This week on Unorthodox, our Jewish guest is journalist Alyssa Katz, a member of the New York Daily News editorial board. Her new book, "The Influence Machine," is about the vast political influence—and lobbying money—wielded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She tells the panel what the Chamber of Commerce actually is and how it got so powerful, and explains why, in today's social media-filled political climate, newspaper editorials still matter. 

 
Our non-Jewish guest is poet and high-school English teacher Emily Moore, who discusses high schoolers, country camp music, and motherhood. She asks the panel whether there are various levels of horas danced at different types of Jewish wedding, and how American Jews get their other, Hebrew names.
 
We love hearing from you. Email us at  Unorthodox@tabletmag.com, and sign up for our weekly newsletter at http://bit.ly/UnorthodoxPodcast. 

 
For more about Alyssa Katz's book, see here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Influence-Machine-Commerce-Corporate/dp/0812993284. You can find Emily Moore's poetry here:"http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/emily-mooreLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices