Tablet Studios

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.SPONSORSThe 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.SPONSORSThe 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.SPONSORSHebrew 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.SPONSORSHebrew 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.