With the 4th of July comes the official BBQ season, so this week we’re bringing you some musicians who can help with your summer soundtrack. We have Shlomo Gaisin and Zachariah Goldschmiedt of the band Zusha, who combine Hasidic vibes with secular styles. We also go to Nashville to talk to the only Jewish-Israeli country music artist there, Omer Netzer.Learn more about becoming a Tablet Member at tabletm.ag/uomember. 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.Brandeis University offers an online master’s certificate in Jewish Professional Leadership, training creative and compassionate Jewish leaders on a flexible schedule. Learn more at brandeis.edu/hornstein.

This week on the show, we’re throwing our duffel bags into El Al’s overhead bins. Journalist and author A.J. Jacobs returns to the show (for the sixth time!) to discuss his newest book, The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution’s Original Meaning. If you want to catch up on A.J.’s previous stints as Jew of the Week, you can find him on our very first episode, as well as here, here, here, and here.Learn more about becoming a Tablet member at tabletm.ag/uomember. Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxliveWrite 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:Brandeis University offers an online master’s certificate in Jewish Professional Leadership, training creative and compassionate Jewish leaders on a flexible schedule. Learn more at brandeis.edu/hornstein.Emanu-El Downtown’s Religious School Lab opens this fall in Manhattan for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade, offering a welcoming community, pick-up from local schools, and one-to-one virtual Hebrew instruction. Visit EmanuelDowntown.org for more.ChaiFlicks, the Jewish streaming platform, presents Kafka, its newest exclusive drama series on the life of legendary author Franz Kafka. Starring Joel Basman, David Kross, and Christian Friedel, the show uncovers the mysteries, scandals, romances, and imagination of the author behind masterpieces like The Metamorphosis. Visit ChaiFlicks.com and use code KAFKAPOD at checkout for 50% off new subscriptions and a 7-day free trial.

New York Congressman Ritchie Torres sits with Tablet Magazine’s Liel Leibovitz and Alana Newhouse to discuss Zionism, social media’s role in antisemitism, and the necessity of patriotism.

This week on the show, we know what you should add to the queue. Stephanie, Liel, and Joshua have come with their recommendations for the best TV, films, and books for a hot, hot summer. Chelsea Film Festival founder Ingrid Jean-Baptiste joins the show to discuss the festival’s global mission and her Martinique Jewish heritage.Maya Lasker-Wallfisch comes by to talk about The Commandant’s Shadow, a new documentary in which Maya and her Auschwitz survivor mother meet the family of the camp’s former commandant, Rudolph Höss. Learn more about becoming a Tablet member at tabletm.ag/uomember. Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxliveWrite 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:Brandeis University offers an online master’s certificate in Jewish Professional Leadership, training creative and compassionate Jewish leaders on a flexible schedule. Learn more at brandeis.edu/hornstein.Emanu-El Downtown’s Religious School Lab opens this fall in Manhattan for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade, offering a welcoming community, pick-up from local schools, and one-to-one virtual Hebrew instruction. Visit EmanuelDowntown.org for more.ChaiFlicks, the Jewish streaming platform, presents Kafka, its newest exclusive drama series on the life of legendary author Franz Kafka. Starring Joel Basman, David Kross, and Christian Friedel, the show uncovers the mysteries, scandals, romances, and imagination of the author behind masterpieces like The Metamorphosis. Visit ChaiFlicks.com and use code KAFKAPOD at checkout for 50% off new subscriptions and a 7-day free trial.

