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Ep. 619 — Influential Origins with Alan Mindel
Guest: Ramon Maislen — Part 2
hmTv at HMTC

In Part 2 of Influential Origins, host Alan Mindel continues his conversation with Brooklyn real estate investor and community advocate Ramon Maislen about the growing tensions inside local community spaces after October 7th.

Alan and Ramon examine the BDS movement, the difference between personal boycotts and joining an organized campaign against Israel, and how political activism entered the Park Slope Food Coop, a once-welcoming community institution built around cooperation, diversity, and shared responsibility.

Ramon reflects on his own Zionism, his belief in self-determination for both Jews and Palestinians, and his growing concern over activists who deny Jewish self-determination altogether. The conversation also explores troubling claims made inside the co-op, including the accusation of “Jewish supremacy,” and how such language echoes historic patterns of dehumanization.

Together, Alan and Ramon discuss how apathy allows extreme voices to dominate local institutions, why local elections and civic participation matter, and how misinformation, social media, and ideological certainty can fracture communities that once prided themselves on inclusion.

This episode is a direct and timely look at antisemitism, identity, community breakdown, and the urgent need for people of conscience to speak up before silence becomes surrender.

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