2 Jews Talking

Josh & Erika welcome back Valley Legends Rami & Jordan Raff to the podcast. They break down their Top 5 favorite San Fernando Valley places to eat. Lot's of great sushi, breakfast, snacks in the mix. They reveal some secret menu items that you may have not expected. It's a lot of fun, and a lot of food, on this very niche episode of 2 Jews Talking, recorded live from the New York Bagel Cafe in Sherman Oaks.

Josh & Erika are joined by the San Fernando Valley's own Randy Lehrman. He is the reigning king of LA's Bar Mitzvah scene, through his company Real Genius Entertainment. He has been MCing and DJing B'nai Mitzvahs since the 90s. From his early days as a dancefloor duo with Paul Rudd, to how today's kids learn choreography in games like Fortnite, Randy shares stories about the Past, Present, and Future of this coming-of-age ceremony. A lot of nostalgia and insight for those of us "in between bar & bat mitzvah invites." If all this is making you want to relive your adolescent dance circuit come out to the 90s Bar Mitzvah & Dance Party! (Vol III) this Saturday (2.9.19) at the SIJCC in Silver Lake. If you aren't in LA, have no fear, we want to take this party on the road. Reach out if you want us to bring the party to you.More info: https://sijcc.net/90s-bar-mitzvahhttps://www.facebook.com/events/333305297451563Find more information on Randy Lehrman & Real Genius Entertainment at: http://realgeniu

Josh & Erika wish you a happy new year, and have a few tips for coming up with resolutions that can keep you moving forward to wherever it is your heading, even if you don't know.

JOSH GOT MARRIED to his SWEETIE MAUREEN. Erika was there and details the experience. She also talks about the wedding she recently co-officiated. Then we breakdown our favorite Canadian Netflix show CHARQUES SEASON 3!

Recorded a week after the largest attack on Jewish People in American history. Josh and Erika attempt to make sense of what has occurred in Pittsburgh. Welcome to Season Six of 2 Jews Talking.

Rami Raff is back and this time he's brought his wife Jordan Silverman-Raff. (FINALLY) They join Josh and Erika to talk about their own love story, marriage, and their brand new adooooooorable baby Porg. ALSO we talk about Josh's upcoming marriage to his Sweetie Maureen, which Rami will be officiating, Hope you enjoy!Recorded live from Podcast At The Pico at the Pico Playhouse in West LA.

Our first live episode from our monthly residency at The Pico, with the World Famous People Walker, Chuck McCarthy. We talk about what it is the People Walker does, his road to virality, and how you can take a walk with one of the many people walkers in your neighborhood. Our next live show at The Pico is July 10th! https://www.thepeoplewalker.com/Recorded by Rian KountzhouseMixed and Mastered by Adam Yukon Harr

This week we sat down with filmmaker Steve Gossett the co-creator of Princess Rap Battles which have garnered nearly 450 million views. He talks about the ups-and-downs on his way to finding his success. He stopped trying to make stuff that was "good... for the internet" and started making stuff that was "just good." Around that time his videos took off.

This week we sit down with Matt Ritter of the Safe For Work podcast. He talks about his career led him from being a lawyer at prestigious yet stressful law firms in New York City to comedy and corporate recruitment. He gives Josh & Erika a few tips on how to navigate workplace drama, and a few tips on how to get ahead in one's career while staying sane.

A few weeks ago Josh was out in the Far West Texas town of Marfa. It's known as an international arts destination because of Donald Judd's Chinati Foundation, but it's still a ranching community in a remote and beautiful country. Josh had the pleasure of sitting down with Robert Halpern, the publisher of the local paper: The Big Bend Sentinel. He talks about growing up in a family of Jewish merchant pioneers, life in the borderlands, how Marfa's has changed, and the importance of the fourth estate in this era. Josh and Robert discover a shared surname, so they might be distant cousins, or as they say on the frontera... primos.Check out The Big Bend Sentinel at: http://bigbendnow.com/

This week we sat down with Reuben Posner & Julianne Schwartz the director and assistant director of Havaya Arts camp. We had a blast talking about summer camp! This is their inaugural year, and it looks like it'll be a lot of fun.Havaya Arts is a brand new overnight Jewish arts summer camp in Southern California. Camp is open to current 2nd-9th graders with any level of arts experience. Click HERE to learn more! They are generously funded by the Jim Joseph Foundation and AVI CHAI Foundation, in partnership with the Foundation for Jewish Camp.https://havayaarts.org/

Josh went on a roadtrip to Texas with friend-of-the-show Ben Stein. On a tip from a Facebook inquiry about "interesting Jews in El Paso" they stopped in town on a Tuesday night. Within 10 minutes of arrival they were immediately brought to a victory party for congressional candidate Veronica Escobar (D). They got to meet artist and City Representative Peter Svarzbein and his buddy Sammy Holaschutz, a non-ferrous metal trader. After the party they stopped for a few Whataburgers and then sat down to learn about The World Famous Jews of El Paso. The conversation felt like hanging out with old friends-- fellow loud, opinionated, Jews. This episode was a lot of fun, you'll learn a lot, and will make you want to visit El Paso.

