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This week on Unorthodox, we can't be tamed. Our Jewish guest is Eddy Portnoy, senior researcher and director of exhibitions at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, whose new book is Bad Rabbi: And Other Strange but True Stories from the Yiddish Press. He tells us how he stumbled upon these colorful, less-remembered characters and tales—so many of which seem to involve Jews rioting—and why it's important for a community to examine the good with the bad to truly know its history. Our gentile of the week is Washington Post religion reporter Sarah Pulliam Bailey, who dropped by the studio in early October to tell us about growing up in a conservative, Christian environment in Indiana, the intricacies of covering religion while being a person of faith herself, and the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. We're giving away two copies of the Kale and Caramel cookbook, by episode 111 guest Lily Diamond! Enter the draw to win here. Join our new Facebook group! And sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag , @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set—including razor handle, blades, and gel—when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, we've got food on the brain. Our first guest is Kerry Brodie, founder of Emma's Torch, a cafe in Brooklyn that employs and trains refugees and political asylum seekers. She tells us about her unlikely transition from government work to culinary school, what she learned about refugees by working alongside them in the kitchen, and why she believes food is such a powerful uniting force. Our second guest is Lily Diamond, the Maui-born blogger behind Kale and Caramel, and the author of a brand new cookbook by the same name. She tells us about fleeing her laid-back Hawaiian high school for Yale, accidentally becoming a food blogger, and how food and cooking helped her grieve her mother's death. (Enter the draw to win a copy of her book here!) Join our new Facebook group! And sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag , @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism.

This week on Unorthodox, we're totally bewitched. Our Jewish guest is novelist Alice Hoffman, whose new book is The Rules of Magic, a prequel to her bestselling 1995 novel Practical Magic, which was made into the 1998 film starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. She tells us how she re-immersed herself in the magical Owens family 20 years later, the ways in which her Jewish background influenced her interest in rebellious women, and why it's important to her to redefine the popular mythology of witches. Our gentile of the week is a witch and priest in the Minoan Brotherhood, who studies neo-paganism at Harvard Divinity School. He tells us the difference between witches and pagans, how he planned to celebrate Samhain, the pagan festival also known as Halloween, and why eye of newt is something you might already have in your kitchen cabinet. Join our new Facebook group! And sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag , @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set—including razor handle, blades, and gel—when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

This week, we're live from JCC Manhattan! Our Jewish guest is writer A.J. Jacobs—our first-ever guest back in 2015—whose latest book is It's All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World's Family Tree. He tells us about his unlikely entry into the world of genealogy, the famous—and infamous—relatives he discovered, and, in a 'Maury'-style twist, reveals which hosts are related to him. Our gentile of the week is actor Kobi Libii, who played Cantor Duvid on Season 3 of 'Transparent' and currently appears on Comedy Central's 'The Opposition With Jordan Klepper'. He tells us about meeting with rabbis and other Jewish leaders to prepare for the 'Transparent' role, which required him to speak Hebrew, pivoting to political satire, and what he does to unwind from the constant news cycle he now covers. Join our new Facebook group! And sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag , @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. Unorthodox is sponsored by Hello Fresh, the leading meal-delivery kit service. Visit hellofresh.com and use promo code UNORTHODOX for $30 off your first week. Unorthodox is also sponsored by ModernTribe.com, a new kind of Jewish gift shop. Use the code UNORTHODOX to save 10% on your order through 2017.

Our Jewish guest this week is David Litt, author of Thanks, Obama: My Hopey, Changey White House Years, a memoir about his time as a speechwriter in the Obama White House. He tells us about teaching President Obama to say 'chag sameach' for a Passover video, writing jokes for the White House Correspondent's Dinner, and the time his grandpa sent him a water pipeline proposal to show the president. Our gentile of the week is U.S. Naval War College professor Thomas Nichols, whose latest book is The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters. He explains how experts today have been branded as out-of-touch elites and experience itself is being shunned—and how President Trump is the avatar of this cultural shift. We also discuss how his students' view of him changed after he was on Jeopardy, and why Jews feel such an affinity for Greeks. Come see us live on October 25 at the Manhattan JCC! Get your tickets here. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag , @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set—including razor handle, blades, and gel—when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox, we're all about 5778. Our guest this week is Rabbi Shai Held, president and dean of the continuing education institute Mechon Hadar, and the author of The Heart of Torah, a new two-volume book of essays about each weekly Torah portion. He tells us why he dreaded tackling Leviticus but learned the most from it, explains why he's optimistic about the future of Judaism, and gives us some useful advice for the new year. Come see us live on October 25 at the Manhattan JCC! Get your tickets here. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! And email us at [email protected]—we’ll share our favorite notes on-air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s! Get a free trial shave set (including razor handle, blades, and gel) valued at $13 when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

This week, we're all about atonement. For our third annual apology episode, we're joined by University of Nebraska–Lincoln professor Ari Kohen, who explains what makes an apology truly bad (and why he stopped blogging about apologies). Mark Osler, a former federal prosecutor turned clemency advocate, tells us about the personal journey behind his career change. Vanessa Zoltan, host of the podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, returns with a true story about a family apology that didn’t quite take. We also share your letters about Yom Kippur atonement, and offer our own apologies. (You can listen to our previous Yom Kippur episodes here and here!) Want to come to an Unorthodox taping IRL? (Of course you do!) Our next live show will be recorded in New York on October 25—tickets and info right here. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! And email us at [email protected]—we’ll share our favorite notes on-air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s! Get a free trial shave set (including razor handle, blades, and gel) valued at $13 when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

This week on Unorthodox: We recap the Butnick-Cohen nuptials (mazel tov!), Liel has a big reveal, and our guests wrestle with complicated legacies—both personal and political. Our first Jewish guest is Annabelle Gurwitch, the author of Wherever You Go, There They Are, a funny, wise memoir about the families we’re born into—and the families we choose. She talks about growing up with a fabulist father, becoming a drug mule for her elderly mother, her colorful Southern Jewish clan, and the various tribes she’s joined over the years in her quest for belonging. Our gentile of the week, director Dylan Kussman, comes with a bonus Jewish guest—actor/writer Aaron Davidman. They’re the creative duo behind Wrestling Jerusalem, a new film adaptation of Davidman’s one-man play that explores the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the lens of 17 characters from a range of religious, political, and ethnic backgrounds. Kussman explains what attracted him to a story about one of the world’s most controversial conflicts, and Davidman tells us how he recovers from his marathon stage performances. Wrestling Jerusalem is showing at Symphony Space in New York City through September 17. We love hearing from you! Email us at [email protected]—we’ll share our favorite notes on-air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set (including razor handle, blades, and gel) valued at $13 when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

This episode is brought to you by the letter A, for ally. Our Jewish guest is Brooke Kroeger, author of The Suffragents: How Women Used Men to Get the Vote. She tells us about the men whose support helped women get the vote, and what those of us who want to be allies to marginalized communities today should learn from their efforts. Our gentile of the week is German-Danish historian Thorsten Wagner, the academic director of FASPE: Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics, which sends law, medical, journalism, and business school students on specialized trips to Germany and Poland. He tells us why the FASPE programs deliberately focus on perpetrators and enablers, not victims, and weighs in on the current U.S. debate over monuments and memorials. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism.

