{"podcast":{"title":"Being Jewish with Jonah Platt","slug":"being-jewish-with-jonah-platt-7011021","podcast_index_feed_id":7011021,"rss_url":"https://feeds.cohostpodcasting.com/c2vDgCoR","website_url":"https://www.beingjewishpodcast.com/","image_url":"https://files.cohostpodcasting.com/quill-file-prod/bca27f23-4549-40db-a506-7962f8289f14/shows/528af385-a8e1-40a3-bbe8-b49a8155dd79/cover-art/original_da40b835d7fae3908488f84ddfb6033a.jpeg","author":"Jonah Platt","episode_count":101,"summary":"Being Jewish with Jonah Platt is the hit weekly podcast that illuminates the vast, beautiful, and often unexplored tapestry of Jewish identity, through deeply honest and personal conversations with notable Jews and non-Jewish allies alike. Hosted by actor & advocate Jonah Platt, a trusted expert in contemporary Jewish culture, identity, and politics, Being Jewish seeks to engage, educate, and empower listeners to take full ownership of their identities and live as their proudest, most authentic selves. https://beingjewishpodcast.com/join","last_synced_at":"2026-06-09T18:18:11.216124+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/being-jewish-with-jonah-platt-7011021"},"episode":{"title":"The Ms. Rachel Monologue & The 22-Hour Jew, Trans TV Writer Our Lady J","slug":"the-ms-rachel-monologue-the-22-hour-jew-trans-tv-writer-our-lady-j","published_at":"2026-03-24T09:10:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/being-jewish-with-jonah-platt-7011021/the-ms-rachel-monologue-the-22-hour-jew-trans-tv-writer-our-lady-j","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/being-jewish-with-jonah-platt-7011021","url":"https://being-jewish-with-jonah-platt.cohostpodcasting.com/episodes/the-ms-rachel-monologue-the-22-hour-jew-trans-tv-writer-our-lady-j","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/audio-delivery.cohostpodcasting.com/audio/bca27f23-4549-40db-a506-7962f8289f14/episodes/b632a1cb-ccd5-46cf-9a55-f857e8b7e17f/episode.mp3?v=bf3c21541f","summary":"She converted to Judaism yesterday! Jonah Platt interviews transgender activist, Emmy-nominated TV writer-director ( Transparent, American Horror Story, Pose ), and musician Our Lady J (Yona Speidel), less than 24 hours after she formally converted to Judaism. She describes her 12-year path, the beit din with three rabbis, her written reflection on Isaiah 56 and intersex identity, her mikvah immersion, and why she chose the Hebrew name Yona. She recounts growing up in a Mennonite household, losing trust in organized religion amid homophobia during the AIDS crisis, and later returning to spirituality through Judaism. The conversation addresses unconscious antisemitism, queer-community susceptibility to “they” conspiracies, and rising antisemitism in LGBT spaces after October 7. She discusses BDS (The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement) pressure on Transparent, later learning German courts found BDS antisemitic, and argues for fact-based definitions of Zionism, while saying she is pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli.  Topics discussed include: The emotional experience of completing the Beit Din and mikvah after a 12-year spiritual journey  Guidance from three rabbis during the conversion process  The significance of Isaiah 56 and its message welcoming eunuchs, and those who might not have a binary identity of sex or gender Growing up in an ex–Old Order Mennonite Christian background and early perceptions of Jews  The evolution of Lady J’s identity through names like Justin, Jonah, and Yona, and their biblical significance  Influence of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, pioneer of trans medicine in Berlin (1909), on understanding antisemitism and queer history  How Nazi book burnings in the 1930s destroyed Hirschfeld’s research at the Institute of Sexo…","meta_description":"She converted to Judaism yesterday! Jonah Platt interviews transgender activist, Emmy-nominated TV writer-director ( Transparent, American Horror Story, P…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4671,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/being-jewish-with-jonah-platt-7011021/episodes/the-ms-rachel-monologue-the-22-hour-jew-trans-tv-writer-our-lady-j/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/being-jewish-with-jonah-platt-7011021/the-ms-rachel-monologue-the-22-hour-jew-trans-tv-writer-our-lady-j.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}