Wondering Jews with Mijal and Noam

Please take a few minutes to fill out this short survey. Go to: ⁠⁠⁠unpacked.bio/podsurvey⁠⁠⁠. We want to hear from you! As Mijal and Noam explore the idea of "family" through the Jewish lens, it's necessary to step back and wonder if the Jewish people are an extended family of their own. We're off this week, so we're revisiting an episode from last fall, where are hosts start with a basic question...

Please take a few minutes to fill out this short survey. Go to: ⁠⁠unpacked.bio/podsurvey⁠⁠. We want to hear from you! Does identity define us or limit us? In this crossover episode with Unpacking Israeli History, Noam searches for answers with Nuseir Yassin, better known as internet personality Nas Daily. Go deeper on Israel, Judaism, and the Jewish experience with the Unpacked community. Apply no...

Please fill out this short survey. Go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠unpacked.bio/podsurvey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We want to hear from you! What does it mean for parents to act as priests? Does teaching a child to swim mean more than just laps in a pool? In our first episode exploring family through the Jewish lens, Noam and Mijal are tackling profound, meaningful questions about Judaism within our four walls. Our hosts break down the...

Please fill out this short survey. Go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠unpacked.bio/podsurvey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We want to hear from you! Can a musical teach Torah? Why is Fiddler on the Roof beloved in Japan? The answers to these questions could have implications for the future of the Jews and their place in the world. Noam sits down with Jennifer Tepper, a theatre historian, and Etai Benson, a Broadway actor, to discuss the art of...

Please fill out this short survey. Go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠unpacked.bio/podsurvey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We want to hear from you! Mijal is back, and this week we're responding to your comments! Spurred on by awesome listeners like you, our reunited hosts ponder the dynamic relationship between Zionism and Reform Judaism, the question of Jewish continuity, the hot-button issue of affordability, and more. We have the best audi...

Please fill out this short survey. Go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠unpacked.bio/podsurvey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We want to hear from you! Jews have left an indelible mark on the fabric of America, impacting activism, music, and religion. One venue holds so many inspiring examples of these contributions: Carnegie Hall. For this episode celebrating the end of Jewish American Heritage Month, Noam joins Kathleen Sabogal (Director, Rose...

Please fill out this short survey. Go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠unpacked.bio/podsurvey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We want to hear from you! For years, the famous Philly chef Michael Solomonov has grappled with his American and Israeli identities. What can his journey teach us about American Jews and their relationship with the Jewish state? In this episode exploring Jewish American Heritage Month, Michael shares his remarkable family...

In the wake of our Denominations series, many of you wrote to us asking "what about Chabad?" As a leading resource for all Jews, it makes perfect sense to consider how Chabad fits into the denominational puzzle of America. We're off this week, but Noam kicks us off with a fresh greeting and a few words about Chabad before re-introducing our episode from last summer with Rabbi YY Jacobson. We're ge...

America has enjoyed a golden age of Jewish comedy: Mel Brooks, Jerry Seinfeld, and Amy Schumer are just some of the luminaries that have graced our stages and televisions. But with antisemitism on the rise and Israel becoming more divisive than ever, can Jewish comedians still thrive? For our second episode honoring Jewish American Heritage Month, Noam is in conversation with Raanan Hershberg, a b...

Please fill out this short survey. Go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠unpacked.bio/podsurvey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We want to hear from you! The story of Zabar's--a NYC foodie fixture--is bigger than bagels: it includes a horrifying pogrom, a narrow escape to America, and success in the face of countless setbacks. For Jewish American Heritage Month, Noam asks: what does does this story mean to American Jews, and America at large? In a...

Do the words that once categorized Jews--reform, conservative, orthodox--still matter today? And if they don't... then what's next? To answer these questions and close out our series on denominations, Noam and Mijal speak with Rabbi Avi Killip, the executive vice president of Hadar. In this can't-miss conversation, Rabbi Killip makes the case for Hadar as a movement that is ready to meet the the c...

Will Reform Judaism be defined by the past, or the future? Does it emphasize the Jewish community, or the community at large? Does it feature personal choice, or obligation? Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, joins Noam to explore these queries, and the meaningful tension they create. Plus: Reform Judaism's evolution on Zionism, and uplifting stories from congregations t...

What is Conservative Judaism? Why is its share of American Jews shrinking? Can you take a Waymo to Shabbat services? Here to explore these questions is a married rabbi team: Erez Sherman and Nicole Guzik, from Sinai Temple in Los Angeles. Together with Mijal and Noam, they discuss the beautiful nuances of Conservative Judaism, and what its future might mean for all Jewish denominations. Get in tou...

Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist... where do these religious practices come from? What do they even mean? Zev Eleff, the president of Gratz College, is here to lay out the fascinating origins of denominations, and how they intersect with Protestantism and American culture. Plus: Zev, Mijal, and Noam reflect on the rich tapestry of Orthodox Judaism, and what its future might be. Ge...

For this special Passover episode, Mijal and Noam open their door to actor and comedian Michael Rapaport (Friends, Only Murders In The Building, The Traitors). If the conversation had only been about the holiday, dayenu. But there's plenty more on the seder plate, including that viral meal from The Traitors and Michael's campaign to become the next mayor of New York City. Careening between moments...

In this episode, Noam and Mijal begin their multi-part exploration of Jewish denominations in America with one of the most influential rabbis in history: Mordecai Kaplan. Kaplan is known as a trailblazer who emphasized community over kashrut and gave the very first bat mitzvah to his own daughter. But what was Kaplan's inner life? The conversation becomes a joyous family affair as Noam welcomes in...

An anti-semitic attack in Michigan. War with Iran. The news cycle is spinning so rapidly that it’s hard to make sense of it all. This week, Noam and Mijal turn to Bret Stephens (New York Times Opinion columnist and Editor-In-Chief of Sapir) to help them understand the big picture. How should Jews—and Americans in general—be responding to conflicts at home and abroad? Plus: Bret discusses his lates...

Perhaps the only thing more contentious than the definition of antisemitism is the definition of antizionism; when is criticism of Israel legitimate, and when is it hateful? In this episode, Noam and Mijal look to Adam Louis-Klein for answers. In the aftermath of October 7th, Adam committed himself to defining and fighting antizionism, using the tools of academia. But is it working? Adam Louis-Kle...

Note: this episode was recorded before the latest developments in Iran. What can incidents of antisemitism from America's past tell us about its future? For Mijal and Noam, there's no one better to answer this question than Professor Emeritus Jonathan Sarna. Professor Sarna--a legendary scholar and author of the essential book American Judaism--takes our hosts on a tour of the late 19th century, w...

War with Iran is unfolding days before Purim, so Mijal and Noam step back from the news cycle to process this moment emotionally and theologically. Joining them is Tarlan Rabizadeh, a rabbi, activist, and Persian Jew who is deeply imbedded in LA's "Irangeles" community. With wit, passion, and humor, rabbi Tarlan breaks down what the media has been missing, and the sights and sounds that are fillin...

Joy and pain. Clarity and confusion. Each year--but especially now--the holiday of Purim inspires a wide array of emotions. In this special crossover episode of Wondering Jews and Jewish Insights with Justin Pines, Mijal reflects on what Purim teaches us about the fight against anti-semitism. How can we interpret the actions of legendary figures like Mordecai and Esther, and what inspiration do th...

In this episode, Mijal invites Noam to talk about his most ambitious project yet: a 5-part epic series on the history of Zionism, from biblical beginnings to modern Israel. Years in the making and deeply personal to Noam, this sweeping series on Unpacking Israeli History traces the 3,000-year story of Zionism. Mijal and Noam's conversation touches on collective memory, the cyclical fracturing of t...

What can Russian Anti-Zionism of 1967 teach us about Anti-Semitism today? This week, Noam and Mijal speak with Izabella Tabarovsky, author of the new book Be A Refusenik: A Jewish Student's Survival Guide. With academic expertise and personal stories, Izabella paints a vivid picture of the Refusenik movement and what lessons it can offer to Jews facing discrimination on college campuses. Order Iza...

At a moment when many Americans are either shouting past each other or staying silent, Noam and Mijal pause to reflect on what this moment demands of them as Jews, as leaders, and as citizens. In this episode, Mijal and Noam speak with Minnesota resident and Aspen Civil Society Fellow Kate Moore Davenport. The conversation explores the surge of ICE agents in Minneapolis and why it has ignited a de...

What’s actually happening inside the American right—and how much of it is real versus online noise? Mijal and Noam talk with Jesse Arm of the Manhattan Institute about the GOP coalition after Trump, the new fault lines on Israel, and why conspiracy culture is becoming a political force.  Get in touch at WonderingJews@unpacked.media. Follow @wonderingjews on Instagram, and watch and subscribe on ⁠...