition, and Hebrew College’s rabbinical school is currently accepting applications. Visit Hebrewcollege.edu/unorthodox to find out more. This episode is also sponsored by JChef, the new kosher meal kit. Go to JChef.com/unorthodox and use coupon code Unorthodox30 to get 30 percent off your first order. Tablet’s new book, 'The 100 Most Jewish Foods: A Highly Debatable List' comes out March 19! Featuring the biggest names in food—Jewish and not—and recipes for some of the most beloved, polarizing, and enduring Jewish foods, it’s the perfect gift to bring to this year’s Passover seder. Pre-order your copy today and you could win a $150 gift card to Russ & Daughters: to enter, forward a copy of your receipt or confirmation to 100foods@tabletmag.com.

This week on Unorthodox, one young man's journey out of white nationalism. Our Jewish guest is Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter Eli Saslow, whose latest book is Rising out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist, which tells the story of Derek Black, the son of Stormfront founder Don Black and heir apparent to the White Nationalist movement. After enrolling in a diverse college and befriending a wide range of people—including Jewish students who invited him to weekly Shabbat dinners after he was outed as a white supremacist—Derek began to challenge his ingrained assumptions, ultimately denouncing the movement he was raised to lead and his family's involvement in it. We also talk to Derek himself, who tells producer Shira Telushkin about life after white nationalism, explains the anti-Semitic conspiracy theories at the root of the movement (plus the whole thing about lizard people), and shares the remorse and guilt he feels that the ideas he once publicly espoused and proliferated inspired the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter. We're heading to the West Coast! We'll be at Adat Shalom in Los Angeles Friday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. for a special Shabbat show with actor and director Lauren Miller Rogen, 'Black-ish' producer Jonathan Groff, and Iranian-Jewish philanthropist Rachel Sumekh; get your tickets here. Then we'll be at the Stroum JCC in the Seattle area Saturday, Feb. 2 for a special live show with Dan Savage of the Savage Lovecast. Get your tickets here. We love to hear from you: Send comments and questions for Unorthodox to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. This episode is sponsored by the Yiddish Book Center’s Great Jewish Books Summer Program for high school juniors and seniors. To learn more and apply, visit: www.yiddishbookcenter.org/greatjewishbooks. This episode is also sponsored by JChef, the new kosher meal kit. Go to Jchef.com/unorthodox and use coupon code Unorthodox30 to get 30 percent off your first order. Additional support for this episode comes from Harry's. Get a free trial shave set at Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX.

This episode was recorded at Washington Hebrew Congregation in Washington, D.C., in partnership with the Association of Reform Jewish Educators. Thanks to our friends at ARJE for making this show happen. Our Jewish guest is food historian Michael Twitty, author of the James Beard Award-winning book The Cooking Gene, who returns to the show to tell us about his years as a Hebrew School teacher, when he was often the first black person his students interacted with, and his next book project, Kosher Soul, which focuses on his Jewish identity. He also explains what ptcha is, and why it's one of Tablet's 100 Most Jewish Foods. Our gentile of the week is Congresswoman Katie Porter, the newly-elected Representative of California’s 45th District and the first Democrat to hold the seat since it was created in 1953. She tells us about dining at Yale's kosher kitchen with our own Mark Oppenheimer back in college, how she's trying to help furloughed government workers during the shutdown, and her life as a single mother now shlepping between California and Washington, D.C. all the time. Her question for the panel is why Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish Arbor Day, falls in the dead of winter. We're heading to the West Coast! We'll be at Adat Shalom in Los Angeles Friday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. for a special Shabbat show with actor and director Lauren Miller Rogen, 'Black-ish' producer Jonathan Groff, and Iranian-Jewish philanthropist Rachel Sumekh; get your tickets here. Then we'll be at the Stroum JCC in the Seattle area Saturday, Feb. 2 for a special live show with Dan Savage of the Savage Lovecast. Get your tickets here. We love to hear from you: Send comments and questions for Unorthodox to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. This episode is sponsored by JChef, the kosher meal kit. Go to Jchef.com/unorthodox and use coupon code Unorthodox30 to get 30 percent off your first order. This episode is also sponsored by Harry's. Get a free trial shave set at Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX. This episode is also sponsored by Hebrew College. The Jewish community needs rabbis who are creatively engaging with Jewish tradition, and Hebrew College's rabbinical school is currently accepting applications. Visit Hebrewcollege.edu/unorthodox to find out more.

This week on Unorthodox, we're setting it up. Our Jewish guest this week is longtime matchmaker Tova Weinberg, who founded the Jewish dating website Saw You at Sinai. In an interview recorded at our Hanukkah live show in Pittsburgh, she tells the hosts about ditching dentistry to become a matchmaker (she estimates she's made 350 matches over the past 40 years), and her opinion on what it is that men and women really want. She also helps out a listener with some first date tips. Our Gentile of the Week is producer Scott Ellis, whose long list of theater and television credits includes The Good Wife, Weeds, She Loves Me, and more. He sits down with Stephanie to talk about getting his start on TV with the sitcom Frasier, putting himself up for an Emmy nomination, (and actually getting the nomination!) for an episode of 30 Rock, and being entrusted by The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino to direct a few episodes of the award-winning Amazon series. (Scott even got Stephanie and producer Josh Kross into Season 2, Ep. 3 as extras—check out the very last scene). We're heading to the West Coast! We'll be at Adat Shalom in Los Angeles Friday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. for a special Shabbat live show; Guests will include writer, director, actor, and producer Lauren Miller Rogen and Iranian-Jewish philanthropist Rachel Sumekh, Get your tickets here. Then we'll be at the Stroum JCC in the Seattle area Saturday, Feb. 2 for a special live show with Dan Savage of the Savage Lovecast, and . Get your tickets here. We love to hear from you: Send comments and questions for Unorthodox to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. This episode is sponsored by JChef, the new kosher meal kit. Go to Jchef.com/unorthodox and use coupon code Unorthodox30 to get 30 percent off your first order. Additional support comes from The Branch, a new podcast from Hadassah that explores how positive relationships between Israeli Jews and Arabs can bring new hope for a truly shared society. Check it out at Hadassah.org/thebranch.

This week on Unorthodox: early elections in Israeli, bat mitzvah recaps, and a taste of Liel's listener meetup in Tel Aviv. We have three Jewish guests: Jesse Eisenberg, who in addition to playing everyone from Lex Luthor to Mark Zuckerberg on screen, executive produced the new documentary 'The World Before Your Feet,'  which follows Matt Green as he walks every block of of New York City, and was directed by Jeremy Workman. The three of them sat down with Stephanie Butnick to discuss Matt's unusual journey, the 'churchagogues' he discovered along the way, and what you learn when you slow down and look around. Our Gentile of the week is journalist Rukmini Callimachi, who covers terrorism and the Islamic State for the New York Times. She’s the host of Caliphate, a serialized podcast that follows a former ISIS member and tracks the international rise of the terrorist group. She tells us about digging through ISIS trash in Syria, and the strangest (and scariest) things that have happened to her along the way. Her question for the panel is about the appropriate greeting for Jewish friends on Yom Kippur. We're hitting the road in 2019! Come see us January 15 at Washington Hebrew Congregation in Washington, D.C. It's free—register here. February 1, we'll be doing a special Shabbat show at Adat Shalom in Los Angeles.  Tickets here. We'll be at the Stroum JCC in the Seattle area February 2 for a special live show with Dan Savage of the Savage Lovecast. Get your tickets here. We love to hear from you: Send comments and questions for Unorthodox to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. This episode is sponsored by One Day University. Get 25% off your tickets to any session when you register using the coupon code UNORTHODOX at http://www.onedayu.com This episode is also sponsored by Harry's. Get a free trial shave set at Harrys.com/UNOROTHODOX. Additional support comes from JChef, the new kosher meal kit. Go to Jchef.com/unorthodox and use coupon code Unorthodox30 to get 30 percent off your first order.

Back in 2013, Tablet contributor Daniel Estrin spoke to Amos Oz for Tablet's Vox Tablet podcast. Oz died today, December 28, 2018, and we wanted to bring you this episode from the back catalog.  

We're closing out 2018 with two interviews with people who stand up—quite literally—for what they believe in.  First, we sit down with formerly Hasidic comedian Leah Forster, who has traveled the world performing for religious Jewish audiences, but whose recent gigs were cancelled after religious authorities found out she was gay and threatened to pull the kosher certifications of venues who hosted her. You can follow along with Leah on Instagram. Then, Mark talks to Presbyterian minister Jeff Hutchinson, who shares the harrowing tale of what happened when he dared to confront white supremacists at a nearby church in Black Mountain, North Carolina—a story that doesn't end until Hutchinson finds a new church 1,000 miles away.  We're hitting the road in 2019! Come see us January 15 at Washington Hebrew Congregation in Washington, D.C. It's free—register here. We'll be at the Stroum JCC in the Seattle area February 2 for a special live show with Dan Savage of the Savage Lovecast. Tickets here. We love to hear from you: Send comments and questions for Unorthodox to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by JChef, the new kosher meal kit. Go to Jchef.com/unorthodox and use coupon code Unorthodox30 to get 30 percent off your first order.

Tis the season—for Chinese food and a movie! Our first Jewish guest is Bill Adler, the Def Jam alum who helped Run DMC create their iconic 1987 song "Christmas in Hollis". He tells us how he went from being a music journalist to the second full-time employee at Def Jam in the 1980s; how "Christmas in Hollis," ended up on the soundtrack of films like Die Hard, and how his distaste for cliche holiday music led him to make an annual Christmas playlist for friends and family, and now, you! Listen to Adler's 2018 Christmas Jollies mix here. We also talk to Steven de Souza, the Hollywood screenwriter responsible for films like Commando, Judge Dredd, and, of course, Die Hard. He tells us how Bruce Willis's character was actually originated by Frank Sinatra, the origin of the movie's epic "yippee ki yay" catchphrase, and why Die Hard is even more of a Christmas movie than White Christmas. We're hitting the road in 2019! Come see us January 15 at Washington Hebrew Congregation in Washington, D.C. It's free—register here. We'll be at the Stroum JCC in the Seattle area February 2 for a special live show with Dan Savage, of the Savage Lovecast. Get your tickets here. We love to hear from you: Send comments and questions for Unorthodox to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by Harry's. Get $5 off any shave set–including the limited-edition holiday sets–when you go to Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX. This episode is sponsored by JChef, the new kosher meal kit. Go to Jchef.com/unorthodox and use coupon code Unorthodox30 to get 30 percent off your first order.

This week on Unorthodox, we're getting over our latke hangovers. Our first Jewish guest is New York Times writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner, who has written profiles of celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Bradley Cooper, and Melissa McCarthy. She joined us at our recent live show at the Manhattan JCC to talk about how she tries to be a journalist and a mensch, which biblical figure she'd love to profile, and why she enjoys being on Twitter. We also sit down with Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. He tells us about getting to know the royal family (and giving the Queen a menorah), speaking out against British anti-Semitism, and the time he had to meet with Prince Harry after the 20-year-old wore a Nazi uniform on Halloween. But before all that, Liel talks to his friend Scott Harris about the amazing Be A Jewish Star music competition for Jewish youth! shabbat shalom and thanks again. scott S C O T T   H A R R I S We love to hear from you: Send comments and questions for Unorthodox to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by JChef, the new kosher meal kit. Go to Jchef.com/unorthodox and use coupon code Unorthodox30 to get 30 percent off your first order. Hear from fascinating people doing interesting work in Israel and Israelis making their mark across the globe–like spice master Lior Sercarz of La Boite NYC, Ambassador Ido Aharoni, and former Miss Israel and Ethiopian Jew Titi Aynaw–on Jewish National Fund’s podcast IsraelCast. Find IsraelCast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, or learn more at JNF.org/israelcastpodcast.

From warding off the evil eye to rules about whistling, Jews are serious about their superstitions. This week on Unorthodox, we hear from listeners about their family customs, talk to Tablet's editor-in-chief Alana Newhouse about the enduring nature of shtetl superstitions, and take a visit to a very lucky spot in Northern Israel. Ptui ptui! We love to hear from you: Send comments and questions for Unorthodox to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. This episode is sponsored by: Belvedere Vodka, certified kosher by the Orthodox Union, and produced in accordance with the legal requirements of Polish Vodka. Learn more here. Jewish National Fund, making an impact on Israel with a vision that encompasses planting trees, building water reservoirs, helping those with special needs, preserving heritage sites, and transforming the North and South with new housing, job creation, and infrastructure development. As you plan your year-end giving, go to JNF.org/tablet to take part in fulfilling that vision. JChef, the new kosher meal kit. Go to Jchef.com/unorthodox and use coupon code Unorthodox30 to get 30 percent off your first order. Harry's Razors, for a great shave at a great price. Get $5 dollars off a shave set, including the limited-edition holiday sets, when you go to Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX.

Today's episode comes out a day early, so you can gobble it up before Thanksgiving. First, comedian Travon Free, a producer on Lena Dunham's HBO show Camping, speaks with producer Josh Kross about anti-Semitic old tweets of his that resurfaced last week. Liel sits down with Jewish guest Frederick Wiseman, the legendary filmmaker, to discuss his latest documentary, Monrovia, Indiana. Our gentile of the week, live from Cleveland, is former Rock and Roll Hall of Fame president and CEO Terry Stewart. to talk about what he calls the greatest job in the world, the much-speculated upon Hall of Fame nomination process, and how 'rock and roll' the Hall of Fame's CEO can actually be. We love to hear from you: Send comments and questions for Unorthodox to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by: Little Passports, the perfect holiday gift for the curious kid in your life. Each month they’ll get a fun-filled package with hands-on activities and interactive projects designed to spark their curiosity about geography, world cultures or science. Order today at Littlepassports.com/unorthodox. Hear from fascinating people doing interesting work in Israel, as well as Israelis making their mark across the globe, on Jewish National Fund’s podcast IsraelCast. From spice-master Lior Sercarz of La Boite NYC to Ambassador Ido Aharoni; from “Queen of Kosher” Jamie Geller to former Miss Israel and Ethiopian Jew Titi Aynaw, there’s something for everyone. Find IsraelCast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, or learn more at JNF.org/israelcastpodcast. Belvedere Vodka. certified Kosher by the Orthodox Union and produced in accordance with the legal requirements of Polish Vodka. For more, visit Belvedere Vodka. Check out the Unorthodox Demos, from our favorite Jewbadour Jim Knable. 

This week on Unorthodox, boy are we grateful. We're grateful for our gentile of the week, Shay Khatiri, the Iranian-born political refugee who raised more than $1 million for the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh following the Oct. 27 massacre. He set up a GoFundMe page, which quickly went viral, and the campaign has so far raised $1.2 million, which will go directly into the synagogue's bank account. He also tells us about being blacklisted by the Iranian government after signing a 2016 letter urging President Trump to impose sanctions on the country, disappointing his mother by not becoming a doctor, and the asylum trial that awaits him in order for him to stay in the U.S. And we are triply grateful for our Jewish guest, bestselling author A.J. Jacobs, who returns to the show for the third time! (Don't miss his first and second visits.) He tells us about his new book, Thanks a Thousand: a Gratitude Journey, in which he thanked every single person responsible for his morning cup of coffee—from the barista at his local coffee shop to the coffee farmers in South America. He tells us why gratitude is a deeply Jewish value, and offers advice on how we can all embrace our Mr. Rogers side instead of our Larry David side. We love to hear from you: Send comments and questions for Unorthodox to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by: Little Passports, the perfect holiday gift for the curious kid in your life. Each month they’ll get a fun-filled package with hands-on activities and interactive projects designed to spark their curiosity about geography, world cultures or science. Order today at Littlepassports.com/unorthodox. Belvedere Vodka, certified Kosher by the Orthodox Union and produced in accordance with the legal requirements of Polish Vodka. Jewish National Fund, As you plan your year-end giving, go to JNF.org/tablet to take part in fulfilling that vision. Rabbi Eitan Tours, a unique way to experience Israel. Go to rabbieitan.com/unorthodox for a free consultation and itinerary planning. Unorthodox listeners also get $50 off a tour of at least one day with Rabbi Eitan.

This week on Unorthodox, we’ve got a bit of a mish-mash (mish-mosh?) for you. First, a taste of our visit to Cleveland, where we recorded a live episode at the Mandel JCC (and ate a lot of deli). Then, Stephanie sits down with Jewish author Gary Shteyngart, whose new novel Lake Success is about a Manhattan hedge fund manager named Barry Cohen who abandons his wife and son for a Greyhound road trip across America with the backdrop of the 2016 election. In the wake of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, Gary talks about his personal connection to Squirrel Hill, and how HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, resettled him and his family when they fled the Soviet Union for America. Plus, he explains why dachshunds are the ultimate Jewish dog. Our gentile of the week is comedian and Risk! podcast host Kevin Allison, recorded live at the Manhattan JCC earlier this month. A member of the 90s sketch comedy troupe The State, Kevin told us about working as a bartender at the Grammys while having a show on MTV (Sarah McLachlan recognized him), plus how he started his storytelling podcast, where notable figures share true stories they never thought they’d dare to share. His question for the panel: Why are so many American Buddhists Jews? We love to hear from you! Send comments and questions for Unorthodox to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our new listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt! Shalom, friends. Sponsors: Little Passports. A subscription to Little Passports is the perfect holiday gift for the curious kid in your life. Each month they’ll get a fun-filled package with hands-on activities and interactive projects designed to spark their curiosity about geography, world cultures or science. Order today at Little Passports. Rabbi Eitan Tours, a unique way to experience Israel. Go to rabbieitan.com/unorthodox for a free consultation and itinerary planning. Unorthodox listeners also get $50 off a tour of at least one day with Rabbi Eitan. The Branch, a new podcast from Hadassah. Each episode explores how positive relationships between Israeli Jews and Arabs can bring new hope for a truly shared society. Check it out at Hadassah.org/thebranch. Harry’s, a great shave at a great price. Get your trial shave set at Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX.

On Saturday morning, 11 Jews were murdered in a synagogue in Pittsburgh. Like Jews and their friends everywhere, we were heartbroken by this heinous anti-Semitic massacre, the first-ever large-scale attack against Jews on American soil. To grieve with our brothers and sisters in Pittsburgh and hear their stories, We traveled to Squirrel Hill, the city's Jewish enclave, along with a team from Tablet. What we found was a unique and committed Jewish community, where congregations are intertwined and neighbors check in on each other and young adults return to raise their families. A close-knit community, within a larger city, now reeling from the weekend's senseless horror. In this special episode, we bring you the voices we captured, from the French family who fled violence in Paris only to meet it again in Pennsylvania, to the rabbis whose congregations were targeted, to the neighbors and community members who now face the daunting task of mourning the dead and rebuilding all that was destroyed. If you want to share thoughts or stories about Pittsburgh's Jewish community, email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our new listener line: 914-570-4869.  Unorthodox is a smart, fresh, fun weekly take on Jewish news and culture hosted by Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie Butnick, and Liel Leibovitz and brought to you by Tablet Studios.

This week on Unorthodox, we're going fer-mental. Liel and Stephanie sit down with chef David Zilber, the director of the fermentation lab at Noma, the Copenhagen restaurant credited with redefining Nordic cuisine. He and Noma chef and co-owner Rene Redzepi just came out with The Noma Guide to Fermentation, which has everything you could ever want to know about fermenting. He tells us about growing up eating Ashkenazi and Caribbean cuisine in Toronto, seeing Drake and the cast of Degrassi on the subway, and what his favorite Jewish comfort food, latkes, would look like fermented. Sophia talks to journalist Alix Wall, whose March 2018 article about inmate James A. White Jr. in J., the Jewish News of Northern California, may help get the septuagenarian pardoned next month. White, who is serving life without parole for murder and has been incarcerated for the past 37 years, spearheaded programs that give inmates a college education—1,500 men in his prison have since gotten their college degrees. We're heading to Cleveland! Join us Nov. 5 for a live show at the Mandel JCC with special guests David Gilbert, CEO of Destination Cleveland, and former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame president Terry Stewart. Get your tickets here. We'll also be in We'll also be in Houston Nov. 6, at the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC with Rice Jewish Studies professor Joshua Furman and other guests. Those tickets are here. Have a question for Unorthodox? Send it to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our new listener line: 914-570-4869.

This week on Unorthodox, we're on patrol. We talk to Ruchie Freier, the founder of Ezras Nashim, the first all-female volunteer ambulance in New York City, founded and staffed by Hasidic women in Borough Park, Brooklyn. Ruchie and Ezras Nashim are the subject of the documentary '93Queen', made by filmmaker Paula Eiselt, who also joins us. Ruchie Freier is a New York City Criminal Court judge, and the first Hasidic woman to hold elected office in the US. Paula Eiselt is an independent filmmaker. '93Queen' is her feature film directorial debut. Join us at October 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Marlene Meyerson JCC! Our special guests are New York Times writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner, RISK! podcast host Kevin Allison, and rapper MC Paul Barman. Get your tickets here!. This episode is sponsored by the 2019 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards. Do you know a Jewish teen making a difference? Nominate them for the $36,000 award at dillerteenawards.org. This episode is sponsored to you by Harry’s. Get your trial shave set at Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX. This episode is sponsored by Belvedere Vodka, certified Kosher by the Orthodox Union and produced in accordance with the legal requirements of Polish Vodka. For more, visit belvederevodka.com. Reimagine End of Life is a weeklong festival to spark dialogue, break down taboos, and bring diverse communities together around the universal topics of life and death. Reimagine End of Life is taking place all over New York City from October 28th to November 3rd. For a full list of events, visit jccmanhattan.org/reimagine.

