This week on Unorthodox, we’re celebrating the very 2020 calendar crossover of Christmas and the 10th of Tevet, a minor Jewish fast day.

Our Jewish guest is writer and comedian Merrill Markoe, whose new graphic memoir is “We Saw Scenery: The Early Diaries of Merrill Markoe.”

Our Gentile of the Week is Phillipe Etienne, the French ambassador to the United States, who gave us a lesson in the French notion of secularism and discussed rising anti-Semitism in France.

Join us Monday, Jan. 11 at 6 p.m EST. for a virtual Unorthodox live show with special married guests Jamie and Brian Stelter at Beth Sholom Congregation in Elkins Park, PA. Jamie is NY1’s traffic anchor and co-hosts Mornings on 1, and Brian hosts CNN’s Reliable Sources. Register here.

On Jan. 14 at 6:30 p.m. EST, we’ll be at the Temple Emanuel Streicker Center discussing our book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia. Register here.

See our full schedule of virtual events here.

Let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at [email protected], or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us.

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Sponsors:

The William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education is offering a special one-day online program for young professionals and college students called “Jewish Ed U: Creating Joyful Learning.” Learn more about the Jan. 10 event at www.jtsa.edu/jewishedu.

American Jewish World Service is fighting poverty and pursuing justice in the developing world. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, AJWS is currently twice-matching all donations; find out more about the organization and make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox.

Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. New customers can get a Harry’s trial shave set for just $3 at harrys.com/unorthodox.