GOLDA Girls

GOLDA Media
  • 5.0 (54)
  • Judaism

A podcast for Jewish women with a lot to say. GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick sits down with journalist Gabby Deutch, novelist Esther Chehebar, and Rabbi Diana Fersko each week to talk culture, community, identity, and the everyday moments shaping modern Jewish life.

  1. 3d ago

    High Holiday Chic with Elisa Solomon Jewelry, Feldi Studios, and Challah Back Girls

    GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick, journalist Gabby Deutch, novelist Esther Chehebar and Rabbi Diana Fersko talk Jewish henna ceremonies, our favorite Jewish wedding traditions, and Esther’s response to New York Magazine’s Habibi City article. (For more on the Syrian Jewish community in New York City, check out Esther Chehebar’s novel Sisters of Fortune. You can find the Crusty Sisters, who emceed Esther’s recent rager, on Instagram.)  As part of GOLDA’s annual High Holidays Shopping Guide, Stephanie interviews the women behind three of the businesses featured—Elisa Solomon of Elisa Solomon Jewelry, Melissa Felderman of Feldi Studios, and Sara Loffman of Challah Back Girls. To get the High Holiday Guide in your inbox when it comes out, be sure to subscribe to GOLDA at goldaguide.com/subscribe. Send us your Ask GOLDA questions at hi@goldaguide.com. You can also send us a voicenote; be sure to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from. This week's Good for the Jews picks:  Stephanie: Sterling Point, the soapy teen drama starring Jewish actress Ella Rubin.  Diana: Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro’s Jewish and Israeli contestants. Gabby: Jewish weddings!  Esther: The Special Children’s Center Upcoming events:  Thursday, September 17 — New York City: Stephanie Butnick interviews Dr. Beth Ricanati at the launch event for her book The Braided Prescription: Seven Practices for Living Well from the Ancient Practice of Making Challah. 7 p.m. at The Strand Columbus; register here. Find out about all of our upcoming events at goldaguide.com/p/events.  Subscribe to GOLDA at goldaguide.com and follow us on Instagram at @goldaguide. Where you can find the GOLDA Girls: Sign up for Diana Fersko’s print newsletter, Modern Jewess, at modern-jewess.com, and buy her book, We Need to Talk About Antisemitism, at rabbidianafersko.com/books.   Get Esther Chehebar’s novel Sisters of Fortune at bookshop.org/a/110357/9780593734544, and her children’s book I Share My Name, at bookshop.org/a/110357/9781532432187.  Buy Stephanie Butnick’s book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, at bookshop.org/a/110357/9781579658939. GOLDA Girls is a production of GOLDA Media. The show is executive produced by Ariel Shapiro and edited by POLDHU.  Sponsors: GOLDA Girls is presented by Nu Reads, a new Jewish book subscription series curated by the Jewish Book Council that brings remarkable literature straight to your door. You can check out Stephanie’s interview with Nu Reads featured author Portia Elan about her new novel, Homebound, in the GOLDA Girls feed. Use code NuGolda at checkout for 15% off your subscription. Visit NuReads.org to get started today. Stay GOLDA.

