Whoever said history was boring clearly never heard these stories…Welcome to Jewish History Nerds! Join hosts Yael and Schwab each week as they take a dive into some deep cuts of Jewish history. From the Jewish Da Vinci Code to mass suicide pacts, explore true stories that feel larger than life.
Be in touch: nerds@unpacked.media
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Revisiting the First Jews in the Americas (Last Day to Vote)
Season 6 · Episode 17
Thursday, October 15, 2026 • Duration 49:57
Today is the last day to vote for Jewish History Nerds in the Signal Awards Listener’s Choice competition. Cast your vote at unpacked.bio/VoteJHN2026 after creating a free log in. Find detailed instructions below.
We decided to revisit the episode we submitted for their consideration.
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. That same year, Jews who didn't convert to Catholicism were expelled from Spain. Those two events are more connected than you think, and together they explain why the first Jewish community in the Americas ended up exactly where it did. It wasn’t New York.
Here's how you can vote for Jewish History Nerds for a Listener Choice Signal Award:
Go to this link https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/history
Create an account or sign in with your email at the top right of the page.
Select Jewish History Nerds in the History category.
Questions? Email us at nerds@unpacked.media. We're happy to help.
Thank you and as always, if you enjoy this show, please leave a comment and review wherever you get your podcasts. We will be back soon with a brand new season of episodes.
This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on youtube and Spotify.
Visit jewishlives.org to explore and buy books from the Jewish Lives book series. Use the discount code JLIFE to get a discount.
For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Borderlines with That Semite
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold
Unpacking Israeli History
Wondering Jews
"Bronx Man Leads Russian Revolution": Trotsky Revisited
Season 6 · Episode 16
Friday, October 9, 2026 • Duration 47:44
Head to unpacked.bio/VoteJHN2026 to cast your vote for Jewish History Nerds in the Signal Awards Listener’s Choice Award for Best History Podcast. Voting closes October 15th. You’ll need to create a free account or log in to vote.
Leon Trotsky was one of the most consequential figures of the 20th century, and one of history’s most reluctant Jews. Born Lev Bronstein in Ukraine, he rejected his Jewish identity his entire life, yet it followed him everywhere. With the anniversary of what's known as the October Revolution coming up, Yael and Schwab are revisiting one of our most popular episodes. It’s so packed with surprising twists and details that it’s worth a second listen even if you caught it the first time around.
Jewish History Nerds is a is a Signal Awards finalist in the history category.
Here's how you can vote for Jewish History Nerds for a Listener Choice Signal Award:
Go to this link https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/history
Create an account or sign in with your email at the top right of the page.
Select Jewish History Nerds in the History category.
Questions? Email us at nerds@unpacked.media. We're happy to help.
Thank you and as always, if you enjoy this show, please leave a comment and review wherever you get your podcasts. We will be back soon with a brand new season of episodes.
This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on youtube and Spotify.
Visit jewishlives.org to explore and buy books from the Jewish Lives book series. Use the discount code JLIFE to get a discount.
For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Borderlines with That Semite
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold
Unpacking Israeli History
Wondering Jews
Vote Now for Jewish History Nerds
Season 6
Tuesday, October 6, 2026 • Duration 02:50
Head to unpacked.bio/VoteJHN2026 to cast your vote for Jewish History Nerds in the Listener Choice Award for History Podcast before October 15th. You have to sign up/log in to vote.
How to vote:
Go to this link. https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/history
Create an account or sign in with your email at the top right of the page.
Select Jewish History Nerds in the History category.
Questions? Email us at nerds@unpacked.media. We're happy to help.
Thank you.
Before Jews Danced With the Torah: The Lost Simchat Torah Tradition
Season 6
Thursday, October 1, 2026 • Duration 13:11
Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history
More than 400 years ago, Rivka Tiktiner wrote the earliest known full-length published work by a Jewish woman. She also created a Simchat Torah poem that reveals how women helped prepare Torah scrolls for the holiday in Prague. For Simchat Torah, Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner revisit Rivka Tiktiner's extraordinary learning, the evolution of Jewish customs, and whether it makes sense to call this mysterious historical figure a feminist.
Here's a link to the full episode on Rivka Tiktiner: The First Jewish Woman to Publish a Book.
Here is a link to our episode on Ray Frank, mentioned in the episode:
Here is the episode submitted to the Signal Awards for this year's competition. The First Jews in the Americas, Fleeing the Inquisition.
Jewish History Nerds is a is a Signal Awards finalist in the history category.
As a reminder, please vote for Jewish History Nerds Listener's Choice award by Thursday October 15. Just login and search for the show to cast your ballot. And please spread the word by sharing this link: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history
Be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media.
This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on youtube and Spotify.
Visit jewishlives.org to explore and buy books from the Jewish Lives book series. Use the discount code JLIFE to get a discount.
For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Borderlines with That Semite
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold
Unpacking Israeli History
Wondering Jews
The Jewish History Hiding in Japan and Korea
Season 6
Thursday, September 10, 2026 • Duration 54:06
Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct. You have to sign up/log in to vote. https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history
How did Jews escaping the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions end up in Japan? Dr. Henry Abramson joins Yael and Schwab for a special bonus episode to uncover the surprising story of Jewish life in the Far East. While Europe persecuted Jews, Japan’s religious landscape offered a strikingly different environment, shaped by Shinto, Buddhism, trade, migration, and a remarkably tolerant reception for some Jewish refugees seeking safety abroad. Plus, they explore South Korean's fascination with the Talmud.
Be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media.
To learn more about Dr. Henry Abramson's trip to Japan and South Korea, check out his lectures on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TYJtzL_4y4&t=3s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpCjuQMk4H0
Birth of Beate Sirota Gordon, who wrote equality into the postwar Japanese constitution.