If you love listening to Unorthodox, please make a donation before our fundraising drive ends next week! This week: Everything you ever wanted to know about Jewish weddings. Author Anita Diamant tells us about The Jewish Wedding Now, her newly updated guide to planning a meaningful Jewish celebration. Roberta Grossman, director of the documentary Hava Nagila (The Movie) explains how the catchy Hebrew folk song became a staple at Jewish weddings. Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie of New York’s Lab/Shul explains his recent decision to leave the rabbinic arm of the Conservative movement over its prohibition on performing interfaith weddings. Bat Sheva Marcus, clinical director of Maze Women’s Health and co-host of the Joy of Text podcast, tells us about the importance of communication for maintaining a healthy sex life, as newlyweds and beyond. And finally, Bridesmaid for Hire Jen Glantz explains why she decided to turn a much-maligned obligation into a profession. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set, valued at $13, when you sign up at harrys.com/unorthodox.

If you love listening to Unorthodox every week, please consider donating to keep us going for another hundred episodes. We put together a bunch of fun gifts, from tote bags to studio visits to an exclusive Sept. 6 cocktail party in New York City with Mark, Liel, and Stephanie. Our Jewish guest is linguist Sarah Bunin Benor, an expert in Jewish languages and the author of Becoming Frum: How Newcomers Learn the Language and Culture of Orthodox Judaism, an in-depth study of American Jewish language. She breaks down the linguistic 'tells' of Orthodox Jews, explains how religious Jews often code switch depending on their audience, and describes her experience as a non-Orthodox Jew immersing herself in Orthodox homes and communities for research. Our gentile of the week is architect and card-carrying WASP Duo Dickinson, who returns to the show to tell us about his forthcoming book, A Home Called New England. He also tells us what it's like being a white Christian male in America today, especially one who loves football, and poses an interesting question: Are week-long summer trips to Vermont essentially Birthright for WASPS? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Jewish Lives, biographies that illuminate the Jewish experience. Visit JewishLives.org to get 25 percent off all books and curated collections with the code JLBOOKS. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "C.R.E.A.M." by Wu-Tang Clan "A Duo" by James Horner, from the film An American Tail "F Minor Klezmer" by The Underscore Orkestra

If you love listening to Unorthodox every week, please consider making a donation to keep us going for another hundred episodes. We put together a bunch of fun gifts for donors, from tote bags to studio visits to a cocktail party with Mark, Liel, and Stephanie. We’re #blessed with three Jewish guests this week: Leah Gottfried, Jessica Schechter, and Danny Hoffman, the team behind the popular web series 'Soon By You,' which depicts the dating drama of young, modern Orthodox Manhattanites. They tell us about their worst dates, how they differ from their on-screen personas, and the relationship roadblocks specific to the observant community, like disagreement about making aliyah. Our gentile of the week is Rod Dreher, senior editor at The American Conservative and the author of The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation. He tells us why we would all be better off living in cloistered communities given the fragmentation and atomization of religious life in America today, and poses an interesting question for us: whether we believe Jewish culture can endure without religion. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set, valued at $13, when you sign up at harrys.com/unorthodox. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "If You Could See Her" by John Kander and Fred Ebb, from the Cabaret Original Soundtrack "Money (Instrumental)" by Pink Floyd "Thoroughly Modern Millie" by Jeanine Tesori and Dick Scanlan, from the film Thoroughly Modern Millie "Wishin' and Hopin'" by Nancy Sinatra

We’re celebrating two years—and 100 episodes!—of Unorthodox with a very unorthodox fundraising drive. We've put together a bunch of fun gifts, from tote bags to studio visits to a cocktail party with Mark, Liel, and Stephanie. If you love listening to Unorthodox every week, please consider making a donation to keep us going for another two years. This week, we turn the show over to Tablet contributor Periel Aschenbrand, who interviews hosts Mark, Stephanie, and Liel about the past two years of Unorthodox. They discuss how the show got started, how it’s changed over the past 100 episodes, and how it’s changed them. It gets real. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Jewish Lives, biographies that illuminate the Jewish experience. Visit JewishLives.org to get 25 percent off all books and curated collections with the code JLBOOKS. This episode is also brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set, valued at $13, when you sign up at harrys.com/unorthodox. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Money Trees" by Kendrick Lamar ft. Jay Rock "Liam Rides a Pony" by The Polyrhythmics

Episode description: This week, we’re coming at you live from JCC Manhattan, with some very special guests and other fun surprises. But first: If you're a fan of Unorthodox—and if you're reading this, you must be!—please consider making a donation to our fundraising drive so we can keep producing the podcast you love for another 99 episodes. We've put together a whole range of fun gifts to sweeten the deal, from tote bags to studio visits to a cocktail party with Mark, Liel, and Stephanie. Our Jew of the week is Harry Enten, senior political writer and analyst for FiveThirtyEight and a regular on the site’s Politics Podcast. He tells us about the Catskills resort his grandparents owned—where Neil Sedaka met Enten’s aunt, whom he later married—plus why he loves Twitter, where he has nearly 95,000 followers, and what dating was like as a poll analyst after the election. Our Gentile of the Week is Haroon Moghul, author of How to Be a Muslim: An American Story and a fellow in Jewish-Muslim Relations at the Shalom Hartman Institute. He tells us the dumbest things he’s been asked while promoting his book, plus how a 2015 trip to Israel with Muslim and Jewish leaders changed the course of his career, and what he wants the rest of us to know about American Muslims. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. Today's podcast is sponsored by Jewish Lives, biographies that illuminate the Jewish experience. Visit JewishLives.org to get 25% off all books and curated collections with the code JLBOOKS. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Ruthless" by the Statler Brothers "Harry Enten is Looking for a Girlfriend" by Jonathan Mann "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Neil Sedaka "Mounsell Forts/Accent on the 'A'" by Roger Plexico, prod. Squish Turner, ft. Haroon Mogul

First things first: Don't forget to get tickets for our live show Tuesday, July 25 at 7:30 p.m. at JCC Manhattan! This week, we find out Mark isn't the only Oppenheimer who sneaks into movies without paying. And we've got two Jewish guests joining us: First, our favorite film critic Jordan Hoffman returns to tell us all about the summer's best movies, including the new film War For the Planet of the Apes, which he explains is actually a story about Jews. Then we talk to Stacy Berman about her journey from running fitness boot camps in Central Park to apprenticing as a shaman and incorporating natural medicine into her training program, The System by Stacy. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. Today's episode is sponsored by Jewish Lives, biographies that illuminate the Jewish experience. Visit JewishLives.org to get 25% off all books and curated collections with the code JLBOOKS.

