Shay Khatiri grew up in an Iranian Communist household where his dad handed him Das Kapital at age 12 — and somehow ended up a neoconservative Persian researcher at CAMERA, fighting media bias against Israel. Shay knows more about Jewish life than most Jews, and will absolutely turn off your lights before leaving Shabbat dinner.

Shay breaks down why Iranians were cheering on Israeli fighter jets from their rooftops, the 2,500-year friendship between Persians and Jews that started with Cyrus the Great, and what the future for Iran may entail.

Follow Shay on X @ShayKhatiri

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What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

03:15 Growing up in a Communist household in Iran

08:20 How the West misunderstands a society at war

12:40 Why Iranians cheered for Israeli fighter jets

18:30 What it will actually take to topple the regime

22:15 The 2,500-year friendship between Persians and Jews

30:00 Iranians today: the most pro-Israel nation after Israel itself

34:20 How Americans can actually help the Iranian people

38:45 The "as a Jew" problem and rebellion against immigrant parents

44:10 Closing Remarks