The Jewish Lens Podcast

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he welcomes back Ann Koffsky, author of Blazing Humor: Mel Brooks is Seriously FunnyAnn discusses her three new books, one about Mel Brooks, What Emma Wrote: The Woman Behind the Words on the Statue of Liberty, and The Miracle of Matzah Pizza!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with the writer of the film Yard Saleing, Mike Tove!Mike discusses Yard Saleing with Eric and Eliza Roberts, films he's worked on, and much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with the producer of the film AFTER: Poetry Destroys Silence, Janet Kirchheimer!Janet discusses the film, being the daughter of Holocaust survivors, her poetry collections, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with the founder of Canadaland, Jesse Brown!Jesse discusses the growing antisemitism within Canada, as well as his six-part podcast series "What is Happening Here?" which explores the roots of the issue.

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with the star of Ethan Bloom, Hank Greenspan!Hank discusses starring in Ethan Bloom, his work in 13 Reasons Why, his time on the long-running sitcom The Neighborhood, and much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with Herschel Faber and Maylen Dominguez, the director and writer of Ethan Bloom!Herschel and Maylen discuss the making of the movie, working with the cast such as Hank Greenspan, Josh Malina, Mindy Sterling, Caroline Valencia, Rachelle Lefevre, and Carlos Ponce, working with Menemsha Films, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with the author of Freya the deer, Meg Richman!Meg discusses Freya, writing the original treatment for Tim Burton's The Corpse Brider, directing the film Under Heaven, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with MMA Fighter Haim Gozali!Haim discusses his career as an MMA fighter, training under Renzo Gracie, combatting antisemitism, and his Jewish Avengers program, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with  the authors of Amatulo: Chronicles of an Argentine Hustler, Sebastian Sas, and Ilan Greenfield!Sebastian and Ilan discuss their book Amatulo. Sebastian talks about his magazine ReporTango. Ilan discusses his band, Swing Original Monks, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with the author of Spellbound by Murder, Stacie Ramey!Stacie discusses Spellbound by Murder, transitioning from YA to Cozy Mystery, her path to publication, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with the author of Emily Saw a Door, Mel Rosenberg!Mel discusses his work as a microbiologist, his time as a jazz musician, hosting the Children's Literature Channel, his path to publication and his book Emily Saw a Door, and much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with centenarian and author of As Time Goes By: A Life's Journey from Casablanca, Sidney Chriqui!Sidney discusses growing up in Casablanca during World War II, working as a translator for the Allies, and later working 40 years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, helping found the Em Habanim Sephardic Congregation in the San Fernando Valley, his memoir, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with the Senior Vice President of International Affairs at the Anti-Defamation League, Marina Rosenberg!Marina discusses her previous role as the Israeli ambassador to Chile, combating online Jew-hatred and propaganda, what we can each do to fight antisemitism, and much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with documentary filmmaker, and author, Danny Ben Moshe!Danny discusses documentaries he's made such as Shloshim Israel, the First 30 Days After October 7th, Shalom Bollywood, Revenge: Our Dad the Nazi Killer, his novel The Watchmaker's War,  antisemitism in Australia, and much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with the author of A Convenient Villain, Dr. Jon D. Reich.We discuss accusations of antisemitism against Charles Lindbergh, Roosevelt's role in it, Lindbergh's contributions to science and the war effort, and much more.  

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with the COO of the International March of the Living, Liz Panitch!Liz discusses what the International March of the Living does, the itinerary for the trip, emotional experiences she's had on it, and much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with the author of Circumference of Silence, Jacquie Herz!Jacquie discusses her books, her parents fleeing from Europe before the Holocaust, living in the UK and the US, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with award-winning writer, and podcaster, Sally Wiener Grotta!Sally discusses her books, her photography, and The American Hands project, her podcast, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with the founder of Ketubah.com, Michael Shapiro!Michael discusses Ketubah.com, the history of the ketubah, his book Ketubah Renaissance, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with the director and star of the documentary, Parting the Waters, Michele Kuvin Kupfer!Michele discusses Parting the Waters, its inclusion in the Miami Jewish Film Festival on January 15th, swimming for the Israeli Olympic Team in 1980, and not getting to compete due to the boycott of the Soviet Games, winning in the 1981 Maccabiah Games, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with the author of I Will Protect You, Danica Davidson!Danica discusses her Middle Grade book I Will Protect You, which is based on the life of Eva Mozes Kor, who, along with her sister, Miriam, were selected to be the subjects of Mengele's experiments. 