  2. Aug 14

    Mahjong vs. Canasta and Tennis vs. Pickleball with Matthew Futterman

    GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick, journalist Gabby Deutch, novelist Esther Chehebar and Rabbi Diana Fersko talk mahjong vs. canasta, Sephora products coming to Israel, and the challah wars unfolding in the GOLDA Girls groupchat. Sportswriter Matthew Futterman, whose new book is The Cruelest Game: Chasing Greatness in Professional Tennis, joins the hosts to break down tennis vs pickleball, Novak Djokovic’s dinner order, and how tennis tells the story of post-war American Jewish life. Send us your Ask GOLDA questions at hi@goldaguide.com. You can also send them as a voice memo; be sure to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from. Good for the Jews picks:  Stephanie: People mishearing Ella Langley’s Choosin’ Texas lyric “he’s choosin’ Texas I can tell” as “there’s Jews in Texas I can tell”  Gabby: Jane Bordeaux’s Hebrew cover of Choosin’ Texas  Esther: The upcoming Leonard Cohen tribute concert organized by the late musician’s family  Diana: David cards Upcoming events:  Tuesday, August 18  — Southampton, NY: Join GOLDA for a special kids Mini Mahj event at ColorPop Workshop’s Southampton studio. Beginners welcome! Ticket includes one adult + one child (6 and up); sign up at luma.com/dggc7sfe.   Thursday, September 17 — New York City: Stephanie Butnick interviews Dr. Beth Ricanati at the launch event for her book The Braided Prescription: Seven Practices for Living Well from the Ancient Practice of Making Challah. 7 p.m. at The Strand Columbus; register here. Find out about all of our upcoming events at goldaguide.com/p/events.  Subscribe to GOLDA at goldaguide.com and follow us on Instagram at @goldaguide. Where you can find the GOLDA Girls: Subscribe to Gabby Deutch’s Substack at gsdeutch.substack.com. Get Gabby’s new Golda hat from LVL III—use code IYKYK for $5 off.  Sign up for Diana Fersko’s print newsletter, Modern Jewess, at modern-jewess.com, and buy her book, We Need to Talk About Antisemitism, at rabbidianafersko.com/books.   Get Esther Chehebar’s novel Sisters of Fortune at bookshop.org/a/110357/9780593734544, and her children’s book I Share My Name, at bookshop.org/a/110357/9781532432187.  Buy Stephanie Butnick’s book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, at bookshop.org/a/110357/9781579658939. GOLDA Girls is a production of GOLDA Media. The show is executive produced by Ariel Shapiro and edited by POLDHU.  Sponsors: GOLDA Girls is presented by Nu Reads, a new Jewish book subscription series curated by the Jewish Book Council that brings remarkable literature straight to your door. You can check out Stephanie’s interview with Nu Reads featured author Portia Elan about her new novel, Homebound, in the GOLDA Girls feed. Use code NuGolda at checkout for 15% off your subscription. Visit NuReads.org to get started today.

  3. Aug 7

    Galliano Gall with Rabbi Arielle Stein

    GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick, journalist Gabby Deutch, novelist Esther Chehebar and Rabbi Diana Fersko talk deviated septums, Jewish nose jobs, and why “ENT” is an important Jewish acronym. Rabbi Arielle Stein, the high-fashion rabbi featured in Vogue, joins the group to discuss the controversial decision by the Met’s Costume Institute to honor disgraced fashion designer John Galliano.  Send us your Ask GOLDA questions at hi@goldaguide.com. You can also send us a voicenote; be sure to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from. Good for the Jews picks:  Stephanie: Nova survivor and Israel’s 2025 Eurovision contestant Yuval Raphael’s performance of Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu with a gospel choir in Toronto this week.  Diana: Caffe Aronne’s new location in the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Gabby: Kiddush lunch after Shabbat services.  Esther: A recent parents’ tennis tournament in support of her children’s school. (She lost in the first round but remains positive about the concept.) Upcoming events:  Tuesday, August 18  — Southampton, NY: Join GOLDA for a special kids Mini Mahj event at ColorPop Workshop’s Southampton studio. Beginners welcome! Ticket includes one adult + one child (6 and up); sign up  here.  Thursday, September 17 — New York City: GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick interviews Dr. Beth Ricanati at the launch event for her book The Braided Prescription: Seven Practices for Living Well from the Ancient Practice of Making Challah. 7 p.m. at The Strand Columbus; register  here. Find out about all of our upcoming events at goldaguide.com/p/events.  Subscribe to GOLDA at goldaguide.com and follow us on Instagram at @goldaguide. Where you can find the GOLDA Girls: Follow Gabby’s writing at jewishinsider.com/authors/gabby-deutch and subscribe to her Substack at gsdeutch.substack.com.  Sign up for Diana’s print newsletter, Modern Jewess, at modern-jewess.com, and buy her book, We Need to Talk About Antisemitism, at rabbidianafersko.com/books.   Get Esther’s novel Sisters of Fortune at bookshop.org/a/110357/9780593734544, and her children’s book I Share My Name, at bookshop.org/a/110357/9781532432187.  Buy Stephanie’s book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, at bookshop.org/a/110357/9781579658939. GOLDA Girls is a production of GOLDA Media. The show is executive produced by Ariel Shapiro and edited by POLDHU.  Sponsors: GOLDA Girls is presented by Nu Reads, a new Jewish book subscription series curated by the Jewish Book Council that brings remarkable literature straight to your door. You can check out Stephanie’s interview with Nu Reads featured author Portia Elan about her new novel, Homebound, in the GOLDA Girls feed. Use code NuGolda at checkout for 15% off your subscription. Visit NuReads.org to get started today. This week’s episode of GOLDA Girls is also brought to you by the Simchat Torah Challenge. For years, you’ve heard the familiar holiday melodies and prayers. But what if you could actually read along in Hebrew? Head to simchattorahchallenge.org/shema to sign up to get their free Hebrew reading crash course book and videos. You can also enter to win a Shema-inspired print created by Jewish artist Hannah Pearlman. Go to simchattorahchallenge.org/golda to sign up and enter to win.

