Dig into bloody murders, rioting mothers, anarchist parties and pseudoscience -  everything you never learned in Hebrew school and that your Rabbi still doesn’t want you to know. Dr. Eddy Portnoy, academic advisor for the Max Weinreich Center and exhibition curator at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, Dr. Tony Michels, professor of Jewish American History at UW Madison, and Jessica Chaffin, writer, comedian and host of the popular podcast Ask Ronna join up on the Jewish Bizarre Podcast to discuss the strangest corners of Jewish history. 

The Jewish Bizarre is produced by Reboot, an arts and culture non-profit that reimagines and reinforces Jewish thought and traditions. As a premier research and development platform for the Jewish world, Reboot catalyzes its network of preeminent creators, artists, entrepreneurs and activists to produce experiences and products that evolve the Jewish conversation and transform society. This podcast is supported by a generous grant from the Covenant Foundation. 

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Quarantine time is weird: What day is it? How long have we been inside? How long will this last? This week we discuss how the various cycles of Jewish Time can be anchoring forces for those of us who are feeling adrift.

Now that we are all hermits in our own way, the Kashers examine the history of Jewish hermits and loners. They ask why Judaism generally rejects this sort of asceticism and what we can gain from spending some time alone.

The Kasher Boys trace the concept of Jewish Hygiene from the Book of Leviticus on through the Black Plague, and wonder what those ancient priests would have thought of our current attempts to avoid contamination.

Two brothers, a rabbi and a comedian, try to figure out how to do Judaism during a pandemic. See if you can figure out who’s who.