This week on Unorthodox, we talk with writer and political advisor Dan Senor about his new book, The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World (a follow up to his 2011 book, Startup Nation, also co-written with Saul Singer). This interview will also air on Senor’s podcast Call Me Back.

We also speak with Gila Sacks, daughter of the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, who joins us to talk about what her father might have said about the present moment. 

Join our Beautifully Jewish Craft-Along! We’re meeting virtually every Monday in November to craft in support of children being treated in Israel’s hospitals and the brave men and women of the Israeli Defense Forces. Find out more at tabletmag.com/craftalong.

Listen to the Testimonies Archive for more eyewitness audio accounts from Israel, and read Tablet’s coverage here. 

Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869. 

Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. To book us for a live show or event, email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com.

Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.


SPONSORS: 
Visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust to see their new exhibit, Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark. Plan your visit at www.mjhnyc.org. 

The National Yiddish Theater is presenting Amid Falling Walls, a tribute to the indomitable Jewish spirit during the Holocaust. You can see the show November 14 to December 10 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Get tickets at nytf.org. 

The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards honor up to 15 Jewish teens from across the United States with an award of $36,000 to recognize their impact and leadership to repair the world. Learn more at DillerTeenAwards.org.

Be proudly Jewish with our book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, covering everything from Jewish history and pop culture to holidays and food. Get a 20% discount on Newish Jewish and the entire Artisan Books Hanukkah shop with code UNORTHODOX.

Words of Wisdom: Ep. 388

Unorthodox is the universe’s leading Jewish podcast, hosted by Stephanie Butnick, Liel Leibovitz, and Joshua Malina. Each week we bring you News of the Jews, interesting guests—one Jewish and one gentile—and so much more.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Religion & Spirituality

Other

Spirituality

Christianity

Buddhism

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Judaism

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This week on Unorthodox, we’re highlighting the latest installment of The Minyan, Tablet’s roundtable series on American Jewish life, hosted by Abigail Pogrebin. Tablet’s Executive Editor Wayne Hoffman discusses the newest offering, which features a conversation with Jews from the former Soviet Union. Their stories of endurance and emigration resonate always, but especially during Passover.

You can read this and previous installments of The Minyan at tabletmag.com/minyan. And don’t miss the Tablet member Zoom on May 9 discussing the issues raised by participants. Find out more at tabletmag.com/sovietjews. 

We’re excited to share a special opportunity for Unorthodox listeners to join Tablet. As Tablet members, you’ll get exclusive access to Tablet events, a chance to hear your name in an on-air mazel tov, and more! Learn more at tabletm.ag/uomember. 

Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869. 

Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

The Minyan: Ep 410

This week on the show, we’re taking time to remember. 

Memory is at the core of so much of Jewish life and tradition, especially during Passover. So we’re sharing several stories about memories, from the individual to the collective, and from the difficult to the uplifting. 

Tablet writer Gabriel Sanders reads his essay about preparing for his first Passover without his father, who spent the last years of his life with Alzeimer's disease. (The version of Ma Lecha Hayam featured in this story is performed by Paul and Lila Shapiro.)

Jenny Rozbruch, who designed our Unorthodox and Beautifully Jewish logos, shows us the handmade biography she made for her survivor grandmother whose memories had begun to fade. 


Producers Courtney Hazlett and Elie Bleier join photographer Ken Taranto as he documents the damage done to the south of Israel on October 7th, as well as the efforts to rebuild. 

Author Rebecca Sugar discusses her new novel, Everything Is a Little Broken, based heavily on caring for her dad as he ages. 

We’re excited to share a special opportunity for Unorthodox listeners to join Tablet. As Tablet members, you’ll get exclusive access to Tablet events, a chance to hear your name in an on-air mazel tov, and more! Learn more at tabletm.ag/uomember. 

Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869. 

Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

SPONSORS:

The BGU MBA International Program is a one-year English-language MBA led by industry experts in Israel’s innovation hub. Designed for global success, the program includes entrepreneurship masterclasses, networking opportunities, and hands-on startup idea development, all within a vibrant campus. Learn more here. 

Berkeley Moshav is a multigenerational Jewish cohousing community in Berkeley, California. Open to all backgrounds and family types, Berkeley Moshav offers family-focused, Jewishly diverse living. To learn more, visit BerkeleyMoshav.org and sign up for an information session.

Leket, Israel’s National Food Bank, is feeding vulnerable Israelis struggling with cost-of-living increases and the many other impacts of the war. Donations make a difference: $180 provides 130 rescued meals, leaving no one behind this Passover. Visit www.Leket.org/en to donate today. 

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger works to help the millions of people struggling daily with food insecurity, both in the U.S. and Israel. Make a gift at MAZON.org to help ensure that everyone can feed themselves and their families with dignity, this Passover and beyond.

Meir Panim has served over one million meals to Israelis in need since the start of the war, many of them displaced and jobless due to the conflict. Consider a donation to Meir Panim at israelcharity.org to bring hope to their Passover tables.

Fire Dance, a tale of passion, fulfillment, and faith, is now streaming exclusively on ChaiFlicks, the Jewish streaming service. Starring Yehuda Levi and Noa Koler, the series paints a picture of an ultra-Orthodox community at the foot of the Sea of Galilee. Unorthodox listeners get 50% off new subscriptions and a 7-day free trial with code FIREPOD at checkout. Visit ChaiFlicks.com to get started.

In Every Generation: Ep. 409

Around the world, food insecurity impacts far too many lives. As the war rages on, and hunger threatens so many inside and outside of Israel, the words of the Haggadah implore: “Let all who are hungry come and eat.” Before we sit down for our festive Passover meals, Unorthodox is shining a light on those who help make sure everyone has access to food, year-round.
Producers Courtney Hazlett and Elie Bleier visit the Jerusalem food pantry of Meir Panim, which gives out meals to those in need, including many affected by October 7th and the war. 

We also meet Joseph Gitler, who founded Leket, Israel’s National Food Bank, to rescue leftover food from farms and restaurants and distribute it to pantries, shelters, and now, temporary housing for displaced Israelis. 

Abby Leibman, president and CEO of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, discusses the organization’s efforts to fight hunger through national policy making both in the U.S. and Israel. 

We’re excited to share a special opportunity for Unorthodox listeners to join Tablet. As Tablet members, you’ll get exclusive access to Tablet events, a chance to hear your name in an on-air mazel tov, and more! Learn more at tabletm.ag/uomember. 

Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869. 

Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

SPONSORS: 

Meir Panim has served over one million meals to Israelis in need since the start of the war, many of them displaced and jobless due to the conflict. Consider a donation to Meir Panim at israelcharity.org to bring hope to their Passover tables.

Leket, Israel’s National Food Bank, is feeding vulnerable Israelis struggling with cost-of-living increases and the many other impacts of the war. Donations make a difference: $180 provides 130 rescued meals, leaving no one behind this Passover. Visit www.Leket.org/en to donate today. 

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger works to help the millions of people struggling daily with food insecurity, both in the U.S. and Israel. Make a gift at MAZON.org to help ensure that everyone can feed themselves and their families with dignity, this Passover and beyond.

Berkeley Moshav is a multigenerational Jewish cohousing community in Berkeley, California. Open to all backgrounds and family types, Berkeley Moshav offers family-focused, Jewishly diverse living. To learn more, visit BerkeleyMoshav.org and sign up for an information session.

Fire Dance, a tale of passion, fulfillment, and faith, is now streaming exclusively on ChaiFlicks, the Jewish streaming service. Starring Yehuda Levi and Noa Koler, the series paints a picture of an ultra-Orthodox community at the foot of the Sea of Galilee. Unorthodox listeners get 50% off new subscriptions and a 7-day free trial with code FIREPOD at checkout. Visit ChaiFlicks.com to get started.

Let All Who Are Hungry: Ep. 408

This week on the show, there’s a new (Jewish) sheriff in town.

First, another story from our recent reporting trip to Israel. Liel sat down with IDF soldier Shavit Romero, who shared his journey from growing up non-Jewish in Tel Aviv, to getting wounded in Gaza and starting his conversion process. 

Our Gentile of the Week is Caroline D’Amore, founder of Pizza Girl, who tells us how October 7 and its aftermath sparked her viral support for Israel and her visit to one of the kibbutzim attacked by Hamas. 

Mixologist Pam Wiznitzer shares her Ten Plagues cocktail recipes, which she will be debuting this Sunday, April 14, at Tablet’s Passover Pop-Up in New York City. 

We’re excited to share a special opportunity for Unorthodox listeners to join Tablet. As Tablet members, you’ll get exclusive access to Tablet events, a chance to hear your name in an on-air mazel tov, and more! Learn more at tabletm.ag/uomember. 

Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869. 

Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

SPONSORS:

Simplify your giving with the Jewish Communal Fund, the nation's largest Jewish donor-advised fund. Act by December 29th to lock in the maximum charitable deduction for 2023. Get started at JCFNY.org.

