Updated! The 5 C’s of Difficult Conversation and Superstar Dancer/Wife Courtney Platt
Being Jewish with Jonah Platt
Jonah Platt
4.9 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 2 December 2025
⏱️ 73 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this landmark 50th episode of Being Jewish with Jonah Platt, Jonah celebrates the milestone with his wife, Courtney Ann Platt (Glee, So You Think You Can Dance, Rock of Ages), the world-class dancer, television star, and multiple sclerosis advocate whose journey into Judaism has become a defining part of the traditions and values in their home. From growing up Italian Catholic in New York to becoming a Jewish mother raising three young Platts, Courtney opens up about the turning points that reshaped her life.
With humor and candor, Courtney and Jonah revisit the early days of their relationship, the emotional path of Courtney’s Orthodox conversion, and their commitment to blending two traditions under one roof, from negotiating Christmas celebrations to creating a home where Jewish values are woven into everyday life. Courtney also reflects on motherhood, the visceral awakening she felt after October 7th, and how becoming part of the Jewish people changed her understanding of community, resilience, and responsibility. The conversation touches on spirituality, loss, MS, and what it means to both choose and defend your identity.
This milestone episode is a celebration of love, tradition, and the family Courney and Jonah have built together. It’s an intimate look at what it means to choose Judaism, and to choose each other.
Other Topics Include:
- The Story of How Jonah and Courtney Met Doing HAIR at the Hollywood Bowl
- Jonah and Courtney’s First Date & First “I Love You”
- How and When to Bring Up “The Conversion Convo”
- Conversion to Judaism: The Process and Challenges
- Protecting Jewish Identity Post-October 7th
- Jewish Day School vs. Hebrew School
- How Jonah Learned to Love Christmas!
- How Grief Affects Our Faith in God
- The Losses of Courtney’s SYTYCD brothers, Stephen “Twitch” Boss & Joshua Allen
- Courtney’s Life with MS (multiple sclerosis)
Please support the podcast and become a member (join the Kahillah) to get exclusive benefits.
https://beingjewishpodcast.com/community
Mentioned In The Episode:
L.A. Theater Review: ‘Hair’ at the Hollywood Bowl
The Rich History of Mall Santas
What Happens on the Day of Conversion
So You Think You Can Dance (Prime Video)
Why Bat Mitzvahs (and other parties) need a dance motivator
Why do Jewish Women Wear Wigs?
October 13, 2024 “Day of Jihad”
Being Jewish: Together Mosaic Shabbat
Joshua Allen, ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ season 4 winner, dies in train accident
Watch Being Jewish on YouTube:
www.youtube.com/@beingjewishpodcast
Subscribe to the Being Jewish Newsletter:
For Sponsorships, please email:
jonahplattinfo@gmail.com
To contact us & all things BJJP:
Follow Being Jewish on:
Instagram - @BeingJewishPodcast
TikTok - @BeingJewish
Written and Hosted by Jonah Platt, Executive Producers: Steve Hein, Jonah Platt, Chief Business Officer: Kenyon Laing, Production Manager/Executive Assistant: Josie Rothschild, Research Associate: Samantha Greenwald, Production Associates: Rachel Stern, Charlie Zuker, Production Interns: Sasha Nelson, Emma Webb, YouTube Consultants: Jason Al-Samarrie & Zac Stein, Post Production by TIMEWEAVER, Creative Director: F. Brian Scofield, ACE, Lead Editor: Noam Klement, Editor: Gray Clevenger, Joe King. Graphic Designer: Noah Bell, Theme Music by Gabriel Mann, Performed by Jonah Platt
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Shalom, Kavarim, Banot, and welcome to another very special episode of the world's number one Jewish podcast. |
| 0:08.1 | I have to ask for a small favor. |
| 0:10.4 | As an independent show, we don't have a massive marketing machine behind us. |
| 0:14.6 | Our growth is purely organic, fueled by dedicated viewers and listeners like you. |
| 0:19.5 | So if you would be so kind, please take 30 seconds, |
| 0:24.0 | head over to Apple Podcasts and Spotify, find this show, and leave me a five-star rating and a short |
| 0:30.0 | written review. I love seeing all of your thoughtful and generous feedback. Some of it has even |
| 0:35.0 | made it onto the show and may again. And as of this recording, |
| 0:38.5 | we are just eight ratings away from hitting 500 on Apple. Crossing that threshold would be a huge |
| 0:44.3 | milestone for us. It's a small mitzvah on your part, but it really is the fuel that allows us to |
| 0:50.0 | keep these amazing conversations going. So thank you in advance. Unless you don't leave a rating, |
| 0:56.0 | in which case you're a butt head. |
| 0:58.0 | One of the first monologues I ever delivered on this show was called The Four Seas, |
| 1:04.0 | my methodology for having difficult conversations with folks with whom you disagree. And at the time, |
| 1:09.0 | it was primarily motivated by the extreme |
| 1:11.6 | political divisions we were feeling here in America in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. |
| 1:17.0 | But over the past year, the primary need for this playbook within the Jewish community has shifted. |
| 1:22.2 | The animus towards Jews who love Israel, who know the difference between a humanist and a jihadist, |
| 1:28.5 | between a war and a genocide, between truth and propaganda, is stronger than ever. So it's not surprising that |
| 1:34.6 | the question I'm asked with the most urgency these days is how do I deal with the people in my life |
| 1:39.8 | who have decided to make being anti-Israel a pillar of their personality at the expense of our relationship. |
| 1:46.0 | Well, have no fear, friends. A refreshed version of my method is here, and I'm going to walk you through the process step by step through what is now called the five Cs of difficult conversation. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jonah Platt, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Jonah Platt and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.