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Like most highly successful entrepreneurs, Mark Gerson likes things he can measure, quantify, and know for certain. So as a student of the Torah, a question came to mind: If the Torah is supposed to be a guide to life, can we prove that its claims are true? In his epic new book, God Was Right, Gerson examined each and every single one of the Torah’s prescriptions on anything from what to wear to who to marry, and compared them to contemporary scientific research to prove that the ancient wisdom is as true and as urgently relevant as always. He joins Liel to discuss why the cure to depression may be in your closet, the biggest mistake you’re making while dating, and why we need less victim culture and more dignity culture.

In his new and best-selling book, Israel and Civilization, Josh Hammer makes a bold claim: the future of Western civilization depends on the State of Israel and the Jewish people thriving. He joins Liel to talk about the dangers of the Neo-Nietzschean right, about why liberal Jews have lost the historical plot, and about how only a Jewish-Christian coalition can make the West overcome its moment of tumult.

For more than 3,000 years, prohibitions against eating pig has been central to Jewish dietary laws, but it’s also been a potent symbol of Jewish identity. Other non-kosher animals, like horses, rabbits, squirrels, and even vultures don’t carry the same weight that the pig does in the Jewish imagination. Jordan Rosenblum, Jewish Studies professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, joins us to talk about why. His new book, Forbidden—A 3,000-Year History of Jews and the Pig, traces the history of the pig as a symbol of Jewish identity, and recently won the National Jewish Book Award for Food Writing and Cookbooks.

Universities are meant to be spaces of free inquiry, knowledge, and rigorous debate. But according to academic and writer Cary Nelson, they’ve instead become hotbeds of ideological conformity—long before October 7. In his new essay Mindless, published in the Jewish Quarterly, Nelson traces how universities abandoned shared intellectual principles, paving the way for the antisemitism and misinformation now taking hold on campuses worldwide. He joins Liel to discuss the forces that led to this institutional failure, the consequences for Jewish students and faculty, and what must happen to restore true academic freedom.

A few weeks ago, we brought you a conversation with AJ Edelman, the first Orthodox Jew to compete in the Winter Olympics and the pilot of the current Israeli bobsled team. Shortly after that interview, Tablet signed on as a sponsor for his bobsled team, complete with merch you can find at https://tabletmagstore.com/ This week, we’re bringing you a dispatch from his time at the World Bobsled Championships and the three things you need to know about bobsledding. For more information about the Israel Bobsled team, visit israelbobsled.team.

The charge of dual loyalty has long been a key weapon in the arsenal of anti-Semites everywhere. But in his new book, The Case for Dual Loyalty: Healing the Divided Soul of American Jews, Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz of Los Angeles’ Valley Beth Shalom argues that it’s time to embrace the idea. He joins Liel to talk about why American Jews should be loyal to Israel and the United States alike, why that is a complimentary rather than contradictory idea, and why it’s time, in the aftermath of October 7th, for Jews to reconsider the way they view their identities

Salvador Litvak, also known as the Accidental Talmudist, is the filmmaker behind the 2005 cult classic When Do We Eat and the author of Let My People Laugh: The Greatest Jewish Jokes of All Time!. He joins us to discuss his new film, Guns and Moses, in which a small-town rabbi becomes an unlikely gunslinger after his community is attacked. Guns and Moses premiered at the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival in 2024 and is expected to release nationwide this summer. Sponsors: The Institute for Jewish Spirituality invites you to Mindfulness for the Climate Crisis: Resilience in a Changing World. Register at Jewishspirituality.org Join the American Technion Society for an exclusive briefing with Technion Professor Brigadier General Jacob Nagel, as he shares key finding from his report to the government on Israel’s defense technology and security needs, and the Technion’s vital role in this evolving strategy. Register at link.ats.org/security

Last Saturday, ICE agents detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian-born Palestinian who was one of the leaders behind the year-long Tentifadah in Columbia University. Khalil and his group have repeatedly expressed their support for Hamas and other terrorist organizations, a violation of U.S. immigration law. Ilya Shapiro, senior fellow and director of constitutional studies at the Manhattan Institute, joins Liel to explain why the act is completely legal, and why we shouldn’t fall for the bad faith argument that Khalil’s arrest is a free speech issue.

It’s been a week of fast-paced breaking news, from a bit of Hamas propaganda winning the Academy Award for best documentary to President Trump and Vice President Vance presiding over a heated meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky in the White House. Journalist and podcaster Eli Lake joins Liel to discuss what Trump gets wrong about Ukraine, what he gets right about Israel, and what Israel’s options may be as its ceasefire with Hamas draws to an end.

Shtisel was a world wide phenomenon, and after the success of the original, co-creator Yehonatan Indursky is back with a new story, Kugel, focusing on Libbi and her dad Nuchem Shtisel during their days in Antwerp. Hadas Yaron, who stars as Libbi, joins us to talk about the difference between Shtisel and Kugel, and what makes them such compelling Jewish television. We also, of course, discuss the foodstuff that inspires the show’s title (are you team savory or sweet?). You can stream both Shtisel and Kugel on Izzy, a new streaming service from Israel. Hosted by Courtney Hazlett, Rabbi Diana Fersko, and Josh Kross, each episode of How to Be a Jew takes a look at a current, cultural topic and what it means for us as Jews, and how we react to it because we are Jews. Want to send us an email? Send it off to podcasts@tabletmag.com For more podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts

Like most Jews, the news of the murder of the Bibas children not only saddened us, but it also made us ANGRY. How do we deal with our own thoughts about the event, and the greater world’s response as well? Dara Horn, a prolific author known for her book People Love Dead Jews (and the podcast Adventures with Dead Jews) as well as her work fighting antisemitism, joins us to deal with our anger and provide context for why we should be optimistic about the future of Jews. We also talk about her new Passover-themed graphic novel for kids, One Little Goat. How does a seder that won’t end lead to a time-traveling adventure? Have a listen.

