GOLDA Girls – Details, episodes & analysis

GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick, former host of the hit Jewish podcast Unorthodox, is back with a brand new show that brings together an all-star group of Jewish women to discuss the issues facing our community each week: from the headlines dominating their feeds to the dramas lighting up their group chats. GOLDA Girls is a show about culture, community, identity, and the everyday moments shaping our modern Jewish lives.

Stephanie is joined by Jewish Insider reporter Gabby Deutch, Rabbi Diana Fersko of The Village Temple, and novelist Esther Chehebar. 

This week, the GOLDA Girls dive into mahjong, mohel microcelebrities, and the massive amount of money pouring into the bagel business. Plus, they answer your burning questions about Jewish life. 

GOLDA Girls is presented by Nu Reads, a new Jewish book subscription series curated by the Jewish Book Council that brings remarkable literature straight to your door. Use code NuGolda at checkout for 15% off. Visit NuReads.org to get started today.

This week’s episode is also sponsored by: 

• Influenced, an outrageous new comedy starring Jill Kargman. Influenced opens Friday, May 8 in New York City before expanding to select cities nationwide! Watch the trailer and reserve your tickets now at InfluencedMovie.com.
• Joyva, the iconic confectioner that’s been making treats for our Jewish tables since 1907. Stock up on halva, tahini, and marshmallow twists today.

GOLDA Girls is a production of GOLDA Media. Our executive producer is Ariel Shapiro. Edited by POLDHU. 

Subscribe to GOLDA’s newsletter at www.goldaguide.com and follow GOLDA on Instagram at @goldaguide.

You can listen to GOLDA Girls on:

• Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/golda-girls/id1895644983
• Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1eLma0Exh3LDv2Ay8fx8Cq
• Amazon Music https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1ee25ff2-b2af-401f-bbf4-1e7ab58b8177/golda-girls

Stephanie Butnick, founder of GOLDA and former host of the hit podcast Unorthodox, brings together an all-star group of Jewish women to discuss culture, identity, and the everyday moments shaping our modern Jewish lives. 

This week, Stephanie and her co-hosts, journalist Gabby Deutch, Rabbi Diana Fersko, and novelist Esther Chehebar, discuss Jewish Mother’s Day, bageling, and more. Influenced writer and star Jill Kargman joins the show to tackle an “Ask GOLDA” listener question about banning phones at bat mitzvahs. 

GOLDA Girls is presented by Nu Reads, a new Jewish book subscription series curated by the Jewish Book Council that brings remarkable literature straight to your door. Use code NuGolda at checkout for 15% off. Visit NuReads.org to get started today.

This episode is also sponsored by Joyva, a fourth generation family business that crafts tahini, halvah and confections in Brooklyn, NY. Get your Joyva deliciousness today.

GOLDA Girls is a production of GOLDA Media. Our executive producer is Ariel Shapiro. Edited by POLDHU. 

Subscribe to GOLDA’s newsletter at www.goldaguide.com and follow GOLDA on Instagram at @goldaguide.

You can listen to GOLDA Girls on:

• Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/golda-girls/id1895644983
• Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1eLma0Exh3LDv2Ay8fx8Cq
• Amazon Music https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1ee25ff2-b2af-401f-bbf4-1e7ab58b8177/golda-girls

Please consider leaving us a rating or review. 

Stay GOLDA! 

GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick and her co-hosts—journalist Gabby Deutch, novelist Esther Chehebar, and Rabbi Diana Fersko—discuss how Shavuot became all about cheesecake and explore the Jewish implications of the race to replace longtime New York Congressman Jerry Nadler. Special guest Julie Klausner joins the show to answer a listener question in Ask GOLDA. 

This week’s Good for the Jews picks: 

Stephanie: Zabars and JCC Manhattan’s Literie candle collab.

Gabby: The musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Diana: Mabel’s Labels for camp packing. 

Esther: Costco kosher cheesecake and Strokes guitarist Nick Valensi.

