J100 Podcast

What do the polls really tell us about America's political future — and where does Israel fit into the picture?

Mark Penn, chairman and CEO of Stagwell, longtime presidential strategist, and co-director of the Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll, joins the J100 podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about elections, political leadership, and the shifting American electorate.

Drawing on decades of advising presidents and world leaders, Penn examines the stakes of Israel's election and the upcoming US midterms, the challenges facing Benjamin Netanyahu, and the emerging contenders for the 2028 presidential race.

He also explains why political polls are often misunderstood, what the data reveals about American support for Israel, and why shifting attitudes within the Democratic Party could have lasting consequences for US-Israel relations.

From lessons learned working with Bill Clinton to the future of Donald Trump's presidency, antisemitism, voter turnout, and the Iranian threat, Penn offers an insider's perspective on the forces shaping politics in both countries.

Recorded shortly before Israel's October 27 election.

Brought to you by The Algemeiner.

Chapters:

00:00 Cold Open: What the Polls Are Missing

00:25 Meet Mark Penn: His Career & Lessons from World Leaders

08:32 Reagan, Clinton, Trump & the 2028 Presidential Race

16:36 Israel's Election vs. the US Midterms

20:07 Why Polls Get Elections Wrong & the Power of Voter Turnout

27:40 Michigan's Senate Race & Anti-Israel Campaign Messaging

29:30 What Americans Really Think About Israel

36:06 Anti-Israel Politics, the Democratic Party & John Fetterman

40:26 Lightning Round & America's Political Future

44:54 Tony Blair's Warning About Iran & Trump's Next Move

You can find the condensed transcript & summary of this episode and more episodes at 

https://thealgemeiner.substack.com/p/mark-penn-on-israels-election-the?r=5m0oyd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

This episode of "The J100 Podcast" was produced by David Taragin.

What does it take to build a stronger Jewish future — and why might fighting antisemitism not be enough?

Michael Broukhim, co-founder of FabFitFun and partner at Deep33, joins the Algemeiner's J100 podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about entrepreneurship, Jewish identity, Harvard, Iran, artificial intelligence, and the future of Israel.

Born in Los Angeles to Persian Jewish immigrants who fled Iran's Islamic Revolution, Broukhim went on to study at Harvard and build FabFitFun alongside his brother. But after October 7, his growing concern for the Jewish future took on a new urgency.

Broukhim reflects on Harvard's ideological transformation, his family's encounter with online antisemitism, and his efforts to connect Jewish entrepreneurs and community leaders. He also explains why he believes Jewish communities must move beyond a purely defensive posture toward creating institutions, sharing Jewish wisdom, and cultivating confidence and joy.

The conversation explores his new $200 million investment fund, Deep33, his conviction that American and Israeli innovation will help shape the AI era, the challenges of building a business with family, and his deeply optimistic vision for Israel's future.

A conversation about success, responsibility, resilience, and what it means to build something that lasts. 

Chapters:

00:00 – From Iran to FabFitFun 

10:13 – Harvard and Campus Antisemitism 

17:59 – October 7 and Jewish Identity 

24:30 – Building Jewish Strength 

30:52 – Family, Business and Brotherhood 

34:39 – AI, Deep33 and the Future of Technology

48:14 – Israel's Future, Faith and Jewish Purpose

You can find the condensed transcript & summary of this episode and more episodes at 

https://thealgemeiner.substack.com/p/why-the-jewish-future-must-be-built?r=5m0oyd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

This episode of "The J100 Podcast" was produced by David Taragin.

Israeli tech pioneer and philanthropist Yossie Hollander joins the J100 Podcast to discuss the early days of Startup Nation, why he walked away from the pursuit of greater wealth, the changing nature of antisemitism, October 7, and his argument that Israel must become far more serious about the global “soft war” for public opinion.

Chapters:

00:00 — Cold Open: Winning the Kinetic War, Losing the Soft War

02:10 — Yossie Hollander: From Early Israel to Startup Nation

10:40 — Walking Away From Business: Why Hollander Chose Philanthropy

17:01 — Antisemitism, Israel & the Jewish Future

22:05 — The “Soft War”: Foreign Influence & Information Warfare

37:09 — Jewish Pride vs. Fighting Antisemitism

45:32 — October 7, Its Aftermath & the Battle for Public Opinion

50:41 — Israel’s Internal Divisions & the Haredi Question

52:15 — Lightning Round: Chutzpah, AI & Israel’s Future

You can find the condensed transcript & summary of this episode and more episodes at 

https://thealgemeiner.substack.com/p/the-war-israel-isnt-fighting-yossie

This episode of "The J100 Podcast" was produced by David Taragin.

Australian investigative journalist Sharri Markson joins The Algemeiner’s J100 podcast for a deeply personal conversation about the Bondi terror attack, the rise of antisemitism in Australia, and the stories behind her new book, “Bondi Terror”.

Markson recounts being nearby with her young children as the shooting unfolded, reporting live from Bondi Beach that night, and the emotional toll of covering an attack on her own community. She also reflects on extraordinary acts of courage she uncovered afterward, the warning signs she believes authorities missed, how October 7 transformed her journalism, media coverage of Israel, AI and trust in news, and the changing reality for Jewish Australians.

Chapters

00:00 — “You Expect to Be Safe at Bondi”

00:32 — Sharri Markson & a Life in Journalism

07:01 — AI, Deepfakes & Trust in Media

09:37 — Inside the Bondi Terror Attack

13:59 — Missed Warnings & Fighting Antisemitism

21:41 — Reporting Trauma, Faith & Heroism

34:12 — October 7 & the Media

41:09 — Why Bondi Terror Became a Book

45:07 — Jewish Life in Australia Today

47:50 — Rapid Fire, Changing Her Mind & Social Media

You can find the condensed transcript & summary of this episode and more episodes at 

https://thealgemeiner.substack.com/p/inside-bondi-terror-sharri-markson?r=5m0oyd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

This episode of "The J100 Podcast" was produced by David Taragin.

Nassau County Executive and Republican gubernatorial nominee Bruce Blakeman joins the J100 podcast from his campaign headquarters to discuss New York’s future, Kathy Hochul, Zohran Mamdani, President Trump, Israel, antisemitism and the Jewish identity that shapes his politics.

Chapters

00:00 — Cold Open & Introduction

02:10 — Mamdani, Antisemitism & Public Safety

04:41 — Can a Republican Win New York?

07:33 — New York’s “Death Spiral”

09:02 — Trump, Courage & Leadership

11:35 — Israel, Antisemitism & the Democratic Party

15:52 — Jewish Identity, Faith & Leadership

17:03 — Two Types of Antisemitism & BDS

19:19 — Rapid Fire

You can find the condensed transcript & summary of this episode and more episodes at 

https://thealgemeiner.substack.com/p/bruce-blakeman-on-new-yorks-death?r=5m0oyd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

This episode of "The J100 Podcast" was produced by David Taragin.

Alyssa Rosenheck joins the J100 podcast to discuss her new book ‘White. Blonde. Jew.’, the experiences that shaped her Jewish identity, post–October 7 advocacy, antisemitism, Israel, misinformation, and why she believes courage begins locally.

This episode was recorded before a live audience in the Hamptons.

Chapters

00:00 — Finding Her Voice as a Young Jew

05:39 — Why She Called the Book White. Blonde. Jew.

08:16 — The Stories That Almost Didn’t Make the Book

12:20 — Why Jewish Advocacy Has to Start Locally

15:16 — October 7, Israel, and the Cost of Speaking Out

19:03 — Rabbi Sacks, Responsibility, and Jewish Resilience

21:23 — BDS, Identity Politics, and the Battle Over Narratives

30:02 — Fighting Misinformation: The P.A.C.E. Method

32:12 — Audience Q&A: Hope, Young Jews, Listening, and Fighting Back

You can find the condensed transcript & summary of this episode and more episodes at 

https://thealgemeiner.substack.com/p/i-let-the-haters-title-the-book-alyssa?r=5m0oyd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

This episode of "The J100 Podcast" was produced by David Taragin.

Former Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum joins the J100 podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about Israel’s battle over global narratives, growing hostility toward Jewish students on Western campuses, the future of Diaspora Jewry, Netanyahu and Israeli politics, Haredi integration, Iran, women in leadership, and what separates genuine leadership from performance.

Recorded earlier at The Algemeiner’s New York offices.

00:00 — From Gibraltar to Jerusalem
07:05 — Entering Israeli Politics
15:03 — The Campus Crisis
20:32 — October 7 & Israel’s Narrative War
24:37 — Netanyahu & Israeli Leadership
27:23 — Campus Israel & the Diaspora
35:22 — Haredim, Women & Israeli Society
45:03 — Iran, Trump & the War
49:49 — Leadership, Listening & Building Bridges

You can find the condensed transcript & summary of this episode and more episodes at 

https://thealgemeiner.substack.com/p/israels-narrative-war-the-campus?r=5m0oyd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

This episode of "The J100 Podcast" was produced by David Taragin.

As the Jewish world marks 50 years since the raid on Entebbe, former Mossad officer, Israeli Air Force veteran, and psychologist Glenn Cohen joins J100 to discuss hostage rescue, ambiguous loss, trauma, resilience, and what it means to help survivors come home.

You can find the condensed transcript & summary of this episode and more episodes at 

 https://open.substack.com/pub/thealgemeiner/p/glenn-cohen-on-hostages-trauma-and?r=5m0oyd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

This episode of "The J100 Podcast" was produced by David Taragin.

Shopify President Harley Finkelstein discusses his family’s journey from persecution to prosperity, the mission behind Big Shot, the antisemitism that made him more publicly Jewish, and why AI may be ushering in a golden age of entrepreneurship.

Former U.S. Treasury Assistant Secretary Mitchell Silk joins J100 for an in-person conversation about his extraordinary path from working in Chinese restaurants as a teenager to becoming a senior American official involved in China trade negotiations, global finance, infrastructure, fintech, and CARES Act relief.

Silk reflects on his Hasidic identity, his grandfather’s influence, his years in Asia-focused law and finance, his work at the Treasury Department, the future of U.S.-China relations, Israel’s economic importance, antisemitism in financial markets, digital currency, and his new book A Seat at the Table.

Chapters

00:00 Israel, America, and Economic Opportunity

01:22 Introduction

04:04 From Chinese Restaurant to China Expert

10:09 Law School, China, and Early Career

15:00 Jewish Identity and Hasidic Roots

19:09 Being Observant in Big Law

22:35 Energy, Infrastructure, and Innovation

31:29 The Path to Treasury

37:48 U.S.-China Relations and Trade

46:29 Inside the Treasury Department

49:10 Israel, Fintech, and the Abraham Accords

50:46 U.S.-Israel Relations and Financial Antisemitism

55:24 Digital Currency and the U.S. Dollar

57:44 Why He Wrote A Seat at the Table

You can find the condensed transcript & summary of this episode and more episodes at 

https://open.substack.com/pub/thealgemeiner/p/from-chinese-restaurant-dishwasher?r=5m0oyd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

This episode of "The J100 Podcast" was produced by David Taragin.