This week on Unorthodox, we're still recovering from all the Jewish holidays. Our Jewish guest is Benyamin Cohen, host of the weekly podcast "Our Friend from Israel." He's also the guy who manages the official social media feeds for Albert Einstein, which might just be the best job ever. He tells us about tweeting for the late genius, plus his journey into megachurches while writing his 2009 book, “My Jesus Year: A Rabbi’s Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith." Our gentile of the week is Wall Street Journal sports columnist Jason Gay, who returns to the show to talk unconventional baseball propositions, Yiddish colloquialisms, and the other Ben Cohen. Join us at our next NYC live show on October 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Marlene Meyerson JCC! Returning to the show will be New York Times writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner, plus some special surprises. You won't want to miss it Have a question for Unorthodox? Send it to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our new listener line: 914-570-4869. We’re also looking for stories about Jewish superstitions for our Halloween episode. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt! This episode is also sponsored by One Day University. Get 20% off your ticket to see Mark Oppenheimer's Oct. 14 lecture on religion in America by using the code MARK when you register at OneDayU.com. Additional support for this episode comes from The Branch, a new podcast from Hadassah. Each episode explores how positive relationships between Israeli Jews and Arabs can bring new hope for a truly shared society. Check it out at Hadassah.org/thebranch.

This week on Unorthodox, we're going down to the station. Our guests are Hal Linden and Ryan Ochoa, who co-star in the new film The Samuel Project. Linden is best known for his portrayal of police precinct captain Barney Miller in the eponymous TV series, which aired from 1975-1982 (millennials, you can binge it on Amazon Prime), but his prolific six-decade career has included perfomances on stage and in film. Ochoa is an actor and musician who has appeared in the Disney series "Pair of Kings" and the Nickelodeon series "iCarly." They tell us about their intergenerational new film, about a Jewish grandfather and grandson who connect over a school project that reveals the grandfather's little-known story of survival. They also tell us about their real-life frienship: Linden, born Harold Lipshitz in the Bronx in 1931, has become something of a mentor to the 22-year-old Ochoa as he works to break out of the Disney-kid mold and take on serious roles. Ochoa is serious in his study: Linden is the only person he actually calls on the phone. We also drop by a Yiddish for Dogs workshop in New York's Central Park hosted by the Workmen's Circle. Have a question for Unorthodox? Send it to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our new listener line: 914-570-4869. We’re also looking for stories about Jewish superstition for our Halloween episode. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt! This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get your trial shave set at Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX

This week on Unorthodox, we're celebrating the Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot! Farmers and Etrogs and more! Who says Jews don't farm? Stephanie Butnick reports from Petaluma, CA, where activist Jews fleeing Eastern Europe in the early 1900s settled and became chicken ranchers. The politically-minded chicken-farming Jews of Petaluma even got a visit from Golda Meir! What's Sukkot all about anyway? And what's with the lulav and etrog? Liel Leibovitz and producer Josh Kross head to West Side Judaica to check out their etrog selection and chat with customers looking to stock up before Sukkot. Where exactly do those etrogs come from? We sent our assistant editor Sophie Steinert-Evoy to Lindcove Ranch in Exeter, CA, to visit the country's only commercial etrog farm. It's run by two generations of the Kirkpatrick family, who aren't Jewish but know way more about etrogs than most Jews. And finally, we have a visit with our favorite Minnesotan sugar beet farmer, Nick Hagen, and we find out how his produce winds up our tables and at Russ and Daughters. And Have a question for Unorthodox? Send it to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our new listener line: 914-570-4869. We’re also looking for stories about Jewish superstition for our Halloween episode. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt! This episode is sponsored by One Day University. Get 20% off your ticket to see Mark Oppenheimer's Oct. 14 lecture on religion in America by using the code MARK when you register at OneDayU.com. Additional support comes from The Branch, a new podcast from Hadassah. Each episode explores how positive relationships between Israeli Jews and Arabs can bring new hope for a truly shared society. Check it out at Hadassah.org/thebranch.

This week on Unorthodox, we're really, really sorry. We're marking the Days of Awe between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur with our annual apology show. We're joined again this year by Tablet contributor Marjorie Ingall, who runs the website SorryWatch, which analyzes apologies in the news. She goes over the best and worst public apologies of 5778, and offers tips for how to make a meaningful apology. Storyteller Hal Karp tells of how, during a particularly dark period of his life, he goaded his brother into a fight that got him arrested—and how he ultimately repaired that relationship years later. Plus, our producer Noah Levinson catches up with Yonkers resident Quai Stewart, who gained Internet notoriety after his video mocking a young Hasidic boy’s haircut went viral—and whose subsequent apology video won him fans in the Jewish community. And finally, Sarah Lefton from BimBam.com joins us with a little lesson about Tzom Gedaliah. Want more Yom Kippur inspiration? You can listen to our previous apology episodes. In honor of the Jewish new year, we're giving away 10 beautiful mezuzahs from Apeloig Collection, a line of sleek and modern Judaica founded by sisters Daniela and Gabriela Apeloig. Join our Facebook group and look out for a prompt to enter. We love hearing from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with memories from your favorite episodes or leave a message at our new listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind the scenes! Show your love for Unorthodox with our T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours here. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get your trial shave set at Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX. Additional support comes from The Branch, a new podcast from Hadassah. Each episode explores how positive relationships between Israeli Jews and Arabs can bring new hope for a truly shared society. Check it out at Hadassah.org/thebranch.

Happy birthday to us! We're celebrating three years of Unorthodox with a very special episode featuring our hosts, producers, and Tablet staffers reflecting on some of our most memorable segments. Tablet editor-in-chief Alana Newhouse revisits our very first episode, and shares her initial doubts about our audio adventure; host Liel Leibovitz reflects on his contentious Ep. 25 interview  with Jewish Voice for Peace's Rebecca Vilkomerson, and what he learned from the interaction; and Tablet executive editor Wayne Hoffman delights in our Ep. 121 live show interview with comedian Judy Gold, where she offered a Field Guide to the Jewish Mother. Producer Noah Levinson teleports a few hundred news cycles back to Ep. 120 , where we called up Roy Moore's Jewish lawyer Martin Wishnatsky, who also happens to be a practicing Christian; and producer Shira Telushkin shares her unexpected takeaway from Ep. 137, where Yossi Klein Halevi discussed his book about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Host Mark Oppenheimer reminisces about his Ep. 119 interview with West Virginia rabbi Joseph Hample, who described his unlikely journey to the rabbinate—and West Virginia; Producer Josh Kross gets taken for a ride in the Mitzvah Tank in Ep. 143, and is surprised to find he doesn't hate it; and host Stephanie Butnick takes a trip to East Grand Forks, Minnesota, to visit one of our favorite guests. We love hearing from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with your favorite interviews over the past three years, or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. Please also consider leaving a review in iTunes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt This episode is also brought to you by Harry’s. Get your trial shave set at Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX. This episode is also sponsored by the 2019 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards. Do you know a Jewish teen making a difference? Nominate them for the $36,000 award at dillerteenawards.org.

This week on Unorthodox, we're all about Eichmann. We sit down with Operation Finale director Chris Weitz and actor Nick Kroll to discuss the new film, which depicts the 1960 covert mission to capture Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi architect of the Final Solution, who was living under an assumed identity in Argentina. Kroll, who is best known as a comic actor, plays Rafi Eitan, the Shin Bet leader who coordinated the mission, alongside Oscar Isaac as legendary Mossad agent Peter Malkin, Ben Kingsley as Eichmann, and French actress Mélanie Laurent, of Inglourious Basterds fame. They tell us how their respective backgrounds and upbringings, while different, each drew them to this film; what it was like to work with Ben Kingsley; and why telling this story now is more important than ever. Our summer fundraising effort is almost over! Consider making a donation at tabletmag.com/donate. Write the name of your favorite host in the note. We love hearing from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. Please also consider leaving a review in iTunes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up [http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast] for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt Support for this podcast comes from the MGM film Operation Finale, starring Golden Globe winner Oscar Isaac and Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley, in theaters now. Additional support comes from The Branch, a new podcast from Hadassah. Each episode explores how positive relationships between Israeli Jews and Arabs can bring new hope for a truly shared society. Check it out at Hadassah.org/thebranch. This episode is also brought to you by Harry’s. Get your trial shave set at Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX.

This week on Unorthodox, the producers take over while Mark, Liel, and Stephanie are off having summer fun. Shira, Noah, and Josh bring you three stories of people sharing, studying and challenging their faith. First up, Unorthodox couples counseling. Listeners Ken Rosen and Elettra Pauletto came to us to discuss their pre-marriage anxieties about conversion, kids, and Jewish practice. Second, Shira sits down with her favorite gentile, Harvard Divinity School professor Charles Stang, to talk about how he formed his Christian identity, discovering his love of Ashkenazi food, and the challenge of finding good babka in Israel. Finally, we check in with Franciscan Sister Julia Walsh, who was a guest on our Mother’s Day episode. After she mentioned she didn’t think there were any Jews up in the Northern Woods of Wisconsin, our listeners in the area invited her to a Shabbat dinner. We’ve got the tape. We also bring you an update on our fundraising drive. If you like listening to us, consider making a donation at tabletmag.com/donate. Write the name of your favorite host in your donation notes. We love hearing from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. If you like listening, please consider leaving a review in iTunes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt This episode is sponsored by Simple Contacts. Get 20 dollars off your first order of contacts at simplecontacts.com/UNORTHODOX or enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout! This episode is also sponsored by the 2019 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards. To learn more–and nominate a Jewish teen making a difference–check out dillerteenawards.org.

This week on Unorthodox, we're wining and dining. Our Jewish guest is author Andre Aciman, whose 2007 novel Call Me By Your Name was adapted into the Oscar-nominated film starring Armie Hammer and Timothee Chalamet. He tells us about being forced to leave Egypt with his family as a teenager, getting recognized on the Upper West Side after the film premiered, and his absolute favorite coffeemaker. Our gentile of the week is journalist Kevin Begos, whose new book is Tasting the Past: The Science of Flavor and the Search for the Origins of Wine, a literary undertaking that began when he found an obscure wine from Bethlehem in a hotel room minibar. He tells us how local Israeli grapes got overshadowed when Edmond de Rothschild arrived in the 19th century and started making European wine in the Holy Land, and why we should ditch the Pinot Noirs and Cabernets and drink wine made from local Israeli grapes like jandali, hamdani, and dabouki instead.  This is the last week of our fundraising drive. If you like listening to us, consider making a donation at tabletmag.com/donate. Write the name of your favorite host in your donation notes. We love hearing from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. If you like listening, please consider leaving a review in iTunes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt This episode is sponsored by One Day University. Get 20% off your ticket to see Mark Oppenheimer's Oct. 14 lecture on religion in America by using the code MARK when you register at OneDayU.com. This episode is sponsored by Harry’s. Get $5 off a shave set from Harry’s with code UNORTHODOX at Harrys.com.

Tradition, tradition! In honor of a new Yiddish production of Fiddler on the Roof, we're heading back to Anatevka. Our Jewish guest is Rachel Zatcoff, who plays Tzeitel in The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene Off-Broadway production, Fidler afn Dakh. Our Gentile of the week is James Monroe Števko, who plays Mendl, the rabbi's son. They tell us about learning Yiddish for the show and what it's like working with director Joel Grey and Jackie Hoffman, who plays Yenta. We also sit down with Alisa Solomon, author of Wonder of Wonders: A Cultural History of Fiddler on the Roof, to discuss the cultural significance of Fiddler on the Roof, which first opened on Broadway in 1965, as well as the Sholem Aleichem stories the play is based on. We love hearing from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. If you like listening, please consider leaving a review in iTunes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt This episode is sponsored by One Day University. Get 20% off your ticket to see Mark Oppenheimer's Oct. 14 lecture on religion in America by using the code MARK when you register at OneDayU.com.

This week on Unorthodox: Is it OK to say 'JAP'? We were joined by Odd Mom Out's Jill Kargman, Broadway legend Tovah Feldshuh, and Jewish Women's Archive director Judith Rosenbaum at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan last week for a lively discussion and debate about the Jewish American Princess stereotype–its origins, implications, and cultural staying power. We also screened a short film we made about the JAP stereotype, which you can watch here, and heard from audience members about what the phrase means to them. Let us know what you think about the JAP debate–email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. If you like listening, please consider leaving a review in iTunes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by Harry’s. Get $5 off a shave set from Harry’s with code UNORTHODOX at Harrys.com This episode is also sponsored by the 2019 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards. To learn more–and nominate a Jewish teen making a difference–check out dillerteenawards.org.

"Hi, are you Jewish?" It's a question you may have been asked in any number of towns or cities by a smiling bearded man wearing a yarmulke. It's one of the trademarks of Chabad, the Hasidic movement that dispatches its young men around town to help Jewish strangers perform a mitzvah—Jewish women are offered Shabbat candles, and Jewish men are encouraged to put on tefillin. We've always been fascinated with this practice, with some of us finding it charming and others, frankly, terrifying. So we did the only thing we could do: We went to Manhattan's crowded Union Square during lunchtime, accompanied by our very own Chabad sherpas, to see what it was like to talk to absolute strangers about religion. While we're asking questions: Is it OK to say "JAP"? That's what we'll be discussing at our live show Wednesday, June 18, at the JCC Manhattan. Jill Kargman of Odd Mom Out will join us to screen a short film we made about the persistence of the Jewish American Princess stereotype. Broadway legend Tovah Feldshuh and Jill Kargman of Odd Mom Out will join us to screen a short film we made about the persistence of the Jewish American Princess stereotype. There will be a lively discussion, audience questions, and much more. Get your tickets here. Our donation drive is live! We have fun prizes for all levels of giving, including a special Camp Unorthodox T-shirt, an Unorthodox enamel pin, an 'Unorthodox Approved' laptop sticker, and more. And this year are hosts are upping the stakes with a contest: When you give, include a note with the name of your favorite host. The host who gets the least love will have to face a very creative and amusing penalty on air. Visit tabletmag.com/donate to be part of the fun. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. If you like us, please consider leaving a review in iTunes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by Harry’s. New customers get 5 dollars off a shave set from Harry’s when you sign up at harrys.com/unorthodox.

In honor of July 4th, we're celebrating the diversity of American Jewish life—which, as we've learned, goes well beyond eating bagels on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Up first, we get a crash course in the history of Jews in the South from Stuart Rockoff, who created the Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities, a rich online resource from the Institute of Southern Jewish Life. Next, Sammy Potter tells us about driving an hour to synagogue from his home in Yarmouth, ME, and why he wants to return to Maine after college. Yemile Bucay then describes her Mexican Syrian family's move from Mexico City to San Antonio, TX, and how she ended up raising her family in Great Neck, NY. Rabbi Tirzah Firestone follows to tell us about the Jewish Renewal movement in Boulder, CO. Finally, from Tulsa, OK, a vibrant Jewish community in the American heartland, we speak with Rabbi Marc Fitzerman and his children, Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Nina Fitzerman-Blue, about the unique landscape of Jewish life on the Arkansas River. Plus we hear from a couple listeners! Our donation drive is live! We have fun prizes for all levels of giving, including a special Camp Unorthodox T-shirt, an Unorthodox enamel pin, an 'Unorthodox Approved' laptop sticker, and more. And this year are hosts are upping the stakes with a contest: When you give, include a note with the name of your favorite host. The host who gets the least love will have to face a very creative and amusing penalty on air. Visit tabletmag.com/donate to be part of the fun. Is it OK to say ‘JAP’? That’s the subject of our next live show, June 18 at the JCC Manhattan. Jill Kargman of Odd Mom Out and Broadway legend Tovah Feldshuh will join us to screen a short film we made about the persistence of the Jewish American Princess stereotype. We’ll follow with a lively discussion, audience questions, and much more. Get your tickets now! We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. If you like us, please consider leaving a review in iTunes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt.

This week on Unorthodox, we have three special guests. Jonathan Ornstein is the executive director of the JCC Krakow, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. With more than 10,000 visitors a month, the JCC is at the center of a Jewish revival in Poland, that Ornstein, a New York native, is witnessing—and cultivativating—firsthand. We also talk with Gabi Birkner and Rebecca Soffer of Modern Loss, a website that aims to make conversations about grief less fraught and awkward. Their book, Modern Loss: Candid Conversation About Grief, Beginners Welcome, was published this year. They share their personal stories of loss and explain how Jewish rituals surrounding loss can sometimes fall short. Our donation drive is live! We have fun prizes for all levels of giving, including a special Camp Unorthodox T-shirt, an Unorthodox enamel pin, an 'Unorthodox Approved' laptop sticker, and more. And this year are hosts are upping the stakes with a contest: When you give, include a note with the name of your favorite host. The host who gets the least love will have to face a very creative and amusing penalty on air. Visit tabletmag.com/donate to be part of the fun. Is it OK to say ‘JAP’? That’s the subject of our next live show, July 18 at the JCC Manhattan. Jill Kargman of Odd Mom Out will join us to screen a short film we made about the persistence of the Jewish American Princess stereotype. We’ll follow with a lively discussion with guests including Judith Rosenbaum of the Jewish Women’s Archive and Bat Sheva Marcus of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, audience questions, and much more. Get your tickets here. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. If you like us, please consider leaving a review in iTunes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re all about food and futbol. Our Jewish guest is writer and food historian Michael Twitty, whose book The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South, won two James Beard Awards this year. He describes being told that a book by a black, Jewish, gay man would never succeed (and how it felt to prove them wrong!), explains how most of the foods we eat today originated in Africa, and tells us why Jewish food is more than just gefilte fish. Our Gentile of the Week is Simon Doonan, creative ambassador-at-large for Barneys New York, whose latest book, Soccer Style: The Magic and Madness, is out in time for World Cup madness. He returns to the show (last time is here) to dish on life with his Jewish husband Jonathan Adler, tell us what to look out for in this summer's World Cup, and explain why, despite being British, he calls it soccer, not football. Finally, fan favorite Molly Yeh calls in to tell us about her new Food Network show, Girl Meets Farm, which premieres June 24. (Here she is telling the Food Network about her "favorite podcast of all time" and making us blush.) Our next live show is July 18 at the JCC Manhattan, and it’s an episode devoted to the question, “Is it OK to say ‘JAP’”? Jill Kargman of Odd Mom Out joins us to screen a short film we made about the persistence of the Jewish American Princess stereotype. We’ll follow with a lively discussion with guests including Judith Rosenbaum of the Jewish Women’s Archive and Bat Sheva Marcus of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, audience questions, and much more. Get your tickets here. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. If you like us, please consider leaving a review in iTunes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at harrys.com/unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, we talk to Rabbi Mike Moskowitz, the new scholar in residence for trans and queer Jewish studies at CBST, the world's largest LGBTQ synagogue. He's the first Orthodox rabbi at the New York City synagogue, and he explains how Judaism, even at its most observant, can make room for transgender adherents—and how Jews could learn a lot from the trans community.  We're also joined by Gentile of the week Matthew Polly, whose latest book is Bruce Lee: A Life. He tells us about Lee's continued influence in not just martial arts but Hollywood as well, describes his own two-year study of kung fu at the Shaolin Temple in China, and shares a surprising discovery he made while researching the book: Bruce Lee is one-eighth Jewish! Mark sits down with our Jewish guest, Arnold Gorlick, owner of Madison Art Cinemas, one of the country's last great arthouses. He tells Mark about growing up in Brooklyn as the son of an appetizing store owner before moving to Connecticut and devoting himself to indie movies. And in honor of Father's Day, we're airing Liel's moving story about fatherhood, and his own father, which he shared at a Moth storytelling event. Our next live show is July 18 at the JCC Manhattan, and it’s an episode devoted to the question “Is it OK to say ‘JAP’?” Jill Kargman of Odd Mom Out joins us to screen our short film about the persistence of the Jewish American Princess stereotype. We’ll follow with a lively discussion with guests including Judith Rosenbaum of the Jewish Women’s Archive and Bat Sheva Marcus of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, audience questions, and much more. Get your tickets here. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. If you like us, please consider leaving a review in iTunes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt.

For our first book club episode, we talk to Israeli-born writer Ruby Namdar about his ambitious second book, The Ruined House, which won Israel's most prestigious literary award and was recently translated into English. The book is set in New York City, where he's lived for the past 18 years, and follows a charming and successful professor named Andrew P. Cohen as he descends into a very peculiar kind of madness. Ruby tells us why he made his protagonist such a specific male archetype, and explains the difference between American and Israeli literary culture (he didn't discover Philip Roth until he moved to the U.S.). He also answers questions from listeners who read the book along with us, such as, "Why does the main character live near Columbia if he teaches downtown at NYU?" Plus, New York Times writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner joins us to talk about her essay about what reading Philip Roth in an observant household taught her about being an American Jew. New York listeners, come see Stephanie moderate the Jewish Book Council's Unpacking the Book event at the Jewish Museum on June 14 at 7 p.m. Info here. Our next full live show is July 18 at the JCC Manhattan, and it's an episode we're calling: "Is it OK to say ‘JAP’?”. Jill Kargman of Odd Mom Out joins us to screen a new short film about the persistence of the Jewish American Princess stereotype. We'll follow with a lively discussion with guests including Judith Rosenbaum of the Jewish Women's Archive and Bat Sheva Marcus from the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (who appear in the film) and more. There will be loads of audience participation as well! Get your tickets here. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. If you like us, please consider leaving a review in iTunes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at harrys.com/unorthodox.

