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The hit HBO series Succession, currently in its final season, is deceptively complex. On the surface, it’s about members of a wealthy family vying for control of their father’s media empire. But while most similar shows would either glorify or revile wealth and power, Succession deals in shades of grey that are truer to life and closer to […]

This week, Brad and Steven are back at it, talking about members of Israel’s government getting into trouble on the streets of NYC. The guys spend much of the episode discussing an article from the Atlantic about CNN head, Chris Licht. Here’s a link to the piece, which you may want to check out before listening to the podcast (you don’t […]

The MCU has been in a bit of a rough patch lately, but ‘Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3’ gets things back on track. The final chapter of James Gunn’s trilogy about this wisecracking gang of galactic misfits has jokes, action, and lots of heart. In this episode, Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky argue that the […]

This week, Brad and Steven are talking again about an old favorite subject of theirs: hagbah. With Steven in Georgia for a family Bat Mitzvah, the pressure is on for him to lift a special Torah that was rescued from the Nazis. They also talk about what to eat in Georgia and the elections in Turkey. […]

It’s Mother’s Day this week and Brad and Steven discuss the day’s merits and its potential impact on gifts for Steven. They also talk about the disgraceful CNN broadcast of Trump’s town hall last week and wonder how the media will cover a presidential campaign that promises to be like none other before it. Spoiler alert: they’re […]

‘The Mandalorian,’ whose third season is now streaming on Disney+, is one of the most critically and commercially successful offerings of Disney-era Star Wars. Noted Star Wars nerds Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky discuss the show’s very Jewish themes, its relationship to Torah and Midrash, and the relative value of complex mythology in modern pop culture. […]

This week, it’s The Coronation Day Episode, where Brad and Steven spend as little time as possible talking about the British monarchy. Instead, they talk about Twitter vs. TV news, Clarence Thomas’ shameless corruption, the killing of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway car this week and how it relates to the national homeless crisis. Have a […]

After a two-week hiatus, Brad and Steven are back at it. In this week’s episode, the talk about the ongoing protests in Israel which Brad attended last weekend, the future of Israel’s democracy, the prospect of being a stranger in a country that’s not one’s own, and old school Chinese restaurants. Happy listening! You can listen to The Amen […]

Mario, Luigi, Toadstool, Princess Peach, and Bowser are back — this time in the cleverly-titled blockbuster animated comedy ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie.’ Is it super? Or is it the film equivalent of hitting a banana peel on Rainbow Road? What does it say about the state of entertainment and society? And what does it […]

‘Shrinking,’ the new series streaming on AppleTV+ boasts some big names (have you heard of this guy Harrison Ford? We think he’s got a promising future in showbiz…) and a big premise: what would happen if therapists got more involved in their patients’ lives, and let their patients get more involved in their own lives? […]

This week, Brad and Steve talk about some of the things that they actually don’t agree on. There’s not a lot but they did manage to come up with something: Diversity Equity and Inclusion, also known as DEI, and college admissions. The guys talk about their experiences with their respective children’s admissions processes and find that while there […]

In this week’s episode, Brad and Steven talk about the two HUGE legal decisions that were handed down this week. One is historical and precedent-setting, the other is the indictment of a former president whose name shall not be mentioned by a New York grand jury. The first case, of course, is the Gwyneth Paltrow trial, […]

It finally happened! The sequel to Mel Brooks’ 1981 classic ‘History of the World: Part I’ that nearly every Jew of a certain age has been waiting for is here at last. Was it worth the wait? Is it the greatest sequel in ‘The History of the World: Part II’? Or is it more of […]

Due to popular demand (ok, Producer Darone and one other person asked for it), this week Brad and Steven tell the story of how they first met and became friends. In what should be no surprise to Amen Corner listeners, the story involves the Yankees, the Middle East, and Plainview/Plainfield. Enjoy our stroll down memory lane! You can […]

The guys are back this week to talk about Muhammad Ali and Colin Kaeprnick, Sylvester Stallone and Tony Danza, expensive restaurants and a big disappointment. Have a listen and enjoy! You can listen to The Amen Corner in lots of ways. On iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, or your favorite RSS aggregator.

The 95th Academy Awards are fast approaching, and Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky are here to talk about the Torah of this year’s Best Picture nominees. In this special episode, we discuss Avatar, Elvis, Top Gun, The Fabelmans, and more! Who should walk away with this year’s top prize? Who will win? And, most importantly, which movie […]

After a prolonged hiatus, Brad and Steven are back with the news that nearly three years into the pandemic, Steven finally got Covid, leaving Brad as the last man standing. Steven dry coughs his way through his description of what happened to him before the guys turn their attention to discussing Dominion Voting Systems vs. […]

The new HBO series, ‘The Last of Us,’ based on the acclaimed video game of the same name, explores what life might look like 20 years after a pandemic decimates the world. The show features plenty of terrifying zombies (especially if you’re freaked out by fungus), but more importantly explores what remains — love and […]

It’s the Little Bit of Everything Episode this week; Brad and Steven talk about some of the feedback that they got from last week’s episode and then go back to their roots and talk about parenting, Van Halen, and this weekend’s Super Bowl. They even mention Popeye’s. On a serious note, they also talked about this […]

The new Netflix film ‘You People,’ starring Eddie Murphy and Jonah Hill, is a romantic comedy in the mold of ‘Meet the Parents.’ The twist, however, is that this time, the parents are African American members of the Nation of Islam, and the prospective son-in-law is a white Jew from West LA. While the movie […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay acknowledges with regret the end of one of the most important shows on the Network Daily Daf Differently. After explaining the ins and outs of the issues with keeping the show going, Darone thanks Jeremy Kalmanofsky and The Conservative Yeshiva for all of their help […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Mordecai Schwartz looks at Masechet Nazir, Daf 15. What do we do when the values between two of our commitments conflict? To view the text of Nazir, Daf 15 on Sefaria, please click here. The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Mordecai Schwartz looks at Masechet Nazir, Daf 14. In today’s episode we ask how can a person fulfill two obligations at the same time? To view the text of Nazir, Daf 14 on Sefaria, please click here. The opening and closing music for this podcast […]

In this week’s episode, Brad and Steven talk about how they spent time in the hospital this week, visiting Steven’s nephew who is undergoing chemotherapy. It’s a bit of a departure from their usual podcast content, but still with the same Amen Corner spirit. Have a listen! You can listen to The Amen Corner in […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Mordecai Schwartz looks at Masechet Nazir, Daf 13. What is the obligation to fulfill a Nazir’s vow, if it was made in a moment of bargaining for the life or health of a child?” To view the text of Nazir, Daf 13 on Sefaria, please […]