Joshua Malina

Shows

Episodes

  1. Winners and Losers

    04/22/2021

    Winners and Losers

    This week on Unorthodox, Andrew Cuomo’s Jewish “tree houses” and Israel’s wild boars. Our Jewish guest is Devin Gordon, author of the new book “So Many Ways to Lose: The Amazin' True Story of the New York Mets—the Best Worst Team in Sports.” He tells us why Mets fandom is a profound spiritual exercise in perpetual disappointment, and Liel offers his take on why the Mets are a fundamentally Jewish team. Our Gentile of the week is writer, speaker, and activist Julie Lythcott-Haims, author of “How to Raise an Adult,” and most recently, “Your Turn: How to Be an Adult.” She explains the societal factors making it harder for today’s young adults to grow into their full potential, and offers advice for young people on how best to build meaningful and full adult lives. Her question for the hosts is how non-Jews can be better allies to the Jewish community. Share your conversion story for our annual Shavuot episode! Leave us a voicemail (under a minute long) at (914) 570-4869, or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to unorthodox@tabletmag.com by April 30 to be featured on the episode. Upcoming virtual events: Sunday, May 2 — Join us at 7 p.m. EDT/4 p.m. PT for a special virtual live show with Tovah Feldshuh, presented by the Community Scholar Program of Orange County California. It's free, but you'll need to register: http://bit.ly/cspunorthodoxlive. This event is co-sponsored by the Merage Jewish Community Center and is fully funded by a grant from the Albert and Rhoda Weissman Arts Endowment Fund, a joint program of Jewish Community Foundation Orange County and Jewish Federation Orange County Thursday, April 29 — Stephanie will be moderating Rachel Bloom and Tovah Feldshuh in ‘A Conversation Between a (Television) Daughter and Mother,’ presented by The Jewish Museum and the Jewish Book Council, 7 p.m. EDT. Register here. Thursday, April 29 — Liel will be talking about podcasting with JCast Network's Darone Ruskay, presented by Ansche Chesed. 7 p.m. EDT; Register here. Find out about all our upcoming events at www.tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: American Jewish World Service supports more than 500 social justice organizations fighting for justice around the world, including at the forefront of action against the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges it’s created.AJWS is currently twice-matching all donations; find out more and make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox. Harry’s is a great shave at a great price. Get a special offer and a Harry’s Starter Set and Body Wash at harrys.com/unorthodox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  2. Spirited Debate

    11/10/2022

    Spirited Debate

    This week on Unorthodox, an upcoming Oppenheimer simcha sparks a spirited debate.  Our Jew of the Week is the one and only Letty Cottin Pogrebin—feminist icon, writer, activist and author of the new book Shanda: A Memoir of Shame and Secrecy. She tells us about her personal Jewish awakening, and about reckoning with her Jewish identity within the feminist movement. (If Cottin Pogrebin’s description of being excluded from the minyan at her mother’s shiva sounds familiar, here is her daughter Abigail Pogrebin sharing a similar story from Ruth Bader Ginsburg.)   Across the JEW.S.A. is a new Unorthodox project that will showcase 12 of the most inspiring Jewish stories across the country. Nominate your hometown at tabletm.ag/acrossthejewsa. Across the JEW.S.A. was created with support from the Jewish Federations of North America. We’re heading back on the road! Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive. We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Want to book us for a live show or event in your area, or partner with us in some other way? Email Tanya Singer at tsinger@tabletmag.com. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors:  Soom tahini is the perfect ingredient for your fall meals. Use discount code UNORTHODOX22 for 10% off your next order at soomfoods.com.   Institute for Jewish Spirituality: Sign up today for Shema: The Practice of Sacred Listening at JewishSpirituality.org. Registration closes on November 11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  3. UPDATE: How to Be a Jew … in Los Angeles right now

    01/15/2025

    UPDATE: How to Be a Jew … in Los Angeles right now

    We are re-releasing this episode with an update from Courtney on the situation in Los Angeles. History-making wild fires have been raging nearly out of control across the Los Angeles area, destroying homes, businesses, schools, and even synagogues. How is the community responding, and what can the greater jewish community do? Rabbi Beau Shapiro joins us to give a clergy’s eye view on how our faith helps us cope with loss and events beyond our control. Support Links: Nechama Disaster Relief Los Angeles Fire Department Fund Baby2Baby Wildfire GoFundMe spreadsheet for vetted families who are impacted MULAN Resources hub  Hosted by Courtney Hazlett, Rabbi Diana Fersko, and Josh Kross, each episode of How to Be a Jew takes a look at a current, cultural topic and what it means for us as Jews, and how we react to it because we are Jews. Want to send us an email? Send it off to podcasts@tabletmag.com For more podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  4. 1.20: Mandatory Minimums (with Kathleen York and Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson)