Philip Roth died on May 22, 2018, and we wanted to bring you a few pieces while you wait for our next episode. First up, Mark Oppenheimer visited The Gist to talk with host Mike Pesca about Roth's place in the literary and Jewish canon. Plus, our editor Noah Levinson goes on the Newark public library's tour around the Weequahic neighborhood where Roth grew up. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. If you like us, please consider leaving a review in iTunes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt.

This week on Unorthodox, Liel prepares for his role as honorary grand marshal at New York City's Celebrate Israel Parade on June 3. Our Jewish guest is Yossi Klein Halevi, senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and the author of 'Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor.' He tells us how he, as a religious Jew in Jerusalem, came to understand the Palestinian perspective, why he framed the book as a letter to an imagined interlocutor, and the crucial need to recognize that both sides have their own truths, and that respecting each of those truths is the first step towards any reconciliation. Our gentile of the week is Astead Herndon, who recently joined the New York Times as a national political reporter from the Boston Globe. He tells us about the challenges of covering the Trump administration, growing up as the son of two Pentecostal preachers, and the summer he spent as a JCC camp counselor in Chicago. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. If you like us, please consider leaving a review in iTunes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at harrys.com/unorthodox.

On Shavuot we read the Book of Ruth, which tells the story of Ruth, the first convert to Judaism, who ultimately becomes the great-grandmother of King David. In Ruth's honor, this week we're talking about conversion to Judaism, and hearing stories from people around the globe who have chosen to become Jewish—starting with our listeners. Reporter Abby Holtzman travels to Savannah, Georgia, to bring us the story of a 13-year-old girl who has taken the plunge, literally, to convert to Judaism. Rabbi Seth Farber, the director of ITIM, an advocacy organization that helps people convert to Judaism outside the Orthodox Rabbinate, explains the complexities of conversion in Israel, and how he's trying to change that. Nathan Steiger shares his story of losing his Mormon faith and, together with his wife and daughters, embracing Orthodox Judaism and converting as a family. Naomi Telushkin (sister of our producer Shira Telushkin) and her fiancee, Ben Pigett, an Australian submariner converting to Judaism, discuss what Judaism—and Ben's conversion—means to both of them. Listener Yolanda Wu tells us about her decision to finish her conversion 20 years after she started it — and the very jewish life she and her family lived in that time. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. If you like us, please consider leaving a review in iTunes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by One Day University, which brings together the greatest professors from the world's top schools to present special versions of their best lectures live. Register for upcoming events at www.onedayu.com using the code JEWISH for 30 percent off.

Our Jewish guest this week is Peninah Lamm Kaplansky, who in 2015 wrote a candid and moving account of her miscarriage, at 21 weeks, and the need for more resources and discussion surrounding infertility and miscarriage in Jewish communities. Our Gentile of the Week is Sister Julia Walsh, a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration and a Catholic youth minister. Sister Julia tells us about the painful decision to give up motherhood, something she had always dreamed of, when she entered the life at 24, and the unexpected freedom she found in her work for the church. We also sit down with filmmaker Rachel Myers and her grandmother Roberta Mahler, the director and star of Wendy’s Shabbat, a documentary about a group of seniors who meet each week for Shabbat dinner at a local Wendy’s fast-food restaurant. Rachel and Roberta tell us what they learned about each other while making a film together, Roberta’s newfound celebrity status, and the ways Jewish community can be forged in the unlikeliest places. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. If you like us, please consider leaving a review in iTunes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by One Day University, which brings together the greatest professors from the world's top schools to present special versions of their best lectures live. Register for upcoming events at www.onedayu.com using the code UNORTHODOX for 30 percent off. This episode is also sponsored by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at harrys.com/unorthodox.

 It's Lag Ba'Omer, aka the 33rd day of the Omer, aka the period between Passover and Shavuot! Our Jewish guest is Sen. Joe Lieberman, whose new book, 'With Liberty & Justice: The 50-Day Journey from Egypt to Sinai,' explores the importance of the Omer. He tells us about being one of the most publically observant Jews in politics, why he never wore a yarmulke in the Senate, and whether the Gore White House would have had a kosher kitchen. Our Gentile of the week is Skylar Inman, the host of Intractable, a podcast that explores the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by sharing the narratives and stories of people living on both sides. Skyler, who was raised Evangelical in Houston, Texas, tells us why she decided to move to Israel after college and the unexpected benefits of approaching such a heated topic as a complete outsider.  We also call up Tobias Wilinski, host of the German rap podcast ThemaTakt, to get the full story behind the two German rappers whose album featuring anti-Semitic lyrics won a music award. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. If you like us, please consider leaving a review in iTunes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by One Day University, which brings together the greatest professors from the world's top schools to present special versions of their best lectures live. Register for upcoming events at www.onedayu.com using the code UNORTHODOX for 30 percent off.

Natalie Portman won't accept 'Jewish Nobel Prize' in Israel, plus Jewish artichoke drama in Italy. Our Jewish guest is Rachel Simmons, the author of Enough As She Is: How to Help Girls Move Beyond Impossible Standards of Success to Live Healthy, Happy and Fulfilling Lives. Rachel explains the pressures facing young girls in America today, how we can support our daughters and nieces and friends, and whether things are any better at Jewish schools. Our gentile of the week is Linda Curtis, whose memoir Shunned: How I Lost My Religion and Found Myself, chronicles her decision to leave her close-knit Jehovah’s Witness community and ultimately being formally shunned by the religion. Linda tells us about life as a Jehovah's Witness, why she left, and why she has no animosity towards the community—and family—that shunned her. Her question for the panel is whether Jews are ever formally excommunicated like she was. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our new listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. If you like us, please consider leaving a review in iTunes. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Follow us on Twitter and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/Unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at harrys.com/unorthodox. This episode is sponsored by One Day University, which brings together the greatest professors from the world's top schools to present special versions of their best lectures live. Register for upcoming events at www.onedayu.com using code UNORTHODOX for 30 percent off.

This week on Unorthodox, we're celebrating 70 years of Israeli food, music, and culture in honor of Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel's independence day. First, we're joined by writer and comedian Periel Aschenbrand, who tells us what it's like to be married to an Israeli man. Next, we check out the newest outpost of Israeli chef Eyal Shani's pita empire, Miznon, here in New York, and chat with Shani over his world famous cauliflower pita. We also chat with Israeli singer and activist Yael Deckelbaum, whose song "Prayer of the Mothers" is a call for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our new listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Follow us on Twitter and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours here: bit.ly/Unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by One Day University, which brings together the greatest professors from the world's top schools to present special versions of their best lectures live. Register for upcoming events at www.onedayu.com using the code UNORTHODOX for 30 percent off.

This week on Unorthodox, a crossover episode! We're joined by Joshua Malina and Hrishikesh Hirway, hosts of The West Wing Weekly podcast, an episode-by-episode discussion of one of television's most beloved shows. Malina, who played Will Bailey on The West Wing, currently stars in Scandal, which will air its series finale later this month. Hirway, a musician and composer, is the creator and host of the Song Exploder podcast. We talk about revisiting the glory days of early aughts TV programming, being Jewish on Twitter, and, of course, Jewish food. We also talk to Rabbi Rick Eisenberg, who left the pulpit to work as an opioid addiction counselor in the Jewish community. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us or leave a message at our new listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours here: bit.ly/Unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by the UJA Federation of New York. Join their “Matzah Challenge” on social media. Snap a picture of your matzah using the hashtag #MatzahChallenge. Every photo posted with the hashtag will result in an $18 donation to help someone in need. This episode is also sponsored by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at harrys.com/unorthodox.

Download your free copy of the Unorthodox Haggadah! This week on Unorthodox, everything you ever wanted to know about Passover. We answer listener questions, writer Roya Hakakian tells us about Persian Passover traditions, including scallion whipping at the Seder, and producer Josh Kross’s mother-in-law Elsie Apfelbaum shares the magic of Mimouna, the Moroccan festival celebrating the end of Passover (with some help from Josh’s daughter Stella). Jay Miah tells the story of how his father worked at the Streit’s Matzo Factory upon immigrating to America from Bangladesh, and humorist Adam Mansbach talks about comedic haggadot—he cowrote For This We Left Egypt with Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel—and the enduring power of the Passover story. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us or leave a message at our new listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours here. 

Proof that Jews don't control the weather? Our live show was cancelled due to snow in the New York area. But thanks to a pre-Passover miracle we were able to record an interview with our gentile of the week, Bart Campolo, in producer Josh Kross' living room. (With everyone's kids, since school was cancelled.) Bart Campolo is evangelical Christian royalty—his father, Tony Campolo, is one of the most well-known leaders of the evangelical left—and became a believer himself as a teenager. He spent the next 30 years as an evangelical preacher, but his faith slowly unraveled until 2011, when he finally came out as secular. Bart now works as a humanist chaplain at the University of Cincinnati. He tells us about his dramatic journey, explains what a campus humanist chaplain does, and describes his coaching practice with people navigating their own faith transitions. Learn more about Bart and his podcast, Humanize Me, at bartcampolo.org. Head over to www.tabletmag.com/unorthodoxhaggadah to get the official Unorthodox Haggadah. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us or leave a message at our new listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, and baby onesies. Get yours here: bit.ly/Unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox This episode is also sponsored by Hello Fresh. Visit hellofresh.com and use promo code UNORTHODOX for $30 off your first week of deliveries.

Our Jewish guest this week is Leah Sarna, a student at Yeshivat Maharat, the first yeshiva to ordain women as Orthodox Jewish clergy. She explains the institutional conflict over female ordination in the Orthodox community and tells us what her role will be at an Orthodox congregation in Chicago after graduation —and what title she’ll go by. Our Gentile of the week is writer Lauren Oyler, who tells us why honest cultural criticism is more important than ever, and recommends some books for our listeners to check out.  New York-area listeners, join us for a live Unorthodox taping with guests Senator Joe Lieberman and Bart Campolo, host of the podcast Humanize Me, on Wednesday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. Buy tickets here.  We love hearing from our listeners! Email us or leave a message at our new listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, stickers, and, of course, baby onesies. Get yours here. This episode is sponsored by the Jewish Activism Summer School in Berlin. To learn more about the program, visit www.jassberlin.org.

Be part of our next Ask Unorthodox episode, airing during Passover. Send us your burning questions about Jewish ritual, culture, or traditions by March 9. Email them to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave us a message at 914-570-4869. Our first guest is Israeli food writer and tv personality Gil Hovav, whose new memoir, Candies from Heaven, is about growing up in Jerusalem in a close-knit family (and not just any family: Hovav's great grandfather is Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, who revived the modern Hebrew language). Our second guest is Alan Robert Ginsberg, author of The Salome Ensemble: Rose Pastor Stokes, Anzia Yezierska, Sonya Levien, and Jetta Goudal, about the four Jewish women behind the novel and subsequent 1925 film Salome of the Tenements. Our next live show is Wednesday, March 21 at the JCC Manhattan. Tickets here.  Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours here: bit.ly/Unorthoshirt. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. This episode is sponsored by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

This week, we're getting our grogger on for Purim. Returning to the show is film critic Jordan Hoffman, who preps us for the Oscars this weekend and offers his picks for the big winners. We're also joined by former FBI counterintelligence agent Asha Rangappa, now a CNN analyst an senior lecturer at Yale, who tells us how being an FBI agent is not what it looks like on TV. Be part of our next Ask Unorthodox episode, airing during Passover. Send us your burning questions about the holiday, or really anything—Jewish traditions, baby names, etiquette—by March 9. Email them to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave us a message at 914-570-4869. Our next live show is Wednesday, March 21 at the JCC Manhattan. Tickets here.  We've got swag! Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours here. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. 

Our Jewish guest is Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal, whose new Netflix series 'Somebody Feed Phil' chronicles his eating adventures around the word. He tells about the episode filmed in Tel Aviv—with cameos from chefs Michael Solomonov and Uri Buri—and why he thinks food is such a unifying force. Our gentile of the week is June Thomas, managing producer of Slate podcasts and one of the hosts of the Double X Gabfest. She explains why podcast hosts like talking to other podcast hosts, and presents the panel with a great question: Who’s the best Jewish character in U.S. television history? Mark Oppenheimer will be speaking at the Greenwich Reform Synagogue Friday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m.  More info here. Our next live show is Wednesday, March 21 at the JCC Manhattan. Tickets here.  Want more Unorthodox in your life? Join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. We've got swag! Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours here. We love hearing from our listeners. Email us or leave a message at our new listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. This episode is sponsored by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at harrys.com/unorthodox.

We're bringing you a special treat in our feed, a taste of our sister podcast, Israel Story.  First, we talk to the creator of Israel Story, and then we share one of our favorite episodes, King of the Hill. From the top of Tell El-Ful, an abandoned hilltop in East Jerusalem, you can see all the way from Amman to Tel Aviv, from Jerusalem to Ramallah. And you can also travel back and forth in time, moving between the biblical King Saul and the bearded King Hussein. Along the way, we'll hear tales of brutalized concubines, murderous tribesmen, biblical archeology, royal families and devastating wars. We're pretty sure that once you're done, you'll want to subscribe to their show as well.  Buy an Unorthodox shirt! Click here and use the coupon code UnorthodoxLaunch2018. Our next live show is Wednesday, March 21 at the JCC Manhattan. Buy tickets here. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air.

This week, we talk to writer Molly Lambert, who shares the story of her grandmother Margaret Bergmann Lambert , a German-Jewish high jumper barred from the 1936 Olympics. We're also joined by Annette Ezekiel Kogan and Jeremy Brown of Golem, the klezmer-rock band behind our theme music. They perform a few favorites for us, including 7:40, a song based on the "Hava Nagilah of Russia." But wait, there's more! We visited the Harlem Hebrew Language Academy Charter School, a diverse dual-language elementary school in New York City, to see if Liel could keep up with the students b'ivrit. Buy an Unorthodox shirt! Click here and use the coupon code UnorthodoxLaunch2018. Our next live show is Wednesday, March 21 at the JCC Manhattan. Buy tickets here. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air.

Recorded live at at the Limmud Festival, an international celebration of Jewish learning and culture, in Birmingham, U.K. over Christmas. Mark hosted the show with writer and challah maven Sarah Klegman. Our guests are Anthony Mordechai Tzvi Russell, a vocalist, composer, and arranger specializing in Yiddish art and folk song, and Gabby Edlin, the founder of Bloody Good Period, which provides sanitary supplies to asylum seekers, refugees & those who can't afford them. Tablet is conducting a reader survey, and we'd love to hear from Unorthodox listeners (even if you don't read Tablet and only listen to Unorthodox). Plus, you'll be entered to win a $250 Russ & Daughters gift card! Take the survey here. Upcoming events: Stephanie will be moderating a discussion between Simon Doonan and Jonathan Adler about their relationship and how Judaism figures in it on Thursday, February 15th at Congregation Rodeph Sholom in New York City. It's free—RSVP here. Our next live show is Wednesday, March 21 at the JCC Manhattan. Buy tickets here. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. We love hearing from our listeners. Email us or leave a message at our new listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. This episode is sponsored by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

Our guest this week is Tova Mirvis, whose memoir, The Book of Separation, tells the story of her decision to leave Modern Orthodox Judaism, a world she recreated vividly for readers in the novels Visible City, The Outside World, and The Ladies Auxiliary. Our next live show is Wednesday, March 21 at the JCC Manhattan. Tickets here. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our new listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. Sign up for our newsletter here.

This week's episode was recorded at the Manhattan JCC. Our Jewish guest is comedian and actor Judy Gold, host of the podcast Kill Me Now. Our gentile of the week is Father James Martin, Jesuit priest and editor at large of America magazine. Missed the live show? Join us Tuesday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. for an intimate, off-the-record chat with Rabbi Sara Luria at Beloved in Brooklyn. Tickets here. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @liel, and @stuffism. You can also hear Stephanie discussing immigration and the American Dream under Trump on the Jan 29 episode of WNYC Midday, with two-time Unorthodox guest Negin Farsad. We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our new listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air.

This week, we've got something a little different for you. In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan 27, we sat down with Sandy Myers and Desiree Nazarian of Selfhelp Community Services, an organization that provides assistance to Holocaust survivors in need in the New York area. There are thousands of survivors living in the New York area today, and they have very particular emotional and physical needs as they age. You can read more about the work of the organization—and how to help—in this extended feature on Tablet. Our next full episode will drop on Monday, Jan 29. Some announcements: Come hang with us on Tuesday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m! We’ll be joining Rabbi Sara Luria for an intimate, off-the-record chat at Beloved in Brooklyn. Tickets here. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! And subscribe to our newsletter here. (Yep, it's different to the main Tablet newsletter!) We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our new listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. This episode is sponsored by Hello Fresh. Visit hellofresh.com and use promo code UNORTHODOX for $30 off your first week of deliveries.

Come see us live at the Manhattan JCC on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m., with special guests comedian Judy Gold and Father James Martin! More info and tickets here. And on Tuesday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m., we’ll be joining Rabbi Sara Luria for an intimate, off-the-record chat at Beloved in Brooklyn. Tickets here. This week on Unorthodox, Mark calls up Roy Moore's 'Jewish lawyer,' and Stephanie sits down with Jeffrey Masters, host of the podcast LGBTQ&A, which documents stories of the LGBTQ community. We're also joined by Anne Edelstein, author of a new memoir about death and grief, Lifesaving for Beginners. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Join our official Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our new listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. This week's episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

We have two upcoming events! A live recording at JCC Manhattan on 1/24 (tickets here), and a intimate, off-the-record schmooze with the hosts at Beloved in Brooklyn on 1/30 (tickets here). Plus, we're looking for a new producer—maybe that person is... you? This week, Mark sits down with Rabbi Joseph Hample of the Tree of Life Congregation in Morgantown, West Virginia. We're also joined by musicians David Chevan and Warren Byrd of the Afro-Semitic Experience, who tell us about fusing Jewish and African American liturgical traditions. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Sign up for our newsletter, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message on our hotline: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

We'll be recording live at the Manhattan JCC on Wednesday 1/24 at with special guests Judy Gold and Father James Martin! Get your tickets here. This week on Unorthodox, we respond to your questions on everything from Jewish pregnancy superstitions to what to read and watch while converting to Judaism. Plus we dive into the great tin foil vs. plastic baggie debate. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! And sign up for our weekly newsletter here. We love hearing from our listeners. Please send your feedback to unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your comments on the air.

We'll be recording live in NYC on 1/24 with comedian Judy Gold and Father James Martin! Buy your tickets here. This week: Everything you ever wanted to know about nose jobs, and their particular prominence in American Jewish life. Tablet editor-in-chief Alana Newhouse and executive editor Wayne Hoffman discuss their personal experiences with rhinoplasty. Plastic surgeon Jonathan Kaplan, founder of price transparency platform BuildMyBod, breaks down exactly what happens during a nose job, and explains how 'deviated septum' became a euphemism. Professor and art historian Matthew Baigell tells us about the first Jewish nose job, performed in Berlin in 1898, and how stereotypes of Jews and noses can be traced all the way back to the 1300s. Filmmaker Gayle Kirschenbaum, who documented her mother's very unsubtle requests that she get rhinoplasty in 'My Nose,' tells us about coming to terms with her nose—and her mother. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! We love hearing from our listeners. Please send your feedback to unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your comments on the air. This episode of Unorthodox is brought to you by PJ Library, the program that sends FREE Jewish books to more than 200,000 children around the world. Sign up at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox and they’ll send you a new book each month. This episode of Unorthodox is also brought to you by Wrestling Jerusalem, a unique film about Israel and Palestine, now available on DVD. Learn more at wrestlingjerusalem.com.

Hey J.Crew! A little bonus content for you this Monday afternoon: Unorthodox host Mark Oppenheimer published an op-ed in The New York Times earlier this year about our aversion to using the word 'Jew,' as opposed to 'Jewish.' On Wednesday, he appeared on WNYC's 'On the Media' with Brooke Gladstone to discuss these ideas in the context of Kayla Moore's recent controversial remarks about the Moores' Jewish attorney. Give a listen, and, as always, let us know what you think at unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Our next full episode will drop Thursday, December 21. Happy Hanukkah!

We'll be recording live at the Manhattan JCC on Wednesday, January 24 at 7:30 p.m. with special guests comedian Judy Gold and Father James Martin! Buy tickets here. Our Jewish guest this week is writer Jordana Horn Gordon, who returns to discuss her Hanukkah gifting strategy as the mother of six children. Our gentile of the week is journalist and religion scholar Reza Aslan, who tells us about his latest book, God: A Human History. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! And sign up for our weekly newsletter here. We love hearing from our listeners. Please send your feedback to unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your comments on the air. This episode of Unorthodox is brought to you by Harry's. As a special holiday offer for fans, we’ve partnered with Harry’s to give you $5 off your order when you go to Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX. This episode of Unorthodox is also brought to you by PJ Library, the program that sends FREE Jewish books to more than 200,000 children around the world. Sign up at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox and they’ll send you a new book each month.

