“Unorthodox,” the podcast produced by Tablet Magazine, is one of the most popular Jewish podcasts around. The show has featured interviews with prominent Jewish figures, from comedian Modi to food blogger Chanie Apfelbaum and activist Hen Mazzig. Now, after bidding farewell to longtime co-host Mark Oppenheimer, the show has signed on Joshua Malina to join Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz.
Malina is best known for playing Will Bailey on “The West Wing” and U.S. Attorney General David Rosen on “Scandal,” can currently be seen on Broadway as Hermann in “Leopoldstadt.” He also co-hosted the podcast “Chutzpod!” with Rabbi Shira Stutman and fights antisemitism on Twitter @JoshMalina “(((Jew))).”
The actor was already a fan of “Unorthodox” when he was tapped to join. “The show, and Tablet, have become a real hub of the Jewish community, and I want to be part of the broader discussion,” Malina told the Journal. “I am looking forward to sharing my own opinions, but I am equally enthusiastic about hearing Stephanie and Liel’s take on things, and I am looking forward to discussions with a wide variety of intriguing guests.” Malina’s first episode was May 24, and featured an interview with Aaron Saidman, executive producer of Netflix’s “Jewish Matchmaking.” “Unorthodox” also showcases current news in the Jewish world and every episode features a “Gentile of the Week.”
Butnick and Leibovitz are doing a live show and Q&A with Malina at the June 22 performance of “Leopoldstadt.” The Tony-award winning play by Tom Stoppard follows a Viennese Jewish family from 1899 to the mid-20th Century. After “Leopoldstadt” closes on July 2, he’ll be returning to Los Angeles to find more acting work.
“I am pleased that I will have an episode of ‘Unorthodox’ each week to focus on,” he said.
According to Leibovitz, Malina was chosen for the position of co-host because he is able to have civil conversations about important issues with people in a time when that’s not always possible. “Our least favorite thing about our particular moment in time is that we’re losing the ability to argue without seeing someone who disagrees with us as our enemy,” Leibovitz said. “Joshua is an incredibly open-minded and open-hearted person and, as you can tell from his hilarious and profound Twitter account, he’s committed both to asking really thorny questions and to having really respectful arguments with people who see the world differently.”
When Oppenheimer left the show, Butnick and Leibovitz wrote down a list of requirements the new person needed to possess.
When Oppenheimer left the show, Butnick and Leibovitz wrote down a list of requirements the new person needed to possess. “It had to be someone who cares deeply about the Jewish community, someone who is curious and passionate about all aspects of Jewish life and someone who digs our vibe and whom we love and respect,” Butnick said. “We read over this list again and realized that we were both thinking about the exact same person: Joshua Malina.”
Malina grew up observing the Jewish holidays and keeping kosher. He attended Westchester Day School, a Modern Orthodox school in Mamaroneck, New York, for grade school. “That experience had a major impact on my Jewish identity,” he said. “In addition to giving me some of the tools that help to live a Jewish life — learning Hebrew, studying Torah — there was an emphasis at school on attempting to live ethically, and being a decent person.”
Malina said he wears his Judaism on his sleeve, waking up and saying the Modeh Ani every morning and the Shema every night before he goes to bed.
Today, Malina said he wears his Judaism on his sleeve, waking up and saying the Modeh Ani every morning and the Shema every night before he goes to bed. “I have at least bookended my day in a Jewish fashion,” he said. “And I hope in between, that I walk the walk during the day. As a co-host of ‘Unorthodox,’ I will attempt to talk the talk, bringing my two cents to news and issues that affect our community.”