Upcoming GOLDA Events:

Tuesday, May 26 — New York City: GOLDA Mahjong Night is back on the Upper East Side for mahjong mavens, newcomers, and everyone in between! Sign up here.

Wednesday, May 27 — New York City: Join GOLDA for the kickoff event in our series at The Harmonie Club. Stephanie Butnick will be talking to three contemporary Jewish writer Rachel Kadish (The Weight of Ink), Menachem Kaiser, (Plunder), and GOLDA Girls co-host Esther Chehebar (Sisters of Fortune)—about their work and the rich tradition of Jewish storytelling. Sign up here.

Check out all of our events here. Want to bring GOLDA Girls to your community? Email us at hi@goldaguide.com.

Sponsors:

GOLDA Girls is presented by Nu Reads, a new Jewish book subscription series curated by the Jewish Book Council that brings remarkable literature straight to your door. Use code NuGolda at checkout for 15% off your subscription. Visit NuReads.org to get started today.

This episode is also sponsored by: 

• The Mindich Fellowship for Jewish Fiction, part of Miami Book Fair’s Emerging Writer Fellowship. If your novel or fiction project centers Jewish life, culture, or themes, this is an incredible year-long opportunity to develop that work in community. Apply by May 31, 2026 at miamibookfair.com/program/emerging-fellows/.
• Joyva, a fourth generation family business that crafts tahini, halvah and confections in Brooklyn, NY. Get your deliciousness today.

GOLDA is a Jewish lifestyle destination built around one idea: making Jewish life bright, beautiful, and full of meaning. Subscribe to our newsletter at www.goldaguide.com and follow GOLDA on Instagram at @goldaguide.

GOLDA Girls is a production of GOLDA Media. Our executive producer is Ariel Shapiro. We’re edited by POLDHU. 

You can listen to GOLDA Girls on:

• Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/golda-girls/id1895644983
• Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1eLma0Exh3LDv2Ay8fx8Cq
• Pocket Casts https://pocketcasts.com/podcast/golda-girls/ed7285a0-2487-013f-2ec2-0e872f6a2b21

Leave us a review and we’ll send you a GOLDA sticker! Email a screenshot of your review to hi@goldaguide.com. 

Stay GOLDA. 

This week, GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick and her co-hosts, journalist Gabby Deutch, Rabbi Diana Fersko, and novelist Esther Chehebar discuss what Jewish leadership looks like today. Reflecting on the death of Abe Foxman and the fractured moment in Jewish life, the GOLDA Girls spotlight people who have stepped up to offer meaningful, clear-eyed leadership in different ways. They include: 

Sarah Hurwitz, speechwriter and author of As a Jew and Here All Along. (Gabby pick)

Mijal Bitton, spiritual leader and writer of the Committed Substack. (Esther pick)

Rachel Goldberg Polin, mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin and the author of When We See You Again. (Diana pick)

Avital Chizik-Goldschmidt, writer and cofounder/rebbetzin of The Altneu. (SB pick) 

GOLDA Girls is presented by Nu Reads, a new Jewish book subscription series curated by the Jewish Book Council that brings remarkable literature straight to your door. Use code NuGolda at checkout for 15% off your subscription. Visit NuReads.org to get started today.

This episode is also sponsored by: 

• The Mindich Fellowship for Jewish Fiction, part of Miami Book Fair’s Emerging Writer Fellowship. If your novel or fiction project centers Jewish life, culture, or themes, this is an incredible year-long opportunity to develop that work in community. Apply by May 31, 2026 at miamibookfair.com/program/emerging-fellows/.
• Joyva, a fourth generation family business that crafts tahini, halvah and confections in Brooklyn, NY. Get your today.

GOLDA Girls is a production of GOLDA Media. Our executive producer is Ariel Shapiro. Editing by POLDHU. 

Subscribe to GOLDA’s newsletter at www.goldaguide.com and follow GOLDA on Instagram at @goldaguide.

