Chosen People Problems

Shabbos Kestenbaum is probably the most famous Jewish Harvard grad since Natalie Portman. You may know him as a former Bernie Bro and divinity student who went on to sue Harvard for discrimination, speak at the Republican National Convention, and accompany President Trump to the gravesite of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. We talk about what to do with all this sweet, sweet Jewish money, where Israel goes wrong on messaging, what Shabbos saw at the Gaza humanitarian aid crossing, and much more.

Also:

* Whats’s the deal with his name? (ask his siblings “Independence” and “India”)

* From the Harvard Divinity School to yelling on Piers Morgan

* Shabbos’s mom unfollowed him on X

* "In a place where there are no people, strive to be a person"

* History didn’t start on October 7…Shabbos on Harvard antisemitism in 2022 in Aish.com

* Lots of students agree with Shabbos….quietly

* The watermelon Yamulke crowd

* How to combat antisemitism (hint: not more Holocaust studies)

* Why the ADL stopped inviting him to meetings, but he still respects Jonathan Greenblatt (so do we by the way, in case you want to invite us to speak)

* GIVE THE MONEY TO STUDENTS

* Big Tent, Little Tent, Chabad and Hillel

* Ladies, he’s single - a sharpt turn toward dating and the Marvel Universe

* Why does Israel suck at messaging? Unclear, but here’s what to do

* A very interesting meeting at the Gaza aid crossing

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This week we welcome one of our favorite journaists of the moment, Olivia Reingold of The Free Press!

We discuss her Jewish roots, atheism, how she went from an NPR fangirl to working for (gasp!) Bari Weiss, what’s wrong with Gen Z, accidental antisemitism, reading each and every one of Zohran Mamdani’s tweets, Mahmoud Khalil, and at the end we get into a very heated argument about…podiatrists. That said, the most controversial thing Olivia says is that she watches gaming playthrough youtubes.

You can find Olivia on X (but be nice), Instagram, and of course read and watch everything she’s done at The Free Press.

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We are so excited to have the one and only Babka King, Chris Cares None with us!

If you haven’t seen Chris’s videos on Instagram and TikTok where he reviews foods from different ethnicities, with some special love to Babka and Rugelach, why are you even still here?

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Chris rose to fame after his Jewish food reviews attracted both love and hate, and let us tell you - do not throw hate at this guy unless you’re ready to be showered with LOVE. We talk about social anxiety, how Chris felt as a black man visitng Israel for the first time, why Golden Retrievers changed his attitude towards white people, compassion for both Israelis and Palestinians, and more! Chris is like a ballistic missile of positivity and energy, so hope you will enjoy this explosion of love.

Make sure to follow Chris on Instagram and TikTok - just don’t come hungry.

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Happy Sunday and a blessed week to everyone, except Mandy Patinkin. In this catch-up we talk about the unfolding situation in Gaza (spoiler: some healthy disagreement!), the meaning of being able to criticize someone you love, toothaches and heartaches.

Also:

You don’t hate the UN enough

Some Astronomer talk…sorry if no one cares anymore. But have you seen this great response they put out??

.Lena Dunham is an awful, awful genius

Jonah and the Whale and Buddhism

A spotify recommendation

An evergreen reminder: If you only rediscover your Judaism when it's time to criticize Istael, we don't care what you think.

And finally - you can find Chaya Leah’s birthday gift on our Substack!!! This kind of reminds me of the time Homer Simpson got Marge a bowling ball with his initials on it. I must have watched it 300 times!! But she loves it too.

Don’t forget please that there are 50 hostages, in Gaza, many alive. They need to come home, now.

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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, "Helen Lewis Has Left the Chat. You can also find her right here on Substack, at Helen Lewis.

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

We talk overrated geniuses, AI and the class divide, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and other very serious topics that Helen manages to make really fun.

Also:

* London survived The Blitz, so we’ll all be ok

* Jewish Rumspringa

* Helen Lewish isn’t Jewish, but the Manosphere thinks she is

* Chess.com is the new 4Chan

* The Genius Myth

* Was Shakespeare a black trans woman?

* 1600s LinkedIn

* Einstein was Mid, but he had great branding

* AI and the class divide

* The Ayatollah has a suprise for us

* Gout and IQ

* Helen Lewis has left the chat

* WhatsApp drama is life

* Greta Thunberg created Zionists

* What people don’t understand about Israelis is….

* Helen admits that America is beating the UK!

* Oh wait, now she’s talking about inequality

* Babies need to start pulling their weight and giving more to charity

* 2025 feminism

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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 humor, and learned about Dr. Scott’s attempt to bring peace to the Columbia campus where he teaches. Read his book, and sign up for his newsletter right here on Substack!

Thanks for reading Good for the Jews! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Also covered:

* Rabbi feel-good

* Who’s going to read a book that says your’re the problem? (the answer: Jews)

* Negative self talk is for losers

* You are not your thoughts

* Women love mind-reading

* Opera sucks

* Collective anxiety and pain

* Making sense of teaching at Columbia

Did we tell you to buy the book? Buy the book!

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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 age of seven. Matza ball, books and no Jesus? I’m in.

* The bad, bad Rabbi that converted Bethany.

* Bethany’s oldest daughter is a settler-in-training.

* Give me your most modest swimsuit, please.

* John Podhoretz has strong feelings about epidurals

* Having a baby, much like flying a plane, doesn’t make any sense.

Check out “The Mom Wars” right here on Substack

If we don’t see you, happy 4th of July! Go America!

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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 Germany, if you want to pay them back for all the food, and in general just thank them for their kindness.

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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 her newsletter on Substack of course.

If you’re a substack subscriber, you caught this live and got to ask your questions - so thank you for joining! Make sure to become a subscriber so you can watch the video, get more alerts and join us next time. Askajew.substack.com

From our sister podcast edJEWcation, consider helping out the Chabad of Cyprus, which became a temporary shelter for a bunch of stranded, hungover and horny Birthright students who were evacuated from Israel.

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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 other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

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