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Rabbis Michael Knopf and Jesse Olitzky are lifelong friends, pop culture fanboys, and lovers of all things Jewish. Join them every other week for a conversation about what’s going on in pop culture from a Jewish perspective and about Judaism through the lens of pop culture.

The new FX/Hulu miniseries Pistol tells the true story of The Sex Pistols. The Pistols may not have invented punk rock, but they did helped define its look, sound, and, above all, its attitude. Punk rock, as epitomized by bands like The Sex Pistols, is about standing at a remove from the dominant culture, interrogating it with an irreverent spirit, a challenging posture, and a critical eye; questioning the world as it is, being unafraid to poke at and even to smash sacred cows, and refusing to accept the status quo as inevitable. In other words, punk rock is outsider music, the art of those who look at the world as it is and realize something is deeply wrong. While Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky have different perspectives on punk rock, in this conversation they explore the connections between the method and message of bands like the Sex Pistols and Jewish wisdom and values.

How do you listen to PopTorah? You have a lot of options you know? iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, RSS, it’s your choice!

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Sarah Shulman looks at Masechet Moed Katan Daf 8.

In Moed Katan 8 we will explore the essence of simcha and how we mind find joy even in mourning.

The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album One Bead.

This podcast is a collaboration with The Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem.

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Joel Levy looks at Masechet Megillah Daf 7.

In this episode we explore Esther’s quest for permanence.

The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album One Bead.

This podcast is a collaboration with The Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem.

It’s the final episode of 2023 and this week Brad and Steven are talking about the year ahead and the one that just passed. For better or worse, the guys’ New Year’s resolution is to continue to do the Amen Corner, hopefully more regularly. At any rate, have a listen and here’s to a better 2024!

You can listen to The Amen Corner in lots of ways. On iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, or your favorite RSS aggregator.

Marvel Animation’s X-Men ’97, now streaming on Disney+, is a reboot/sequel to the X-Men animated series that was beloved by older Millennials who grew up in the ‘90s. The sequel is smoother and shinier, but still possesses the same spirit that made the original series so popular: mutant melodrama and pulse-pounding action set-pieces, combined with thinly-veiled political commentary that surfaced complicated ethical issues — and an amazing theme song (which Rabbi Knopf tried, but failed, to incorporate into the episode). What did Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky think of the show? What would the Jewish tradition have to say about the X-Men? And what insights and issues do Professor Xavier’s gifted students and their antagonists raise that are worthy of Jewish consideration? Targets identified, Bub. Here come the X-Mensches!

Rabbis Michael Knopf and Jesse Olitzky are lifelong friends, pop culture fanboys, and lovers of all things Jewish. Join them every other week for a conversation about what’s going on in pop culture from a Jewish perspective and about Judaism through the lens of pop culture.

How do you listen to PopTorah? You have a lot of options you know? iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, RSS, it’s your choice!