This week on the show, we’re marking Father’s Day and Shavuot with reflections on fatherhood, loss, and collective Jewish responsibility. Director Adam Nimoy shares stories from his memoir, The Most Human: Reconciling with My Father, Leonard Nimoy. He details what it was like to be the son of Spock, as well as how he and his father reconnected before Leonard’s death in 2015.Tablet writer Gabe Sanders returns to the show with a personal essay about finding unexpected meaning while saying Kaddish for his father. Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin of Wisdom Without Walls explains the big ideas behind his new book, Tikkun Ha’am/Repairing Our People: Reimagining Liberal Judaism in America, which calls for a renewed emphasis on Jewish responsibility. Learn more about becoming a Tablet member at tabletm.ag/uomember. Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive.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: Emanu-El Downtown’s Religious School Lab opens this fall in Manhattan for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade, offering a welcoming community, pick-up from local schools, and one-to-one virtual Hebrew instruction. Visit EmanuelDowntown.org for more.ChaiFlicks, the Jewish streaming platform, presents Kafka, its newest exclusive drama series on the life of legendary author Franz Kafka. Starring Joel Basman, David Kross, and Christian Friedel, the show uncovers the mysteries, scandals, romances, and imagination of the author behind masterpieces like The Metamorphosis. Visit ChaiFlicks.com and use code KAFKAPOD at checkout for 50% off new subscriptions and a 7-day free trial.

This week on the show, we’re examining the most Beautifully Jewish object of all time: the Torah. In celebration of Shavuot, Beautifully Jewish hosts Stephanie Butnick and Tanya Singer explore creative, unexpected ways of connecting with the Torah. Israeli journalist Sivan Rahav-Meir, host of the Tablet podcast Sivan Says: Taking the Torah Personally, shares how she found her way into the Torah, and the daily wisdom it offers her.   Dr. Carol Meyers of Duke University, who as Stephanie’s professor inspired her love of Jewish stories, explains why it’s so important to examine women’s lives, in the Bible and beyond. Lili Shain tells us about Torah Stitch by Stitch, a project started by the late artist Temma Gentles, in which people around the world cross-stitched panels featuring every verse in the Torah. If you’re as excited by Torah Stitch by Stitch as we are, you’re in luck: We’re going to be hosting a Beautifully Jewish stitch-along where we’ll all learn to cross stitch together. We’ll be stitching meaningful verses selected for us by Lili Shain herself. Join us at tabletm.ag/beautiful to become a member and get access to the pattern and instructional videos (you don’t need any experience in cross stitching, we promise!). Daniella Rabbani and Zalmen Mlotek perform “Der Eybershter Iz Der Mekhutn,” or “The Almighty Is The Bride’s Father,” a Yiddish song about the relationship between the Jews, the Torah, and the divine. You can read the English translation here. We’re keeping the Shavuot learning going: Join us Tuesday, June 11 from 9 p.m. to midnight for a special event featuring Liel Leibovitz, Tablet critic-at-large Marco Roth, and special guests reading and moderating a discussion of modernist literature in the upstairs lounge of The Russian Samovar at 256 West 52nd Street in Manhattan. In the spirit of Shavuot, expect riffing on passages by Marcel Proust, James Joyce, and Virginia Woolf, as well as from the Torah. Register here.Learn more about becoming a Tablet member at tabletm.ag/uomember. Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxliveWrite 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:Brandeis University offers an online master’s certificate in Jewish Professional Leadership, training creative and compassionate Jewish leaders on a flexible schedule. Learn more at brandeis.edu/hornstein.Emanu-El Downtown’s Religious School Lab opens this fall in Manhattan for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade, offering a welcoming community, pick-up from local schools, and one-to-one virtual Hebrew instruction. Visit EmanuelDowntown.org for more.Since October 7, Meir Panim has provided over 2.5 million meals, essential items, and care packages to IDF soldiers and displaced families, as well as organizing events and daily support for thousands. Donate at meirpanim.org/unorthodox. ChaiFlicks, the Jewish streaming platform, presents Kafka, its newest exclusive drama series on the life of legendary author Franz Kafka. Starring Joel Basman, David Kross, and Christian Friedel, the show uncovers the mysteries, scandals, romances, and imagination of the author behind masterpieces like The Metamorphosis. Visit ChaiFlicks.com and use code KAFKAPOD at checkout for 50% off new subscriptions and a 7-day free trial.

