Shows / PopTorah
PopTorah
Welcome to PopTorah with Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky. 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.
Episodes
- PopTorah
Don’t Passover ’The Holdovers’
Alexander Payne’s newest film, ‘The Holdovers,’ stars Paul Giamatti as a prickly, demanding teacher at an elite northeastern boarding school who gets stuck…
- PopTorah
A Golden Ticket to ‘Wonka’
The new musical ‘Wonka,’ a prequel of sorts to the beloved Roald Dahl novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and the classic Gene Wilder film based on it…
- PopTorah
‘The Marvels’ and the Future of Marvel
It’s been an interesting and somewhat challenging year for superhero movies, with the once seemingly invincible Marvel Studios showing signs of wear and tear…
- PopTorah
It’s Not Whether ’Next Goal Wins’, but How You Play the Game
The new sports comedy ‘Next Goal Wins,’ directed by Taika Waititi, is based on the true story of American Samoa’s soccer team as it attempts to overcome…
- PopTorah
Lifting Up ’The Fall of the House of Usher’
The new miniseries on Netflix, ‘The Fall of the House of Usher,’ is many things all at once: a love letter to Edgar Allen Poe, a gothic horror masterpiece, and…
- PopTorah
The Rabbis are (Still) Cray-Cray for Tay-Tay
Taylor Swift’s long-awaited “Eras” tour was not only the pop cultural event of 2023, it was one of the most successful concert tours in music history. Each…
- PopTorah
Special Episode — Israel at War
You know that Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky are lifelong friends, but did you know that they met as teenagers on a youth group summer trip to Israel? And did you…
- PopTorah
Tradition and Change is ‘Elemental’
Disney and Pixar’s latest animated feature, Elemental, became a sleeper hit at the box office this summer. Using the interaction of various elements as an…
- PopTorah
Judaism and The Hollywood Strikes
Back in May, film and television writers went on strike. Actors joined them on the picket lines in July, leading to the longest strike in Hollywood history…
- PopTorah
Inviting God and Tradition to ‘My Bat Mitzvah’
Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky seem like they would be the target audience for Adam Sandler’s new Netflix movie, You’re So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah. But…
- PopTorah
The Summer of Barbenheimer
It’s official — ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ are this summer’s unlikely “it” couple! This summer, we’re all obsessed with the World’s Most Famous doll…
- PopTorah
Grin and ‘Bear’ It
The Bear, whose first two seasons are currently streaming on Hulu, follows Carmy Berzatto, a rising superstar in the culinary world, as he seeks to revitalize…
- PopTorah
‘Indiana Jones’ and Longing to Live in the Past
Indiana Jones is back! The dashing, swashbuckling, fedora-wearing, bullwhip-cracking, Nazi-punching archaeologist is literally racing against time in his fifth…
- PopTorah
Should We Cancel ’The Flash’? Or did ’The Flash’ Cancel Itself?
‘The Flash’ was supposed to be an exciting reset for the beleaguered DCEU, even heralded by some Hollywood luminaries as one of the greatest superhero films of…
- PopTorah
The Rabbis Enter ‘the Spider-Verse’
‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse’ is the sequel to the hit 2018 animated adventure ‘Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse,’ and the second part of a planned…
- PopTorah
’Succession’ and the Meaning of Success
The hit HBO series Succession, currently in its final season, is deceptively complex. On the surface, it’s about members of a wealthy family vying for control…
- PopTorah
Guarding the Galaxy and Perfecting the World
The MCU has been in a bit of a rough patch lately, but ‘Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3’ gets things back on track. The final chapter of James Gunn’s…
- PopTorah
Is ’The Mandalorian’ The Way?
‘The Mandalorian,’ whose third season is now streaming on Disney+, is one of the most critically and commercially successful offerings of Disney-era Star Wars…
- PopTorah
How ‘Super’ is the ‘Mario Bros.’ Movie?
Mario, Luigi, Toadstool, Princess Peach, and Bowser are back — this time in the cleverly-titled blockbuster animated comedy ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie.’ Is…
- PopTorah
Trying ’Shrinking’ On For Size
‘Shrinking,’ the new series streaming on AppleTV+ boasts some big names (have you heard of this guy Harrison Ford? We think he’s got a promising future…
- PopTorah
The Best Episode in ‘The History of the World: Part II’
It finally happened! The sequel to Mel Brooks’ 1981 classic ‘History of the World: Part I’ that nearly every Jew of a certain age has been waiting for is here…
- PopTorah
The Poppys: PopTorah 2023 Oscars Special!
