PopTorah

By PopTorah

Society & Culture TV & Film Religion & Spirituality Judaism

What's PopTorah about?

Welcome to PopTorah with Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky. Rabbis Michael Knopf and Jesse Olitzky are lifelong friends, pop culture fanboys, and lovers of all things Jewish. Join them every other week for a conversation about what’s going on in pop culture from a Jewish perspective and about Judaism through the lens of pop culture.

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PopTorah episodes:

05.16.2024
Are the Rabbis STILL Cray-Cray for Tay-Tay?
The third installment in PopTorah’s ongoing conversation about Taylor Swift, our resident rabbinic Swifties discuss her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” Spoiler alert: the reviews were decidedly mixed, and prompted some spirited conversation. We suspect many of you have...
04.25.2024
Does Bustin’ Make You Feel Good?
The new film, ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,’ a sequel to the ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ is a thing that exists. But should it? Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky have feelings. Is there something strange in the neighborhood? Are we ‘ready to believe’? Or is...
04.11.2024
‘Manhunt’ and the Pursuit of Justice
The new AppleTV+ series ‘Manhunt’, adapted from James L. Swanson’s eponymous book, follows the 12 day search for Abraham Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth. As the hunt for Booth unfolds, it exposes a deeper conspiracy — one aimed at restoring...
03.28.2024
The Poppys: PopTorah 2024 Oscars Special!
The 96th Academy Awards are behind us, and Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky are here to talk about the Torah of this year’s nominees. In this special episode, we discuss Oppenheimer, Barbie, Poor Things, The Zone of Interest, and more! Who won,...
03.14.2024
Making the Old ’Daily Show’ New, and Making the New Holy
Jon Stewart’s back, baby! The influential Jewish comic who made ‘The Daily Show’ a cultural juggernaut before leaving in 2015 has returned, for a limited time, to his old seat. Does he have what it takes to make the show,...
02.29.2024
A Pretty, Pretty…Pretty Good Episode
HBO’s long-running comedy series, Curb Your Enthusiasm, starring legendary comedian and ‘Seinfeld’ co-creator Larry David as a slightly fictionalized version of himself, is coming to an end with its 12th and final season. Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky take a look...
02.15.2024
What’s ‘Good’ about ‘Grief’?
The new Netflix film ‘Good Grief,’ written, directed, and produced by star Daniel Levy, explores how we pick up the pieces in the wake of tragic loss, especially when we discover things about our loved ones after their death that...
02.01.2024
Don’t Passover ’The Holdovers’
Alexander Payne’s newest film, ‘The Holdovers,’ stars Paul Giamatti as a prickly, demanding teacher at an elite northeastern boarding school who gets stuck supervising the one student left on campus during winter break. Set as the 60’s become the 70s,...
01.18.2024
A Golden Ticket to ‘Wonka’
The new musical ‘Wonka,’ a prequel of sorts to the beloved Roald Dahl novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and the classic Gene Wilder film based on it, is a celebration of imagination, lovingkindness, and, of course, chocolate. Grab your...
01.04.2024
‘The Marvels’ and the Future of Marvel
It’s been an interesting and somewhat challenging year for superhero movies, with the once seemingly invincible Marvel Studios showing signs of wear and tear. For example, the studio’s latest tentpole team-up film (and one of its best in years), ’The...
12.14.2023
It’s Not Whether ’Next Goal Wins’, but How You Play the Game
The new sports comedy ‘Next Goal Wins,’ directed by Taika Waititi, is based on the true story of American Samoa’s soccer team as it attempts to overcome its embarrassing status as the worst team in the sport’s history. The film...
11.30.2023
Lifting Up ’The Fall of the House of Usher’
The new miniseries on Netflix, ‘The Fall of the House of Usher,’ is many things all at once: a love letter to Edgar Allen Poe, a gothic horror masterpiece, and a biting social commentary reminiscent of HBO’s ’Succession.’ Loosely based...
11.16.2023
The Rabbis are (Still) Cray-Cray for Tay-Tay
Taylor Swift’s long-awaited “Eras” tour was not only the pop cultural event of 2023, it was one of the most successful concert tours in music history. Each night Taylor took fans on an epic three hour tour of her career....
11.02.2023
Special Episode — Israel at War
You know that Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky are lifelong friends, but did you know that they met as teenagers on a youth group summer trip to Israel? And did you know that they lived down the street from one another...
10.19.2023
Tradition and Change is ‘Elemental’
Disney and Pixar’s latest animated feature, Elemental, became a sleeper hit at the box office this summer. Using the interaction of various elements as an extended metaphor for the immigrant experience and striking the balance between honoring one’s past while charting...
09.28.2023
Judaism and The Hollywood Strikes
Back in May, film and television writers went on strike. Actors joined them on the picket lines in July, leading to the longest strike in Hollywood history (the WGA recently ended it’s strike when it struck a new deal with...
09.14.2023
Inviting God and Tradition to ‘My Bat Mitzvah’
Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky seem like they would be the target audience for Adam Sandler’s new Netflix movie, You’re So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah. But while the film covers some explicitly Jewish subject matter, the rabbis had mixed feelings...
08.24.2023
The Summer of Barbenheimer
It’s official — ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ are this summer’s unlikely “it” couple! This summer, we’re all obsessed with the World’s Most Famous doll taking on the patriarchy and wrestling with mortality, and the Father of the Atomic Bomb struggling with...
08.03.2023
Grin and ‘Bear’ It
The Bear, whose first two seasons are currently streaming on Hulu, follows Carmy Berzatto, a rising superstar in the culinary world, as he seeks to revitalize his brother Mikey’s Chicago dive following Mikey’s suicide. The show masterfully explores very Jewish themes,...
07.20.2023
‘Indiana Jones’ and Longing to Live in the Past
Indiana Jones is back! The dashing, swashbuckling, fedora-wearing, bullwhip-cracking, Nazi-punching archaeologist is literally racing against time in his fifth and, by all accounts, last, crusade. But did Disney choose wisely with this one, or does this iconic franchise belong in...
07.06.2023
Should We Cancel ’The Flash’? Or did ’The Flash’ Cancel Itself?
‘The Flash’ was supposed to be an exciting reset for the beleaguered DCEU, even heralded by some Hollywood luminaries as one of the greatest superhero films of all time. Instead, it was at least as much of a mess as...
06.22.2023
The Rabbis Enter ‘the Spider-Verse’
‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse’ is the sequel to the hit 2018 animated adventure ‘Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse,’ and the second part of a planned trilogy following Miles Morales as the titular wall-crawler, along with hundreds of other spider-people. Our friendly...
06.08.2023
’Succession’ and the Meaning of Success
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...
05.25.2023
Guarding the Galaxy and Perfecting the World
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,...
05.11.2023
Is ’The Mandalorian’ The Way?
‘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...
04.27.2023
How ‘Super’ is the ‘Mario Bros.’ Movie?
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?...
04.10.2023
Trying ’Shrinking’ On For Size
‘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...
03.23.2023
The Best Episode in ‘The History of the World: Part II’
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...
03.09.2023
The Poppys: PopTorah 2023 Oscars Special!
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...
02.23.2023
’The Last of Us’ and the Torah of the Zombie Apocalypse
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...
02.09.2023
‘You People’ and Black-Jewish Relations
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...
01.26.2023
Oui, oui, ‘Emily in Paris’!
The first three seasons of Darren Starr’s guilty pleasure series ‘Emily in Paris’ are now streaming on Netflix. Most viewers agree that the show is the pop culture equivalent of junk food: delightful, but mostly empty calories. But what would...
01.12.2023
Peeling Back the Layers of ‘Glass Onion’
The new film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is Rian Johnson’s follow-up to his critical and commercial 2019 hit Knives Out. Once again starring Daniel Craig as “world’s greatest detective” Benoit Blanc and an all-star cast (including some incredible cameos), Glass...
12.29.2022
Sex, Lies, and Power in ‘The White Lotus: Sicily’
The follow-up to the smash HBO limited series ‘The White Lotus’ explores issues of sex and relationships, trust and power, class and privilege, beauty and treachery in a new luxurious setting. Also, can you believe that died?! And also...
12.15.2022
‘Fleishman’ and the ‘Trouble’ of Love, Loss, and Longing
The new Hulu series ‘Fleishman is in Trouble’, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Claire Danes, is a show about how love can become hate, marriage can devolve into divorce, midlife can spiral into a crisis, comfort can turn into boring routine,...
11.23.2022
Wakanda Forever!
‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ is the eagerly-awaited sequel to one of the most critically and commercially successful films of all time. The original ‘Black Panther’ was not only a mega-hit, but a watershed in pop culture, particularly for many in...
11.10.2022
One Ring to Rule Them All
The new Prime Video series ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,’ is based on one of the most popular book and film series ever, and is the most expensive TV show ever produced. Does it rule them...
10.20.2022
On the Couch with ‘The Patient’
The new FX/Hulu series The Patient is a psychological thriller about a therapist, played by Steve Carell, who is kidnapped by and forced to treat his patient, a serial killer, played by Domnhall Gleeson. The show touches on many powerful Jewish themes...
10.06.2022
’She-Hulk’, Combatting the Patriarchy, and Pursuing Justice
The new Marvel TV series ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’ is currently streaming on Disney+, “hulking out” on subjects ranging from toxic masculinity to celebrity culture to embracing one’s power and taking responsibility for others. As always, Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky...
09.22.2022
Recapping the 2022 Emmy Awards
So much great TV, so little time! Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky recap everything Jewish about the 2022 Emmy awards. Who won, who was robbed, who wore what best, and who got that coveted PopTorah bump? Plus we discuss what the night’s biggest...
09.08.2022
Pop-pourri: Recapping Summer 2022
Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky are back from summer vacation and eager to catch up on everything Jewish about our favorite pop culture offerings of the summer. Join us as we discuss the blockbuster film Thor: Love and Thunder, the provocative Netflix...
07.14.2022
Heroes, Monsters, and ’Stranger Things’
Rabbis Michael Knopf and Jesse Olitzky are lifelong friends, pop culture fanboys, and lovers of all things Jewish. Join them every other week for a conversation about what’s going on in pop culture from a Jewish perspective and about Judaism...
06.30.2022
‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’, Considering the Past and Confronting Failure
Rabbis Michael Knopf and Jesse Olitzky are lifelong friends, pop culture fanboys, and lovers of all things Jewish. Join them every other week for a conversation about what’s going on in pop culture from a Jewish perspective and about Judaism...
06.16.2022
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s PopTorah
Rabbis Michael Knopf and Jesse Olitzky are lifelong friends, pop culture fanboys, and lovers of all things Jewish. Join them every other week for a conversation about what’s going on in pop culture from a Jewish perspective and about Judaism...
06.02.2022
‘Severance,’ Working to Live, and Living to Work
Rabbis Michael Knopf and Jesse Olitzky are lifelong friends, pop culture fanboys, and lovers of all things Jewish. Join them every other week for a conversation about what’s going on in pop culture from a Jewish perspective and about Judaism...
05.19.2022
Does ‘Under the Banner of Heaven’ Understand Its Subject?
Rabbis Michael Knopf and Jesse Olitzky are lifelong friends, pop culture fanboys, and lovers of all things Jewish. Join them every other week for a conversation about what’s going on in pop culture from a Jewish perspective and about Judaism...
05.05.2022
The Price of ‘Winning Time’
Rabbis Michael Knopf and Jesse Olitzky are lifelong friends, pop culture fanboys, and lovers of all things Jewish. Join them every other week for a conversation about what’s going on in pop culture from a Jewish perspective and about Judaism...
04.21.2022
‘Turning Red’ and Coming of Age
Rabbis Michael Knopf and Jesse Olitzky are lifelong friends, pop culture fanboys, and lovers of all things Jewish. Join them every other week for a conversation about what’s going on in pop culture from a Jewish perspective and about Judaism...
04.07.2022
‘The Batman’: Justice, Vengeance, and the Darkness Within
Rabbis Michael Knopf and Jesse Olitzky are lifelong friends, pop culture fanboys, and lovers of all things Jewish. Join them every other week for a conversation about what’s going on in pop culture from a Jewish perspective and about Judaism...
03.25.2022
PopTorah 2022 Oscars Special!
Rabbis Michael Knopf and Jesse Olitzky are lifelong friends, pop culture fanboys, and lovers of all things Jewish. Join them every other week for a conversation about what’s going on in pop culture from a Jewish perspective and about Judaism...

