Authentic Jewish Representation in Netflix's 'Nobody Wants This'

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This is the sixth episode of Being Jewish with me, Jonah Platt.

[Music] That's better.

[Music] I first met today's guest back in 2019 when we both sang at a pair of charity events.

5 years later, I'm hosting this show and she's one of the stars of the most talked about comedy in the country.

And no, I'm not referring to her star turn as an extra on Ghostriter.

Shut up.

She's a talented actress, singer, a former Londa Lion, which we'll explain later.

She loves papooseas and she's a proud Jew.

Please welcome the beguiling Jackie Tone.

What an intro.

Wow.

We try here at Being Jewish with Jod Plat.

Wow.

Wow.

I'm so excited to be Jewish with you.

I'm so happy to have you here and be Jewish with you.

This is fantastic.

Thanks for being here.

Oh my god.

My pleasure.

It's We're going to dive right in.

We better.

Um, what is your earliest memory of being Jewish?

Like when I say little Jewish Jackie, like what pops into your head?

That's such an interesting question because I feel so Jewish in my guts.

Well, I could say this here in in most interviews I say guts, but here I can say kishkas.

There you go.

See, I just like I'm just Jewish and I I don't remember a time that I wasn't.

And what I mean is like it was always in my life.

I went to Jewish sleepaway camp.

And so we had like Friday night services and I had a bach mitzvah.

So I was in Hebrew school from the time I was very little.

And I guess the most the earliest earliest memory my mom spoke Yiddish in the house like full on Yiddish or peppered in some words.

Well full on to her mother, sister and brother.

Whoa.

So I picked up a bunch of it but way more than peppered like way more than O.

Like in what did you just say?

I just said with you heard which is with one ass you can't dance at two weddings.

Wow.

So when I was like a little kid actor and I was crying because I couldn't go to a school dance cuz I had a call back.

She would say you could pick.

She wouldn't be like you have to go to the call back.

It was my idea to be a kid actor.

And where did the Yiddish come from?

So my grandparents were Holocaust survivors and they were Polish on just your mom's side.

Yep.

Okay.

They escaped narrowly, of course, as everyone did.

It's not like anyone freely escaped.

They were all over the place in Eastern Europe and going here, there, and everywhere.

And in the ghettos and theles, the Jews spoke Yiddish.

So when she came here, they spoke Yiddish.

Wow.

It wasn't a short story.

No, but that's this is what we're here to talk about.

You know, we're digging in.

Get insecure that I'm like talking a lot about it.

Perfect.

You're perfect.

Uh, so we're perfect together.

Um, did you grow up in a particularly Jewish neighborhood like community?

I mean, I'm from Long Island, right?

So, it's like I'm from New York.

Um, where on Long Island?

Oceanside.

Where are you guys?

My wife is from Comarmac.

Oh, I knew that.

Of course.

And where are you guys from?

I'm from LA.

I'm born and raised.

I'm the the first of my line.

Born in LA.

I knew that.

I knew that.

Slayer of Dragons.

That's right.

So, I was on Long Island.

So, it was like there were, you know, there were Jewish people pretty much all over the place.

And then I moved to LA.

So, the only two places I've ever lived um have been have had plenty of Jews.

Yeah.

Did you celebrate the holidays like in your house growing up?

We did.

We were high holiday service people when I was very little but then we sort of outgrew it and I have two older brothers and they didn't really want to go and I don't know that I did and my parents really didn't push it on us but we did Passover and we did Russashana for every year after my grandma passed we lit the yardsite candle for my grandma and grandpa like there was always like I don't know what sukkot is but like I know that it is and I know that there's like a lul love and anrog and the lovely gentleman will come and talk to me on the street and I'm always happy to shake and do the thing with them and it feels good but I don't really know what it's for or what I'm doing.

Do you know that it's this weekend?

No.

So Sukkot starts this weekend.

You're like perfectly on theme.

I have a Sukkot question in here for later.

I can't wait.

I already used to go in a sucka.

My mom's friend Lenor Stam used to deliver a shonus basket every year.

Lenor, what a course Lenor.

And I would freak over the shaunas because there would be like really good weird Israeli candy in there and good snacks.

Okay.

Amazing.

So just, you know, brief little explainer, Sukkot is a harvest festival.

That's why there's all these like vegetation and fruits and vegetables and stuff.

It's one of the three times during the year where people would pilgrimage to the temple.

Um, and the the suka is like the hut that meant to be like the huts that the Jews made for makeshift shelters when they were wandering in the desert for 40 years before they got to Israel.

So, we relive it together every every year.

Thank you, Lenor Stan, for the shus.

There you go.

See, you said in an interview that your bach mitzvah theme was Hollywood, which has obviously been a lifelong dream of yours.

Not so unlike your fictional daughter Miriam's Big Apple Mitzvah.

Like were there any flashbacks while you were shooting that?

There were so many funny things on Nobody Wants This Like It makes me emotional to be honest.

Like to be doing the Hora on a television show in 2024.

It just was it was nuts.

It was so special.

It was so close to home.

I was channeling my mother every minute of every day.

And not my mother's nothing like that.

My mother's like in fact the opposite.

She's like boundaryless almost to a fault.

do whatever you want.

