War is Stupid: An Anti-War Podcast About War

Orli Matlow sits down with political scientist Bill Hartung, a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and standup comedian. They discuss his latest book, The Trillion Dollar War Machine: How Runaway Military Spending Drives America into Foreign Wars and Bankrupts Us at Home. Bill shares what the anti-war movement can learn from the anti-apartheid movement, the Lu...

Orli Matlow sits down Rabbi Jill Jacobs, the CEO of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights , an organization that trains and mobilizes rabbis and cantors and their communities to bring a moral voice to protecting and advancing human rights in North America, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories. They discuss Truah’s decision to host Mayor Zohran Mamdani at their gala rather than dec...

Orli Matlow sits down with British Jewish historian, writer, and musician Joseph Finlay , who passionately argues against her claim from the Amsterdam episode that “London is like NYC for goyim.” They explore the rich Jewish history of London, which was one of socialism and anarchism up until Thatcherism. They discuss the anti-fascist resistance of the 1936 Battle of Cable Street, which was recent...

Orli Matlow sits down with Italian American comedian Ron Placone , whose show Anti-Fascist Pasta Night is heading to the Edinburgh Fringe this August. They discuss the true history of fighting fascism with food, covering everything from Mussolini to Heated Rivalry. Ron opens up about his political awakening during the Iraq War, the multiplicity of Italian American identity, and shares his pro tips...

Orli Matlow sits down with British Jewish filmmaker Gillian Mosely, whose latest film Planet Israel  explores Israeli society during and after October 7th. She investigates how right-wing Religious Zionism and settler ideology came to dominate Israel, with its roots in the work of Bibi’s dad’s boss Ze’ev Jabotinsky and Brooklyn-born convicted felon Rabbi Meir Kahane. They discuss what we owe our a...

Orli Matlow sits down with Common Defense organizer Michael Carter and member Susan O’Neill, who served as an Operating Room Nurse in Vietnam. They discuss organizing veterans against forever wars, authoritarianism and VA privatization, and what Supporting The Troops actually looks like, with shoutouts to Stephen Sondheim and Bruce Springsteen along the way. They talk the realities that lead peopl...

Orli Matlow sits down with comedian Gabe Pacheco, who might soon be subpoenaed by the federal government for joining the same aid mission to Cuba as Hasan Piker. They talk about Cuba’s history and present, whether Che Guevara shirts are as popular there as they are at liberal arts colleges, and why we need to bring the name Smedley back.  Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective.   Fol...

Orli Matlow sits down with Mattan Berner-Kadish, an advocate for civil rights in Israel since his parents sued the country when he was four years old. Mattan talks about his work in the Occupied West Bank, bearing witness to extreme Israeli settler and military violence, including the killing of his close friend and fellow football fan Awdah Hathahleen . They talk nepo babies in the IDF, ICC evide...

Host Orli Matlow welcomes Irish comedian and newly minted American citizen, Katie Boyle. Katie teaches Orli about iconic figures in Irish history including Michael Collins, the pagan goddess Bridgid, and Crazy Bob. They talk the cool anti-war Pope Louis XIV and the real purpose of religion, plus Katie covers gun control and abortion rights—and doing standup in places that don’t have either. They a...

Host Orli Matlow sits down with Alex Willick, who was featured in the recent New Yorker article “At Synagogues, Tensions Are Boiling Over" by Eyal Press. A director at the New Israel Fund, he was invited to talk to the congregation about a recent trip to The Land, but the invitation was rescinded when he planned on speaking about settler violence in the West Bank. He shares the story that was bann...

Host Orli Matlow sits down with Briana Gervat, author of There Will Come Soft Rains: A Journey Along the Western Front . Briana hiked for 36 days through France and Belgium, tracing the path of World War I, a devastating war that changed the world for the absolute worst (with the exceptions of Winnie the Pooh and Pilates).  Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective. Follow Briana: Insta...

Host Orli Matlow sits down with multimedia artist and 2025 Jonathan Larson Grant recipent Fouad Dakwar to celebrate the release of the concept album for his semi-autobiographical musical Fouad of Nazareth,  out now! Fouad talks the Palestinian Christian immigrant theatre kid experience, covering everything from his family's Nakba story to which role he played in a summer camp production of Spring...

Host Orli Matlow sits down with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed , who is running as a Democrat to represent the March Madness champions of Michigan in the United States Senate. Abdul talks Iran and Lebanon, Israel and Temple Israel, and what a foreign policy that prioritizes the sanctity of human life would look like—as both a doctor and a politician. They discuss his favorite part of the Passover Seder, how J...

