Let’s Stay Together

This week, we’re pledging our loyalty to Unorthodox with two amazing Jewish guests.

Our first guest is actress Michaela Watkins, who you’ve seen in shows like Casual, Transparent, and The New Adventures of Old Christine. She’s in the new film Brittany Runs a Marathon and the new CBS comedy The Unicorn. Michaela talked to Stephanie about playing Jewish (and non-Jewish) characters, how she reconnected with her Judaism through the organization Reboot, and the ways her Jewish identity impact her political activism.

Our next guest is historian Pamela Nadell, whose latest book is America’s Jewish Women: A History from Colonial Times to Today. She tells us about unearthing forgotten stories of Jewish women, like Grace Nathan, a wife and mother who witnessed the country’s founding, and contextualizing the lives of well-known Jewish women, like Nathan’s great-granddaughter Emma Lazarus, whose poem, “The New Colossus,” has long been synonymous with America’s welcoming attitude toward immigrants. She also warns against the recent revision of that poem by the acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and explains how Jewish women in America have long been ahead of their time.

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This episode is sponsored by KOL Foods, delivering great tasting, healthy, sustainable, and ethically raised kosher meat. Get a 10% discount on your next order using the code UNORTHODOX at kolfoods.com.

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.