Josh is in Austin for SXSW to sell merch for Headgum and get some great interviews. He sat down with Gabriel Barretto the filmmaker behind My Cricket and Me. It's a comedy loosely based on Gabriel's experience as a roadie with Willie Nelson the summer before going off to Sarah Lawrence. Gabriel grew up in an entertainment family, his mom is actress Amy Irving from Yentl & Carrie, and his dad is Bruno Barreto the acclaimed Brazilian filmmaker. He has an interesting perspective as a showbiz kid, like how weird it is to see your mom die on film and how he taught Stephen Spielberg (his mom's first husband) to beat a level on Angry Birds. Find Gabriel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cricketramseyFind Gabriel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigfootbjornsen/Find out more about My Cricket and Me: http://www.mycricketandme.com/

Josh visits his grandma. Erika got a new car. They talk about the importance of seizing the day, and doing what you need to do, because if not now then when?

This week is an extremely informative episode with Dr. David Levitus of LA Forward. He talks about what progressivism means, how his organization is working locally, and how this is the perfect moment to change our country."Getting involved in the face to face stuff---the organizing can be this great source of meaning and belonging in the world---and we need to create more opportunities for that."ALSO HE IS THE NINTH PhD TO APPEAR ON 2JT! ISN'T THAT IMPRESSIVE MOM???Find David atListen to his podcast: LA Forwards & Backwardshttps://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/la-forwards-backwards/id1281847259?mt=2Find LA Forward online at: https://www.losangelesforward.org/Find David on Twitter as @Levitusing: https://twitter.com/levitusing

We had a great time this week with Lorraine DeGraffenreidt and Sarah Isaacson of the Learnt Up podcast. On their podcast they learn basic black and Jewish stuff they should totally already know. On this episode we chat about Mr. Rogers many cardigans and his mud room, John Waters sightings, Catholic confirmations, Gilda Radner, Richard Pryor, and how the Alt Right use hate as their love language.Check out their episodes here: http://learntup.libsyn.com/And find them on Instagram: @learntuppodcastMore info on the 90s Bar Mitzvah and Dance Party: https://www.facebook.com/events/210973516115470 and EastSideJews.com

This week Josh interviews Josh Neuman. He is the writer and director of Johnny Physical Lives, an award-winning documentary that memorializes his punk rock brother. We talk about the film, the Friar's Club, and Neuman's time as the editor of Heeb Magazine. Johnny Physical Lives screens this Sunday 1/21/18 at 2pm at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles. It will be followed by a conversation about creativity and human connection during crisis with NYT's Suleika Jaouad, and Carla Fernandez of The Dinner Party: Life After Loss.For more info about the film visit: www.johnnyphysicallives.com

Josh and Erika bid farewell to the year that was awful in so many ways, but actually pretty positive for both of them. Wishing everyone a healthy and auspicious 2018! Erika's annual Intention-Setting Hike in LA is January 7th, more details: https://www.detoxfromsocialmedia.com/upcoming-events-1/

Recording Live from Tabula Rasa Bar on Hollywood Boulevard on the final night of hanukkah 2017... 2 Jews Talking with returning guest Shmuel Gonzales (The Barrio Boychik.) Shmuel talks about an anti-fascist hanukkah celebration in Boyle Heights in 1940, and reminds us that we are celebrating light in the darkest times.Find Shmuel on his Barrio Boychik blog https://barrioboychik.wordpress.com/This event was sponsored by Nu Roots' Infinite Light celebration. http://infinitelight.la/Thank you to Tabula Rasa Bar for hosting us, and to Joel Serot for letting us borrow microphones.

We sat down with Jessica Chaffin & Dane Crane of The Kibitz. We chatted about what it's like to have podcasts about "being Jewish" and how our podcasts are definitely not about "Judaism." It's one of those fun hang-out episodes with the added bonus of listening to this squad of Jewish podcasters figure out how to calm down a barking dog while it's in the studio. Enjoy. Listen to The Kibitzhttp://www.kibitzpod.com/episodes/The Kibitz is doing a live episode a Catskills Kibitz with special guests: Michael Showalter, Moshe Kasher, and the Living Sisters -- Wednesday, December 13, 2017, at Canter's Deli on Fairfax in LA. http://www.kibitzpod.com/events/2 Jews Talking is also doing a live episode, with everybody's favorite Barrio Boychik, Shmuel Gonzales. Tuesday, December 19, 2017 at Tabula Rasa Bar on Hollywood in LA. https://www.facebook.com/events/143869689598209/