Podcast
People Jew Wanna Know
Hosted by People Jew Wanna Know · EN
Welcome to People Jew Wanna Know, a podcast sharing stories of remarkable Jewish people! Hosted by Margarita Lyadova, each episode features conversations with interesting Jewish guests of today and historical figures who’ve shaped Jewish culture and identity. Together, we seek answers to today's essential questions facing the Jewish people.
New episodes every Wednesday.
Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @peoplejewwannaknow for extras, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.
Support our work here: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Transcending Hate w/Arno Michaelis (former white supremacist)
1w ago00:42:21Tap to summarizeArno Michaelis is a former Neo-Nazi turned activist, writer, and tremendous ally to the Jewish people. He was a founding member of a racist skinhead crew, lead singer of a hate metal band, reverend in a violently antisemitic church — and then he walked away, worn down by exhaustion and undone by the kindness of the people he was taught to hate. Today he's a Buddhist, an author, and a peer specialist at Parents for Peace who talks pissed-off young men out of the abyss for a living.In this episode, Arno explains why every extremist ideology, left or right, eventually converges on hating Jews. And why that's not a Jewish problem to solve.Follow Arno on Instagram @ArnoMichaelis and check out www.parents4peace.org Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknowWhat We Discuss:00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda02:45 Storytelling and the work of Parents for Peace07:30 The archetype of "Joe Pissed Off White Kid"11:00 Arno's childhood, addiction, and the roller coaster of hate18:00 The night his newborn daughter changed everything22:00 Regret vs. remorse — the mechanism of real change25:00 How white nationalism recruits today31:00 Why every extremist ideology converges on Jew hatred36:00 Whose problem antisemitism actually is39:00 Arno's question to Margarita 41:00 Closing Remarks
Transcribe →
Raheel Raza on Muslims and Jews in an Age of Tension
2w ago00:48:46Tap to summarizeRaheel Raza is a Pakistani-Canadian author, journalist, and president of Muslims Facing Tomorrow. She'll help you understand everything you'd like to know about Radical Islam. She's testified at the UN, spoken at Harvard and Oxford, and visited Israel 14 times. She also happens to be one of the warmest humans you'll ever meet.This is the conversation where Margarita finally gets to ask the questions that feel too "icky" to ask — about dhimmitude, about why Western Muslim leaders skew extreme, and about how Jews and Muslims can actually still be friends. Raheel answers every single one with patience and zero PC filter.Learn more about Raheel's work at www.raheelraza.comSupport our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknowWhat We Discuss:00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda02:30 From Karachi to Canada — finding the Jewish world through Anne Frank05:10 Why the Jewish-Muslim conflict isn't religious07:40 Inside the Council of Muslims Against Antisemitism11:00 Defeat radical Islamism, defeat antisemitism15:30 Hadith-based Islam and the politics of extremism20:00 What the Palestinian diaspora gets wrong, and the promise of the Abraham Accords24:30 What Jews can actually do — Rabbi Sacks, samosas, and culinary diplomacy32:00 Canada's "polite pogrom" and the Mamdani problem38:00 Dhimmitude vs. reform Islam44:00 Raheel's three-question litmus test for any Muslim you meet49:00 Closing Remarks
Transcribe →
Marina the Marathon Princess: All Miles, All Smiles
3w ago00:27:02Tap to summarizeMarina the Marathon Princess has run 76 marathons, finished multiple Ironmans, and walked the entire length of Israel. Her running joke, pun intended, is that she's one of the slowest people doing some of the hardest races in the world. Marina is an activism trendsetter who printed "Stand With Israel" on a race shirt years before October 7th.What started as a couchsurfing trip to Tel Aviv with a giant backpack turned into a years-long love affair with Israel, the Hebrew language, and the runners who cheer her on at every kilometer. Learn from Marina about what it takes to do the hardest things with the biggest smile. Follow Marina on Instagram @marathon.princessSupport our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknowWhat We Discuss:00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda02:30 From investment banking to 76+ marathons05:15 Willpower is overrated — systems and mental tricks for endurance09:00 The Tinder match that turned into a love for Israel12:45 Printing a "Stand With Israel" shirt and losing followers15:30 Why people who visit Israel walk away changed18:00 What people misunderstand about being Jewish21:00 Reclaiming Zionism and reframing antisemitism as conspiracy theory24:30 On Nice Jewish Runners26:00 Closing Remarks
