In the wake of the sharp rise in antisemitism since October 7, influencer, activist, and Tel Aviv Institute founder Hen Mazzig has been one of the most visible Jewish voices online. His steady stream of posts countering misinformation about Israel has reached more than 100 million people across platforms. Beyond social media, he’s taken the conversation mainstream — debating critics on CNN, MSNBC, and “Piers Morgan Uncensored.” Altogether, Mazzig has built a following of more than 800,000.
A seasoned lecturer who has spoken at more than 500 universities, Mazzig recognized that online advocacy couldn’t only be about reacting to hate. There’s also a need for joyful celebration — for highlighting Jewish culture, creativity, and pride. That’s what inspired his interview series “And They’re Jewish,” which launched earlier this year. The first season featured high-profile guests, including actors Mayim Bialik and Debra Messing, and the show quickly resonated with viewers looking for something both uplifting and unabashedly Jewish.
Mazzig will kick off Season 2 with a launch event on October 29 at 92NY in Manhattan at 8 p.m. New episodes will premiere weekly on YouTube.
How Hen Mazzig picked his explosive guests
The New York Times has described Mazzig as a “whisperer” to Hollywood — someone celebrities quietly turn to when they’re trying to make sense of the Israel-Hamas war and how to speak about it publicly. With that influence, Mazzig could have booked almost any number of recognizable names for his show. But instead of chasing fame for fame’s sake, he said he intentionally selected a “cultural explosion” of guests from a wide range of fields — actors, chefs, podcasters, journalists, and publishers — people who are shaping how Jewish culture shows up in everyday life.
“This season is a cultural explosion,” Mazzig told Unpacked. “I chose them because they’re not just successful, they’re shaping how Jewish identity shows up in the world right now. This season is about joy, resilience, and unapologetic Jewish pride,” Mazzig told Unpacked.
Mazzig — the author of “The Wrong Kind of Jew: A Mizrahi Manifesto” — said he was excited to surface perspectives audiences haven’t heard before. What surprised him most was how many of his guests found their Jewish pride through their professional passions.
“I was struck by how many rediscovered their Jewishness through their craft,” he said. “Michael Solomonov talks about how cooking connected him back to Israel. Amanda Hirsch found a voice that resonates with millions, and she’s using it to normalize being Jewish in pop-culture spaces. It reminded me that Judaism isn’t static; it’s alive, evolving, and personal.”
Who’s appearing on Season 2 of “And They’re Jewish?”
One of this season’s standout guests is actress Lisa Edelstein — best known for playing Dr. Lisa Cuddy on the hit Fox drama “House.” In Netflix’s animated series “Long Story Short,” she voices Naomi Schwartz, the matriarch of the hilariously relatable Schwooper family. And longtime sitcom fans will definitely recognize her from “Seinfeld”: she played Karen, George Costanza’s short-lived girlfriend in the Season 5 premiere.
That episode left a lasting impression on viewers — not only did Karen reveal she was faking orgasms, she also delivered one of the show’s most iconic burns when she declared that “the risotto was better than the sex.” Edelstein brings that same cheeky energy to her art. She’s also a painter whose work often features Jewish themes, and she has taken on powerful Jewish roles on screen, including portraying a Holocaust survivor in the acclaimed Canadian series “Little Bird.”
Until recently, if you walked into a library looking for a children’s book that teaches kids how to recognize and stand up to antisemitism, you probably wouldn’t find much. Emmy Award–winning CNN anchor Bianna Golodryga and Israel’s Channel 12 anchor Yonit Levi are trying to change that. Their new picture book, “Don’t Feed the Lion” — out November 11 — uses a playful metaphor to help young readers understand prejudice and how to push back against it. Mazzig sits down with Golodryga to talk about why they wrote the book and the urgent need for Jewish kids to feel supported.
Golodryga has also been a crucial voice in news coverage of Israel since October 7. She conducted an emotional interview with the mothers of Naama Levy, Liri Albag, and Daniella Gilboa — three young women brutally kidnapped by Hamas and later returned to Israel. Golodryga has consistently called Hamas perpetrators “terrorists” — a clarity many viewers have noticed as some outlets use softer terms like “militants” or “combatants.”
Another guest, Michael Solomonov, is among the biggest names in the culinary world. The Israeli-American chef behind Philadelphia’s Zahav — winner of the 2019 James Beard Award for “Outstanding Restaurant,” the first time an Israeli restaurant earned the honor — Solomonov has become a national ambassador for Israeli cuisine. His cookbooks, including “Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking,” have earned him additional James Beard Awards, and his signature takes on hummus and shakshuka have inspired countless home cooks. With Mazzig, he opens up about how cooking brought him back to his Israeli roots and how food can be a gateway to cultural connection.
