GOLDA Girls

GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick, novelist Esther Chehebar, and Rabbi Diana Fersko are joined by Mamaleh Jewelry founder Dara Katz to kick off 5787. The Girls talk about the behind-the-scenes stress of the High Holidays, the Macklemore drama, and more. They also go back to basics and dig into the Shema prayer, with some help from the Simchat Torah Challenge’s Shema Initiative. And of course, there’s jewelry involved: join the Shema Initiative and enter to win a Shema bracelet by Oriya Je...

GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick, journalist Gabby Deutch, novelist Esther Chehebar and Rabbi Diana Fersko welcome the new Jewish year the GOLDA Girls way: by saluting the “temple dress” wardrobe staple, breaking down why some Jews avoid leather shoes on Yom Kippur, and wondering how the shofar blower trains for the High Holidays, aka the shofar Super Bowl. The GOLDA Girls also say farewell to co-host Gabby, who will be joining the Atlantic as a staff writer later this month. We love you...

GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick, journalist Gabby Deutch, novelist Esther Chehebar and Rabbi Diana Fersko break down their High Holiday hosting prep, continue the “bageling” discussion with a moving listener letter, and sound off about John Galliano bowing out of his Met Costume Institute honor. We also get our heads in the game for the Jewish New Year with some inspiration from the Simchat Torah Challenge. Good for the Jews picks: Stephanie: Gal Gadot’s appearance on the Armchair Exper...

GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick, journalist Gabby Deutch, novelist Esther Chehebar and Rabbi Diana Fersko talk Jewish henna ceremonies, our favorite Jewish wedding traditions, and Esther’s response to New York Magazine’s Habibi City article. (For more on the Syrian Jewish community in New York City, check out Esther Chehebar’s novel Sisters of Fortune. You can find the Crusty Sisters, who emceed Esther’s recent rager, on Instagram.) As part of GOLDA’s annual High Holidays Shopping Guide...

GOLDA founder Stephanie Butnick, journalist Gabby Deutch, novelist Esther Chehebar and Rabbi Diana Fersko talk mahjong vs. canasta, Sephora products coming to Israel, and the challah wars unfolding in the GOLDA Girls groupchat. Sportswriter Matthew Futterman, whose new book is The Cruelest Game: Chasing Greatness in Professional Tennis, joins the hosts to break down tennis vs pickleball, Novak Djokovic’s dinner order, and how tennis tells the story of post-war American Jewish life. Send us yo...