Hey J-Crew: Before you do literally anything else today, buy a ticket to our next live show in NYC on July 25! This week we talk Birthright, Hobby Lobby, and Jay-Z—oh my. Our Jewish guest is historian Jenna Weissman Joselit, whose latest book is Set in Stone: America's Embrace of the Ten Commandments. She tells us how the Ten Commandments, which have become so politicized, were actually once a unifying force in America, and dishes on the 19th century drama over a Lower East Side synagogue’s stained glass depiction of the decalogue. Plus she tests us to see if we can list all ten commandments from memory. Our gentile of the week is cat therapist Carole Wilbourn, who co-founded the first veterinary hospital exclusively for cats, and who has treated behavioral problems in more than 13,000 felines. She brings motorized cats that coo at us while she explains the Wilbourn Way, which incorporates feline Reiki, and is designed to treat both the animals and their guardians. She also helps Stephanie with her problem cat, Cat Stevens. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, @stuffism. This week’s sponsors are: Harry’s: Go to Harrys.com and enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post shave balm. Hello Fresh: For $30 off your first week of HelloFresh, visit hellofresh.com and enter code UNORTHODOX30.

Break out the bug juice—it’s summer camp week on Unorthodox! We’re talking campfires, Color War, and Mark’s traumatic summer at a nudist camp. Our first guest is Sandy Fox, a doctoral candidate studying language and everyday life in Zionist, Yiddishist, and denominational summer camps. She’s also the founder of Vaybertaytsh, a feminist podcast entirely in Yiddish. She explains how different Jewish ideologies shaped each kind of camp, tells us about a post-war summer camp for children of Holocaust survivors, and breaks the news that while summer camp is distinctly Jewish in many ways, Jews didn’t actually invent it (we totally reshaped color war, though). Micah Hart, co-host of the podcast Campfires and Color Wars, talks to us about what summers were like as the camp director’s son, the difference between a Jewish camp and a camp where most of the campers happen to be Jewish, and what it means to be ‘camp hot.’ We also talk to writer Jordana Horn, who hated camp but whose kids love it—all six of them are attending some form of Jewish camp this summer. She tells us how Jewish camps give her children a space to develop their own Jewish identity and community, how social media has changed the camp experience for campers and their parents, and what really goes down when the kids ship out for the summer. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag @markopp1 @liel @stuffism This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Go to Harrys.com and enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post shave balm. This episode is also brought to you by AT&T. Enjoy unlimited entertainment with unlimited data from AT&T. Learn more at att.com/unlimited. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah" by Allan Sherman "Suburban Kids with Biblical Names" by Shitty Weekend "Gucci Gucci" by Kreayshawn "Rose's Turn" by Stephen Sondheim, performed by Bette Middler "Hatikvah" performed by Francki Perez et Broadway "That Power" by Childish Gambino

Back in May, we interviewed L.A.-based comedian and writer H Alan Scott about converting to Judaism, surviving cancer, and his deep love of The Golden Girls. We recently caught up with H Alan by phone to discuss his first trip to Israel (for Tel Aviv Pride!) and his subsequent Newsweek article about "pinkwashing" and the BDS movement. We discussed LGBT politics, Zionism, and anti-Semitism—and of course, hummus. Though we talked before the Chicago Dyke March controversy, this conversation should still help contextualize the debates currently taking place in the LGBT community vis-à-vis Israel. We hope you enjoy this bonus midweek dose of Unorthodox! We'll be back in your feed on June 29 with our next full episode. As always, we welcome your thoughts and feedback at [email protected].

Description: This week on Unorthodox, don’t even think about cutting Israel out of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Our Jewish guest is journalist and Tablet columnist Jamie Kirchick, who returns to the show to discuss his new book, The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues and the Coming Dark Age. He tells us about the emboldening of extremes on both sides of the political spectrum, the dangers of countries like Hungary rewriting their World War II history, and what it all means for the United States. Our Gentile of the Week is comedian and writer Negin Farsad, author of How to Make White People Laugh and the host of the political comedy roundtable podcast Fake the Nation. She tells us why comedy has gotten harder in the era of Trump, plus the anti-racism ads she wants to put up on the president’s golf courses, and asks whether Jews consider themselves the veterans of oppressed religious groups. Next week is Camp Week 🏕️ on Unorthodox! We want to hear your favorite camp memories, from color war breakouts to covert makeouts. Record a voice note or send us an email at [email protected]. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by AT&T. Enjoy unlimited entertainment with unlimited data from AT&T. Learn more at att.com/unlimited. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Close Every Door" written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, performed by Danny Osmond "European Son" by Velvet Underground "The Spark" by The Roots "Kapara Sheli" by Nechi Nech

This week, we recorded a special crossover episode with Lexicon Valley, the podcast hosted by linguist John McWhorter. John was a guest on our show in December 2016, and when we weren’t interrupting him, we were discussing things like the word ‘like’ and his latest book, Talking Back, Talking Black. We sat down with him again for an in-depth conversation about whether there’s such a thing as Jewish English, the beauty of yeshivish, and, of course, the dinner scene from 'Annie Hall.' Check out Lexicon Valley here. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we may read your note on air. Follow us on Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, and @stuffism. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Go to Harrys.com and enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post shave balm. This episode is also brought to you by AT&T. Enjoy unlimited entertainment with unlimited data from AT&T. Learn more at att.com/unlimited.

