Unorthodox (podcast)

Unorthodox is a podcast that discusses news, culture, and politics related to Judaism.[1]

Unorthodox
Presentation
Hosted by
GenreReligion and spirituality podcast
LanguageEnglish
Production
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes281
Publication
Original releaseJuly 17, 2015
ProviderTablet
Related
Websitewww.tabletmag.com/podcasts/unorthodox/

Background

The podcast was started in 2015 when Oppenheimer pitched the idea to Tablet Magazine[2][3]

The podcast is recorded in front of a live audience in New York City. The podcast received a grant from the Jim Joseph Foundation.[4] On November 5, 2018 the podcast recorded a live episode at the Mandel Jewish Community Center in Beachwood, Ohio as part of the Cleveland Jewish Book Festival. The live show featured a guest appearance from David Gilbert, the CEO and president of Destination Cleveland and Greater Cleveland Sports Commission.[5] Oppenheimer did an interview with New Voices.[6]

In 2020, Unorthodox marked its 250th episode.[2]

Hosts

The podcast is hosted by:

  • Stephanie Butnick: Butnick serves as deputy editor of Tablet [2] and co-founder of its podcast network, Tablet Studios. She studied Religion at Duke and NYU and has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.[7]
  • Liel Leibovitz, the senior writer for Tablet Israeli-born Leibovitz, is a senior writer for Tablet, journalist, media critic and video-games expert.[5][2] He earned his PhD from Columbia [8] and has written books including Stan Lee: A Life in Comics.[9]
  • Joshua Malina: Malina was announced as a new co-host replacing Mark Oppenheimer on 18 May 2023.[10]

Additional Personalities

Josh Kross, producer [8]

Former Host

One of the original hosts was Mark Oppenheimer: Oppenheimer is a writer and the director of the Yale Journalism Initiative.[2] Oppenheimer earned his Ph.D.and B.A. from Yale.[11] He has been a news reporter, magazine writer, and essayist and has written six books, including Wisenheimer (about his years as a high school debater) and Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood.[11] Oppenheinheimer's final episode as host of the podcast was on 27 April 2023. [12]

Format

The hosts talk about Jewish culture, politics, and news with weekly guests. The show is generally light hearted, but does cover difficult topics like the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.[5] The show also covers controversial topics such as Jewish girls getting rhinoplasty.[4] The show provides a content warning for swearing and has regular "Jew of the week" and "Gentile of the week" segments. Guests on the show have included CEOs David Gilbert and Terry Stewart.[5] One episode featured historian Alan Robert Ginsburg and Israeli cooking personality Gil Hovav, while another featured Jesuit priest James Martin and comedian Judy Gold.[13]

Segments
  • Introduction: Weekly personal anecdotes from the hosts
  • News of the Jews
  • Jew of the Week (JOTW): Interview with Jewish individual
  • Gentile of the Week (GOTW): Interview with non-Jewish individual
  • Mailbox
  • Mazel Tovs: Congratulations and shout-outs to notable Jews and fans of the show

Jews of the Week

  • Actress and Neuroscientist Mayim Bialik[14]
  • Colorado Governor Jared Polis[14]
  • Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, clergy at the synagogue in Colleyville, Texas who was taken hostage[14]
  • Rabbi Mike Moskowitz, Orthodox rabbi at the world's largest LGBTQ synagogue, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah[15]
  • Senator Joe Lieberman[16]
  • Andrew Rehfeld, Ph.D., President of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion[17]
  • David Bezmozgis, writer for the popular Canadian sci-fi TV show Orphan Black[18]
  • David Gilbert, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and Destination Cleveland[19]

Gentiles of the Week

  • Great British Baking Show contestant Jürgen Krauss[14]
  • Presbyterian Pastor Henry Brinton[14]
  • Former NBA player and coach Paul Westphal[20]
  • Julie Nesrallah, the opera singer and host of CBC Radio 2’s Tempo classical music program[18]
  • Sister Julia Walsh of the Marywood Franciscan Spirituality Center in northern Wisconsin [21]
  • Father Thomas Soroka, Eastern Orthodox priest from St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Pittsburgh[22]
  • Terry Stewart, former CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland[19]

Episodes

Annual Special Episodes
  • Apology episode coinciding with the High Holy Days [2]
  • Conversion episode coinciding with Shavuot[2]
  • Passover Episode coinciding with Passover

Hal Karp was featured as a guest on the show for the 2018 annual apology episode on Yom Kippur. In the episode Karp told the story of how he mended his relationship with his brother and expressed regret for not repairing relationships with others he had hurt. After sharing the episode on Facebook his ex-wife, Irene Sibaja, reconnected with him and they were remarried on December 6, 2018 at the Emanu-El Temple in Dallas Texas. The three hosts read four of the seven blessings recited at the wedding.[23]

Live events

The podcast did a live show at the Slifka Center for Jewish Life on October 13, 2015.[24] The podcast did a live show at Jewish Community Center of San Francisco on September 23, 2019.[25] The show did a live episode in Pittsburgh.[26] The podcast did a live show in Detroit.[27] The podcast did a live show in Phoenix at the Sun Jewish Community Center on December 9, 2019.[28]

Reception

The podcast was named one of the 50 best podcasts of the year in 2016 by The Guardian.[29] The show was included on Moment Magazine's list of the "Top Ten Jewish Podcasts".[30] The show was included on Washington Jewish Week's list of "7 Jewish podcasts you should add to your rotation".[31] Jetzt called Unorthodox "the world's best-known Jewish podcast".[32]

