Judaism

People Jew Wanna Know

Welcome to People Jew Wanna Know, a podcast sharing stories of remarkable Jewish people! Hosted by Margarita Lyadova, each episode features conversations with interesting Jewish guests of today and historical figures who’ve shaped Jewish culture and identity. Together, we seek answers to today’s essential questions facing the Jewish people.

New episodes every Wednesday.
Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @peoplejewwannaknow for extras, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.

Support our work here: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

Latest Episodes:

Rebecca Brooks — PR, Presence & Power Jun 10, 2026

Show notes

Rebecca Brooks is the dark horse behind some of the biggest food and lifestyle personalities you know — Rachael Ray, Andrew Zimmern, Guy Fieri, Jacques Torres, Robert Irvine. She founded the Brooks Group at 25 out of her husband's family office in New York, and basically helped invent the "lifestyle of food" category before Food Network was a household name.

Margarita talks to Rebecca about what actually happens behind the curtain — how to fix a PR crisis, how to say no without burning the bridge, and why the best clients lead with story, not product. Plus a tangent on what Judaism actually says about psychics, mediums, and the woo-woo of it all.

Follow Rebecca on Instagram @Rebecca_BrooksPR and ⁨@BrooksGroupPR⁩ and check out her website brookspr.com

Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

06:11 Growing up Jewish on Long Island

10:30 Starting the Brooks Group at 25

14:00 Pioneering storytelling in beauty PR

17:45 Advising Jewish clients on speaking out

20:30 Owning mistakes and the art of the apology

23:15 How to say no without burning bridges

25:40 Joe Dispenza, Reiki, and reading energy

28:30 Message to the Jewish people & Guest Nomination

Ari’el Stachel - Playing the Other Jun 05, 2026

Show notes

Ariel Stachel—Tony winner for The Band's Visit—gets brutally honest about learning to “act” by hiding parts of himself, and what it took to finally stop. We get into his solo show Other, the identity whiplash growing up post 9/11, and why he’s willing to say the uncomfortable things—about activism, platforming, and how Jews should be portrayed in media right now. Margarita and Ariel compare notes and bond over being children of immigrants.

Connect with Ariel on Instagram @ArielStachel Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

1:42 "My acting training was pretending to be other people"

8:38 How has the show Other been received?

11:27 On the experience of having immigrant parents

19:30 Ariel's activism & message to Mamdani

23:46 How should we tell stories about Jews today?

29:50 On "platforming" people you disagree with

33:44 What's next for Ariel?

36:12 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Neil Friedman: Hollywood's Quiet Powerhouse May 27, 2026

Show notes

Neil Friedman is the quiet powerhouse behind some of the most important Jewish cinema of the last two decades. As founder of Menemsha Films and ChaiFlicks — the world's largest Jewish streaming platform — he's racked up five consecutive Oscar-nominated films, championed hidden gems from six continents, and turned Bad Shabbos into a $1.5 million theatrical juggernaut at a moment when nobody goes to the movies anymore.

Neil's story is one of Jewish ingenuity, resilience, and work ethic. **Special Promo to get an annual subscription to ChaiFlicks for only $36 for People Jew Wanna Know listeners!**Redemption link: http://www.chaiflicks.com/checkout/subscribe/purchase?code=people36&plan=yearly

Redemption code: PEOPLE36Follow Menemsha Films on IG @Menemshafilms and learn more at menemshafilms.com Follow ChaiFlicks on IG @chaiflicks and learn more at chaiflicks.com Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

03:15 From Park Avenue lawyer to Hollywood independent

08:40 Why Jewish art house — and trusting his parents' taste

12:20 Launching ChaiFlicks the first week of the pandemic

17:10 Why *Bad Shabbos* worked when *Nobody Wants This* didn't

24:30 The Florida-to-New York release strategy

29:15 Films every young Jew should see

34:50 Israeli TV is the best in the world, pound for pound

38:20 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

The Mayor’s Jewish Guy - Moshe Davis May 20, 2026

Show notes

Moshe Davis was Mayor Eric Adams' Jewish liaison and architect of NYC's first-ever Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism — until he found out via tweet that the Mamdani administration was replacing him. He's the guy who handled everything from synagogue security to the "Israel Bombs Way" street sign vandalism. Moshe has dealt with the good, the bad, and the ugly of Jewish life in NYC post October 7th.

Margarita and Moshe sit down to discuss Moshe's experience and where he thinks Jewish life in NYC is headed. Plus: why antisemitism is less a prejudice and more the world's oldest conspiracy theory — and what that means for how we fight it.

Follow Moshe Davis on X @_moshedavis

Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

03:13 From MJE to City Hall

07:00 What a Jewish Liaison Actually Does

12:30 Building MOCA and the Final Report

18:45 Getting Replaced by a Tweet

24:00 Israel Bombs Way and the Whack-a-Mole Job

29:30 Should Jewish New Yorkers Be Worried

33:00 Why the Orthodox World Isn't Phased

37:30 Antisemitism as a Conspiracy Theory, Not Just Racism

42:00 What's Next & Get Off Social Media, Get Into Politics

44:26 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

What Comes After Nova - Shye Klein May 13, 2026

Show notes

Shye Klein was just weeks into his new life in Israel when he drove into the Nova festival at 2 a.m. on October 7th. Before noon, he was back in Tel Aviv — alive, with five friends and a roll of film of people he might never see again.

