Respect Your Elders

This week on Unorthodox: the Israeli hockey star playing for Auschwitz.

Our first guest is Esther Povitsky, who played Maya on the TV show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and whose new Comedy Central stand-up special is “Hot for My Name.” Esther tells us about growing up in Skokie, Illinois, why she decided to include her parents, Maury and Mary, in her special, and how her Jewish identity has influenced her comedy.

Next we talk to Natan Sharansky, the legendary refusenik (the term for Jews who were refused exit visas by the Soviet authorities). He was imprisoned for nine years—at one point being held in a Soviet gulag—and after his release he emigrated to Israel, where he served as a member of the Israeli parliament and the head of the Jewish Agency. He tells us about his new memoir, Never Alone: Prison, Politics, and My People, and what he’s learned over a lifetime of activism.

“Joan Knows Best” is a weekly video series featuring Joan Nathan cooking her favorite Shabbat recipes with her son, David Henry Gerson. This Friday, Aug. 14, at 1 p.m. EDT, they’ll be making a rhubarb tart with fresh strawberries and currant glaze. Tune in on Tablet’s Facebook page, and get the recipes and more info here.

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Harry’s: Get a free Harry’s trial shave set at harrys.com/unorthodox. Harry’s is donating $1 million worth of shaving supplies to hospitals across the U.S.