    08/24/2016

    1.20: Mandatory Minimums (with Kathleen York and Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson)

    Kathleen "Bird" York (@birdyork) talks to us about playing Congresswoman Andrea Wyatt, and Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson (@karenaboutgary), former CEO of The National Association of Drug Court Professionals and current mayor of Gary, Indiana, talks to us about mandatory minimums. More at: thewestwingweekly.com/episodes/120 Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

  5. Schwartz Authority: Ep. 57

    09/15/2016

    Schwartz Authority: Ep. 57

    This week on Unorthodox, who said it: Harry Potter star Emma Watson or Hillel the Elder? Our Jewish guest is professional football player Geoff Schwartz, one half of the first set of Jewish brothers to play in the NFL since Ralph and Arnold Horween in 1923. He and his brother, Mitchell Schwartz, are the authors of a new book called Eat MySchwartz: Our Story of NFL Football, Food, Family, and Faith. Our Gentile of the Week is Patricia Napier-Fitzpatrick, founder and president of The Etiquette School of New York, which offers lessons on everything from dining etiquette and table manners to social media protocol and workplace small talk. She tells us the most frustrating etiquette faux pas she sees young people committing today, and asks us about proper etiquette for a non-Jewish person attending a synagogue. Join us Monday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m., at our live taping at the JCC of Greater New Haven. Tickets are available here.  Like listening to Unorthodox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. We love hearing from you! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with comments, questions, and complaints. We may share your letter on air. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  6. In the Loop

    10/08/2024

    In the Loop

    This week, we're discussing the razor-sharp dialogue and side-splitting comedy of In the Loop (2009), one the greatest political satires. Here are footnotes for some of the stuff outside of the film that came up in the conversation: A tiny clip from the unaired pilot of "Legally Mad" The stateroom scene from the Marx Brothers' "A Night at the Opera" The Roy Kent chant Join us on Patreon to let us know what you thought of the film, on a scale of 1–10 Lemons Difficult.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

  7. Passover Crossover - Rootless - Why Dual Loyalty is Good for the Jews, with Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz

    04/16/2025 ·  Bonus

    Passover Crossover - Rootless - Why Dual Loyalty is Good for the Jews, with Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz

    We're off this week for Passover, but we wanted to bring you an episode of Rootless we think you'll like. Rootless: Here's Why Dual Loyalty is Good for the Jews, with Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz The charge of dual loyalty has long been a key weapon in the arsenal of anti-Semites everywhere. But in his new book, The Case for Dual Loyalty: Healing the Divided Soul of American Jews, Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz of Los Angeles’ Valley Beth Shalom argues that it’s time to embrace the idea. He joins Liel to talk about why American Jews should be loyal to Israel and the United States alike, why that is a complimentary rather than contradictory idea, and why it’s time, in the aftermath of October 7th, for Jews to reconsider the way they view their identities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  8. Take One from Tablet Magazine

    01/09/2020

    Take One from Tablet Magazine

    Unorthodox is off this week, so instead we're introducing you to Take One, the new Daf Yomi podcast from Tablet Magazine hosted by our own Liel Leibovitz. As Jews around the world begin a new seven-and-a-half year cycle of Daf Yomi, reading the entire Talmud one page per day, Tablet Magazine's new podcast, Take One, will offer a brief and evocative daily read of the daf. We launch the cycle with a brief introduction to the Talmud at large before diving into the text with Tractate Berakhot, page 2, and a meditation on the meaning of time, why you might want to think twice before you Netflix and chill, and how all these rabbinic strictures can help us make sense of our modern, messy lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  9. Sorry Not Sorry: Ep. 60

    10/06/2016

    Sorry Not Sorry: Ep. 60

    This week on Unorthodox, we’re gearing up for Yom Kippur with our second annual Apology episode. Marjorie Ingall, Unorthodox regular and co-founder of the website SorryWatch.com, tells us about the best and worst public apologies of the last year. We talk to Richard Cellini, the founder of the Georgetown Memory Project, and the force behind the university’s recent decision to grant preferential admissions to the descendants of the 272 slaves it sold in 1838 to save the school from financial default. We also speak with Dvorah Telushkin, mother of our co-producer Shira Telushkin and the Upper West Side's most obsessive apologizer. We hear a story about the tough conversations in which we ask for forgiveness from others—or ask others to ask for forgiveness from us—from ImmerseNYC founder Rabbi Sara Luria. This episode is brought to you by the new film Denial. From the screenwriter of The Hours and The Reader comes the true story of one woman’s court battle for historical truth against a Holocaust denier. Starring Rachel Weisz and Tom Wilkinson. Today’s episode is brought to you by Harry’s. For a great shave at an affordable price, go to Harrys.com and use promo code UNORTHODOX at checkout to get their free trial set and post-shave balm. Like listening to Unorthodox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com with comments, questions, and complaints. We may share your letter on air. To fill out the Panoply survey go to www.megaphone.fm/survey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  10. How to Save New York from Itself, with Nicole Gelinas