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with the Queen of Jewish Romance, Jean Meltzer!Jean discusses winning a Daytime Emmy, her Jewish romance books, including The Matzah Ball, her organization Jewish Joy, which is having its first convention in March of 2026 in Florida, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with the author of Out From the Shadows, Willie Handler!Willie discusses his books, growing up as a child of Holocaust survivors, the programs at the Toronto Holocaust Museum, antisemitism in Toronto, and much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with the author of A Novel Crime, Deborah Levison!Deborah discusses her books, being the daughter of Holocaust survivors, the real-life crime embroiling her family, which led to her book The Crate, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with the author of Hands of Gold, Roni Robbins!Roni discusses the book based on her family, Hands of Gold, her career in journalism, and interviewing people such as Hank Aaron, her family having a Blacksmith business when she was growing up, and much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with the author of Your Roots Cast a Shadow, Caroline Topperman!Caroline discusses her book, Your Roots Cast a Shadow, owning a Pilates studio with celebrity clients, tracing back her roots in Poland, and much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with The Accidental Talmudist, Sal Litvak!Sal discusses his path to becoming The Accidental Talmudist, his new movie Guns & Moses, his book Let My People Laugh, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with the publisher of Green Bean Books, Michael Leventhal!Michael discusses what he looks for when acquiring books, his own books Jews in Britain, The Chocolate King, and others, the Jewish food charity he had put together, GefilteFest, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with the author of Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers, Yaron Weitzman!Yaron discusses the history of LeBron on the Lakers and the decision-making on the team, the behind-the-scenes storylines involving the Buss family, how early in his career, he was responsible for bringing Cheez Doodles for Stephen A Smith, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with the writers of the fun time travel classic, Peggy Sue Got Married, Arlene Sarner and Jerry Liechtling!Arlene and Jerry discuss the making of the Peggy Sue Got Married, the behind-the-scenes casting and director choices, their film Blue Sky with Tommy Lee Jones and Jessica Lange, the Peggy Sue musical, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with the organizer of the Jewish Authors Summit, Jennifer Rubin!Jennifer discusses her work at 70 Faces Media, the upcoming Jewish Authors Summit that she organized, the issues that Jews face in publishing, and much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with the author of Rewriting the Rules, Danna Zeiger!Danna discusses her book Rewriting the Rules about the life of Dr. Kathleen Friel, being a Biology professor at Fisher College, how her father had been a political prisoner in the Soviet Union, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with multimedia journalist Sharon Geltner!Sharon discusses her career in journalism,  her interactive marketing firm Froogle PR, her book Charity Bashed, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with the author of The Night Sparrow, Shelly Sanders!Shelly discusses her book The Night Sparrow, discovering she was Jewish as a teen, visiting Latvia and finding out that she had ancestors murdered in the Holocaust, being on the Board of Artists Against Antisemitism, and much more.

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with the Executive Director at Chabad of Coral Springs, Rabbi Avraham Friedman!Rabbi Friedman discusses growing up in Brooklyn in a Chabad household, fighting antisemitism in a post-October 7th world, his podcast Sunday Morning Torah & Coffee, & much more! 

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with the author of My Other Half, David Isaacson!David discusses the story behind his book, doing film reviews, antisemitism in London, and much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with the CEO of the Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona, Hava Holzhauer!Hava discusses growing up as the descendant of Holocaust survivors, the work she does for the community as the President and CEO of Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona, her past responsibilities as the Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with the president of the Yiddish Book Center, Susan Bronson!Susan discusses the history of the Yiddish Book Center, the different collections they have, upcoming exhibits, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with the lead singer of Ottowan, Esther de Bijl-Langen!Esther discusses being part of Ottowan and having hits with Hands Up and D.I.S.C.O., discovering her Jewish roots, how her grandfather helped rescue Jews from the Nazis, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with the editor of The Practicing Writer Newsletter, Erika Dreifus!Erika discusses her popular newsletter, her books, Birthright: Poems, and Quiet Americans: Stories, being a board member of Artists Against Antisemitism & The Leo Baeck Institute, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with award-winning author Barbara Bottner!Barbara discusses her writing career, the time she spent writing scripts for Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories and other TV shows, having lunch with Jim Henson and writing a song for a Sesame Street album, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with the author of Chai Noon, Jonathan Friedmann!Jonathan discusses his book about Jews in Westerns, Chai Noon, his podcast, Amusing Jews, the Jewish Museum of the American West, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with the author of The Delegation, Avner Landes!Avner discusses his unique book The Delegation, which has three different layers of reading, being influenced by and compared to Saul Bellow, his writing journey, and much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with the author of Go on Pretending, Alina Adams!Alina discusses her book Go on Pretending,  writing for Soap Operas, the history of the Jewish Autonomous Region of Birobidzhan in the Soviet Union, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with the author of Miriam’s Magical Creatures Files, Leah Cypess!Leah discusses her new series Miriam's Magical Creature Files, the Sisters Ever After series, experiences while hiking in Costa Rica at night, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with the creator of the Heroes of October 7th Project, Hadassa Ben-Ari!Hadassa discusses the Octber 7th Project, talking with kids about difficult subjects, selecting which stories to include in the book, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with the author of The Center of the Earth, Darlene Campos!Darlene is joined by survivor Pete Phillips, as they discuss Darlene's book The Center of the Earth, how Ecuador took in Jewish refugees during the Holocaust, how Pete's family sought shelter there. Darlene's conversion to Judaism, and much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with actress and talk show host Caryn Richman!Caryn discusses her Jewish upbringing, starring in the 80s sitcom The New Gidget, her role as Greg Brady's wife in The Bradys, her co-hosting the talk show Chatterbinge, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen as he chats with the author of In That Sleep of Death, Jonathan Dunsky!Jonathan Dunsky talks about his series of Adam Lapid books, giving historical tours in Israel based on the locations in his books, teaching himself English by reading Stephen King books, & much more!

Join author Jonathan Rosen, as he chats with Roy Schwartz, the author of Is Superman Circumcised? The Complete Jewish History of the World's Greatest Hero! Roy discusses his book, Is Superman Circumcised?, Jewish themes and mythology in other comics, his documentary Jewce: The Jewish Comics Experience, & much more!