Our Jewish guest this week is Fred Kuhr, who hosts The Point, a Toronto-based talk show that brings gay and straight men together “to see what happens.” He explains the stereotypes gay men have about straight men, the difference between American and Canadian homophobia, and adjusting to Montreal bagels as a Brooklyn-born expat. Our Gentile of the Week is Jonathan Frakes, best known for his portrayal of Commander William T. Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation. He tells us about navigating obsessive Star Trek fans at conventions and his thoughts on the state of sci-fi today. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we may read your note on air. Follow us Twitter: @tabletmag, @markopp1, @liel, @stuffism. We're also on Facebook and Instagram. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "People" by Barbara Streisand "Too Much (ft. Sampha)" by Drake "Star Trek: The Next Generation Theme" by Alexander Courage and Jerry Goldsmith "Tell Me Something Good" by Rufus and Chaka Khan

This week on Unorthodox, we’re still full from all that Shavuot cheesecake. Our Jewish guest is actor Stephen Tobolowsky, who plays Jack Barker on HBO’s Silicon Valley, and whose latest book is My Adventures with God. He tells us about getting recognized in shul (he started going to synagogue twice a day to say kaddish after his mother died), what it’s like to tackle something as intimate as faith while working in Hollywood, and the time he had to shoot a movie on Yom Kippur, even though five of the actors in the film were Jewish. Our Gentile of the week is Esquire columnist Stephen Marche, author of The Unmade Bed: The Messy Truth About Men and Women in the 21st Century. He tells us about quitting his job and leaving New York when his wife landed her dream job in Toronto, adjusting to life as the primary caregiver for their children, and why he hates the term ‘bro.’ Sign up for for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we'll share our favorite notes on air. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Go to Harrys.com and enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post shave balm. This episode is also brought to you by AT&T. Enjoy unlimited entertainment with unlimited data from AT&T. Learn more at att.com/unlimited. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Good News" by Randy Newman "I Got You, Babe" by Sonny & Cher "HUA!" by Brazzmatazz "Toxic" by Britney Spears, cover by Yael Naim

This week, we break down Donald Trump’s Holy Land adventure. Our Jewish guest is Yascha Mounk, a lecturer at Harvard whose area of research—how to preserve liberal democracy in the face of populism—has made him extremely popular lately. He tells us how worried we should be about rising populist tides in Europe and the U.S., explains some of the difficulties currently facing multiethnic societies, and tells us how it felt when he became a U.S. citizen in March. Our Gentile of the week is Irish novelist Ruth Gilligan, whose latest book, Nine Folds Make a Paper Swan, was inspired by the largely unknown story of the Jewish community in Ireland. She tells us about the similarities between the Jews and the Irish and explains her research for the novel, which started over tea in the homes of the remaining Jews of Cork and took her to Israel, where she met Irish emigrants. Sign up for for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we'll share our favorite notes on air. This episode is brought to you by AT&T. Enjoy unlimited entertainment with unlimited data from AT&T. Learn more at att.com/unlimited. This episode is also brought to you by PJ Library, a free book program for families raising Jewish children. Sign up at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox, and they’ll send you a free picture book each month until your child turns nine. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash "Walk this Way" by Aerosmith "The Boys of the County Cork" written by Tom Murphy "Sunday Lights" by Blue Dot Sessions

Unorthodox host Mark Oppenheimer recently published an op-ed in The New York Times about our aversion to using the word 'Jew,' as opposed to 'Jewish.' Is 'Jew' still considered a slur? By many, yes. Should we reclaim it? Definitely, says Mark. He discussed his op-ed with On the Media's Brooke Gladstone a couple of weeks ago, and we're pleased to share their conversation with you here in full. (Don't worry, the next full episode of Unorthodox will go live as scheduled on May 25!) As always, we welcome your thoughts and feedback at [email protected].

When Maya Jankelowitz and her husband Dean opened Jack’s Wife Freda in New York City in 2012, they mined their respective Israeli and South African upbringings for family recipes and traditional spices. The result was trendy downtown dining with a home-cooked vibe and a dash of nostalgia (the restaurant is named after Dean's grandparents). The pair now run two restaurants, identically named, and just published the Jack's Wife Freda cookbook, which features recipes like peri peri chicken, malva pudding, and Maya’s mother’s chicken schnitzel. Maya joins us to talk about offering a Sephardic take on Jewish comfort food in a city dominated by bagels and lox, serving green shakshuka to Israeli tourists in Manhattan, and the first meal she eats when she goes back to Israel. We also talk to scholar Barry Holtz, whose latest book is Rabbi Akiva: The Sage of the Talmud. He shares some of his favorite stories about the preeminent teacher, whom he describes the model of Jewish intellectual creativity, and explains why we should approach the Talmud as a “multivolume, postmodern experimental novel.” Sign up for for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we'll share our favorite notes on air. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Go to Harrys.com and enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post shave balm. This episode is also brought to you by PJ Library, a free book program for families raising Jewish children. Sign up at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox, and they’ll send you a free picture book each month until your child turns nine.

This week's guest is comedian and writer H. Alan Scott, who was raised Mormon in St. Louis and converted to Judaism when he was 31. He’s preparing for his bar mitzvah by immersing himself in Jewish life and culture, and it’s all being chronicled in Latter Day Jew, a documentary by Aliza Rosen. H. Alan tells us about coming out to his Mormon family, how cancer jumpstarted his conversion to Judaism, and his deep love of The Golden Girls. Sign up for for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we'll share our favorite notes on air. This episode is brought to you by PJ Library, a free book program for families raising Jewish children. Sign up at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox, and they’ll send you a free picture book each month until your child turns nine. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "I'll Be There For You" by The Rembrandts "Baby ft. Ludacris" by Justin Bieber "Love Me Too" by The Losers "Some People" by Jule Styne and Steven Sondheim, performed by Bette Midler, from the 1993 TV Movie of Gypsy "Let's Get it On" by Marvin Gaye

This week on Unorthodox: chocolate sausage! Our Jewish guest is Tablet’s food columnist Joan Nathan. Her latest cookbook is King Solomon’s Table: a Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking from Around the World, which features recipes like schokoladenwurst, a dessert that made its way from Berlin to El Salvador in the 1920s (and doesn’t actually have any meat in it). She tells us about drawing inspiration from the flavors and spices of the ancient Jewish world and why so many Jewish chefs today are winning top honors in the food world. Our Gentile of the week is Rolling Stone columnist Rob Sheffield, whose new book is Dreaming the Beatles: The Love Story of One Band and the Whole World. He tells us why the Beatles have remained so rabidly popular half a century after the band broke up, what British pop sensation One Direction owes to the Fab Four, and what his favorite new music acts are. Sign up for for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we'll share our favorite notes on air. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Go to Harrys.com and enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post shave balm. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Oops I Did it Again" by Max Martin and Rami, cover by Max Raabe "School Spirit" by Kanye West "Buddy Guy" by Action Bronson "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by The Beatles