You can listen to GOLDA Girls on:

• Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/golda-girls/id1895644983
• Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1eLma0Exh3LDv2Ay8fx8Cq
• Amazon Music https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1ee25ff2-b2af-401f-bbf4-1e7ab58b8177/golda-girls

Please consider leaving us a rating or review! 

Stay GOLDA. 

On this special episode of GOLDA Girls, Stephanie Butnick talks to author Fran Fabriczki about her novel Porcupines, which is the latest selection from Nu Reads, the Jewish book subscription series (and our show’s sponsor!). The novel tells the story of Sonia, a Jewish immigrant from Budapest, and her 5-year-old daughter Mila, a Los Angeles native looking to piece together her mom’s mysterious past. 

GOLDA Girls is presented by Nu Reads, a new Jewish book subscription series curated by the Jewish Book Council that brings remarkable literature straight to your door. Use code NuGolda at checkout for 15% off. Visit NuReads.org to get started today.

GOLDA Girls is a production of GOLDA Media. Our executive producer is Ariel Shapiro. Edited by POLDHU. 

Subscribe to GOLDA’s newsletter at www.goldaguide.com and follow GOLDA on Instagram at @goldaguide.

You can listen to GOLDA Girls on:

• Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/golda-girls/id1895644983
• Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1eLma0Exh3LDv2Ay8fx8Cq
• Amazon Music https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1ee25ff2-b2af-401f-bbf4-1e7ab58b8177/golda-girls

GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick and her co-hosts—journalist Gabby Deutch, novelist Esther Chehebar, and Rabbi Diana Fersko—untangle our Jewish relationship with our hair: from the flat-ironing to the chemical straightening and the embrace of natural curls. “Totally Booked” podcaster and publisher Zibby Owens joins the GOLDA Girls to share her summer reading picks and help answer a listener question.   

Zibby’s Summer Reading Picks: 

Forty Love, by Jane Costello https://go.shopmy.us/p-61258518 

The End of My Life Is Killing Me: The Unexpected Joys of a Cancer Slacker, by Annabelle Gurwitch https://go.shopmy.us/p-61258621 

Enormous Wings, by Laurie Frankel https://go.shopmy.us/p-61258692 

The Lost Mozart, by David K. Israel https://go.shopmy.us/p-61258845 

With Friends Like You, by Amy Chozick https://go.shopmy.us/p-61258983 

The Half Life, by Rachel Beanland https://go.shopmy.us/p-61259683 

Breathing Under Water, by Jacqueline Friedland https://go.shopmy.us/p-61259804 

(Zibby’s new book, Between Chapters: How I Started Over, Took Some Chances, and Found the Plot, will be out in September. You can preorder it here.)

GOLDA Girls’ Summer Reading Picks:

Stephanie: Like Wafers and Honey, by Leah Eskin https://go.shopmy.us/p-61259961 

Esther’s pick: Long Island Girls, by Gabrielle Korn https://go.shopmy.us/p-61260781 

Gabby: I Feel Bad About My Neck, by Nora Ephron https://go.shopmy.us/p-61260758 

Diana: The Book of Psalms (Check out the Jewish Publication Society’s 2002 translation or scholar Robert Alter’s 2009 translation with commentary) 

Jewish Book Council’s Pick: The World Between, by Zeeva Bukai (Kate Schmier, Director of Publishing Relations, Jewish Book Council)

Recommended by Esther: T Shirt Shoppe https://shoptshirtshoppe.com/

This week’s Good for the Jews picks: 

Stephanie: 90210 star Ian Ziering’s daughter’s bat mitzvah.

Gabby: The giant green pickle announcing the arrival of the U.K’s first Jewish culture month.

Esther: Tsion Cafe in Harlem, run by chef Beejhy Barhany.

Diana: New York City’s Israel Day Parade this weekend.

Sponsors:

GOLDA Girls is presented by Nu Reads, a new Jewish book subscription series curated by the Jewish Book Council that brings remarkable literature straight to your door. Use code NuGolda at checkout for 15% off your subscription. Visit NuReads.org to get started today.