Leket, Israel’s National Food Bank, is feeding vulnerable Israelis struggling with cost-of-living increases and the many other impacts of the war. Donations make a difference: $180 provides 130 rescued meals, leaving no one behind this Passover. Visit www.Leket.org/en to donate today. 

The BGU MBA International Program is a one-year English-language MBA led by industry experts in Israel’s innovation hub. Designed for global success, the program includes entrepreneurship masterclasses, networking opportunities, and hands-on startup idea development, all within a vibrant campus. Learn more here. 

Meir Panim has served over one million meals to Israelis in need since the start of the war, many of them displaced and jobless due to the conflict. Consider a donation to Meir Panim at israelcharity.org to bring hope to their Passover tables.

Berkeley Moshav is a multigenerational Jewish cohousing community in Berkeley, California. Open to all backgrounds and family types, Berkeley Moshav offers family-focused, Jewishly diverse living. To learn more, visit BerkeleyMoshav.org and sign up for an information session.

Fire Dance, a tale of passion, fulfillment, and faith, is now streaming exclusively on ChaiFlicks, the Jewish streaming service. Starring Yehuda Levi and Noa Koler, the series paints a picture of an ultra-Orthodox community at the foot of the Sea of Galilee. Unorthodox listeners get 50% off new subscriptions and a 7-day free trial with code FIREPOD at checkout. Visit ChaiFlicks.com to get started.

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger works to help the millions of people struggling daily with food insecurity, both in the U.S. and Israel. Make a gift at MAZON.org to help ensure that everyone can feed themselves and their families with dignity, this Passover and beyond.

Popping Up: Ep. 407

This week on the show, we’re sharing stories from our second reporting trip to Israel. 

Former First Lady of Israel Lihi Lapid joins us to discuss her newly translated novel, On Her Own, about two Israeli families in crisis, as well as finding a way through the Jewish state’s present crises. 

Jon Polin shares his experience advocating for the return of his son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, nearly 200 days after he was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7. 

And we visit Tel Aviv’s Social Grocery Store, a food pantry for asylum seekers and stateless residents in Israel struggling with food insecurity. 

We’re excited to share a special opportunity for Unorthodox listeners to join Tablet. As Tablet members, you’ll get exclusive access to Tablet events, a chance to hear your name in an on-air mazel tov, and more! Learn more at tabletm.ag/uomember.
Write to us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail on our listener line: (914) 570-4869. 

Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

SPONSORS:

The Institute for Jewish Spirituality is offering a spring Omer course called “Awareness in Action: Cultivating Character Through Mindfulness and Middot.” Building on the Institute’s 25 years of teaching Jewish mindfulness practices, the course covers Tikkun Middot, the practice of developing desirable character traits. Register by April 7th at JewishSpirituality.org.

Simplify your giving with the Jewish Communal Fund, the nation's largest Jewish donor-advised fund. Act by December 29th to lock in the maximum charitable deduction for 2023. Get started at JCFNY.org.

Leket, Israel’s National Food Bank, is feeding vulnerable Israelis struggling with cost-of-living increases and the many other impacts of the war. Donations make a difference: $180 provides 130 rescued meals, leaving no one behind this Passover. Visit www.Leket.org/en to donate today. 

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger works to help the millions of people struggling daily with food insecurity, both in the U.S. and Israel. Make a gift at MAZON.org to help ensure that everyone can feed themselves and their families with dignity, this Passover and beyond.

Meir Panim has served over one million meals to Israelis in need since the start of the war, many of them displaced and jobless due to the conflict. Consider a donation to Meir Panim at israelcharity.org to bring hope to their Passover tables.

Fire Dance, a tale of passion, fulfillment, and faith, is now streaming exclusively on ChaiFlicks, the Jewish streaming service. Starring Yehuda Levi and Noa Koler, the series paints a picture of an ultra-Orthodox community at the foot of the Sea of Galilee. Unorthodox listeners get 50% off new subscriptions and a 7-day free trial with code FIREPOD at checkout. Visit ChaiFlicks.com to get started.

The BGU MBA International Program is a one-year English-language MBA led by industry experts in Israel’s innovation hub. Designed for global success, the program includes entrepreneurship masterclasses, networking opportunities, and hands-on startup idea development, all within a vibrant campus. Learn more here. 

Berkeley Moshav is a multigenerational Jewish cohousing community in Berkeley, California. Open to all backgrounds and family types, Berkeley Moshav offers family-focused, Jewishly diverse living. To learn more, visit BerkeleyMoshav.org and sign up for an information session.

Words of Wisdom: Ep. 388

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