This week we're coming to you live from Congregation Rodeph Sholom in New York City! Our next live show will take place on January 24 at JCC Manhattan, with Father James Martin and comedian Judy Gold. Get your tickets here! Our Jewish guest is food writer Mark Bittman, who just released the tenth anniversary edition of How To Cook Everything Vegetarian. He talked to us about the link between agriculture and global warming, and why Americans need to eat more real food. (But despite that, he still enjoys the occasional trip to McDonald's.) Our gentile of the week is Kristen Meinzer, co-host of the podcast By the Book. On each episode, Meinzer and her co-host Jolenta Greenberg live by the rules of a different self-help book—their selections include The Secret, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and French Women Don't Get Fat. She explains why women, historically neglected in conversations about health and wellness, are drawn to self-help books, why The Secret is bogus, and tells us what her self-help book would espouse. A Christmas obsessive, her question for the hosts is whether Jewish parents warn their children not to tell their gentile classmates that Santa isn't real. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! We love hearing from our listeners. Please send your feedback to unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your comments on the air. This episode of Unorthodox is brought to you by PJ Library, the program that sends FREE Jewish books to more than 200,000 children around the world. Sign up at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox and they’ll send you a new book each month. This week’s episode is sponsored by HelloFresh. For $30 off your first week of deliveries, visit hellofresh.com and enter UNORTHODOX30 when you subscribe.

This week on Unorthodox: Beauty pageant diplomacy, Gal Gadot's Mossad mix-up, and so much more. Our gentile of the week is Noreen Malone, New York magazine features editor and DoubleX Gabfest panelist. She tells us about growing up Catholic in the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Shaker Heights, her powerful 2015 cover story on 35 of Bill Cosby's accusers, and asks whether it's ever okay to call someone "jappy." Our Jewish guest this week is feminist author, speaker, and psychologist Phyllis Chesler. She talks to us about anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism in the feminist movement, and the future of feminism. Want more Unorthodox in your life? Join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! We love hearing from our listeners. Please send your feedback to unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we might read your comments on the air. This episode of Unorthodox is brought to you by Harry's. As a special holiday offer for fans, we’ve partnered with Harry’s to give you $5 off your order when you go to Harrys.com/UNORTHODOX. This episode of Unorthodox is also brought to you by PJ Library, the program that sends FREE Jewish books to more than 200,000 children around the world. Sign up at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox and they’ll send you a new book each month.

Our Jewish guest this week is Lani Santo, the executive director of Footsteps, a New York-based organization dedicated to helping formerly-Orthodox Jews establish new lives outside the insular communities in which they were raised. We discuss the new Netflix documentary ‘One of Us,’ which follows the lives of three Footsteps members. Our gentile of the week is Richard F. Thomas, Harvard Classics professor and author of the new book Why Bob Dylan Matters, which explores the literary themes linking the beloved American songwriter with the ancient poets of Greece and Rome. (So maybe that surprise Nobel win last year shouldn't have been a surprise at all.) Want more Unorthodox in your life? Join our Facebook group, sign up for our newsletter, and follow us on Twitter (@tabletmag , @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism)! Kvetch and kvell to us directly at unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we might read your comments on the air. This episode of Unorthodox is brought to you by PJ Library, the program that sends FREE Jewish books to more than 200,000 children around the world. Sign up at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox and they’ll send you a new book each month.

This week on Unorthodox, we can't be tamed. Our Jewish guest is Eddy Portnoy, senior researcher and director of exhibitions at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, whose new book is Bad Rabbi: And Other Strange but True Stories from the Yiddish Press. He tells us how he stumbled upon these colorful, less-remembered characters and tales—so many of which seem to involve Jews rioting—and why it's important for a community to examine the good with the bad to truly know its history. Our gentile of the week is Washington Post religion reporter Sarah Pulliam Bailey, who dropped by the studio in early October to tell us about growing up in a conservative, Christian environment in Indiana, the intricacies of covering religion while being a person of faith herself, and the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. We're giving away two copies of the Kale and Caramel cookbook, by episode 111 guest Lily Diamond! Enter the draw to win here. Join our new Facebook group! And sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag , @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set—including razor handle, blades, and gel—when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, we've got food on the brain. Our first guest is Kerry Brodie, founder of Emma's Torch, a cafe in Brooklyn that employs and trains refugees and political asylum seekers. She tells us about her unlikely transition from government work to culinary school, what she learned about refugees by working alongside them in the kitchen, and why she believes food is such a powerful uniting force. Our second guest is Lily Diamond, the Maui-born blogger behind Kale and Caramel, and the author of a brand new cookbook by the same name. She tells us about fleeing her laid-back Hawaiian high school for Yale, accidentally becoming a food blogger, and how food and cooking helped her grieve her mother's death. (Enter the draw to win a copy of her book here!) Join our new Facebook group! And sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag , @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism.

This week on Unorthodox, we're totally bewitched. Our Jewish guest is novelist Alice Hoffman, whose new book is The Rules of Magic, a prequel to her bestselling 1995 novel Practical Magic, which was made into the 1998 film starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. She tells us how she re-immersed herself in the magical Owens family 20 years later, the ways in which her Jewish background influenced her interest in rebellious women, and why it's important to her to redefine the popular mythology of witches. Our gentile of the week is a witch and priest in the Minoan Brotherhood, who studies neo-paganism at Harvard Divinity School. He tells us the difference between witches and pagans, how he planned to celebrate Samhain, the pagan festival also known as Halloween, and why eye of newt is something you might already have in your kitchen cabinet. Join our new Facebook group! And sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag , @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set—including razor handle, blades, and gel—when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

This week, we're live from JCC Manhattan! Our Jewish guest is writer A.J. Jacobs—our first-ever guest back in 2015—whose latest book is It's All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World's Family Tree. He tells us about his unlikely entry into the world of genealogy, the famous—and infamous—relatives he discovered, and, in a 'Maury'-style twist, reveals which hosts are related to him. Our gentile of the week is actor Kobi Libii, who played Cantor Duvid on Season 3 of 'Transparent' and currently appears on Comedy Central's 'The Opposition With Jordan Klepper'. He tells us about meeting with rabbis and other Jewish leaders to prepare for the 'Transparent' role, which required him to speak Hebrew, pivoting to political satire, and what he does to unwind from the constant news cycle he now covers. Join our new Facebook group! And sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag , @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. Unorthodox is sponsored by Hello Fresh, the leading meal-delivery kit service. Visit hellofresh.com and use promo code UNORTHODOX for $30 off your first week. Unorthodox is also sponsored by ModernTribe.com, a new kind of Jewish gift shop. Use the code UNORTHODOX to save 10% on your order through 2017.

Our Jewish guest this week is David Litt, author of Thanks, Obama: My Hopey, Changey White House Years, a memoir about his time as a speechwriter in the Obama White House. He tells us about teaching President Obama to say 'chag sameach' for a Passover video, writing jokes for the White House Correspondent's Dinner, and the time his grandpa sent him a water pipeline proposal to show the president. Our gentile of the week is U.S. Naval War College professor Thomas Nichols, whose latest book is The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters. He explains how experts today have been branded as out-of-touch elites and experience itself is being shunned—and how President Trump is the avatar of this cultural shift. We also discuss how his students' view of him changed after he was on Jeopardy, and why Jews feel such an affinity for Greeks. Come see us live on October 25 at the Manhattan JCC! Get your tickets here. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag , @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set—including razor handle, blades, and gel—when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, we're all about 5778. Our guest this week is Rabbi Shai Held, president and dean of the continuing education institute Mechon Hadar, and the author of The Heart of Torah, a new two-volume book of essays about each weekly Torah portion. He tells us why he dreaded tackling Leviticus but learned the most from it, explains why he's optimistic about the future of Judaism, and gives us some useful advice for the new year. Come see us live on October 25 at the Manhattan JCC! Get your tickets here. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! And email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we’ll share our favorite notes on-air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s! Get a free trial shave set (including razor handle, blades, and gel) valued at $13 when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

This week, we're all about atonement. For our third annual apology episode, we're joined by University of Nebraska–Lincoln professor Ari Kohen, who explains what makes an apology truly bad (and why he stopped blogging about apologies). Mark Osler, a former federal prosecutor turned clemency advocate, tells us about the personal journey behind his career change. Vanessa Zoltan, host of the podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, returns with a true story about a family apology that didn’t quite take. We also share your letters about Yom Kippur atonement, and offer our own apologies. (You can listen to our previous Yom Kippur episodes here and here!) Want to come to an Unorthodox taping IRL? (Of course you do!) Our next live show will be recorded in New York on October 25—tickets and info right here. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! And email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we’ll share our favorite notes on-air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s! Get a free trial shave set (including razor handle, blades, and gel) valued at $13 when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox: We recap the Butnick-Cohen nuptials (mazel tov!), Liel has a big reveal, and our guests wrestle with complicated legacies—both personal and political. Our first Jewish guest is Annabelle Gurwitch, the author of Wherever You Go, There They Are, a funny, wise memoir about the families we’re born into—and the families we choose. She talks about growing up with a fabulist father, becoming a drug mule for her elderly mother, her colorful Southern Jewish clan, and the various tribes she’s joined over the years in her quest for belonging. Our gentile of the week, director Dylan Kussman, comes with a bonus Jewish guest—actor/writer Aaron Davidman. They’re the creative duo behind Wrestling Jerusalem, a new film adaptation of Davidman’s one-man play that explores the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the lens of 17 characters from a range of religious, political, and ethnic backgrounds. Kussman explains what attracted him to a story about one of the world’s most controversial conflicts, and Davidman tells us how he recovers from his marathon stage performances. Wrestling Jerusalem is showing at Symphony Space in New York City through September 17. We love hearing from you! Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we’ll share our favorite notes on-air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set (including razor handle, blades, and gel) valued at $13 when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

This episode is brought to you by the letter A, for ally. Our Jewish guest is Brooke Kroeger, author of The Suffragents: How Women Used Men to Get the Vote. She tells us about the men whose support helped women get the vote, and what those of us who want to be allies to marginalized communities today should learn from their efforts. Our gentile of the week is German-Danish historian Thorsten Wagner, the academic director of FASPE: Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics, which sends law, medical, journalism, and business school students on specialized trips to Germany and Poland. He tells us why the FASPE programs deliberately focus on perpetrators and enablers, not victims, and weighs in on the current U.S. debate over monuments and memorials. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism.

If you love listening to Unorthodox, please make a donation before our fundraising drive ends next week! This week: Everything you ever wanted to know about Jewish weddings. Author Anita Diamant tells us about The Jewish Wedding Now, her newly updated guide to planning a meaningful Jewish celebration. Roberta Grossman, director of the documentary Hava Nagila (The Movie) explains how the catchy Hebrew folk song became a staple at Jewish weddings. Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie of New York’s Lab/Shul explains his recent decision to leave the rabbinic arm of the Conservative movement over its prohibition on performing interfaith weddings. Bat Sheva Marcus, clinical director of Maze Women’s Health and co-host of the Joy of Text podcast, tells us about the importance of communication for maintaining a healthy sex life, as newlyweds and beyond. And finally, Bridesmaid for Hire Jen Glantz explains why she decided to turn a much-maligned obligation into a profession. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set, valued at $13, when you sign up at harrys.com/unorthodox.

If you love listening to Unorthodox every week, please consider donating to keep us going for another hundred episodes. We put together a bunch of fun gifts, from tote bags to studio visits to an exclusive Sept. 6 cocktail party in New York City with Mark, Liel, and Stephanie. Our Jewish guest is linguist Sarah Bunin Benor, an expert in Jewish languages and the author of Becoming Frum: How Newcomers Learn the Language and Culture of Orthodox Judaism, an in-depth study of American Jewish language. She breaks down the linguistic 'tells' of Orthodox Jews, explains how religious Jews often code switch depending on their audience, and describes her experience as a non-Orthodox Jew immersing herself in Orthodox homes and communities for research. Our gentile of the week is architect and card-carrying WASP Duo Dickinson, who returns to the show to tell us about his forthcoming book, A Home Called New England. He also tells us what it's like being a white Christian male in America today, especially one who loves football, and poses an interesting question: Are week-long summer trips to Vermont essentially Birthright for WASPS? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Jewish Lives, biographies that illuminate the Jewish experience. Visit JewishLives.org to get 25 percent off all books and curated collections with the code JLBOOKS. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "C.R.E.A.M." by Wu-Tang Clan "A Duo" by James Horner, from the film An American Tail "F Minor Klezmer" by The Underscore Orkestra

If you love listening to Unorthodox every week, please consider making a donation to keep us going for another hundred episodes. We put together a bunch of fun gifts for donors, from tote bags to studio visits to a cocktail party with Mark, Liel, and Stephanie. We’re #blessed with three Jewish guests this week: Leah Gottfried, Jessica Schechter, and Danny Hoffman, the team behind the popular web series 'Soon By You,' which depicts the dating drama of young, modern Orthodox Manhattanites. They tell us about their worst dates, how they differ from their on-screen personas, and the relationship roadblocks specific to the observant community, like disagreement about making aliyah. Our gentile of the week is Rod Dreher, senior editor at The American Conservative and the author of The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation. He tells us why we would all be better off living in cloistered communities given the fragmentation and atomization of religious life in America today, and poses an interesting question for us: whether we believe Jewish culture can endure without religion. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set, valued at $13, when you sign up at harrys.com/unorthodox. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "If You Could See Her" by John Kander and Fred Ebb, from the Cabaret Original Soundtrack "Money (Instrumental)" by Pink Floyd "Thoroughly Modern Millie" by Jeanine Tesori and Dick Scanlan, from the film Thoroughly Modern Millie "Wishin' and Hopin'" by Nancy Sinatra

We’re celebrating two years—and 100 episodes!—of Unorthodox with a very unorthodox fundraising drive. We've put together a bunch of fun gifts, from tote bags to studio visits to a cocktail party with Mark, Liel, and Stephanie. If you love listening to Unorthodox every week, please consider making a donation to keep us going for another two years. This week, we turn the show over to Tablet contributor Periel Aschenbrand, who interviews hosts Mark, Stephanie, and Liel about the past two years of Unorthodox. They discuss how the show got started, how it’s changed over the past 100 episodes, and how it’s changed them. It gets real. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Jewish Lives, biographies that illuminate the Jewish experience. Visit JewishLives.org to get 25 percent off all books and curated collections with the code JLBOOKS. This episode is also brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set, valued at $13, when you sign up at harrys.com/unorthodox. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Money Trees" by Kendrick Lamar ft. Jay Rock "Liam Rides a Pony" by The Polyrhythmics

Episode description: This week, we’re coming at you live from JCC Manhattan, with some very special guests and other fun surprises. But first: If you're a fan of Unorthodox—and if you're reading this, you must be!—please consider making a donation to our fundraising drive so we can keep producing the podcast you love for another 99 episodes. We've put together a whole range of fun gifts to sweeten the deal, from tote bags to studio visits to a cocktail party with Mark, Liel, and Stephanie. Our Jew of the week is Harry Enten, senior political writer and analyst for FiveThirtyEight and a regular on the site’s Politics Podcast. He tells us about the Catskills resort his grandparents owned—where Neil Sedaka met Enten’s aunt, whom he later married—plus why he loves Twitter, where he has nearly 95,000 followers, and what dating was like as a poll analyst after the election. Our Gentile of the Week is Haroon Moghul, author of How to Be a Muslim: An American Story and a fellow in Jewish-Muslim Relations at the Shalom Hartman Institute. He tells us the dumbest things he’s been asked while promoting his book, plus how a 2015 trip to Israel with Muslim and Jewish leaders changed the course of his career, and what he wants the rest of us to know about American Muslims. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. Today's podcast is sponsored by Jewish Lives, biographies that illuminate the Jewish experience. Visit JewishLives.org to get 25% off all books and curated collections with the code JLBOOKS. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Ruthless" by the Statler Brothers "Harry Enten is Looking for a Girlfriend" by Jonathan Mann "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Neil Sedaka "Mounsell Forts/Accent on the 'A'" by Roger Plexico, prod. Squish Turner, ft. Haroon Mogul

First things first: Don't forget to get tickets for our live show Tuesday, July 25 at 7:30 p.m. at JCC Manhattan! This week, we find out Mark isn't the only Oppenheimer who sneaks into movies without paying. And we've got two Jewish guests joining us: First, our favorite film critic Jordan Hoffman returns to tell us all about the summer's best movies, including the new film War For the Planet of the Apes, which he explains is actually a story about Jews. Then we talk to Stacy Berman about her journey from running fitness boot camps in Central Park to apprenticing as a shaman and incorporating natural medicine into her training program, The System by Stacy. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. Today's episode is sponsored by Jewish Lives, biographies that illuminate the Jewish experience. Visit JewishLives.org to get 25% off all books and curated collections with the code JLBOOKS.

Hey J-Crew: Before you do literally anything else today, buy a ticket to our next live show in NYC on July 25! This week we talk Birthright, Hobby Lobby, and Jay-Z—oh my. Our Jewish guest is historian Jenna Weissman Joselit, whose latest book is Set in Stone: America's Embrace of the Ten Commandments. She tells us how the Ten Commandments, which have become so politicized, were actually once a unifying force in America, and dishes on the 19th century drama over a Lower East Side synagogue’s stained glass depiction of the decalogue. Plus she tests us to see if we can list all ten commandments from memory. Our gentile of the week is cat therapist Carole Wilbourn, who co-founded the first veterinary hospital exclusively for cats, and who has treated behavioral problems in more than 13,000 felines. She brings motorized cats that coo at us while she explains the Wilbourn Way, which incorporates feline Reiki, and is designed to treat both the animals and their guardians. She also helps Stephanie with her problem cat, Cat Stevens. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, @stuffism. This week’s sponsors are: Harry’s: Go to Harrys.com and enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post shave balm. Hello Fresh: For $30 off your first week of HelloFresh, visit hellofresh.com and enter code UNORTHODOX30.

Break out the bug juice—it’s summer camp week on Unorthodox! We’re talking campfires, Color War, and Mark’s traumatic summer at a nudist camp. Our first guest is Sandy Fox, a doctoral candidate studying language and everyday life in Zionist, Yiddishist, and denominational summer camps. She’s also the founder of Vaybertaytsh, a feminist podcast entirely in Yiddish. She explains how different Jewish ideologies shaped each kind of camp, tells us about a post-war summer camp for children of Holocaust survivors, and breaks the news that while summer camp is distinctly Jewish in many ways, Jews didn’t actually invent it (we totally reshaped color war, though). Micah Hart, co-host of the podcast Campfires and Color Wars, talks to us about what summers were like as the camp director’s son, the difference between a Jewish camp and a camp where most of the campers happen to be Jewish, and what it means to be ‘camp hot.’ We also talk to writer Jordana Horn, who hated camp but whose kids love it—all six of them are attending some form of Jewish camp this summer. She tells us how Jewish camps give her children a space to develop their own Jewish identity and community, how social media has changed the camp experience for campers and their parents, and what really goes down when the kids ship out for the summer. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag  @markopp1 @liel @stuffism This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Go to Harrys.com and enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post shave balm. This episode is also brought to you by AT&T. Enjoy unlimited entertainment with unlimited data from AT&T. Learn more at att.com/unlimited. Music:  "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah" by Allan Sherman "Suburban Kids with Biblical Names" by Shitty Weekend "Gucci Gucci" by Kreayshawn "Rose's Turn" by Stephen Sondheim, performed by Bette Middler "Hatikvah" performed by Francki Perez et Broadway "That Power" by Childish Gambino

Back in May, we interviewed L.A.-based comedian and writer H Alan Scott about converting to Judaism, surviving cancer, and his deep love of The Golden Girls. We recently caught up with H Alan by phone to discuss his first trip to Israel (for Tel Aviv Pride!) and his subsequent Newsweek article about "pinkwashing" and the BDS movement. We discussed LGBT politics, Zionism, and anti-Semitism—and of course, hummus. Though we talked before the Chicago Dyke March controversy, this conversation should still help contextualize the debates currently taking place in the LGBT community vis-à-vis Israel. We hope you enjoy this bonus midweek dose of Unorthodox! We'll be back in your feed on June 29 with our next full episode. As always, we welcome your thoughts and feedback at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com.

Description: This week on Unorthodox, don’t even think about cutting Israel out of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Our Jewish guest is journalist and Tablet columnist Jamie Kirchick, who returns to the show to discuss his new book, The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues and the Coming Dark Age. He tells us about the emboldening of extremes on both sides of the political spectrum, the dangers of countries like Hungary rewriting their World War II history, and what it all means for the United States. Our Gentile of the Week is comedian and writer Negin Farsad, author of How to Make White People Laugh and the host of the political comedy roundtable podcast Fake the Nation. She tells us why comedy has gotten harder in the era of Trump, plus the anti-racism ads she wants to put up on the president’s golf courses, and asks whether Jews consider themselves the veterans of oppressed religious groups. Next week is Camp Week 🏕️ on Unorthodox! We want to hear your favorite camp memories, from color war breakouts to covert makeouts. Record a voice note or send us an email at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by AT&T. Enjoy unlimited entertainment with unlimited data from AT&T. Learn more at att.com/unlimited. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem  "Close Every Door" written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, performed by Danny Osmond "European Son" by Velvet Underground "The Spark" by The Roots "Kapara Sheli" by Nechi Nech

This week, we recorded a special crossover episode with Lexicon Valley, the podcast hosted by linguist John McWhorter. John was a guest on our show in December 2016, and when we weren’t interrupting him, we were discussing things like the word ‘like’ and his latest book, Talking Back, Talking Black. We sat down with him again for an in-depth conversation about whether there’s such a thing as Jewish English, the beauty of yeshivish, and, of course, the dinner scene from 'Annie Hall.' Check out Lexicon Valley here. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Go to Harrys.com and enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post shave balm. This episode is also brought to you by AT&T. Enjoy unlimited entertainment with unlimited data from AT&T. Learn more at att.com/unlimited.

