People Jew Wanna Know

Nadav Roet started doing magic at 4 years old in Israel, moved to Amsterdam to live in his Holocaust-survivor grandfather's hometown, and landed in New York — where he now runs The Bluff, the city's underground magic show built for the young, cool crowd. He's an award-winning mentalist featured in Cosmopolitan and New York magazine, and in this episode, Nadav will convince you that magic is the single coolest art form ever invented. Follow Nadav on socials @NadavRoet and @TheBluffNYC Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow **What We Discuss:** 00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda 02:00 Growing up in magic and building The Bluff 06:30 The magic renaissance and why every party has a magician now 11:00 A third-generation Holocaust survivor's Jewish identity 14:00 Israeli skeptics vs. American audiences 17:00 A live mind-reading trick (watch on video) 24:00 Why magic is a proudly Jewish — but never insular — art form 30:00 Magic Camp, meeting your heroes, and killing your darlings 38:00 Where the female magicians are 41:00 Do what you love, with what you have, and have fun 43:00 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Harrison Greenbaum does 900 shows a year. The Harvard grad turned comedian-magician has been called "the hardest working man in comedy." He's also the guy who wrote his college thesis on whether jokes can make people less racist. Turns out the answer is complicated — and there's one type of humor that can actually make prejudice *worse*. Harrison gets honest about the sharp rise in antisemitism showing up in his comments, the audience member who blurted "no" when he said he was Jewish, and why being a grandson of Holocaust survivors makes him want to talk about Jewish stuff *more*, not less. Plus: why so many magicians are terrible, and how to (maybe) reverse-pickpocket a mentalist. Follow Harrison on socials @harrisoncomedy Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow **What We Discuss:** 00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda 02:09 From Magic Camp to Harvard's Jewish Fraternity 06:30 The Secret Algorithm of 900 Shows a Year 12:00 His Thesis on Whether Jokes Fight Prejudice 17:30 Being a Jewish Comic in a Weirder Climate 22:00 Running Off to Join Cirque du Soleil 25:00 Why Every Magic Show Looks the Same 29:00 The Reverse-Pickpocketing Sting Operation 32:00 What the Jews Bring to Magic 34:06 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Chloe Hechter calls herself "the People's Jewish American Princess," and she means it as a mission, not a punchline. Former child actor, recovering sorority girl, and now a comedy creator with 300,000+ followers, she's spent years reclaiming an insult and turning private-school-summer-camp-Murray-Hill life into beloved sketches.But the skits are just the surface. Chloe opens up about exposure therapy for emetophobia starting at age ten, why she believes Jewish women have to be "ten toes down," and her sharpest take yet: that a lot of Jinsta creators are failing. Follow Chloe on all socials @ChloeHechterrSupport our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow This episode is brought to you by ReturnQueen, making your returns easy! Use promo code **PJWK50** on the ReturnQueen app for 50% off an Annual Membership—just $99 for the year (regularly $199.99). Your membership includes: 4 return pickups every month Up to 12 items in your pickup Or, if you'd like to try ReturnQueen first, use promo code **FREERETURN** on the app for your first pickup free!💜 Download the ReturnQueen app and let them handle your returns—and your resale. Follow ReturnQueen on Socials @return.queen **What We Discuss:** 00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda 04:00 Reclaiming Jewish American Princess 06:30 Becoming a full-time content creator post Syracuse 13:00 Why Chloe wants to manage her own socials 15:00 Growing up the Jewish girl at theater camp 18:00 Emetophobia and exposure therapy 24:00 The camp meds line 28:00 American Jews and the myth of the golden age 32:00 Jewish girls and the trends they started 40:00 Chloe's upcoming book, being a woman in the creator space, and why Jinsta ghettoizes Jews 49:00 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Yardenne Greenspan is a Tel Aviv-born writer and Hebrew translator whose work appears in numerous publications and has earned notable awards. She's married to Shai Davidai (yes, that one — Activist, former Columbia professor, and Margarita's viral early guest), but she's built her own formidable kind of activism: humanizing Israelis one carefully chosen word at a time. She's the person you drift toward at every Jewish event without quite knowing why. In this episode, Margarita and Yardenne discuss the importance of translation, the true reality of activism, and how to always take the high road. Follow Yardenne on Instagram @YardenneGreenspanSupport our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda 03:27 Growing Up Secular in Tel Aviv 07:15 Meeting Shai & Moving to America 10:30 Post-Mortems on Activism 14:00 The Twitter Fight & Refusing the Bait 19:45 Translation as a Form of Activism 26:00 Vulnerability as Strength 30:30 Raising Kids Under Attack 36:00 Translating Trauma in Kazakhstan 41:00 Message to the Jewish People 44:03 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Eitan Levine - you know him, you love him. He's a popular Jewish comedian, political commentator, and the man behind the beloved "Jewish or Antisemitic" series. This episode goes deeper than expected. Eitan opens up about the sarcoma that shaped his teens and twenties. He also delivers a blistering and hilarious critique of how Jewish organizations spent money after October 7th — and why he thinks it backfired. Follow @eitanthegoalie on Instagram and check out his work at www.eitanlevine.com Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda 03:41 From celebrity journalism to Jewish comedy 06:00 Cancer at ten and the Russian leg-lengthening device 14:00 Manischewitz Matchmakers and reinjecting Jewish joy 23:00 Why the post-October 7th messaging failed 30:00 Watching Trump press conferences from a bomb shelter 33:00 Jewish or Antisemitic: New York City edition 38:00 Find allies before enemies 40:00 Brad Lander, endorsements, and showing up in city government 43:00 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Adam Malev has performed at over 1,000 stand-up shows, built an app that maps every open mic in New York City, and once did a full minute of 9/11 jokes on Kill Tony. He's a proud Zionist, the self-proclaimed last Jew in his family's lineage, and — brace yourself — a genuine, non-satirical Zohran Mamdani voter. Margarita was sure the "Zionist for Zohran" bit was a joke. It is not. This episode is a real-time reckoning, a lot of laughing, and zero eye-to-eye. They stay friends anyway. Follow Adam on Instagram @adammalev & @malevcomedy Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda 05:04 From EY consultant to full-time comedian 07:30 Building Comediq, the open mic app 09:00 Last Jew in the family 13:00 Zionist for Zohran, explained (and not satire) 17:00 Affordability, potholes, and the case for Mamdani 20:00 Synagogue buffer zones and Jewish safety 24:00 The @Antisemitism account and manufactured outrage 27:00 Kill Tony regrets and the Jewish Kanye West 31:30 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Arno Michaelis is a former Neo-Nazi turned activist, writer, and tremendous ally to the Jewish people. He was a founding member of a racist skinhead crew, lead singer of a hate metal band, reverend in a violently antisemitic church — and then he walked away, worn down by exhaustion and undone by the kindness of the people he was taught to hate. Today he's a Buddhist, an author, and a peer specialist at Parents for Peace who talks pissed-off young men out of the abyss for a living.In this episode, Arno explains why every extremist ideology, left or right, eventually converges on hating Jews. And why that's not a Jewish problem to solve. Follow Arno on Instagram @ArnoMichaelis and check out www.parents4peace.org Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda 02:45 Storytelling and the work of Parents for Peace 07:30 The archetype of "Joe Pissed Off White Kid" 11:00 Arno's childhood, addiction, and the roller coaster of hate 18:00 The night his newborn daughter changed everything 22:00 Regret vs. remorse — the mechanism of real change 25:00 How white nationalism recruits today 31:00 Why every extremist ideology converges on Jew hatred 36:00 Whose problem antisemitism actually is 39:00 Arno's question to Margarita 41:00 Closing Remarks

