This week on Unorthodox, we’re highlighting the latest installment of The Minyan, Tablet’s roundtable series on American Jewish life, hosted by Abigail Pogrebin. Tablet’s Executive Editor Wayne Hoffman discusses the newest offering, which features a conversation with Jews from the former Soviet Union. Their stories of endurance and emigration resonate always, but especially during Passover.

You can read this and previous installments of The Minyan at tabletmag.com/minyan. And don’t miss the Tablet member Zoom on May 9 discussing the issues raised by participants. Find out more at tabletmag.com/sovietjews. 

We’re excited to share a special opportunity for Unorthodox listeners to join Tablet. As Tablet members, you’ll get exclusive access to Tablet events, a chance to hear your name in an on-air mazel tov, and more! Learn more at tabletm.ag/uomember. 

Write to us at [email protected], 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.

This week on the show, we’re taking time to remember. 

Memory is at the core of so much of Jewish life and tradition, especially during Passover. So we’re sharing several stories about memories, from the individual to the collective, and from the difficult to the uplifting. 

Tablet writer Gabriel Sanders reads his essay about preparing for his first Passover without his father, who spent the last years of his life with Alzeimer's disease. (The version of Ma Lecha Hayam featured in this story is performed by Paul and Lila Shapiro.)

Jenny Rozbruch, who designed our Unorthodox and Beautifully Jewish logos, shows us the handmade biography she made for her survivor grandmother whose memories had begun to fade. 

Producers Courtney Hazlett and Elie Bleier join photographer Ken Taranto as he documents the damage done to the south of Israel on October 7th, as well as the efforts to rebuild. 

Author Rebecca Sugar discusses her new novel, Everything Is a Little Broken, based heavily on caring for her dad as he ages. 

We’re excited to share a special opportunity for Unorthodox listeners to join Tablet. As Tablet members, you’ll get exclusive access to Tablet events, a chance to hear your name in an on-air mazel tov, and more! Learn more at tabletm.ag/uomember. 

Write to us at [email protected], 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:

The BGU MBA International Program is a one-year English-language MBA led by industry experts in Israel’s innovation hub. Designed for global success, the program includes entrepreneurship masterclasses, networking opportunities, and hands-on startup idea development, all within a vibrant campus. Learn more here. 

Berkeley Moshav is a multigenerational Jewish cohousing community in Berkeley, California. Open to all backgrounds and family types, Berkeley Moshav offers family-focused, Jewishly diverse living. To learn more, visit BerkeleyMoshav.org and sign up for an information session.

Leket, Israel’s National Food Bank, is feeding vulnerable Israelis struggling with cost-of-living increases and the many other impacts of the war. Donations make a difference: $180 provides 130 rescued meals, leaving no one behind this Passover. Visit www.Leket.org/en to donate today. 

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger works to help the millions of people struggling daily with food insecurity, both in the U.S. and Israel. Make a gift at MAZON.org to help ensure that everyone can feed themselves and their families with dignity, this Passover and beyond.

Meir Panim has served over one million meals to Israelis in need since the start of the war, many of them displaced and jobless due to the conflict. Consider a donation to Meir Panim at israelcharity.org to bring hope to their Passover tables.

Fire Dance, a tale of passion, fulfillment, and faith, is now streaming exclusively on ChaiFlicks, the Jewish streaming service. Starring Yehuda Levi and Noa Koler, the series paints a picture of an ultra-Orthodox community at the foot of the Sea of Galilee. Unorthodox listeners get 50% off new subscriptions and a 7-day free trial with code FIREPOD at checkout. Visit ChaiFlicks.com to get started.

Around the world, food insecurity impacts far too many lives. As the war rages on, and hunger threatens so many inside and outside of Israel, the words of the Haggadah implore: “Let all who are hungry come and eat.” Before we sit down for our festive Passover meals, Unorthodox is shining a light on those who help make sure everyone has access to food, year-round.

Producers Courtney Hazlett and Elie Bleier visit the Jerusalem food pantry of Meir Panim, which gives out meals to those in need, including many affected by October 7th and the war. 

