The Jews Are Tired

This week: The Supreme Court unveiled a ruling right before Shabbat overturning the federal abortion protections guaranteed in Roe v Wade. To talk about the Jewish perspective on abortion, why abortion is essential to health care, and what rabbis do after this ruling, I speak with Rabbi Hara Person, the chief executive of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, or the CCAR, which is the Reform...

This week: Uvalde is only the second-worst elementary school shooting in the U.S. That's sick to say, but it's true. So I let loose with my anger over this country's gun problem, how Republican politicians stop any effort to fix it, and what it will take for something to change. Like the rest of my generation, I grew up in the shadow of gun violence, and I've only gotten angrier seeing how little...

This week: David Horovitz, the Editor in Chief of the Times of Israel, is the JCRC’s featured speaker for its June 12 event in Minneapolis. But before he comes to the Twin Cities, Horovitz is on this podcast to talk Israeli politics, a decade of TOI, and how to report on the Middle East. Say hello! Lev@tcjewfolk.com https://jewfolk-inc.creator-spring.com/ https://tcjewfolk.com/donate/ To help Ukra...

This week: The second season of the A Bintel Brief podcast, a revival of the classic advice column from The Forward, is upon us. So I talk with hosts Ginna and Lynn, and Chana, the Forward’s archivist, about the importance of Jewish advice, the history of A Bintel Brief, and, bare with me, sex party rabbi. Say hello! Lev@tcjewfolk.com https://jewfolk-inc.creator-spring.com/ https://tcjewfolk.com/d...

This week: The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, one of the most influential pro-Israel lobbying groups, is directly fundraising for politicians. Some of those politicians are Republicans who undermined U.S. democracy on January 6, 2021. Let’s talk about why this is happening, and what it says about pro-Israel advocacy. Say hello! Lev@tcjewfolk.com https://jewfolk-inc.creator-spring.com/ h...

This week, let’s take a quick look at some Passover-related news just in time for the start of the holiday, as well as an update on Deborah Lipstadt’s Senate confirmation. Then we need to talk about Israel, as a drastic increase in terrorism, and new government instability, leaves many Jews shaken. Say hello! Lev@tcjewfolk.com https://jewfolk-inc.creator-spring.com/ https://tcjewfolk.com/donate/ T...

This week, one of the overlooked aspects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the role that Belarus, the dictatorship to the north, plays. So I speak with Margo, a Belarusian pro-democracy activist and tiktok-er, about rigged elections, protests, growing up under a dictator, and how Belarus got here. Say hello! Lev@tcjewfolk.com https://jewfolk-inc.creator-spring.com/ https://tcjewfolk.com/donate/ h...

When Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, many Russian-speaking Jews in the U.S. started organizing direct humanitarian aid to Ukrainians. I talk with one of those Jews, Alice Chudnovsky, about her fundraising for humanitarian and evacuation efforts in the city of Kharkiv.  To help Kharkiv: https://www.spotfund.com/story/14ce390c-ad21-4b35-92ff-bfe7cf5c2764?created=true&SFID=hHbjIn&ref...

Maksim Goldenshteyn, a Russian-speaking Jew in Seattle, just published arguably the foremost book about Romania’s overlooked role in the Holocaust, centered on the survival story of his Ukrainian Jewish family. So Goldenshteyn and I have a very personal conversation about Holocaust memory as Soviet Jews, the bitterness we feel about how the Holocaust in Eastern Europe is often overlooked, and our...

Almost a month after a rabbi and three congregants were taken hostage at a synagogue in Texas, Congress held two hearings related to Jews: A Senate hearing on the position of global antisemitism monitor -- long delayed by Republicans because of dislike toward nominee Dr. Deborah Lipstadt -- and a House hearing on issues with federal nonprofit security grants that help protect Jewish and other comm...

I usually talk on this podcast about Jewish political events, but there have also been some interesting Jewish culture trends (particularly around representation) in the world of movies and TV shows that are worth discussing. So I speak with Michal Schick, a screenwriter, podcaster, and former culture reporter about those trends and much, much more. Say hello! Lev@tcjewfolk.com https://jewfolk-inc...

This week, I try to process the recent hostage situation at a synagogue in Texas, and the many Jewish hot takes that emerged on social media as the crisis was unfolding. They range from being about synagogue security and Jewish safety in America, to antisemitism and hinting that the rabbi being taken hostage deserved it because of his politics. There’s a lot to unpack. Say hello! Lev@tcjewfolk.com...

This week, I speak to Egyptian-Jewish and Filipina author Sarah Dayan Mueller about her latest book “Home In A Hundred Places.” The book tells the story of her father, who spied for Israel while in Egypt in the 1940s and early 50s, and is also a larger tale about building family and preserving Jewish memory. Say hello! Lev@tcjewfolk.com https://jewfolk-inc.creator-spring.com/ https://tcjewfolk.com...