Transcribe →
Brianna Wu - It's Time To Change The Left
4w ago00:47:40Tap to summarizeBrianna Wu is the voice of reason on the left. The video game developer turned political commentator turned Democratic insider has spent her career being first to name what other people are too scared to say out loud — and she brings that same clarity to one of the most uncomfortable conversations on the American left right now.In this episode, Brianna talks about why democrat elites privately know better, why "respectability politics" are failing Jews, and what an actually effective information war would look like. Follow Brianna Wu on Instagram @BriannaWuSaysSupport our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow**What We Discuss:**00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda02:45 Mississippi, the Democratic Party, and the long project against Jews08:20 The Jews who showed up when Brianna transitioned12:10 Regrets about supercharging the progressive movement18:30 No panacea for antisemitism (or Jew hatred)24:15 Stop the conferences, start the information warfare30:40 What's actually happening to the trans community right now37:20 Why "as a Jew" isn't a credential43:50 Brianna's question for Margarita46:30 Closing Remarks
Transcribe →
Everything Misunderstood About Iran - Shay Khatiri
Jul 800:45:42Tap to summarizeShay Khatiri grew up in an Iranian Communist household where his dad handed him Das Kapital at age 12 — and somehow ended up a neoconservative Persian researcher at CAMERA, fighting media bias against Israel. Shay knows more about Jewish life than most Jews, and will absolutely turn off your lights before leaving Shabbat dinner.Shay breaks down why Iranians were cheering on Israeli fighter jets from their rooftops, the 2,500-year friendship between Persians and Jews that started with Cyrus the Great, and what the future for Iran may entail.Follow Shay on X @ShayKhatiriSupport our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknowWhat We Discuss:00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda03:15 Growing up in a Communist household in Iran08:20 How the West misunderstands a society at war12:40 Why Iranians cheered for Israeli fighter jets18:30 What it will actually take to topple the regime22:15 The 2,500-year friendship between Persians and Jews30:00 Iranians today: the most pro-Israel nation after Israel itself34:20 How Americans can actually help the Iranian people38:45 The "as a Jew" problem and rebellion against immigrant parents44:10 Closing Remarks
Transcribe →
The Office's Andy Buckley: On Comedy w/ Conscience
Jul 100:39:54Tap to summarizeAndy Buckley is David Wallace. You know him. You love him. But before he was Steve Carell's perfectly straight-faced boss at Dunder Mifflin, he spent years as a Merrill Lynch wealth manager — which explains why his corporate deadpan hits so painfully right. He's also one of the most thoughtful and openly supportive non-Jewish allies the community has had since October 7th.Andy talks about the moment that gave him permission to speak up, the dinner-table education that came with marrying into a Jewish family, and why he thinks the loudest voices in Hollywood are often the least informed. Plus: the lost art of being a straight man, his audition origin story, and the surprising flight he took next to Ana Kasparian's husband.Follow Andy Buckley on Instagram @AndyBuckley2020Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknowWhat We Discuss:00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda03:00 From Stanford to Wall Street to David Wallace09:30 The Underrated Power of the Straight Man14:00 Trusting Your Voice as an Artist18:30 Visiting Auschwitz, Marrying Into a Jewish Family, and Learning Slowly22:00 What Amar'e Stoudemire's Post Unlocked27:00 Why Hollywood Stays Quiet32:00 Sitting Next to Ana Kasparian's Husband on a Plane37:00 What Andy Wants from Hollywood (and What Margarita Doesn't)39:00 Closing Remarks
Transcribe →Goy You Will Enjoy Returns | SOLO EPISODE