This week on Unorthodox, we speak to the author of Donald Trump’s favorite book. Our Jewish guest is Danya Shults, the founder of Arq, a website and community inspired by Jewish culture. She tells us how her own interfaith marriage inspired her to help people “connect with Jewish life and culture in a relevant, inclusive, and convenient way,” and explains where—if anywhere—actual religion fits into the Arq universe. Our Gentile of the Week is Michael Knowles, managing editor of the Daily Wire and the mind behind the Amazon bestseller Reasons to Vote for Democrats: A Comprehensive Guide, which is a completely blank book. He tells us about the book’s unexpected success—he self-published it to get a rise out of his liberal friends—culminating in a Twitter endorsement from the president, and describes the stereotypes that dog a young conservative today. Sign up for for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we'll share our favorite notes on air. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Go to Harrys.com and enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post shave balm. This episode is also brought to you by PJ Library, a free book program for families raising Jewish children. Sign up at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox, and they’ll send you a free picture book each month until your child turns nine. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "I Need a Dollar" by Aloe Blacc "We Did It" by Dora the Explorer "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" by James Brown "The Ballad of Eva Braun" by Noam Osband "Ricky Bobby" by Kenny Floreat "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield

This week on Unorthodox, we’re still trying to find those Holocaust centers Sean Spicer was talking about. Our Jewish guest is filmmaker Ferne Pearlstein, whose latest documentary, The Last Laugh, asks comedians like Mel Brooks and Sarah Silverman whether or not we can joke about the Holocaust. She tells us why she decided to tackle such a taboo topic, how gallows humor can be a survival mechanism, and whether it matters if the joke-teller is Jewish or not. The Last Laugh premieres Monday, April 24 on Independent Lens on PBS. Our Gentile of the Week is Ashley McKinless, associate editor at America magazine, the Jesuit Review of Faith and Culture. She co-hosts the new podcast Jesuitical, which we lovingly call the Catholic version of Unorthodox. She explains who the Jesuits are, tells us about life as a 20-something practicing Catholic in New York City, and confirms that Liel is the only Leibovitz currently subscribed to America magazine. Sign up for for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we'll share our favorite notes on air. This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Go to Harrys.com and enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post shave balm. This episode is also brought to you by PJ Library, a free book program for families raising Jewish children. Sign up at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox, and they’ll send you a free picture book each month until your child turns nine. Music: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Anti Anti" by Bonaparte "Frolic" by Luciano Michelini "Make 'Em Laugh" Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed, from the 2012 London Cast Recording of Singin' in the Rain "Hitler the Vegetarian" by Noam Osband "Camino Rojo ft. Lulacruza" by The Polish Ambassador "We Were the People Our Parents Warned Us About" by Jimmy Buffett

This week on Unorthodox, we’re filling up on chametz before Passover starts. We talk to bagel makers from Montreal to Australia (and Cleveland!), get the scoop on the bagel scene in Israel, and find out how bagels became the unofficial food of the Jews. Our guests span the globe, but have one thing in common: they love bagels. We talk to Ben Pigette, a lieutenant in the Royal Australian Navy who taught himself how to make bagels to impress his Jewish girlfriend. Geoff Hardman, co-founder of the Cleveland Bagel Company, tells us how he and his neighbor Dan Herbst decided to start making bagels despite having zero baking experience—and how their chewy-on-the-inside, crisp-on-the-outside creations are putting Cleveland on the bagel tourism map. Tel Aviv-based Tablet contributor Dana Kessler fills us in on the beigale scene in Israel: American bagels, Romanian bagels, Jerusalem bagels, and more. Vince Morena calls in from the famed St. Viateur Bagel in Montreal to describe (and defend) Montreal-style bagels. He also tells us how his Italian father was hired as a teenager by Myer Lewkowicz, the Holocaust survivor who founded the shop in 1957, and ended up learning Yiddish and taking over the business when Lewkowicz died. Shannon Sarna, editor of The Nosher and author of the forthcoming cookbook Modern Jewish Baker: Challah, Babka, Bagels & More, tells us how bagels came to be such strong cultural markers of Judaism, and the newfangled bagel trend she can’t get on board with. And a special low-carb treat: Rabbi Moshe Rosenberg, who just published The (Unofficial) Hogwarts Haggadah, explains why Harry Potter is such a good language for teaching his students about Judaism. Sign up for for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we'll share our favorite notes on air. Sponsors: HelloFresh: For $35 off your first week of deliveries, enter code UNORTHODOX35 when you subscribe. Harry’s: Enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post-shave balm. Music Credits: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Tradition" written Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, from the original Broadway cast recording of Fiddler on the Roof "Hot Salsa Trip" by Arsonist "Dear Future Husband" by Meghan Trainor "Toledo Surprise" by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, from the original Broadway cast recording of The Drowsy Chaperone "It's Magic" by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn, performed by Keely Smith "Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread" by Bob Dylan and The Band "Finagle the Bagel" by Troy Ave "Dayenu" by The Maccabeats

This week on Unorthodox: a Jewish writer and an Episcopal priest walk into a podcast. Our Jewish guest is writer and essayist Daphne Merkin, whose latest book is This Close to Happy: A Reckoning With Depression. She tells us what it was like to write such a personal book—Tablet literary critic Adam Kirsch called it “a hybrid of memoir, case study, and confession”—and discusses the stigma that continues to surround depression in the Jewish community and beyond. Our Gentile of the Week is Father Ed Bacon, a retired Episcopal priest legendary for his work with All Saints Church in Pasadena, California, which he turned into an activist, multi-ethnic congregation in a mostly white and wealthy town. He is also an Oprah regular and author of the book 8 Habits of Love. Sign up for for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we'll share our favorite notes on air. Music Credits: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Don't Hang Up" by The Orlons "where the sunshine goes" by Yshwa "No Rain" by Blind Melon "A Perceptible Shift" by Andy G. Cohen "Once Upon a Time... Storybook Love" by Mark Knopfler, from the film A Princess Bride

This week on Unorthodox, Mel Gibson gives tzedakah. Our Jewish guest is Ukrainian-born writer Sana Krasikov, whose latest novel, The Patriots, explores the effects of the Cold War on three generations of a Jewish-American family, from the 1930s to the present. Our Gentile of the Week is Republican strategist Patrick Ruffini, who tells us what the future of data and technology looks like for political campaigns, and the value of data under a president who is openly dismissive of unfavorable polls. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we'll share our favorite notes on air. This episode is sponsored by Harry’s. Enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post-shave balm. Music Credits: “Mikveh Bath” by Golem “Dancing Tiger” by Damscray “A Spoonful Of Sugar” by Richard and Roger Sherman, from the film Mary Poppins "Outro Dia" by Diogo Cadaval “The One on the Right is on the Left” by Johnny Cash “Birds of Prey” by Dark Sunn “Stranger in Moscow” by Michael Jackson