The 95th Academy Awards are fast approaching, and Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky are here to talk about the Torah of this year’s Best Picture nominees. In this…
- PopTorah
’The Last of Us’ and the Torah of the Zombie Apocalypse
The new HBO series, ‘The Last of Us,’ based on the acclaimed video game of the same name, explores what life might look like 20 years after a pandemic…
- PopTorah
‘You People’ and Black-Jewish Relations
The new Netflix film ‘You People,’ starring Eddie Murphy and Jonah Hill, is a romantic comedy in the mold of ‘Meet the Parents.’ The twist, however, is that…
- PopTorah
Oui, oui, ‘Emily in Paris’!
The first three seasons of Darren Starr’s guilty pleasure series ‘Emily in Paris’ are now streaming on Netflix. Most viewers agree that the show is the…
- PopTorah
Peeling Back the Layers of ‘Glass Onion’
The new film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is Rian Johnson’s follow-up to his critical and commercial 2019 hit Knives Out. Once again starring Daniel Craig…
- PopTorah
Sex, Lies, and Power in ‘The White Lotus: Sicily’
The follow-up to the smash HBO limited series ‘The White Lotus’ explores issues of sex and relationships, trust and power, class and privilege, beauty and…
- PopTorah
‘Fleishman’ and the ‘Trouble’ of Love, Loss, and Longing
The new Hulu series ‘Fleishman is in Trouble’, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Claire Danes, is a show about how love can become hate, marriage can devolve into…
- PopTorah
Wakanda Forever!
‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ is the eagerly-awaited sequel to one of the most critically and commercially successful films of all time. The original ‘Black…
- PopTorah
One Ring to Rule Them All
The new Prime Video series ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,’ is based on one of the most popular book and film series ever, and is the most…
- PopTorah
On the Couch with ‘The Patient’
The new FX/Hulu series The Patient is a psychological thriller about a therapist, played by Steve Carell, who is kidnapped by and forced to treat his patient…
- PopTorah
’She-Hulk’, Combatting the Patriarchy, and Pursuing Justice
The new Marvel TV series ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’ is currently streaming on Disney+, “hulking out” on subjects ranging from toxic masculinity to celebrity…
- PopTorah
Recapping the 2022 Emmy Awards
So much great TV, so little time! Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky recap everything Jewish about the 2022 Emmy awards. Who won, who was robbed, who wore what best, and…
- PopTorah
Pop-pourri: Recapping Summer 2022
Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky are back from summer vacation and eager to catch up on everything Jewish about our favorite pop culture offerings of the summer. Join…
- PopTorah
Heroes, Monsters, and ’Stranger Things’
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…
- PopTorah
‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’, Considering the Past and Confronting Failure
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…
- PopTorah
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s PopTorah
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…
- PopTorah
‘Severance,’ Working to Live, and Living to Work
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…
- PopTorah
Does ‘Under the Banner of Heaven’ Understand Its Subject?
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…
- PopTorah
The Price of ‘Winning Time’
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…
- PopTorah
‘Turning Red’ and Coming of Age
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…
- PopTorah
‘The Batman’: Justice, Vengeance, and the Darkness Within
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…
- PopTorah
PopTorah 2022 Oscars Special!
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…
- PopTorah
‘Inventing Anna’ and the Cost of Fame
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…
- PopTorah
Back to School at ‘Abbott Elementary’
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…
- PopTorah
Enchanted by ‘Encanto’
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…
- PopTorah
Taking a Look at ‘Don’t Look Up’
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…
- PopTorah
’The Matrix Resurrections’, the Meaning of Freedom, and the Nature of Reality
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…
- PopTorah
Hawkeye and Heroism
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…
- PopTorah
The Beatles: Inspiration, Transformation, and the Cost of Success
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…
- PopTorah
Hanukkah Pop-pourri!
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…
- PopTorah
Dune, Power Dynamics, and Platform Disruption
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…
- PopTorah
More Than ‘Only Murders in the Building’
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…
- PopTorah
‘Maid’ in America
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…
- PopTorah
We Believe in ‘Ted Lasso’
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…
- PopTorah
Settling into ’The Chair’
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…
- PopTorah
Checking Into ’The White Lotus’
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…
- PopTorah
Greater Than the Sum of our ‘Parts’
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…
- PopTorah
Learning From and Dunking on ’Space Jam: A New Legacy’
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…
- PopTorah
‘Loki’, Free Will, and Glorious Purpose
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…