Someone else has a curfew.

What are you going to stay out alone?

So that was my curfew when I was a kid.

So she's the opposite.

But just the bum the joy and the b mitzvah and the just everything everything reminded me of my childhood.

So special.

U do you remember any of your like Torah portion or off to Torah from your [ __ ] I remember my uh was like that kind of thing.

Sure.

Yeah.

That rings a bell.

M I don't but I that came out that came out of nowhere.

Um I mean the second they turned it into a song I got it into.

So you were already into singing big time at that point.

Oh yes.

Oh yes.

Um my dad accompanied me at every uh diner cruise local pub talent show that there was up until I moved away.

So you you've been you've been doing this a long time.

You you started super young.

I have been paddling like the dickens for 30 something years.

Wow.

It's nuts.

Truly, that's when I think about it now, it's uh that's crazy.

It's nutsourney.

What a journey, dude.

What a journey.

What a journey.

So, music big part of your life.

Music.

Uh you released a couple albums and you were on American Idol.

The idol story is just the briefest version of it is that I just tried out because it was my last possible year because I was so old.

How old were you when you tried?

28.

I was Jonah.

I was so No, baby.

I was so old.

It was the oldest you could be.

I watched your audition you could be.

Oh, I wish I you know like I want to Chloe Kardash and remove it from the internet.

How she had there was like photos she didn't like and she literally was powerful enough.

They were wiped.

There was like 120,000 118,000 people tried out that year and they showed like two of the New York state auditions on TV, one was mine.

Then I went to Hollywood week and they showed my auditions in every round.

I was like this is bonkers.

I got eliminated with a couple other people at the like right before the commercial break and then the producers like escorted you away.

A shuttle took you to the hotel and then there was like departure paperwork slid under your door.

You didn't get to say goodbye to anyone.

You didn't get to talk to any You were I That was in March.

You'll be neither seen nor heard.

That's right.

And ushered away.

That is right.

That's brutal.

It's wild.

This is a nice It's a fair and um it's a wonderful business that that we've chosen and there's almost little to no psychological warfare.

Not at all.

It's easy.

It's for everyone.

It's for everyone.

That's what I like to say.

It's for everyone.

Um so you uniquely have played quite a few Jewish characters in your career, which is like kind of unusual.

Uh you you know, young Fran on The Nanny, Melrose on Glow, Gilda Radner, and now of course Esther.

Uh, we got a lot of Hollywood Jews who are afraid to even admit that they're Jewish and here you are, you know.

Yeah, quite the opposite rocking it.

You know what?

What do you make of that making a career out of it?

My personality, voice, and face don't allow me to deny my Judaism.

I am I don't feel that way.

Oh, that's nice.

In in looking at you and listening to you, it's not just I don't know why I take that as a compliment.

That's self-hate.

That's like vaguely anti-Semitic of me to have taken it as a compliment that that you you contain multitudes.

Thank you.

I appreciate that.

And I you know, but I think if I'm being true to myself, I think very clearly the easiest thing to cast me in is some version of the Jews sitting before you.

And I I feel so proud to be Jewish.

I feel proud to play Jews.

Um I just think there's something funny.

I did this the other day and someone was like money and I was like careful.

Yeah, watch it.

But but kind of that is what it looks like.

But I just mean like there's like a chewiness to the culture of who we are and yeah, I think it it helps in a lot of the parts that I play.

There's an like an authenticity there.

Yeah.

I I've gotten I've played a Jew three times.

Once in a movie, once in a play, once in a musical.

And I love it.

I mean, it's so cool to get to be something that you are in the guise of another character.

Yeah.

Does playing a Jewish role do anything to your real life connection to being Jewish?

I've always been pretty connected, but again, like not mega practicing, but I think that just who it's just who I am.

It's who my mother is.

It's like we are borch belt people.

We just are like stickicky, silly, loud.

We just are who we are.

And that happens.

the the adjectives used to describe us happen to also be a lot of the adject adjectives used to describe like what it's like to be Jewish.

Yeah.

So, I don't know that playing Jews makes me more or less in touch.

It's pretty it's pretty much a straight line.

It's a great answer.

Mhm.

Uh has anyone in your professional life ever done or said anything in regards to being Jewish that's made you uncomfortable?

Oh, something happened um once.

But I was I used to tour the country uh doing like musical comedy, but at a school um I think weirdly enough, I was in Pensacola, Florida, this one girl, and it wasn't she was just like she just came up to me and was like, "Amber said you were Jewish.

That's not true, is it?" And I didn't know how to answer cuz I was like, "Oh, no.

I'm here alone." But the that's not true, is it?

Was really weird.

Like she'd never met a Jew.

And also when I was on American Idol, um many many many of the my fellow competitors never met a Jew.

Yeah.

I think I mean like that's more common than people think.

But I you know people don't realize.

Well, yeah.

I mean I think common that is.

Mhm.

There's just not a lot of us.

Our number our numbers are low.

We small.

We small.

And given our tiny size, you know, we're going to try and stick together.

Obviously, we're not going to we're not going to go to really Alabama where you are the only one there, you know.

Yeah.

Like a lot of cultures, they you find your little pockets and you That's right.

Yeah.

Okay.

