The Other Cheek
This week on Unorthodox: Jewish gymnast Aly Raisman is headed to Rio, we talk to a Messianic Jew, and more
This week on Unorthodox: Our favorite Jewish gymnast, Aly Raisman, qualifies for the Olympic Games in Rio. Plus, we’ve got former Unorthodox guest Bat Sheva Marcus, sex therapist and host of the podcast The Joy of Text, filling in for Liel.
Our Jewish guest is Deborah Pardo-Kaplan, a freelance journalist in Austin, Texas, who is working on a memoir about her life as a Messianic Jew. She explains what Messianic Judaism is and her journey from a traditional Jewish upbringing to ultimately adopting those beliefs. She also tells us about the unexpected difficulties of dating as a 20-something Messianic Jew, and the Conservative synagogue she now attends—but can’t get an aliyah at—with her husband and kids in Austin.
Our Gentile of the Week is Bruce Barber, the general manager of WNHU-FM, the campus and community-run radio station at the University of New Haven, and the former co-host of the long-running “Smith and Barber Morning Show.” He tells us about growing up with fellow Gentile of the Week Duo Dickinson in Buffalo, New York, and how he finally figured out where those people in his New Haven neighborhood were walking to on Saturday mornings. He asks about yarmulke protocol for non-Jews in synagogues, and we call up an expert: Dan Rabinowitz, founder and editor-in-chief of the Seforim blog.
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Unorthodox is a smart, fresh, fun weekly take on Jewish news and culture hosted by Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie Butnick, and Liel Leibovitz. You can listen to individual episodes here or subscribe on iTunes.
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