Our Jewish guest this week is Fred Kuhr, who hosts The Point, a Toronto-based talk show that brings gay and straight men together “to see what happens.” He explains the stereotypes gay men have about straight men, the difference between American and Canadian homophobia, and adjusting to Montreal bagels as a Brooklyn-born expat. Our Gentile of the Week is Jonathan Frakes, best known for his portrayal of Commander William T. Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation. He tells us about navigating obsessive Star Trek fans at conventions and his thoughts on the state of sci-fi today. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we may read your note on air. Follow us Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, @stuffism. We're also on Facebook and Instagram. Music:   "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "People" by Barbara Streisand "Too Much (ft. Sampha)" by Drake "Star Trek: The Next Generation Theme" by Alexander Courage and Jerry Goldsmith "Tell Me Something Good" by Rufus and Chaka Khan

This week on Unorthodox, we’re still full from all that Shavuot cheesecake. Our Jewish guest is actor Stephen Tobolowsky, who plays Jack Barker on HBO’s Silicon Valley, and whose latest book is My Adventures with God. He tells us about getting recognized in shul (he started going to synagogue twice a day to say kaddish after his mother died), what it’s like to tackle something as intimate as faith while working in Hollywood, and the time he had to shoot a movie on Yom Kippur, even though five of the actors in the film were Jewish. Our Gentile of the week is Esquire columnist Stephen Marche, author of The Unmade Bed: The Messy Truth About Men and Women in the 21st Century. He tells us about quitting his job and leaving New York when his wife landed her dream job in Toronto, adjusting to life as the primary caregiver for their children, and why he hates the term ‘bro.’ Sign up for for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we'll share our favorite notes on air. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Go to Harrys.com and enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post shave balm. This episode is also brought to you by AT&T. Enjoy unlimited entertainment with unlimited data from AT&T. Learn more at att.com/unlimited.  Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Good  News" by Randy Newman "I Got You, Babe" by Sonny & Cher "HUA!" by Brazzmatazz "Toxic"  by Britney Spears, cover by Yael Naim

This week, we break down Donald Trump’s Holy Land adventure. Our Jewish guest is Yascha Mounk, a lecturer at Harvard whose area of research—how to preserve liberal democracy in the face of populism—has made him extremely popular lately. He tells us how worried we should be about rising populist tides in Europe and the U.S., explains some of the difficulties currently facing multiethnic societies, and tells us how it felt when he became a U.S. citizen in March. Our Gentile of the week is Irish novelist Ruth Gilligan, whose latest book, Nine Folds Make a Paper Swan, was inspired by the largely unknown story of the Jewish community in Ireland. She tells us about the similarities between the Jews and the Irish and explains her research for the novel, which started over tea in the homes of the remaining Jews of Cork and took her to Israel, where she met Irish emigrants. Sign up for for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we'll share our favorite notes on air. This episode is brought to you by AT&T. Enjoy unlimited entertainment with unlimited data from AT&T. Learn more at att.com/unlimited. This episode is also brought to you by PJ Library, a free book program for families raising Jewish children. Sign up at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox, and they’ll send you a free picture book each month until your child turns nine. Music:  "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash "Walk this Way" by Aerosmith "The Boys of the County Cork" written by Tom Murphy "Sunday Lights" by Blue Dot Sessions

Unorthodox host Mark Oppenheimer recently published an op-ed in The New York Times about our aversion to using the word 'Jew,' as opposed to 'Jewish.' Is 'Jew' still considered a slur? By many, yes. Should we reclaim it? Definitely, says Mark. He discussed his op-ed with On the Media's Brooke Gladstone a couple of weeks ago, and we're pleased to share their conversation with you here in full. (Don't worry, the next full episode of Unorthodox will go live as scheduled on May 25!) As always, we welcome your thoughts and feedback at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com.

When Maya Jankelowitz and her husband Dean opened Jack’s Wife Freda in New York City in 2012, they mined their respective Israeli and South African upbringings for family recipes and traditional spices. The result was trendy downtown dining with a home-cooked vibe and a dash of nostalgia (the restaurant is named after Dean's grandparents). The pair now run two restaurants, identically named, and just published the Jack's Wife Freda cookbook, which features recipes like peri peri chicken, malva pudding, and Maya’s mother’s chicken schnitzel. Maya joins us to talk about offering a Sephardic take on Jewish comfort food in a city dominated by bagels and lox, serving green shakshuka to Israeli tourists in Manhattan, and the first meal she eats when she goes back to Israel. We also talk to scholar Barry Holtz, whose latest book is Rabbi Akiva: The Sage of the Talmud. He shares some of his favorite stories about the preeminent teacher, whom he describes the model of Jewish intellectual creativity, and explains why we should approach the Talmud as a “multivolume, postmodern experimental novel.” Sign up for for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we'll share our favorite notes on air. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Go to Harrys.com and enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post shave balm. This episode is also brought to you by PJ Library, a free book program for families raising Jewish children. Sign up at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox, and they’ll send you a free picture book each month until your child turns nine.

This week's guest is comedian and writer H. Alan Scott, who was raised Mormon in St. Louis and converted to Judaism when he was 31. He’s preparing for his bar mitzvah by immersing himself in Jewish life and culture, and it’s all being chronicled in Latter Day Jew, a documentary by Aliza Rosen. H. Alan tells us about coming out to his Mormon family, how cancer jumpstarted his conversion to Judaism, and his deep love of The Golden Girls. Sign up for for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we'll share our favorite notes on air. This episode is brought to you by PJ Library, a free book program for families raising Jewish children. Sign up at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox, and they’ll send you a free picture book each month until your child turns nine. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "I'll Be There For You" by The Rembrandts "Baby ft. Ludacris" by Justin Bieber "Love Me Too" by The Losers "Some People" by Jule Styne and Steven Sondheim, performed by Bette Midler, from the 1993 TV Movie of Gypsy "Let's Get it On" by Marvin Gaye

This week on Unorthodox: chocolate sausage! Our Jewish guest is Tablet’s food columnist Joan Nathan. Her latest cookbook is King Solomon’s Table: a Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking from Around the World, which features recipes like schokoladenwurst, a dessert that made its way from Berlin to El Salvador in the 1920s (and doesn’t actually have any meat in it). She tells us about drawing inspiration from the flavors and spices of the ancient Jewish world and why so many Jewish chefs today are winning top honors in the food world. Our Gentile of the week is Rolling Stone columnist Rob Sheffield, whose new book is Dreaming the Beatles: The Love Story of One Band and the Whole World. He tells us why the Beatles have remained so rabidly popular half a century after the band broke up, what British pop sensation One Direction owes to the Fab Four, and what his favorite new music acts are. Sign up for for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we'll share our favorite notes on air. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Go to Harrys.com and enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post shave balm. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Oops I Did it Again" by Max Martin and Rami, cover by Max Raabe "School Spirit" by Kanye West "Buddy Guy" by Action Bronson "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by The Beatles

This week on Unorthodox, we speak to the author of Donald Trump’s favorite book. Our Jewish guest is Danya Shults, the founder of Arq, a website and community inspired by Jewish culture. She tells us how her own interfaith marriage inspired her to help people “connect with Jewish life and culture in a relevant, inclusive, and convenient way,” and explains where—if anywhere—actual religion fits into the Arq universe. Our Gentile of the Week is Michael Knowles, managing editor of the Daily Wire and the mind behind the Amazon bestseller Reasons to Vote for Democrats: A Comprehensive Guide, which is a completely blank book. He tells us about the book’s unexpected success—he self-published it to get a rise out of his liberal friends—culminating in a Twitter endorsement from the president, and describes the stereotypes that dog a young conservative today. Sign up for for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we'll share our favorite notes on air. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Go to Harrys.com and enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post shave balm. This episode is also brought to you by PJ Library, a free book program for families raising Jewish children. Sign up at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox, and they’ll send you a free picture book each month until your child turns nine. Music:  "Mikveh Bath" by Golem  "I Need a Dollar" by Aloe Blacc "We Did It" by Dora the Explorer  "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" by James Brown "The Ballad of Eva Braun" by Noam Osband "Ricky Bobby" by Kenny Floreat "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield 

This week on Unorthodox, we’re still trying to find those Holocaust centers Sean Spicer was talking about. Our Jewish guest is filmmaker Ferne Pearlstein, whose latest documentary, The Last Laugh, asks comedians like Mel Brooks and Sarah Silverman whether or not we can joke about the Holocaust. She tells us why she decided to tackle such a taboo topic, how gallows humor can be a survival mechanism, and whether it matters if the joke-teller is Jewish or not. The Last Laugh premieres Monday, April 24 on Independent Lens on PBS. Our Gentile of the Week is Ashley McKinless, associate editor at America magazine, the Jesuit Review of Faith and Culture. She co-hosts the new podcast Jesuitical, which we lovingly call the Catholic version of Unorthodox. She explains who the Jesuits are, tells us about life as a 20-something practicing Catholic in New York City, and confirms that Liel is the only Leibovitz currently subscribed to America magazine. Sign up for for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we'll share our favorite notes on air. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Go to Harrys.com and enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post shave balm. This episode is also brought to you by PJ Library, a free book program for families raising Jewish children. Sign up at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox, and they’ll send you a free picture book each month until your child turns nine. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Anti Anti" by Bonaparte "Frolic" by Luciano Michelini "Make 'Em Laugh" Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed, from the 2012 London Cast Recording of Singin' in the Rain "Hitler the Vegetarian" by Noam Osband "Camino Rojo ft. Lulacruza" by The Polish Ambassador "We Were the People Our Parents Warned Us About" by Jimmy Buffett 

This week on Unorthodox, we’re filling up on chametz before Passover starts. We talk to bagel makers from Montreal to Australia (and Cleveland!), get the scoop on the bagel scene in Israel, and find out how bagels became the unofficial food of the Jews. Our guests span the globe, but have one thing in common: they love bagels. We talk to Ben Pigette, a lieutenant in the Royal Australian Navy who taught himself how to make bagels to impress his Jewish girlfriend. Geoff Hardman, co-founder of the Cleveland Bagel Company, tells us how he and his neighbor Dan Herbst decided to start making bagels despite having zero baking experience—and how their chewy-on-the-inside, crisp-on-the-outside creations are putting Cleveland on the bagel tourism map. Tel Aviv-based Tablet contributor Dana Kessler fills us in on the beigale scene in Israel: American bagels, Romanian bagels, Jerusalem bagels, and more. Vince Morena calls in from the famed St. Viateur Bagel in Montreal to describe (and defend) Montreal-style bagels. He also tells us how his Italian father was hired as a teenager by Myer Lewkowicz, the Holocaust survivor who founded the shop in 1957, and ended up learning Yiddish and taking over the business when Lewkowicz died. Shannon Sarna, editor of The Nosher and author of the forthcoming cookbook Modern Jewish Baker: Challah, Babka, Bagels & More, tells us how bagels came to be such strong cultural markers of Judaism, and the newfangled bagel trend she can’t get on board with. And a special low-carb treat: Rabbi Moshe Rosenberg, who just published The (Unofficial) Hogwarts Haggadah, explains why Harry Potter is such a good language for teaching his students about Judaism. Sign up for for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we'll share our favorite notes on air. Sponsors: HelloFresh: For $35 off your first week of deliveries, enter code UNORTHODOX35 when you subscribe. Harry’s: Enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post-shave balm. Music Credits: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Tradition" written Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, from the original Broadway cast recording of Fiddler on the Roof "Hot Salsa Trip" by Arsonist "Dear Future Husband" by Meghan Trainor "Toledo Surprise" by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, from the original Broadway cast recording of The Drowsy Chaperone "It's Magic" by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn, performed by Keely Smith "Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread" by Bob Dylan and The Band "Finagle the Bagel" by Troy Ave "Dayenu" by The Maccabeats

This week on Unorthodox: a Jewish writer and an Episcopal priest walk into a podcast. Our Jewish guest is writer and essayist Daphne Merkin, whose latest book is This Close to Happy: A Reckoning With Depression. She tells us what it was like to write such a personal book—Tablet literary critic Adam Kirsch called it “a hybrid of memoir, case study, and confession”—and discusses the stigma that continues to surround depression in the Jewish community and beyond. Our Gentile of the Week is Father Ed Bacon, a retired Episcopal priest legendary for his work with All Saints Church in Pasadena, California, which he turned into an activist, multi-ethnic congregation in a mostly white and wealthy town. He is also an Oprah regular and author of the book 8 Habits of Love. Sign up for for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we'll share our favorite notes on air. Music Credits: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Don't Hang Up" by The Orlons "where the sunshine goes" by Yshwa "No Rain" by Blind Melon "A Perceptible Shift" by Andy G. Cohen "Once Upon a Time... Storybook Love" by Mark Knopfler, from the film A Princess Bride

This week on Unorthodox, Mel Gibson gives tzedakah. Our Jewish guest is Ukrainian-born writer Sana Krasikov, whose latest novel, The Patriots, explores the effects of the Cold War on three generations of a Jewish-American family, from the 1930s to the present. Our Gentile of the Week is Republican strategist Patrick Ruffini, who tells us what the future of data and technology looks like for political campaigns, and the value of data under a president who is openly dismissive of unfavorable polls. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we'll share our favorite notes on air. This episode is sponsored by Harry’s. Enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post-shave balm. Music Credits: “Mikveh Bath” by Golem “Dancing Tiger” by Damscray “A Spoonful Of Sugar” by Richard and Roger Sherman, from the film Mary Poppins "Outro Dia" by Diogo Cadaval “The One on the Right is on the Left” by Johnny Cash “Birds of Prey” by Dark Sunn “Stranger in Moscow” by Michael Jackson

This week on Unorthodox, Mark ditches us for the Holy Land. It was snowing in New York, but we trudged to the studio and were graciously joined by Israeli filmmaker Shimon Dotan, whose latest film is The Settlers, a documentary about the controversial settler movement in Israel (you can read Tablet film critic J. Hoberman's review here). He tells us why he decided to take on such a contentious topic, how he created a nuanced cinematic portrait of a group of people with whom he fundamentally disagrees, and how it felt to encounter protests from BDS activists who hadn’t seen the film. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we'll share our favorite notes on air. Music Credits:  "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "That's What I Call Love" by Crowded House "Kolomeika" by Tres Tristes Tangos "The Pinch Paid Off, Pt. 1" by Albert King "Full Stop" by Ketsa

This week on Unorthodox, Jewish baseball is having a moment. Our Jewish guest is Adam Irving, whose documentary Off the Rails tells the story of Darius McCollum, an obsessive transit buff with Aspberger’s syndrome who has been arrested 32 times for impersonating New York City subway conductors and bus drivers. Adam tells us how his life has changed since releasing the film (his first) to critical acclaim, getting his start in reality TV, and how he feels about Darrius’s story getting the Hollywood treatment in a forthcoming film starring Julia Roberts as his lawyer. Our Gentile of the Week is writer and reviewer Macy Halford, whose first book, My Utmost: A Devotional Memoir, tells the story of Macy’s life through the lens of the bestselling Evangelical daily devotional My Utmost for His Highest. She read the book nightly, from her childhood in an Evangelical Christian family in Dallas to her years attending Barnard and then working for the New Yorker, and finally goes in search of its mysterious author, Oswald Chambers. She tells us about being called “an Esther”—hiding among non-believers at the New Yorker—by her mother, and what it was like to visit her family’s conservative Dallas community in the wake of the 2016 election. Sponsors: HelloFresh: For $35 off your first week of deliveries, enter code UNORTHODOX35 when you subscribe.Harry’s: Enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post-shave balm. Music Credits:  "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Balkan Español" by Golem "Sinnerman," written by Les Baxter and Will Holt, performed by Nina Simone "What's New, Pussycat?" written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, performed by Franck Pourcel et Son Grand Orchestre "Belief" by John Mayer

This week on Unorthodox, we check in with Jake Turx, the now-famous Orthodox White House reporter who asked Trump about anti-Semitism. Our guests this week are Leah Green and Freddy McConnell, co-hosts of The Guardian’s “Token” podcast. Leah is mixed-race—her mother is Jewish and her father Nigerian—and Freddy is transgender and gay, and on their show they discuss topics like sex, gender, and race with frankness and humor (and British accents). We talk about whether Jews are white, find out the worst thing you can say to someone when you find out they’re transgender, and debate anti-Semitism on the British left. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we'll share our favorite notes on air. Music Credits: "Unorthodox Theme Song" by Golem "Yakety Sax" by Spider Rich and Boots Randolph "D'Bronx Tanz" by Tres Tristes Tango "Hello City" by Barenaked Ladies "Thorn in Your Side" by Namoli Brennet

This week on Unorthodox, we’ve got two Jewish guests. First up is Scott Feinberg, the awards columnist for The Hollywood Reporter and host of the Awards Chatter podcast, and one of the “most informed Oscarologists,” according to the New York Times. He tells us how he makes his Oscar predictions and where he'll be Sunday night as the winners are announced. Our next guest knows the way to our hearts: homemade hamantaschen filled with sprinkles. Molly Yeh is the author of Molly on the Range, one of the New York Times’ top fall cookbook releases of 2016, and the creator of my name is yeh, named Saveur’s 2015 Blog of the Year. She tells us about fielding questions from strangers about her ethnicity (her father is Chinese and her mother is Jewish), leaving Brooklyn for a sugar beet farm on the North Dakota-Minnesota border, and how far she has to go for a good bagel with lox these days. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we'll share our favorite notes on air. This episode is sponsored by Harry’s. Enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post-shave balm. Music Credits "Unorthodox Theme Song" by Golem "Come Get Me" by Nas "Klezmer Happy Birthday" by Gypsy Jive Band "Hooray for Hollywood" by Richard A. Whiting and Johnny Mercer "Hi, Stephanie" by 임형복, ft. David Duchovny & iOS7, prod. by Squish Turner "Home on the Range" written by Daniel E. Kelley and Brewster M. Higley, performed by Roy Rogers

This episode was recorded live at Temple Israel in West Palm Beach, Florida. Our Jewish guest is Igor Shteyrenberg, director of the Miami Jewish Film Festival, which in five years he grew from an annual event with 4,000 attendees to the third largest Jewish film festival in the U.S. He tells us his favorite new Jewish films, the most controversial film the festival has screened (hint: there were zombies), and the Jewish movie he’d make if he were given carte blanche to choose from all the actors and directors in the world. Our Gentile of the Week is Rocco Mangel, the restaurateur behind Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila Bar, which has six locations in Florida and one in Brooklyn. He tells us about getting his start in the business working in his family’s New York restaurants as a teenager, studying tequila in Mexico before opening his first location, and which South Florida location is the rowdiest (sorry, Boca). Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we'll share our favorite notes on air. Music Credits:   "Unorthodox Theme Song" by Golem "We'll Meet Again" by Johnny Cash "Odessa" by Golem "Prince Igor, Act II: Polovtsian Dance" by Alexander Borodin, performed by Bolshoi Theater Choir "Amor Verdadero" by The Afro-Cuban All Stars "Volver, Volver" by Vincente Fernandez

This week on Unorthodox, we’re getting into the Valentine’s Day spirit. Or as we call it around here, Secular Tu B’Av. Our Jewish guest is Israeli-American novelist and essayist Ayelet Waldman, whose latest book, A Really Good Day chronicles her experience taking microdoses of LSD to treat her mood disorder. She explains what microdosing is and how it helped her and her marriage, and tells us what it’s like to be married to another writer. Our second guest is a self-described “pizza bagel”—half Jewish, half Italian. Andrea Silenzi is the host and producer of “Why Oh Why,” a podcast about dating and relationships. She tells us how people use emojis to signal their Jewishness on dating apps like Tinder, whether it’s hard to date while hosting a podcast about dating, and the challenges educated women in New York City face when seeking a partner. Our Gentile of the Week would call us gentiles, too. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is a history professor at Harvard and a practicing Mormon. Her latest book is A House Full of Females: Plural Marriage and Women’s Rights in Early Mormonism. She tells us the unexpected ways in which plural marriage empowered the women involved in it, and why the practice was ultimately abolished. We're also joined by Noam Osband, who performs some original love-themed songs on the ukulele. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we'll share our favorite notes on air. Sponsors: HelloFresh: For $35 off your first week of deliveries, enter code UNORTHODOX35 when you subscribe. Harry’s: Enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post-shave balm. Music Credits: “Mack the Knife” by Louis Armstrong “Chervona Ruta” by Golem “Lysergic Bliss” by Of Montreal “Why, Oh Why” by Woodie Guthrie “Tomorrow is a Latter Day” from The Book of Mormon “The Luna Moth Song” by Noam Osband