So, now we're going to we're going to get into the show full on.

I can't wait.

If I may, I would like to take a few minutes to weigh in on the show myself.

I think this feels right.

Yeah.

If anyone has been following my advocacy since before this show or before October 7th, talking about Jewish representation on screen and the desire to see more contemporary Jewish narratives has been a mission of mine.

I mean, I've spoken about it in keynotes.

I wrote for Variety about it.

I talk about it a lot online.

And I'm also someone who obviously has been a TV writer, an actor, a producer.

So I do feel I have some amount of expertise on this area and I feel uniquely qualified to weigh in on this show which has been so beloved but also has had some negative reactions.

So for me I [ __ ] loved it.

I think the show is gold.

It's like I love it too.

It's everything that I have been looking for.

There's never been a show like it.

It humanizes Jews.

It wasn't schlocky at all.

There's no oi is like the butt of the joke.

You know, the Jews are never the butt of the joke.

It wasn't tropey.

It's amazing that it's like they're talking about Bait Deans and Havdala and Camp Havarim.

It's like incredible.

It really was awesome.

And you know, I always want to see stories that are just contemporary people being people and those people are Jewish and like that's what this show is.

That's perfectly put.

Contemporary people being people, but in this instance, they're Jewish.

So, this is a little slice of life of what that looks like.

Exactly.

And like this just totally checked that box for me.

Um, and so like one of my favorite moments is in episode two when they're in the car and Kristen Bell's like, "You don't look Jewish." And he's like, "Well, what should being Jewish look like?

Should my nose be bigger?

Should my hair be curlier?" Like, those are the conversations we have.

And the fact that he not only is able to voice that, but also make he's making light of it in a way that like they have that conversation and making light of it like Jews do.

This is what we do.

The fact that like that's being introduced on TV to millions of people is like just such a win in my book.

It was so amazing.

Making me emotional.

Really nice.

I'm glad.

And like and so I enjoyed it as a Jew for sure, but I also just loved it as an audience member.

It was funny.

It was so charming.

like the romance.

It made me want to fall in love with my wife all over again.

I binged the whole show on Yum Kipur actually in between like morning and evening and you know my wife converted.

I didn't know that.

So I have like an even extra special connection.

I did not know that.

I very much like Noah, Rabbi Noah, like like needed to sort of meet somebody outside the usual circle who had the same kind of soul but had a different vibe.

Wow.

Okay.

So, now that I've gushed, I want to respond to two of the main criticisms that I've heard about the show.

And if I miss anything at the end, you tell me and we'll respond to that.

Great.

So, the the two big ones that I've heard are like critiques of some of the ver similitude of like the Jews and the other's the portrayal of the Jewish women.

Yeah.

So, to address the first one, sure.

You know, people are like, "Oh, the rabbi doesn't wear a kipa outside all the time, or like, why doesn't Kristen Bell know the word shalom?" Or, "Why is he wearing a tal at a bach mitzvah party?" And so, my first response to that is, "Who cares?

Why do we care about that?" Doesn't matter.

It's like, have you ever watched a TV sh like a medical show with a doctor friend or a legal show with they're like, "That's not how we do it.

That's not how we do." Like, who gives a [ __ ] It's a television show.

It's not a documentary.

I have nothing to add truly.

I mean, it's really exactly how I feel.

Yeah.

It's like and and I mean, this sort of answers the second question, but it's like it's a TV show, right?

And what So, I'll wait to give my answer for the second.

I don't mean to interrupt, but I'm like on a roll here.

I'm feeling it.

I'm living.

So, you know what?

It's a TV show.

When I say it's a TV show, what I mean is like everything about the show is organic to the narrative.

Yeah.

Like nothing was like thrown on to be a joke or to be extra or like was wedged in.

any choice that was made came from the story.

So like why isn't the rabbi wearing a keepa?

Because if he's wearing a kipa, the entire pilot falls apart.

She can't mistake him for the person who's not the rabbi.

There's no meat cute.

There's no there's no series.

Thank you.

And like why does she have to say the word shalom?

Cuz maybe somebody watching at home doesn't know what the word shalom means.

And then we explain it to them.

And like why is he wearing a talit at the mitzvah party?

That one I'm not so sure.

Maybe they just wanted to like visually shortcut that he's doing something rabbitic and official.

That was my guess.

I don't actually know the answer, but it didn't even it didn't even I I was there and I didn't even clock it.

I was like, "Yeah, he's a rabbi.

He has tal.

He's wearing a solid." I think that I mean that would be my guess if it was.

So, like bottom line is we don't care.

It got like 99.9% of everything was spoton and so let's like stop complaining about how I feel.

Well, because I think with the nitpicking I think it's like to your point you are in this game as an actor, writer, producer.

We are both, as have so many, been yearning for this sort of representation that is exactly as you put, exactly as you put it.

So authentic and not schmaltzy and not o and all of that.

And it just is so good.

And so you're not going to get 100%.

You're not going to get every single thing.

Oh, I have to throw out another connection.

You didn't know.

It was shot at my synagogue.

Gorgeous synagogue, right?

That's like I had my bar mitzvah on that beimma, you know.

Pretty cool.

Okay.