Unorthodox is off this week, but today we’re sharing an episode of the Tablet podcast Sivan Says: Taking the Torah Personally, featuring Sivan Rahav-Meir and our own Liel Leibovitz. Parshat Bechukotai’s got a lot of blessings, and a lot of curses. Follow God’s commandments, you’re in the clear. Don’t follow them, some gnarly stuff can happen. Persecution. Exile. A divine wrath. But could it be that it’s all a blessing, even the curses? That the worst sin isn’t some particular action, but apathy towards our connection to God? Tune in to find out.Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality, and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Thought WhatsApp group, where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs.Learn more about becoming a Tablet member at tabletm.ag/uomember. Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxliveWrite 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: Brandeis University offers an online master’s certificate in Jewish Professional Leadership, training creative and compassionate Jewish leaders on a flexible schedule. Learn more at brandeis.edu/hornstein.Emanu-El Downtown’s Religious School Lab opens this fall in Manhattan for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade, offering a welcoming community, pick-up from local schools, and one-to-one virtual Hebrew instruction. Visit EmanuelDowntown.org for more.Since October 7, Meir Panim has provided over 2.5 million meals, essential items, and care packages to IDF soldiers and displaced families, as well as organizing events and daily support for thousands. Donate at meirpanim.org/unorthodox. 

This week on the show, we’re catching a wave. Producers Courtney Hazlett and Elie Bleier head to Tel Aviv to learn about the history of Israeli surfing from surfer Arthur Rashkovan. Accompanying Tablet’s just-published reflections from Jewish college students about a semester like no other, producer Josh Kross heads to the University of Chicago to catch up with one of the essay writers. You’ll also hear from Stephanie and Liel about the Torah class they led in a local correctional institute, organized by the Aleph Institute.  Learn more about becoming a Tablet member at tabletm.ag/uomember. Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxliveWrite 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:Brandeis University offers an online master’s certificate in Jewish Professional Leadership, training creative and compassionate Jewish leaders on a flexible schedule. Learn more at brandeis.edu/hornstein.Emanu-El Downtown’s Religious School Lab opens this fall in Manhattan for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade, offering a welcoming community, pick-up from local schools, and one-to-one virtual Hebrew instruction. Visit EmanuelDowntown.org for more.Koren Jerusalem, the largest religious Zionist publisher in the world, has published roughly 1,500 titles in Hebrew and English over the last sixty years. You can pre-order the English translation of the bestselling book One Day In October, documenting the stories of the heroes of October 7, at korenpub.com.

This week on the show, we’re Eden Golan’s biggest fans. TikTok phenom and cookbook author Eitan Bernath tells us about the Jewish foods featured in his new series, “Eitan Explores: Mexico City.” Rabbi Shai Held of the Hadar Institute and the Answers WithHeld podcast delves into his new book, Judaism Is About Love. And Orthodox clothing designer Rivky Itzkowitz shows off Impact Fashion, her size-inclusive fashion brand offering modest clothing for all.  The Israeli Eurovision winners heard in today’s episode are: “A-Ba-Ni-Bi” by Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta, “Hallelujah” performed by Milk and Honey, “Diva” by Dana International, and “Toy” by Netta Barzilai. Remember Shavit Romero, the gentile IDF soldier whose story we brought you a few weeks ago? He was just released from the hospital and now his real battle is beginning. If you’d like to support him as he recovers, you can chip in here:https://my.israelgives.org/en/fundme/shavitLearn more about becoming a Tablet Member at tabletm.ag/uomember. Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxliveWrite 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:Brandeis University offers an online master’s certificate in Jewish Professional Leadership, training creative and compassionate Jewish leaders on a flexible schedule. Learn more at brandeis.edu/hornstein.Emanu-El Downtown’s Religious School Lab opens this fall in Manhattan for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade, offering a welcoming community, pick-up from local schools, and one-to-one virtual Hebrew instruction. Visit EmanuelDowntown.org for more.On May 21 at 7pm, The 14th Street Y in New York City is hosting a conversation with cast members from the Tony-nominated play Prayer for the French Republic. Cast members including Tony nominee Betsy Aidem will talk about the play’s themes of Jewish identity, French culture, and Zionism in times of rising antisemitism. Visit 14streety.org to learn more and get tickets to Broadway at 14Y. 

Noa Tishby and Emmanuel Acho discuss their book 'Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew' while Michael Rapaport shares about the Sharing Memories project. Topics include anti-Israel protests, Jewish college experiences, and honoring Holocaust survivors through social media.