Ask a Jew

Helen Lewis is a big deal y’all, and yes we’d be saying that even if she didn’t have a British accent. She’s a staff writer at The Atlantic, author of the new book The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea , as well as Difficult Women: An Imperfect History of Feminism . She has written and presented several BBC (ooh!) Radio shows including " The New Gurus "and our personal favorite, "...

Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman is a cognitive scientist, podcaster, mentalist and author of 11 (!!) books. We had him on to talk about his latest “ Rise Above: Overcome a Victim Mindset, Empower Yourself, and Realize Your Full Potential , and were diagnosed with Vulnerable Narcissm (Yael) and being a Neurotic Jew (CL). We also mocked our negative self-talk, evaluated the usefuleness of self-deprecating h...

Bethany Mandel is the co-author of the bestseller “ Stolen Youth ” (with former guest Karol Markowicz !) and blogger/podcaster at The Mom Wars . We recorded this one a little while ago (there’s been an entire war in between) so excuse our tardiness. We talk conversion, birthing 6 kids at home (well, one in a car), homeschooling and much more. Enjoy! Also: * How Bethany chose Judaism at the ripe ag...

Chaya Leah is back from Israel, and boy does she have a story to tell! It has everything: bombs, planes, boats, sandwiches, and horny birthright kids. We’re so happy she’s home safe, and hope that her grandchildren will retell her story to the next generations. You can also read her testimony in this Times of Israel piece. As promised, here is a link to the Chabad in Cyprus and the Chabad in Germa...

Since Chaya Leah is lost at sea somewhere between Cyprus and Natanz, I was joined by Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov , formerly a senior contributing editor, diplomatic reporter and knesset Reporter for The Jerusalem Post , and of course former Ask A Jew guest. We talked Iran, Israel, Trump, Bibi, sexy war planes, and what it’s like raising a family in war. You can follow Lahav on X and sign up for...

Thank you to Andrew Fox for jumping on our live Substack video to talk about Israel, Iran, and answer your questions. Send your prayers to the IDF, the people of Israel, and the people of Iran. Good for the Jews is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with othe...

Uri Berliner was a senior business editor at NPR for 25 years, when he decided to set his tote bag on fire and spill the tea. We talk to him about his bombshell essay, How NPR Lost America , NPR’s coverage of Israel, viewpoint diversity, journalism, podcasts and much more. It seems like every time we publish an episode, we add a line that says “we recorded this before that terrible thing that happ...

Chaya Leah Sufrin and Yael Bar tur are two of the most influential Jewish women in America. Known for their compassionate and thoughtful discussions, they discuss topics ranging from antisemitism to The Social Security Act of 1935. Their guests include luminaries such as Barbara Bush, Oprah Winfery, Bill Cosby, and whatever that guy’s name is who was married to Kim Kardashian for like two weeks. S...

Today is a heartbreaking and terrifying day for Jews in America—and for anyone who cherishes the values of decency, freedom, and civilization itself. The cold-blooded murder of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim last night in Washington, D.C., has shattered any illusion that the hate-filled rhetoric we’ve been hearing was just talk. It wasn’t. For those of us who have been warning that this kind o...

We got the top Jew everyone! Eric D. Fingerhut is the President and CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), previously the President and CEO of Hillel International, and also a former congressman for the great state of Ohio. Take that resume to your Jewish mother! In case you don’t know, the Jewish Federations of North America is the umbrella organization for the different Jewish or...

Happy Mother’s Day! This week, we invited the women who have been listening to us blabber for over 40 years — our biggest fans and fiercest critics: our own moms! Please enjoy our conversation with Chanie Perelmuter and Liora Bar tur. We talk childhood, community, Holocaust (of course) and bra shopping. And please, call your mother! Want to help us grow? Rate us 5 starts and review us on Apple or...

Today is the specialest day in Israel. We just exited Memorial Day for soldiers and victis of terror, the saddest day of the year by far, and went straight — and I mean straight, within minutes — into Independence Day, the happiest. 24 hours of pain and heartbreak, followed by a short ceremony that throws us into a celebration of what we have gained thanks to those we lost. It’s a rollercoaster, l...

Happy Good Friday! Shh, we have a serious guest, everyone behave please in the comment section. Today we welcome Jacob Mchangama . Jacob is the author of the breezy beach read “ Free Speech – A History from Socrates to Social Media” , research professor at Vanderbilt University where he is also the founder and Executive Director of The Future of Free Speech institute , and a Senior Fellow at The F...

This week in honor of Passover, we welcome the coolest Rabbi I know (after Chaya Leah’s father of edJEWcation ), Rabbi Gavriel Bellino of NYC’s 6th street shul . There are tons of photos, videos and musing that go with this episode from my visit to Israel. please check them out on substack at askajew.substack.com and/or on Instagram @askajewpod. If you live in NYC you should absolutely visit 6th S...

This week we welcome returning guest and the youngest person we know, Blake Flayton, to talk about his new book: 10 Things Every Jew Should Know Before They Go to College. We talk to Blake about how to win over Gen Z (with social justice!), whether or not we should we be gatekeeping the the antisemitism discourse, and why we don’t want to see anymore Holocaust movies….for now. You can follow Blake...

G’day from the Land Down Under! Promise this is our first and last Australia joke in these show notes. Today we welcome the Jewish Hugh Jackman (ok, I lied), Josh Szeps to Ask A Jew! Josh is the host of U ncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps , and host of Szeps Live on Substack every Tuesday at 9pm (that’s normal time, not whatever they use in Australia). We loved having Josh on, even though...

The world needs to stop talking about Jews and the only way that will happen is if Barak Obama and Jennifer Aniston have a baby. PHOTOS, CONVO, AND MORE ON SUBSTACK! askajew.substack.com Also: * Chaya Leah makes a stunning confession * Purim Hangover * Covid anniversary * Hasidic fashion and the horrors of Brandy Melville * The strange life of supermodels * Save us, Barak Obama and Jennifer Anisto...

You demanded, we supplied! This week we are honored to have Prof. Russ Roberts join us on Ask A Jew. Russ is the host of the wildly successful podcast EconTalk (where he talks about everything from tariffs to the Opera), president of Shalem College in Jerusalem, and a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford. He’s also the author of many books, including How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An...

Who’s this, disprespecting us on our podcast?? It’s our very own rare earth mineral, The Free Press columnist and host of the wonderful Breaking History podcast, Eli Lake! Did he even say thank you once? I don’t know. Probably at the end. Does it even matter? We hope you enjoy the episode. If you didn’t, it’s because Chaya Leah didn’t bring her translator. Want more AAJ fun? Join the conversation...

Look. The words are done. They have just run out. So we filled the void with various mouth noises, about everything from the orthodox child labor, Meir Kahane, the Grand Canyon and Apple Cider Vinegar. Listen, some weeks are so icky, it’s ok to order a 7-11 Big Gulp on Uber Eats in the middle of a recording. Or is it? Anyway, please excuse our mess, but you get it, right? * The story of Ariel Biba...

This week we welcome our pals and confidants, Kat Rosenfield and Phoebe Maltz Bovy , co-hosts of Feminine Chaos ! Kat is a novelist , culture writer, and frequent contributor to the Free Press , where you should read whatever she writes, no matter the topic. Phoebe is the opinion editor of the Canadian Jewish News , contributor to The Globe and Mail , author of the book The Perils of “Privilege” a...

Happy Valentines Day! That’s a Jewish holiday right? Well, we’re celebrating Rebbe Saint Valentine anyway. In this festive episode we get all googly-eyed over our guest Aleeza Ben Shalom , a matchmaker and relationship coach who you all know from Netflix’s “Jewish Matchmaking” , and author of the new book Matchmaker Matchmaker: Find Me a Love That Lasts , which you should buy at least 2 copies of....

We totally thought Richard Hanania was a Jew, and by the time we found out he’s Palestinian (gasp!) it was too late to cancel. Just kidding, we loved talking to Richard about everything from the online right-wing “trollosphere”, antisemitism (which he gets his fair share of), Twitter politics, elite human capital, disappearing pronoun bios, and in general why everything is just more stupid now. Fo...

We sit down to recap the events of the week, which feels like a decade. Check out videos and shownotes on askajew.substack.com Also: * Chaya Leah wants to deport Yael * The hostage releases are so emotional . And that emotion is rage. * Where do they keep the laminating machines in Gaza? * Let the sunshine in * Is Elon Musk a Nazi? And do we prefer quality or quantity in our antisemites * Advice t...

That feeling you have in the pit of your stomach? We’re all there. A mix of hope, fear, anger and grief. An American friend asked me if I’m happy about the hostage deal, and it was hard to use that word in this context. Though I support the deal ( like most Israelis ) and believe it is the moral choice, it makes me sick to my stomach that we even had to negotiate with these b******s, not to mentio...