So then to respond to, you know, the portrayal of the Jewish women, which has been there's been like many articles.

I never want to invalidate anyone's feelings.

If somebody felt, you know, offended to feel, but here's what how I would respond.

I felt, as I said, everything flowed organically from the narrative.

So like, of course, his mother doesn't want to see him marry outside the tribe.

That's very realistic.

I know a lot of Jewish moms who would be that way.

Not only is that a Jewish mom thing, I'm trying to point to a culture where the mom doesn't want their kid to end up with someone from that culture.

That's just universal.

And to your point in this instance with their Jews, but that's like I can tell you how many friends of mine have done a movie or an indie or this or that and the and the story line is that their mother is isn't pleased and there's not there's not articles about it.

Of course, it's sort of a given that your mother wants you to end up with someone who's from the culture you're from, right?

And even more so, I thought they like bought themselves even more with cuz she was an immigrant.

She had an accent.

So, like that's very realistic that uh when your parent is from the old country, they're adhering stronger to the traditions and the kids are more liberal and progressive than the parents are.

So, you know, people saying that she was so, you know, negatively portrayed, it just that look, there had to be an obstacle.

Every story has three things.

It's got a hero, what they want, and an obstacle that stops them from getting it.

If the family doesn't want to not be together, everybody's thrilled for them.

What is the show?

The show's over.

It's over at the end of the show.

And I think on top of, you know, the my my other answer, it is that it's like it's a TV show.

There has to be conflict.

There has to be an antagonist.

It's me and it's Tova.

But it's like that's what the show is.

Also, for my character, I'd like to say, please, um, it's not just that Joanne's not Jewish.

That's, I think, a much smaller piece.

That's not it at all for your character.

No, my best friend is his ex of six years.

Of course.

I'm like, who is this, right?

And why is she in bright red mohair in the shul, right?

Get her out of here.

Yeah.

And to me, that was very clear that every it was like a defensive loyalty friend thing.

And same goes for like the wags like they were they were your click and again they sort of go out of their way to like the the the shixas talk about like that those are the cool mean girls and it's like they're it's aspirational.

They want to be like them.

It's not they're not putting them down.

It's not a negative at all portrayal.

And also again with narrative arc if I'm chill in the be where am I going right?

What are we doing?

And so even at the end when I soften then I mean not to spoiler but this is I guess how Netflix is.

You binge.

Oh yeah.

When I'm having that moment with Miriam at her b mitzvah in the bathroom.

It's like that moment which is one of my favorites of the season is hopefully poignant to you to people at home.

But that moment felt so poignant to me because of where my character came from of being so rigid and everything had to be a type of way.

And now she's on the floor in the bathroom at her daughter's bot mit.

So being like, "Fuck it.

Let's cut the dress." What have I been doing?

I'm exhausted.

Yeah.

And little Joanne rubbed off there a little bit just to like close this loop.

The character of Rebecca, like all they do is talk about how gorgeous and perfect and amazing she is and they're complimentary.

They're obsessed with her.

And at the end, she's like super classy when she talks to Joanne.

So I don't get what the problem is there.

I mean, wild.

And again, like with your character, they go out of their way to show that she's a great mom, that she's a cool wife, banged Adam Lavine.

It's like those are not stereotypical at all.

It was a very unique character.

It was just a person.

Thank you.

I completely agree.

Yeah.

And the last thing I'll say that I've heard like it's like that the that the you know, Joanne and her sister are blonde and everybody else is brunette, which it's like it's a visual shortcut.

It keeps the the juxaposition alive.

It just does some people like oh and then they walk into the b mitzvah and their hair is flowing.

It's like oh here come the cool hot shikas to like break up this boring loser bar mitzvah.

But again like party was a rager before they got there.

And also that's like ignoring the context of the story.

They're not going there to like show up the bot mitzvah.

They're going because the chick who's trying to blow up her relationship is there and it's like I'm going to go be confident and stop trying to please everybody and just go get my man.

Mhm.

And like how many movies, TV shows do you see where like the hero comes into the climax in the slow-mo wall?

Literally all all of them.

Did I miss anything?

No, I loved that so much.

And when anyone asks me in the future, I'm going to play them this clip of you responding.

So, articles aside, anecdotally, what's the feedback that you've gotten from the show from Jewish people?

You know, I'm so glad you asked that as the follow-up to the last question, cuz that should have been my answer to the last question, which is that every single Jewish person I know, and that's a lot of Jewish, that's 75% of all the Jews on the planet, um, obsessed, right?

Every I mean, I told you I went to Jewish sleepaway camp.

I went to Hebrew school as a kid.

Every Jewish person I grew up with is DMing or finding me online and just being like, "Dude, what?

this is for everyone, but like so special to us specifically and yeah, I just think it's it's been it's felt really good to receive and I think it feels really good for the people that are watching it.

Did you feel like there was enough authentic perspective in the writer room?

This is actually funny.

I don't know who what if I'm outing anyone right now.

Multiple people have like either texted or DM' or told me in person.

My rabbi was the consultant on the show, but like he's a very well-known rabbi, but apparently there were many, which is why only one has been like publicly popularized.

I said to someone like, "Oh, this guy." And they were like, "No." And I'm like, "Are other rabbis?" Is this the one that I have read about and have been told that and saw him speak about was Steve Leer of who's the likemeritus of Wilshire Boulevard?

Yes.

But then there was another one and I said Steve Leader and they were like, "No." And I was like, "Oh, I just think it's cute that like they got their own," but just that there were like rabbis in LA being like, "I was the consultant on that." It's just like really everybody's trying to take credit.

It's really cute.

I'm sure they did something or spoke to a friend who was in the writer's room.

All of this to say, Erin has the unique perspective of I mean, she probably knows more about Judaism than I do just because she's a convert.

She had to take a course and she had to like learn about it.

And so, like, I obviously know all the things I know.

And so we have very different Jewish experiences.

Did you ever get a script and you were like, "Do I need to say something about this?" Oh, that's a good question.

I actually called my mom because um our costumeumer unreal.

This galar everybody looked amazing.

The costume the wardrobe was sickening.

Um she had me in like this black gown for the B mitzvah and I had to call my mom and be like cuz we were obviously black for Shiva and I was like can we wear black at B mitzvah?

And she was like I think Orthodox don't.

But then is that wrong?

I don't know.

I have no idea.

But then but then we we weren't able to get a conclusive answer.

And she was like, "They're reformed Jews.

They can kind of do whatever they want." And so I wore the black.

But there was another time where we were filming toward is it called a yard site wall when you're in temp when you're in Shaw and the names of the people who've passed.

We were filming toward it one day and I like sort of raised my hand that I didn't know if that was like in good um what's the in good taste where I was like, "Oh, I think." And then Tova was like, "Oh, you're right.

We should." And then we just moved the shot over a little.

So it wasn't just like Tova doingt stick with like a list of people who passed behind her.

Right.

I can picture exactly where that is.

And I I know you can.

So you mentioned Aaron, the show's creator who this was sort of loosely based on her own experience.

Did she like set any kind of sort of purpose or urgency to the show like based on that or was just like let's make a great show?

Let's make a great show.

Oh, I mean, I don't know what her intention or what she was going into it, but I think I've heard her on a lot of pods just talk about like, "Yeah, I just wanted to talk about the best decision I ever made, which was like marrying a Jewish boy and becoming she's just so proud of it." And she's so smart and funny and straightforward.

And it's she's so no [ __ ] with like a smile.

She's just like, "Oh, yeah.

This is I wanted to make this so I wrote it." As I mentioned, you know, my wife converted, which was like the greatest gift she could have ever given me and the Jewish people at large.

Truly weekly shout out to Courtney.

Um although unlike Noah, I actually brought up conversion on our first date.

At the very first date, we had a unique start where I told her I loved her on our first date.

It's like we were boyfriend and girlfriend before we even went on a date.

It's it's a whole thing.

It was just like, you know, basher.

But she really loved that I brought it up on the first date.

And her response was, so I asked her, I said, "Would you be open to the idea of converting?" Cuz like I'm serious about you.

You're serious about something if this goes all the way.

Would you at least be open to discussing it?

Cuz if not, then like I don't know what we're going to do here, but I have it's like we got to figure it out.

And she was like, "I really appreciate you bringing that up now.

If I see that it's important to you and not your parents or your family, then yes, I would be open to saying what would happen.

Um, how do you feel about, you know, interfaith relationships, intermarriage, having a Jewish partner?

It's an interesting one.

Um, and this is a judgment free zone.

Oh, sure.

You know, tell that to the comments, but okay.

Um, yeah, my boyfriend's not Jewish.

my neither of my brothers married a Jewish woman.

Um, but my parents are very like are very culturally Jewish.

And so I think it's interesting that none of us and I've dated multiple Jews in the past and it just didn't it didn't work out and having nothing to do with that.

They just like they weren't my person.

and my boyfriend is my person.

Mhm.

And he feels very Jewish to me and his grandpa was and his grandma converted to Judaism for his grandpa and so his mom was raised completely Jewish.

Okay.

Then she converted to Catholicism for his for Joe's dad.

That's so funny.

Mhm.

So he there's there's Jewish in there.

like he his energy is very like for this I bent down.

It's very, you know, and it's how do I feel about it in general?

I just think we love who we love.

And I that goes for everybody.

I I feel like a lot of the people who like look at Jews wanting to marry other Jews, they think it's about Jews like thinking they're better than non-Jews or that non-Jews aren't good enough or the something's wrong with them, whatever, which is obviously not true.

I think you know it really comes from like a Jewish fear of as so many things are based in for Jewish people's fear a fear of like the if everybody intermaries and stops raising Jewish kids and the people will die out you know it's it's crazy it's I mean when we really when we really crunch our numbers it's staggering and so I understand you know we're trying to repopulate a people and you know I'm not helping but well just to that end like I loved seeing a contemporary very Jewish character care that his potential life partner should also be Jewish.

Not not that there's anything wrong with the alternative, but like I think it's okay to portray a Jew who cares about marrying a Jew.

And I think for us specifically that there are so few of us, it makes it even more understandable like, well, of course you it's a numbers game.

It's like there's way more non-Jews than Jews to meet out in the world.

And I I think it's important to note that intermarriage and abandonment of your Jewish identity are not like a guaranteed cause and effect that I think a lot of people believe.

