This week we dive into a jam-packed episode about American history, culture, identity and more with English professor Dr. Brian Garcia. He joins us to talk about about how myths and stories have created American identity, and how Make America Great Again is part of a long tradition. Brian talks about growing up in Portuguese Artesia, where grandmas aren't supposed to speak English. Erika drops some knowledge from Shirley Jackson's The Lottery. And Josh accurately identifies a Simulacrum!...

Josh went up to San Francisco last week, and interviewed his old bud Donald C Cutler. DCC is an expert in Public Relations and a member of San Francisco's Jewish community. We had a lot to talk about. DCC explains how Trump's war on the NFL is part of his larger goal of "controlling the narrative." DCC talks about how we can utilize messaging strategies to combat Trumpism. It's not just about winning the argument, it's about mobilizing people to accomplish a goal. He knows that Jews have...

We sit down with Ramou Sarr, Federal Employee, screenwriter and former co-host of Black Girls Talking podcast to chat about dating apps, the original T.G.I.F. lineup, and having a podcast about identity. It's one of those real fun hang out episodes.  twitter.com/ramou Watch Ep 1 of BRUNCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF0dnkY6GEY

In this week's episode of 2JT, we sit down with members of the DSA's Jewish Solidarity Caucus. Miranda Sklaroff, Sam Forman, and Jon Danforth-Appell breakdown the basics of democratic socialism, and how their Jewish identities inform their politics. It's an episode packed with the history of Jewish socialism, everything you wanted to know about the Democratic Socialists of America, their organization's controversial decision to support BDS, and how to pronounce "Kugel." Find our guests on...

Lisa Grissom of Reboot joins Josh & Erika to talk about the Days Of Awe, the 10-day period of reflection during the High Holidays between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. With a deck of Reboot's signature 10Q cards, the group looks back on 5777. Want to 10Q at home? Sign up at DoYou10Q.com [Also this is the "Dad Who Would Quiz You On The Way Home From Hebrew School" Erika was referring to.]

This week we're happy to bring back Shmuel Gonzales, The Barrio Boychik. Shmuel talks about his experience on the front lines of a recent Orange County protest. He was attacked by white supremacists, but the Mexican American Jewish kid in the yarmulke, got taken to jail not the fascists who attacked him. Shmuel, a gifted historian, also talks about the long history of the KKK, Nazis, and antisemitism in Southern California. This very important episode shows that the antifascist fight we've...

Summer's almost over and the original 2 Jew duo have reunited to kickoff a new season. Josh is back from Europe, and talks about eating well, the Jewish things he saw abroad, and has special news about his sweetie. Erika talks about her summer, how to deal with all the stressful news, and on detoxing from social media. This season we delve deeper into issues of antisemitism, tikkun olam, food, detoxing from social media, and being Jewish in Trump's Amerika. Special thanks to Mr. Rami Raff,...

Erika and summertime guest host Rami Raff discuss some exciting trends emerging in the world of pop culture. We cover: GLOW, WWF, RuPaul's Drag Race, Wonder Woman, Doctor Who — and manage to cram a ton of other pop culture references into this episode as well. Don't forget to STAY TUNED for a very, very special dispatch from Joshua Heller at the end of this episode.

The world is experiencing a refugee crisis at a level never before seen in recorded history. Yet many of us don't even have a clear definition of the word "refugee". In this week's episode, we chat with Rabbi Rachel Grant Meyer about her work with HIAS, what inspired her to become a Rabbi, and what gives her hope for the over 65 million refugees worldwide. For more on how you can get involved: https://www.hias.org/resources

Rami and Erika chat with David Wolkin ("Professional Jew" and Most Handsome Person on Comics Twitter) about OneTable, an organization that helps Millennials host and attend unique Shabbat dinners. In this episode you'll learn how you can personalize and customize your own Shabbat dinner and rituals and about the workings of a Twitter community you may have never even heard of. Also, shout out to Waffles the dog. For more info on OneTable: https://onetable.org/

With Josh away on his Summer World Tour, summer guest host Rami Raff and Erika play a version of "friend speed dating" to get better aquatinted. Pop culture references covered in this episode include (but are not limited to): Fraggle Rock Welcome Freshmen The Simpsons The Nanny The Killers Golden Girls Seinfeld

In this week's episode Josh hands over the proverbial torch to Summer Host and Orignal Friend Of The Show, Mr. Raaaaami Rafffffff. They talk about what Jewish scholars think about the summer. Rami asks Josh about his EUROTrip. Then Rami explains what it takes to be a Summer Movie. Josh is saying Au Revoir for The Summer, while Rami & Erika dive deep into a Summer season of 2 Jews Talking!

