People Jew Wanna Know

Jeff Garlin has been doing stand-up for over 40 years, played Larry David's manager Jeff Greene on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Murray Goldberg on The Goldbergs, and voiced characters in Pixar's WALL-E and Toy Story. What most fans don't know: he's also a serious photographer who waded through 20,000 of his own shots to assemble his new book Best Seat in the House. This is also one of the only Jewish podcasts Jeff has ever done. In this episode, we chat about why modern comedy has lost its "decorum," Jeff finding faith in God later in life, and his Jewish upbringing. Candid, refreshing, and warm, Jeff is a true emblem of a People Jew Wanna KnowFollow Jeff on Instagram @jeffgarlin, and get Best Seat in the House anywhere books are sold, plus signed limited prints at www.jeffgarlin.comSupport our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknowWhat We Discuss:00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda02:18 Jeff's eclectic Jewish childhood06:37 Becoming a comedian a week after turning 2008:05 From swimming with sharks to swimming through sh*t :)13:12 Decorum in comedy is dead 16:30 Discovering photography and Best Seat in the House23:04 Praying for a Jewish woman — and getting one25:43 What Jeff's kids taught him27:47 Finding God in a breeze, and getting sober through AA31:42 Learning from Rabbi Shais Taub and the Shabbat he's planning36:39 "I'm a Zionist, and I'm a proud Jew."44:49 Why Jeff won't make his stand-up about Israel48:17 Playing a villain, and the role he refused to audition for50:20 A message to the Jewish people: find a little peace51:17 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Andrew Fox is the creator and composer of Slam Frank, the satirical hip-hop musical that reimagines Anne Frank's story. "Every woman is a Jew hiding in her own attic," the show proclaims. After going viral online, it made its off-Broadway debut in 2025 and was named one of the New York Times' best comedies of the year. A former nonprofit founder and educator who taught musical theater in China right before COVID, Fox also built the show's cult-famous social media presence himself from an Android.In this episode, Fox makes his case for separating art from the artist. He describes how four Nick Fuentes fans flew in to see his show on the same night as a Satmar family, defends refusing to declare whether Slam Frank is Zionist or anti-Zionist, and explains why certainty is the real danger, and much more. This episode is brought to you by The Five Books Podcast! Listen wherever you get your podcasts & check out www.fivebookspod.org Follow Andrew on Instagram @andrewfoxmusic and follow the show @slamfrankmusical. See Slam Frank at the Orpheum Theater.Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknowWhat We Discuss:00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda06:26 Running the Slam Frank account as performance art07:21 Teaching musical theater in China before COVID09:41 What "woke" was, and why the arts won't grapple with it11:08 The professor suspended for teaching a Mandarin filler word15:19 Andrew's grandfather and the McCarthy era17:20 Why Slam Frank refuses to declare a side20:38 The night 4 Holocaust deniers and a Satmar family saw the show35:04 The October 7th show and the man who stormed out45:49 Separating the art from the artist — up to a point50:22 A message against Jewish tribalism51:19 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Shanie Reichman is a rising star in the NYC Jewish non-profit scene. Today, she directs strategic initiatives at Israel Policy Forum and hosts the new podcast, Disputed Territory, where she makes the case for liberal Zionism to people who think the phrase is a contradiction.In a conversation that's timely given the Israeli elections, Margarita brings her questions, her skepticism, and a genuine willingness to be educated — and Shanie delivers, right down to the logistics of how you could create a two-state solution or, as IPF calls it, a two-state outcome. Follow Shanie on Instagram @ShanieMieka and listen to Disputed Territory wherever you get your podcasts. Check out IPF at www.israelpolicyforum.orgSupport our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow**What We Discuss:**00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda03:36 Nash Didan and an Aramaic-speaking family07:30 How Shanie learned about the I/P conflict10:00 What liberal Zionism actually means14:00 Israeli elections and Netanyahu's cracking coalition18:00 The Haredi draft, education, and the cost to Israel's economy23:00 Haredi feminists and the fake primary that worked28:00 Did