Exploring ‘The Archive’
Unorthodox visits the National Library of Israel and spotlights items in its collection
April 13, 2023
Tablet Magazine
In the series The Archive, Unorthodox explores the collection of the National Library of Israel. On each installment, Liel Leibovitz visits the library and talks with curators about some of their most prized items, letters, and manuscripts. We learn about Napoleon’s near conquests of the Middle East, Mahatma Gandhi’s correspondence with Hitler, and how Kafka’s manuscripts ended up in a Kafkaesque Israeli legal trial.
We kick things off with a look at Sir Isaac Newton’s Hebrew-inflected writings on … the end of days.
Unorthodox
Listen and Learn
Ep. 358: Podcast macher Arielle Nissenblatt, Andrea Wakefield on Italian American cooking in Delaware, and a look inside the National Library of Israel’s collection
April 13, 2023
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Next, we take a look at Maimonides’ 12th-century manuscripts and learn about the Jewish thinker’s nomadic adventures.
Unorthodox
The Long Game
Ep. 362: Rabbi Ari Lamm on spirituality in the NBA Playoffs; journalist Gabby Deutch on a Jewish cold case; and an up-close look at Maimonides’ 12th-century manuscripts
May 11, 2023
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In our third episode we learn about Gandhi’s surprising letter to Hitler, and his correspondence with the Jews of Bombay.
Unorthodox
Coronation Cholent
Ep. 368: Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis; The Best Advice Show host Zak Rosen; exploring the archive of the National Library of Israel
June 22, 2023
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In our fourth installment, we learn about the manuscripts of Ahmed Ibn Taymiyya, one of the most influential thinkers in the history of Islam.
Unorthodox
Kosher Face
Ep. 372: Sarah Silverman on her new comedy special ‘Someone You Love,’ plus an exploration of the National Library of Israel
July 20, 2023
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In our next installment we dive into the library’s music collection and sound archive.
Unorthodox
Sounds of the Season
Ep. 376: High Holiday music prep with Rabbi Josh Warshawsky, plus Ladino singer Sarah Aroeste, and the music archive of the National Library of Israel
August 24, 2023
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In our sixth segment, we learn how Napoleon left his comfort zone and ended up in Israel.
Unorthodox
Under the Stars
Ep. 381: Celebrating Sukkot in style
September 28, 2023
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In this segment, we discover the Hebrew notebooks of one Franz Kafka, and tell the story of how those notebooks came to be ensnared in a Kafkaesque battle of ownership.
Unorthodox
Heading North
Ep. 394: A visit to Jewish Montreal; Gadi Taub on ‘Israel Update’; getting Kafkaesque at the National Library of Israel
December 28, 2023
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You can check out the National Library of Israel’s collection here.
Tablet Studios is the premier destination for smart and entertaining Jewish audio content. Our podcasts include Rootless with Liel Leibovitz, What Really Matters, Take One, and the limited-run series such as Dreyfus: A Very Modern Affair, Re-Form, Gatecrashers, and Adventures with Dead Jews.