Raheel Raza is a Pakistani-Canadian author, journalist, and president of Muslims Facing Tomorrow. She'll help you understand everything you'd like to know about Radical Islam. She's testified at the UN, spoken at Harvard and Oxford, and visited Israel 14 times. She also happens to be one of the warmest humans you'll ever meet. This is the conversation where Margarita finally gets to ask the questions that feel too "icky" to ask — about dhimmitude, about why Western Muslim leaders skew extreme, and about how Jews and Muslims can actually still be friends. Raheel answers every single one with patience and zero PC filter. Learn more about Raheel's work at www.raheelraza.com Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda 02:30 From Karachi to Canada — finding the Jewish world through Anne Frank 05:10 Why the Jewish-Muslim conflict isn't religious 07:40 Inside the Council of Muslims Against Antisemitism 11:00 Defeat radical Islamism, defeat antisemitism 15:30 Hadith-based Islam and the politics of extremism 20:00 What the Palestinian diaspora gets wrong, and the promise of the Abraham Accords 24:30 What Jews can actually do — Rabbi Sacks, samosas, and culinary diplomacy 32:00 Canada's "polite pogrom" and the Mamdani problem 38:00 Dhimmitude vs. reform Islam 44:00 Raheel's three-question litmus test for any Muslim you meet 49:00 Closing Remarks

