Wondering Jews with Mijal and Noam

This week, we wrap up our Staff Pick countdown with our #1 episode of the year. What Is Shabbat—Really? goes beyond the long list of “don’ts” to uncover the deeper joy and purpose of the Jewish Sabbath. Grounded in Genesis, Exodus, and the writings of Abraham Joshua Heschel and Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Mijal and Noam explore Shabbat as a 25-hour “palace in time”—a weekly digital detox, spiritual re...

What does Chabad have to offer a fractured world in 2025? On Wondering Jews with Mijal and Noam, Mijal Bitton and Noam Weissman are joined by renowned Chabad scholar and speaker Rabbi YY Jacobson to explore the enduring power of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s legacy. Chosen by our staff as the #2 top episode of the year and part of our countdown to the #1 Staff Pick, this conversation leans into Chabad’s...

Noam revisits his conversation with actor, Jewish advocate and fellow podcast host, Jonah Platt. In the episode, voted the #3 staff pick, Noam and Jonah sit down in LA to talk about identity, Israel, Hollywood, and why October 7 turned him into what he calls an “October 8th activist.” Jonah reflects on his Jewish upbringing, the rising fear around Jewish identity, and why he now proudly wears a Ma...

As 2025 ends, Mijal Bitton and Noam Weissman look back on a year that felt both relentless and revealing, then name ten themes that shaped Jewish life, Israel, and the diaspora, except it’s nine, because they’re contrarians, plus what they hope 2026 can become. They unpack the shift from acute crisis to chronic challenge, why “that feeling you’re feeling is peoplehood,” the rise of horseshoe polit...

Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: ⁠⁠⁠https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025⁠⁠⁠ Mijal and Noam explore how generosity—of time, money, talent, and attention—has powered the Jewish story across generations, and what it means to make giving a lifelong practice rather than a one-time donation. They’re joined by Mitchell R. Julis, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Canyon P...

Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: ⁠⁠https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025⁠⁠ Mijal and Noam dive into one of Judaism’s biggest—and most deliberately open-ended—questions: What does Judaism say about the afterlife, Olam HaBa, the World to Come? They explore why humans across cultures care so deeply about life after death—justice, grief, meaning, and reward—an...

Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: ⁠https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025⁠ Mijal and Noam dive into the fraught conversation around tzniut (modesty), blending Jewish sources with personal stories and lived experience. They unpack what Jewish law actually says, debunk common myths about dress codes, oppression, and liberation, and wrestle honestly with how mo...

A Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach became the site of one of the deadliest antisemitic attacks in the diaspora in decades. Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy, who grew up in Sydney and now lives in Jerusalem, joins Noam and Mijal to explain what happened, why many in the community say it was “horrifying but not shocking,” and what this moment demands next. Here's a link to donate to the Bondi terror attack r...

Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025 Book for the Jerusalem Marathon "Return, Reconnect, and Run for Resilience" tour: sababatravel.com In Part 2 of The Battle Over Jewish Storytelling: A Hanukkah Conversation, Mijal sits down with Dr. Tanya White to explore the deeper meaning of Hanukkah—beyond the oil. Together they unpa...

In preparation for Hanukkah, Mijal sits down with her friend and bestselling author Sarah Hurwitz to rediscover the holiday’s deeper meaning. Together they explore the grown-up story of the Maccabees, the complexities of assimilation and resistance, and how Hanukkah’s themes echo the identity struggles facing Jews today. Drawing on insights from Here All Along and As a Jew, Sarah reflects on coura...

Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025 Mijal and Noam break down Jewish law (halacha) as a living legal system—tracing its path from Sinai to the Mishnah, Talmud, Maimonides, and the Shulchan Aruch. They explore how halacha is interpreted, how Sephardic and Ashkenazi traditions differ, the role of custom (minhag), and why de...

Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025 Noam sits down in LA with actor, Jewish advocate and fellow podcast host, Jonah Platt, to talk about identity, Israel, Hollywood, and why October 7 turned him into what he calls an “October 8th activist.” Jonah reflects on his Jewish upbringing, the rising fear around Jewish identity, a...

Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025 Mijal and Noam dive into the first national study of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews in the United States. The study was directed by Dr. Mijal Bitton at NYU in partnership with JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa). Mijal and Noam discuss a missing chapter in the Ameri...

Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025 Mijal and Noam step back from politics to ask bigger questions: how should Jews meet a world where hostages come home under a ceasefire, Nick Fuentes inches into mainstream discourse, and NYC debates Mamdani? Fresh off a trip to Israel, Mijal shares what resilience looks like on the gro...

Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025 In this special crossover episode, host Noam Weissman shares one of the most powerful conversations he’s ever had—an interview with Eli Sharabi, who survived 491 days as a Hamas hostage in Gaza. Noam talks to Eli about his new memoir, Hostage, where he recounts life 50 meters undergroun...

Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025 In this special crossover episode, Noam Weissman explores what it feels like to live through this moment in Israel. Mijal is away so Noam sits down with writer and Times of Israel editor Sarah Tuttle-Singer, author of Jerusalem Drawn and Quartered, for a raw, empathetic conversation abo...

As Sukkot begins, Mijal and Noam revisit a favorite episode about what it really means to live with fragility and joy. From stepping into temporary huts to Rabbi Nachman’s teaching to “always be in a state of joy,” they explore how Judaism reframes happiness—not as comfort or control, but as presence, purpose, and connection. Mijal Bitton: ⁠Committed by Mijal Bitton  | Substack⁠ Martin Seligman: ⁠...

Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025 What is Shabbat -- really? Mijal Bitton and Noam Weissman go beyond the long list of “don’ts” to uncover the deeper joy and purpose of the Jewish Sabbath. Grounded in Genesis, Exodus, Heschel, and Rav Soloveitchik, they explore Shabbat as a 25-hour “palace in time”—a weekly digital deto...

Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025 In this special episode of Wondering Jews, Mijal Bitton and Noam Weissman sit down with Prof. Moshe Halbertal to reflect on the High Holidays. Together they explore why the “Days of Awe” feel both intense and joyful, and how teshuva, tefillah, and tzedakah can restore a sense of agency...

Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025 Why do Jews mark life’s biggest moments with rituals—and what happens when those rituals clash with modern life? In this rich, personal, and sometimes hilarious episode, Mijal and Noam take you on a journey through the Jewish life cycle—from brit milah to bar mitzvah, weddings to funera...

BOOK NOW FOR UNPACKING ISRAELI HISTORY LIVE IN LA - Nov 12 at Sinai Temple with special guest Ronen Bergman. Last stop for 2025! Use the coupon code UIH20 to get a discount on your tickets: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://unpacked.bio/UIHLA25⁠ Prayer can feel abstract—so Mijal and Noam get practical. In the second part of our In the Beginning mini-series on foundational Jewish topics, Mijal Bitton and Noam Weissman e...

Help us take Unpacked podcasts further by supporting our crowdfunding campaign: https://unpacked.bio/podgift2025 Is it a religion, a people, a culture, a nation - or something that refuses tidy boxes? In the first episode of our In The Beginning mini-series where we'll be covering foundational Jewish topics, Mijal and Noam trace how Jews have defined themselves or been defined across centuries and...

Mijal and Noam sit down with award-winning author Dara Horn (People Love Dead Jews) to tackle one of the most urgent questions today: What’s wrong with Holocaust education—and how do we fix it? Together, they explore why most American students meet Jews only as Holocaust victims, how teaching the Shoah without Jewish civilization erases the very culture the Nazis tried to destroy, and why that era...

In this re-release of one of our most popular episodes, Noam Weissman and Mijal Bitton speak with journalist Haviv Rettig Gur about the history, ideology, and persistence of antisemitism. They trace its roots from early Christian and Islamic theology through Marxist and nationalist movements, examine how it has evolved in the Arab world and on American campuses, and discuss why the current wave fe...

In a year of division, can Jewish unity still hold? In this special re-release of Wondering Jews, Mijal Bitton sits down with Rabbi David Wolpe for a deep, candid conversation about Jewish solidarity, peoplehood, and the meaning of freedom. They explore why the Seder remains Judaism’s most beloved ritual, how to handle political disagreements at the table, and why Jewish identity is rooted in comm...