The One With the Instagram Rabbis
Ep. 196: Modern Ritual’s Samantha Frank and Rena Singer, Saul Austerlitz on ‘Friends,’ and Wesleyan President Michael Roth
This week we’re going to party like it’s 5779, while we still can.
First we sit down with Samantha Frank and Rena Singer, the rabbi and rabbinical student behind Modern Ritual, which models passionate, feminist Jewish life and content on Instagram. They tell us why they’re thinking beyond congregational posts, and why they believe social media is the way to connect with young Jews today.
We also talk to Saul Austerlitz, whose new book is Generation Friends: An Inside Look at the Show That Defined a Television Era. He gives us some Friends casting what-ifs and offers his theory on why the show remains incredibly popular on streaming platforms 25 years after it premiered.
And Liel talks to Wesleyan University President Michael Roth about his new book on free speech and political correctness on campus.
We’re heading to San Francisco! Join us Monday, Sept 23 for a special live show with Bari Weiss, author of How to Fight Anti-Semitism, and New Yorker writer Andrew Marantz, all about anti-Semitism today and what Jews and their friends need to know about it. Get your tickets here; use discount code TABLET50.
Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at [email protected] or leave a message at 914-570-4869.
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more.
Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group.
Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here.
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.
This episode is also brought to you by the Tikvah Fund’s free online course, Tevye the Dairyman. Professor Ruth Wisse guides you story by story as Sholem Aleichem’s famous character confronts the challenges of revolution, materialism, assimilation, and anti-Semitism. Visit tevye.tikvahfund.org/unorthodox to sign up today.
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.
- UnorthodoxEveryday HeroesEp. 391: Bernard-Henri Lévy’s new film about Ukraine, and Brooke Eby on raising awareness about ALSNovember 30, 2023
- UnorthodoxSitting TogetherEp. 390: A Beautifully Jewish Thanksgiving, featuring an iconic folding chair and a conversation with knitwear designer Inbal GrossNovember 22, 2023
- UnorthodoxDark Times, Bright LightsEp. 389: Reporting from the March for Israel in Washington, D.C.; Etgar Keret’s writer’s block; LeElle Slifer on advocating for her kidnapped Israeli cousins; and Tablet’s Hanukkah BazaarNovember 16, 2023
- UnorthodoxWords of WisdomEp. 388: Dan Senor on ‘The Genius of Israel’ and Gila Sacks on the legacy of her father, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, in this momentNovember 9, 2023
- UnorthodoxJewish PrioritiesEp. 387: A trip Across the JEW.S.A to Miami, plus timely conversations about Jewish identity, Israel, and more recorded live at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish HistoryNovember 2, 2023
- UnorthodoxClosely KnitEp. 386: Israeli actress Swell Ariel Or on living in the U.S. while Israel is at war, Tablet’s audience editor Ani Wilcenski on speaking up on social media, and artist Jeanette Kuvin Oren on teaching art to displaced children in IsraelOctober 26, 2023
- UnorthodoxMoving Forward, TogetherEp. 385: Rabbi Ari Lamm on what Jewish ethics says about freeing hostages and more; actress Lisa Edelstein on her new PBS series, ‘Little Bird’October 19, 2023
- UnorthodoxTime for ShabbatEp. 384: After a painful week, we’re embracing one of the most beautiful and steadfast Jewish traditionsOctober 13, 2023
- UnorthodoxVoices From IsraelEp. 383: Am Yisrael ChaiOctober 10, 2023
- UnorthodoxThe Good BookEp. 382: Co-host Liel Leibovitz on ‘How the Talmud Can Change Your Life,’ plus Israeli journalist Leore Dayan on his semi-autobiographical TV series ‘Normal’October 5, 2023
- UnorthodoxUnder the StarsEp. 381: Celebrating Sukkot in styleSeptember 28, 2023
- UnorthodoxTalking the TalkEp. 380: Linguist Deborah Tannen on ‘cooperative overlap,’ Peoplehood founder Julie Rice on creating community through conversation, and Mitchell Silk on communicating across languages and culturesSeptember 21, 2023
- UnorthodoxStealing the ShowEp. 379: ‘Golda’ director Guy Nattiv and ‘You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah’ writer Amanda SternSeptember 14, 2023
- UnorthodoxBeautifully JewishEp. 378: Starting the new year with a celebration of the objects that enrich our Jewish livesSeptember 7, 2023
- UnorthodoxWe Could NoshEp. 377: Jake Cohen’s new cookbook; the Jewish story behind PLNT Burger; New York’s rugelach king; and a trip Across the JEW.S.A. to the kosher Catskills August 31, 2023
- UnorthodoxSounds of the SeasonEp. 376: High Holiday music prep with Rabbi Josh Warshawsky, plus Ladino singer Sarah Aroeste, and the music archive of the National Library of IsraelAugust 24, 2023
- UnorthodoxEntering Elul Ep. 375: Diving into the month leading up to the High Holidays with Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin, Rabbi Diana Fersko, and moreAugust 17, 2023
- UnorthodoxRocky Mountain High NotesEp. 374: Song Exploder host Hrishikesh Hirway’s new single, plus a trip Across the JEW.S.A. to ColoradoAugust 3, 2023