What's PopTorah about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

PopTorah episodes:

Are the Rabbis STILL Cray-Cray for Tay-Tay?

Does Bustin’ Make You Feel Good?

‘Manhunt’ and the Pursuit of Justice

The Poppys: PopTorah 2024 Oscars Special!

Making the Old ’Daily Show’ New, and Making the New Holy

A Pretty, Pretty…Pretty Good Episode

What’s ‘Good’ about ‘Grief’?

Don’t Passover ’The Holdovers’

A Golden Ticket to ‘Wonka’

‘The Marvels’ and the Future of Marvel

It’s Not Whether ’Next Goal Wins’, but How You Play the Game

Lifting Up ’The Fall of the House of Usher’

The Rabbis are (Still) Cray-Cray for Tay-Tay

Special Episode — Israel at War

Tradition and Change is ‘Elemental’

Judaism and The Hollywood Strikes

Inviting God and Tradition to ‘My Bat Mitzvah’

The Summer of Barbenheimer

Grin and ‘Bear’ It

‘Indiana Jones’ and Longing to Live in the Past

Should We Cancel ’The Flash’? Or did ’The Flash’ Cancel Itself?

The Rabbis Enter ‘the Spider-Verse’

’Succession’ and the Meaning of Success

Guarding the Galaxy and Perfecting the World

Is ’The Mandalorian’ The Way?

How ‘Super’ is the ‘Mario Bros.’ Movie?

Trying ’Shrinking’ On For Size

The Best Episode in ‘The History of the World: Part II’

The Poppys: PopTorah 2023 Oscars Special!

’The Last of Us’ and the Torah of the Zombie Apocalypse

‘You People’ and Black-Jewish Relations

Oui, oui, ‘Emily in Paris’!

Peeling Back the Layers of ‘Glass Onion’

Sex, Lies, and Power in ‘The White Lotus: Sicily’

‘Fleishman’ and the ‘Trouble’ of Love, Loss, and Longing

Wakanda Forever!

One Ring to Rule Them All

On the Couch with ‘The Patient’

’She-Hulk’, Combatting the Patriarchy, and Pursuing Justice

Recapping the 2022 Emmy Awards

Pop-pourri: Recapping Summer 2022

Heroes, Monsters, and ’Stranger Things’

‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’, Considering the Past and Confronting Failure

Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s PopTorah

‘Severance,’ Working to Live, and Living to Work

Does ‘Under the Banner of Heaven’ Understand Its Subject?

The Price of ‘Winning Time’

‘Turning Red’ and Coming of Age

‘The Batman’: Justice, Vengeance, and the Darkness Within

PopTorah 2022 Oscars Special!