Head to unpacked.bio/VoteJHN2026 to vote before October 15th. Jewish History Nerds is a finalist for a Signal Award for History Podcast, and now we need Nerd Nation’s help! Vote for Jewish History…
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…
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…
What makes the American Jewish experience unique, and how have Jews shaped America in return? Historian, Dr. Henry Abramson, usually works behind the scenes but in this episode he join Yael and Schwab…
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…
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…
As we look back at Jews in the Americas for the 250th, we’re revisiting the story of Ray Frank, the “Girl Rabbi of the Golden West.” In the 1890s, she became a celebrated Jewish orator, leading High…
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…
As we continue our series exploring Jews in American history, we're revisiting our episode on Emma Goldman, the revolutionary Jewish anarchist who helped shape feminism, free speech, and the American…
She wasn't an immigrant, but Emma Lazarus gave the Statue of Liberty its voice. In Part 2, Schwab and Yael explore how a wealthy poet became a champion for refugees, an early advocate for Jewish…
