It’s Hanukkah! In this cozy episode of Being Jewish with Jonah Platt, Jonah is joined by culinary expert, social media darling, and New York Times-bestselling cookbook author Jake Cohen for a conversation about Jewish food, ritual, and the unifying power of gathering around the table. Known for zhuzhing up traditional Jewish cuisine with a distinctly modern yet reverent flair, Jake reflects on how food has become his spiritual practice and creative outlet for expressing Jewish identity.

Jake shares how hosting Shabbat dinners became his primary avenue to building community and all the celebrity pals he has welcomed to his table, from Benny Blanco to Shoshana Bean to Katie Couric to Isaac Mizrahi. He opens up about his journey from being a self-described “High Holiday Jew” to becoming a leading voice in contemporary Jewish food culture, emphasizing the importance of authenticity, hospitality, and incorporating Jewish values into everyday life. 

The conversation also touches on Jake’s three best-selling cookbooks — Jew-ish, I Could Nosh and Dinner Party Animal — which aim to make Jewish cooking accessible, joyful, and inviting to Jews and non-Jews alike. Jonah and Jake explore the intersection of Jewish and queer identity, the importance of inviting dissenting opinions to your dinner table, how to host an epic dinner party, and Jake’s hopes for a more connected and peaceful future. It’s an episode filled with comfort, laughter, and the unmistakable warmth of Hanukkah.

A special thank you to this episode’s sponsor:

American Friends of the Hebrew University and the podcast The View From Mount Scopus

MENTIONS

Dinner Party Animal: Recipes to Make Every Day a Celebration

Jake Cohen Instagram

Jake Cohen Tiktok

Jake Cohen Website

The Seleucide Empire

Hanukkah Antisemitism vs. Purim Antisemitism

Hellenism and Judaism

The Surprising Origin of The Dreidel

Jonah @ The Big Shabbat

The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center

The Big Shabbat

Joan Nathan

Adeena Sussman

Ethiopian Jewish Chef and Restaurateur Beejhy Barhany on Her New Cookbook, “Gursha”

Tsion Cafe

Jew-Ish: A Cookbook 

Jake Cohen Saveur Articles

Nanny’s Rosh Hashanah Apple Cake

OneTable

Murray’s Cheese

Evan Ross Katz

Adam Eli

Tokin’ Jew Lemon Sumac x Jake Cohen

Quick Challah Recipe Demo in Under 1 Minute!

“The Nanny” Is the Kind of Celebratory, Unabashed Representation Jewish Women Deserve

Watch Curb Your Enthusiasm

I Could Nosh: Classic Jew-ish Recipes Revamped for Every Day―Modern Jewish Recipes for Everyday Noshing 

Left Behind – A Project Opening up Little-Known Holocaust Histories as well as New Tools

Jews of Liège under the Occupation (1940-1944)

Jake Cohen and Benny Blanco bagel Instagram post

Curb Your Enthusiasm “Bad Middling” Scene

These New Yorkers were in Israel when the war with Iran began. Here’s how they made it home.

Which three celebrities are living together in New York?

Alex Edelman

Benj Pasek

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For Sponsorships, please email:

[email protected]

To contact us & all things BJJP:

www.BeingJewishPodcast.com

Follow Jonah on:

Instagram - @JonahPlatt

X - @JonahPlatt

Follow Being Jewish on:

Instagram - @BeingJewishPodcast

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Written and Hosted by Jonah Platt, Executive Producers: Steve Hein, Jonah Platt, Chief Business Officer: Kenyon Laing,  Production Manager/Executive Assistant: Josie Rothschild, Research Associate: Samantha Greenwald,  Production Associates: Rachel Stern, Charlie Zuker, Production Interns: Sasha Nelson, Emma Webb,  YouTube Consultants: Jason Al-Samarrie & Zac Stein, Post Production by TIMEWEAVER, Creative Director: F. Brian Scofield, ACE, Lead Editor: Noam Klement, Editor: Gray Clevenger, Joe King. Graphic Designer: Noah Bell, Theme Music by Gabriel Mann, Performed by Jonah Platt