Stephanie Butnick, Liel Leibovitz, and Mark Oppenheimer are the
hosts of Unorthodox, the most popular Jewish podcast on
iTunes.
Stephanie Butnick is the deputy editor of Tablet and
has written for the New York Times and the Wall Street
Journal.
Liel Leibovitz is a senior writer for Tablet and the author
of several books, including, most recently, A Broken Hallelujah, a
spiritual biography of Leonard Cohen.
Mark Oppenheimer is the former Beliefs columnist for
the New York Times and the author of Thirteen and a Day: The Bar
and Bat Mitzvah Across America.
“An illustrated, smart and comic guide, well-attuned to this
moment.”
—Jewish Week
“Crams in just about everything you need to know about Jewish
culture and history – from the Torah to Chinese food. . . . A
weighty tome that just begs to be picked up, thumbed through, and
quoted from. It is exhaustive but not exhausting, a thorough
examination of Jewish themes presented as hors d’oeuvres to entice
a larger meal.”
—The Times of Israel
“Deeply entertaining and highly educational. . . . Adding their
thoroughly modern compendium to a long tradition of Jewish
scholarship, the authors have served up a colorful array of all
things Jewish for Jews and non-Jews alike.”
—Broadway World
“Alternately irreverent and profound—but always informative. . . .
A great gift.”
—BookPage
“This delightfully irreverent romp through Jewish history and
culture is the outgrowth of Tablet magazine’s
podcast, Unorthodox, and considers itself the updated version
of The Jewish Catalog (1973). As with Catalog,
podcast hosts and coauthors Butnick, Liel Leibovitz, and Mark
Oppenheimer claim this chronicle is not a comprehensive or
exhaustive survey of all things Jewish. To that end, the biblical
hero Judah Maccabee is “one kickass priest,” Jewish Community
Centers are places “where Gentiles play racquetball,” and Long
Island is “the other Promised Land.” Culturally, the authors make a
convincing argument for Jews as “mediators of black music” and even
responsible for the beloved Christmas tunes “White Christmas” and
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Bernie Madoff finds reference
only under the generic moniker, shonde, or one who brings
shame to the community, where he keeps company with Eliot Spitzer
and Anthony Weiner. On a more serious note in a compilation filled
with humor, brevity is the signature mark of that which requires
mention, but not glory—Adolf Hitler, Nazis, and
Auschwitz’s Arbeit Macht Frei (“work sets you free”)
merit a single sentence each. VERDICT A welcome update on
Jewish history and culture that is mostly just plain fun.
—Library Journal, starred review
“No dense, scholarly tome, this volume is pure fun, although
serious topics are included. . . . . A reference work is rarely as
readable as this one is. Informative and irreverent, welcoming and
witty, it is enthusiastically recommended.”
—Booklist
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