You can abandon your Jewish identity way before you marry somebody and you can marry somebody and live super Jewishly and raise Jewish kids.

So I don't think they're one and the same.

And if anything, you know, I think especially this time we're talking about, you know, we're it's a numbers game.

we need to be welcoming more people in and widening the tent and you know you the to me like the the greatest tragedy would be pushing somebody out who is connected to Judaism or wants to feel more connected to Judaism because they love somebody who isn't Jewish and we're casting them out when they could be such a you know treasured member of the community if they would just be led in the door right I think yeah it's it's very interesting and we're the one of the few religions.

We We don't um Is the word proitize, right?

Yes, we do.

Yeah.

We're We're just like we're good.

Which means we don't we don't uh try to convert other people to the religion.

We don't spread it around with missionaries or anything.

Yeah.

We don't or conquest.

Yeah.

There is a tangible fear right now in Hollywood that like anything related to being Jewish is going to somehow be like political or incendiary because of what's happening in the Middle East.

I thought this show proves that notion completely false.

completely completely devoid of any politicizing or current event or anything.

Did you see or feel that fear at any point in the in the making of the show?

Yeah.

Um I Yeah.

I just think when we were making the show, we were like, I hope people are open-minded and watch this show as a romantic comedy with a charismatic and fun and lovely group of people, some of whom are Jewish and playing Jewish.

Like it we just we that it's a sort of a trit answer, but that is really what how we felt like, oh, we just hope everybody is open and and enjoys this for what it is because we were feeling like if people were open-minded to just watch it, they would like it.

Yeah.

What was it like making a show about Jews while like outside the set, you know, anti-Jewish hate is exploding all over the country?

Did you guys feel that?

I mean, was that a thing?

It did.

You know, did and didn't.

It was like, yeah, I think there they were sort of two separate things where it's just like what's going on over there is an absolute nightmare wrapped into disaster wrapped in the worst thing ever.

And then we were also trying to find the joy and the light and the whatever the word is of just like being Jewish and and making art and jokes and comedy in the face of that again as Jews do.

Yeah.

I mean, my grandma would tell me about like the jokes people would tell each other in the shuttles during the Holocaust, and I'm like, you had to tie you had time for a joke while running from literally on your feet running from country to country.

Also, she used to put lipstick on.

What do you mean?

She literally would like be in a ghetto like hiding from Nazis.

Like, I'm not going to look less than my best just cuz you want me to.

I love that.

Three-parter for you here.

Wow.

How has your connection to being Jewish changed, if at all, since October 7th, since making this show and since like doing all this press representing this show?

Um, wow.

So, since October 7th, um, I h definitely wear my Jewish star, my hamsa more, and my kai more.

Same.

I feel a little bit like uh yeah, I'm Jewish.

I'm gonna I'm Jewish.

Um I again I've been very lucky in my life not to have experienced uh too much anti-semitism and I um a lot of like the online rhetoric is terrifying right now even from like people I know and people that I thought were you know so that's a little bit scary.

Um so that has changed a little but I am still me and saying what I say and doing what I do.

Um and then the show I think the same stayed even similar to an answer before like sure IMS arrest as me.

Um and then while doing press I don't know again like I said earlier I'm such a straight line I I've always been like this so it's nice to be able to just talk about it and be the person that I am.

And similar to your answer earlier of like oh it's comfy in this.

Comfy for me here.

This is who I am.

So, by now most folks have probably heard the news.

You guys are coming back for season two.

Mazleto.

Amazing.

Are you an M A or an Maz E?

Great question.

I'm an E.

Mazleto.

The Mazalto.

I haven't heard.

The first time I heard it was like a few years ago.

What?

Mazalto.

Mazalto.

As opposed to Mazleto.

Yes.

And the spelling is different.

Like I've been getting a lot of Maz's we talked about it different.

Sure.

Sure.

Um what do you want to see in season 2?

Let's start with like for Esther like I would love to meet her family.

Like where does this woman come from?

Is her mother like Susie Esman and like is her mother cameo very or like Fran or who is her bet?

Come on all the dreams.

Mhm.

I think there's like some family situation that could happen there, but I don't really know.

I mean, obviously, we're going to have to explore what goes on with Sasha and Morgan, her husband, and right, that's sort of like maybe even the biggest that's the biggest cliffhanger of it all.

It's like something's brewing and what is going on over there?

And I and Esther is not happy about it.

So, I imagine season two is going to be starting.

I don't know, but like what the f is going on over there?

Yeah.

Um, and we'll see how that manifests.

I also think I just thought of this, but like Esther wants to do a podcast.

Great.

I can imagine it's being Jewish with Esther Rock.

That's right.

Be Yes.

Full name.

Being Jewish with Esther Rock.

I live.

There we go.

So, maybe there's something there.

I don't know.

I like it.

Is there anything like from your Jewish life that you're like, "Oh, we should do this in season two." Like, we didn't do a seder.

We didn't do a Oh, I love that.

I love a seder.

Although we did do um we did do a makeshift seder on glow.

We had a campfire episode, a camping episode where it was uh Passover and Melrose was like, "My mother would kill me if I didn't at least, you know, attempt to have a sader." So, she takes the hub caps off her limousine and makes them into sader plates.