October 7th shatter the status quo?35:00 Should diaspora Jews have a say in Israel?44:00 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Rabbi David Wolpe has been described as one of the most influential Rabbis in America. He's known for his pointed debates on the importance of religion, his outspokenness on current affairs, and a desire to shape today's Jewish leaders and their passion for Judaism. In this episode, Rabbi shares countless pieces of wisdom, an inside look at what's happening to Jewish denominations today, and opens up about his hilarious personality! Follow Rabbi Wolpe on Instagram @davidjwolpeSupport our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknowThis episode is brought to you in partnership with the Center for Jewish History. **What We Discuss:**00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda02:24 From aspiring writer to accidental rabbi06:00 Native to America but immigrants to Judaism11:30 Why young Jews lost the sense of peoplehood16:00 Talking to students at the Harvard encampments19:30 Courage, competence, and turning the argument around24:00 Is Orthodoxy the "original" Judaism?29:00 What 30 years taught him about influence33:00 Optimism, bots, and confusing your enemy36:30 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Lindsay Pinchuk built a seven-figure company from scratch, sold it, and became a mentor to hundreds of women over 40 who thought it was too late to start. Then, October 8th, 2023 happened. She posted a video in the parking lot of Whole Foods about what it felt like to be a Jewish American woman, and woke up to 100,000 views and a comment section full of "me too."Three years later, speaking up for what's right didn't cost her the business. Inquiries went up 500%. If you needed a reminder that it's never too late to chase your dreams - this episode is it. Follow Lindsay on socials @LindsayPinchuk and check out her work at www.lindsaypinchuk.comSupport our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknowWhat We Discuss:00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda02:00 From advertising to Bump Club to Dear FoundHer07:00 The Whole Foods parking lot video that changed everything11:00 Fracturing, infighting, and why antisemitism shouldn't have a political party15:00 Getting brands to work with Jewish creators20:00 Why activism isn't a career (and why you need another lane)28:00 What hundreds of female founders taught her34:00 Raising two daughters after October 7th40:00 The "From the River to the Sea" shirt and the letter to the principal47:00 The SWEEP marketing framework52:00 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Gila Pfeffer lost her mother at 20 and her grandmother before that — both to cancers she carried the genetic blueprint for. So she did something very atypical at the time: a preventative double mastectomy in 2008, years before Angelina Jolie made the choice a norm. Unfortunately, Gila got breast cancer anyway. Both a previvor AND survivor, Gila is one of the funniest people you'll ever hear talk about all of it.An award-winning author and humorist, Gila wrote her memoir *Nearly Departed* through the lens of her Orthodox Jewish life — Shiva, mikveh, wigs during chemo, the whole thing. This conversation lands during a week built for grief, and Gila makes the case that laughter isn't a betrayal of grief. It's the way through.Follow Gila on Instagram @gilapfeffer and check out her novel, Nearly Departed, anywhere you get your books!Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow**What We Discuss:**00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda06:00 Writing Nearly Departed through an Orthodox lens12:00 Same chemo as her mother, thirty years later17:00 Phil, and the birthday that felt like a sign21:00 Grief you don't expect — and its sixth stage28:00 Emuna, agency, and choosing the mastectomy35:00 Why teenage Gila would be shocked40:00 How Margarita and Gila actually met (a Carnegie Hall heist)45:00 Find a way to laugh47:00 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Rabbi Leor Sinai changed Margarita's life before he ever met her. He ran Alexander Muss High School in Israel, the program that completely shaped Margarita's Jewish identity. Years later, they finally sit down together. Now, Leor is serving as the Senior Vice President at the Israel Innovation Institute. This is a conversation about the story we tell ourselves. Leor makes the case that "the world hates us" is a losing pitch — and that Jews are, in fact, the winningest team in human history. He also names something uncomfortable: America is in decline, and Israel was never meant to be an