Jill Kargman is a New York Times bestselling author of 12 books, creator of Odd Mom Out, and a "shtetl chic" Manhattan Jewess. Margarita and Jill talk wig life, vaginal lasers, antisemitism in middle school, and why Jewish joy is the whole point. Jill found her voice the moment she stopped hiding behind characters and just told the truth. She's excited to share her new film - Influenced (in theaters May 8th).

Follow Jill on IG @jillkargman and @influenced.movie

Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

02:12 Sephardic mom, Ashkenazi dad, free-range NYC childhood

06:30 Pulling her son out of school after an antisemitic incident

10:15 Why every story she tells comes back to family

14:20 Making *Influenced* and hiding the meat in the pasta

18:45 Celebrity cameos, blonde wigs, and being a "Sicilian widow" in real life

24:30 Re-virginization is real and Jill did it

27:10 Jewish storytelling needs comedy too

30:00 Margarita's life as a child pop star in Ukraine

34:20 Jewish joy, Mamdani, and L'chaim motherf*ckers

36:44 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Vlad Khaykin is the Head of North American Advocacy for the Simon Wiesenthal Center (and a former ADL veteran). He approaches antisemitism the way a scientist approaches a virus: studying its architecture, its mutations, and why it keeps infecting new hosts across centuries.

This is an episode where you'll learn a tremendous amount about antisemitism's latest "mutation" - Anti-Zionism. Anti-Zionism isn't an abstract debate — it's an ideology with a body count, and millions of living Jews can tell you exactly what it looks like when it wins. Vlad also makes the case that internalized antisemitism is one of the most pressing problems facing the Jews today.

Connect with Vlad Khaykin on LinkedIn or Instagram @vkhaykin , and learn about the instrumental work of Simon Wiesenthal Center at https://wiesenthal.org/

Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

03:45 Vlad's path from Soviet refugee to advocacy leader

07:20 What anti-Zionism actually did to Jewish communities

12:15 How the Soviets weaponized antisemitism

18:30 Antisemitism as an explanatory model, not a prejudice

24:10 There is no panacea for antisemitism

31:00 The Zionism terminology wars

36:45 Internalized antisemitism and the doll test parallel

44:20 The cost vs. value of being Jewish

49:30 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Sometimes you run into a guy in his underwear on the streets of NYC and do a mini pod with him! Ham is an artist best known for standing in his underwear & talking to strangers!

Learn more about his art on Instagram @sweatpantcity

Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

This episode is NOT a joke ;). Julia Ain, also known as @qveenjulia, is a funny Jewish girl with big boobs who will make you laugh and blush at the same time. A viral content creator with over 1M followers online, she sits down with Margarita to share her story and reflect on being a proudly Jewish content creator in this crazy time. This episode is for our boobers and boober lovers!

Follow Julia on all platforms @qveenjulia

Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

02:19 How an aspiring lawyer went to FanFix

04:33 What has Julia learned? 06:35 On securing the talent visa

07:50 On selling bikini pics & marketing yourself

11:50 On how Julia uses her platform to advocate for Jews

15:22 What is Milk Mansion?

20:40 Something Julia is sharing for the first time

32:55 What would Julia tell her younger self?

34:39 We thought we were done with the episode... but we were not

35:37 How Julia's family receives her work

Scott Piro is a communications strategist and Jewish advocate who has spent years shaping messaging around antisemitism, Israel, and Jewish communal response. After October 7, he went viral for sharing the moment he walked out of a recovery meeting when the conversation turned into the demonization of Jews and Israel.

In this episode, we discuss what it takes to make messaging that resonates, why the goal isn’t to “dunk on the haters” but to persuade the silent lurkers, and how to think more clearly about anti-Zionism in this moment.

Follow Scott on IG @ScottPiro and TikTok @SoberScottySupport our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

01:48 Going from comms/PR expert to Jewish activist

04:05 What happened to Scott on October 7th

10:37 How to handle the haters & impact the "lurkers"

14:10 How Scott retained his Jewish/Israeli pride

22:14 Advice for speaking up!

25:39 What actually works for combatting antisemitism?

32:17 The diaspora was "predestined"

33:20 On Anti-Zionism

38:28 Scott's message to the Jewish people

40:25 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Artist, Holocaust scholar, teacher, and devoted single dad, Marc Dennis joins People Jew Wanna Know with stories that sound almost unbelievable—from robberies to life on a Native American reservation and how it all led him to create hyper-realistic art.

Follow Marc on Instagram @darcmennis and check out his art at marcdennis.com . Marc's art will be on display on April 18th in Los Angeles.

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

02:17 Marc's "Juban" upbringing & path to Holocaust art

16:38 Marc's troubled teen years

26:14 Living on a Native American reservation

27:30 What inspires Marc's art?

32:31 Marc's message to the Jewish people

40:41 How Margarita visited Marc's gallery opening

46:27 The origin of the Puma tracksuit

50:27 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Rabbi Mark Wildes of Manhattan Jewish Experience (MJE) joins Margarita to reflect on the debate from the People Jew Wanna Know 2 Year Anniversary Party, talk all things Kiruv, and discuss how young adults make sense of Judaism.

Check out MJE at www.jewishexperience.org and follow them on Instagram @mjexperience and @rabbiwildes .

Buy Rabbi Wildes' book The Jewish Experience

Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

05:03 How MJE came about

07:44 On Kiruv

18:52 On the debate Rabbi & Margarita did together

33:32 The Jewish Experience - Rabbi's new book

40:22 How has MJE changed post Oct 7th?

44:00 Rabbi's message to the Jewish people

46:40 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination

Bellamy Bellucci is a sharp, self-aware Jewish activist who doesn’t shy away from calling herself “very insane” while asking some of the hardest questions facing our community today.

In this episode, we learn about her incredible story straddling various identities - South-African, trans, Jewish, professional dancer, what can't she be? We discuss the wins & misses of Jewish activism, Bellamy's reflections on life post- Oct 7th and her recent Aliyah to Israel.

Follow Bellamy Bellucci on Instagram @bellamybellucci

Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknow

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

04:52 "I am a very insane person"

08:46 Bellamy's trans journey

18:55 How Bellamy found Judaism

26:49 On being a Jewish activist

33:06 What we have to fix within the Jewish community

42:14 On how wealth affects Jewish life

43:20 Does the conservative viewpoint on trans issues concern Bellamy?

50:42 Has Bellamy changed her mind on anything?

58:00 Bellamy's message to the Jewish people

1:00:20 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination