Jewish Heroism Project

Is Judeophobia getting worse in the US? Kenneth Jacobson has worked for the Anti-Defamation League since 1971 and as deputy director, he shares his unique view on the history of Jew-hate in America.

This episode opens up our exploration of the third face of American antisemitism with the backstory of progressive Jew hate. Listen in to uncover the ongoing impact of Soviet era propaganda, and to learn what is "the socialism of fools."

When the cracks start to open up in American race relations, Jew-hate seeps into the mainstream. Here is an episode about Reverend Jesse Jackson, Minister Louis Farrakhan and the evolution of black antisemitism. image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gotovan/49958357796/ license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode

Sometimes you have to get out of your own head in order to know what you really think. Here is an episode where my good friend Eitan Ben Avraham interviews me on the fundamental tensions underlying the Israeli/American Jewish relationship and how they find expression in our present political challenges. Image by - https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/173110448 lic - https://creativecommons.org...

Jew hate has two fundamental elements no matter where it manifests - one connected to the role Jews play in society, the other the role we play in the mind of the hater. This episode opens a new facet of American antisemitism as we turn from white hate to black, and try to understand the roots of them both.

Part two of our exploration of the new face of the oldest hate focuses on the history of Jewish response to antisemitism through a look at the ADL. As a bonus you get a brief interview with my mom!

It's an old topic, but somehow seems to be making yet another comeback. Here is the introductory episode in my quest to understand the rebirth of humanity's oldest hatred in the United States today. Image attribution: Ted Eytan lic: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode

Here is my annual Hanukkah class in honor of my father, Charles Feuer/Betzalel ben Avraham ob'm. As the end of the Hasmonean kingdom that was established after the Hanukkah war, the Sages decreed "cursed by the man who teaches his son Greek wisdom." This talk explores what that wisdom might be, how to hold it off and why doing so is central to our national struggle for cultural sovereignty.

Here is an interview with my dear friend and co-author Dave Mason. In it we explore imagination as a tool of spirituality, the challenges of co-writing a novel and the idea of an Age of Prophecy. Join the Age of Prophecy 7-day challenge at https://theageofprophecy.com/self-fulfilling-prophecy/

Uzi Dayan was national security advisor to both Ehud Barak and Ariel Sharon, helping them navigate the stormy waters of the Camp David summit, the Oslo war and Operation Defensive Shield. Through it all, he labored to build his vision of a separation wall on a solid political foundation.

Though the first intifada paved the way for the wall, the second - known as the Oslo War - brought it into being. This episode makes a bridge between these two conflicts, tracing the arc from suppression to separation and asks the question -why not sovereignty?

Violence often has an arc, and in this episode we trace how the intifada progresses together with the Israeli policies of suppression and separation. Along the way we outline the birth of the Hamas terror organization and end on a childhood note from yours truly. image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/marypmadigan/3191791902 lic: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode

When the intifada erupted it caught the Israeli army and leadership unprepared. Part two of the series exploring the evolution of the separation barrier explores Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin's "iron-fist" policy response as part of arc of government decisions that move from suppression to separation - all in avoidance of sovereignty.

In this episode we take a break from tracking the evolution of Israel's separation wall to consider the deeper issues of violence on which it is built. Rav Yehuda Hakohen of the Vision Movement joins me for a conversation about Max Nordau, Zev Jabotinsky and Frantz Fanon. Along the way we consider issues of decolonization, settlement and the hope for a new Jewish consciousness that might soon emer...

Almost two thousand years ago the Sages determined that Am Yisrael was bound in exile by an oath not to go up to the land "like a wall." Now two millena later there is a wall built by the Israeli government running through the heart of our biblical homeland. Here is the introductory episode to a new series that aims to break down the evolution of Israel's security wall. image license - https://cre...

The Zohar calls the Sukkah "the shade of faith." Here are some impromptu thoughts from me to you as I sit in the shade of my sukkah - inspired by these holy days, but relevant all year round.

Here is the final installment in the series detailing the evolution of Israel's electoral system. It brings us almost all the way to the present, touching on topics like the Oslo Accord, electoral reform and Israel's Supreme Court along the way. If you want to have a better understanding of our current electoral dysfunction, then tune in now.

The unity government wasn't born yesterday, it has a long history in Israel. Tune in to this ongoing exploration of the evolution of Israel's electoral system to learn about the government shared by ex-underground fighter Yitzchak Shamir and Shimon Peres through the 80s, how it held together Mizrachi pride, religious tension and territorial confusion. A government that withdrew from Lebanon, tamed...

Here is an interview with R' Aharon Ariel Lavi, expert on the biblical sabbatical year - shemitta. This is our first taste of a "future vision" for the Jewish people, as well as some stirring thoughts for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

Here is part one of an indepth look at the historical sources of our present electoral issues.

Season six has finally begun! Here is a prologue to help frame the chapter to come. In it I touch on the power of prophetic sight, the book of Daniel and why in the month of Elul we say that the king is in the field. image from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasawebbtelescope/52212049510 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode

Another one of Rav Mike's favorites. Just because I'm taking a break doesn't mean the content has to! Don't forget to sign up for TJS live starting Aug 28th! jewishstory.co/the-jewish-story-live-2/ graphic license - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode

Another one of Rav Mike's live favorites! The author of the Zohar is traditionally said to be R' Shimon Bar Yochai, but since its first appearance in the hands of R' Moshe DeLeon in 13th century Spain its origin has been in dispute. The Zohar has been a source of spiritual strength in the Jewish Story for more than a millenna, which is far more importance than its role as a source of controversy....

I may be on break, but life does not stop! Here is a old favorite of mine - a live exploration of the foundations for Jewish life in the Middle Ages. Stay tuned for season six in September!

All things good things must come to an end, so here is the concluding episode of season 5. In it you will find an exploration of how to relate to the brokenness of the world, some thoughts on our present posture and even hints about what the future might hold. See you in the fall!