Tablet Studios

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.

In this episode, the hosts explore controversial aspects of Disney World, discuss their obsession with Padre Pio, and interview comedian Moshe Kasher about his memoir on subcultures. They also share heartfelt letters from listeners and discuss the importance of learning Arabic for cultural understanding in Israel.

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 information about all the individuals and organizations featured this week and ways to support them, head to tabletmag.com/unorthodoxinisrael.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 information about all the individuals and organizations featured this week and ways to support them, head to tabletmag.com/unorthodoxinisrael.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 information about all the individuals and organizations featured this week and ways to support them, head to tabletmag.com/unorthodoxinisrael.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 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 information about all the individuals and organizations featured this week and ways to support them, head to tabletmag.com/unorthodoxinisrael.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.