This week’s episode was recorded live at JCC Manhattan. Our first Jewish guest is Canadian transplant and longtime "This American Life" contributor Jonathan Goldstein, who now hosts the podcast Heavyweight. He tells us about mining his personal life for stories to tell on his show and gives us a definitive (if very Canadian) answer on Montreal bagels vs. New York bagels. Our Gentile of the Week is Catholic New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, who tells us about being a conservative voice writing for a largely liberal audience, why so many voters on the Christian right supported Trump despite mounting evidence of his moral failings, and why conservatives love fantasy novels like Lord of the Rings. Our second Jewish guest is Jen Spyra, comedian and writer on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She tells us about her Late Show audition, the challenges of writing jokes during a Trump administration, and when she first realized she was funny. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us with comments, questions and kvetches at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we'll share our favorite notes on air.  This episode is dedicated to the memory of J.J. the dog. Special thanks to our live band, the Jewbadourians: Jim Knable, Sunny Knable, and Claudia Mogel. Music Credits:  “Unorthodox Theme Song” by Golem “Swing Gitane” by The Underscore Orkestra  “Jonathan Goldstein” by The Jewbadourians “If Your Dad Doesn’t Have A Beard, You’ve Got Two Mums” by The Beards “Ross Douthat” by The Jewbadourians “Bad Religion” by Frank Ocean “Jen Spyra” by The Jewbadourians “LA Jews” by The Jewbadourians

This week, in addition to our regular Thursday episode, we’re doing something a bit different. President Trump’s Executive Order on immigration struck us as so troubling, so decidedly antithetical to the Jewish values we hold dear—and such a disappointment given our own paths to this country—that we were moved to respond. On this mini-episode, Liel Leibovitz, Stephanie Butnick, and producer Elissa Goldstein offer brief reflections. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we'll share our favorite notes on air. Song credits: “Unorthodox Theme Song” by Golem “Ten Years Before” by Lobo Loco “Waiting for my Man” by The Velvet Underground “What Would You Do?” from the Original Cast Recording of Cabaret “Cylinder Six” by Chris Zabriskie

Our Jewish guest this week is actor David Duchovny, whose latest novel, Bucky F*cking Dent, follows a Red Sox-loving father and son during the 1978 World Series. He tells us how fox Mulder, the fictional FBI agent he played on The X-Files, would feel about James Comey right about now, his favorite X-Files meme, and his long-lost Yale Ph.D. thesis on magic and technology in 20th century fiction. Our Gentile of the Week is John Cleese, whose memoir, So, Anyway, is out in paperback. The legendary British comedian and actor tells Liel about the first time he heard a good Jewish joke, why The Hangover is a terrible movie, and how the Black Knights from Monty Python and the Holy Grail might just be a metaphor for Jewish history. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us with comments, questions and kvetches at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com—we'll share our favorite notes on air. Sponsored by Harry’s: Enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post shave balm. Music Credits: “Unorthodox Theme Song” by Golem “Egg Man” by The Beastie Boys "Main Title Theme from Californication" by Tree Adams & Tyler Bates “David Duchovny” by Bree Sharp “Mailtime” from Blues Clues “Planta Baja” by Tres Tristes Tangos “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” by Eric Idle, performed by the Traditional Jazz Band of Brasil

In anticipation of our Wednesday (1/25) live show at the Manhattan JCC (tickets available here), we thought we'd share the season finale of Jonathan Goldstein's Heavyweight podcast. Jonathan is a radio storytelling legend and he'll be one of our guests on Wednesday night, so if you're coming to the show, listen up, and if not, listen anyway. If you like us, we bet you'll like him too. In this episode (#8 Jeremy), Jonathan revisits his tricky relationship with Judaism by reconnecting with an acquaintance he hasn't heard from in decades.  Heavyweight is a production of Gimlet Media. 

This week on Unorthodox, Bernie Madoff's prison hot chocolate scheme. We've got two Jewish guests this week: our first is return visitor Rosie Gray, who covered the election for BuzzFeed and is now a staff writer at the Atlantic. Our second guest is Charlie Brotman, who has announced every inauguration parade from Eisenhower to Obama but was snubbed by the Trump inauguration committee. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us with comments, questions and kvetches at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com (we may share your note on air!). Music credits:  “Unorthodox Theme Song” by Golem “NPR’s Morning Edition Theme” by BJ Liederman “Le Hustle” by Polyrhytmics “Rosie” by Jackson Browne “Alley Cat” by Bent Fabric “Hail to the Chief” by American Patriotic Music Ensemble

This week on Unorthodox: We’ll always have Casablanca (except Mark). Our Jewish guest is writer and comedian Lynn Harris, founder of Comedy GOLD, which teaches girls and women how to empower themselves through comedy. Our Gentile of the Week is author and Bloggingheads founder Robert Wright, who was raised Southern Baptist but now practices Buddhism. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us with comments, questions and kvetches atUnorthodox@tabletmag.com (we may share your note on air!). Sponsors: HelloFresh: For $35 off your first week of deliveries, enter UNORTHODOX35 when you subscribe. Harry’s: Try a shave set for free—just cover shipping when you sign up. Enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post shave balm. Music Credits: "Unorthodox Theme Song" by Golem “As Time Goes By” by Herman Hupfeld, from the soundtrack to Casablanca “Goodbye Columbus” by The Association “Crate Diggin’” by Ari De Niro “Send in the Clowns” by Stephen Sondheim, as performed by Herschel Krustofsky “Rythme Gitan” by Latche Swing “Hotel California” by The Eagles

This week on Unorthodox, Jared and Ivanka go shul shopping in Washington, D.C. Our Jewish guest is renowned biblical scholar Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, whose latest book examines the life of Moses, one of the most enigmatic biblical figures (you can read an excerpt here). She tells us about exploring the often overlooked aspects of Moses’s life—his speech impediment, for example–and why she believes Moses is one of the most compelling literary characters of all time. (This segment is sponsored by Yale Jewish Lives.) Our Gentile of the Week is linguist John McWhorter, author of the forthcoming book, Talking Back, Talking Black. He tells us the latest linguistic trends he's noticed among his college students, why there’s no such thing as a safe space (or at least an unironic one), and why it’s OK to say ‘like’ a lot, as long as you’re not in a meeting. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us with comments, questions and kvetches at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. We may share your note on air.  Thank you to all our listeners for your support and encouragement throughout 2016. We can’t wait to see what 2017 brings! Music credits;  "Unorthodox Theme Song" by Golem “Freedom Drops” by Ari De Niro “A Partir Desse Dia” by Dark Sunn “Go Down, Moses” performed by Louis Armstrong “Words” by Boyzone “Ballad of the Jewbadour” by Jim Knable

This week we’re celebrating Christmas the only way we know how: Chinese food and a movie. Plus a bunch of amazing guests! We’re joined by New York Times reporter Marc Tracy, who tells us about the tradition of Jews eating Chinese food on Christmas, and the Jewish songwriters behind some of the most well-known Christmas songs. Jessica Grose, the editor of the email newsletter Lenny, tells us why it’s OK for Jews to have a Christmas tree. Film critic Jordan Hoffman shares his favorite Christmas movies—and one classic he’s not so into. Librarian Rachel Kamin talks about a No Good Very Bad children's Hanukkah book (and recommends a few good ones), writer and activist Robin Rice tells us about her latest project, Your Holiday Mom, and Natasha Zaretsky explains why Soviet Jews have New Years trees. Wishing you and your loved ones, pets, and frenemies a wonderful, meaningful, and delicious Hanukkah, and a merry Jewish Christmas! We love hearing from you. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with comments or questions, or just to say hi. We may share your note on air. Music Credits: "Unorthodox Theme Song" by Golem "Last Christmas" by Wham “Joy to The World” by The Klezmonauts“Deck the Halls” by The Klezmonauts "God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen" by The Klezmonauts "A Jew on Christmas" by Kyle“Santa Baby” by Eartha Kitt“ Have Yourself a Politically-Correct Christmas” by Sam Tucker “Christmastime is Here” by the Vince Guaraldi Trio “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer” performed by Jewlia Eisenberg

This week on Unorthodox, Israeli Burger King debuts the SufganiKing—a hamburger inside a jelly donut. Our Jewish guest is Jason Diamond, author of the new memoir, Searching for John Hughes: Or Everything I thought I Needed to Know About Life I Learned from Watching ‘80s Movies. He gives us his list of the must-see John Hughes movies. Our Gentile of the Week is actually a Jew and a gentile—Vanessa Zoltan and Casper ter Kuile—the hosts of Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, a podcast that Talmudically analyzes the wildly popular J.K. Rowling’s series. They tell us how (spoiler) Harry Potter is actually about the Holocaust. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us with comments, questions and kvetches at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. We may share your note on air. Today’s episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Go to Harrys.com to get a limited edition holiday shave set while supplies last—use the promo code UNORTHODOX at checkout for $5 off your order. Music credits: "Unorthodox Theme Song" by Golem "Outer Orbit" by Revolution Void "Hedwig's Theme" by John Williams "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds "Physionics" by Stephan Siebert 

This week on Unorthodox, Ivanka Trump steals a kugel. Our Jewish guest is Naftali Hanau, founder of Grow and Behold Foods, the Brooklyn-based purveyor of kosher meat from animals raised on family farms with no hormones or antibiotics. He tells us about being trained as a kosher butcher, or shochet, and why he’s made it his mission to provide ethically-produced kosher meat. Our Gentile of the Week is Glynn Washington, host of NPR’s Snap Judgment. He talks about what it takes to tell stories on the radio and how he knows when he's got a great one. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us with comments, questions and kvetches at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. We may share your note on air. Today’s episode is also brought to you by Harry’s. Go to Harrys.com to get a limited edition holiday shave set while supplies last—use the promo code UNORTHODOX at checkout for $5 off your order. Music credits for this episode (in order):  "Unorthodox Theme Song" by Golem "Teddy Bears' Picnic" by John Walter Bratton and performed by Henry Hall & his Orchestra "Theme from Schindler's List" by John Williams "Fairweather Fiends"  by Polyrhythmics "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House "Spinning" by Nangdo "Come to Me" by Hyson "California" by Phantom Planet

Our guest this week is Rabbi Brent Chaim Spodek of the Beacon Hebrew Alliance, whose mission is bringing Judaism out of the pews and into the daily lives of his congregants. He tells us about his popular Soul Strolls through the idyllic Hudson Valley woods on Saturdays, why it’s OK to watch movies on Shabbat, and why he wants to end the bar mitzvah practice as we know it. Plus, the Jewbadour Jim Knable contributes a ballad about Liel's travel woes. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us with comments, questions and kvetches at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. We may share your note on air. This week’s episode is brought to you by Audible. Get a free audiobook with a 30-day trial at audible.com/unorthodox. Today’s episode is also brought to you by Harry’s. Go to Harrys.com to get a limited edition holiday shave set while supplies last—use the promo code UNORTHODOX at checkout for $5 off your order.

This week’s episode was recorded live at Beth Tzedec Congregation in Drake's hometown of Toronto. Our Jewish guest is writer and filmmaker David Bezmozgis, who moved with his family from Latvia to Toronto when he was six years old. He tells us just how dangerous he thinks a Trump presidency will be, and why Americans shouldn’t flee to Canada but instead stay and fight. Our Gentile of the week is Julie Nesrallah, mezzo-soprano and host of Tempo, CBC Radio 2’s classical music program. She tells us about founding Carmen on Tap, a company that performs Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen as dinner theatre, and treats us to a song from the 1875 opera.Like listening to Unorthodox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with comments, questions, and kvetches. We may share your letter on air. Today’s episode is brought to you by Harry’s. For a great shave at an affordable price, go to Harrys.com and use promo code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get their free trial set and post-shave balm.

In this bonus episode, Mark chats with his only Facebook friend supporting Donald Trump: Bob Barnes, a Yale classmate he hasn't seen in 22 years. Barnes, a lawyer and self-described populist who hasn't voted in a presidential election since 1992, put $125,000 on a Trump win at 4 to 1 odds in London. Now a half million dollars richer, he talks to Mark about why he supports the President-Elect, how he saw this result coming, and what the left needs to do to win back the middle. Like listening to Unorthodox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with comments, questions, and kvetches. We may share your letter on air. Shalom, friends. 

Torontonians! Join us tonight, Nov. 17, for our live show at Beth Tzedec Congregation at 7:30 p.m. Tickets here. Today we’re joined by a special guest to help us process what happened in last week’s presidential election, and where we go from here. Former U.S. Congressman Barney Frank, who represented the fourth district of Massachusetts from 1981 to 2013, talks about the impacts of race and class on the election, and what the Democratic establishment needs to address moving forward. Like listening to Unorthodox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with comments, questions, and kvetches. We may share your letter on air. Today’s episode is brought to you by Harry’s. For a great shave at an affordable price, go to Harrys.com and use promo code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get their free trial set and post-shave balm. Shalom, friends. 

Join us next week in Toronto! We’ll be recording a live show at Beth Tzedec Congregation Thursday, November 17 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets here. Surprise! We’re getting our Unorthodox on a little early this week, with a jam-packed episode for you to listen to while you wait on line to vote. Our first Jewish guest is Stephanie’s maternal grandfather, Albert Rothaus, calling in from Boca Raton, Florida. The lifelong Democrat tells us about being a Hillary voter in Trumpland and putting friendships on ice during the election. Our second Jewish guest is Tablet columnist Jamie Kirchick, who tells us which Republicans have most disappointed him this election season and the worst thing he’s been called on Twitter. Our third Jewish guest is National Review Washington editor Eliana Johnson, who describes the mood in her office these days and tells us why she’s not voting the top of the ticket. Our Gentile of the Week is legendary Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, who offers his election predictions and tells us whether he ever gets sick of ‘-gate’ being added to the end of every political scandal. Also, producer Noah Levinson reports from a Melania Trump event. Like listening to Unorthodox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with comments, questions, and kvetches. We may share your letter on air.

This week’s episode was recorded live at Hebrew College in Newton, Mass. We’re joined by three great guests to talk about the never evening presidential election. Our first Jewish guest is Jeremy Hobson, co-host of NPR’s "Here and Now," who has traveled the country to talk to voters about why they support Donald Trump. Our second Jewish guest is Boston Globe op-ed columnist Jeff Jacoby, the lone conservative voice at the newspaper. Our Gentile of the Week is General Tom Hill, a highly decorated combat infantryman and diplomat who retired from the U.S. Army after 36 years of active service to the nation, who explains why he thinks high-ranking military officers shouldn’t involve themselves in elections. We’re also treated to some new songs, performed live by our in-house Jewbadour, Jim Knable. Like listening to Unorthodox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with comments, questions, and complaints, and we may share your letter on air! Today’s episode is brought to you by Harry’s. For a great shave at an affordable price, go to Harrys.com and use promo code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get their free trial set and post-shave balm. Today’s episode is also brought to you by Primary, offering stylish basics for babies and kids in fun colors and soft fabrics, all under $25. Go to Primary.com/unorthodox and use the promo code UNORTHODOX to save 25% off your first purchase, AND free shipping!

Boston-area listeners, join us for our live show tonight at Hebrew College in Newton, Mass, at 7:30 p.m.—tickets available here. This week on Unorthodox, Bar Refaeli gets pixelated. Our Gentile of the Week is Sohrab Ahmari, a London-based editorial writer for the Wall Street Journal and the author of The New Philistines: How Identity Politics Disfigure the Arts. He tells us about watching the presidential election from abroad and his ongoing conversion to Catholicism. Our Jewish guest is filmmaker and anthropologist Noam Osband, who profiled Baruch Marzel, one of the leaders of Israel's far-right—and a distant relative of Osband’s—for his latest documentary, The Radical Jew. He tells us what surprised him most about the political firebrand, and plays us a song about puppies on his ukelele. Like listening to Unorthodox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with comments, questions, and complaints, and we may share your letter on air! This week's show is brought to you by Harry’s. For a great shave at an affordable price, go to Harrys.com and use promo code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get their free trial set and post-shave balm. Today's episode is also brought to you by HelloFresh, the leading meal-delivery kit service. For $35 off your first week of deliveries, visit hellofresh.com and enter the promo code UNORTHODOX when you subscribe!  

This week on Unorthodox, Robert Zimmerman gets a Nobel Prize. Our Jewish guest is David Kaufman, editor in chief of Alexa, the luxury magazine of the New York Post. He tells us about visiting Amar’e Stoudemire and his family in Jerusalem, and why moving to Israel was a relief for the former New York Knick. Our Gentile of the Week is Nelson Eddy, the official historian for the Jack Daniels distillery. He tells us about the brand getting kosher certification, and offers to make Liel a Tennessee Squire. We’ve got another live show coming up! Join us at Hebrew College in Newton, Mass, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m.—tickets available here. Like listening to Unorthodox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with comments, questions, and complaints. We may share your letter on air Today’s episode is brought to you by Harry’s. For a great shave at an affordable price, go to Harrys.com and use promo code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get their free trial set and post-shave balm. This episode is brought to you by the new film Denial. From the screenwriter of The Hours and The Reader comes the true story of one woman’s court battle for historical truth against a Holocaust denier. Starring Rachel Weisz and Tom Wilkinson.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re partying like it’s 5777. Our Jewish guest is Gitl Schaechter Viswanath, co-author of the new Comprehensive English-Yiddish Dictionary, an 850-page volume that adapts the Eastern European language for the modern world—and includes a new Yiddish term for 'sexting.' Our Gentile of the Week is actress Tessa Kim, whose one-woman show, The Bad German, tells the story of reconciling her German identity after moving to New York.  Like listening to Unorthodox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with comments, questions, and complaints. We may share your letter on air Today’s episode is brought to you by Harry’s. For a great shave at an affordable price, go to Harrys.com and use promo code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get their free trial set and post-shave balm. This episode is brought to you by the new film Denial. From the screenwriter of The Hours and The Reader comes the true story of one woman’s court battle for historical truth against a Holocaust denier. Starring Rachel Weisz and Tom Wilkinson.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re gearing up for Yom Kippur with our second annual Apology episode. Marjorie Ingall, Unorthodox regular and co-founder of the website SorryWatch.com, tells us about the best and worst public apologies of the last year. We talk to Richard Cellini, the founder of the Georgetown Memory Project, and the force behind the university’s recent decision to grant preferential admissions to the descendants of the 272 slaves it sold in 1838 to save the school from financial default. We also speak with Dvorah Telushkin, mother of our co-producer Shira Telushkin and the Upper West Side's most obsessive apologizer. We hear a story about the tough conversations in which we ask for forgiveness from others—or ask others to ask for forgiveness from us—from ImmerseNYC founder Rabbi Sara Luria. This episode is brought to you by the new film Denial. From the screenwriter of The Hours and The Reader comes the true story of one woman’s court battle for historical truth against a Holocaust denier. Starring Rachel Weisz and Tom Wilkinson. Today’s episode is brought to you by Harry’s. For a great shave at an affordable price, go to Harrys.com and use promo code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get their free trial set and post-shave balm. Like listening to Unorthodox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with comments, questions, and complaints. We may share your letter on air. To fill out the Panoply survey go to www.megaphone.fm/survey.

Rosh Hashanah has us feeling reflective, so we decided to put together a special mini-episode for the Jewish New Year, featuring stories of new beginnings from our hosts. Mark Oppenheimer discusses how a failure his freshman year in college forced him to rethink his priorities and get a new life, Stephanie Butnick describes the freedom of a semester abroad, and Liel Leibovitz tells an old Hasidic tale of how to talk to God in the Days of Awe. We'll be back next Thursday with a full-length episode—a special Yom Kippur show dedicated to apologies. You can listen to last year's apology show here.   Like listening to Unorthodox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with comments, questions, and complaints. We may share your letter on air.

This episode was recorded live from the JCC of Greater New Haven. Our Jewish guest is Connecticut Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, who explains what exactly a Lieutenant Governor does. She also tells us how she made her way from Brooklyn to New England, whether she’d run for governor, and what she thinks of Donald Trump. Our Gentile of the Week is humorist and WNPR host Colin McEnroe, who returns for his second visit to the show. He tells us how the 2016 election has driven him back to church, plus how reality TV impulses have invaded the political realm.  Like listening to Unorthodox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. We love hearing from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with comments, questions, and complaints. We may share your letter on air. Today’s episode is brought to you by Harry’s. For a great shave at an affordable price, go to Harrys.com and use promo code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get their free trial set and post-shave balm.

This week on Unorthodox, who said it: Harry Potter star Emma Watson or Hillel the Elder? Our Jewish guest is professional football player Geoff Schwartz, one half of the first set of Jewish brothers to play in the NFL since Ralph and Arnold Horween in 1923. He and his brother, Mitchell Schwartz, are the authors of a new book called Eat MySchwartz: Our Story of NFL Football, Food, Family, and Faith. Our Gentile of the Week is Patricia Napier-Fitzpatrick, founder and president of The Etiquette School of New York, which offers lessons on everything from dining etiquette and table manners to social media protocol and workplace small talk. She tells us the most frustrating etiquette faux pas she sees young people committing today, and asks us about proper etiquette for a non-Jewish person attending a synagogue. Join us Monday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m., at our live taping at the JCC of Greater New Haven. Tickets are available here.  Like listening to Unorthodox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. We love hearing from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with comments, questions, and complaints. We may share your letter on air.

This week on Unorthodox, the hottest meal in Scottish prisons is… kosher. Our Jewish guest is Willard Spiegelman, longtime English professor at Southern Methodist University and author of the new book of essays, Senior Moments: Looking Back, Looking Ahead. He tells us the worst fashion trend among college students today and why retiring to Manhattan is the secret to a long life. Our Gentile of the Week is R.J. Hernández, whose new novel, An Innocent Fashion, which tells the story of a Cuban-American Ivy League grad who lands an internship at an elite fashion magazine and assumes a genteel-sounding name and pedigree, is based on his own experiences (R.J. interned at Vogue under the name Seymour Glass.) He tells us why he felt he had to hide his heritage to make it in the high fashion world, and schools us on Fashion Week, currently underway in New York City. Like listening to Unorthodox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more.  We love hearing from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with comments, questions, and complaints. We may share your letter on air.

