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Latest Episodes:

The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia: Ep 198 Oct 03, 2019

Show notes

The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, our guide to all things Jewish (and Jew-ish), is here! To celebrate, we put together a very special episode featuring some familiar voices. Get a taste of the book from its contributors and hear about famous Jews, favorite holidays, and beloved Jewish foods from Mario Cantone, Corey Feldman, Tovah Feldshuh, Bethenny Frankel, Gilbert Gottfried, Steve Guttenberg, Tone Loc, Jon Lovitz, Pauly Shore, The Sugarhill Gang, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, and even Margaret Thatcher.

Thanks to Gary Greengrass, Jordan Hoffman, Wayne Hoffman, Lisa Ann Sandell, Marc Tracy, and Alana Newhouse.

Special thanks to our producer, Josh Kross, for putting together this wild episode.

Like the book? Leave us a review! (Amazon or Goodreads). Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869.

See us on tour! Liel Leibovitz will be at Arts Matter Shabbat in Boston, MA on October 25 at 6 p.m. (details here), and Stephanie Butnick will be at the Jewish Book Festival in Tampa, FL, on October 29 at 7 p.m. (details here).

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt.

This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

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The Apology Episode, 5780: Ep 197 Sep 26, 2019

Show notes

We're closing the book on 5779 with our fifth-annual apology episode (listen to previous year's episodes here [https://www.tabletmag.com/tag/unorthodox-apology]). Join us for stories of apologies, discussions about friendship, and an exploration of one of the most controversial figures in recent Jewish history.

First we talk to our Tablet colleague Marjorie Ingall, who co-edits the site SorryWatch.com. She reminds us how to offer a proper apology, and shares the best (and worst) public apologies of the past year.

Stephanie sits down with Lauren Mechling, author of the new novel How Could She, and Did Jew Know author Emily Stone to discuss the female friendships that animate Lauren's novel, and reflect on the challenges of maintaining our relationships, particularly as we approach the New Year.

In a special reported segment, we talk to Neshama Carlebach and Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl about the complicated legacy of rabbi and composer Shlomo Carlebach.

Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt.

Thanks to the Jewish Book Council for their help with this episode.

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The One with the Instagram Rabbis: Ep. 196 Sep 19, 2019

Show notes

This week we're going to party like it's 5779, while we still can.

First we sit down with Samantha Frank and Rena Singer, the rabbi and rabbinical student behind Modern Ritual, which models passionate, feminist Jewish life and content on Instagram. They tell us why they're they're thinking beyond congregational posts, and why they believe social media is the way to connect with young Jews today.

We also talk to Saul Austerlitz, whose new book is Generation Friends: An Inside Look at the Show the Defined a Television Era. He gives us some Friends casting what-ifs and offers his theory on why the show remains incredibly popular on streaming platforms 25 years after it premiered.

Liel talks to Wesleyan University president Michael Roth about his new book on free speech and political correctness on campus.

Join us in San Francisco Monday, Sept. 23. Get your tickets here and use code TABLET50 for 50% off the ticket price.

This episode is sponsored by KOL Foods, delivering great tasting, healthy, sustainable, and ethically raised kosher meat. Get a 10 percent discount on your next order using the code UNORTHODOX at kolfoods.com.

This episode is also brought to you by the Tikvah Fund’s free online course, Tevye the Dairyman. Professor Ruth Wisse guides you story by story as Sholem Aleichem's famous character confronts the challenges of revolution, materialism, assimilation, and anti-Semitism. Visit tevye.tikvahfund.org/unorthodox to sign up today. (edited)

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Love and Prizes: Ep 195 Sep 12, 2019

Show notes

Join us for 'The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia' launch party next Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the JCC Manhattan! There will be wine from our friends at Unorthodox Wines, and you'll be able to buy the book two weeks before its official publication date! Can't make it? Preorder the book and you could win a Zabar's gift basket! To enter, forward a copy of your receipt or confirmation to unorthodox@tabletmag.com.

Our Jewish guest this week is Israeli writer Etgar Keret, winner of the Sapir Prize, one of Israel's most prestigious literary awards. His new story collection, newly published in English, is called Fly Already, and he joins Stephanie and Liel to discuss his characteristically quirky short stories, the influence of of the Holocaust on his work, and the starkly different reception he—and his work—receives in Israel vs. the United States.

Our Gentile of the Week is Henry G. Brinton, senior pastor at Fairfax Presbytarian Church in Fairfax, VA and a contributor to the Huffington Post. He and Stephanie talk about their shared connection with two religion professors at Duke University, Brinton's career-long focus on building interfaith community, and his new novel, City of Peace.

This episode is also brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

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Sababa Secrets: Ep. 194 Sep 05, 2019

Show notes

'The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia,' our guide to all things Jewish (and Jew-ish), is out next month! Pre-order your copy today and you could win a Zabar's gift basket—to enter, forward a copy of your receipt or confirmation to unorthodox@tabletmag.com.

