Knocked Out

This week on Unorthodox, Natalie Portman announces she won’t accept ‘Jewish Nobel Prize’ in Israel, plus Jewish artichoke drama in Italy.

Our Jewish guest is Rachel Simmons, the author of Enough as She Is: How to Help Girls Move Beyond Impossible Standards of Success to Live Healthy, Happy and Fulfilling Lives. Rachel explains the pressures facing young girls in America today, how we can better support our daughters and nieces and friends, and whether things are any better for girls who attend Jewish schools. Our gentile of the week is Linda Curtis, whose memoir Shunned: How I Lost My Religion and Found Myself, chronicles her decision to leave her close-knit Jehovah’s Witness community, which ultimately led to her being formally shunned, or defellowshipped, by the religion. Linda tells us about life as a Jehovah’s Witness, why she left, and why she has no animosity toward the community—and family—that shunned her. Her question for the panel is whether Jews are ever formally excommunicated like she was.

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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.