Jun 2400:24:41Tap to summarizeMargarita returns for a solo episode to catch you up on the comeback of the “Goy You Will Enjoy” season — dedicated to the allies showing up for the Jewish community — and the current state of Jinsta.She also reads a powerful letter from a listener about intermarriage that sparked one of the most thoughtful conversations we’ve had in a long time. Truly an incredible note.Follow People Jew Wanna Know on Instagram @peoplejewwannaknow Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow
Transcribe →
The Art of Looking Like Yourself - Dr. Monasebian
Jun 1700:53:59Tap to summarizeDr. Monasebian is a board-certified plastic surgeon, and the man Margarita personally trusts with her own face.A Forest Hills native, Brandeis graduate, and proud half-Sephardic, half-Ashkenazi Jew, Dr. Monasebian has built a reputation not just for exceptional results, but for telling patients the truth. In an industry full of hype, he’s refreshingly candid about what procedures are worth considering, which ones are overhyped, and why credentials matter more than ever.In this conversation, we discuss everything from the evolution of rhinoplasty among Jewish patients to the rise of non-surgical treatments, body dysmorphia, aging gracefully, and the biggest misconceptions about plastic surgery. We also explore how he approaches these conversations with his own children—and the procedures he'd never recommend.Follow Dr. Monasebian on Instagram: @parkaveplasticsurgeryListeners get a complimentary consultation — just mention People Jew Wanna Know.Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknowWhat We Discuss:00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda03:00 Dr. Monasebian's Jewish upbringing09:30 Why credentials matter (and what can go wrong)14:00 How rhinoplasty culture has shifted for Jewish patients17:30 Surgical vs. non-surgical: how to choose24:00 Aging well after a procedure29:00 Talking to his own kids about cosmetic work33:00 Saying no: unrealistic requests and body dysmorphia38:00 Lightning round — most underrated, most overrated, biggest pet peeves46:30 CoolSculpting, Kybella, etc.50:00 A message to Jewish New Yorkers53:00 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination
Transcribe →
Rebecca Brooks — PR, Presence & Power
Jun 1000:28:30Tap to summarizeRebecca Brooks is the dark horse behind some of the biggest food and lifestyle personalities you know — Rachael Ray, Andrew Zimmern, Guy Fieri, Jacques Torres, Robert Irvine. She founded the Brooks Group at 25 out of her husband's family office in New York, and basically helped invent the "lifestyle of food" category before Food Network was a household name. Margarita talks to Rebecca about what actually happens behind the curtain — how to fix a PR crisis, how to say no without burning the bridge, and why the best clients lead with story, not product. Plus a tangent on what Judaism actually says about psychics, mediums, and the woo-woo of it all.Follow Rebecca on Instagram @Rebecca_BrooksPR and @BrooksGroupPR and check out her website brookspr.com Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknowWhat We Discuss:00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda06:11 Growing up Jewish on Long Island10:30 Starting the Brooks Group at 2514:00 Pioneering storytelling in beauty PR17:45 Advising Jewish clients on speaking out20:30 Owning mistakes and the art of the apology23:15 How to say no without burning bridges25:40 Joe Dispenza, Reiki, and reading energy28:30 Message to the Jewish people & Guest Nomination
Transcribe →
Ari’el Stachel - Playing the Other
Jun 500:37:52Tap to summarizeAriel Stachel—Tony winner for The Band's Visit—gets brutally honest about learning to “act” by hiding parts of himself, and what it took to finally stop. We get into his solo show Other, the identity whiplash growing up post 9/11, and why he’s willing to say the uncomfortable things—about activism, platforming, and how Jews should be portrayed in media right now. Margarita and Ariel compare notes and bond over being children of immigrants. Connect with Ariel on Instagram @ArielStachel Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknowWhat We Discuss:00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda1:42 "My acting training was pretending to be other people" 8:38 How has the show Other been received?11:27 On the experience of having immigrant parents19:30 Ariel's activism & message to Mamdani 23:46 How should we tell stories about Jews today? 29:50 On "platforming" people you disagree with33:44 What's next for Ariel? 36:12 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination
Transcribe →