A Canadian-Israeli photographer who'd never owned a Hillel sweatshirt or set foot on a Birthright trip, Shai walked out of that field and walked straight into 200 speaking engagements, years of therapy, and one of the most clear-eyed accounts of Nova & what resilience actually looks like.

This conversation goes where most October 7th coverage won't: the bureaucratic nightmare of qualifying for Israeli government aid, the survivors who can't return to their old jobs, and the Band-Aid pizza parties masquerading as mental health support. Shai also names exactly where the diaspora should be sending money — and why.

Follow Shye Klein on Instagram @ShyeKlein

Check out Shye’s work www.shyeklein.com/october7story

Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

05:30 Making Aliyah three weeks before Nova

09:45 Shye's account of Nova

27:30 Finding the 54 people in Shye's photographs

32:00 Speaking tour burnout and avoidance

37:00 Why the aid system fails Nova survivors

42:30 Where the diaspora should actually donate

46:30 Beyond the Supernova photo project

49:00 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

L'Chaim Motherf*ckers with Jill Kargman May 06, 2026

Show notes

Jill Kargman is a New York Times bestselling author of 12 books, creator of Odd Mom Out, and a "shtetl chic" Manhattan Jewess. Margarita and Jill talk wig life, vaginal lasers, antisemitism in middle school, and why Jewish joy is the whole point. Jill found her voice the moment she stopped hiding behind characters and just told the truth. She's excited to share her new film - Influenced (in theaters May 8th).

Follow Jill on IG @jillkargman and @influenced.movie

Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

02:12 Sephardic mom, Ashkenazi dad, free-range NYC childhood

06:30 Pulling her son out of school after an antisemitic incident

10:15 Why every story she tells comes back to family

14:20 Making *Influenced* and hiding the meat in the pasta

18:45 Celebrity cameos, blonde wigs, and being a "Sicilian widow" in real life

24:30 Re-virginization is real and Jill did it

27:10 Jewish storytelling needs comedy too

30:00 Margarita's life as a child pop star in Ukraine

34:20 Jewish joy, Mamdani, and L'chaim motherf*ckers

36:44 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Antisemitism Is a Virus. Here's How It Spreads — Vlad Khaykin Apr 29, 2026

Show notes

Vlad Khaykin is the Head of North American Advocacy for the Simon Wiesenthal Center (and a former ADL veteran). He approaches antisemitism the way a scientist approaches a virus: studying its architecture, its mutations, and why it keeps infecting new hosts across centuries.

This is an episode where you'll learn a tremendous amount about antisemitism's latest "mutation" - Anti-Zionism. Anti-Zionism isn't an abstract debate — it's an ideology with a body count, and millions of living Jews can tell you exactly what it looks like when it wins. Vlad also makes the case that internalized antisemitism is one of the most pressing problems facing the Jews today.

Connect with Vlad Khaykin on LinkedIn or Instagram @vkhaykin , and learn about the instrumental work of Simon Wiesenthal Center at https://wiesenthal.org/

Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

03:45 Vlad's path from Soviet refugee to advocacy leader

07:20 What anti-Zionism actually did to Jewish communities

12:15 How the Soviets weaponized antisemitism

18:30 Antisemitism as an explanatory model, not a prejudice

24:10 There is no panacea for antisemitism

31:00 The Zionism terminology wars

36:45 Internalized antisemitism and the doll test parallel

44:20 The cost vs. value of being Jewish

49:30 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Ham The Underwear Man Apr 22, 2026

Show notes

Sometimes you run into a guy in his underwear on the streets of NYC and do a mini pod with him! Ham is an artist best known for standing in his underwear & talking to strangers!

Learn more about his art on Instagram @sweatpantcity

Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

@Qveenjulia - Say It With Your Chest Apr 15, 2026

Show notes

This episode is NOT a joke ;). Julia Ain, also known as @qveenjulia, is a funny Jewish girl with big boobs who will make you laugh and blush at the same time. A viral content creator with over 1M followers online, she sits down with Margarita to share her story and reflect on being a proudly Jewish content creator in this crazy time. This episode is for our boobers and boober lovers!

Follow Julia on all platforms @qveenjulia

Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

02:19 How an aspiring lawyer went to FanFix

04:33 What has Julia learned? 06:35 On securing the talent visa

07:50 On selling bikini pics & marketing yourself

11:50 On how Julia uses her platform to advocate for Jews

15:22 What is Milk Mansion?

20:40 Something Julia is sharing for the first time

32:55 What would Julia tell her younger self?

34:39 We thought we were done with the episode... but we were not

35:37 How Julia's family receives her work

Winning in the Court of Public Opinion — Scott Piro Apr 08, 2026

Show notes

Scott Piro is a communications strategist and Jewish advocate who has spent years shaping messaging around antisemitism, Israel, and Jewish communal response. After October 7, he went viral for sharing the moment he walked out of a recovery meeting when the conversation turned into the demonization of Jews and Israel.

In this episode, we discuss what it takes to make messaging that resonates, why the goal isn’t to “dunk on the haters” but to persuade the silent lurkers, and how to think more clearly about anti-Zionism in this moment.

Follow Scott on IG @ScottPiro and TikTok @SoberScottySupport our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

01:48 Going from comms/PR expert to Jewish activist

04:05 What happened to Scott on October 7th

10:37 How to handle the haters & impact the "lurkers"

14:10 How Scott retained his Jewish/Israeli pride

22:14 Advice for speaking up!

25:39 What actually works for combatting antisemitism?

32:17 The diaspora was "predestined"

33:20 On Anti-Zionism

38:28 Scott's message to the Jewish people