This week on Unorthodox, Mark ditches us for the Holy Land. It was snowing in New York, but we trudged to the studio and were graciously joined by Israeli filmmaker Shimon Dotan, whose latest film is The Settlers, a documentary about the controversial settler movement in Israel (you can read Tablet film critic J. Hoberman's review here). He tells us why he decided to take on such a contentious topic, how he created a nuanced cinematic portrait of a group of people with whom he fundamentally disagrees, and how it felt to encounter protests from BDS activists who hadn’t seen the film. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we'll share our favorite notes on air. Music Credits: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "That's What I Call Love" by Crowded House "Kolomeika" by Tres Tristes Tangos "The Pinch Paid Off, Pt. 1" by Albert King "Full Stop" by Ketsa

This week on Unorthodox, Jewish baseball is having a moment. Our Jewish guest is Adam Irving, whose documentary Off the Rails tells the story of Darius McCollum, an obsessive transit buff with Aspberger’s syndrome who has been arrested 32 times for impersonating New York City subway conductors and bus drivers. Adam tells us how his life has changed since releasing the film (his first) to critical acclaim, getting his start in reality TV, and how he feels about Darrius’s story getting the Hollywood treatment in a forthcoming film starring Julia Roberts as his lawyer. Our Gentile of the Week is writer and reviewer Macy Halford, whose first book, My Utmost: A Devotional Memoir, tells the story of Macy’s life through the lens of the bestselling Evangelical daily devotional My Utmost for His Highest. She read the book nightly, from her childhood in an Evangelical Christian family in Dallas to her years attending Barnard and then working for the New Yorker, and finally goes in search of its mysterious author, Oswald Chambers. She tells us about being called “an Esther”—hiding among non-believers at the New Yorker—by her mother, and what it was like to visit her family’s conservative Dallas community in the wake of the 2016 election. Sponsors: HelloFresh: For $35 off your first week of deliveries, enter code UNORTHODOX35 when you subscribe.Harry’s: Enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post-shave balm. Music Credits: "Mikveh Bath" by Golem "Balkan Español" by Golem "Sinnerman," written by Les Baxter and Will Holt, performed by Nina Simone "What's New, Pussycat?" written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, performed by Franck Pourcel et Son Grand Orchestre "Belief" by John Mayer

This week on Unorthodox, we check in with Jake Turx, the now-famous Orthodox White House reporter who asked Trump about anti-Semitism. Our guests this week are Leah Green and Freddy McConnell, co-hosts of The Guardian’s “Token” podcast. Leah is mixed-race—her mother is Jewish and her father Nigerian—and Freddy is transgender and gay, and on their show they discuss topics like sex, gender, and race with frankness and humor (and British accents). We talk about whether Jews are white, find out the worst thing you can say to someone when you find out they’re transgender, and debate anti-Semitism on the British left. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we'll share our favorite notes on air. Music Credits: "Unorthodox Theme Song" by Golem "Yakety Sax" by Spider Rich and Boots Randolph "D'Bronx Tanz" by Tres Tristes Tango "Hello City" by Barenaked Ladies "Thorn in Your Side" by Namoli Brennet

This week on Unorthodox, we’ve got two Jewish guests. First up is Scott Feinberg, the awards columnist for The Hollywood Reporter and host of the Awards Chatter podcast, and one of the “most informed Oscarologists,” according to the New York Times. He tells us how he makes his Oscar predictions and where he'll be Sunday night as the winners are announced. Our next guest knows the way to our hearts: homemade hamantaschen filled with sprinkles. Molly Yeh is the author of Molly on the Range, one of the New York Times’ top fall cookbook releases of 2016, and the creator of my name is yeh, named Saveur’s 2015 Blog of the Year. She tells us about fielding questions from strangers about her ethnicity (her father is Chinese and her mother is Jewish), leaving Brooklyn for a sugar beet farm on the North Dakota-Minnesota border, and how far she has to go for a good bagel with lox these days. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we'll share our favorite notes on air. This episode is sponsored by Harry’s. Enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post-shave balm. Music Credits "Unorthodox Theme Song" by Golem "Come Get Me" by Nas "Klezmer Happy Birthday" by Gypsy Jive Band "Hooray for Hollywood" by Richard A. Whiting and Johnny Mercer "Hi, Stephanie" by 임형복, ft. David Duchovny & iOS7, prod. by Squish Turner "Home on the Range" written by Daniel E. Kelley and Brewster M. Higley, performed by Roy Rogers

This episode was recorded live at Temple Israel in West Palm Beach, Florida. Our Jewish guest is Igor Shteyrenberg, director of the Miami Jewish Film Festival, which in five years he grew from an annual event with 4,000 attendees to the third largest Jewish film festival in the U.S. He tells us his favorite new Jewish films, the most controversial film the festival has screened (hint: there were zombies), and the Jewish movie he’d make if he were given carte blanche to choose from all the actors and directors in the world. Our Gentile of the Week is Rocco Mangel, the restaurateur behind Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila Bar, which has six locations in Florida and one in Brooklyn. He tells us about getting his start in the business working in his family’s New York restaurants as a teenager, studying tequila in Mexico before opening his first location, and which South Florida location is the rowdiest (sorry, Boca). Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we'll share our favorite notes on air. Music Credits: "Unorthodox Theme Song" by Golem "We'll Meet Again" by Johnny Cash "Odessa" by Golem "Prince Igor, Act II: Polovtsian Dance" by Alexander Borodin, performed by Bolshoi Theater Choir "Amor Verdadero" by The Afro-Cuban All Stars "Volver, Volver" by Vincente Fernandez

