Chad Powers and the Trouble with Second Chances

What happens when your shot at redemption begins with a lie? In Hulu’s Chad Powers, disgraced quarterback Russ Holliday (Glenn Powell) disguises himself as an eccentric walk-on for the struggling South Georgia Catfish (get it?), hoping to play the game he loves again. It’s a ridiculous premise with a surprisingly serious question at its heart: Can Russ become a better person while pretending to be someone else? In this episode of PopTorah, Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky talk about the masks we wear and the process of repentance — and ask what it takes to move beyond a mistake when you still haven’t told the truth about it.

Rabbis Michael Knopf and Jesse Olitzky are lifelong friends, pop culture fanboys, and lovers of all things Jewish. Join them every other week for a conversation about what’s going on in pop culture from a Jewish perspective and about Judaism through the lens of pop culture.

How do you listen to PopTorah? You have a lot of options you know? iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, RSS, it’s your choice!

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Darone Ruskay

Darone has spent the past fifteen years working in the Jewish Education field, providing top-quality Jewish education to the North American community. he served as the Conference Coordinator for The Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE) for many years. Since then he has worked at United Jewish Communities (UJC), as their Director of Young Leadership Cabinet Membership, at The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), in the Department of Institutional Advancement, and most recently as the Managing Director of The Skirball Center for Adult Jewish Learning at Temple Emanu-El. He brings his passion for Jewish Life and Education, as well as his personal interest and passion for media and technology to this new venture, and is perfectly suited to lead the JCast Network (which he might just have to call JCN as he is so used to working at institutions that use their initials.)

Latest posts by Darone Ruskay (see all)

• Chad Powers and the Trouble with Second Chances - October 1, 2026
• Amen Corner Season 8, Episode 4 - October 22, 2023
• Saying Goodbye to Daily Daf Differently - February 8, 2023