  4. Jul 31

    Challah Baking and Reverse Bageling

    GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick, journalist Gabby Deutch, and Rabbi Diana Fersko talk challah and “reverse-bageling,” and help a listener step up her Shabbat practice in our Ask GOLDA segment.  Send us your Ask GOLDA questions at hi@goldaguide.com. You can also send us a voicenote; be sure to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from. Good for the Jews picks: Stephanie: Phish’s cover of “Avinu Malkeinu” at Madison Square Garden this week. Diana: Tu B’Av, this week's Jewish holiday of love.  Gabby: Baseball  Upcoming events:  Tuesday, August 18  — Southampton, NY: Join GOLDA for a special kids Mini Mahj event at ColorPop Workshop’s Southampton studio. Beginners welcome! Ticket includes one adult + one child (6 and up); sign up here.  Thursday, September 17 — New York City: GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick interviews Dr. Beth Ricanati at the launch event for her book The Braided Prescription: Seven Practices for Living Well from the Ancient Practice of Making Challah. 7 p.m. at The Strand Columbus; register here. Find out about all of our upcoming events at goldaguide.com/p/events.  Subscribe to GOLDA at goldaguide.com and follow us on Instagram at @goldaguide. Where you can find the GOLDA Girls: Follow Gabby’s writing at jewishinsider.com/authors/gabby-deutch and subscribe to her Substack at gsdeutch.substack.com.  Sign up for Diana’s print newsletter, Modern Jewess, at modern-jewess.com, and buy her book, We Need to Talk About Antisemitism, at rabbidianafersko.com/books.   Get Esther’s novel Sisters of Fortune at bookshop.org/a/110357/9780593734544, and her children’s book I Share My Name, at bookshop.org/a/110357/9781532432187.  Buy Stephanie’s book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, at bookshop.org/a/110357/9781579658939. GOLDA Girls is a production of GOLDA Media. The show is executive produced by Ariel Shapiro and edited by POLDHU.  Sponsors: GOLDA Girls is presented by Nu Reads, a new Jewish book subscription series curated by the Jewish Book Council that brings remarkable literature straight to your door. You can check out oue interview with Nu Reads featured author Portia Elan about her new novel, Homebound, in the GOLDA Girls feed. Use code NuGolda at checkout for 15% off your subscription. Visit NuReads.org to get started today. This week’s episode of GOLDA Girls is also brought to you by the Simchat Torah Challenge. The Simchat Torah Challenge is your weekly reminder that ancient Jewish texts are surprisingly good at modern life. If you haven't yet joined the world’s oldest book club and the community of tens of thousands, sign up here.