This week on Unorthodox, we’re getting into the Valentine’s Day spirit. Or as we call it around here, Secular Tu B’Av. Our Jewish guest is Israeli-American novelist and essayist Ayelet Waldman, whose latest book, A Really Good Day chronicles her experience taking microdoses of LSD to treat her mood disorder. She explains what microdosing is and how it helped her and her marriage, and tells us what it’s like to be married to another writer. Our second guest is a self-described “pizza bagel”—half Jewish, half Italian. Andrea Silenzi is the host and producer of “Why Oh Why,” a podcast about dating and relationships. She tells us how people use emojis to signal their Jewishness on dating apps like Tinder, whether it’s hard to date while hosting a podcast about dating, and the challenges educated women in New York City face when seeking a partner. Our Gentile of the Week would call us gentiles, too. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is a history professor at Harvard and a practicing Mormon. Her latest book is A House Full of Females: Plural Marriage and Women’s Rights in Early Mormonism. She tells us the unexpected ways in which plural marriage empowered the women involved in it, and why the practice was ultimately abolished. We're also joined by Noam Osband, who performs some original love-themed songs on the ukulele. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and more! Email us at [email protected]—we'll share our favorite notes on air. Sponsors: HelloFresh: For $35 off your first week of deliveries, enter code UNORTHODOX35 when you subscribe. Harry’s: Enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post-shave balm. Music Credits: “Mack the Knife” by Louis Armstrong “Chervona Ruta” by Golem “Lysergic Bliss” by Of Montreal “Why, Oh Why” by Woodie Guthrie “Tomorrow is a Latter Day” from The Book of Mormon “The Luna Moth Song” by Noam Osband

This week’s episode was recorded live at JCC Manhattan. Our first Jewish guest is Canadian transplant and longtime "This American Life" contributor Jonathan Goldstein, who now hosts the podcast Heavyweight. He tells us about mining his personal life for stories to tell on his show and gives us a definitive (if very Canadian) answer on Montreal bagels vs. New York bagels. Our Gentile of the Week is Catholic New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, who tells us about being a conservative voice writing for a largely liberal audience, why so many voters on the Christian right supported Trump despite mounting evidence of his moral failings, and why conservatives love fantasy novels like Lord of the Rings. Our second Jewish guest is Jen Spyra, comedian and writer on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She tells us about her Late Show audition, the challenges of writing jokes during a Trump administration, and when she first realized she was funny. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us with comments, questions and kvetches at [email protected]—we'll share our favorite notes on air. This episode is dedicated to the memory of J.J. the dog. Special thanks to our live band, the Jewbadourians: Jim Knable, Sunny Knable, and Claudia Mogel. Music Credits: “Unorthodox Theme Song” by Golem “Swing Gitane” by The Underscore Orkestra “Jonathan Goldstein” by The Jewbadourians “If Your Dad Doesn’t Have A Beard, You’ve Got Two Mums” by The Beards “Ross Douthat” by The Jewbadourians “Bad Religion” by Frank Ocean “Jen Spyra” by The Jewbadourians “LA Jews” by The Jewbadourians

This week, in addition to our regular Thursday episode, we’re doing something a bit different. President Trump’s Executive Order on immigration struck us as so troubling, so decidedly antithetical to the Jewish values we hold dear—and such a disappointment given our own paths to this country—that we were moved to respond. On this mini-episode, Liel Leibovitz, Stephanie Butnick, and producer Elissa Goldstein offer brief reflections. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us at [email protected]—we'll share our favorite notes on air. Song credits: “Unorthodox Theme Song” by Golem “Ten Years Before” by Lobo Loco “Waiting for my Man” by The Velvet Underground “What Would You Do?” from the Original Cast Recording of Cabaret “Cylinder Six” by Chris Zabriskie

Our Jewish guest this week is actor David Duchovny, whose latest novel, Bucky F*cking Dent, follows a Red Sox-loving father and son during the 1978 World Series. He tells us how fox Mulder, the fictional FBI agent he played on The X-Files, would feel about James Comey right about now, his favorite X-Files meme, and his long-lost Yale Ph.D. thesis on magic and technology in 20th century fiction. Our Gentile of the Week is John Cleese, whose memoir, So, Anyway, is out in paperback. The legendary British comedian and actor tells Liel about the first time he heard a good Jewish joke, why The Hangover is a terrible movie, and how the Black Knights from Monty Python and the Holy Grail might just be a metaphor for Jewish history. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us with comments, questions and kvetches at [email protected]—we'll share our favorite notes on air. Sponsored by Harry’s: Enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post shave balm. Music Credits: “Unorthodox Theme Song” by Golem “Egg Man” by The Beastie Boys "Main Title Theme from Californication" by Tree Adams & Tyler Bates “David Duchovny” by Bree Sharp “Mailtime” from Blues Clues “Planta Baja” by Tres Tristes Tangos “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” by Eric Idle, performed by the Traditional Jazz Band of Brasil

In anticipation of our Wednesday (1/25) live show at the Manhattan JCC (tickets available here), we thought we'd share the season finale of Jonathan Goldstein's Heavyweight podcast. Jonathan is a radio storytelling legend and he'll be one of our guests on Wednesday night, so if you're coming to the show, listen up, and if not, listen anyway. If you like us, we bet you'll like him too. In this episode (#8 Jeremy), Jonathan revisits his tricky relationship with Judaism by reconnecting with an acquaintance he hasn't heard from in decades. Heavyweight is a production of Gimlet Media.

This week on Unorthodox, Bernie Madoff's prison hot chocolate scheme. We've got two Jewish guests this week: our first is return visitor Rosie Gray, who covered the election for BuzzFeed and is now a staff writer at the Atlantic. Our second guest is Charlie Brotman, who has announced every inauguration parade from Eisenhower to Obama but was snubbed by the Trump inauguration committee. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us with comments, questions and kvetches at [email protected] (we may share your note on air!). Music credits: “Unorthodox Theme Song” by Golem “NPR’s Morning Edition Theme” by BJ Liederman “Le Hustle” by Polyrhytmics “Rosie” by Jackson Browne “Alley Cat” by Bent Fabric “Hail to the Chief” by American Patriotic Music Ensemble

This week on Unorthodox: We’ll always have Casablanca (except Mark). Our Jewish guest is writer and comedian Lynn Harris, founder of Comedy GOLD, which teaches girls and women how to empower themselves through comedy. Our Gentile of the Week is author and Bloggingheads founder Robert Wright, who was raised Southern Baptist but now practices Buddhism. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us with comments, questions and kvetches [email protected] (we may share your note on air!). Sponsors: HelloFresh: For $35 off your first week of deliveries, enter UNORTHODOX35 when you subscribe. Harry’s: Try a shave set for free—just cover shipping when you sign up. Enter code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get a free post shave balm. Music Credits: "Unorthodox Theme Song" by Golem “As Time Goes By” by Herman Hupfeld, from the soundtrack to Casablanca “Goodbye Columbus” by The Association “Crate Diggin’” by Ari De Niro “Send in the Clowns” by Stephen Sondheim, as performed by Herschel Krustofsky “Rythme Gitan” by Latche Swing “Hotel California” by The Eagles

