‘Nobody Wants This’ Consulting Rabbi Slams Star Adam Brody’s Gaza “Genocide” Comments as “Ignorant”

Nobody Wants This onscreen rabbi Adam Brody recently weighed in on the Israel-Gaza war, and now a real rabbi who consulted on the series is responding to what he calls “ignorant” comments by the actor.

“You by your own admission are a relatively ignorant Jew, and your ignorance really showed the other day,” said Rabbi Steve Leder in a message to Brody shared on Instagram (below). “Here’s some technical advice: If you know nothing about something, you should say nothing about it.” Brody — whose other on-screen Jewish characters have included Seth Cohen from The O.C. and Seth Morris in Fleishman Is in Trouble — has previously said he “barely got bar mitzvahed and retained nothing from it.” (Jews are both a religious as well as an ethnic group.)

Leder is the former senior rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles, which is the synagogue where Erin Foster, the creator of the hit Netflix series, converted to Judaism. He was the technical adviser during season one of the show, consulting with the cast and crew to make sure the Jewish representation, including Brody’s portrayal of a rabbi, was authentic.

“Anything in the series that is, for lack of a better way to put it, overtly Jewish — I did my best to make sure it was done with authenticity and respect,” Leder told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Nobody Wants This also shot scenes on site at Wilshire Boulevard Temple.

In a recent GQ interview, Brody said of the war in Gaza, “put me down as thinking it’s a genocide. Put me down as wanting a free Palestine.” He added, “It’s awful that it’s taken so much death and misery, but it does feel like it’s reaching a breaking point that it should have a while ago.”

Brody added that “between COVID, a second Trump term, Israel-Gaza, it’s really brought out some different beliefs that I was ignorant to and then disheartened by.”

Brody famously stars as “hot rabbi” Noah in the rom-com, which returns with its third season on Oct. 22. In the show, Noah falls in love with the non-Jewish Joanne (Kristen Bell) as they navigate the obstacles — religious and otherwise — of their relationship.

In his video, Rabbi Leder said, “Your pronouncement the other day about a ‘genocide in Gaza’ was truly shocking. Not only because of your misuse and mischaracterization of your use of genocide — there is no genocide in Gaza, there are genocides in other countries happening, but you failed to mention any of them … if you’re going to use a word like genocide, you better know what it means. And by the way, being so flippant about a word like genocide — ‘hey, put me down for genocide’ like you’re asking for a table for two at [L.A. hotspot] Craig’s — is disgusting.”

Leder stepped down at WBT in 2024 after 37 years at the synagogue, a pillar of Jewish Hollywood established in 1929 with the financial support of early moguls including Louis B. Mayer, Carl Laemmle, Irving Thalberg and brothers Jack and Harry Warner. During his time at the pulpit, he oversaw a $150-million renovation of WBT’s historic building, supported by a membership base that includes a who’s who of today’s entertainment industry.

Leder is a prominent voice in American Jewish affairs, authoring books and regularly appearing as a guest on national news programs. A sermon he wrote on capital punishment was included in an episode of The West Wing titled “Take This Sabbath Day.” (Not coincidentally, he officiated showrunner Aaron Sorkin’s wedding.)

In the comments section of his Instagram post, Leder also defended Foster, saying, “Erin’s personal views are clear. She is also a true professional who will not allow this to ruin her excellent work on the show.”