Joining the Club: Ep. 239

This week on Unorthodox, we're calling an emergency meeting of the Unorthodox club. First we talk to Rachel Shukert, a longtime Tablet contributor (and a contributor to The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia!) who is an executive producer and showrunner for The Baby-Sitters' Club reboot on Netflix. She tells us about growing up reading the series of books by Ann M. Martin, recreating the 90's series as a TV show set in the present, and what she's learned about today's teenagers from working with the actors on the show. Then Stephanie sits down with Adam Eli, the activist and author of "The New Queer Conscience," which is part of Penguin Random House's Pocket Change Collective. He tells us about initially rejecting his Jewish identity after he came out as queer, then ultimately realizing that his Jewish and queer identity could actually strengthen and reinforce each other. He shares how his Jewish background influences his queer activism, and offers advice to families whose children may be queer or questioning. Follow Adam Eli on Instagram @AdamEli and get a discount (!) on "The New Queer Conscience" using this link. Join Stephanie and former Unorthodox guest Beth Ricanati for a live challah-baking workshop Thursday, August 6 at 5 p.m. EDT in the Unorthodox Facebook group. Beth is a doctor who strongly believes in the healing power of baking bread, and she's going to share the magic of weekly challah baking with us. "Joan Knows Best" is a new weekly video series featuring Joan Nathan cooking her favorite Shabbat recipes with her son, David Henry Gerson. This Friday, August 7, at 12 p.m. EDT, they'll be making double-roasted lemon chicken. Tune in at live.tabletmag.com/joanknowsbest and get the recipes here. Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube page! Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: The Great Courses Plus: With thousands of lectures on all kinds of topics presented by subject-matter experts from top universities and institutions, keep learning with the Great Courses Plus. Get a free trial with unlimited access at thegreatcoursesplus.com/UNORTHODOX.