This week on Unorthodox, singer Sia gets sued for a sub-par Tel Aviv concert. Our Jewish guest is Justin Sakofs, creator of MagneticShul, a toy designed to engage kids in ritual Jewish life (yes, we try it out). Our Gentile of the Week is Paris-based writer Thomas Chatterton Williams, who tells us about his perspective on American politics as an ex-pat and his next book, a reckoning with how we define race in America, based on his 2015 essay about being a black man with a blonde daughter. His question for us: Are Jews white? Like listening to Unorthodox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more.  We love hearing from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with comments, questions, and complaints. We may share your letter on air.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re obsessed with the Olympics.  Our Jewish guests are 20-year-old twins Jack and David Cahn, co-authors of a new book called When Millennials Rule: The Reshaping of America. They tell us what they think of the 2016 election, which twin is better at chess, and how to prepare for the Millennial takeover. Our Gentile of the Week is Gaura Vani, a lifelong Hare Krishna and performer of Mantra Music, which is based on the ancient call-and-response devotional tradition known as Kirtan. He leads us in a chant and even tells us we have good voices.  Like listening to us each week? Consider making a contribution to support the show. We love hearing from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with comments, questions, and complaints. We may share your letter on air.

We’ve got a special show for you this week, Unorthodoxers. We’re excited to have Tablet columnist Marjorie Ingall back on to discuss her new book, Mamaleh Knows Best: What Jewish Mothers Do to Raise Successful, Creative, Empathetic, Independent Children, which comes out August 30. In it, she challenges the stereotype of the overbearing, coddling Jewish mother, arguing that Jewish mothers actually instill in their children confidence, independence, and a healthy skepticism of authority. She’s joined on-air by Rav Danya Ruttenberg, author of Nurture the Wow: Finding Spirituality in the Frustration, Boredom, Tears, Poop, Desperation, Wonder, and Radical Amazement of Parenting, which came out this spring. Our fundraising drive is coming to an end. Thank you to everyone who contributed, we geniunely appreciate the support (and funny notes!). And if you’re catching up on episodes, it’s never too late to give some shekels to your favorite Jewish podcast. We love hearing from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with comments, questions, and complaints. We may share your letter on air.

This week on Unorthodox, Amar’e Stoudemire ditches the NBA for the Holy Land. Our Jewish guest is BuzzFeed reporter Rosie Gray, who has spent the past six months following the Republican presidential candidates on the campaign trail, producing behind-the-scenes dispatches from everything from white supremacist rallies to contentious Republican meetings, and reporting on Donald Trump’s nomination at the RNC in Cleveland. Our Gentile of the Week is actor, director, and screenwriter Adam Linn, author of the 2012 novel American Sexy. He tells us how he came to direct movies despite losing his eyesight at a young age, and the most annoying thing to hear as a blind person. This episode marks one year of Unorthodox. If you’ve enjoyed listening to the show as much as we’ve enjoyed making it, please consider making a contribution.  We love hearing from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with comments, questions, and complaints. We may share your letter on air.

This week, Vilnius's hottest wedding destination is a former concentration camp. Our Jewish guest is Deena Gottlieb, who just finished her first year of reform rabbinical school. She tells us what that first year in Israel was like (less Real World, more studying), why she wants to become a reform rabbi, and how she gets through to distracted bar mitzvah students. Our Gentile of the week is Arsalan Iftikhar, aka @TheMuslimGuy, human rights lawyer, media commentator, and author of the recent book Scapegoats: How Islamophobia Helps Our Enemies & Threatens Our Freedoms. He has an interesting question for the panel: As members of a community that has been historically scapegoated, what advice can you give to seven million American Muslims who are witnessing the rise of Islamophobia here in the United States today? Like listening to us each week? Consider making a contribution at tabletmag.com/donate. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.

This week, we can't stop talking about the Republican National Convention. Our Jewish guest is the very funny Catie Lazarus, writer and host of "Employee of the Month," a monthly live talk show at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater, for which she’s interviewed Bette Midler, Jon Stewart, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. She tells us how she found her calling as a live interviewer and about the time she went to Park Slope, Brooklyn to hawk truly local milk—breast milk.  Our Gentile of the Week is Scott Jones, lead pastor at Ascencion Church, and the host of Mockingcast, the podcast of the online magazine Mockingbird (we're calling it the Christian version of our show). Over pizza-flavored Goldfish and whiskey, he tells us how a fundamentalist Christian friend from childhood with a really good curve ball led him to Jesus, and asks about the most Jewish cocktail (Manischewitz fizz).  Like listening to us each week? Consider making a contribution at tabletmag.com/donate. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.

This week on Unorthodox, our favorite Jewish gymnast is headed to Rio. Our Jewish guest is Deborah Pardo-Kaplan, a freelance journalist working on a memoir about her life as a Messianic Jew. She explains what Messianic Jews believe, and her journey from a traditional Jewish upbringing to ultimately adopting those beliefs—plus the unexpected difficulties of dating as a Messianic Jew. Our Gentile of the Week is Bruce Barber, the general manager of WNHU-FM, the campus and community run radio station at the University of New Haven. He asks about yarmulke protocol for non-Jews in a synagogue, and we call up an expert to get the answer.  Like listening to us each week? Consider making a contribution at tabletmag.com/donate. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.

Our Jewish guest is writer and illustrator Christopher Noxon, author of the novel, Plus One, and the husband of Weeds and Orange is the New Black creator Jenji Kohan. He tells us why he prefers the term ‘domestic first responder’ to ‘house husband,’ and about the ritual bloodletting required to complete his conversion to Judaism. Our Gentile of the Week is rock critic Jim DeRogatis, co-host of the WBEZ talk show “Sound Opinions.” He tells us how meeting Lester Bangs made him want to become a rock critic, and how to discover good new music today.  If you like listening to us each week, consider making a donation to support the show at tabletmag.com/donate.  We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.

This week on Unorthodox: Kappa connections, ruff times for dogs in Iran, and a new original song from our in-house Jewbadour Jim Knable. Our Jewish guest is Rebecca Schiff, whose debut short story collection, The Bed Moved, was published in April .  She reads us one of the stories, and tells us what her mom thinks of the sex and pot references in the book, and why she’s attracted to Jewish guys. Our Gentile of the Week is Mo Rocca, NPR ‘Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me’ regular. The former Daily Show fixture and VH1 commentator (he Loves the 80s) tells us about the time he judged a Trump-owned Miss U.S.A. pageant, his hamantaschen-baking habit, and what gentiles say when the Jews leave the room. If you like listening to us each week, consider making a contribution to keep Unorthodox going until 120. All sorts of on-air goodies await those who donate at tabletmag.com/donate.  We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.

This week, El Al helps herd biblical sheep to Israel. Our Jewish guest is Matthew Futterman, senior special writer for sports at The Wall Street Journal and the author of Players: The Story of Sports and Money, and the Visionaries Who Fought to Create a Revolution. He tells us how NFL quarterbacks used to sell real estate in the off-season to support themselves, plus what he’s looking forward to at this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio and why water polo is an underrated Olympic sport. Our Gentile of the Week is longtime book editor Ann Patty, whose memoir, Living with a Dead Language: My Romance with Latin, is about how she decided to learn Latin after leaving the publishing industry. She tells us about the Vassar students she met in her introductory Latin class, and the week-long Latin camp she’s attending this summer. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.

This week on Unorthodox: public swimming pool drama in Brooklyn, and one Jewish man’s unusual sperm donation program. We don’t have a Jewish guest this week, but we have reached peak gentile: award-winning architect Duo Dickinson, a cradle Episcopalian, joins us for a lively discussion about Jews, WASPs, and the difference between designing a church and a synagogue. We also get a visit from our producer Julie’s daughter Leah, who joins us on-air for a discussion of presumed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.  We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.

This week, Unorthodox jumpstarts the Father’s Day festivities with a special episode—because is there any figure more overlooked and misunderstood than the Jewish father? Liel talks to Tablet’s Gabe Sanders about archetypal father figures, starting with the biblical Abraham, and how their own identities changed when they became fathers. Stephanie sits down with Unorthodox regular Marjorie Ingall to break down the problematic aspects of Father’s Day, as well as the tough rap Jewish dads get—and how that’s wrapped up in the Jewish mother stereotype. Mark sits down with his dad, Tim Oppenheimer, who opens up about everything from his father’s many marriages and divorces to his own depression after his youngest child left for college.   This episode of Unorthodox is brought to you by Harry’s. Stop overpaying for a great shave. Go to Harrys.com and enter the code UNORTHODOX at checkout for $5 off your first order.  We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast

This week on the show: Nazis, Taylor Swift, and cats—the Unorthodox trifecta. Our Jewish guest is Chicago native Jeff Aeder, who founded the online Jewish Baseball Museum. The Cubs fan tells us about some of the lesser-known Jewish figures in America’s national pastime, why he thinks we need a museum dedicated to Jews in baseball, and when we can expect a brick-and-mortar outpost. Our Gentile of the Week is Carrie Poppy—writer, actress, and co-host of the podcast Oh No Ross and Carrie, which investigates fringe science and religious groups. She tells us the wackiest movement she’s encountered and what she thinks draws people to these kinds of groups. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.

This week on Unorthodox, the '90s are back: The Intifada is all the rage at UC Irvine, 90210's Andrea Zuckerman is on our minds, and a Clinton is running for president. Our Jewish guest is BuzzFeed News national reporter Amanda Chicago Lewis, who covers the burgeoning marijuana industry and the politics of legalization. In lieu of a Gentile of the Week, we read from a Jews for Jesus pamphlet left in the lobby of our producer Julie’s apartment building. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.

This week, Unorthodox goes back to high school. This episode was recorded live from the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, N.C, the world's only International Jewish College Prep boarding school. Our Jewish guest is former North Carolina State Senator Marshall Rauch, who when he was elected in 1967 became the first Jew in the state senate, where he spearheaded legislation making Yom Kippur a state holiday. Our Gentile of the Week is musician Judith Saxton, who is in her tenth year as Trumpet Artist/Faculty and Brass/Percussion Chair at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and is principal cornet of the North Carolina Brass Band.  We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.  This episode of Unorthodox is brought to you by Harry’s. Stop overpaying for a great shave. Go to Harrys.com and enter the code UNORTHODOX at checkout for $5 off your first order.

This week on Unorthodox: Gentiles love Manischewitz, the new Han Solo’s Jewish, and Nazi pugs exist. Our Jewish guest is Rosie Schaap, “Drink” columnist for the New York Times Magazine and the author of Drinking With Men: A Memoir. She tells us why there’s more to bars than drinking and the cocktail essentials every drinker should have at home. Our Gentile of the Week is Doug Henwood, publisher of Left Business Observer and the author of the 2015 anti-Hillary book, My Turn: Hillary Clinton Targets the Presidency. He tells us what he thinks will happen to Bernie’s campaign and who he’d vote for in a Clinton-Trump election. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast. Come see us live May 16 at the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, North Carolina. This episode of Unorthodox is brought to you by Harry’s. Stop overpaying for a great shave. Go to Harrys.com and enter the code UNORTHODOX at checkout for $5 off your first order.

This week on Unorthodox: Broad City skewers Birthright. Our Jewish guest is literary agent and author Betsy Lerner, whose latest book, The Bridge Ladies, tells the story of the women in her mother’s bridge group, which has been meeting weekly for 50 years. Our Gentile of the Week is CNN political reporter Nia-Malika Henderson, who covers the 2016 election with a special focus on identity politics, exploring the dynamics of demographics, race and religion.  We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast. Come see us live at the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, North Carolina, on May 16. This episode of Unorthodox is brought to you by Harry’s. Stop overpaying for a great shave. Go to Harrys.com and enter the code UNORTHODOX at checkout for $5 off your first order.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re searching for chametz and waiting for the Red Sea to part. Our Jewish guest is comedian David Tuchman, who hosts the lively and irreverent-er OMGWTFBIBLE podcast, which each week features a guest reading from Tuchman’s own translation of the Bible, while he chimes in with jokes. He tells us how getting started in comedy unexpectedly brought him back to his yeshiva roots. Our Gentile of the Week is Irish journalist Maitiú Ó Coimin, who took issue with Mark Oppenheimer’s characterization a few episodes back of Irish as a language no one speaks anymore. He schools us on the vibrant and large Irish speaking community, and curses Mark out in Irish. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast. Come see us live at the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, North Carolina, on May 16. This episode of Unorthodox is brought to you by Harry’s. Stop overpaying for a great shave. Go to Harrys.com and enter the code UNORTHODOX at checkout for $5 off your first order.

This week, Unorthodox heads to Palo Alto, California, for a special live taping at the Oshman Family JCC. Our Jewish guest is Eddan Katz, a cyber-crime lawyer who founded Sudo Room, a hackerspace in Oakland. Our Gentile of the Week is Amanda Bradford, founder and CEO of The League, an invite-only dating app that uses data from Facebook and LinkedIn to match its highly selective pool of ambitious singles. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast. Come see us live at the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, North Carolina, on May 16.

This week on Unorthodox: Tel Aviv, so hot right now. Our Jewish guest is writer Jillian Keenan, whose first book, Sex with Shakespeare, explores her dual passions for the Bard and BDSM. She tells us why she identifies with Caliban from The Tempest, and who she thinks is the most underrated Shakespeare character. Our Gentile of the Week is Jeff Yang, editor and publisher of aMagazine, an Asian American periodical, whose son, Hudson Yang, stars on ABC’sFresh Off the Boat. He tells us about his enduring love for comic books, and what it’s like having his 12-year-old son star on a sitcom. This episode of Unorthodox is brought to you by Harry’s. Stop overpaying for a great shave. Go to Harrys.com and enter the code UNORTHODOX at checkout for $5 off your first order. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.

This week on Unorthodox: Scottish Jews get their own official tartan. Our Jewish guest is L. Jon Wertheim, executive editor of Sports Illustrated and the co-author of the book, This is Your Brain on Sports: The Science of Underdogs, the Value of Rivalry, and What we Can Learn from the T-Shirt Cannon. He tells us how he got into sports journalism, and what he thinks the least Jewish sports are. Our Gentile of the Week is Imani Perry, professor in the Center for African American Studies at Princeton. She tells us why she thinks Bernie Sanders should have more support from African American voters, and what she really thinks of Drake. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast. 

This week on Unorthodox: Israeli actress Gal Gadot proves she’s Wonder Woman off-screen, too. Our Jewish guest is Ladino singer-songwriter Sarah Aroeste, who tells us what Ladino is, and why it’s so important to keep the Sephardic language and culture alive. She performs a song from her new Ladino children’s album, and (warning!) even gets the hosts to sing along. Our Gentile of the Week is ACLU lawyer Gillian Thomas, whose new book, Because of Sex: One Law, Ten Cases, and Fifty Years That Changed American Women’s Lives at Work, explores the impact of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibited gender discrimination in the workplace. She tells us how much progress we've actually made in the 50 years since the trailblazing women she profiles took their fight for workplace equality to the Supreme Court. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast. 

This week on Unorthodox: Name-calling at a basketball game between a Catholic high school and a heavily Jewish public school in a Boston suburb takes a weirdly dark turn. Our Jewish guest is Jessamyn Hope, whose debut novel, Safekeeping, tells the intertwined stories of several strangers who find their way to a kibbutz in the summer of 1994, and was partly inspired by her own brief stay on a kibbutz. Our other Jewish guest (we are short a Gentile of the Week–forgive us!) is legal scholar Lawrence Douglas, whose latest book, The Right Wrong Man: John Demjanjuk and the Last Great Nazi War Crimes Trial, chronicles the dramatic effort to try the former Nazi known as Ivan the Terrible. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.

This week on Unorthodox: Israeli settlers and Palestinians working together… to grow marijuana. Our Jewish guest is Eric Weiner, author of the new book, The Geography of Genius. He tells us the cities throughout history most conducive to breeding genius, how he really feels about Silicon Valley, and whether cats are smarter than dogs. Our Gentile of the Week is Katherine Connor Martin, editor of the Oxford English Dictionary and the New Oxford American Dictionary. She tells us why "Trumpmentum" doesn’t hold a candle to "Joementum," and asks about the difference between the words kippah, yarmulke, and skullcap.

This week on Unorthodox: the Oscars' Jewish highlights (and lowlights). Our Jewish guest, Adam Kantor, plays the tailor Mottel Kamzoil in the Broadway revivial of "Fiddler on the Roof," which opened in December. He made his Broadway debut in 2008 as Mark Cohen in "Rent." Our Gentile of the Week is writer and comedian Mandy Stadtmiller. She discusses her new Unwifeable column for New York magazine (and her recent wedding) and the mysteries of Kabbalah. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.

Our Jewish guest this week is Ben Ostrower, whose design firm created Bernie Sanders’ logo. He tells us how campaign logos have evolved over time and how the Obama campaign catapulted branding and logos to the forefront of election-season consciousness. Our Gentile of the Week is Chris Eigeman, who made his acting debut as preppy New York City teen Nick Smith in Whit Stillman’s 1990 film, Metropolitan. He tells us about playing an Upper East Side WASP despite being from Denver and his latest directing project. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast. 

This week on Unorthodox: Klezmer aerobics and the strangest bris story you've ever heard. Our Jewish guest is Daniel Oppenheimer, author of the new book, Exit Right: The People Who Left the Left and Reshaped the American Century. He’s also—you guessed it—the brother of our host Mark Oppenheimer. Our Gentile of the Week is novelist and essayist Roxane Gay, whose latest book, Bad Feminist, cleverly tackles issues in contemporary feminism alongside considerations of culture, identity, and race. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.

This week on a special Valentine’s Day episode, Unorthodox plays Yenta. Our Jewish guest is Jill Kargman—creator, writer, producer, and star of the Bravo comedy Odd Mom Out, a thinly-veiled satire of life and motherhood on the Upper East Side, a world the lifelong New Yorker is no stranger to and isn’t afraid to lampoon. A few weeks ago we put out a call for listeners who wanted to be set up by Unorthodox, and we were so overwhelmed by the amount and quality of the submissions we received that we enlisted the help of an expert: professional dating coach Nancy Slotnick. She preps us for our first Unorthodox matchmaking session, in which we meet Shira Ginsburg, a cantor and singer based in New York City who’s looking for her beshert. Know a great guy for Shira? Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast. This episode of Unorthodox is brought to you by Harry’s. Stop overpaying for a great shave. Go to Harrys.com and enter the code UNORTHODOX at checkout for $5 off your first order.  

This week on Unorthodox: Miley meets Woody. Our Jewish guest is word maven Lizzie Skurnick, whose book, That Should Be A Word, is based on her popular New York Times Magazine column of the same name. In 2013 she founded Lizzie Skurnick Books, which reissues classic young adult literature. Our Gentile of the Week is Bill Schulz, former co-host of Fox News Channel's 3 a.m. satirical talk show, Red Eye. He claims Amy Schumer, a frequent guest on Red Eye, based the terrible character Schultz in her hit film Trainwreck on him.  We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast. This episode of Unorthodox is brought to you by Harry’s. Stop overpaying for a great shave. Go to Harrys.com and enter the code UNORTHODOX at checkout for $5 off your first order.

This week on Unorthodox: Bloomberg, Bernie, and Trump, oh my! Our Jewish guest is Mark Seidenfeld, vice president and deputy general counsel at Scholastic, publisher of the wildly successful Harry Potter and The Hunger Games series. He tells us about traveling to Scotland to pick up a manuscript from Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling—and then sitting on it during the flight back to New York to keep it safe. Our non-Jewish guest is bioethicist and writer Alice Dreger, whose new book, Galileo’s Middle Finger, explores the at-times contentious clashes between scientists and activists throughout history. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast. This episode of Unorthodox is brought to you by Harry’s. Stop overpaying for a great shave. Go to Harrys.com and enter the code UNORTHODOX at checkout for $5 off your first order.

Our Jewish guest this week is Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace, an organization whose mission includes ending the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, and which supports the controversial Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. She explains why she believes her organization's work is more important now than ever, and spars with Liel over the merits of BDS.  Our Gentile of the Week is Mike Albo—writer, performer, and humorist—whose next project is an off-Broadway performance based on his 2015 memoir, 'Spermhood: Diary of a Donor.' His question for the panel is simple: Why are gay Jewish men so good in bed? We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.

This week on Unorthodox: Bar Refaeli baby watch begins, and Mel Gibson returns (shudder). Our Jewish guest is painter Archie Rand, whose new book, The 613, is the culmination of his most ambitious project yet: painting visual representations of each of Judaism’s 613 mitzvot, or commandments. Our Gentile of the Week is Catherine Burns, the longtime artistic director of the hit storytelling series The Moth. Her question to the panel is about Jewish burial traditions, and, characteristically, takes the form of a story. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.

This week on Unorthodox: kosher marijuana, the great bagel scooping debate, and one very WASPy cardigan. Our Jewish guest is Bethany Mandel, author of the Convert's Bill of Rights, which she wrote after learning she was one of the women videotaped by Rabbi Barry Freundel while using the mikveh, or Jewish ritual bath. (The Orthodox rabbi was sentenced in May 2015 to 6 1/2 years in prison for filming more than 150 women, many of them converts, using the ritual bath.) Our Gentile of the Week is writer Rand Cooper, who asks the panel the ever-important question, "Is Jewdar real?" We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast. 

