Jewish History Nerds

Latest Episodes:

Leon Trotsky: The Reluctant Jew Behind the Russian Revolution Feb 05, 2026

Show notes

Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history

From his Jewish upbringing in the Russian Empire to Yiddish New York, socialist exile, and revolutionary power, Leon Trotsky’s life raises uncomfortable questions about ideology, identity, and moral certainty. In this episode, Yael and Schwab trace how Trotsky’s Jewish origins shaped his worldview, his clashes with Lenin and Stalin, and why his legacy still divides Jews, historians, and political movements today.

Be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media.

For a brief summary of Leon Trotsky, click here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z7QQuewJIw9haXdJMWPsE1BLYoq0uSb9_DJsBoO6r98/edit?usp=sharing

Watch Yael and Schwab on ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠:

This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out Unpacked on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Soulful Jewish Living⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Stars of David with Elon Gold⁠⁠

⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Unpacking Israeli History⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wondering Jews

Secret Jews: Samuel Schwarz’s Discovery of Portugal’s Crypto-Jews Jan 29, 2026

Show notes

Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct. You have to sign up/log in to vote. https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history

In 1925, mining engineer Samuel Schwarz stumbled onto a secret Jewish community in rural Portugal—families who preserved Jewish identity for centuries under the Portuguese Inquisition. In this episode of Jewish History Nerds, Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner trace how “crypto-Jews” survived through hidden rituals, oral tradition, and underground prayer spaces—and what happened once the outside world finally found them. What would you do to keep a tradition alive?

Be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media.

Here is a link to Dr. Henry Abramson's translation of Samuel Schwartz's book: Discovering the Crypto-Jews of Portugal

https://www.amazon.nl/-/en/Discovering-Crypto-Jews-Portugal-Samuel-Schwarz/dp/B0FK5M53KJ

For more on Samuel Schwarz and the discovery of the Crypto-Jews of Portugal, click here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cgXAN6EiJRw9qWGHeR_QeTDGMn10LutLXUZqo1iod-4/edit?usp=sharing

Watch Yael and Schwab on ⁠YouTube⁠:

This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out Unpacked on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠Soulful Jewish Living⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠Stars of David with Elon Gold⁠

⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Unpacking Israeli History⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wondering Jews

The Hero Who Chose Children Over His Own Life Jan 22, 2026

Show notes

If you like this show, please write a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner read history in children, tracing the life of Janusz Korczak—a Polish-Jewish pediatrician, writer, and educator who ran orphanages in Warsaw, letting kids write newspapers, hold courts, and live as full human beings. When deportation came, he walked 200 children in two straight lines to their fate, refusing safety to stay with them, leaving a legacy of courage, care, and radical childhood dignity.

Be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media.

For more on Janusz Korczak and this episode:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NAb5Zxas4SipmAP9M7X5NPWPOIE_tqeJvGjTNTbOTVk/edit?usp=sharing

Watch Yael and Schwab on YouTube:

This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out Unpacked on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

-------------------

For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Soulful Jewish Living⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Stars of David with Elon Gold

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Unpacking Israeli History

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wondering Jews

Jewish History Nerds is BACK! Jan 15, 2026

Show notes

Jewish History Nerds is back! Hosts Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner return with a new slate of smart, engaging stories from Jewish history—blending deep research with curiosity, humor, and lively conversation. Each week, they take turns exploring a fascinating figure or moment, asking big questions, learning together, and inviting listeners into the journey. This season spans famous and forgotten Jews across eras and regions, with surprising stories you’ve likely never heard before. New episodes drop weekly, and Jewish History Nerds is now on YouTube.

If you like this show, please write a review wherever you get your podcasts. And be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media.

This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media.

Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Soulful Jewish Living⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stars of David with Elon Gold ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Unpacking Israeli History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wondering Jews

Revisiting Hebrew Hammer: The True Story of Hannukah Dec 18, 2025

Show notes

Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history

Ah, Chanukah. That festive time of year where we light candles, indulge in fried foods, and celebrate… a brutal civil war? Join Yael and Schwab as they complicate the story we all thought we knew. What did the Maccabees really fight for? How should we feel about their legacy? And who is Helen?

If you like this show, please write a review wherever you get your podcasts. And be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media.

For more on Hanukkah, Judah Maccabee, and this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19vHg-inRureVw3AlW2UA_uyUYMH12HH5qjvkXrMf_h4/edit?usp=sharing

Be in touch. We want to hear from you. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media.

This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media.

Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out Unpacked on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

-------------------

For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Soulful Jewish Living⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stars of David with Elon Gold ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Unpacking Israeli History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wondering Jews

Listener Survey is Here Jun 12, 2025

Show notes

This survey has expired. Thanks for listening and see you next season.

If you like this show, please write a review wherever you get your podcasts. And be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media.

The JNF Blue Box: How Loose Change Helped Build Israel Jun 05, 2025

Show notes

Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner trace how a simple blue tzedakah box became a conduit for diaspora longing and real-world nation building, turning pocket change into forests, land purchases, and a powerful sense of shared ownership over Israel. From Tu Bishvat rituals and childhood nostalgia to kibbutzim, propaganda maps, and modern controversies over JNF land policy, they reveal how this humble pushka evolved from a household charity can into a charged symbol of identity, memory, and the politics embedded in every inch of soil.

Click here to see a picture of Yael's great grandmother's blue box.

Here ⁠is a link to the Blue Box, New Edition, on the JNF's website.

Click here to read about the Jewish National Fund in the Encyclopedia Judaica.

Click here to read excerpts from Eric Engel Tuten's history of the JNF.

Here are links to protests in Canada and Colorado.

Be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. We want to hear from you. This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media.

Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out Unpacked on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

-------------------

For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Soulful Jewish Living⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stars of David with Elon Gold ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Unpacking Israeli History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wondering Jews

The Judensau: The Antisemitic Carving Still on German Churches May 29, 2025

Show notes

Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history

Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner confront the Judensau, a grotesque medieval motif that fuses Jews with pigs in obscene, degrading scenes carved straight into churches and cathedrals. They trace how this single vile image taught generations to see Jews not as human beings but as something filthy, animal, and disposable. From a 13th century column in Brandenburg to the choir stalls of Cologne and Luther’s Wittenberg church, they follow this stonebound hatred across eight centuries, asking what it means when a symbol of pure contempt is still defended as “heritage.” Along the way, they probe how visual culture outlives theology, how dehumanization becomes architecture, and how, for worse, this too has become a Jewish symbol.

If you like this show, please write a review wherever you get your podcasts. And be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. We want to hear from you.

Click here for Isaiah Shachar's book, The Judensau.

Click here for Daniel Leeson's work on The Judensau.

Click here to see images of the Judensau on the church in Wittenberg.

Click here for additional images of the Judensau.

Click here to see images of the Judensau in Cologne.

Click here for a news article about the court order to keep the Judensau in Wittenberg.

This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media.

Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out Unpacked on ⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠.

-------------------

For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:

⁠⁠⁠⁠Soulful Jewish Living⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Stars of David with Elon Gold ⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Unpacking Israeli History⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Wondering Jews

When Jews Thrived in India: The Cochin Copper Plates May 22, 2025

Show notes

Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner follow the Cochin copper plates from royal charter to communal touchstone—three hammered sheets of metal inscribed in Tamil and Vattezhuthu that granted a Jewish leader named Joseph Rabban rights, status, and a place in India’s intricate hierarchy. From Solomonic trade legends to Black, White, and Brown Jewish castes, from Portuguese incursions to a post-1948 exodus that left barely a remnant in Cochin, they trace how one fragile document illuminates a Jewish community that was honored, separate, deeply Zionist—and still symbolically anchored to the Malabar coast.

Be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. We want to hear from you.

Click here or a summary and sources referenced in the episode.

Click here to see pictures of the Cochin Copper Plates.

This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media.

Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out Unpacked on ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠.

-------------------

For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:

⁠⁠⁠Soulful Jewish Living⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Stars of David with Elon Gold ⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Unpacking Israeli History⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Wondering Jews

How Rome Used Coins to Humiliate the Jews May 15, 2025

Show notes

Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history

What can a coin tell us about history, power, and identity? Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner read history in metal, tracing the Roman Judaea Capta coins—tiny discs of imperial propaganda stamped with victory goddesses, palm trees, and a weeping Judean woman meant to broadcast conquest with every transaction. From Vespasian’s bid for legitimacy to Israel’s 1958 Israel Liberata coins that mirror and overturn the ancient design, they follow how numismatics became a millennia-long dialogue—turning symbols of subjugation into emblems of autonomy, endurance, and reclaimed identity.

Be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. We want to hear from you.

Click here for a summary and sources referenced in the episode.

Click here for images of the Judea Capta Coins.

Click here to see images of the Israel Liberata Coin.

This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media.

Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out Unpacked on ⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠.

-------------------

For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:

⁠⁠Soulful Jewish Living⁠⁠

⁠⁠Stars of David with Elon Gold ⁠⁠

⁠⁠Unpacking Israeli History⁠⁠

⁠⁠Wondering Jews