This week on Unorthodox, Jared and Ivanka go shul shopping in Washington, D.C. Our Jewish guest is renowned biblical scholar Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, whose latest book examines the life of Moses, one of the most enigmatic biblical figures (you can read an excerpt here). She tells us about exploring the often overlooked aspects of Moses’s life—his speech impediment, for example–and why she believes Moses is one of the most compelling literary characters of all time. (This segment is sponsored by Yale Jewish Lives.) Our Gentile of the Week is linguist John McWhorter, author of the forthcoming book, Talking Back, Talking Black. He tells us the latest linguistic trends he's noticed among his college students, why there’s no such thing as a safe space (or at least an unironic one), and why it’s OK to say ‘like’ a lot, as long as you’re not in a meeting. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us with comments, questions and kvetches at [email protected]. We may share your note on air. Thank you to all our listeners for your support and encouragement throughout 2016. We can’t wait to see what 2017 brings! Music credits; "Unorthodox Theme Song" by Golem “Freedom Drops” by Ari De Niro “A Partir Desse Dia” by Dark Sunn “Go Down, Moses” performed by Louis Armstrong “Words” by Boyzone “Ballad of the Jewbadour” by Jim Knable

This week we’re celebrating Christmas the only way we know how: Chinese food and a movie. Plus a bunch of amazing guests! We’re joined by New York Times reporter Marc Tracy, who tells us about the tradition of Jews eating Chinese food on Christmas, and the Jewish songwriters behind some of the most well-known Christmas songs. Jessica Grose, the editor of the email newsletter Lenny, tells us why it’s OK for Jews to have a Christmas tree. Film critic Jordan Hoffman shares his favorite Christmas movies—and one classic he’s not so into. Librarian Rachel Kamin talks about a No Good Very Bad children's Hanukkah book (and recommends a few good ones), writer and activist Robin Rice tells us about her latest project, Your Holiday Mom, and Natasha Zaretsky explains why Soviet Jews have New Years trees. Wishing you and your loved ones, pets, and frenemies a wonderful, meaningful, and delicious Hanukkah, and a merry Jewish Christmas! We love hearing from you. Email us at [email protected] with comments or questions, or just to say hi. We may share your note on air. Music Credits: "Unorthodox Theme Song" by Golem "Last Christmas" by Wham “Joy to The World” by The Klezmonauts“Deck the Halls” by The Klezmonauts "God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen" by The Klezmonauts "A Jew on Christmas" by Kyle“Santa Baby” by Eartha Kitt“ Have Yourself a Politically-Correct Christmas” by Sam Tucker “Christmastime is Here” by the Vince Guaraldi Trio “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer” performed by Jewlia Eisenberg

This week on Unorthodox, Israeli Burger King debuts the SufganiKing—a hamburger inside a jelly donut. Our Jewish guest is Jason Diamond, author of the new memoir, Searching for John Hughes: Or Everything I thought I Needed to Know About Life I Learned from Watching ‘80s Movies. He gives us his list of the must-see John Hughes movies. Our Gentile of the Week is actually a Jew and a gentile—Vanessa Zoltan and Casper ter Kuile—the hosts of Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, a podcast that Talmudically analyzes the wildly popular J.K. Rowling’s series. They tell us how (spoiler) Harry Potter is actually about the Holocaust. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us with comments, questions and kvetches at [email protected]. We may share your note on air. Today’s episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Go to Harrys.com to get a limited edition holiday shave set while supplies last—use the promo code UNORTHODOX at checkout for $5 off your order. Music credits: "Unorthodox Theme Song" by Golem "Outer Orbit" by Revolution Void "Hedwig's Theme" by John Williams "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds "Physionics" by Stephan Siebert

This week on Unorthodox, Ivanka Trump steals a kugel. Our Jewish guest is Naftali Hanau, founder of Grow and Behold Foods, the Brooklyn-based purveyor of kosher meat from animals raised on family farms with no hormones or antibiotics. He tells us about being trained as a kosher butcher, or shochet, and why he’s made it his mission to provide ethically-produced kosher meat. Our Gentile of the Week is Glynn Washington, host of NPR’s Snap Judgment. He talks about what it takes to tell stories on the radio and how he knows when he's got a great one. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us with comments, questions and kvetches at [email protected]. We may share your note on air. Today’s episode is also brought to you by Harry’s. Go to Harrys.com to get a limited edition holiday shave set while supplies last—use the promo code UNORTHODOX at checkout for $5 off your order. Music credits for this episode (in order): "Unorthodox Theme Song" by Golem "Teddy Bears' Picnic" by John Walter Bratton and performed by Henry Hall & his Orchestra "Theme from Schindler's List" by John Williams "Fairweather Fiends" by Polyrhythmics "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House "Spinning" by Nangdo "Come to Me" by Hyson "California" by Phantom Planet

Our guest this week is Rabbi Brent Chaim Spodek of the Beacon Hebrew Alliance, whose mission is bringing Judaism out of the pews and into the daily lives of his congregants. He tells us about his popular Soul Strolls through the idyllic Hudson Valley woods on Saturdays, why it’s OK to watch movies on Shabbat, and why he wants to end the bar mitzvah practice as we know it. Plus, the Jewbadour Jim Knable contributes a ballad about Liel's travel woes. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us with comments, questions and kvetches at [email protected]. We may share your note on air. This week’s episode is brought to you by Audible. Get a free audiobook with a 30-day trial at audible.com/unorthodox. Today’s episode is also brought to you by Harry’s. Go to Harrys.com to get a limited edition holiday shave set while supplies last—use the promo code UNORTHODOX at checkout for $5 off your order.

This week’s episode was recorded live at Beth Tzedec Congregation in Drake's hometown of Toronto. Our Jewish guest is writer and filmmaker David Bezmozgis, who moved with his family from Latvia to Toronto when he was six years old. He tells us just how dangerous he thinks a Trump presidency will be, and why Americans shouldn’t flee to Canada but instead stay and fight. Our Gentile of the week is Julie Nesrallah, mezzo-soprano and host of Tempo, CBC Radio 2’s classical music program. She tells us about founding Carmen on Tap, a company that performs Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen as dinner theatre, and treats us to a song from the 1875 opera.Like listening to Unorthodox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us at [email protected] with comments, questions, and kvetches. We may share your letter on air. Today’s episode is brought to you by Harry’s. For a great shave at an affordable price, go to Harrys.com and use promo code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get their free trial set and post-shave balm.