Democracy Hipster - With Yascha Mounk

Oh look, Yascha Mounk wrote another book. "The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time" is really great (just like all the others), so we invited Yascha on to talk about democracy around the world in 2023, why identity politics is bad for everyone, post-liberalism on the right and left, Germany and Israel being BFFs, Donald Trump , social media, and the death of self critique. 

🔔 Yascha rings the Holocaust bell at 4:15 🔔 

Also - how Jewish is Yascha? Is he single? And why might he want to work at Trader Joe's? 

Find out by listening and subscribing:

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BUY THE BOOK! https://www.amazon.com/Identity-Trap-Story-Ideas-Power/dp/0593493184

 

 

 

 

Yascha rings the Holocaust bell at 4:15 telling us about his family and growing up in Germany 

 

 

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As a Rosh Hashana gift to ourselves (and our listeners) we spent an hour with the Beyonce of Rabbis, the honey to our apple, the horseradish to our Gefilte - Rabbi David Wolpe! 

He joins us from Cambridge where he is a visiting scholar at Harvard Divinity School (ohh-la-la), though you may remember him from such rabbinical masterpieces as “Most Influential Rabbi in America” (Newsweek), and “50 Most Influential Angelinos” (LA Magazine). A frequent cordial sparring partner of atheists like Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens, today he is the Senior Advisor at Maimonides Fund and the inaugural Rabbinic Fellow for the ADL. Yes, that ADL. And yes - we go there!

The man is a treasure trove of deep thoughts about ethics, faith and the human condition, so naturally when granted an hour of his time we choose to pick his brain about diet books and Elon Musk. Among the pillars of our talk:

🔔 A record breaking Holocaust bell at 2:40 into the interview 🔔 

• Unironic discussion of generational trauma
• The world is super random
• Why is there no Rabbi Dre or Rabbi Pepper?
• The biggest human problems he sees all the time
• Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less. - C.S Lewis
• Blame it on the pill
• A vision of a successful marriage
• Wait, is the rabbi single??
• Talmudic lessons from the 1990 Patrick Swayze masterpiece “Ghost”
• Human nature is…problematic.
• Post Sinai life
• Check out amazing online lessons at the Streiker Center
• The tyranny of the Thank You Note
• Jews are just like everyone else, only more so
• The ADL Vs. Musk - pick your fighter.
• Secular Vs. Orthodox - pick your fighter.

 

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Why did G_d forsake the people of Israel at Burning Man?

Did Abraham work in a gift shop?

You’re so not invited to my Bat Mitzvah (J/k please come)

Would you read your angsty teenage diary on stage? These people did and its hilarious.

Hot 12 year old boys

Our traumatic stories from 6th grade

Marraige is good, I guess

Esther Perel on artificial intamacy

🔔Holocaust Bell rings late! 42:42 🔔

A Holocaust Instagram story?

What happened to hot Nazis?

Some PR advice for the Goyimn Defense League (Maybe a name change? Or shorten to GDL?)

What random shows do you love that no one else watches? Chaya Leah is a fan of Hell on Wheels, while Yael yearns for a man with a cat who gets tomorrow’s newspaper today

An Israel, a Palestinian and a bunch of whites go to dinner

Listener Question: Frum vs. Seculars

You’re either and anti-antisemite or you’re an antisemite

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Remember when diversity wasn’t an annoying word that makes you think of 5 hour office HR power point presentations? Our guest today is diverse in the coolest way possible - not just his background, but his experience and work as well. Yirmiyahu Danzig tells us all about his upbringing as a Carribean/American/Israeli Jew, his military service in the heart of the conflict alongside Israeli soldiers of all religions, and his online work building bridges with our Arab neigbors.

🛎 Holocaust bell dings at 4:22 🛎

Find him on instagram @that_semite and JewishUnpacked.com

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The Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk of Jewish podcasting are back this week, talking about the latest tragedy to befall the Jewish people, prosthetic noses. We learn that this is the Jewish month of self reflection , debate whether israel should have a Sunday, and answer listener questions about autopay on Shabbat.  For your Qs, our email is [email protected]. 

Next stop - the Tel Aviv light rail! We discuss public transportation and the conflicts between orthodox men and scantitly clad female passengers. Why can’t we all just get along, the heavily clothed and the half-naked?

🛎 Holocaust Bell rings around 3:25 🛎

Book club! Pick up a copy of Walter Russell Mead’s “The Arc of a Covenant” about the history of Israeli-American relationships and look smart while reading it on the train. We hope to have him on in the coming months and will take your questions!

