Chosen People Problems

Which is more important for Israel–winning the war or the PR battle?

The one and only Douglas Murray is with us today, to talk Israel, poetry, and…true crime? We start off by accidentally insulting him, but don’t worry, he still likes Jews!

Also:

How does aging even happen?

And more….

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This episode is sponsored by Tikvah's Millstone Scholars Program, a selective national honors program where seventh- and eighth-graders study Jewish civilization, Israel, and America through primary sources and debate. Classes begin the week of October 18. Apply now at tikvah.org/ark.

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Credits: Beth Pearlman, Mindy Schaper, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, Karina Logiohio, Ignacio Herbojo

Guys, we have big news. Really big. Like, Dan Senor Big.

We are thrilled to announce we are joining Ark Media! Yes, Dan Senor bought us (actually, his company), and we now belong to him. Don’t worry, though; he hasn’t spent as much time with us as you have, so he doesn’t quite know what he’s in for.

AND we have a new name! Please welcome: Chosen People Problems! You’ll get used to it. It’s really fun to say. Other than that, it’s still us, still for free, but just a whole lot more of us, more guests, and so far they are letting us do whatever we want around here (we’ve only made, like, one producer cry, and turned one sound editor antisemitic).

We want to thank you, our amazing listeners, who turned us from an entirely organic little baby to the media empire we are now (or will be soon). We don’t know a ton about business, but I think they wouldn’t buy us if we didn’t have listeners - so thank you!!

And thanks to the amazing people who loved us and took a chance on us so early on, and to Gabi and Mickey, our Ask A Jew team, who did more for us than we can acknowledge (though we try).

If you are a Substack subscriber at Askajew.substack.com, you'll get an email soon about your subscription, and if you are a paid subscriber, you’re actually going to get some extra perks now, finally!  (Hint: subscribers will get a full extra Chosen People Problems show a week later).  So keep your eyes and inboxes open for that! 

We are so excited for this journey, and see you at Ark! 

Questions for us? Submit them at: https://tinyurl.com/askajew

Who knew that you could blame evolutionary biology for doom scrolling, binging on donuts or getting seasick? In this episode, we talk to Dr. Rob Kurzban, an evolutionary psychologist, about how human feelings and behaviors are shaped by evolution. He explains the adaptive functions of emotions, the role of boredom, and how our minds respond to environmental cues, providing insights into human nature and morality. 

Also:

Remember, you can watch this episode on Youtube! 

Definitely buy (and read) All the Feels: The Evolved Function of Every Human Emotion and Sensation so you can impress your friends with all these fun facts.

Do you have something you want to ask us? Don’t worry, we won’t judge you. Submit your questions HERE 

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This episode is sponsored by Tikvah's Millstone Scholars Program, a selective national honors program where seventh- and eighth-graders study Jewish civilization, Israel, and America through primary sources and debate. Classes begin the week of October 18. Apply now at tikvah.org/ark. 

This week, we’re joined by the one and only Dara Horn to discuss her new book, The Final Solution to the Jewish Question: A Love Story for the Living. It’s an incredible book that will make you both angry and proud, which is kind of on brand for us right now. 

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9gykZ22yuIY

We get into why antisemitism is not just a prejudice but a lie (and it can’t be solved by “empathy”); why Holocaust education kinda sucks sometimes, and why the most interesting question in Jewish history is not why they tried to kill us, but why we are still here.

Check out Dara’s Tell Institute (coming soon to a school near you?)

Have questions for us? Submit here: Tinyurl.com/askajew

Ilya Shapiro is a senior fellow and director of constitutional studies at the Manhattan Institute and briefly, but not insignificantly, the executive director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution.  

Naturally, we bring him in to talk about Legally Blonde, which Baldwin Brother is the hottest (clearly Billy), and fine, the commerce clause. 

Follow Ilya’s work on his Substack Shapiro’s Gavel, but his book Lawless: The Miseducation of America’s Elites – An Insider's Account of Institutional Weakness and the Transformation of Law Schools, and of course check him out on X, where it all began…

Also:

Questions for us? Submit them at: https://tinyurl.com/askajew

Dear Jews and regular people, 

Rosh Hashana is upon us, which means it’s time to reflect on the past year, take a hard look at our behavior, ask forgiveness from the people we’ve wronged, and then immediately start judging everyone again. 

What a year it has been.

Actually, we take that back. We’re tired of saying “what a year it has been.” Every year is apparently going to be A YEAR now. We would like one boring Jewish year, please. Nothing historic. Nothing unprecedented. Nothing that requires a statement from a Jewish organization. Just apples, honey, some light antisemitism we can complain about, and everyone home by 10.

Is that really too much to ask?

This week on Ask a Jew, we’re getting ready for the new year with someone very special: ChayaLeah’s dad, Rabbi Abba Perelmuter.

We brought him on partly because he is a rabbi with decades of wisdom and an incredible ability to make big Jewish ideas feel relevant and human.

But Yael really wanted him on because she was hoping he would tell an embarrassing story about ChayaLeah.

He could not remember one.

Honestly, devastating.

* Why Sukkot is the tragically under-marketed holiday of the Jewish calendar and deserves a rebrand.