insurance policy.Check out Leor's work at www.leorsinai.com and learn more about the Israel Innovation Institute at www.israelinnovation.org.il/ Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknowWhat We Discuss:00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda04:21 From New York nightlife to rabbinical school09:00 Why Muss worked: experiential learning that sticks14:00 The winning-team pitch vs. the world-hates-us story22:00 America in decline and the rise of antisemitism32:00 Innovation for the Jewish world: finding root causes40:00 Living consciously and trusting your gut48:00 Israel as home, not insurance policy53:00 A generation of lions, not the TikTok generation55:00 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Dara Horn, by her own admission, hates arguing with people. So how did the author of *People Love Dead Jews* become one of the sharpest, most fearless voices confronting antisemitism today? Necessity, mostly. And a refusal to keep pretending.In her return to the show, Dara unpacks her new book, *The Final Solution to the Jewish Question: A Love Story For The Living*, and makes a case that'll stick with you: antisemitism isn't a bias, it's a lie — and the lie is always the same. Plus, why the anti-Israel movement is a "bag of hot air" with three words of substance behind it, and the data-poisoning plot she was handed in private.Buy Dara's new book everywhere books are sold and check out her work at www.darahorn.comSupport our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknowThis episode was brought to you in partnership with the Center for Jewish HistoryWhat We Discuss:00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda04:00 Courage over knowledge, and whether we can expect heroism12:00 The Gentleman's Agreement and the price of passing21:00 Standing up to an organized hate movement28:00 Antisemitism as a lie, not a bias37:00 Jewish civilization as a 3,000-year anti-tyranny movement44:00 The Wikipedia and Reddit data-poisoning plot50:00 Her son, the gaming Discord, and cowardice at Harvard56:00 The collapse of the humanities and the lost art of argument58:30 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Nadav Roet started doing magic at 4 years old in Israel, moved to Amsterdam to live in his Holocaust-survivor grandfather's hometown, and landed in New York — where he now runs The Bluff, the city's underground magic show built for the young, cool crowd. He's an award-winning mentalist featured in Cosmopolitan and New York magazine, and in this episode, Nadav will convince you that magic is the single coolest art form ever invented.Follow Nadav on socials @NadavRoet and @TheBluffNYCSupport our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow**What We Discuss:**00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda02:00 Growing up in magic and building The Bluff06:30 The magic renaissance and why every party has a magician now11:00 A third-generation Holocaust survivor's Jewish identity14:00 Israeli skeptics vs. American audiences17:00 A live mind-reading trick (watch on video)24:00 Why magic is a proudly Jewish — but never insular — art form30:00 Magic Camp, meeting your heroes, and killing your darlings38:00 Where the female magicians are41:00 Do what you love, with what you have, and have fun43:00 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Harrison Greenbaum does 900 shows a year. The Harvard grad turned comedian-magician has been called "the hardest working man in comedy." He's also the guy who wrote his college thesis on whether jokes can make people less racist. Turns out the answer is complicated — and there's one type of humor that can actually make prejudice *worse*.Harrison gets honest about the sharp rise in antisemitism showing up in his comments, the audience member who blurted "no" when he said he was Jewish, and why being a grandson of Holocaust survivors makes him want to talk about Jewish stuff *more*, not less. Plus: why so many magicians are terrible, and how to (maybe) reverse-pickpocket a mentalist.Follow Harrison on socials @harrisoncomedySupport our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow**What We Discuss:**00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda02:09 From Magic Camp to Harvard's Jewish Fraternity06:30 The Secret Algorithm of 900 Shows a Year12:00 His Thesis on Whether Jokes Fight Prejudice17:30 Being a Jewish Comic in a Weirder Climate22:00 Running Off to Join Cirque du Soleil25:00 Why Every Magic Show Looks the Same29:00 The Reverse-Pickpocketing Sting Operation32:00 What the Jews Bring to Magic34:06 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination