Unorthodox Goes ‘Across the JEW.S.A’

Unorthodox is grabbing our recording equipment and traveling across the country to find the most interesting, exciting, and inspiring Jewish communities and bringing those stories to our listeners in a new segment called Across the JEW.S.A.

Our team will travel to 12 different cities or towns in 2023, meeting the community and spotlighting a worthy story—a fascinating local character, a flourishing grassroots initiative, maybe even a beloved Jewish business that has stood the test of time—that will inspire our audience and their communities. Our adventures in Jewish geography will take us both to the new and the now and the time-tested classics that make a place feel like home. Each story will be shared in a can’t-miss monthly audio segment on Unorthodox alongside an article in Tablet Magazine for all the world to see.

Hitting The Road (Episode 344)
In the inaugural segment of Across the JEW.S.A, Liel Leibovitz travels to Delaware to see the unique way that Wilmington is building Jewish community.

Threading The Needle (Episode 350)

In the second installment of Across the JEW.S.A, Stephanie Butnick travels to Seattle to discover the city’s surprising Sephardic history and learn about the challenges facing of the future of Sephardic Seattle.

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Across the Jew.S.A: Louisville, Kentucky (Episode 356)

Producer Josh Kross and showrunner Courtney Hazlett head to Louisville, Kentucky, to learn about the bourbon industry’s Jewish history, find a surprising Seinfeld connection, and more.

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The Maine Event (Episode 361)

Producers Robert Scaramuccia and Quinn Waller travel to Portland, ME, to learn how Jewish immigrants made a home there, and how today’s Jewish community is helping new immigrants feel at home, too.

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All That Jazz (Episode 365)

Showrunner Courtney Hazlett and producer Josh Kross head to New Orleans for Jazz Fest Shabbat, a 30-year tradition that merges the city’s vibrant music culture and deep-rooted Jewish population.

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Eyes on the Prize (Episode 369)

Liel Leibovitz heads west to Deadwood, South Dakota, to learn about its surprising Jewish history.

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Rocky Mountain High Notes (Episode 374)

In our latest installment, Liel Leibovitz brings us along to a Jewish summer camp off the beaten path in Colorado.

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We Could Nosh (Episode 377)

Producer Josh Kross gets a taste of the Kosher Catskills

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Jewish Priorities (Episode 387)

In this episode, we head to Miami, where newer communities are redefining Jewish life in Florida.

Dark Times, Bright Lights (Episode 389)

Josh Kross and Courtney Hazlett head to Washington DC for a special dispatch from March for Israel.

Heading North (Episode 394)

In our latest installment, Liel travels north to Montreal to visit one of the oldest Jewish communities in Canada.

Want to nominate someone or something that makes you proud of your community?

Tell us all about it here and we may just check into your hometown soon:

Please email [email protected] with any questions.

Across the JEW.S.A was created with support from the Jewish Federations of North America. The Jewish Federations of North America are the backbone of the organized Jewish community in the U.S. and Canada, representing over 400 Jewish communities. They raise and distribute more than $2 billion annually and through planned giving and endowment programs to build flourishing Jewish communities at home, in Israel, and around the world.