Genius.

Genius.

That's resourceful.

I mean, this that show it's a little unhygienic, but I mean, listen, you got to work with what you got.

A little washcloth, a little Yeah.

So, I mean, that would be that would be cool.

or like some some version of a Shabbat.

Um Oh, they did the Shabbat candles in the restaurant.

At the restaurant.

Oh, that's right.

They had their moment.

But like like a family dinner.

Yeah.

And the way that like my family's always like you rip the kala and you throw it and it's just like it shows this like joyful familial again like you know Jewish joy.

Yeah.

Not So you guys are kala rippers?

Oh, we're holla rippers.

Okay.

We when Skyler Aston was here we talked about ripping versus slicing.

Oh no.

We're rippers.

My family growing up, we were um uh slicers and then I went to Israel and then they were rippers and then when I came back I was like, "Gang, we're rippers." I love that.

I mean, if they're doing it, we got to be doing it.

Authenticity, baby.

We're rippers.

Um, another project on the horizon for you.

Surprise, spoiler alert, you're playing a Jew.

Is it is in a movie called Floaters about Jewish Lee Boy Camp, which we've already established you attended.

I did.

So, now we're bringing it back to the Londa Lion reference from my intro.

Um, we know you went there because my story producer also went there.

Um, and saw it on the Lakanda Lions Instagram and Facebook that they have blown up that I am an alumni.

I don't know, but that's cool.

That's definitely how is that a nice claim to fame?

Like very prideful moment for you.

Really cute.

But also to speak to that when we were talking about like how Jewish people are receiving the show like that my all these people from camp and everyone's just like over the moon.

It's just it's really nice.

It feels really good.

So he wanted me to ask you do the names Ira and Ray ring a bell of course.

Who are Ira?

Ira Steinfeld and Ray Diamond?

Ray Diamond was the camp owner and Ira had like tall knee socks and he was the head of I was going to say boys camp but he may have been the head of I think it was called under camp or the youth camp like we were the younger ones.

Ira when I was a kid we would like he he led Friday night services big Adonal fan um a Sherlock of course.

Excellent.

Uh thank you.

So many tunes you can sing it to you know ours.

What was yours?

What tune?

Like literally was like you could pick any song on ours and throw it and I went home at the commercial break on American Idol.

Imagine.

Could you imagine?

I can't.

After that version of I should have done a don on Idol.

Yeah.

Got eliminated much sooner.

Thank you.

Can you finish the lyric?

We came to camp as strangers yesterday.

We came to camp as strangers yesterday.

Afraid to go away from everyone we love.

So scared.

Why do you know it?

I don't.

I was just playing along.

You like pointed to me.

I was like, "Right, I'm like I could read your mouth." So scared.

I think we were saying so scared.

That's what we're saying.

Yeah, of course I can finish the lyric is the answer to your question.

That was amazing.

What is that?

It's the greatest thing ever.

Um, this is going to get posted on the Laconda Lions page and Oh my god, they're going to go crazy.

That was the um that was the camp song, but it was the tune of like either Neil Diamond.

Oh, they'll kill me now.

I'm turning on them.

I will think of you.

Is that Carol King?

I don't know.

But we sang with Carol King in one of those charity concerts I mentioned in 2019 which was pretty darn cool.

We did.

We were having like a singing at charity concerts moments together.

Yeah, that was wild.

Yeah.

I don't know if I've ever done one since.

And we did two in the span of like 3 weeks.

Right.

I know.

Great.

Look at you now.

Listen.

Look at you now.

Um All right.

So, at at some point I was talking about a movie called Floaters.

I don't know when that happened.

No, no, no.

Could have been any time.

What uh what can you tell us about your character in that and and making the movie and when it's coming out and all that stuff?

This was um in Indie and so when it gets distribution I will let you know and it'll come out.

But until then it's called The Floaters and it's about my character know me who wanted to be a rock star.

Her band quits.

Her life's falling apart.

She's 40.

She's like crying.

She calls her best friend who's at the sleepa away camp who works now at the sleepway camp they went to as kids.

And uh she's like, "No, me come to camp.

Come on.

There's no chance I'm coming to camp." Cut to her boots exiting the Uber.

And she sort of gets out of her own way and teaches the misfits at the camp about art and their value.

And they're the they're called the floaters because they didn't sign up for any activities.

M.

So there's like this group of like 10 rag tag, you know, kids and they become like a unit and they put on a show.

That's so cool.

She reconnects with herself.

Exactly.

And and I She reconnects with herself, but I also think like as artists, we are so eye on the prize.

We're so focused on my goals.

My goals.

I have my goals.

And this is like the first time in her life she's like, "Oh, not my goals, their goals." And that that's my goals.

Like I just want these kids to feel good and find their voice and perform.

I think I auditioned for Floaters.

This makes sense.

I definitely auditioned for Nobody Wants This for The Brother.

For the Brother, you know.

Okay.

So, we talked about Sukkot.

Did you know that?

Probably not.

Okay.

So, but when this airs we're going to be in the middle of Sukkot going into Shmini is one of my favorite terms or I don't even know what it means.

I don't know.