Join us as we turn the clock back 20 years and relive a monumental year in both of our lives (for different and similar reasons). Plus Josh tells us all about his 1997 party and his 1997 Zine and Erika shares from her recently unearthed 1997 diary. We'll also talk about fashion, music and pop culture of the year that gave Smash Mouth its first single. (For a copy of Josh's Zine Venmo $8 to @ Heller)

Josh heads to Salt Lake City, Utah to kibbitz with Justin Field about what it's like to be a Jew in the only place where Jews are considered gentiles. We talk hosting a seder in the Mormon capital, the city's craft beer scene, all that sweet nearby nature, and Justin's podcast Thunderdice Empire. https://thunderdiceempire.com/

On our 53rd episode, we look back at the year that saw so much unexpected turmoil in a general sense but also the personal growth that Josh and Erika found in their own lives and how this very podcast and our listeners made it all possible. (It's our Paper Anniversary, y'all!)

Why do Jews like keeping track of which celebrities are Jewish? Who makes for a good Jewish Spirit Animal? And which movie won Best Picture at the 1987 Academy Awards? We answer these questions and more in our 52nd episode with hilarious TV writer Jeanne Leitenberg (https://twitter.com/jleitenberg).

In our first international interview, we talk with Aviva Zimmerman in Tel Aviv about her controversial web series 'Avi Does The Holyland, the occupation, and Jewish comedy as a pathway to "tikkun olam".

Ok so we are on Passover break this week, and Erika told me it'd be cool if I played some of my signature BEATS by HELLER for our episode. This is kind of a techno mix but it goes a little experimental. Totally cool if it's not your thing, but if it is holler at me! So this is a jam that I did with Lumpee Le AKA Freddy Ruxpin a few weeks back. His brother let him use the notorious SH-101, which he found in a dumpster in Nagoya, Japan. I was getting those synth bass grooves from the Korg Volca...

Jenna Reback, host of the podcast Bad Jew Weekly joins us this week to discuss the spiritual side of being Jewish. This episode gets pretty deep — but we still manage to talk about Flava Flav and cat tropes. instagram.com/badjewweekly

We explore the Jewish and Chicano legacy of LA's Boyle Heights neighborhood with Shmuel Gonzales, the "Barrio Boychik".

This week we sit down with Josh's parents, Babette & Kenn, to talk about how Josh became so...Josh. We also explore the trope of the "Jewish Pioneer", as Josh's parents share what it was like to move to California in the early 60s. (Do not adjust your earbuds, you are definitely hearing the sound of a dog snoring throughout this episode.)

We sit down with former professional baseball player Josh Eichenstein of the Netanya Tigers to talk about his time in the Israeli Baseball League. Plus, Josh + Erika learn about Team Israel's performance in the 2017 World Baseball Classic (as understood through sports movies and pop culture references).

Official "Friend Of The Podcast" (and Jewish scholar) Rami Raff joins us once again to enlighten us to the MANY parallels between the story of Purim and our current political climate. Can you guess who our modern-day Haman is? Plus, if you're troubled by the rise in anti-semitism in America, Rami shares several things you can do right now to help. Follow Rami at @thesickness85 on Twitter.

This week we "Yemenite left" and "Yemenite right" with Israeli Dance experts Orly Star Setareh & Jason Goldman. We learn the history of the movement, dispel common misconceptions about Israeli dance, and you'll learn what it takes to get a choreographed line dance certified. Is Erika going to have TWO dance squads now? For more on Orly and Jason: dancewithorly.com @jgold85

This week our special guest is *drum roll* Erika's mom, Ilene Brooks! Learn about the origins of Erika's family and how growing up the product of two first-generation Americans (from two dramatically different upbringings) shaped Ilene's meaning of the word "family". We talk New York tenements, seltzer and the unbelievable story of how Ilene helped rescue her Aunt Ida from certain death. Plus, Josh finds out what Erika was really like as a child. You'll also learn how to play "Poop Or No...