Talmud as a New Intellectual Project by Sarit Kattan Gribetz
The Talmud in Korea: A Study in the Reception of Rabbinic Literature by Sarit Kattan Gribetz, Claire Kim
This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on youtube and Spotify.
Visit jewishlives.org to explore and buy books from the Jewish Lives book series. Use the discount code JLIFE to get a discount.
For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Borderlines with That Semite
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold
Unpacking Israeli History
Wondering Jews
How America Changed the Jewish People
Season 6 · Episode 13
Thursday, September 3, 2026 • Duration 28:26
Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct. You have to sign up/log in to vote. https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history
Historian Dr. Henry Abramson usually works behind the scenes, but this week he joins Yael and Schwab to explore what makes the American Jewish experience unique. Together, they reflect on 250 years of Jewish life in America, from Emma Lazarus and immigration to Superman, antisemitism, and Jewish creativity. They also explore stories still waiting to be told, including the remarkable Jewish adventurers who journeyed to Antarctica throughout history.
Check out Dr. Henry Abramson's lectures on Jewish history here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HenryAbramsonPhD
Be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media.
This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on youtube and Spotify.
Visit jewishlives.org to explore and buy books from the Jewish Lives book series. Use the discount code JLIFE to get a discount.
For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Borderlines with That Semite
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold
Unpacking Israeli History
Wondering Jews
Why Did Sammy Davis Jr. Become Jewish?
Season 6 · Episode 12
Thursday, August 27, 2026 • Duration 52:56
Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct. You have to sign up/log in to vote. https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history
Sammy Davis Jr. was already one of America's biggest entertainers when he made a choice few expected. He converted to Judaism. His journey began with a car crash that nearly killed him and grew through years of study, faith, and a powerful connection between Black and Jewish history. From the Rat Pack and the civil rights movement to JFK, Nixon, and Israel, Schwab and Yael explore Sammy Davis Jr.'s story in part 2 of a series of Jews in Hollywood, and what it reveals about the search for belonging in America.
Sammy Davis Jr. recorded his hit song I've Gotta Be Me in 1968 for Reprise Records. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXYndNL4Mu8
Be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media.
This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on youtube and Spotify.
Visit jewishlives.org to explore and buy books from the Jewish Lives book series. Use the discount code JLIFE to get a discount.
For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Borderlines with That Semite
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold
Unpacking Israeli History
Wondering Jews
Al Jolson and The Jazz Singer: The Jewish Story Behind Hollywood’s First Talkie
Season 6 · Episode 10
Thursday, August 20, 2026 • Duration 57:17
Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct. You have to sign up/log in to vote. https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history
Al Jolson was the biggest star in America, a Jewish immigrant who left the synagogue behind to conquer Broadway and Hollywood. Jonathan Schwab guides Yael Steiner through his journey from cantor's son to star of The Jazz Singer, the 1927 film that made synchronized sound a sensation and told a deeply Jewish story to all of America. Trading film history along the way, Yael and Schwab unpack assimilation, blackface, race, and how Jewish immigrants didn't just work in Hollywood, they built it.
Tune in next week for part 2 on Sammy Davis Jr.
Be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media.
Credit: The Jazz Singer Singer Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Release date October 6, 1927.
Clip from The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson:
https://youtu.be/mTufuWn3jv8?si=PE35erbhfZsqnqAH
Why Did Negroes Love Al Jolson and The Jazz Singer?: Melodrama, Blackface and Cosmopolitan Theatrical Culture by Charles Musser
Blackface, White NoiseJewish Immigrants in the Hollywood Melting Pot by Michael Rogin
This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on youtube and Spotify.
Visit jewishlives.org to explore and buy books from the Jewish Lives book series. Use the discount code JLIFE to get a discount.
For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Borderlines with That Semite
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold
Unpacking Israeli History
Wondering Jews
She Spoke from the Pulpit Before Women Could. Revisiting Ray Fank
Season 6 · Episode 9
Thursday, August 13, 2026 • Duration 48:02
Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct. You have to sign up/log in to vote. https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history
As we look back at Jews in the Americas for the 250th, we’re revisiting the story of Ray Frank. Long before women were ordained as rabbis, Ray Frank was already doing something almost unthinkable: speaking from the Jewish pulpit, drawing huge crowds, and changing the future of American Jewish life. In this episode of Jewish History Nerds, Schwab and Yael explore the remarkable story of the woman known as the “Girl Rabbi of the Golden West” and the complicated legacy she left behind.
Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. We really want to hear from you.
Here is a photo of Ray Frank from 1890:
https://jwa.org/media/ray-frank
Sources and summary: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v2WzLQvSagiMdKQMP_mqNoz4HqCDHWktsVD80sDPRQE/edit?usp=sharing
Watch Yael and Schwab on YouTube.
Visit jewishlives.org to explore and buy books from the Jewish Lives book series. Use the discount code JLIFE to get a discount.
This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out Unpacked on youtube.
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For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Borderlines with That Semite
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold
Unpacking Israeli History
Wondering Jews
How a Plate of Shrimp Changed American Judaism
Season 6 · Episode 8
Thursday, August 6, 2026 • Duration 54:39
Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct. You have to sign up/log in to vote. https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history
The infamous 1883 Trafa Banquet was meant to celebrate America's first ordained rabbis. But a menu of shrimp, clams, oysters, and frog's legs in cream ignited a firestorm that changed American Judaism. Yael Steiner and Jonathan Schwab tell the story behind one of the most controversial meals in Jewish history.
Be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media.
This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on youtube and Spotify.
Visit jewishlives.org to explore and buy books from the Jewish Lives book series. Use the discount code JLIFE to get a discount.
For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold
Unpacking Israeli History
Wondering Jews
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