As far as I understand, it's basically the last day of Sukkot with like a couple of different ritualistic choices.

Like there's some prayer you don't say like you don't shake the lulav on that day.

You pray for rain or something, you know, very very tribal situation.

And then the day after that is Torah.

Do we know this one?

I know all of the terms.

You've heard them.

You asked me out of context if Shmmini and Simatra have anything to do with Sukkot.

I wouldn't have known, right?

But I know them.

They're all in there.

Also, just sidebar, I have something in my right eye.

For the people watching at home, if you feel like I have a twitch, that's why.

Thank you.

Do you want to continue?

Well, they they didn't think it before, but now they're just everyone can be staring at your right eye.

That's fine because I've been feel like I've been going like this and it's like I have at a certain point you have to say something cuz it's like we'll just we'll CGI a different eye on front of your eye.

Yes.

Do you ever see one green, one blue in Blade?

in one of the Blade movies like Wesley Snipes like wouldn't open his eyes or something so they like had to CGI eyes on top of his closed eyes.

Yeah, you'll see it.

It's very funny.

The speed with which I'm googling this upon our finishing.

Um, so Simla is you celebrate finishing the year of reading through the whole Torah.

It's like you've reached the end to take a darker turn.

Like October 7th of last year fell on Simka Torah.

So this is now the first Sim Torah since.

Right.

I think people are going to try to find the joy in it despite, you know, the terror.

The terror.

We always like to end with some questions from our Instagram audience.

Can't wait.

If you want to leave questions for my guest any week, you just got to be at uh being Jewish Podcast on Instagram.

We always announce the guest and ask for your fun questions there.

Um, so we got a couple great ones for you.

Okay, ready?

A Jewish_girl asks, "Are we ever going to get more best leftovers ever?

You were an awesome host." Thank you.

A Jewish_girl.

No.

A Netflix cooking show, by the way.

Netflix cooking show.

Best leftovers ever.

Still streaming.

The timing of that show was unfortunate.

Was 2020, right?

It was like pandemic.

And if you think about the nature of leftovers during co like you're really doing a little bit of a Yeah.

like you're just taking something and it's just like maybe toss it, right?

But before that, it was recycling and eco-friendly and look at this leftovers that you had.

You can use these different um add some ingredients and turn it into high-end cuisine.

And it was that show was such a joy to make.

Oh my god.

I've always wanted to be just famous enough to get the opportunity to like be a guest judge on some sort of cooking show.

Oh my god.

My dream is I want to be a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race.

That's a little outside of my wheelhouse, but I I love that for you.

It's deep.

It's my whole wheelhouse.

It's the whole house.

I don't know if it's Lia or Leah Leah one.

Uh she wants to know, have you ever been to Israel, which you mentioned you have, and if so, what's your favorite place that you visited?

And I went with the Schustman Foundation.

Do you know that?

Did you go on like reality on a trip?

I went reality.

It was life-changing.

Absolutely life-changing.

That's amazing.

Nice plug for Schustman there.

Oh my goodness.

I mean, they sent us to Israel.

The least I could do is talk about them.

I mean, it was really, really exceptional and I remember the food was amazing.

The markets were amazing.

It was so exceptional.

I was It was jaw-dropping is what it was.

Yeah.

It's a special place.

Mhm.

Uh, we sort of touched on this, but we'll get a definitive answer from you.

Olivia.

13.

Do we think Morgan is going to come between Esther and Sasha?

I mean, yeah.

That's the prediction.

I think so.

And I think even Good TV.

It's good TV.

And I think even if they don't end up having like a major affair, it's already come between Esther and Sasha.

A thing now.

Well, yeah.

Because of the hiding and the lying.

And this is I think the big thing in relationships where it's like I mean, I don't know how he would have told her.

I don't see that it would have gone especially well, but at least he wouldn't have been hiding, right?

That's a tough spot.

That's a tough spot.

Well, I love seeing people like you succeed because Thank you.

You know, so much of what we think Hollywood is is the people who like get a hit movie when they're 18 years old and then they're off to the races.

But like this is the real Hollywood is somebody who just is grinding and grinding and grinding and now you're on a hit show and it's just awesome.

It's just I'm really happy for you.

Thank you.

I think the show should be called Everybody [ __ ] Wants This.

everybody thinking.

Did you know that it was originally called Shakes?

Shika.

Yeah, I did know that.

I was like, of all the places for us not to discuss that.

Yes.

But I it's I think it was a good choice to not call it.

I was at first I was um I just heard Aaron on her pod talk about the same thing.

Like at first we were all bummed.

We were like, "Oh, it's going to be impossible to beat Shixa, but now that it's nobody wants this and everybody loves it, it just feels so right." Jackie Jonah, you are delight.

This has been such a pleasure.

I would have you on every week.

My bracelets, I'll tell you, um, are she makes all different kinds, but they're by a woman on Instagram, Beads for Proceeds, and she nice rhyme.

Yeah, she's she's rad.

And she made these amazing bracelets.

Was this the inspiration for Rachel's choker making?

Was that the Is that the funniest thing?

Who I was in acting class with, by the way, fabulous.

I'm an investor in that company.

That's what I was really fun.

Anyway, thought I'd shout out my beautiful little bracelets.

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