Host Orli Matlow sits down with Dutch-Jewish activist and community organizer Simcha Zijlstra to talk about the three pillars of Jewish life in Europe: The Shoah, antisemitism, and Israel-Palestine (and sometimes football hooliganism). Simcha shares his journey discovering his Jewish heritage, challenging Zionist "fairy tales," and reestablishing joyful Jewish community in Amsterdam, complete with...

Orli Matlow sits down with Noa Wolf, Niv Likwornik, and Dalia Rubinstein, organizers for peace and justice in Israel-Palestine with Friends of Standing Together. The great conversation ranges explores everything from their activist origin stories to the existence of Amish Halal Farms. They discuss growing up in Israel and France, the best way to fight against all forms of hate (hint: it’s not bomb...

Host Orli Matlow welcomes a humor writer, performer, and intrepid nerd culture anthropologist Justin Avery Smith , whose solo show Revenge of the Soy Boy is coming to the NYC Fringe Festival. Justin explores the real wars that inspired Star Wars (which is now being used to promote real wars), what George Lucas was trying to warn us about, and how the Jedi are actually the corporate Democrats of th...

It’s the War is Stupid St. Patrick’s Day Special! Host Orli Matlow welcomes Mary Houlihan, an Irish American comedian with the gift of gab. They talk about her family’s history, the historical connection between Ireland and Palestine, and what Irish American families fight about if it’s not about Israel. They also discuss Tucker Carlson, art school, and Mary’s upcoming mission to Cuba, bringing me...

Orli Matlow sits down with organizer Liza Behrendt, who is working to get “cool bank” Capital One not to renew their loan to Elbit Systems, Israel’s #1 weapons manufacturer (and NOT a beloved member of the Jewish community). Liza shares her journey going from Birthright to BDS, the Eject Elbit campaign’s wins so far, and the power Jennifer Garner has in this moment. They also discuss the 2008 Gaza...

Host Orli Matlow sits down with educator and content creator Dr. Victoria Alexander-Thompson to talk the contradictions within America’s #1 export: Freedom. Victoria goes deep into the history of slavery in America, enslaved people’s resistance, and what’s missing from textbooks and “Hamilton.” She also explains where and how to find hope, and they send a message to people in the year 2317— the ye...

Host Orli Matlow welcomes comedian Emily Baker for a delightfully riff-heavy episode about Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II and The Thirty Years War. They talk Habsburgmaxxing and Mar-A-Lago Face, Queen Charlotte’s yassification of King George III, and the common misconception that Les Miserables is about the French Revolution. Emily tells the story of Princess Caraboo—the original Rachel Dolezal—and...

In this episode of War Is Stupid: An Anti-War Podcast About War, Orli Matlow interviews Mara Kronenfeld, the executive director of UNRWA USA , discussing the history and mission of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. They discuss the challenges faced by Palestinian refugees and the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza—where Israeli authorities are ban...

Orli Matlow sits down with Hailey McAfee and Rosie Glen-Lambert, the team behind And Her Children, currently running at the SoHo Playhouse. Adapted from Bertolt Brecht’s iconic anti-war play Mother Courage and Her Children, their version trades the battlefields of the Thirty Year’s War for the present-day National Rifle Association. They talk about guns in schools and in Minneapolis, Brecht’s lega...

Orli Matlow sits down with Marcos Descalzi and Cate Carrejo, the Founder and Communications Director of We Believe In Deep Canvassing, to learn all about the organizing tool that uses empathy to confront bias. Marcos and Cate give a master class on how to have actually productive conversations about politics, with sidebars that range from Moral Foundations Theory to Amy Adams’s filmography. They a...

Orli Matlow sits down with Zak Witus, Director of Young Leadership and Education at the New Israel Fund, to talk about his activism, which recently caught the attention of the authorities at Ben Gurion Airport. They discuss the fight for equality and justice in the midwest and the West Bank, where Zak was assaulted by Israeli soldiers during a night raid.  Zak speaks about his friend, the late hum...

Orli Matlow sits down with Congressional candidate Chuck Park, who is running to represent the people of Queens and not the profits of Lockheed Martin. Chuck shares his experiences serving as a diplomat under Obama—and quitting so he could criticize Trump. Recorded before Trump bombed Venezuela without Congressional approval, Chuck conveniently talked about supporting legislation that ensures that...