Tablet Studios

This week on Unorthodox, we’re sharing nine stories of Jewish light during a time when it’s never felt more necessary.  Liel brings us a reminder of the true spirit of Hanukkah. We share reflections from attendees and vendors at Tablet’s first Hanukkah Bazaar on how this year’s Hanukkah feels more important than ever. Producer Elie Bleier brings us a story from a makeshift army base near the Gaza...

This week on Unorthodox, we’re coming to you live from Baltimore, where we appeared at the 2023 Conservative/Masorti Shabbaton & Convening. We’re also sharing a new Beautifully Jewish segment for Hanukkah, featuring designer Jonathan Adler, Gabriel Goldstein of the Yeshiva University Museum, and a trip to visit Ahuva Gottdeiner, aka Homegrown Kosher, in Monsey, NY.  For more Beautifully Jewish, jo...

This week on Unorthodox, we’re rooting for the heroes.  Our Jewish guest is philosopher and filmmaker Bernard-Henri Lévy, who returns to the show to tell us about the newest film in his Ukraine trilogy, called Glory to the Heroes. The film is a tribute to everyday Ukrainian heroes, including some Ukrainian-born Israeli soldiers who finished their service in the IDF and volunteered to fight for Ukr...

Today, we’re bringing Unorthodox listeners a special Beautifully Jewish Thanksgiving. Beautifully Jewish is a monthly audio series on Unorthodox that explores Jewish material culture, the ritual objects that inspire us, and the people who make them. On today’s segment, hosts Stephanie Butnick and Tanya Singer celebrate an unexpectedly significant object: the folding chair.  You’ll also get an upda...

Dark times call for bright lights, and we’re excited to announce Tablet’s Hanukkah Bazaar, taking place Sunday, Dec. 3 in New York City, featuring 40+ amazing vendors. Find out more at hanukkahbazaar.com.  Today we head Across the Jew. S.A to Washington D.C., for a special dispatch from this week’s March for Israel.  We also talk with Israeli writer Etgar Keret. Known for his short story collectio...

This week on Unorthodox, we talk with writer and political advisor Dan Senor about his new book, The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World (a follow up to his 2011 book, Startup Nation, also co-written with Saul Singer). This interview will also air on Senor’s podcast Call Me Back. We also speak with Gila Sacks, daughter of the late Rabbi Lord Jonatha...

This week on Unorthodox, we’re continuing our travels Across the JEW.S.A. We head to Miami, where newer communities are redefining Jewish life in Florida. Across the JEW.S.A. is created with the support of the Jewish Federations of North America. You can catch up on some of the other stops we’ve made at tabletmag.com/jewsa.  We’re also sharing highlights from the Jewish Priorities conference that...

This week on Unorthodox, a mixup with a third (reich) party vendor.  We speak with Israeli actress Swell Ariel Or, who you may remember from the show Beauty Queen of Jerusalem. She moved to the United States just weeks ago, and gives us her perspective on the war as an Israeli living abroad. You can donate to the Israel Reservist Fund that Or started at: www.israelreservistfund.com.  Ani Wilcenski...

This week on Unorthodox, we’re processing our emotions about the war on Israel alongside our listeners. We talk with Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm, host of the podcast Good Faith Effort, about turning to Jewish law and ethics for insight on how to deal with a dark and violent moment.  Our second guest this week is the actress Lisa Edelstein. She joins us to discuss her newest project, the PBS series Little B...

Today on Unorthodox, we’re welcoming Shabbat after a painful week. Rabbi Diana Fersko walks us through the basics of Shabbat, and shares additional prayers we can incorporate into our practice on this particular week. Host emeritus Mark Oppenheimer returns to dispense some corduroy wisdom as we navigate this unprecedented moment, and Liel shares some levity with an unexpected account of how one Je...

This week on Unorthodox, we’re sharing stories from Israel. We’ll hear firsthand from those who have faced unspeakable tragedy, and acted with incredible bravery since the terror attack on Oct. 7. You’ll hear from someone who escaped the NOVA music festival, friends donating supplies in Tel Aviv, and a report from the missing persons center near Ben Gurion Airport, where Israelis are coming in dro...

Our hearts and minds are heavy right now, and we here at Unorthodox are working hard to bring you a special episode in the coming days. In the meantime, we know many of you have questions about how we got here. To get to the root of some of them, Tablet Magazine hosted a zoom, moderated by our own Liel Liebovitz, and we want to share it with you now.

