Amusing Jews

Atheists United Studios

An interview show celebrating Jewish contributors and contributions to American popular culture co-hosted by Jonathan Friedmann and Joey Angel-Field.

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176 episodes
Updated Monday

Episodes176

Newest first

Feb 3, 2025 · 29 min
Ep. 87: Jewish Cultural Canon - with author Jodi Kornfeld
Jodi Kornfeld is rabbi of Beth Chaverim Humanistic Jewish Community in Deerfield, Illinois, and co-editor of a new book, Contemporary Humanistic Judaism: Beliefs, Values, Practices. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field...
Jan 27, 2025 · 32 min
Ep. 86: Daisy Goes to the Moon – with author Mathew Klickstein and artist Rick Geary
Mathew Klickstein is a prolific author, filmmaker, and pop culture historian. Rick Geary is a renowned artist, illustrator, and cartoonist. Their new graphic novel, Daisy Goes to the Moon, is published by Fantagraphics. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann...
Jan 20, 2025 · 27 min
Ep. 85: Double Dare, Unwrapped, and Beyond – with television host Marc Summers
Marc Summers is a legendary television personality, best known for hosting Nickelodeon’s Double Dare and Unwrapped for the Food Network. He is the author of Everything in Its Place: My Trials and Triumphs with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and the...
Jan 13, 2025 · 24 min
Ep. 84: Is Yosemite Sam Jewish? - with Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field
There’s an old debate about Yosemite Sam’s possible Jewish identity. Amusing Jews gets to the bottom of it! Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren Donald Trump Mispronounces “Yosemite”...
Jan 6, 2025 · 46 min
Ep. 83: Abe Saperstein’s Harlem Globetrotters – with authors Mark Jacob and Matthew Jacob
Brothers Mark and Matthew Jacob are the co-authors of Globetrotter: How Abe Saperstein Shook Up the World of Sports. They previously co-authored What the Great Ate: A Curious History of Food and Fame. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey...
Dec 23, 2024 · 26 min
Ep. 82: Carl Laemmle’s Universal Legacy – with film historian Antonia Carlotta
Antonia Carlotta is a film historian and niece of Universal Studios founder Carl Laemmle. She explores her great uncle’s legacy on her YouTube channel and website, Antonia Carlotta Presents: Universally Me. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey...
Dec 16, 2024 · 21 min
A Very Cthulhu Hanukkah Special – with author Alex Shvartsman
Alex Shvartsman is an author, translator, and anthologist whose latest book is Dreidel of Dread: The Very Cthulhu Hanukkah Board Book. His other works include the fantasy novels Kakistocracy, The Middling Affliction, and Eridani’s Crown. His short...
Dec 9, 2024 · 25 min
Ep. 81: Levy-Gardner-Laven Memories – with Barbara Laven
Barbara Laven is a retired trauma therapist and daughter of producer-director Arnold Laven – one-third of Levy-Gardner-Laven, the production company behind the classic TV Western series The Rifleman and The Big Valley. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann...
Dec 2, 2024 · 24 min
Ep. 80: What Jewish Looks Like – with author Liz Kleinrock
Liz Kleinrock is an antiracist and antibias educator and author of What Jewish Looks Like, a book for young readers co-authored with Caroline Kusin Prichard and illustrated by Iris Gottlieb. Her previous books include Start Here, Start Now: A Guide to...
Nov 25, 2024 · 37 min
Ep. 79: Remembering Gene Wilder – with documentarian Glenn Kirschbaum
Glenn Kirschbaum is a documentary writer, producer, and director whose latest film is Remembering Gene Wilder. He also wrote episodes of Unsolved Mysteries, and has overseen hundreds of hours of programming on The History Channel, A & E,...
Nov 18, 2024 · 27 min
Ep. 78: A Century of Dybbuks – with theatre professor Debra Caplan
Debra Caplan is an associate professor of theatre at the Graduate Center and Baruch College, City University of New York. She's the author of Yiddish Empire: The Vilna Troupe, Jewish Theater, and the Art of Itinerancy, and co-editor of The Dybbuk...
Nov 11, 2024 · 52 min
Ep. 77: American Ninja, Breakin’ 2, and Cannon Films – with director Sam Firstenberg
Sam Firstenberg is an independent film director best known for his work with Cannon films, including Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo and the American Ninja series. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren ...
Nov 4, 2024 · 34 min
Ep. 76: Contemporary Jewish Visual Art – with artist Joel Silverstein
Joel Silverstein is an artist, curator, teacher, critic, and a founding member of the Jewish Art Salon. His new book is The Brighton Beach Bible, an autobiographical painted narrative based around the Exodus story. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann &...
Oct 28, 2024 · 19 min
Betty Boop Halloween Special – with author Peter Benjaminson
Peter Benjaminson is a former reporter for The LA Times, Detroit Free Press, and Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He’s the author of several books, including The Lost Supreme: The Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard; Mary Wells: The Tumultuous Life of...
Oct 21, 2024 · 27 min
Ep. 75: Real Life Funnies – with cartoonist Stan Mack
Stan Mack is a cartoonist best known for Real Life Funnies, which ran in The Village Voice for over two decades. His new book, Stan Mack’s Real-Life Funnies: The Collected Conceits, Delusions, and Hijinks of New Yorkers from 1974 to 1995, is published...
Oct 14, 2024 · 32 min
Ep. 74: The Jewish Mother of Organized Crime – with author Margalit Fox
Margalit Fox is a journalist and author whose latest book is The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: The Rise and Fall of an American Organized-Crime Boss. Her previous books include Conan Doyle for the Defense, The Riddle of the Labyrinth, Talking Hands, and...
Oct 7, 2024 · 27 min
Ep. 73: Cartoonists Against Racism – with historian Rafael Medoff
Dr. Rafael Medoff is founding director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, based in Washington, D.C. He’s the author of more than 20 books, including the graphic novel Whistleblowers: Four Who Fought to Expose the Holocaust to...
Sep 30, 2024 · 39 min
Ep. 72: American Jewish Material Culture – with museum expert Avi Decter
Avi Decter is managing partner of History Now and the author most recently of Exploring American Jewish History through 50 Historic Treasures. He has served as director of the Museum of American Jewish History and the Jewish Museum of Maryland, head...
Sep 23, 2024 · 27 min
Ep. 71: Voicing Teddy Ruxpin – with actor Phil Baron
Phil Baron is a voice actor, singer, and songwriter best known as the voice of Teddy Ruxpin. He also voiced Piglet on the 1980s Disney Channel series Welcome to Pooh Corner. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer:...
Sep 16, 2024 · 45 min
Ep. 70: Why You Like It: Music, Taste, & Pandora – with composer Nolan Gasser
Nolan Gasser, a composer, pianist, and musicologist, is the architect of Pandora Radio’s Music Genome Project. He’s also the author of Why You Like It: The Science & Culture of Musical Taste. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field ...