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:

Art From The Multiverse - Marc Dennis Apr 01, 2026

Show notes

Artist, Holocaust scholar, teacher, and devoted single dad, Marc Dennis joins People Jew Wanna Know with stories that sound almost unbelievable—from robberies to life on a Native American reservation and how it all led him to create hyper-realistic art.

Follow Marc on Instagram @darcmennis and check out his art at marcdennis.com . Marc's art will be on display on April 18th in Los Angeles.

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

02:17 Marc's "Juban" upbringing & path to Holocaust art

16:38 Marc's troubled teen years

26:14 Living on a Native American reservation

27:30 What inspires Marc's art?

32:31 Marc's message to the Jewish people

40:41 How Margarita visited Marc's gallery opening

46:27 The origin of the Puma tracksuit

50:27 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

What Brings Jews Back, And What Pushes Them Away - Rabbi Mark Wildes Mar 25, 2026

Show notes

Rabbi Mark Wildes of Manhattan Jewish Experience (MJE) joins Margarita to reflect on the debate from the People Jew Wanna Know 2 Year Anniversary Party, talk all things Kiruv, and discuss how young adults make sense of Judaism.

Check out MJE at www.jewishexperience.org and follow them on Instagram @mjexperience and @rabbiwildes .

Buy Rabbi Wildes' book The Jewish Experience

Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

05:03 How MJE came about

07:44 On Kiruv

18:52 On the debate Rabbi & Margarita did together

33:32 The Jewish Experience - Rabbi's new book

40:22 How has MJE changed post Oct 7th?

44:00 Rabbi's message to the Jewish people

46:40 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Bellamy Bellucci - The World Is Not Coming to Save You Mar 18, 2026

Show notes

Bellamy Bellucci is a sharp, self-aware Jewish activist who doesn’t shy away from calling herself “very insane” while asking some of the hardest questions facing our community today.

In this episode, we learn about her incredible story straddling various identities - South-African, trans, Jewish, professional dancer, what can't she be? We discuss the wins & misses of Jewish activism, Bellamy's reflections on life post- Oct 7th and her recent Aliyah to Israel.

Follow Bellamy Bellucci on Instagram @bellamybellucci

Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

04:52 "I am a very insane person"

08:46 Bellamy's trans journey

18:55 How Bellamy found Judaism

26:49 On being a Jewish activist

33:06 What we have to fix within the Jewish community

42:14 On how wealth affects Jewish life

43:20 Does the conservative viewpoint on trans issues concern Bellamy?

50:42 Has Bellamy changed her mind on anything?

58:00 Bellamy's message to the Jewish people

1:00:20 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Fleur Hassan-Nahoum - On Women, Power, & Zionism Mar 11, 2026

Show notes

Fleur Hassan‑Nahoum is an Israeli politician, policymaker, and diplomat currently serving as Israel’s Special Envoy for Trade & Innovation and Secretary‑General of Kol Israel in the World Zionist Congress, after completing her tenure as Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem.

This episode is a communications masterclass, full of interesting learnings from Fleur's career, her take on the future of Israel, and what it takes to be a successful female leader.

Follow Fleur on Instagram @fleurhassann and check out her work at www.fleurhassann.comSupport our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

05:20 Fleur's path into politics

08:59 What problems is Fleur solving now for Israel?

11:10 Has Fleur been surprised by anything?

12:28 Being interviewed by Charlie Kirk

16:00 On History Of The Jews

19:19 What is Anti-Zionism?

20:41 How should women lead?

25:10 Advice to young women

29:36 The Quad - Fleur's show

34:42 Fleur's message to the Jewish people

37:44 What should Jewish activists be doing?

39:39 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

How To Tell Stories About War - Daniel Finkelman & Chaya Amor Mar 04, 2026

Show notes

HBO's One Day In October Co Creator and Producer Daniel Finkelman & Producer Chaya Amor, reconnect with Margarita to discuss the lasting impact of the show & their experience working closely with Oct 7th survivors along with Director and Co-creator Oded Davidoff and Producers Lee Kuperman and Aviv Ben Shlush. Finding a way to make art from trauma is no easy feat, and this episode will open your eyes to how integral storytelling is in times of war.Watch One Day In October on HBO Max and rate it 5 stars on IMDB.

Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

04:20 Daniel's upbringing & philosophy on storytelling

06:00 The war in Ukraine - film, storytelling, and language

14:24 Reflections from One Day In October

18:20 How did non-Jews react to One Day In October?

24:27 Chaya's path to filmmaking

26:25 What has changed for Daniel & Chaya re: their Jewish identities?

33:42 A message to the Jewish people

40:25 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Born to Debate, Chose To Do Naked Comedy - Omry Hananya Feb 25, 2026

Show notes

Traveling by plane, train, and carrier pigeon, comedian Omry Hananya joins People Jew Wanna Know to talk about his unusual upbringing, serving in the IDF, being a professional debater, and how all of that led him to comedy. Follow Omry on Instagram @the_angry_prophet and @omry_hananya_

Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

02:30 A bumpy beginning

05:15 Omry's upbringing & path to comedy

09:20 Omry's debate career

14:10 How to prepare for a debate

16:40 Working for Dave Smith & Death Threat Comedy

23:59 Serving in the IDF

24:00 Naked Comedy Show

29:30 3 Forms of Comedy

33:21 Omry's message to the Jewish people

34:19 Lightning Round!

45:44 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Live Taping: 2 Year Anniversary Event! Feb 22, 2026

Show notes

Inspired by the book The Condition of Jewish Belief, this first-of-its-kind event brings together 4 Rabbis from different Jewish movements for a bold public discussion—and likely some debate—on the most pressing questions facing Jews today:

What are the most urgent spiritual or moral questions facing Jews today?
What should be the relationship between the Jewish diaspora and Jewish Israelis?
In what ways do you see Zionism evolving—or needing to evolve?

Support our work: https://buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

Shabbat Schmooze: Ben Rozenshteyn Feb 20, 2026

Show notes

Bonus episode featuring Ben Rozenshteyn, co-owner of Suka Sushi and the entrepreneur behind Immunohealth and Normopharm. You will learn a ton about food insensitivity & welllness in this episode, as well as what it takes to run a viral sushi shop in Manhattan. Follow Suka Sushi on IG @sukasuhi_ny and Ben Rozenshteyn @rozen_ben

Check out Immunohealth at www.immunohealth.com Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

Your Unhinged Is My Success — CEO of Lifeway, Julie Smolyansky Feb 18, 2026

Show notes

Julie Smolyansky is the immigrant founder and CEO of Lifeway Kefir, who turned a family business into a category-defining wellness brand—and did a some truly unhinged things along the way to make it work. In this episode, we talk about our shared Russian-speaking Jewish heritage, grit, raising kids while scaling a company, and how Julie thinks about Jewish leadership and antisemitism today. Follow Julie Smolyansky on Instagram @juliesmolyansky and check out Lifeway Kefir wherever you buy your groceries! Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

02:49 Immigrating to America & creation of Lifeway

15:14 Unhinged things Julie did to grow business & what she's learned

31:06 What are Julie's kids up to?

35:00 On antisemitism

37:20 How did Julie find her mentors?

39:32 Julie's message to Jewish people

44:08 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

What Happens When Dating Apps Don’t Work - Adam Cohen-Aslatei Feb 11, 2026

Show notes

Adam Cohen-Aslatei — CEO of Three Day Rule and founder of the anti-superficial dating app S’More — joins People Jew Wanna Know to talks all things modern dating, why dating apps have failed us and how matchmaking and AI can save us.

Together, we discuss how women need to get over their fear of men's heights, the psychology of dating and Materialists.

Follow Adam on Instagram at @adamaslatei and Three Day Rule @threedayrule. Get matched to the love of your life at www.threedayrule.com

Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

04:50 Adam's path to becoming a dating & matchmaking mogul

07:05 Adam's Jewish upbringing

09:23 Jewish dating vs. non-Jewish dating

11:45 Modern dating - what's going on?

20:28 Dating apps vs. matchmaking

31:00 Discussing Materialists movie

43:00 On men's height in dating