This week, two more Jewish guests! We sit down with food writer Adeena Sussman, whose new cookbook is Sababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavors From My Israeli Kitchen. She tells us why we should be eating more tahini (which is the same thing as tahina), how she puts her own spin on Israeli food as a California native transplanted to Tel Aviv, and how we can easily incorporate Middle Eastern herbs and spices into our dishes.

Next, we hear an interview Stephanie did with author Dani Shapiro, whose memoir Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love begins with the surprising results of an online DNA kit she submitted on a whim. Dani discusses what it was like to grow up always being told she didn't "look Jewish," how the discovery of her paternity affected her sense of identity—Jewish and otherwise, and whether we can realistically expect family secrets to stay hidden in today's modern era.

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Let's Stay Together: Episode 193 Aug 29, 2019

Show notes

If you enjoy this podcast, there's something you can do to help keep us going: Donate to the Unorthodox fundraiser and make us stronger in 5780 and beyond.

This week, we're pledging our loyalty to Unorthodox with two amazing Jewish guests.

Our first guest is actress Michaela Watkins, who you've seen in Casual, Transparent, and The New Adventures of Old Christine. She's in the new film Brittany Runs a Marathon and the new CBS comedy The Unicorn. Michaela talked to Stephanie about playing Jewish (and non-Jewish) characters, how she reconnected with her Judaism through the organization Reboot, and the ways her Jewish identity impacts her political activism.

Our next guest is historian Pamela Nadell, whose latest book is America’s Jewish Women: A History from Colonial Times to Today. She tells us about unearthing forgotten stories of Jewish women, like Grace Nathan, a wife and mother who witnessed this country's founding, and contextualizing the lives of well-known Jewish women, like Nathan's great-granddaughter Emma Lazarus, whose poem, "The New Colossus," has long been synonymous with America's welcoming attitude toward immigrants. She also warns against the recent revision of that poem by the acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and explains how Jewish women in America have long been ahead of their time.

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The Mezuzah Chronicles Aug 22, 2019

Show notes

This week: a special update from Stephanie’s apartment and a reminder to donate to the Unorthodox fundraiser! Gifts of $180 and above get you a hot-off-the-press copy of our forthcoming book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia; gifts of any size get you our eternal love and appreciation.

Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more.

Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt.

This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BYOBubbies: Ep. 192 Aug 15, 2019

Show notes

Don't forget to donate to the Unorthodox fundraiser! Help us keep going strong in 5780 and beyond.

This week on Unorthodox: A whole lot of Jewish guests!

First we sit down with Cindy Chupack, an Emmy-winning TV writer and producer who's worked on shows like Sex and the City, Modern Family, and Everybody Loves Raymond. Her latest film, which she co-wrote and directed, is Otherhood, now streaming on Netflix. It's about three mothers whose grown sons seem to have forgotten them, and so together they descend on New York City to push their way back into their son's lives.

Stephanie chats with Erin Davis, host of the dating show Bubbies Know Best, and S.J. Mendelson, one of the bubbies. The premise of the show? Three grandmothers meet each contestant, ask him or her some probing questions, then select a date for them from a group of prospective suitors. Kibbitzing ensues.

Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more.

Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feeding Fleishman: Ep. 191 Aug 08, 2019

Show notes

Donate to the Unorthodox fundraising drive and help us keep going strong!

Our Jewish guest is Taffy Brodesser-Akner, New York Times Magazine writer and author of Fleischman is in Trouble. She tells us about the moment she learned her debut novel was a New York Times bestseller, why she writes from such a specific—and jewish—place, and why people are always asking her about Philip Roth.

Our Gentile of the Week is Umber Ahmad, the banker-turned baker behind Mah-Ze-Dahr bakery in Manhattan's West Village. She brings us their delicious old-fashioned donuts, which are made with buttermilk, lemon zest, and vanilla bean and are fried and then glazed. She tells us about growing up in Northern Michigan to Pakistani immigrant parents, and learning from a young age to use food to tell stories and create community. Her question for the hosts is about how food became such an integral part of the Jewish holiday calendar.

Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more.

Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facts and Feelings: Ep. 190 Aug 01, 2019

Show notes

It’s that time of the year: The Unorthodox fundraising drive! Help us keep going strong in 5780 and beyond—donate here.

Our Jewish guest this week is Liz Feldman, writer and creator of Dead to Me, the new Netflix series starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini. She tells us about the Jewish elements of the hit traumedy which was just renewed for a second season.

Our Gentile of the Week is Dennis Schleicher, who shares his conversion story. After coming out as gay as a teenager and leaving his family and their evangelical church, he ends up converting to Mormonism as an adult. (His book is called ‘Is He Nuts: Why a Gay Man Would Become a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ.’)

It’s the last week to fill out our listener survey for a chance to win an autographed copy of our forthcoming book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia..

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group.

This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox

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