We also meet Joseph Gitler, who founded Leket, Israel’s National Food Bank, to rescue leftover food from farms and restaurants and distribute it to pantries, shelters, and now, temporary housing for displaced Israelis. 

Abby Leibman, president and CEO of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, discusses the organization’s efforts to fight hunger through national policy making both in the U.S. and Israel. 

We’re excited to share a special opportunity for Unorthodox listeners to join Tablet. As Tablet members, you’ll get exclusive access to Tablet events, a chance to hear your name in an on-air mazel tov, and more! Learn more at tabletm.ag/uomember. 

Write to us at [email protected], 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: 

Meir Panim has served over one million meals to Israelis in need since the start of the war, many of them displaced and jobless due to the conflict. Consider a donation to Meir Panim at israelcharity.org to bring hope to their Passover tables.

Leket, Israel’s National Food Bank, is feeding vulnerable Israelis struggling with cost-of-living increases and the many other impacts of the war. Donations make a difference: $180 provides 130 rescued meals, leaving no one behind this Passover. Visit www.Leket.org/en to donate today. 

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger works to help the millions of people struggling daily with food insecurity, both in the U.S. and Israel. Make a gift at MAZON.org to help ensure that everyone can feed themselves and their families with dignity, this Passover and beyond.

Berkeley Moshav is a multigenerational Jewish cohousing community in Berkeley, California. Open to all backgrounds and family types, Berkeley Moshav offers family-focused, Jewishly diverse living. To learn more, visit BerkeleyMoshav.org and sign up for an information session.

Fire Dance, a tale of passion, fulfillment, and faith, is now streaming exclusively on ChaiFlicks, the Jewish streaming service. Starring Yehuda Levi and Noa Koler, the series paints a picture of an ultra-Orthodox community at the foot of the Sea of Galilee. Unorthodox listeners get 50% off new subscriptions and a 7-day free trial with code FIREPOD at checkout. Visit ChaiFlicks.com to get started.

This week on the show, there’s a new (Jewish) sheriff in town.

First, another story from our recent reporting trip to Israel. Liel sat down with IDF soldier Shavit Romero, who shared his journey from growing up non-Jewish in Tel Aviv, to getting wounded in Gaza and starting his conversion process. 

Our Gentile of the Week is Caroline D’Amore, founder of Pizza Girl, who tells us how October 7 and its aftermath sparked her viral support for Israel and her visit to one of the kibbutzim attacked by Hamas. 

Mixologist Pam Wiznitzer shares her Ten Plagues cocktail recipes, which she will be debuting this Sunday, April 14, at Tablet’s Passover Pop-Up in New York City. 

We’re excited to share a special opportunity for Unorthodox listeners to join Tablet. As Tablet members, you’ll get exclusive access to Tablet events, a chance to hear your name in an on-air mazel tov, and more! Learn more at tabletm.ag/uomember. 

Write to us at [email protected], 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:

Simplify your giving with the Jewish Communal Fund, the nation's largest Jewish donor-advised fund. Act by December 29th to lock in the maximum charitable deduction for 2023. Get started at JCFNY.org.

Leket, Israel’s National Food Bank, is feeding vulnerable Israelis struggling with cost-of-living increases and the many other impacts of the war. Donations make a difference: $180 provides 130 rescued meals, leaving no one behind this Passover. Visit www.Leket.org/en to donate today. 

The BGU MBA International Program is a one-year English-language MBA led by industry experts in Israel’s innovation hub. Designed for global success, the program includes entrepreneurship masterclasses, networking opportunities, and hands-on startup idea development, all within a vibrant campus. Learn more here. 

Meir Panim has served over one million meals to Israelis in need since the start of the war, many of them displaced and jobless due to the conflict. Consider a donation to Meir Panim at israelcharity.org to bring hope to their Passover tables.

Berkeley Moshav is a multigenerational Jewish cohousing community in Berkeley, California. Open to all backgrounds and family types, Berkeley Moshav offers family-focused, Jewishly diverse living. To learn more, visit BerkeleyMoshav.org and sign up for an information session.