Join the conversation! We are on substack, where you can sign up for our newsletter and connect with other AAJ fans. The comment section is quite the Shtetel square: Askajew.substack.com. Questions for us? [email protected]. You can also find us on instagram @askajewpod

Show notes:

Tel Aviv light rail video https://fb.watch/mz9wiYtKcl/

Bring Sundays to Israel: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-755225

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The girls welcome Israeli author and co-founder of the Tel Aviv, institute Hen Mazzig. Hen, who identifies as a Queer, Mizrahi Zionist, has a huge online footprint, where he shares stories about Israel that people may not have seen before.

We talk about everything from his family's Jewish roots in North Africa and Iraq, American Jews and Israel, being a Mizrahi or Sephardi Jew, progressive politics, and more! You can find him at Henmazzig.com or on social media @Henmazzig. Check out his book "The Wrong Kind of Jew: A Mizrahi Manifesto" wherever you get books. 

Follow his work on Twitter @HenMazzig, Instagram  and Facebook and on his website: www.HenMazzig.com

Questions? [email protected] 

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• Chaya Leah is back from Italy and France
• The hazards of kosher fine-dining in Europe
• Harvard loves dead Nazis
• Yael is traumatized by classic Europe
• Americans love standing in line
• The Jewish ethics of having an affair
• You don’t *have* to love thy neighbor in America
• A solemn yet insightful conversation about Israel
• Is hatred of the religious people in Israel out of control?
• Save us, Eurovision!
• Barbie’s Kosher Dreamhouse
• Archie comics were more damaging than Barbie
• Congratulations Rabbi Shmuly!
• Oh look another sad Jewish holiday
• Yael suprises Chaya Leah by announcing a new project - The AAJ Book Club! There is no deadline and definitely no meetings (unless you guys want to do that). Our book is “Arc of a Covenant” by Walter Russel Mead.

Questions? [email protected]

Follow our substack askajew.substack.com and find us on Instagram @askajewpod

Shownotes:

Israeli protestors connecting

Jewish students giving it to Titus

Liel Leibovitz on Commentary - do you agree or nah?

The Arie Deri law

 

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Yael is stuck in Texas, so Chaya Leah and her father, Rabbi Aba Abba Perelmuter, take to the stage for some light Torah studies. 

They were left with explicit instructions to answer listener questions, but you know, these people...instead they have an enlightening conversation about the Talmudic interpretations of the Russia/Ukraine conflict,  honoring thy father and thy mother (complete with loopholes), and this weird modern idea of following your passions.

Subscribe to our Substack askajew.substack.com and ask questions (we will get to them some day) at [email protected]

We are off for a summer break, but will be back soon with exciting guests and much to catch up on! xoxo

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This week we are joined by author and journalist Matti Friedman, who recently penned "Who by Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai" (you can hear him discuss it with Bari Weiss here) and before that the incredible "Spies of No Country: Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel" about the founding of the Mossad and the nation.

A former AP correspondent, Matti blew the lid on what the media gets wrong about Israel, in this badass essay in The Atlantic and in Tablet.

We cover a lot of ground in this one, and manage to make it all the way to the end without talking about current Israeli politics, but then discuss Matti's impactful and insightful letter to American Jews (with OG's Yossi Klein Halevy and Daniel Gordis) on why they need to raise their voice against Israel's current government. 

Also: 

From Toronto to Jerusalem

The myth of the Kibbutz
If someone offers to introduce you to an old spy - you say yes!
There are no delis in israel 
This ain’t Norway 
Why the media is so obsessed with Israel (maybe because there are more staffers covering Israel than all of China and Africa?)
Save us Bruno Mars 
Herzl the Hipster 
Media literacy 
Where does Matti get his information? (in books, like some nerd)News is activism 
We want to believe...The NY times 
Can we afford to criticize Israel publicly? 
Let’s end on a pessimistic note 
J/k we’re never letting him go 
The orthodox scene in israel is thriving...and it’s terrifying (to some of us)
We want to be socialists, as long as everyone else is a libertarian 
Draft theo orthodox to the army? Yael puts chaya Leah on the spot 
Matti's Hotmail 

We want to give Matti an out but then we remember Indian Jews 

Questions? Email [email protected]

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New segment: What kind of Jew is this? 

Podcast about K-Pop and the war in Gaza (Hebrew)

Robbie Williams does Pride TLV 

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