It is listened to in 11 countries with more than six million downloads; a fan Facebook page includes more than 6,000 members.[14]

Adaptations

The hosts of the show published a book entitled The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia: From Abraham to Zabar’s and Everything in Between and went on a book tour together.[33]

References
  1. Blas, Howard (November 19, 2020). "An 'Unorthodox' American Jewish Podcast Marks 250 Episodes". The Jerusalem Post. The Jerusalem Post Group. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  2. "An 'Unorthodox' American Jewish podcast marks 250 episodes". Archived from the original on 2021-12-16. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  3. Cooper, Rand Richards (February 14, 2020). "In Our Midst: 'The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia' Mixes the Serious and the Lighthearted". Hartford Courant. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  4. Frydberg, Tracy (April 30, 2018). "The Podcast: An Accidental Pulpit for a New Jewish Conversation". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on May 1, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  5. Koehn, Amanda (November 7, 2018). "Jewish Podcast Taps Into Cleveland Pride". Cleveland Jewish News. Cleveland Jewish Publication. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  6. Ben-Moche, Erin (June 20, 2018). "Q&A: Unorthodox Podcast Host Mark Oppenheimer on Jewish Media, Millennials, and Authenticity". New Voices. Jewish Student Press Service. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  7. "Stephanie Butnick, Benjamin Cohen". The New York Times. 10 September 2017. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  8. "Unorthodox podcast hosts declare the American Israelite as the best newspaper". 28 November 2019. Archived from the original on 2022-05-03. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  9. "Liel Leibovitz | Sapir Journal". Archived from the original on 2022-05-03. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  10. "The Conversion Episode, 2023". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  11. "Mark Oppenheimer | English". Archived from the original on 2022-01-23. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  12. "The Final Fribble". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  13. Monicken, Hannah (April 25, 2018). "Seven Jewish Podcasts for Your Rotation". Jewish Exponent. Jewish Publishing Group. Archived from the original on July 18, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  14. "Unorthodox podcast to record live in Tidewater | Jewish News". Archived from the original on 2022-05-03. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  15. "Religiously Non-Conforming: An Orthodox Rabbi Leads a Movement for Trans Inclusivity". Archived from the original on 2020-12-24. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  16. "There's more to Shavuot than cheesecake - the Jewish Chronicle". Archived from the original on 2022-04-14.
  17. "President Rehfeld on Tablet Magazine's Podcasts". Archived from the original on 2022-05-03. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  18. "American podcast UnOrthodox holds live show at Beth Tzedec". 30 November 2016. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  19. "Jewish podcast taps into Cleveland pride". 7 November 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-07-18. Retrieved 2021-07-18.
  20. "Former NBA star Paul Westphal discusses his connection to Israel". 21 February 2020. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  21. "Sister Julia gets real on Jewish Podcast - FSPA News". Archived from the original on 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  22. "We're Family — Unorthodox Podcast — Tablet Magazine". Archived from the original on 2022-05-03. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  23. Wall, Alix (January 8, 2021). "The Road to This Wedding Was Paved With Theft, Lies, Tears, Other Marriages — and Forgiveness". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  24. Branch, Mark Alden (October 14, 2015). "Podcasting in person". Yale Alumni Magazine. Yale University. Archived from the original on December 18, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  25. Pine, Dan (September 16, 2019). "N.Y. Times' Bari Weiss takes on anti-Semitism in first book". J. The Jewish News of Northern California. Jewish Community Publications. Archived from the original on September 18, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  26. Culgan, Rossilynne (December 3, 2018). "The Iranian Political Asylum Seeker Who Raised $1m for Tree of Life Finally Visited Pittsburgh". The Incline. WhereBy.Us. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  27. Chessler, Suzanne (October 24, 2019). "Detroit Jewish Book Fair at the JCC". The Jewish News. Jewish Renaissance Media. Archived from the original on October 29, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  28. Writer, Ellen O’Brien | Staff (27 November 2019). "From Abraham to Zabar's: 'Unorthodox' podcast hosts, authors of 'Newish Jewish Encyclopedia,' come to Phoenix". www.jewishaz.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-16. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  29. Heritage, Stuart; Verdier, Hannah; Dean, Will; Harper, Leah; Phipps, Jason; Slaney, Rowan; Mumford, Gwilym; Locker, Melissa; McConnell, Freddy (2016-12-21). "The 50 best podcasts of 2016". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2017-08-22. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  30. Isaacs, Anna (September 13, 2016). "Top Ten Jewish Podcasts: Reader Edition". Moment. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  31. Johnson, Hannah (2018-04-20). "7 Jewish podcasts you should add to your rotation". Washington Jewish Week. Archived from the original on 2021-07-25. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  32. "Das Lernen über Antisemitismus sollte nie aufhören" [Learning about anti-Semitism should never stop]. jetzt.de (in German). 2020-11-09. Archived from the original on 2021-12-16. Retrieved 2021-12-16. By the way, the world's best-known Jewish podcast is "Unorthodox". Here, the three hosts Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz talk about news from the Jewish community. Also interesting for non-Jewish people.
  33. McKinless, Ashley; Davis, Zac (November 22, 2019). "Everything You've Wanted to Know About Judaism—but Were Too Afraid to Ask". America Magazine. America Press. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
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