* What to do on Rosh Hashanah if you’re Jewish but haven’t been inside a synagogue since your cousin’s bar mitzvah.

* Why community matters even if you don’t know the prayers, don’t know what you’re doing, and don’t plan on staying for three hours. Just show up.

* ChayaLeah’s annual rant: STOP WAITING TO BE INVITED. Invite someone yourself. You don’t need a gorgeous table or a five-course dinner. There are lonely people waiting for someone to remember them.

* Why parents whose college kids suddenly come home with radically different views should educate themselves before starting the argument.

* Whether we give antisemites and anti-Israel celebrities way too much of our attention.

* Macklemore, Mark Ruffalo, Mandy Patinkin, Ed Sheeran, Brad Pitt, Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson, Nirvana and, somehow, the Miami Boys Choir.

* Why America knows what celebrities and quarterbacks think but can’t name four philosophers. Seems healthy.

* Whether Ask a Jew could be the Beatles of podcasting. (The answer appears to be no, but Vegas is still on the table.)

* And finally, what ChayaLeah was actually like as a child: opinionated, challenging her teachers, befriending older kids and apparently already preparing for a career in podcasting.

And maybe that’s what we love most about Rosh Hashana. Judaism gives us a reset button every year, while also being extremely clear that you are, unfortunately, still you.

Thank you to everyone who has listened this year… You’ve laughed with us, argued with us, corrected us, defended us, gotten mad at us, and told us you were yelling responses to us while driving.

We love this weird little community we’ve built.

So for 5787, we wish all of you a year of health, laughter, good marriages, good friendships, good food, and group chats that never get screenshotted and sent to the wrong person.

Stay tuned for next year….. lots of great guests coming up including Brad Lander and Mandy Patankin. 

Shana Tova U’Metuka.

See you in 5787.

Yael & ChayaLeah

25 years ago, we told people to never forget September 11th, and how’s that going for us?

On this special episode, we are happy to interview Larry Wein, a tribe member, former NYPD Homicide detective, and 9/11 first responder. We heard what that day was like for Larry, as well as the six months that followed, which he spent at Ground Zero. Every. Single. Day. 

We talk about the idiocy of conspiracy theories, mental and physical health for first responders, and a special trip he is planning to Israel for the Police Unity Tour, which brings American and Israeli cops together to cycle through the country.

But first - you are blessed with 25 minutes of us catching up on some, shall we say, lighter topics. We talk about Yael’s favorite new Instagram account of a random Texan dude who is fluent in Hebrew, why the Met Gala should have a holocaust themed night, and also play F/Marry/Kill with Zohran Mamdani, Brad Lander and John Galliano (it’s really easy when you think about it)

Have questions for us? Go to https://tinyurl.com/askajew to submit and maybe we will read them on air!

And don’t forget that you can watch this episode on YouTube!

Aaron MacLean is host of the School of War podcast, a National Security Analyst at CBS, a columnist at the Free Press, a retired Marine captain, and now, a reluctant and delightful guest on Ask A Jew. We discuss Iran, China, growing up the son of a WW2 veteran, The War of the Spanish Succession (??), and, ew, are we turning into France??

Join the conversation on Substack: Askajew.substack.com

And check out this episode on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@AskAJew

Also:

Questions? Submit them here: https://tinyurl.com/askajew

Warren Kinsella wears many hats: a lawyer hat, a punk-rock musician hat, an author hat - and our favorite - a pissed-off Canadian hat. We chat with him about his new book, The Hidden Hand: The Information War and the Rise of Antisemitic Propaganda. After you have purchased the book, follow Warren on X as well.

Here is a piece he wrote about his research for The Free Press:

Our interview with Warren starts around minute 35, before that you can enjoy us catching up about Lindsay Clancy, how dare Bill Ackman donate a billion dollars to medical causes, the land mass currently known as Israel, and more.

Also -

Have a question for us? We have a form!

ICYMI, here we are in Wyoming with Nadav Eyal:

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We just wrapped up our first ever live show in Wyoming (naturally), and we had a blast!! Thank you so much to the Jackson Hole Jewish Community for hosting us, to the amazing listeners who traveled to be there, and to our special guest Nadav Eyal, who you all know from Call Me Back, Yediot Achronot, and his substack Between Us. You can and should also follow him on X and Instagram.

Good for the Jews is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

If you like, you can also watch this episode on YouTube, and check out more photos on our Instagram!

* We cover all this and more with Nadav:

* What the Heck is goin on in Israeli politics??

* What the polls are saying, and what can change it.

* People who hate Israel won’t change their mind if Bibi loses…but it will be easier

* Israel needs to get out of the news cycle

* Can the next Israeli government have Arab parties in its coalition?

* Diplomacy vs. Strength, The Rebbe vs. Nadav

* Iron wall, not Sparta

* The American mindset is the minority mindset - and we Israelis can learn from that.

* Mainstrea media is the worst form of media - except for all the others.

* Only follow journalists who can lose their jobs for telling the truth.

* Notes from the trenches of Columbia University.

* If it walks like a terrorist and talks like a terrorist, it’s a terrorist - even if it’s Jewish.

Again thank you to the amazing community of Jackson Hole for making this happen! Where should we have our next live show?

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

askajew.substack.com/subscribe