  5. Jul 24

    Catskills, Torah, and Defying Gravity with Talia Suskauer

    GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick, journalist Gabby Deutch, and Rabbi Diana Fersko are joined by Talia Suskauer, star of the new Off-Broadway musical A Walk on the Moon, to talk Jewish theater, playing Elphaba on Broadway, and learning to play mahjong for her role in the 1960s Catskills-set musical.  With the High Holidays around the corner, the Girls set some Jewish New Year’s resolutions, which this year include getting into regular Torah study—with help from our friends at the Simchat Torah Challenge. Send us your Ask GOLDA questions at hi@goldaguide.com (voicenotes are best; be sure to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.) Leave us a review and we’ll send you a GOLDA sticker! Email a screenshot of your review to hi@goldaguide.com.  Subscribe to GOLDA at goldaguide.com and follow us on Instagram at @goldaguide. This week’s Good for the Jews picks:  Stephanie: Blueprint Literary, Jessica Kasner Jacobs’ new agency dedicated to amplifying voices from Israel. Diana: The Mi Shebeirach prayer (NOT the Debbie Friedman version) Gabby: Klezmer music! Where you can find the GOLDA Girls: Follow Gabby’s writing at jewishinsider.com/authors/gabby-deutch and subscribe to her Substack at gsdeutch.substack.com.  Sign up for Diana’s print newsletter, Modern Jewess, at modern-jewess.com, and buy her book, We Need to Talk About Antisemitism, at rabbidianafersko.com/books.   Get Esther’s novel Sisters of Fortune at bookshop.org/a/110357/9780593734544, and her children’s book I Share My Name, at bookshop.org/a/110357/9781532432187.  Buy Stephanie’s book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, at bookshop.org/a/110357/9781579658939. Sponsors: GOLDA Girls is presented by Nu Reads, a new Jewish book subscription series curated by the Jewish Book Council that brings remarkable literature straight to your door. You can check out Stephanie’s interview with Nu Reads featured author Portia Elan about her new novel, Homebound, in the GOLDA Girls feed. Use code NuGolda at checkout for 15% off your subscription. Visit NuReads.org to get started today. This week’s episode of GOLDA Girls is also brought to you by the Simchat Torah Challenge. The Simchat Torah Challenge is your weekly reminder that ancient Jewish texts are surprisingly good at modern life. If you haven't yet joined the world’s oldest book club and the community of tens of thousands, sign up here. You can listen to GOLDA Girls on: Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/golda-girls/id1895644983Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1eLma0Exh3LDv2Ay8fx8CqPocket Casts https://pocketcasts.com/podcast/golda-girls/ed7285a0-2487-013f-2ec2-0e872f6a2b21 Stay GOLDA.

  6. Jul 23 ·  Bonus

    GOLDA Interviews: Portia Elan, Author of ‘Homebound’

    GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick talks to author Portia Elan about her novel, Homebound, which is the latest selection from Nu Reads, the Jewish book subscription series (and our show’s sponsor!). This ambitious, multi-timeline novel features interwoven stories from 1983, 2078, and 2586 that navigate identity and belonging. Homebound manages to be both futuristic and deeply human—and also incredibly Jewish.  GOLDA Girls is presented by Nu Reads, the Jewish book subscription series curated by the Jewish Book Council that brings remarkable literature straight to your door. Use code NuGolda at checkout for 15% off. Visit www.NuReads.org to get started today. GOLDA Girls is a production of GOLDA Media. The show is executive produced by Ariel Shapiro and edited by POLDHU.  You can listen to GOLDA Girls on: Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/golda-girls/id1895644983Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1eLma0Exh3LDv2Ay8fx8CqPocket Casts https://pocketcasts.com/podcast/golda-girls/ed7285a0-2487-013f-2ec2-0e872f6a2b21Leave us a review and we’ll send you a GOLDA sticker! Email a screenshot of your review to hi@goldaguide.com.  Stay GOLDA.

  7. Jul 17

    Tribe Vibes with Ariel Elias and Olga Namer

    GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick, journalist Gabby Deutch, novelist Esther Chehebar, and Rabbi Diana Fersko talk mahjong, Deal Delights, and the old-school kind of influencing.  Comedians Ariel Elias and Olga Namer join the show to talk about mining their personal experiences in their comedy (Ariel is from Kentucky and Olga is from Brooklyn’s Syrian community) and help a listener figure out the online dating scene for our Ask GOLDA segment. You can catch Ariel and Olga performing at Borscht Belt Fest 2026 on July 25 and 26 in the Catskills.  Send us your Ask GOLDA questions at hi@goldaguide.com (voicenotes are best; be sure to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.) Where you can find the GOLDA Girls: Follow Gabby’s writing at jewishinsider.com/authors/gabby-deutch and subscribe to her Substack at gsdeutch.substack.com.  Sign up for Diana’s print newsletter, Modern Jewess, at modern-jewess.com, and buy her book, We Need to Talk About Antisemitism, at rabbidianafersko.com/books.   Get Esther’s novel Sisters of Fortune at bookshop.org/a/110357/9780593734544, and her children’s book I Share My Name, at bookshop.org/a/110357/9781532432187.  Buy Stephanie’s book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, at bookshop.org/a/110357/9781579658939. GOLDA Girls is a production of GOLDA Media. The show is executive produced by Ariel Shapiro and edited by POLDHU.  Sponsors: GOLDA Girls is presented by Nu Reads, a new Jewish book subscription series curated by the Jewish Book Council that brings remarkable literature straight to your door. Use code NuGolda at checkout for 15% off your subscription. Visit NuReads.org to get started today. You can listen to GOLDA Girls on: Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/golda-girls/id1895644983Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1eLma0Exh3LDv2Ay8fx8CqPocket Casts https://pocketcasts.com/podcast/golda-girls/ed7285a0-2487-013f-2ec2-0e872f6a2b21Leave us a review and we’ll send you a GOLDA sticker! Email a screenshot of your review to hi@goldaguide.com.  Stay GOLDA.

