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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.

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21 episodes
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Avg 46 min
English

Episodes 21

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Thursday · 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 18 · 40 min
Hacking It: Ambition, Reinvention, and the Friends We Make Along the Way
In this episode of PopTorah, we dive into the acclaimed HBO series Hacks. Beneath the sharp jokes and show-business drama lies a surprisingly rich story about reinvention, aging, ambition, and the complicated relationships that shape us.
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.
May 14 · 1 hr 24 min
Man in the Mirror: Fame, Myth, and the Making of Michael (Special Live Episode!)
In this very special episode of PopTorah, recorded LIVE at Temple Beth El in Stamford, CT in front of a packed sanctuary, we dive into Michael, the long-awaited and deeply complicated biopic about Michael Jackson — an artist whose music reshaped popula...
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 26 · 46 min
Sinners, Saints, and One Battle After Another: The 2026 Oscars Episode
In this special Oscars episode of PopTorah, we dive into two of the most talked-about films of the year: Sinners and One Battle After Another. Both films wrestle with big questions about morality, power, violence,
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.
Dec 25, 2025 · 38 min
Undercover on Campus: ‘A Man on the Inside’ Season 2 and the Purpose of Learning
What does it mean to learn, to teach, to remain faithful to ideals in a changing world? Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky discuss A Man on the Inside Season 2 — campus mysteries, human motives, and the deeper questions this witty Netflix comedy invites us to as...
Dec 4, 2025 · 39 min
Pluribus’ and the Paradox of Peoplehood
In this episode of PopTorah, Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky explore the haunting and thought-provoking world of AppleTV+’s Pluribus — a series in which nearly all of humanity becomes fused into a single hive mind,
Nov 13, 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
Bringing ‘Nobody Wants This’ Before the Beit Din
The rabbis are back in session! In this episode, Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky convene a Beit Din to deliberate the ethical, emotional, and existential questions raised by Netflix’s Nobody Wants This. Joined by special guest Rabbi Karen Glazer Perolman of C...

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