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Jewish History Nerds

Jewish History Nerds

Unpacked 65 episodes Nov 5, 2026

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.

Episodes

After the Execution: The Rosenberg Boys (Director’s Cut)
After the Execution: The Rosenberg Boys (Director’s Cut) Nov 5, 2026 21:52 Please join the conversation. Leave a comment wherever you get your podcasts and send us your video reaction to nerds@unpacked.media. When Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed in 1953, they left behind two young sons. This outtake from our episode on the Rosenbergs follows Michael and Robert from the Jewish institutional system to the couple who gave them a new name, Meeropol. Yael and Schw
Snakes, Synagogues, and Sand Floors (Director’s Cut)
Snakes, Synagogues, and Sand Floors (Director’s Cut) Oct 29, 2026 13:35 We’re back with a Director’s Cut of Jewish History Nerds, the 2x Signal Award winner. Yael and Schwab are digging into the mystery of sand floors in some synagogues in the Caribbean. This segment, which didn't make it into the original episode, also explores how Jewish communities have picked up customs from their neighbors, adapting them with their own local flavor. In case you missed it, her
Was Jabotinsky the Father of Likud and the Israeli Right? Revisited
Was Jabotinsky the Father of Likud and the Israeli Right? Revisited Oct 22, 2026 40:43 Jewish History Nerds is now an award-winning podcast! We took home two Signal Awards for history: Gold and Listener’s Choice. Thank you, Nerd Nation for coming out to vote. Speaking of elections, Israelis are gong to the polls. So we decided to revisit one of our favorite episodes, the story of Ze’ev Jabotinsky. The founder of Revisionist Zionism is widely claimed as the ideological father of Lik
The First Jews in the Americas  Revisited
The First Jews in the Americas Revisited Oct 15, 2026 49:57 Jewish History Nerds won two Signal Awards, gold and listener's choice in the history category. So we decided to revisit the episode submitted for consideration. If you enjoy this show, please comment wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be back soon with a brand new season of episodes. In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. That same year, Jews who didn't convert to Catholicism were expell
"Bronx Man Leads Russian Revolution": Trotsky Revisited
"Bronx Man Leads Russian Revolution": Trotsky Revisited Oct 9, 2026 47:44 Jewish History Nerds won two Signal Awards, gold and listener's choice in the history category. If you enjoy this show, please comment wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be back soon with a brand new season of episodes. 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 ide
Vote Now for Jewish History Nerds
Vote Now for Jewish History Nerds Oct 6, 2026 2:50 Update: Jewish History Nerds won two Signal Awards, gold and listener's choice in the history category. If you enjoy this show, please comment wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be back soon with a brand new season of episodes. 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. Here's a link to
Before Jews Danced With the Torah: The Lost Simchat Torah Tradition
Before Jews Danced With the Torah: The Lost Simchat Torah Tradition Oct 1, 2026 13:11 Jewish History Nerds won two Signal Awards, gold and listener's choice in the history category! If you enjoy this show, please comment wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be back soon with a brand new season of episodes. 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 hel
The Jewish History Hiding in Japan and Korea
The Jewish History Hiding in Japan and Korea Sep 10, 2026 54:06 Jewish History Nerds won two Signal Awards, gold and listener's choice in the history category. If you enjoy this show, please comment wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be back soon with a brand new season of episodes. 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
How America Changed the Jewish People
How America Changed the Jewish People Sep 3, 2026 28:26 Jewish History Nerds won two Signal Awards, gold and listener's choice in the history category. If you enjoy this show, please comment wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be back soon with a brand new season of episodes. 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, the
Why Did Sammy Davis Jr. Become Jewish?
Why Did Sammy Davis Jr. Become Jewish? Aug 27, 2026 52:56 Jewish History Nerds won two Signal Awards, gold and listener's choice in the history category. If you enjoy this show, please comment wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be back soon with a brand new season of episodes. 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 k
How Jews Built Hollywood: Al Jolson and The Jazz Singer
How Jews Built Hollywood: Al Jolson and The Jazz Singer Aug 20, 2026 57:17 Jewish History Nerds is a finalist for a Signal Award in the history category. If you enjoy this show, please comment wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be back soon with a brand new season. 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
She Spoke from the Pulpit Before Women Could. Revisiting Ray Fank
She Spoke from the Pulpit Before Women Could. Revisiting Ray Fank Aug 13, 2026 48:02 Jewish History Nerds won two Signal Awards, gold and listener's choice in the history category. If you enjoy this show, please comment wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be back soon with a brand new season of episodes. 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 somethin

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