Marina the Marathon Princess has run 76 marathons, finished multiple Ironmans, and walked the entire length of Israel. Her running joke, pun intended, is that she's one of the slowest people doing some of the hardest races in the world. Marina is an activism trendsetter who printed "Stand With Israel" on a race shirt years before October 7th. What started as a couchsurfing trip to Tel Aviv with a giant backpack turned into a years-long love affair with Israel, the Hebrew language, and the runners who cheer her on at every kilometer. Learn from Marina about what it takes to do the hardest things with the biggest smile. Follow Marina on Instagram @marathon.princess Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda 02:30 From investment banking to 76+ marathons 05:15 Willpower is overrated — systems and mental tricks for endurance 09:00 The Tinder match that turned into a love for Israel 12:45 Printing a "Stand With Israel" shirt and losing followers 15:30 Why people who visit Israel walk away changed 18:00 What people misunderstand about being Jewish 21:00 Reclaiming Zionism and reframing antisemitism as conspiracy theory 24:30 On Nice Jewish Runners 26:00 Closing Remarks

Brianna Wu is the voice of reason on the left. The video game developer turned political commentator turned Democratic insider has spent her career being first to name what other people are too scared to say out loud — and she brings that same clarity to one of the most uncomfortable conversations on the American left right now. In this episode, Brianna talks about why democrat elites privately know better, why "respectability politics" are failing Jews, and what an actually effective information war would look like. Follow Brianna Wu on Instagram @BriannaWuSays Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow **What We Discuss:** 00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda 02:45 Mississippi, the Democratic Party, and the long project against Jews 08:20 The Jews who showed up when Brianna transitioned 12:10 Regrets about supercharging the progressive movement 18:30 No panacea for antisemitism (or Jew hatred) 24:15 Stop the conferences, start the information warfare 30:40 What's actually happening to the trans community right now 37:20 Why "as a Jew" isn't a credential 43:50 Brianna's question for Margarita 46:30 Closing Remarks

Shay Khatiri grew up in an Iranian Communist household where his dad handed him Das Kapital at age 12 — and somehow ended up a neoconservative Persian researcher at CAMERA, fighting media bias against Israel. Shay knows more about Jewish life than most Jews, and will absolutely turn off your lights before leaving Shabbat dinner. Shay breaks down why Iranians were cheering on Israeli fighter jets from their rooftops, the 2,500-year friendship between Persians and Jews that started with Cyrus the Great, and what the future for Iran may entail. Follow Shay on X @ShayKhatiri Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda 03:15 Growing up in a Communist household in Iran 08:20 How the West misunderstands a society at war 12:40 Why Iranians cheered for Israeli fighter jets 18:30 What it will actually take to topple the regime 22:15 The 2,500-year friendship between Persians and Jews 30:00 Iranians today: the most pro-Israel nation after Israel itself 34:20 How Americans can actually help the Iranian people 38:45 The "as a Jew" problem and rebellion against immigrant parents 44:10 Closing Remarks

Andy Buckley is David Wallace. You know him. You love him. But before he was Steve Carell's perfectly straight-faced boss at Dunder Mifflin, he spent years as a Merrill Lynch wealth manager — which explains why his corporate deadpan hits so painfully right. He's also one of the most thoughtful and openly supportive non-Jewish allies the community has had since October 7th. Andy talks about the moment that gave him permission to speak up, the dinner-table education that came with marrying into a Jewish family, and why he thinks the loudest voices in Hollywood are often the least informed. Plus: the lost art of being a straight man, his audition origin story, and the surprising flight he took next to Ana Kasparian's husband. Follow Andy Buckley on Instagram @AndyBuckley2020 Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda 03:00 From Stanford to Wall Street to David Wallace 09:30 The Underrated Power of the Straight Man 14:00 Trusting Your Voice as an Artist 18:30 Visiting Auschwitz, Marrying Into a Jewish Family, and Learning Slowly 22:00 What Amar'e Stoudemire's Post Unlocked 27:00 Why Hollywood Stays Quiet 32:00 Sitting Next to Ana Kasparian's Husband on a Plane 37:00 What Andy Wants from Hollywood (and What Margarita Doesn't) 39:00 Closing Remarks