  8. Jul 10

    Mazel Tov, Taylor! with Jackie Tohn

    GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick and novelist Esther Chehebar are joined by guest host Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie’s former co-host on Unorthodox and the author of Judy Blume: A Life, to break down how Jewish—or not—the mega-wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce was. Plus, Stephanie sits down with Nobody Wants This actress Jackie Tohn to discuss her new Jewish summer camp film, The Floaters. Events: Join GOLDA for an NYC opening weekend screening of The Floaters on Sunday, June 12 at 7 p.m. at Quad Cinema. After the screening Stephanie will be moderating a conversation with the film’s director Rachel Israel and producer Shai Korman. Get your tickets here: https://go.shopmy.us/p-69518036 . Esther will be part of a Hadassah virtual panel on the Sephardic and Mizrahi experience in the United States on Thursday, July 16 at 7 p.m. Register here: https://go.shopmy.us/p-70548076 Send us your Ask GOLDA questions at hi@goldaguide.com (voicenotes are best; be sure to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.) This week’s Good for the Jews picks:  Esther: The Jewish volunteer watch group Shomrim, who jumped into action during the floods in Monmouth County. Stephanie: Audrey Gelman’s collaboration with the Wallach Project, which preserves lost German-Jewish textile making.  Mark: Funny Business, an upcoming cultural history by Matt Singer of the Judd Apatow-era of comedy. Subscribe to GOLDA at goldaguide.com and follow us on Instagram at @goldaguide. Where you can find the GOLDA Girls: Follow Gabby’s writing at jewishinsider.com/authors/gabby-deutch and subscribe to her Substack at gsdeutch.substack.com.  Sign up for Diana’s print newsletter, Modern Jewess, at modern-jewess.com, and buy her book, We Need to Talk About Antisemitism, at rabbidianafersko.com/books.   Get Esther’s novel Sisters of Fortune at bookshop.org/a/110357/9780593734544, and her children’s book I Share My Name, at bookshop.org/a/110357/9781532432187.  Buy Stephanie’s book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, at bookshop.org/a/110357/9781579658939. Buy Mark’s biography of Judy Blume at https://bookshop.org/a/110357/9780593714447 Sponsors: GOLDA Girls is presented by Nu Reads, a new Jewish book subscription series curated by the Jewish Book Council that brings remarkable literature straight to your door. Use code NuGolda at checkout for 15% off your subscription. Visit NuReads.org to get started today. You can listen to GOLDA Girls on: Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/golda-girls/id1895644983Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1eLma0Exh3LDv2Ay8fx8CqPocket Casts https://pocketcasts.com/podcast/golda-girls/ed7285a0-2487-013f-2ec2-0e872f6a2b21 Leave us a review and we’ll send you a GOLDA sticker! Email a screenshot of your review to hi@goldaguide.com.  Stay GOLDA.

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5
out of 5
54 Ratings

About

A podcast for Jewish women with a lot to say. GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick sits down with journalist Gabby Deutch, novelist Esther Chehebar, and Rabbi Diana Fersko each week to talk culture, community, identity, and the everyday moments shaping modern Jewish life.

Information

  • Creator
    GOLDA Media
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 GOLDA Girls
  • Show Website
    GOLDA Girls

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