Fire Dance, a tale of passion, fulfillment, and faith, is now streaming exclusively on ChaiFlicks, the Jewish streaming service. Starring Yehuda Levi and Noa Koler, the series paints a picture of an ultra-Orthodox community at the foot of the Sea of Galilee. Unorthodox listeners get 50% off new subscriptions and a 7-day free trial with code FIREPOD at checkout. Visit ChaiFlicks.com to get started.

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger works to help the millions of people struggling daily with food insecurity, both in the U.S. and Israel. Make a gift at MAZON.org to help ensure that everyone can feed themselves and their families with dignity, this Passover and beyond.

This week on the show, we’re sharing stories from our second reporting trip to Israel. 

Former First Lady of Israel Lihi Lapid joins us to discuss her newly translated novel, On Her Own, about two Israeli families in crisis, as well as finding a way through the Jewish state’s present crises. 

Jon Polin shares his experience advocating for the return of his son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, nearly 200 days after he was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7. 

And we visit Tel Aviv’s Social Grocery Store, a food pantry for asylum seekers and stateless residents in Israel struggling with food insecurity. 

We’re excited to share a special opportunity for Unorthodox listeners to join Tablet. As Tablet members, you’ll get exclusive access to Tablet events, a chance to hear your name in an on-air mazel tov, and more! Learn more at tabletm.ag/uomember.

Write to us at [email protected], 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:

The Institute for Jewish Spirituality is offering a spring Omer course called “Awareness in Action: Cultivating Character Through Mindfulness and Middot.” Building on the Institute’s 25 years of teaching Jewish mindfulness practices, the course covers Tikkun Middot, the practice of developing desirable character traits. Register by April 7th at JewishSpirituality.org.

Simplify your giving with the Jewish Communal Fund, the nation's largest Jewish donor-advised fund. Act by December 29th to lock in the maximum charitable deduction for 2023. Get started at JCFNY.org.

Leket, Israel’s National Food Bank, is feeding vulnerable Israelis struggling with cost-of-living increases and the many other impacts of the war. Donations make a difference: $180 provides 130 rescued meals, leaving no one behind this Passover. Visit www.Leket.org/en to donate today. 

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger works to help the millions of people struggling daily with food insecurity, both in the U.S. and Israel. Make a gift at MAZON.org to help ensure that everyone can feed themselves and their families with dignity, this Passover and beyond.

Meir Panim has served over one million meals to Israelis in need since the start of the war, many of them displaced and jobless due to the conflict. Consider a donation to Meir Panim at israelcharity.org to bring hope to their Passover tables.

Fire Dance, a tale of passion, fulfillment, and faith, is now streaming exclusively on ChaiFlicks, the Jewish streaming service. Starring Yehuda Levi and Noa Koler, the series paints a picture of an ultra-Orthodox community at the foot of the Sea of Galilee. Unorthodox listeners get 50% off new subscriptions and a 7-day free trial with code FIREPOD at checkout. Visit ChaiFlicks.com to get started.

The BGU MBA International Program is a one-year English-language MBA led by industry experts in Israel’s innovation hub. Designed for global success, the program includes entrepreneurship masterclasses, networking opportunities, and hands-on startup idea development, all within a vibrant campus. Learn more here. 

Berkeley Moshav is a multigenerational Jewish cohousing community in Berkeley, California. Open to all backgrounds and family types, Berkeley Moshav offers family-focused, Jewishly diverse living. To learn more, visit BerkeleyMoshav.org and sign up for an information session.

This week on Unorthodox, we’re hoping the Jewish James Bond rumours are true. Plus, interviews with three awesome Jews: 

Dan Pashman, host of The Sporkful podcast, joins us to talk about his new cookbook, Anything’s Pastable: 81 Inventive Pasta Recipes for Saucy People, which includes a very special kugel recipe. He also talks about how his Jewish identity inspires his inquisitive approach to food and storytelling. Highlights include a recipe.