    12/12/2024

    How to Save New York from Itself, with Nicole Gelinas

    When Jordan Neely, a mentally disturbed man with a long rap sheet began threatening his fellow subway passengers one day last year, they were all terrified. But one straphanger, a Marine vet named Daniel Penny, stepped up, wrestling Neely to the ground and putting him in a chokehold. Tragically, Neely, who had health complications and was abusing drugs, died shortly thereafter, and New York’s ideologically motivated District Attorney decided to make an example of Penny. Nicole Gelinas, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a contributing editor of City Journal, and a columnist for the New York Post, joins Liel to talk about how the progressive obsession with race is crippling the justice system, about the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and about how pro-Palestinian activists are now leading vocal demonstrations about matters that have nothing at all to do with Palestine.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  11. 3.09: Bartlet for America (with John Spencer)

    06/07/2017

    3.09: Bartlet for America (with John Spencer)

    To accompany our discussion of "Bartlet for America," we're thrilled to present an interview with John Spencer, who won an Emmy for his performance. We talk to David Daniel (@CNNLADavid), who is a senior producer at CNN Newsource. He interviewed John Spencer in 2002, just before the Emmy awards, about The West Wing pilot, "Bartlet for America," addiction, and more. We're so lucky to have gotten David's original raw tape from that day, which we used to put this segment together. For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/309. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

  12. Unorthodox Presents Sivan Says

    05/30/2024 ·  Bonus

    Unorthodox Presents Sivan Says

    Unorthodox is off this week, but today we’re sharing an episode of the Tablet podcast Sivan Says: Taking the Torah Personally, featuring Sivan Rahav-Meir and our own Liel Leibovitz.  Parshat Bechukotai’s got a lot of blessings, and a lot of curses. Follow God’s commandments, you’re in the clear. Don’t follow them, some gnarly stuff can happen. Persecution. Exile. A divine wrath. But could it be that it’s all a blessing, even the curses? That the worst sin isn’t some particular action, but apathy towards our connection to God? Tune in to find out. Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality, and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Thought WhatsApp group, where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Learn more about becoming a Tablet member at tabletm.ag/uomember. Find out about our upcoming events at tabletmag.com/unorthodoxlive 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:  Brandeis University offers an online master’s certificate in Jewish Professional Leadership, training creative and compassionate Jewish leaders on a flexible schedule. Learn more at brandeis.edu/hornstein. Emanu-El Downtown’s Religious School Lab opens this fall in Manhattan for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade, offering a welcoming community, pick-up from local schools, and one-to-one virtual Hebrew instruction. Visit EmanuelDowntown.org for more. Since October 7, Meir Panim has provided over 2.5 million meals, essential items, and care packages to IDF soldiers and displaced families, as well as organizing events and daily support for thousands. Donate at meirpanim.org/unorthodox.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  13. Match Game

    01/17/2019

    Match Game

    This week on Unorthodox, we're setting it up. Our Jewish guest this week is longtime matchmaker Tova Weinberg, who founded the Jewish dating website Saw You at Sinai. In an interview recorded at our Hanukkah live show in Pittsburgh, she tells the hosts about ditching dentistry to become a matchmaker (she estimates she's made 350 matches over the past 40 years), and her opinion on what it is that men and women really want. She also helps out a listener with some first date tips. Our Gentile of the Week is producer Scott Ellis, whose long list of theater and television credits includes The Good Wife, Weeds, She Loves Me, and more. He sits down with Stephanie to talk about getting his start on TV with the sitcom Frasier, putting himself up for an Emmy nomination, (and actually getting the nomination!) for an episode of 30 Rock, and being entrusted by The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino to direct a few episodes of the award-winning Amazon series. (Scott even got Stephanie and producer Josh Kross into Season 2, Ep. 3 as extras—check out the very last scene). We're heading to the West Coast! We'll be at Adat Shalom in Los Angeles Friday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. for a special Shabbat live show; Guests will include writer, director, actor, and producer Lauren Miller Rogen and Iranian-Jewish philanthropist Rachel Sumekh, Get your tickets here. Then we'll be at the Stroum JCC in the Seattle area Saturday, Feb. 2 for a special live show with Dan Savage of the Savage Lovecast, and . Get your tickets here. We love to hear from you: Send comments and questions for Unorthodox to Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. This episode is sponsored by JChef, the new kosher meal kit. Go to Jchef.com/unorthodox and use coupon code Unorthodox30 to get 30 percent off your first order. Additional support comes from The Branch, a new podcast from Hadassah that explores how positive relationships between Israeli Jews and Arabs can bring new hope for a truly shared society. Check it out at Hadassah.org/thebranch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  14. 2.22: Two Cathedrals (Part II, with Aaron Sorkin and Kirsten Nelson)