This episode is also sponsored by: 

• The Mindich Fellowship for Jewish Fiction, part of Miami Book Fair’s Emerging Writer Fellowship. If your novel or fiction project centers Jewish life, culture, or themes, this is an incredible year-long opportunity to develop that work in community. Apply by May 31, 2026 at miamibookfair.com/program/emerging-fellows/.
• Joyva, a fourth generation family business that crafts tahini, halvah and confections in Brooklyn, NY. Get your deliciousness today.

GOLDA is a Jewish lifestyle destination built around one idea: making Jewish life bright, beautiful, and full of meaning. Subscribe to our newsletter at www.goldaguide.com and follow GOLDA on Instagram at @goldaguide.

GOLDA Girls is a production of GOLDA Media. Our executive producer is Ariel Shapiro. We’re edited by POLDHU. 

You can listen to GOLDA Girls on:

• Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/golda-girls/id1895644983
• Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1eLma0Exh3LDv2Ay8fx8Cq
• Pocket Casts https://pocketcasts.com/podcast/golda-girls/ed7285a0-2487-013f-2ec2-0e872f6a2b21

Leave us a review and we’ll send you a GOLDA sticker! Email a screenshot of your recoew to hi@goldaguide.com. 

Stay GOLDA. 

GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick, journalist Gabby Deutch, novelist Esther Chehebar, and Rabbi Diana Fersko chat about the Tony Awards, Gabby’s recent Jewish insider article on AI’s implications for Jewish life, and the bagel-fueled excitement over the Knicks’ NBA Finals run.  

The hosts also share their summer wedding gift recommendations in response to a listener who wrote in looking for some inspiration: 

GOLDA Girls' wedding gift picks:

Crystal candlesticks from Happy Kangaroo

Cherry blossom challah board from Happy Kangaroo

Eye tray from ABC Carpet & Home

Travel shabbat candles from Emanuel

Smash glass from Tchotchke

Smash Hamsa from Tchotchke

This week’s Good for the Jews picks: 

Stephanie: Congregation Rodeph Sholom sponsoring West Side Campaign Against Hunger’s recent block party. 

Gabby: Camp Ramah celebrating alumni Caissie Levy’s Tony Award win by sharing this 2015 video of Levy singing “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Mis in Hebrew. 

Esther: A mother-daughter trip to Home Goods.

Diana: Bat mitzvahs! 

GOLDA is a Jewish lifestyle destination built around one idea: making Jewish life bright, beautiful, and full of meaning. Subscribe to our newsletter at www.goldaguide.com and follow GOLDA on Instagram at @goldaguide.

GOLDA Mahjong Night is popping up on Tuesday, June 23 at one of our favorite restaurants on the Upper East Side for a night of open play (no instruction). Location will be revealed to attendees the week before the event. Sign up here.

Sign up for Diana’s snail mail newsletter Modern Jewess here, and Gabby’s Substack here. Get Esther’s novel Sisters of Fortune here and Stephanie’s book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, here.

GOLDA Girls is a production of GOLDA Media. The show is executive produced by Ariel Shapiro and edited by POLDHU. 

Sponsors:

GOLDA Girls is presented by Nu Reads, a new Jewish book subscription series curated by the Jewish Book Council that brings remarkable literature straight to your door. Use code NuGolda at checkout for 15% off your subscription. Visit NuReads.org to get started today.

You can listen to GOLDA Girls on:

• Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/golda-girls/id1895644983
• Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1eLma0Exh3LDv2Ay8fx8Cq
• Pocket Casts https://pocketcasts.com/podcast/golda-girls/ed7285a0-2487-013f-2ec2-0e872f6a2b21

Leave us a review and we’ll send you a GOLDA sticker! Email a screenshot of your review to hi@goldaguide.com. 

Stay GOLDA. 

GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick, journalist Gabby Deutch, novelist Esther Chehebar, and Rabbi Diana Fersko break down two hot topics: the rising cost of Jewish life in America, and Sacha Baron Cohen and Brett Goldstein’s unlikely turn as the summer’s leading men—and what it means when our funny guys are also the hunks. 

Our guest is Noam Ash, the screenwriter and star of Bookends, which premiered this week in New York City and is heading to film festivals across the country. He tells us about working alongside Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Caroline Aaron— who play the grandparents Noam’s character moves in with after a breakup—and what he learned while workshopping his film with the Jewish Writers Institute (applications are open for their Digital Storyteller’s Lab and Screenwriters Lab).

Sponsors:

GOLDA Girls is presented by Nu Reads, a new Jewish book subscription series curated by the Jewish Book Council that brings remarkable literature straight to your door. Use code NuGolda at checkout for 15% off your subscription. Visit NuReads.org to get started today.

This episode is also sponsored by: 

• Joyva, a fourth generation family business that crafts tahini, halvah and confections in Brooklyn, NY. Get your deliciousness today.

GOLDA is a Jewish lifestyle destination built around one idea: making Jewish life bright, beautiful, and full of meaning. Subscribe to our newsletter at www.goldaguide.com and follow GOLDA on Instagram at @goldaguide.

Sign up for Diana’s snail mail newsletter Modern Jewess here, and Gabby’s Substack here. Get Esther’s novel Sisters of Fortune here and Stephanie’s book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, here.

GOLDA Girls is a production of GOLDA Media. Our executive producer is Ariel Shapiro. We’re edited by POLDHU. 

You can listen to GOLDA Girls on:

• Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/golda-girls/id1895644983
• Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1eLma0Exh3LDv2Ay8fx8Cq
• Pocket Casts https://pocketcasts.com/podcast/golda-girls/ed7285a0-2487-013f-2ec2-0e872f6a2b21

Leave us a review and we’ll send you a GOLDA sticker! Email a screenshot of your review to hi@goldaguide.com. 

Stay GOLDA. 

GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick, journalist Gabby Deutch, and Rabbi Diana Fersko chat with a special guest for Father’s Day: Former U.S. Congressman, current American Jewish Commitee CEO, and dad-of-the-pod Ted Deutch.

This week’s Father’s Day-themed Good for the Jews picks: 

Stephanie: A (free) subscription to Sapir for Father’s Day

Gabby: Jewish servicemen and women, especially Gabby’s Pa Bernie. 

Diana: The fathers in the Torah, especially Jacob. 

Ted Deutch: Jewish summer camp.

GOLDA is a Jewish lifestyle destination built around one idea: making Jewish life bright, beautiful, and full of meaning. Subscribe to our newsletter at www.goldaguide.com and follow GOLDA on Instagram at @goldaguide.

GOLDA Mahjong Night is popping up again on Tuesday, June 23 on the Upper East Side and Wednesday, July 15 in Flatiron. These are open play events (no instruction); location will be revealed to attendees the week before the event. Sign up here.

Sign up for Diana’s print newsletter Modern Jewess here, and Gabby’s Substack here. Get Esther’s novel Sisters of Fortune here and Stephanie’s book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, here.

GOLDA Girls is a production of GOLDA Media. The show is executive produced by Ariel Shapiro and edited by POLDHU. 

Sponsors:

GOLDA Girls is presented by Nu Reads, a new Jewish book subscription series curated by the Jewish Book Council that brings remarkable literature straight to your door. Use code NuGolda at checkout for 15% off your subscription. Visit NuReads.org to get started today.

You can listen to GOLDA Girls on:

• Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/golda-girls/id1895644983
• Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1eLma0Exh3LDv2Ay8fx8Cq
• Pocket Casts https://pocketcasts.com/podcast/golda-girls/ed7285a0-2487-013f-2ec2-0e872f6a2b21

Leave us a review and we’ll send you a GOLDA sticker! Email a screenshot of your review to hi@goldaguide.com. 

Stay GOLDA.