Margarita returns for a solo episode to catch you up on the comeback of the “Goy You Will Enjoy” season — dedicated to the allies showing up for the Jewish community — and the current state of Jinsta. She also reads a powerful letter from a listener about intermarriage that sparked one of the most thoughtful conversations we’ve had in a long time. Truly an incredible note. Follow People Jew Wanna Know on Instagram @peoplejewwannaknow Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

Dr. Monasebian is a board-certified plastic surgeon, and the man Margarita personally trusts with her own face. A Forest Hills native, Brandeis graduate, and proud half-Sephardic, half-Ashkenazi Jew, Dr. Monasebian has built a reputation not just for exceptional results, but for telling patients the truth. In an industry full of hype, he’s refreshingly candid about what procedures are worth considering, which ones are overhyped, and why credentials matter more than ever. In this conversation, we discuss everything from the evolution of rhinoplasty among Jewish patients to the rise of non-surgical treatments, body dysmorphia, aging gracefully, and the biggest misconceptions about plastic surgery. We also explore how he approaches these conversations with his own children—and the procedures he'd never recommend.Follow Dr. Monasebian on Instagram: @parkaveplasticsurgeryListeners get a complimentary consultation — just mention People Jew Wanna Know. Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda 03:00 Dr. Monasebian's Jewish upbringing 09:30 Why credentials matter (and what can go wrong) 14:00 How rhinoplasty culture has shifted for Jewish patients 17:30 Surgical vs. non-surgical: how to choose 24:00 Aging well after a procedure 29:00 Talking to his own kids about cosmetic work 33:00 Saying no: unrealistic requests and body dysmorphia 38:00 Lightning round — most underrated, most overrated, biggest pet peeves 46:30 CoolSculpting, Kybella, etc. 50:00 A message to Jewish New Yorkers 53:00 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Rebecca Brooks is the dark horse behind some of the biggest food and lifestyle personalities you know — Rachael Ray, Andrew Zimmern, Guy Fieri, Jacques Torres, Robert Irvine. She founded the Brooks Group at 25 out of her husband's family office in New York, and basically helped invent the "lifestyle of food" category before Food Network was a household name. Margarita talks to Rebecca about what actually happens behind the curtain — how to fix a PR crisis, how to say no without burning the bridge, and why the best clients lead with story, not product. Plus a tangent on what Judaism actually says about psychics, mediums, and the woo-woo of it all. Follow Rebecca on Instagram @Rebecca_BrooksPR and ⁨@BrooksGroupPR⁩ and check out her website brookspr.com Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda 06:11 Growing up Jewish on Long Island 10:30 Starting the Brooks Group at 25 14:00 Pioneering storytelling in beauty PR 17:45 Advising Jewish clients on speaking out 20:30 Owning mistakes and the art of the apology 23:15 How to say no without burning bridges 25:40 Joe Dispenza, Reiki, and reading energy 28:30 Message to the Jewish people & Guest Nomination

Ariel Stachel—Tony winner for The Band's Visit—gets brutally honest about learning to “act” by hiding parts of himself, and what it took to finally stop. We get into his solo show Other , the identity whiplash growing up post 9/11, and why he’s willing to say the uncomfortable things—about activism, platforming, and how Jews should be portrayed in media right now. Margarita and Ariel compare notes and bond over being children of immigrants. Connect with Ariel on Instagram @ArielStachel Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda 1:42 "My acting training was pretending to be other people" 8:38 How has the show Other been received? 11:27 On the experience of having immigrant parents 19:30 Ariel's activism & message to Mamdani 23:46 How should we tell stories about Jews today? 29:50 On "platforming" people you disagree with 33:44 What's next for Ariel? 36:12 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Neil Friedman is the quiet powerhouse behind some of the most important Jewish cinema of the last two decades. As founder of Menemsha Films and ChaiFlicks — the world's largest Jewish streaming platform — he's racked up five consecutive Oscar-nominated films, championed hidden gems from six continents, and turned Bad Shabbos into a $1.5 million theatrical juggernaut at a moment when nobody goes to the movies anymore. Neil's story is one of Jewish ingenuity, resilience, and work ethic. **Special Promo to get an annual subscription to ChaiFlicks for only $36 for People Jew Wanna Know listeners!**Redemption link: http://www.chaiflicks.com/checkout/subscribe/purchase?code=people36&plan=yearly Redemption code: PEOPLE36Follow Menemsha Films on IG @Menemshafilms and learn more at menemshafilms.com Follow ChaiFlicks on IG @chaiflicks and learn more at chaiflicks.com Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda 03:15 From Park Avenue lawyer to Hollywood independent 08:40 Why Jewish art house — and trusting his parents' taste 12:20 Launching ChaiFlicks the first week of the pandemic 17:10 Why *Bad Shabbos* worked when *Nobody Wants This* didn't 24:30 The Florida-to-New York release strategy 29:15 Films every young Jew should see 34:50 Israeli TV is the best in the world, pound for pound 38:20 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Moshe Davis was Mayor Eric Adams' Jewish liaison and architect of NYC's first-ever Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism — until he found out via tweet that the Mamdani administration was replacing him. He's the guy who handled everything from synagogue security to the "Israel Bombs Way" street sign vandalism. Moshe has dealt with the good, the bad, and the ugly of Jewish life in NYC post October 7th. Margarita and Moshe sit down to discuss Moshe's experience and where he thinks Jewish life in NYC is headed. Plus: why antisemitism is less a prejudice and more the world's oldest conspiracy theory — and what that means for how we fight it. Follow Moshe Davis on X @_moshedavis Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda 03:13 From MJE to City Hall 07:00 What a Jewish Liaison Actually Does 12:30 Building MOCA and the Final Report 18:45 Getting Replaced by a Tweet 24:00 Israel Bombs Way and the Whack-a-Mole Job 29:30 Should Jewish New Yorkers Be Worried 33:00 Why the Orthodox World Isn't Phased 37:30 Antisemitism as a Conspiracy Theory, Not Just Racism 42:00 What's Next & Get Off Social Media, Get Into Politics 44:26 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Shye Klein was just weeks into his new life in Israel when he drove into the Nova festival at 2 a.m. on October 7th. Before noon, he was back in Tel Aviv — alive, with five friends and a roll of film of people he might never see again. A Canadian-Israeli photographer who'd never owned a Hillel sweatshirt or set foot on a Birthright trip, Shai walked out of that field and walked straight into 200 speaking engagements, years of therapy, and one of the most clear-eyed accounts of Nova & what resilience actually looks like. This conversation goes where most October 7th coverage won't: the bureaucratic nightmare of qualifying for Israeli government aid, the survivors who can't return to their old jobs, and the Band-Aid pizza parties masquerading as mental health support. Shai also names exactly where the diaspora should be sending money — and why. Follow Shye Klein on Instagram @ShyeKlein Check out Shye’s work www.shyeklein.com/october7story Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda 05:30 Making Aliyah three weeks before Nova 09:45 Shye's account of Nova 27:30 Finding the 54 people in Shye's photographs 32:00 Speaking tour burnout and avoidance 37:00 Why the aid system fails Nova survivors 42:30 Where the diaspora should actually donate 46:30 Beyond the Supernova photo project 49:00 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Jill Kargman is a New York Times bestselling author of 12 books, creator of Odd Mom Out, and a "shtetl chic" Manhattan Jewess. Margarita and Jill talk wig life, vaginal lasers, antisemitism in middle school, and why Jewish joy is the whole point. Jill found her voice the moment she stopped hiding behind characters and just told the truth. She's excited to share her new film - Influenced (in theaters May 8th). Follow Jill on IG @jillkargman and @influenced.movie Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda 02:12 Sephardic mom, Ashkenazi dad, free-range NYC childhood 06:30 Pulling her son out of school after an antisemitic incident 10:15 Why every story she tells comes back to family 14:20 Making *Influenced* and hiding the meat in the pasta 18:45 Celebrity cameos, blonde wigs, and being a "Sicilian widow" in real life 24:30 Re-virginization is real and Jill did it 27:10 Jewish storytelling needs comedy too 30:00 Margarita's life as a child pop star in Ukraine 34:20 Jewish joy, Mamdani, and L'chaim motherf*ckers 36:44 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination