Back in February, we learned that a dream team of producers―including two members of the tribe, Jeffrey Seller and Jason Katim―was set to bring Drama High, Michael Sokolove’s inspirational non-fiction book about the theater program at his working-class high school, to the small screen. At the center of the story is Lou Volpe, the life-changing drama teacher who advocated for bringing edgy musicals like RENT and Spring Awakening to his community.

The NBC show, now titled Rise, has found its Volpe (now named Lou Mazzuchelli). And none other than Ted Mosby will step into the mentor role.

That’s right, folks: your favorite half-Jewish architect AKA the pretty-darn-Jewish-in-real-life Josh Radnor will have another TV vehicle to charm viewers. Radnor has always been close in touch with his Jewish identity; he was raised Conservative, attended Orthodox day schools, and even participated in a volunteer program in Tzfat. Plus, a few years back, in an article for ReformJudaism.org (he’s really covered all the denominational bases here), Radnor professed his belief in God and offered a pluralistic prayer for B’reishit.

This past winter, Radnor also appeared on stage at Lincoln Center Theater as a Jewish writing teacher in Richard Greenberg’s play The Babylon Line. Although his new character isn’t Jewish, in a JTA interview about Greenberg’s work, Radnor draws on a Tony Kushner comment about why reading the Talmud is like reading a play.

“There’s a surface read and then digging underneath the text,” he said. “I feel having this background, having this love of literature, looking at something on the surface and excavating and finding out what more can be gleaned from it, you get from a Jewish way of learning.”

The rest of the Rise cast may not be as notable, Jewishly speaking, but Radnor will be joined by rising star Auli’i Cravalho (of Moana fame) and Rosie Perez, whose long career has involved starring in Larry David’s play Fish in the Dark in 2015.

Photo of Rosie Perez and Josh Radnor. 2017 NBCUniversal Media, LLC

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There’s something intrinsically interesting about the famous and talented minds of our world and their Jewish faith. Unscrolled brings us just that, in book form, in which 54 writers and artists wrestle with the Torah. Today, on this very lucky Tuesday, we get a special look at Josh Radnor’s chapter. Radnor, a director and actor who plays Ted Mosby on CBS’ How I Met Your Mother, explains that God is a part of his life:

I believe in God. I try to feel the room before I blurt that out in conversation, but it’s a feature of my personality and a fact of my life. I’ve long wanted to do away with ideology and the punishing male trickster deity of my youth and get to the heart of the heart of the matter. Who is God? Who are we? What are we doing here? And how can we do it with a little more grace and guidance? Healing my broken perceptions of the divine, hitting the “install update” button and awakening to a new vision of God—that’s what this prayer is for me.

We swoon, Mosby. This is probably how you’ll meet your children’s mother. You can read Radnor’s full prayer at ReformJudaism.org.

(Photo by Jason LaVeris/Getty)

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• Our columnist Dvora Meyers on the guy who really wanted her to try pork. [Pork Memoirs]

• How I Met Your Mother get renewed for a ninth (and final!) season, and Jewish star Josh Radnor is excited for the “victory lap.” [Access Hollywood]

• Joe Winkler talks to the guys behind the Comedy Central show Workaholics. [Splitsider]

• Rachel Shukert says Chuck Schumer is America’s Uncle Leo. [Tablet]

• Drew Barrymore talks about Olive, hew baby with husband Will Kopelman. [HuffPost]

• Naturally, Jon Stewart had his own take on the Israeli elections: Circumdecision 5773. [The Daily Show]

The post Daily Jewce: Jon Stewart on the Israeli Elections, Josh Radnor’s Victory Lap appeared first on Jewcy.

• Avital Chizhik, who wrote in Tablet about the politics of tights for Orthodox girls, shares a moving cross-cultural experience in the New York Times.

• Josh Radnor, front row at Fashion Week. What would Ted do?

• Is this the definitive list of the 25 best Seinfeld episodes?

• Diane von Furstenberg told the Fashion’s Night Out crowd at her store she hoped they were all Democrats.

• Adam Pally, aka Max on Happy Endings, wrote a movie that Will Ferrell is producing.

• It was bound to happen, right? Kanye raps about Israel—and Bar Refaeli four minutes into his new song, Clique:

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