On the air

Pictured from left are podcasters Ruthie Polinsky, Erika Ettin, and Rabbi Shira Stutman.

We’ve all heard the old joke, “two Jews, three opinions.” Well, here are three Jews with a lot more opinions than that. Would you believe they all have podcasts? 

Sports Reporter Ruthie Polinsky 

Sports reporter and podcast host Ruthie Polinsky has covered everything from Super Bowls and Chicago’s favorite teams to games in small towns throughout the country. She now calls Chicago home, hosting a show on Chicago Sports Network and contributing to 670 The Score. Podcasting was first incorporated into her reporting while working in Rhode Island. 

“It was my first opportunity in my career to give my opinion on what I was covering, rather than just telling the story,” she said.  

Polinsky now hosts The Charter: A Chicago Bears Podcast with former NFL tight end Clay Harbor. “My co-host brings a very different perspective,” she said. “It has been really fun and educational for me too.” 

She said breaking sports news while podcasting is a highlight. Polinsky remembers a viral podcast movement when the news of Chicago Bears Center Drew Dalman’s retirement first broke. “All of a sudden, it just totally altered the trajectory of our podcast,” she said. “That’s part of the opinion, personality, long-form storytelling that we get to do in podcasting that isn’t always available to us on TV.” 

Polinsky’s career has taken her all over the country, to areas with different types of Jewish communities. 

“I’ve lived in places where I meet people, and they say, ‘I’ve never met a Jew before.’ I’ve also lived in places where I feel like I have a huge support system in the Jewish community, particularly in Chicago,” she said. 

She is proud to wear a Star of David necklace or wish her viewers a “Shanah Tovah.” “There’s never been any hesitance or fear associated with proudly broadcasting my Jewish identity,” Polinsky said. 

Dating Coach Erika Ettin  

If you are trying to avoid “the ick” or respond to a match on JSwipe, dating coach and podcaster Erika Ettin is here to help. 

Ettin has been sharing her dating expertise since 2017 with her own podcast. She also runs “A Little Nudge,” where she helps people with all aspects of dating. You may have heard her on podcasts like NPR’s NYC Now, Love in the Wild, Quiet the Clock, and Ask a Matchmaker. 

She offers “any advice people need on the early dating stages, from simple things like how to present yourself to more complicated things like communication.” Ettin said podcasts offer the perfect venue to get her message out to new audiences.  

Her advice to Jewish daters, specifically, is to really think about what you are looking for and “why.” “Someone will come to me and say they only want to date within their religion, whether that’s Judaism or something else,” she said. “If a client allows me to, we’ll talk about the why. We’ll make sure we narrow in, and use the filters to our advantage on the apps.” 

Ettin recommends Jewish daters attend in-person events sponsored by Jewish organizations or even join synagogue mailing lists.  

“There are events galore,” she said. “If you look hard enough, you can find something, especially here in Chicago. That’s a great place.”  

Rabbi Shira Stutman  

If you are looking for some life advice mixed with Judaism, Chutzpod! is your next podcast. 

Colorado-based Rabbi Shira Stutman and journalist Hanna Rosin have hosted Chutzpod! since 2021. They answer questions from listeners and offer advice. 

Stutman said the podcast is for “the person who wants to ask questions to the rabbi, but might not have a rabbi that they’re close enough with to ask.” 

The rabbi said this led to the question, “When do you go to a rabbi for advice, versus a therapist?” Stutman and Rosin dive into this discussion among many more in the upcoming season.  

Topics discussed range from lighter debates about dogs on planes and Jewish geography to heavier ones, like conflicting feelings about the war. 

“We’ve had some really tough questions, and we’ve had some really silly questions,” Stutman said. “I am just the one who has the privilege and the benefit of knowing a little bit about Judaism, that I can offer a little bit of Judaism and a lot of life experience.”  

Elyssa Kaufman is a Digital News Producer at CBS Chicago. She graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a minor in Urban Planning.