One of American Jewry’s leading theologians and thinkers, Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg has spent decades engaging—and enraging—orthodoxy by suggesting it was time for religious Jews to examine some of their closest-held beliefs, including on such controversial issues like gay marriage or female members of the clergy. He joins Liel to discuss his new book, The Triumph of Life: A Narrative Theology of Judaism, the role of God during the Holocaust, and why he believes the ancient religion is finally old enough to grow out of some of its ancient hang-ups.

AJ Edelman is the first Orthodox Jew to compete in the Winter Olympics and serves as the pilot of the Israeli bobsled team. He joins us to make the case for Jews in sports, recounts his unconventional path to “sliding sport” acclaim (and the setbacks he’s faced), and talks about what it’s meant for him to represent Israel on an international stage. If you want to sponsor AJ and his team, get in touch with us at podcasts@tabletmag.com Hosted by Courtney Hazlett, Rabbi Diana Fersko, and Josh Kross, each episode of How to Be a Jew takes a look at a current, cultural topic and what it means for us as Jews, and how we react to it because we are Jews. Want to send us an email? Send it off to podcasts@tabletmag.com For more podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts

Jennifer Sey was a national gymnastics champion who then won awards for exposing the abuse many female gymnasts suffered at the hands of their male coaches. She was also a celebrated executive with fashion giant Levi Strauss before being canceled for speaking her mind. Now, she’s the founder and CEO of XX-XY Athletics, a new brand committed to protecting women in sports from males unduly entering their spaces. She joins Liel to share how she ended up behind the president’s desk at the signing of a recent executive order, what it was like to have J.K. Rowling endorse her ad, and why Nike and every other big brand in sports is now copying her message.

In today’s hyper-paced, screen-driven world, making—and keeping—new friends has become incredibly challenging. Same goes for nurturing long-lasting friendships. So, what’s a Jew to do? Journalist, author, and unofficial friendship correspondent Anna Goldfarb joins us to talk about modern friendship, a topic she delves into in her book, Modern Friendship: How to Nurture Our Most Valued Connections. During our conversation, we look at how we can keep the friends we want, and successfully build new relationships. Hosted by Courtney Hazlett, Rabbi Diana Fersko, and Josh Kross, each episode of How to Be a Jew takes a look at a current, cultural topic and what it means for us as Jews, and how we react to it because we are Jews. Want to send us an email? Send it off to podcasts@tabletmag.com For more podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts

Welcoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump has repeatedly made a bombshell proposal: Empty Gaza of its 1.8 million Palestinian residents, resettling them elsewhere in the Arab world and rebuilding the devastated strip. Tony Badran, Tablet Magazine’s news editor, joins Liel to explain why Trump’s plan is deeply generous, why so many of Washington’s self-proclaimed best and brightest have gotten the Middle East wrong for so long, and about why the Abraham Accords are far from the panacea many still believe them to be.

Ben M. Freeman’s previous two books, 2021’s Jewish Pride: Rebuilding a People and 2022’s Reclaiming Our Story: The Pursuit of Jewish Pride were powerful arguments for rejecting Jew-hate, both internal and external. His latest book, The Jews: An Indigenous People, coming out Feb. 27, is the first scholarly book to tackle the topic of the Jewish people’s indigenous ties to the land of Israel. We discuss the defining characteristics of what it means to BE a Jew, and how that relates to us in the modern, post-October 7th world. Hosted by Courtney Hazlett, Rabbi Diana Fersko, and Josh Kross, each episode of How to Be a Jew takes a look at a current, cultural topic and what it means for us as Jews, and how we react to it because we are Jews. Want to send us an email? Send it off to podcasts@tabletmag.com For more podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts

Not long ago, a prominent Silicon Valley technologist told anyone who would listen that he believed he would never die because Artificial Intelligence was basically a God-like machine that could override all human frailties, including aging. This idea, says author and classicist Spencer Klavan, isn’t new: the history of science is in large part the story of trying to take the Creator out of the picture, only to come back again to the same stirrings described so eloquently in the first chapter of Genesis. Klavan, the author of the new book Light of the Mind, Light of the World: How New Science is Illuminating Ancient Truths About God, talks to Liel about the future of AI, the arrogance of the new atheists, and the hopeful future that groundbreaking discoveries are ushering in by bridging the gap between faith and science.

Lisa Edelstein has always been a woman of many hats, from 80’s “It” girl, to acting in shows like House, and painting. She joins us to talk about her latest exhibition, “Dance Me to the End of the World,” and how the paintings are so …. Jewish. We also talk about how her Judaism has affected the rest of her career, and how 10/7 impacted her work and relationships. Hosted by Courtney Hazlett, Rabbi Diana Fersko, and Josh Kross, each episode of How to Be a Jew takes a look at a current, cultural topic and what it means for us as Jews, and how we react to it because we are Jews. Want to send us an email? Send it off to podcasts@tabletmag.com For more podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts