Mish-Mosh Mashup

This week on Unorthodox, we’ve got a bit of a mish-mash (mish-mosh?) for you.

First, a taste of our visit to Cleveland, where we recorded a live episode at the Mandel JCC.

Then, Stephanie sits down with Jewish author Gary Shteyngart, whose new novel is Lake Success, about a Manhattan hedge fund manager named Barry Cohen who abandons his wife and son for a Greyhound road trip across America with the backdrop of the 2016 election. In the wake of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, he talks about his personal connection to Squirrel Hill, and how HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, resettled him and his family when they fled the Soviet Union for America. Plus, he explains why dachshunds are the ultimate Jewish dog.

Our gentile of the week is comedian and Risk! podcast host Kevin Allison, recorded live at the Manhattan JCC earlier this month. A member of the ’90s sketch comedy troupe The State, Kevin tells us about working as a bartender at the Grammys while having a show on MTV (Sarah McLachlan recognized him), plus how he started his storytelling podcast, where notable figures share true stories they never thought they’d dare to share. His question for the panel: Why are so many American Buddhists Jews?

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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.