TJC’s Up Close

TJC news anchor Steven I. Weiss sits down with Ranya Tabari Idliby, the author of Burqas, Baseball and Apple Pie: Being Muslim in America, and with Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan, author of The New Reform Judaism: Challenges and Reflections. Both authors have ideas about reforming their respective religions/denominations for contemporary American life.

Interviews with Shai Held, author of "Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Call of Transcendence," Wall Street veteran Simon Lack on his book "Bonds Are Not Forever," and Buzzfeed reporter Jessica Misener on Christian Fashion Week.

TJC's Steven I. Weiss interviews "Cut Me Loose" author Leah Vincent about her harrowing journey away from the Orthodox Jewish community, and author Mel Scult about his book, "The Radical American Judaism of Mordecai M. Kaplan," about the rabbi who broke away from Orthodoxy to found Reconstructionist Judaism.

The Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, says there's no warming to Iran on the part of Israel, despite media reports to the contrary; NPR reporter David Folkenflik on his new book, "Murdoch's World," about Rupert Murdoch's media empire; and Princeton University professor emeritus Mark Cohen on "A History of Jewish-Muslim Relations" and why a lot of people have it wrong.

This week's episode of Up Close is devoted to unusual occupations.

Israelis are playing American-style football, and the commissioner of the Israel Football League, Betzalel Friedman, stops by to explain.

We also hear from Sarah Lawrence College Prof. Glenn Dynner, author of "Yankel's Tavern" and Senior NEH Scholar at the Center for Jewish History, about why at least 85% of tavern keepers in 19th century Poland were Jewish.

And finally, did you know that George Washington established the first American spy ring? Fox News' Brian Kilmeade, author of "George Washington's Secret Six," describes how Washington and his spies laid the groundwork for the CIA and helped America win the Revolution.

Listen to the complete audio of this episode at the top of this post, or subscribe to our weekly audio podcast at http://feeds.feedburner.com/tjcupclose or on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/tjcs-up-close/id807702211. Watch highlights from the episode in the video below!

TJC's Steven I. Weiss interviews NPR's Bob Garfield about his new book, "Can't Buy Me Like," and the changing relationship between advertising and media, and Brandeis University professor Theodore Sasson about his new book, "The New American Zionism," about the changing relationship between American Jews and Israel.

In-depth interviews with Jon Meacham, author of "Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power," and Yale university professor Joel Baden, author of "The Historical David: The Real Life of an Invented Hero."