Unorthodox

Chai Fidelity

Ep. 227: Author Nick Hornby on the Hulu adaptation of his ’90s record store novel; Rachel Rosenthal on infertility in the Bible; and a ‘Wendy’s Shabbat’ update

May 7, 2020

This week, it’s vinyl records vs. Spotify playlists.

We talk to Nick Hornby, the English author of High Fidelity, Fever Pitch, About a Boy and a bunch of other books that were also adapted into feature films. We chatted with him about the new Hulu adaptation of High Fidelity starring Zoë Kravitz as a record store owner in Brooklyn, what music means to the kids today, and how his puzzle hobby is keeping him busy in quarantine.

Then, Stephanie talks to Rachel Rosenthal, who teaches Talmud at the Jewish Theological Seminary and writes frequently about the intersection of Jewish text and modern life. She discusses stories of infertility in the Hebrew Bible, as well as her own experience with infertility as a modern Orthodox woman.

Finally, we check back in with filmmaker Rachel Myers and her grandmother Roberta Mahler, the director and star of Wendy’s Shabbat, a documentary about a group of seniors who meet each week for Shabbat dinner at a local Wendy’s fast-food restaurant. Rachel and Roberta, who were guests on Unorthodox back in 2018, tell us about adjusting to life in quarantine, and share the unexpected new Shabbat tradition their family has adopted.

Join us for Tablet Live, a series of Zoom conversations with some of the most interesting artists, writers, and thinkers around. On Thursday, May 7 at 7 p.m., Stephanie and Liel will be in conversation about Liel’s new book, Stan Lee: A Life in Comics, and on Sunday, May 10 at 2 p.m., Stephanie will be joined onscreen by Israeli chef (and former Unorthodox guest) Einat Admony, as they make a recipe from Einat’s cookbook, Shuk. More info at bit.ly/tabletlive

Be part of our upcoming special episodes! Do you have a story to share about conversion, and what books or movies helped you along the way? Want to tell us about a lesser-known Jewish community for our Jews Around the World episode? Send us your story as a voicemail at (914) 570-4869, or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to [email protected].

Our tour events for spring 2020 have been postponed. Stay tuned for updates on rescheduled dates, and join our Facebook group to see much more of us and connect with other listeners. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more.

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