Friendly Faces
Ep. 251: Comedian Gilbert Gottfried on the importance of comedy in dark times, and novelist Gavriel Savit on making the fantasy genre even more Jewish
This week on Unorthodox, Mark says goodbye to a staple of his childhood as Friendly’s files for bankruptcy. To cheer him up, we’ve got two great Jewish guests.
First we talk to comedian Gilbert Gottfried, whose voice you may have recognized on our 2019 episode celebrating the publication of our book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia. He explains why comedy in dark times is essential and cathartic, tells us about his own podcast, Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast, where he schmoozes with and celebrates show business legends, and regales us with the story of his family’s infamous Zoom bat mitzvah incident.
Our next guest is Gavriel Savit, who started his Unorthodox journey as an angry letter writer, became Mark’s neighbor in New Haven, welcomed us into his home to record an episode, and finally joins us as a proper guest to tell us about his magical and deeply Jewish young adult novel, The Way Back. He makes the case that the fantasy genre is in fact quite Jewish—is Hogwarts basically a yeshiva?—and explains why books like his, which is proudly filled with Jewish imagery and takes place in an Eastern European shtetl, can still hold universal appeal.
Let us know what you think of the show! Send us comments and questions at [email protected], or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us.
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more.
Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram.
Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt.
Sponsors:
Wisdom Studio is offering two new four-week programs focused on Jewish women. “When Bubbe Met Amy” explores the work of funny Jewish women like Amy Schumer, Tiffany Haddish, Rachel Bloom, Abbi Jacobson, and Ilana Glazer, and “Not a Nice Jewish Girl” explores the role and history of women in Israeli cinema. Learn more at gordoncenter.com/wisdom-studio.
The Great Courses Plus offers thousands of online classes on hundreds of topics, all taught by professors and experts in their fields. We’re currently streaming the course on “Jewish Intellectual History: 16th to 20th Century.” Start your free trial at thegreatcoursesplus.com/unorthodox.
American Jewish World Service is fighting poverty and pursuing justice in the developing world. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, AJWS is currently twice-matching all donations; find out more about the organization and make your donation at AJWS.org/unorthodox.
ORT America combines Jewish values with an education that prepares students for careers and lives of meaning. Thousands of ORT students in 30 countries are learning to address today’s most urgent challenges: climate change, cybersecurity, medical advancements, and more. Change the world with them at ortamerica.org.
PJ Library sends free storybooks to children (newborn to 12 years old), making it easy to start sharing Jewish traditions. Sign up at pjlibrary.org/unorthodox.
- UnorthodoxStage HandEp. 322: The new Jewish star of Broadway’s ‘Dear Evan Hansen,’ plus how the Krakow JCC is helping Ukrainian refugees, talking to LGBTQ Jews, and moreJune 23, 2022
- UnorthodoxMixed GrillEp. 320: Restaurateurs Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook bring their Israeli skewer house to Brooklyn, journalist James Kirchick uncovers Washington, D.C.’s ‘Secret History’June 9, 2022
- UnorthodoxThe Conversion Episode, 2022Ep. 319: Our fifth annual Shavuot celebration of Jews by choice, featuring stories from Washington, D.C., to Jerusalem May 26, 2022
- UnorthodoxUnorthodox Comes Alive!Ep. 318: Congresswoman Elaine Luria and NFL hall-of-famer Bruce Smith, live from Virginia BeachMay 19, 2022
- UnorthodoxBig Bang SliceEp. 317: ‘Jeopardy!’ host Mayim Bialik on her ‘very, very Jewish’ new film, plus Eddie Chang on Buy Nothing groups, and a ‘Licorice Pizza’ reviewMay 12, 2022
- UnorthodoxThe MothershipEp. 316: Jewish Fertility Foundation; Ester Steinberg’s postpartum comedy special; a Fragile X diagnosis; a complicated college graduationMay 5, 2022
- UnorthodoxPuzzling ThroughEp. 315: A.J. Jacobs on crosswords, riddles, and Wordle, plus director Barry Levinson’s new film, ‘The Survivor’April 28, 2022
- UnorthodoxRootless CosmopolitansEp. 314: Barry Manilow on his new musical ‘Harmony,’ Andy Markovits on the power of a passport, and Tablet’s Maggie Phillips on religious literacyApril 21, 2022
- UnorthodoxBonus: Passover MelodiesMusician Josh Warshawsky sings us through the SederApril 14, 2022
- UnorthodoxA Passover to RememberEp. 313: Our hosts make this ancient holiday feel personal, relevant, and meaningfulApril 7, 2022
- UnorthodoxWhat’s Cookin’?Ep. 312: Massachusetts State Sen. Eric Lesser on inaugurating the Obama White House Seders, and Unorthodox producer Quinn Waller on learning to make chicken soup for PassoverMarch 31, 2022
- UnorthodoxWe Are FamilyEp. 311: Julie Platt on Jewish Federations (and her talented Jewish family), and Father Thomas Soroka on Orthodox ChristianityMarch 24, 2022
- UnorthodoxParty OnEp. 310: Reveling on Purim, celebrating 100 years of the bat mitzvah, and revisiting a ‘Preppy Handbook’ parodyMarch 17, 2022
- UnorthodoxPosted NotesEp. 309: A deep dive into our mailbox, plus TikTok sax star Evan Jacobson and journalist Shawn SetaroMarch 10, 2022
- UnorthodoxRocking and RollingEp. 308: Shlock Rock’s Lenny Solomon and Jane Austen scholar Devoney LooserMarch 3, 2022
- UnorthodoxGoing PlacesEp. 307: Tablet’s Armin Rosen and Vladislav Davidzon offer a window into UkraineFebruary 24, 2022
- UnorthodoxChasing MemoriesEp. 306: Tablet’s Wayne Hoffman on solving a family murder mysteryFebruary 17, 2022
- UnorthodoxOld SchoolEp. 305: Chuck Klosterman on his new book about the ’90sFebruary 10, 2022