Bonus: An Unorthodox Shabbat
While the world is quarantining and canceling around us, we decided to bring you all a little Shabbat light.
Mar 13, 2020•16 min
Tablet Studios
From weekly series examining unique angles on Jews’ place in the world, to inquiries into the details of Jewish text and tradition, Tablet Studios podcasts bring you insight and inspiration for the modern-day Jew. Our shows include How to Be a Jew, Unorthodox, Rootless, Re-Form, and more to come.
Episodes
Heat Check: Ep 219
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...
Mar 12, 2020•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 219
Dress for Success: Ep. 218
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 N...
Mar 05, 2020•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 218
Truth to Power: Ep. 217
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 ...
Feb 27, 2020•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 217
Working It: Ep. 216
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...
Feb 20, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 216
Whole Hearted: Ep. 215
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 K...
Feb 13, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 215
Soul Cycles: Ep. 214
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...
Feb 06, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 214
Knowing, Doing, and Being: Ep. 213
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 put...
Jan 30, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 213
Speak Your Mind: Ep. 212
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 Tem...
Jan 23, 2020•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 212
All In The Family: Ep. 211
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 challen...
Jan 16, 2020•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 211
Take One from Tablet Magazine
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 ...
Jan 09, 2020•23 min
Best Food Forward: Ep. 210
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 ou...
Jan 02, 2020•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 210
Christmas in Colorado: Ep. 209
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 wh...
Dec 26, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 209
Hanukkah Helper: Ep. 208
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 s...
Dec 19, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 208
Tradition and Myth: Ep. 207
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, Spiritualit...
Dec 12, 2019•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 207
Prep-ing for Hanukkah: Ep. 206
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....
Dec 05, 2019•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 206
Breaking Bread: Ep. 205
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 th...
Nov 27, 2019•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 205
Philadelphia Shel Zahav: Ep. 204
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 speci...
Nov 21, 2019•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 204
The Rabbi and the Revolutionary: Ep. 203
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 furnit...
Nov 14, 2019•1 hr 26 min
Unorthodox Unedited: 2 Jews, Infinite opinions
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.
Nov 07, 2019•1 hr 42 min
Big Mouths: Ep. 202
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 ...
Oct 31, 2019•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 202
Pittsburgh, One Year Later: Ep. 201
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 offe...
Oct 24, 2019•48 min•Ep. 201
The 200th Episode
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 S...
Oct 17, 2019•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 200
Going Viral: Ep. 199
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...
Oct 10, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 199
The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia: Ep 198
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 Thatche...
Oct 03, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 198
The Apology Episode, 5780: Ep 197
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...
Sep 26, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 197
The One with the Instagram Rabbis: Ep. 196
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...
Sep 19, 2019•1 hr 23 min
Love and Prizes: Ep 195
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 [email protected]. Our Jewish guest this week is Israeli writer Etgar Keret, winner of the Sapir Priz...
Sep 12, 2019•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 195
Sababa Secrets: Ep. 194
'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 [email protected]. 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...
Sep 05, 2019•1 hr 15 min
Let's Stay Together: Episode 193
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 (...
Aug 29, 2019•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 193
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android
Open in Metacast