Welcome to PopTorah with Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky. Rabbis Michael Knopf and Jesse Olitzky are lifelong friends, pop culture fanboys, and lovers of all things Jewish. Join them every other week for a conversation about what’s going on in pop culture from a Jewish perspective and about Judaism through the lens of pop culture.
‘Disclosure Day’ Asks: Can We Handle the Truth?
Disclosure Day (2026) · Jul 16, 2026
Man in the Mirror: Fame, Myth, and the Making of Michael (Special Live Episode!)
Michael (2026) · May 14, 2026
Power, Persona, and Purpose in Marvel’s “Wonder Man”
Wonder Man (1945) · Mar 12, 2026
‘Wicked’: For Good?
Wicked: For Good (2025) · Jan 9, 2026
‘Fantastic Four’ the World… or Just Your Family?
Fantastic Four (2005) · Aug 28, 2025
‘Fantastic Four’ the World… or Just Your Family?
Fantastic Four (2015) · Aug 28, 2025
Mind Over ‘Mountainhead’
Mountainhead (2025) · Jul 10, 2025
No ‘Pain’, No Gain
A Real Pain (2024) · Feb 13, 2025
Knowing the ‘Complete Unknown’
Complete Unknown (2016) · Jan 30, 2025
Charting New Waters with ‘Moana 2’
Moana 2 (2024) · Jan 2, 2025
Grieving and Loving ‘Between the Temples’
Between the Temples (2024) · Oct 1, 2024
We’re All In on ‘Inside Out 2’
Inside Out 2 (2024) · Jul 11, 2024
Dune: Part 2: More Power Dynamics, Less Platform Disruption
Dune: Part Two (2024) · Jun 20, 2024
A Golden Ticket to ‘Wonka’
Wonka (2023) · Jan 18, 2024
‘The Marvels’ and the Future of Marvel
The Marvels (2023) · Jan 4, 2024
Tradition and Change is ‘Elemental’
Elemental (2023) · Oct 19, 2023
The Rabbis Enter ‘the Spider-Verse’
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) · Jun 22, 2023
How ‘Super’ is the ‘Mario Bros.’ Movie?
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) · Apr 27, 2023
‘You People’ and Black-Jewish Relations
You People (2023) · Feb 9, 2023
On the Couch with ‘The Patient’
The Lost Patient (2022) · Oct 20, 2022
‘Severance,’ Working to Live, and Living to Work
Severance (2022) · Jun 2, 2022
‘Turning Red’ and Coming of Age
Turning Red (2022) · Apr 21, 2022
‘The Batman’: Justice, Vengeance, and the Darkness Within
The Batman (2022) · Apr 7, 2022
Enchanted by ‘Encanto’
Encanto (2021) · Feb 10, 2022
Learning From and Dunking on ’Space Jam: A New Legacy’
Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) · Aug 5, 2021
‘Loki’, Free Will, and Glorious Purpose
The Good, the Bart, and the Loki (2021) · Jul 22, 2021
In ‘The Mitchells vs. the Machines’, Which Side is Torah On?
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) · Jul 8, 2021
Getting Down with ‘In the Heights’
In the Heights (2021) · Jun 24, 2021
‘Oslo’ and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Oslo (2021) · Jun 10, 2021
‘Soul’, the Meaning of Life, and the Great Beyond
Soul (2020) · Jan 21, 2021
Should We Be Happy About ‘Happiest Season’?
Happiest Season (2020) · Dec 24, 2020
Judaism and The Climate Crisis, and ‘I am Greta’
I Am Greta (2020) · Nov 26, 2020
Does Torah Have ‘The Right Stuff’?
The Right Stuff (1983) · Oct 15, 2020
An American Pickle: The Jewish Encino Man
An American Pickle (2020) · Aug 13, 2020
The Torah of ‘Hamilton’
The Undefeated Presents: Hamilton In-Depth (2020) · Jul 16, 2020
Escape from New York
Escape from New York (1981) · Apr 23, 2020
‘Parasite’ and the Perils of Inequality
Parasite (2019) · Feb 27, 2020
Two Rabbis Talk ‘The Two Popes’
The Two Popes (2019) · Jan 30, 2020