From Drake to Bernie Sanders, Amy Schumer to the presidential election—and, of course, Israeli cats—we’ve covered a lot this year on Unorthodox. We’re ringing in the new year with a special compilation of our favorite moments from 2015, including never-before aired segments, highlights from our live shows, and guests Simon Doonan, sex therapist Bat Sheva Marcus, comedian Dave Hill, lexicographer Erin McKean, and more. Want more Unorthodox? Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com, and sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast. 

This week, Unorthodox celebrates Christmas—or as we call it, Christian Hanukkah—the only way we know how: binge-watching Netflix (the new ‘going to a movie’) and eating Chinese food. We’re joined by Orange is the New Black’s Yael Stone, who tells us about playing the memorable Lorna Morello, a compulsive shopper and lovable stalker, on the hit Netflix show. Her newest role is as Peretta Jones on the SyFy series Childhood’s End, which you can binge-watch after you finish Season 3 of Orange is the New Black. She tells us about moving to the U.S. from Australia, where she grew up, and directs us to watch her new show using that distinctive Morello accent. ​We’re also joined by Jennifer 8. Lee, whose book The Fortune Cookie Chronicles explores, among other things, the relationship between Jews and Chinese food. She tells us why chow mein is “the chosen food of the chosen people,” and how Chinese food on Christmas became a veritable Jewish American tradition. She also tells us about the Dumpling Emoji Project, her campaign to get a dumpling added to the canon of emoji available on your smartphone. While you’re Netflix-ing on Christmas Day, check out the excellent documentary she produced, The Search for General Tso. We wish you a merry, Unorthodox Christmas, no matter how you celebrate. Now pass the lo mein. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.  You can watch SyFy's Childhood's End online at http://www.syfy.com/childhoodsend/episodes, and Orange is the New Black on Netflix at https://www.netflix.com/mx-en/title/70242311. For more on Jennifer 8. Lee, check out http://www.jennifer8lee.com/, and http://fortunecookiechronicles.com/. Show your support for the dumpling emoji campaign at https://www.change.org/p/unicode-consortium-we-need-a-dumpling-emoji. 

This week on Unorthodox, a special live taping from the nation's capital featuring Jewish food maven Joan Nathan and New Republic writer Elizabeth Bruenig, and much, much more This week, Unorthodox heads to our nation's capital for a special live episode at the Washington DCJCC. Our Jewish guest is food maven and Tablet contributor Joan Nathan, who discusses her Yemenite chicken soup recipe and explains why we're all missing out on Libyan Jewish cuisine. She tells us about her favorite chefs, visits to the White House, and which president she considers the 'most Jewish.'  Our non-Jewish guest is Elizabeth Bruenig, who writes about Christianity, politics, and poverty for the New Republic. She tells us how a Methodist from Texas ended up at Brandeis University—and then converted to Catholicism. Her question for the panel is whether Bernie Sanders' campaign has been exciting for Jews to watch.  For more Joan Nathan, visit http://joannathan.com/, or get her Tablet recipes at http://www.tabletmag.com/author/jnathan. You find Elizabeth Bruenig's articles athttps://newrepublic.com/authors/elizabeth-bruenig. For more of our in-house Jewbadour, Jim Knable, check out jimknable.com.  We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast. 

On this week's episode: America’s most badass Supreme Court Justice and TV’s most visible rabbi. Our Jewish guest is MSNBC reporter Irin Carmon, whose new book, Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is a smart, entertaining biography of the Supreme Court justice. She tells us about RBG’s recent turn as a feminist pop culture icon, her important role on the Supreme Court today, and the octogenarian’s impressive workout routine. Our non-Jewish guest is actress Kathryn Hahn, who tells us what it’s like to regularly play Jewish characters (see: Transparent, Afternoon Delight, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days). She explains how she prepared for her latest role as Rabbi Raquel Fein on Jill Soloway’s Amazon hit Transparent, which returns Friday for Season 2. She asks the panel about Judaism’s earliest female rabbis. Our next episode will be a live taping on Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Washington DC JCC, in Washington, D.C. You can buy tickets at http://thejdc.convio.net/site/Calendar?id=151257&view=Detail. To buy Notorious RBG, go to http://notoriousrbg.tumblr.com/book. For more Transparent, check out amazon.com/transparent. We love to hear from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast. 

This week, we're, we’re ringing in the Festival of Lights with a special episode filled with Unorthodox holiday cheer, Adam Sandler’s updated “Hanukkah Song,” and a whole lot of latkes. We’re joined by Jewish competitive eater Don Moses Lerman, who comes out of retirement to see how many Russ & Daughters potato latkes he can eat in five minutes on the air. Tablet columnist Marjorie Ingall, who previously gave us a crash course in pre-Yom Kippur apologies, stops by with some advice on how not to make Hanukkah all about the presents for kids, and recommends the best new Jewish children's books. Tablet’s art director Esther Werdiger also returns this week with a tale of Hanukkah Down Under—where the holiday falls smack in the middle of summer, and instead of snowflakes and fireplaces there are arbecues and beach parties. We're recording a live show December 15 at 7 p.m. at the Washington DC JCC in Washington, D.C. You can buy tickets here: http://thejdc.convio.net/site/Calendar?id=151257&view=Detail.  Let us know what you really think of Unorthodox! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. You can sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.  For more about Don Lerman, check out his website: http://www.donmoseslerman.com/. You can find Marjorie Ingall's list of the best children's books of 2015 here:http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/195314/best-jewish-childrens-books-2015. 

This Thanksgiving, we're thankful for good health, cats, and Drake. But mostly, dear listeners, we're thankful for you. Over the past 17 weeks, you've not only listened to our humble podcast, you've gotten your friends to listen, showed up at our first live taping, and, best of all, written to us to tell us exactly what you think of the show. A lot. We so appreciate you taking the time to write us (even when it's to tell us we talk too fast, or don't know what we're talking about) that we've dedicated this special Thanksgiving episode to your letters. We speak to several listeners who have written us, hear from comedians Jo Firestone and Connor Ratliff as they read your letters aloud, and get singer-songwriter Jim Knable to turn your emailed words into the catchiest song you'll hear all day. Happy Thanksgiving, and keep those letters coming at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com. You can sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.  For more Jo Firestone, check out http://www.jofirestone.com/. Follow Connor Ratliff on Twitter at https://twitter.com/connorratliff. You can hear more of Jim Knable's work at http://www.jimknable.com/ 

Our Jewish guest, Bat Sheva Marcus, is a sex counselor, podcast host, and president of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance. She tells us about the most common issues her patients face, the challenges of finding rabinically-approved erotica for observant Jews, and the importance of maintaining a sexual connection in long-term monogamous relationships.  Our non-Jewish guest is Mallory Ortberg, founder and editor of feminist literary website the Toast, and Slate's new Dear Prudence advice columnist. She talks to us about her bestselling book, Texts From Jane Eyre, her evangelical pastor father, and the difficulties of dispensing advice. Her questions for the panel are whether lox is different from smoked salmon, and why there aren't as many Jewish denominations as there are Christian. For more Bat Sheva Marcus, check out her podcast, The Joy of Text, here: http://jpmedia.co/podcasts/joy-of-text/. You can read Mallory Ortberg's Slate columns here: http://www.slate.com/authors.mallory_ortberg.html. Check out The Toast at http://the-toast.net/.  We love hearing from you. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com, and sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast. 

This week on Unorthodox: Preaching to the unconverted. Our Jewish guest is our very own editor-in-chief, Alana Newhouse. She talks to us about Tablet’s new print magazine and shares exclusive details from the first issue, which comes out next week. Our non-Jewish guest is Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a prolific writer and podcaster. The evangelical macher poses two questions to the panel: Why are Jews are so reliably Democratic? And what are the best Jewish-themed movies? We love hearing from you. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com, and sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.  You can subscribe to our print magazine here: imsnews.com/tablet. For more about Dr. Mohler, check out his website at http://www.albertmohler.com/.

This week on Unorthodox, our Jewish guest is journalist Alyssa Katz, a member of the New York Daily News editorial board. Her new book, "The Influence Machine," is about the vast political influence—and lobbying money—wielded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She tells the panel what the Chamber of Commerce actually is and how it got so powerful, and explains why, in today's social media-filled political climate, newspaper editorials still matter.  Our non-Jewish guest is poet and high-school English teacher Emily Moore, who discusses high schoolers, country camp music, and motherhood. She asks the panel whether there are various levels of horas danced at different types of Jewish wedding, and how American Jews get their other, Hebrew names. We love hearing from you. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com, and sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast.  For more about Alyssa Katz's book, see here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Influence-Machine-Commerce-Corporate/dp/0812993284. You can find Emily Moore's poetry here:"http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/emily-moore

This week marks the thirteenth episode of Unorthodox, and we’re ready to party like it’s our bar mitzvah all over again. Our Jewish guest is Wayne Hoffman, executive editor of Tablet and the author of several novels. His latest is An Older Man, which follows 42-year-old Moe Pearlman (the protagonist from Hoffman’s first novel, Hard, about New York City’s gay scene in the 1990s), as he deals with getting older and finding companionship during Bear Week in Provincetown, MA. Hoffman discusses bear culture and what’s changed for the gay community since the days of Hard. Our non-Jewish guest is Elvis Harvey, a dog trainer on the Upper West Side who’s gotten to know quite a few Jews since moving his business to New York City from Texas. He talks about the difference between Jewish and Catholic (as well as liberal and conservative) dog owners. We love hearing from you. Email Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with questions, comments, or complaints. We’ll share our favorites on the air. You can learn more about Wayne Hoffman's books at www.waynehoffmanwriter.com/. You can find information about Elvis Harvey at BarkingCommonSense.com. For more Unorthodox, visit tabletmag.com/unorthodox. Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com.

This week on Unorthodox, James Franco’s star-studded bar mitzvah for charity (seriously, it raised $2.5 million); a viral video celebrating—with spoken word poetry—the diversity of the Jewish people; and how Malcolm Gladwell can help us understand the recent rash of violent stabbing attacks in Israel. Our Jewish guest is Shulem Deen, whose moving memoir, All Who Go Do Not Return, describes his journey out of the Skverer Hasidic sect. Deen—who’s now on the board of Footsteps, an organization that offers support and community for people leaving ultra-Orthodoxy—tells us about the different challenges faced by men and women who leave the community, what the secular world can learn from the close-knit Haredi world, and the first movies he ever watched. Our non-Jewish guest is Wall Street Journal sports columnist Jason Gay, whose new book, Little Victories: Perfect Rules for Imperfect Living, offers a humorous blueprint for living a slightly more relaxed and fulfilling life. He asks what the reaction would be today if a Jewish pitcher declined to play in the World Series because of Yom Kippur, as Los Angeles Dodger Sandy Koufax famously did in 1965. We love hearing from you. Email Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with questions, comments, or complaints. We’ll share our favorites on the air.

This week, we present first-ever Unorthodox live show, recorded at the Slifka Center at Yale University. Our Jewish guest is Shelly Kagan, Clark Professor of Philosophy at Yale. He talks about his reputation as Tough Grader on Campus, and explains what it means that he’s a non-welfarist consequentialist. Our guest gentile of the week—who told us he preferred the term “token goy” or “goykin”—is humorist and WNPR radio host Colin McEnroe. He asked the panel why yarmulkes always seem to fall off his head at bar mitzvah services, and, more seriously, why there seem to be certain tripwires within discussions about Israel that, when crossed, trigger accusations of anti-Jewish sentiment. You can watch Shelly Kagan's Death course at: http://oyc.yale.edu/philosophy/phil-176. Listen to the Colin McEnroe Show here: http://wnpr.org/programs/colin-mcenroe-show.

This week on Unorthodox, host Mark Oppenheimer and Tablet staffers Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz discuss Amy Schumer's $8 million book deal, Ralph Lauren stepping down as CEO of his namesake brand, and Mahmoud Abbas's speech at the U.N. General Assembly. Our Jewish guest is best-selling essayist Sloane Crosley, whose first novel, 'The Clasp,' tells the story of college friends who reunited 10 years later and get swept up in a modern-day treasure hunt across Europe. She tells the panel how a Jewish girl ended up with the name Sloane Crosley and about the transition from essay-writing to fiction.  Our non-Jewish guest is New York Times poetry critic David Orr, whose newest book, 'The Road Not Taken,' is about the Robert Frost poem people love—but completely misunderstand. He asks the panel why Jews, who have long been a staple of the literary world, are less present in the field of poetry. You can get Sloane Crosley's book here: http://www.sloanecrosley.com/theclasp, and David Orr's book here: http://www.davidorr.com/books/the-road-not-taken/.  For more Unorthodox, visit tabletmag.com/unorthodox. Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com.

This week on Unorthodox, host Mark Oppenheimer and Tablet staffers Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz discuss Ann Coulter's ill-advised tweet during the Republican presidential debate about "f---ing Jews"; the Pope's visit to the U.S.; and a campaign to end the little-known Jewish practice of Kapporos, in which chickens are ritually slaughtered before Yom Kippur. Our Jewish guest is defense lawyer and former Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, whose latest book is "Abraham: The World's First (But Certainly Not Last) Jewish Lawyer." He talks about his former research assistant Natalie Portman, and explains why some critics of Israel are bigots while others are not.  Our non-Jewish guest is Muslim comedian Negin Farsad, who is currently suing the MTA for pulling ads publicizing her documentary, "The Muslims Are Coming," just before they were scheduled to run. One such ad reads: "The Ugly Truth About Muslims: Muslims Have Great Frittata Recipes." Farsad asks the panel why some Jewish men are so ready to court and date non-Jews, only to dump them as things start to get serious because they're not Jewish. You can get Alan Dershowitz's book on Abraham here: http://www.amazon.com/Abraham-Worlds-Certainly-Jewish-Lawyer/dp/0805242937/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427481946&sr=1-4&keywords=abraham+the+worlds+first. For more of Negin Farsad's work, check out her website, http://www.neginfarsad.com/. Watch the trailer for her film at http://themuslimsarecoming.com/. For more Unorthodox, visit tabletmag.com/unorthodox. Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com.

This week on Unorthodox, host Mark Oppenheimer and Tablet staffers Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz ring in the year 5776 with the latest news of the Jews. They sound off on a controversial New York Times feature that listed the Democrats in the House and Senate who voted against the Iran nuclear deal--and indicated which of those politicians were Jewish. (The 'Jewish?' column was quickly ​ removed from the chart, and a correction was issued.) Our Jewish guest is writer, model, and college student Julia Frakes, who describes getting her start as a writer in the fashion world when she was 16. She talks about ​ where to find smart fashion writing, and how she ended up on the runway. Our non-Jewish guest is Erin McKean, lexicographer, word-lover, and founder of Wordnik.com, the "world's biggest online dictionary." She asks what Hebrew words we should be importing into English, and shares a ​ little-known​ Yiddish term she ​feels is much deserving of a comeback. You can follow Julia Frakes on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/bunnyBISOUS. Check out Wordnik's adopt-a-word fundraiser here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1574790974/lets-add-a-million-missing-words-to-the-dictionary. For more Unorthodox, visit tabletmag.com/unorthodox. Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com.

Host Mark Oppenheimer and Tablet staffers Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz sound off about public schools closing for Jewish holidays, and discuss a New York Times opinion piece about how some of the most violent West Bank extremists are from the United States. Rabbi Avi Shafran explains why he dislikes like the term ultra-Orthodox, why secular Jews shouldn't feel hostility towards more observant Jews (and vice versa), and why he doesn't accept reform conversions.   Guest non-Jew Alex Sheshunoff describes his new book, A Beginner's Guide to Paradise, which chronicles his year living on the South Pacific island of Pig reading the 100 books he's always wanted to read. He asks the panel about the fishing wire strung from electrical poles in areas with large Jewish populations. (Known as an eruv, the string denotes an area in which items may be carried by observant Jews for Shabbat.)  To learn more about Avi Shafran, check out his website, http://rabbiavishafran.com/. You can read the first chapter of Sheshunoff's book at http://www.abeginnersguidetoparadise.com/#a-beginners-guide-to-paradise For more Unorthodox, visit tabletmag.com/unorthodox. Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com.

This special Yom Kippur episode of Unorthodox features stories about apologies from host Mark Oppenheimer, writer and Harvard Divinity student Shira Telushkin, and Tablet's Esther Werdiger. What happens when an apology goes wrong? What happens when we’ve done something so awful we can’t face the other person? What happens when somebody apologizes to us—and we can’t forgive? Special guest Marjorie Ingall, who blogs at sorrywatch.com, offers her five rules for what makes a good apology. For more Unorthodox, visit tabletmag.com/unorthodox. Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com. 

Tablet staffers Mark Oppenheimer, Liel Leibovitz, and Stephanie Butnick sound off on the news of the week, including the death of the world’s oldest living Jew and a Palestinian prisoner's hunger strike. New York Times comedy critic Jason Zinoman discusses Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman, and the new Jewish comedy. Dan Savage, this week's guest non-Jew, asks a question about a long-ago romance lost in translation: specifically, his German boyfriend thinking he was Jewish.  Follow Jason Zinoman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zinoman. Check out Dan Savage's Savage Love column here: http://www.thestranger.com/authors/259/dan-savage,  For more Unorthodox, visit tabletmag.com/unorthodox. Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com.

Tablet staffers Mark Oppenheimer, Liel Leibovitz, and Stephanie Butnick sound off about Jewish rapper Matisyahu getting booted from a Spanish reggae festival for refusing to condemn Israel; Jews in Hollywood signing off on the Iran deal; and former NWA manager Jerry Heller's portrayal in the new film "Straight Outta Compton." Katha Pollitt, longtime columnist for The Nation, discusses being portrayed by Patricia Clarkson in the upcoming film, "Learning to Drive," and the recent political attacks on Planned Parenthood. Comedian and musician Dave Hill, this week's non-Jewish guest, asks why Jews don't drink as much as Catholics and why Hasidic men don't take advantage of their fashion opportunity. You can read Katha's columns for The Nation here: http://www.thenation.com/authors/katha-pollitt/. For more about Dave and his upcoming appearances, check outhttp://www.davehillonline.com/ Sign up for the weekly Unorthodox newsletter: eepurl.com/bsZlGr. Email us with comments, questions and ideas at unorthodox@tabletmag.com.

Tablet staffers Mark Oppenheimer, Liel Leibovitz, and Stephanie Butnick sound off about the (legal) battle of the Jewish dating apps, a crowd-funded effort to reelect Canada's Jewish prime minister, and a Nazi-themed romance novel. Ophira Eisenberg, stand-up comic and host of NPR's quiz show 'Ask Me Another,' discusses the politics of strangers touching pregnant women's bumps, and why her NPR celebrity status matters not at all to her big Canadian family. Humor writer and guest non-Jew Henry Alford asks why his gaydar doesn't seem to work for Jewish guys, who all seem to own multiple sweaters and have close relationships with their mothers.You can find more about Ophira Eisenberg, plus her stand-up schedule, here: http://ophiraeisenberg.com/. For more about Henry Alford, check out his website, http://henryalford.com/.For more Unorthodox, visit tabletmag.com/unorthodox. Let us know what you think of Unorthodox: emailunorthodox@tabletmag.com 

Host Mark Oppenheimer and Tablet staffers Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz discuss this year’s European Maccabiah Games—a Jewish Olympics of sorts—which are being held this week in Berlin at the stadium Hitler built for the 1936 Olympics. They also sound off on Mike Huckabee’s ill-advised Holocaust analogy, and an investigation into academic rigor at New York City’s Orthodox yeshivas.  Celebrity ghostwriter Hilary Liftin discusses her new novel, Movie Star By Lizzie Pepper, a tell-all written by a fictional Hollywood starlet swept away by an older Hollywood heartthrob involved in a strange cult. She doesn’t name names. Unorthodox’s gentile of the week is Simon Doonan--Barneys’ creative ambassador, writer, and man-about-town. He describes his lifelong affinity for the Jewish people, his Jewish wedding to celebrity ceramicist Jonathan Adler, and schools the hosts with his Yiddishisms. For more about Simon Doonan, check out his website http://www.simondoonan.com/. Hilary Liftin’s novel Movie Star By Lizzie Pepper is available here http://hilaryliftin.com/. Learn more about Unorthodox at www.tabletmag.com/tag/unorthodox, and sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://eepurl.com/bsZlGr. Let us know what you think of the podcast by emailing Unorthodox@tabletmag.com.

Host Mark Oppenheimer and Tablet staffers Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz sound off about gay marriage in Israel, the suicide of a formerly Orthodox young woman, and Adam Sandler's latest movie. New York Times bestselling author A.J. Jacobs discusses his latest project: hosting the world's largest family reunion and compiling a massive family tree that includes President Obama, Judge Judy, and yes, Adam Sandler. Writer and 'This American Life' contributor Elna Baker describes leaving the Mormon church and asks why non-practicing Jews get to call themselves Jewish, which isn't the case for Mormons.    For more information about A.J. Jacobs, visit his website www.ajjacobs.com. You can find out more about his Global Family Reunion at http://globalfamilyreunion.com/. Elna Baker's memoir, The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance, is available at http://www.elnabaker.com/book.html. 

Your first listen to the new podcast from the editors of Tablet Magazine.