Podcaster and writer Zibby Owens returns to tell us about her debut novel, Blank, plus how she’s helping fight antisemitism in the publishing world. 

Stranger Things actor Brett Gelman discusses his new short story collection, The Terrifying Realm of the Possible, as well as his experience being loudly and proudly Jewish online in the wake of the October 7th attacks.  

Write to us at [email protected], 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:

Fire Dance, a tale of passion, fulfillment, and faith, is now streaming exclusively on ChaiFlicks, the Jewish streaming service. Starring Yehuda Levi and Noa Koler, the series paints a picture of an ultra-Orthodox community at the foot of the Sea of Galilee. Unorthodox listeners get 50% off new subscriptions and a 7-day free trial with code FIREPOD at checkout. Visit ChaiFlicks.com to get started.

Meir Panim has served over one million meals to Israelis in need since the start of the war, many of them displaced and jobless due to the conflict. Consider a donation to Meir Panim at israelcharity.org to bring hope to their Passover tables.

The BGU MBA International Program is a one-year English-language MBA led by industry experts in Israel’s innovation hub. Designed for global success, the program includes entrepreneurship masterclasses, networking opportunities, and hands-on startup idea development, all within a vibrant campus. Learn more here. 

Berkeley Moshav is a multigenerational Jewish cohousing community in Berkeley, California. Open to all backgrounds and family types, Berkeley Moshav offers family-focused, Jewishly diverse living. To learn more, visit BerkeleyMoshav.org and sign up for an information session.

Simplify your giving with the Jewish Communal Fund, the nation's largest Jewish donor-advised fund. Act by December 29th to lock in the maximum charitable deduction for 2023. Get started at JCFNY.org.

The Institute for Jewish Spirituality is offering a spring Omer course called “Awareness in Action: Cultivating Character Through Mindfulness and Middot.” Building on the Institute’s 25 years of teaching Jewish mindfulness practices, the course covers Tikkun Middot, the practice of developing desirable character traits. Register by April 7th at JewishSpirituality.org.

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger works to help the millions of people struggling daily with food insecurity, both in the U.S. and Israel. Make a gift at MAZON.org to help ensure that everyone can feed themselves and their families with dignity, this Passover and beyond.

Leket, Israel’s National Food Bank, is feeding vulnerable Israelis struggling with cost-of-living increases and the many other impacts of the war. Donations make a difference: $180 provides 130 rescued meals, leaving no one behind this Passover. Visit www.Leket.org/en to donate today. 

This week on the show, we are all about Shabbat. 

First, we’re sharing the latest installment of Beautifully Jewish, in which Stephanie Butnick and Tanya Singer explore all the beauty of Shabbat with the help of Adeena Sussman, author of the new cookbook, Shabbat: Recipes and Rituals from My Table to Yours, and AHYIN Judaica designer Micaela Ezra. 

We’re also showcasing our newest Tablet Studios podcast, Sivan Says: Taking the Torah Personally with Sivan Rahav-Meir. Each week, Israeli journalist and Torah scholar Sivan Rahav-Meir sits down with our own Liel Leibovitz to draw out practical advice from that week’s Torah reading. Find it wherever you get your podcasts.

Write to us at [email protected], 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:

Beautifully Jewish is brought to you with support from Lion Brand Yarns, a fifth-generation, family-owned business passionate about helping people enjoy the pleasures of working with yarn, and committed to creating a more colorful, connected, comforting, and caring world.

Fire Dance, a tale of passion, fulfillment, and faith, is now streaming exclusively on ChaiFlicks, the Jewish streaming service. Starring Yehuda Levi and Noa Koler, the series paints a picture of an ultra-Orthodox community at the foot of the Sea of Galilee. Get 50% off a new subscription and a 7-day free trial with code FIREPOD at ChaiFlicks.com.

Meir Panim has served over 1 million meals to Israelis in need since the start of the war, many of them displaced and jobless. Consider a donation to Meir Panim at israelcharity.org to bring hope to their Passover tables.

