JANUARY 5 • 2023 | 49

Madison, and Jessica Chaffin, 
writer, comedian and host 
of the popular podcast Ask 
Ronna. Together, they explore 
the strangest corners of Jewish 
history.

THE TOPICS NOT TAUGHT 
IN HEBREW SCHOOL
Episodes are released weekly 
and tackle everything from 
how an 1875 murder changed 
perception of Jews forever, to 
false messiahs and wrestling 
rabbis, to even Jewish stereo-
types such as nose shape and 
how that impacted the world’s 
view on Jews.
While all episodes are 
unique in their own way, 
Portnoy, who is based in 
Harlem, says one of the most 
bizarre is about the Tonsil 
Riots of 1906, which the pod-
cast dives deeply into.
“In 1906, on the Lower East 
Side, 50,000 Jewish mothers 
rioted because their children’s 
tonsils were taken out in 
public schools,” Portnoy, 57, 
explains. “It was really a major 
uproar and it’s an unusual 
moment in Jewish history.”
This story, Portnoy says, is 
representative of the Jewish 
Bizarre Podcast as a whole. 
“It’s one of the ones that I find 
appealing and exciting because 
it reveals aspects of Jewish life 
that very few people know 
about,” he continues.
Portnoy says each podcast 
episode was researched exten-
sively and that listeners can 
expect a mix of humor, seri-
ousness and, of course, very 
shocking stories.
“The historical aspect is 
serious, but it’s dealt with in a 
lighthearted manner,” he says. 
“Tony and I bring the content, 

but Jessica draws it out in real-
ly clever and humorous ways.”
Discussing stereotypes 
in particular, Portnoy says, 
has become more important 
than ever given the recent 
rise in public antisemitism, 
even if those stereotypes are 
approached from an edge of 
humor.
“Stereotypes affect Jews 
adversely,” he explains, “and 
especially now that’s really 
come to the forefront and 
become very problematic.”

LEARNING MORE 
ABOUT THE BIZARRE
To help listeners better under-
stand each episode, the Jewish 
Bizarre Podcast has also 
released an episode guide that 
includes definitions for key 
terms, photographs, news-
paper clippings, artwork and 
additional visual resources 
and links for reading.
Episodes drop weekly 
and can be found on major 
podcast listening platforms, 
including Apple Podcasts and 
Spotify. Listeners can also find 
them on the Reboot website.
Following its release of 
the Jewish Bizarre Podcast, 
Reboot Presents will soon 
release top episodes from 
previous Reboot podcasts, 
including The Kibitz, Kasher 
v. Kasher, Closening and In 

Quarantine with Steve Bodow 
as other new content is in pro-
duction.
The Jewish Bizarre Podcast 
episode guide includes Only 
Murder in the Shtetl, which 
explores a famous murder; 
Jewish Anarchists and the 
Yom Kippur Balls, which 
discusses how young Eastern 
European Jewish immigrants 
discovered anarchism; and 
The Tonsil Riots and other 

Jewish Uprisings, which dives 
into the strangest Jewish riots.
Episodes also include 
Jewish Geniuses, Idiots and 
the Greatest Mohel, which 
explores the age-old question 
of whether or not there really 
are more Jewish geniuses; 
and The Strange World of 
Nosology and the Jewish 
Shnozz, which debunks the 
long-running stereotypes sur-
rounding Jews and nose shape.
Throughout the episodes, 
podcast hosts also discuss 
what it ultimately means to 
be Jewish and share their own 
personal stories that relate to 
Judaism’s most bizarre topics.
“The reception for our top-
ics has been pretty strong,” 
Portnoy says. “There’s defi-
nitely interest there.” 

Podcast hosts Portnoy, Jessica Chaffin and Dr. Tony Michels