Vote for us in the Signal Awards! We’re finalists for our Across the JEW.S.A: Louisville, Kentucky, episode (vote here!) and for our limited series podcast The Franchise: Jews, Sports, and America (vote here!). This week on Unorthodox, we’re battling the Spelling Bee.  Our beloved co-host Liel Leibovitz joins us as our first guest to tell us about his new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life:...

This week on Unorthodox, we’re celebrating Sukkot in style. We head to the Malina sukkah, where we hear from Joshua’s parents, Fran and Robert, about their family traditions.  We’re also sharing the second installment of Beautifully Jewish, our series celebrating Jewish material culture, the ritual objects that inspire us, and the people who make them. Stephanie and Tanya explore how something as...

This week on Unorthodox, we’re preparing for Yom Kippur by learning how to communicate better.  We interview linguist Deborah Tannen, who coined our favorite phrase, “cooperative overlap.” She explains the real reason why we’re always interrupting each other on this show, and shares some tips for talking to people with different conversational styles.  We talk to Julie Rice, co-founder of Soul Cyc...

This week on Unorthodox, you’re totally invited to our bat mitzvah.  First we talk to Amanda Stern—aka Fiona Rosenbloom—the author of the young adult novel You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, which the new Netflix film is based on. She shares (pre-strike!) what it was like to have her novel adapted into an Adam Sandler movie and gives us an update on what she’s working on now.  Then director...

This week on Unorthodox, we’re unveiling our newest series: Beautifully Jewish, hosted by Stephanie Butnick with Tanya Singer. It’s a celebration of the objects that enrich our Jewish identities and observance, from Shabbat candlesticks to menorahs, tallis covers, mezuzahs, and much more.   Each month, Beautifully Jewish will celebrate Jewish material culture, the ritual objects that inspire us, a...

This week on Unorthodox, we’re chowing down.  Cookbook author and chef Jake Cohen returns to the show to tell us about his new cookbook, I Could Nosh: Classic Jew-ish Recipes Revamped for Every Day. He also shares some recipes for your Rosh Hashanah table.  Producer Quinn Waller brings us along to Lee Lee’s Baked Goods in Harlem to talk to Alvin Lee Smalls, the man behind some of the best rugelach...

This week on Unorthodox, we’re continuing our journey through the Hebrew month of Elul up to the High Holidays by focusing on music. Rabbi Josh Warshawsky returns to the show to walk us through the melodies of the High Holidays, plus he shares his new version of Hineni.  Then, we’re re-airing a segment with Ladino singer Sarah Aroeste, who shares her musical tribute to the lost Sephardic community...

This week on Unorthodox, we’re entering Elul, the Hebrew month leading up to the High Holidays. During this period, we try to be a little more introspective, to consider how we spent the last year, and how we are preparing for the next. But how do we do that, exactly?  To guide us, Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to discuss the purpose of Elul and how we can get the most out of this month. (Rabbi B...

This week on Unorthodox, was Oppenheimer a flop-enheimer? Our Gentile of the Week is podcaster and musician Hrishikesh Hirway. He hosted The West Wing Weekly with Joshua Malina, and he returns to Unorthodox to talk about his current podcast (and Netflix series) Song Exploder. He also shares his new single, Cascade, and asks a music-themed GOTW question.  We’re also taking a trip Across the JEW.S.A...

This week on Unorthodox, we’re talking about Tisha B’Av and what we can learn from this ancient day of mourning. Then, we’re bringing you an extended conversation with our Gentile of the Week Bill Courtney about the things we all can do to give up resentment and division and commit ourselves to empathy and change. He’s the football coach depicted in the Academy Award-winning documentary, Undefeate...

This week on Unorthodox: Kosher shrimp cocktail?  Our Jew of the Week is comedian and podcaster Sarah Silverman. She joins us to talk about her new—and extremely Jewish—comedy special, Someone You Love, plus what it’s like playing poker with Joshua Malina  We’re also bringing you our latest installment from The Archive, our series exploring the collections of the National Library of Israel. This w...

This week on Unorthodox, class is in session.  First, we discuss the new Israeli TV show The Lesson, and talk to the show’s writer and creator, Deakla Keydar. (Sponsor note: You can stream ‘The Lesson’ exclusively on ChaiFlicks; Unorthodox listeners get 40% off a subscription with the code LESSONPOD).  Then, we chat with Benyamin Cohen, who runs Albert Einstein’s official social media presence. He...

This week on Unorthodox, we’re playing the name game. First, we’re re-airing a 2019 segment in which our former editor Noah Levinson investigates the real story behind the myth of name changes at Ellis Island. For more, check out A Rosenberg by Any Other Name: A History of Jewish Name Changing in America, written by Kirsten Fermaglich. We’re also bringing you a preview of our new Tablet Studios po...