Contest Period: June 4 – August 30
And the Winner Is… Unapologetically Jewish Contest Finale: Wednesday, September 10

Unapologetically Jewish, a national social media contest sponsored by Philadelphia Jewish Film and Media (PJFM), is aimed at finding and highlighting unabashed Jewish positivity on social media. This year’s NINE official finalists post on Instagram throughout summer 2025 for a chance at winning any of three cash prizes:

  • Social Impact Award: 1st Place ($3,000)
  • Social Impact Award: 2nd Place ($2,000)
  • Audience Favorite Award ($1,000)

The contest culminates in the And the Winner Is… Unapologetically Jewish Contest Finale event and reception on Wednesday, September 10, as part of Digital Chutzpah 2025, PJFM’s 4th Jewish digital media festival, at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History. During the event, the public interacts with the finalists, and THREE winners are announced.

Learn more about the finalists below and be sure to follow and engage with their Instagram this summer for some unapologetically Jewish content!

(The Social Impact Awards, 1st and 2nd place, are based on ERR (Engagement Rate by Reach). The Audience Favorite Award is decided by the public (digitally) from September 2-10.)

MEET THE 2025 FINALISTS

Greg Berman
@show.and.teller

SHOW & TELLER is more than a podcast — it’s a movement to make Jewish wisdom accessible, relevant, and proudly visible in the modern world. Co-hosted by comedian Greg Berman and Rabbi Mordechai Teller, the show blends spiritual insight, humor, and real-life questions to spark conversation, connection, and community. In a world where assimilation, fear, and misunderstanding can dilute Jewish identity, SHOW & TELLER stands as a joyful counterpoint. Greg and Rabbi Teller don’t explain away their Jewishness: they celebrate it. Unapologetically.

FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM: @show.and.teller

Jordan Berman
@starsofthetribe

For Jordan Berman, tough times demand TJs: TOUGH JEWS. The way to inspire our Jewish community to be tough and resilience in the face of historic hate is to rally around our role models. STARS OF THE TRIBE: TOUGH JEWS is an episodic series where Jordan profiles tough, strong, accomplished, and respected Jewish men and women who are champions on the field of play or field of battle.

FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM: @starsofthetribe

Danielle Brody
@jewsindoodles

Danielle Brody’s content covers general Jewish life, celebrities, culture, nostalgia, and living in NYC, featuring cartoon stories, onscreen storytelling, and impactful drawings. She shares relatable, funny, and engaging content while educating people and bringing them together. Her goal is for people to get in touch with their Judaism like she does, and with her modern, humorous take, it doesn’t have to be intimidating.

FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM: @jewsindoodles

Danielle Goldstein
@miss.sarcasm_

As someone who grew up in a Modern-Orthodox home and went to Yeshivas and Jewish camps her whole life, it is easy to think that Danielle Goldstein knows everything there is to know. However, she understands that that is far from the truth. There are things she has been doing her whole life simply because that’s what she had been told to do. When she started creating content under @miss.sarcasm_, she realized that she did not want to continue her life like that. Join Danielle as she unapologetically learns and relearns about her religion, culture, and heritage. She does not think she could be more interested and passionate about these topics, but she’d love to try.

FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM: @miss.sarcasm_

 Yochai Greenfeld
@abbi_gzunt

OPEN HAUS is a limited reel series that takes viewers backstage into the making of Haus of Midrash, Yochai Greenfeld’s weekly digital show about the Parashat HaShavua — the Torah portion read in synagogues each Shabbat. Yochai’s experience growing up in yeshiva gave him a deep love for Torah and the vast sea of commentary passed down through generations. When he came out of the closet, however, he was shown the exit — pushed out of the very world that had shaped him. Like many others in that position, he could have left it all behind, but he didn’t. He held onto what was his to carry — and made it the heart of my drag. OPEN HAUS brings people behind the scenes: what it’s like to write these episodes, get into drag in Yochai’s noisy Brooklyn apartment, film on his phone, edit, post, and repeat, week after week.

FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM: @abbi_gzunt

Grace Guentzal
@yourhistorygal

Grace Guentzal (@yourhistorygal) is a history content creator who makes videos about Jewish history, culture, and life. She shares and documents the histories of Jews from around the globe, showing people online not only how diverse the Jewish community is but to also make them feel like they can realize and empathize with the community in some way, shape, or form.

FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM: @yourhistorygal

Zevi Slavin
@seekersofunity

I’M JEWISH, ASK ME ANYTHING is a long and short-form digital series where Zevi Slavin’s friends and he set up on the streets of Brooklyn and campuses across the US and answer real questions people have about Judaism — no gatekeeping, no guilt trips, and definitely no degrees required. It is part-education, part-conversation, and totally judgment-free. The tone is friendly, curious, and real, like pulling up a chair at a Shabbat table you didn’t even know you were invited to. The goal? To make Jewish identity feel accessible, relatable, and unfiltered. This series offers a space to ask what they have always wondered — but maybe never felt comfortable saying out loud.

FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM: @seekersofunity

Yakov Binyamin Turmelle
@yakov.binyamin

Yakov Binyamin Turmelle’s documentary photo series showcases modern Jewish life and individuals making unique and positive contributions to the Jewish community. His series places emphasis on lesser-known individuals who are addressing the community’s current challenges: activists leading the fight against antisemitism; artists creating exciting work through various formats; educators successfully captivating young audiences in the digital sphere; intellectuals offering fresh perspective on Jewish values and traditions in the modern era. For Yakov, young Jews particularly face a lack of authentic representation in the public cultural sphere, and he believe both art and journalism play a crucial role in giving a voice to the community.

FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM: @yakov.binyamin

Michael Valdes
@hotjewishenergy

Michael Valdes (@hotjewishenergy) spotlights the Jews and Israelis who have been at the forefront of entertainment and some of the biggest pop culture moments in history and today. His topics include the biggest pop hits written and performed by Jews and Israelis, Jewish contributions to Broadway, the Jewish designers who have defined pop culture moments in fashion, and many more. As a Jew with multiple identities aspiring to be in the entertainment space, Michael believes that Jews need to proudly take credit for the things they have created. They need to be proud of the fact that they built Hollywood and Broadway from the ground up and created two of the most successful industries in the world.

FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM: @hotjewishenergy