“Amusing Jews” is doubling down on its mission to explore Jewish contributions to American pop culture, and 2025 is shaping up to be its biggest year yet. Co-hosted by Jonathan Friedmann and Joey Angel-Field, the weekly podcast has already amassed nearly 6,000 YouTube subscribers—an impressive jump from just 500 when we last spoke with Friedmann at the start of 2024. Now, they’re gearing up for even more laughs, big-name guests, and a line of witty merch.
Upcoming guests include Marc Summers (“Double Dare” and “Unwrapped”), Michael Skloff (composer of the “Friends” theme song), and Lloyd Kaufman (creator of “The Toxic Avenger”). But that’s not all: the show is branching out with live appearances, including a March stop at the Ladies of Laughter Comedy Fest in Los Angeles.
“We showcase people and things that are not just comedic, but also entertaining in the larger sense: engaging, interesting, appealing, enjoyable,” Friedmann said.
The podcast has become known for its in-depth interviews, with episodes running about 30 minutes. “Amusing Jews” has also introduced a merch store featuring cheeky items like shirts reading “Schmucks Are People Too” and mugs with “Oy Vey” written in Hebrew.
Don’t miss this witty dive into Jewish pop culture. Listen to “Amusing Jews” wherever you get your podcasts and check out the video versions on YouTube.
Podcasts we’re following
Our team at St. Louis Jewish Light is on the hunt for Jewish-themed podcasts and will share what we find in the Morning Light email newsletter. Do you have a podcast we need to check out? Please share your discovery with us by emailing Jordan Palmer.
Here are a few we’re keeping an ear on this week:
• “Unorthodox”
- Hosts: Stephanie Butnick, Liel Leibovitz, and Joshua Malina
- Producer: Tablet Magazine
- Topics: News, interviews, and contemporary Jewish culture
- Guests: Roxane Gay, Dan Savage, Kathryn Hahn
• “Israel Story”
- Hosts: Mishy Harman, Yochai Maital, Shai Satran, and Ro’ee Gilron
- Producer: The Jerusalem Foundation and The Times of Israel
- Topics: Stories of ordinary Israelis with extraordinary lives
- Format: Long-form storytelling, often compared to “This American Life”
- Host: Yehuda Geberer
- Topics: Historical events and personalities that shaped the Jewish world
- Format: A historical podcast with a mix of storytelling and academic insight
