Skip to content
Sign in
Artwork for PopTorah
Religion & SpiritualityJudaismTV & FilmSociety & Culture

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.

Play
Open in
  • 24 episodes
  • fortnightly
  • Avg 45 min
  • English

Episodes 24

NewestOldestLongest
All20Unplayed20In progress0Played0
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • Thursday · 40 min

    Let There Be Lanterns

    Being fearless sounds like a pretty good qualification for a superhero. But is it all it’s cracked up to be? In this spoiler-filled episode of PopTorah, Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky dive into DC’s Lanterns, where cosmic powers collide with some very human ...

  • October 1 · 38 min

    Chad Powers and the Trouble with Second Chances

    What happens when your shot at redemption begins with a lie? In Hulu’s Chad Powers, disgraced quarterback Russ Holliday (Glenn Powell) disguises himself as an eccentric walk-on for the struggling South Georgia Catfish (get it?),

  • September 17 · 35 min

    We Still Believe in ‘Ted Lasso’

    Five years ago, we declared that we believed in Ted Lasso, whose radical kindness and relentless optimism felt like just what the world needed. Now Ted is back — this time coaching AFC Richmond’s new women’s team — and so are we.

  • August 27 · 57 min

    You Seem Pretty Sad for a “Spider-Man” So in Love

    In this spoiler-filled episode of PopTorah, Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky debate whether Spider-Man: Brand New Day succeeds as a Spider-Man story — or gets tangled in the MCU’s ever-expanding web. Along the way,

  • August 13 · 45 min

    The Odyssey and the Long Road Home

    Christopher Nolan turns one of Western literature’s oldest homecoming stories into something darker: an epic about war, moral consequence, and the difficult work of return. In this spoiler-filled episode of PopTorah,

  • July 30 · 55 min

    A ‘Toy Story’ for the Anxious Generation

    What happens when playtime gives way to screen time? In this  episode of PopTorah, we explore Toy Story 5’s encounter between beloved old-school toys and a new generation of smart devices. Along the way, we discuss parenting in the age of tablets and s...

  • July 16 · 55 min

    ‘Disclosure Day’ Asks: Can We Handle the Truth?

    What if humanity learned, once and for all, that we are not alone? In this spoiler-filled episode of PopTorah, we dive into Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, a film about revelation, secrecy, fear, and the courage to face truths that powerful people w...

  • July 2 · 37 min

    Borrowed Time in The Boroughs

    In this episode of PopTorah, we dive into Netflix’s new supernatural sci-fi series The Boroughs, about a group of unlikely heroes in a seemingly perfect retirement community who discover that their “golden years” may be more dangerous — and more meanin...

  • June 4 · 44 min

    Is The Mandalorian and Grogu the Way?

    Star Wars is back on the big screen, and in this episode of PopTorah, we discuss The Mandalorian and Grogu alongside a broader conversation about the state of Star Wars and franchise storytelling in the age of streaming.

  • April 28 · 35 min

    Faith, Friendship, and First Contact in Project Hail Mary

    In this spoiler-filled episode of PopTorah, we dive into Project Hail Mary, a sci-fi space adventure starring Ryan Gosling. What begins as a desperate mission to save humanity becomes something far more intimate — a story about unlikely friendship and ...

  • April 9 · 41 min

    Unfortunately, it was ‘Paradise’

    In this episode of PopTorah, we break down Hulu’s Paradise — a gripping, twist-filled series about a so-called perfect society that quickly reveals its cracks. With full spoilers, we explore how Paradise wrestles with power, control,

  • March 12 · 45 min

    Power, Persona, and Purpose in Marvel’s “Wonder Man”

    In this episode of PopTorah, we dive into Marvel’s newest Disney+ series, “Wonder Man.” This isn’t just another superhero origin story. The show explores the tension between public image and inner truth, the seduction of fame,

  • February 19 · 35 min

    If You Got It, Flaunt It: Mel Brooks at 99

    In this episode of PopTorah, Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky talk about Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!, the HBO Max documentary celebrating Mel Brooks and a lifetime of unapologetic comedy. From The Producers to Blazing Saddles,

  • February 5 · 37 min

    Faith, False Prophets, and Fool’s Gold in Wake Up Dead Man

    What happens when a miracle involves a murder — and who benefits when the truth stays buried? In this spoiler-filled episode of PopTorah, we dive into Wake Up Dead Man, the darkest and most theologically charged entry in Rian Johnson’s whodunit series....

  • January 22 · 41 min

    Shadows, Light, and Stranger Things

    Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky return to Hawkins for the final season of the Netflix juggernaut Stranger Things. Beyond monsters and nostalgia, the show offers a sobering meditation on fear, power, and the seductions of militarism and authoritarian control.

  • January 9 · 35 min

    ‘Wicked’: For Good?

    What does it really mean to choose the side of “good” — and what does it cost? In this follow-up journey back to Oz, Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky explore Wicked: For Good, the second chapter of Elphaba and Glinda’s story,

  • January 8 · 1 hr

    The Good, The Bad, and The ‘Wicked’

    What does it mean to be good? And who gets to decide? In this magical episode of PopTorah, we dive into the world of Wicked, the spellbinding prequel to The Wizard of Oz that flips the script on the nature of good and evil.

Showing 1–20 of 24 episodes