Author, podcaster, and publisher Zibby Owens also joins the season. A Harvard graduate and creator of the hit podcast “Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books,” she recently published her debut novel, “Blank,” following a Jewish mom in Los Angeles scrambling to write a bestseller before her deadline. After October 7, Owens edited a 75-author anthology, “On Being Jewish Now: Reflections From Authors and Advocates.” In her conversation with Mazzig, she opens up about the backlash she’s faced for her Jewish identity.
The season continues its mix of pop culture and Jewish identity with filmmaker Jonah Feingold, whose upcoming bar mitzvah rom-com “31 Candles” (opening November 7 in New York) offers a hilarious, heartfelt take on late-in-life bar mitzvahs. Feingold stars as Leo, a 31-year-old Christmas-movie director who decides to have a bar mitzvah just to impress his crush — a bar/bat mitzvah tutor named Eva Shapiro. The film features Jackie Sandler, wife of Adam Sandler, and promises plenty of laughs.
Also bringing humor to the lineup is Jackie Goldschneider of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” who recently published her memoir “The Weight of Beautiful,” and joins Mazzig for an honest, lively conversation.
Rounding out the lineup is Amanda Hirsch: podcaster, author, and the voice behind the wildly popular brand “Not Skinny But Not Fat.” With nearly one million Instagram followers, Hirsch has turned her talent for pop-culture commentary into a career that routinely lands A-list interviews. She got Kim Kardashian to dish about her “little zing” during that now-famous “Saturday Night Live” kiss with Jewish comedian Pete Davidson, a moment that led to a nine-month romance. Hirsch says her Jewish identity has become a bigger part of her work and her life this year. In her conversation with Mazzig, she gets personal, saying, “My heart is in Israel.”
Continued advocacy, on-screen and off
Mazzig told Unpacked that he sees it as his responsibility to push back against misinformation aimed at delegitimizing Israel. In a climate of rising antisemitism, he said that casually “throwing around” the word genocide “not only distorts reality, it weaponizes Jewish trauma.” While he has been praised for his work countering online propaganda, he emphasized that its deeper purpose is to make Jews feel ashamed of who they are. His show, he noted, aims to strengthen Jewish pride precisely when it feels most under attack.
“I don’t use ‘And They’re Jewish’ to debate geopolitics,” he said. “But you can’t separate Jewish life today from the climate of misinformation and hostility we’re living through. Some guests spoke about what it means to be visibly Jewish in this moment, the fear, but also the fierce pride. The show isn’t about politics; it’s about humanity. But sometimes, just existing proudly as a Jew is a political act.”
Mazzig said he felt intense emotion watching the final group of 20 living hostages return safely to Israel. But he was deeply disappointed that Hamas did not return the bodies of many who were murdered — something required by the agreement.
“Relief and heartbreak, both at once,” Mazzig said of his reaction. “Relief for the families reunited, heartbreak for those still in Gaza.”
During the war, countless protests around the world called for a ceasefire — yet when one was finally reached, reactions were muted.
“The silence from many so-called ‘human rights’ advocates said everything,” Mazzig said. “If you can’t celebrate the return of innocent civilians, your activism isn’t about peace, it’s about politics.”
Official launch of “And They’re Jewish”
The Oct. 29 launch event at 92NY will feature Eitan Levine, an award-winning Jewish comedian with a major social media presence who frequently tackles antisemitism in his work.
“I love the way Hen talks about Judaism and Israel because he has a very authentic voice that has been a breath of fresh air,” Levine told Unpacked. “He fully grasps the complexities that not everyone can. What I like about his show is that he’s a great interviewer, but also, the guests are people who are openly Jewish, but these ones are not people brought out all the time. They are talented people who have successes in different areas.”
Guests from Season 1 told Mazzig they were surprised by how comfortable they felt opening up about vulnerability, identity, and resilience.
“They all share the same quality: authenticity,” Mazzig said. “They’re proof that Jewish stories don’t fit into one box. They’re multifaceted, modern, and magnetic.”
As antisemitism rises and misinformation spreads at unprecedented speed, Mazzig believes it’s more important than ever to show the world that Jewish life is vibrant, joyful, and diverse. With Season 2 of “And They’re Jewish,” he’s inviting viewers to celebrate that reality — and to feel a little less alone while doing it.
