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 ...
May 07, 2020•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 227
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 homewo...
Apr 30, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 226
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 N...
Apr 23, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 225
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 ...
Apr 19, 2020•9 min
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...
Apr 16, 2020•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 224
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, wh...
Apr 11, 2020•12 min
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...
Apr 08, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 223
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 Passove...
Apr 06, 2020•19 min
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 on...
Apr 03, 2020•12 min
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...
Apr 02, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 222
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.
Mar 28, 2020•15 min
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.ban...
Mar 27, 2020•16 min
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 ...
Mar 26, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 221
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.
Mar 21, 2020•5 min
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 ...
Mar 20, 2020•9 min
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...
Mar 19, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 220
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. S...
Mar 18, 2020•5 min
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.
Mar 17, 2020•9 min
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 goi...
Mar 16, 2020•16 min
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.
Mar 14, 2020•10 min
While the world is quarantining and canceling around us, we decided to bring you all a little Shabbat light.
Mar 13, 2020•16 min
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
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•2 hr 35 min•Ep. 218
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
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
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
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
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
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
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•2 hr 42 min•Ep. 211