The BGU MBA International Program is a one-year English-language MBA led by industry experts in Israel’s innovation hub. Designed for global success, the program includes entrepreneurship masterclasses, networking opportunities, and hands-on startup idea development, all within a vibrant campus. Learn more here. 

Berkeley Moshav is a multigenerational Jewish cohousing community in Berkeley, California. Open to all backgrounds and family types, Berkeley Moshav offers family-focused, Jewishly diverse living. To learn more, visit BerkeleyMoshav.org and sign up for an information session.

Simplify your giving with the Jewish Communal Fund, the nation's largest Jewish donor-advised fund. Get started at JCFNY.org.

The Institute for Jewish Spirituality is offering a spring Omer course called “Awareness in Action: Cultivating Character Through Mindfulness and Middot.” Building on the Institute’s 25 years of teaching Jewish mindfulness practices, the course covers Tikkun Middot, the practice of developing desirable character traits. Register by April 7 at JewishSpirituality.org.

This week on the show, we refuse to refute.

Phil Rosenthal of Somebody Feed Phil returns to the show to discuss his new children’s book, Just Try It!, which he co-wrote with his daughter Lily. (You can listen to Phil’s previous Unorthodox interviews here and here.)

Eric Cohen and Abe Unger introduce their new school, Emet Classical Academy, set to open this fall, which they describe as the nation’s first Jewish classical school.

Rabbi Meni Even-Israel talks about leading the Steinsaltz Center, where he continues the mission of his father, the late Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, to make Jewish knowledge more accessible through translation and explanation. 

Write to us at [email protected], 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:

The Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management is offering a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Innovation that can be earned while you work. Learn more at ZSchool.huc.edu. Generous scholarships available.

The Shalom Hartman Institute’s newest podcast, TEXTing, delves into Torah texts to find relevant insights for modern life. On each episode, Rosh Beit Midrash Elana Stein Hain invites Hartman scholars to consider a different Torah text. Listen at shalomhartman.org/texting or wherever you get your podcasts.  

Fire Dance, a tale of passion, fulfillment, and faith, is now streaming exclusively on ChaiFlicks, the Jewish streaming service. Starring Yehuda Levi and Noa Kohler, the series paints a picture of an ultra-Orthodox community at the foot of the Sea of Galilee. Unorthodox listeners get 50% off new subscriptions and a 7-day free trial with code FIREPOD at checkout. Visit ChaiFlicks.com to get started. 

This week on Unorthodox, we can’t believe we missed YentaCon. 

Our first guest is director Andrew Goldberg, whose new PBS documentary Armenia, My Home uncovers some of the parallels between Armenian and Jewish life.

We also speak with Eylon Levy, official spokesman for the Israeli government. He joined us to talk about manning the war’s digital front, and his viral interview on British TV, aka “the eyebrow incident.” 

The version of “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” you heard was by our friends at Yidcore.

Write to us at [email protected], 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:

The Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management invites you to consider earning your Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Innovation while you work. Learn more at ZSchool.huc.edu. Generous scholarships available.

The Shalom Hartman Institute welcomes you to listen to their newest podcast, TEXTing hosted by their Rosh Beit Midrash, Elana Stein Hain. On each episode, Stein Hain invites Hartman scholars to delve into a Torah text and find relevant insights for modern life. Listen at shalomhartman.org/texting or wherever you get your podcasts.

Unorthodox is off this week, but today we're sharing an episode from the Tablet podcast What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead

This week, Walter and Jeremy talk Putin endorsing Biden, Putin dissing Tucker Carlson, Trump dissing NATO, and Biden stumbling in the Middle East.

Unorthodox is off this week, but today we're sharing an episode from Jewish Priorities: Life After 10/7, a 6-part series of panels taken from a live event hosted by Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History last October.

This discussion focused on the charged rhetoric we’re seeing within the Jewish community during the war in Israel and features Rabbi Shlomo Elkan, Jodi Rudoren, and Rabbi David Wolpe, with moderators Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz of Unorthodox.