    03/22/2017

    2.22: Two Cathedrals (Part II, with Aaron Sorkin and Kirsten Nelson)

    Aaron Sorkin joins Josh and Hrishi for our final episode of Season Two, to talk about his experience writing "Two Cathedrals." Plus, Kirsten Nelson (@NelsonKirsten) tells us about playing the role of the young Mrs Landingham. thewestwingweekly.com/episodes/222-part2 Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

  15. 4.09: Swiss Diplomacy (with Kevin Falls and Eli Attie)

    12/13/2017

    4.09: Swiss Diplomacy (with Kevin Falls and Eli Attie)

    Eli Attie (@EliAttie) and Kevin Falls (@KevinFalls) are our guests to talk about the “break glass in case of emergency” writing that went into “Swiss Diplomacy”, a rare episode without a Sorkin writing credit. These guys have stories! And they’ll tell you why, when in doubt, you should always run for president. For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/409 Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

  16. Us People

    02/09/2023

    Us People

    This week on Unorthodox, Belgium is still the worst.  Our Jew of the Week is the novelist Gabrielle Zevin. She joins us to talk about her newest novel, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, plus how video games can be vehicles for teaching morality and how she approaches writing about Holocaust survivors.  Plus, the hosts discuss the new Netflix disaster that is You People, with insight from our managing producer and Hollywood correspondent, Courtney Hazlett.  We love to hear from you! Send us emails and voice memos at unorthodox@tabletmag.com, or leave a voicemail at our listener line: (914) 570-4869. Remember to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from.  Merch alert! Check out our new Unorthodox tees, mugs, and hoodies at tabletstudios.com.  We’re back on the road! 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. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Check out all of our podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts. Sponsors: Study and practice Jewish sacred chanting with Sacred Chant: Healing the Spirit, Transforming the Mind, Deepening Love, the new four-week program from the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Sign up by February 10th at JewishSpirituality.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  17. 49 Days: Week 3, Tipheret

    05/08/2022 ·  Bonus

    49 Days: Week 3, Tipheret

    Today we’re sharing a special weekly edition of Kylie Unell’s podcast miniseries, 49 Days to Stretch My Soul. Kylie is putting her own spin on the Jewish tradition of counting the Omer—the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot—with a daily practice that includes everything from exploring the lyrics of Steven Sondheim, interviewing a ballet dancer, immersing herself in nature, and more. This third week is all about Tipheret, or discipline and harmony. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  18. When War Hits Home

    08/01/2024

    When War Hits Home

    It's been almost ten months since the Oct. 7 attacks, and Israelis are adjusting to a new normal. Executive producer Courtney Hazlett visits the Reich family home and speaks with mother and son Osnat and Chen Reich to learn more about daily life since Oct. 7, from coping with grief to the fatigue of war for both soldier and mother. Learn more about becoming a Tablet Member 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  19. Love and Prizes

    09/12/2019

    Love and Prizes

    Join us for 'The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia' launch party next Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the JCC Manhattan! There will be wine from our friends at Unorthodox Wines, and you'll be able to buy the book two weeks before its official publication date! Can't make it? Preorder the book and you could win a Zabar's gift basket! To enter, forward a copy of your receipt or confirmation to unorthodox@tabletmag.com. Our Jewish guest this week is Israeli writer Etgar Keret, winner of the Sapir Prize, one of Israel's most prestigious literary awards. His new story collection, newly published in English, is called Fly Already, and he joins Stephanie and Liel to discuss his characteristically quirky short stories, the influence of of the Holocaust on his work, and the starkly different reception he—and his work—receives in Israel vs. the United States. Our Gentile of the Week is Henry G. Brinton, senior pastor at Fairfax Presbytarian Church in Fairfax, VA and a contributor to the Huffington Post. He and Stephanie talk about their shared connection with two religion professors at Duke University, Brinton's career-long focus on building interfaith community, and his new novel, City of Peace. Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. This episode is sponsored by KOL Foods, delivering great tasting, healthy, sustainable, and ethically raised kosher meat. Get a 10 percent discount on your next order using the code UNORTHODOX at kolfoods.com. This episode is also brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  20. Unorthodox Unedited: 2 Jews, Infinite opinions

    11/07/2019

    Unorthodox Unedited: 2 Jews, Infinite opinions

    We’re taking this week off, but we wanted to bring you an unedited look into a conversation Mark was desperate to set up between two of his friends, Liel Leibovitz and Jay Michaelson.  These are two Jews who are very in sync in some ways, but extremely different in others.  Come explore with them as they talk about some of the most important issues we’re all facing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joshua Malina on Apple