It’s the last episode of 2021, so it’s also a good time for a new years overview of some of the big trends and stories in the Jewish world. It’s been yet another wild year of news keeping all of us exhausted, and this podcast busy with trying to cover it. So let’s chat about it. Say hello! Lev@tcjewfolk.com https://jewfolk-inc.creator-spring.com/ https://tcjewfolk.com/donate/ https://jewishinsider...

Miriam Steinberg-Egeth and Warren Hoffman are co-editors of a new book titled “Warm and Welcoming,” billed as the first book to address inclusion issues in the Jewish world. So I talk with them about the book and the sometimes precarious nature of striving to be truly diverse and inclusive. https://jewfolk-inc.creator-spring.com/ https://tcjewfolk.com/donate/ https://www.warmandwelcoming.com https...

Hannukah is right around the corner, so why not indulge in the now classic Jewish tradition of complaining about how over-commercialized and poorly-commercialized the holiday is? Izzy Wellman, TC Jewfolk's social media and marketing strategist, joins me for the longform kvetch. https://jewfolk-inc.creator-spring.com/ https://tcjewfolk.com/donate/ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ts5XjYdAgMFhXMj...

Anti-Critical Race Theory has become a rallying cry for Conservatives and self-styled “free-thinkers” across the country, defining school board and governor elections. The anti-CRT efforts have put teachers on edge, and raises questions about the future of Holocaust education. Here's why. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_raO-BcWzG8k9T8uvA5CZJcAqsuG16rpQ2sMQWoPddg/edit?usp=sharing https://jewfo...

Yossi Klein Halevi, renowned American-Israeli journalist and author, was recently in Minneapolis to talk about his book, Letters To My Palestinian Neighbor. So TC Jewfolk editor Lonny Goldsmith and I sat down with him for a wide-ranging interview about responses to the book and American Jewish Zionism. https://jewfolk-inc.creator-spring.com/ https://tcjewfolk.com/donate/ https://www.letterstomynei...

A former Facebook employee has gotten a lot of press and a senate hearing for revealing tens of thousands of internal Facebook documents about how the company fuels negative well-being in children, hate, and polarization. What does the info tell us about addressing antisemitism on social media? https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mVTq9ZoLe9S7R-do0Mb9ZOYbUsYCJogDGDof4T899Sc/edit?usp=sharing https:/...

Progressive House Democrats got $1 billion of aid to Israel for the Iron Dome, a rocket defense system, cut from a high stakes bill meant to prevent both the U.S. government’s shut down and economic collapse. Let's unpack. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gBeHdSxWWWxHjxwq9jEvzPZjAREfMVnC2Orohvlrr4U/edit?usp=sharing https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/09/21/debt-ceiling-recession-/ htt...

Jews of Color have spent years talking about the racism faced in the Jewish community. A new study released last month from the Jews of Color Initiative backs that up, and we take a deep look at what the results mean. https://jewsofcolorinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/BEYONDTHECOUNT.FINAL_.8.12.21.pdf https://www.jta.org/2021/08/12/opinion/we-asked-people-about-their-experiences-as-jews-...

This has been a long, hard, awful week in Israel. In this episode, we take a deep dive into how things started, if there's any way out of it, and what comes next. TRANSCRIPT: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L4VY8SQTXBlaBbKvNFqx0YfeU1ASCyUtgR7kGC_hJJM/edit?usp=sharing https://jerusaleminstitute.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/PUB_sheikhjarrah_eng.pdf https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/east-jer...

Are the newly-created Nexus Document and Jerusalem Declaration definitions of antisemitism legitimate alternatives to the IHRA definition? And are the three definitions really that different anyway? https://www.holocaustremembrance.com/working-definition-antisemitism https://israelandantisemitism.com/the-nexus-document/ https://jerusalemdeclaration.org http://dsadevil.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-nexu...

Trying to define antisemitism is all the rage. But trying to find and agree on a definition is creating rage. Part one takes a look at the popular IHRA definition and some of the First Amendment effects, and the polarization around it all. TRANSCRIPT: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aTsnmSkMOa7dA2FbV8zTKQgv76e-CkvpGf7z2UdyZfg/edit?usp=sharing https://www.holocaustremembrance.com/resources/work...

Israel's fourth election in less than two years is done, but are we any closer to a functional government now, or is a fifth election in less than three years coming up soon? How did we get here and where do we go next? TRANSCRIPT: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OF6_UZ0-geuEXwCbLUJ7UjiJyvRZJCH1GcREerNmljg/edit?usp=sharing https://www.timesofisrael.com/4th-times-not-the-charm-with-ballots-tall...