This week we’re bringing you two interviews from our live show at the Valley of the Sun JCC in Phoenix, Arizona. First up, we get a double shot of rabbinical wisdom from Pinchas Allouche, the founding rabbi of Congregation Beth Tefillah, and Shmuly Yanklowitz, the president & dean of Valley Beit Midrash. They each share the story of their unlikely journey towards becoming a rabbi, and explain how they’re trying to make Judaism accessible to all sorts of Jews today.

Our Gentile of the Week is NBA Hall-of-Fame player Paul Westphal. Westphal won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 1974 and coached the Phoenix Suns to the NBA Finals in 1993. He tells us about his love of Israel, and brings the hosts one of the thorniest Gentile of the Week questions ever.

We also have a special treat: Mark and Stephanie’s appearance on Liel’s other podcast, Take One.

Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at [email protected] or leave a message at 914-570-4869.

Come see us on tour!

Feb. 20 – New York City: Stephanie in conversation with authors Goldie Goldbloom and Abby Chava Stein

Feb. 26 – Naples, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Mark

March 6 – Amherst, Massachusetts: Stephanie @ Yiddish Book Center

March 12 – Boca Raton, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Liel

March 17 – Long Island, New York: Book talk with Stephanie

March 19 – Virginia Beach, Virginia: Unorthodox live show

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Send your kids to a Jewish camp this summer! More than 180,000 campers and college-age counselors use the Foundation for Jewish Camp website to find their camp every summer. Go to onehappycamper.org/unorthodox and find the right camp for you.

Get ready for Purim with an order of delicious tahini products from Soom Foods. Head to soomfoods.com and use the code UNORTHODOX to receive 15 percent off your order. Try the pantry sampler, which includes their tahini, chocolate sweet tahini halva spread, and silan date syrup.