Jew Oughta Know

By Jason Harris

What's Jew Oughta Know about?

From ancient history to current events, take yourself on a journey through the story of the Jewish People, from someone who has led hundreds of Jewish young professionals on trips throughout Israel. From the beginning of creation to modern Israel, each short episode is geared to appeal both to someone looking for the Jewish 101, as well as to those looking to go a bit beyond the basic story they already know. Check out the website at https://jewoughtaknow.com/. Enjoy!

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143. Current Events: West B...

03.01.2023

Why the sudden burst of horrific violence in the West Bank this week? Hamas is making a play to take over the West Bank, ratcheting up attacks on Israel. And Israeli settler extremists are emboldened by support from their government ...

Jew Oughta Know episodes:

03.01.2023 143. Current Events: West Bank Violence, Explained Why the sudden burst of horrific violence in the West Bank this week? Hamas is making a play to take over the West Bank, ratcheting up attacks on Israel. And Israeli settler extremists are emboldened by support from their government ...
02.23.2023 142. Current Events: Israel's Judicial Crisis Explained Why are hundreds of thousands of Israelis protesting in the streets? Why are global headlines screaming about the end of Israeli democracy? The country is griped by a profound crisis over the independence of its judicial system, as its ultra ...
11.06.2022 141. Current Events: Israeli Elections 2022 Israel just held its 5th election in 4 years, returning former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to power on a hard right-wing ticket. What's going on? It's a tug of war for Israel's soul between two opposing camps: Democratic Israel and ...
09.25.2022 140. Ten Philosophers: Mordecai Kaplan Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan redefined Judaism as an “evolving religious civilization” in need of reconstruction for the 20th century. He emphasized Jewish peoplehood, in all its complexity and diversity, as the central pillar of Jewish life and culture, and as the ...
09.18.2022 139. Ten Philosophers: The Baal Shem Tov Joy. Attachment. Intention. The Baal Shem Tov - Master of the Good Name - inspired millions of Jews in Eastern Europe by uniting ideas in mystical Judaism with daily life. He turbo-boosted Jewish identity with the notion that every individual ...
09.11.2022 138. Ten Philosophers: Baruch Spinoza Baruch Spinoza, it is said, wrote a book "forged from Hell by the Devil himself," rejecting 1600 years of medieval philosophy in favor of pure reason. He so angered the religious authorities that his Amsterdam Jewish community excommunicated him. He ...
08.28.2022 137. Ten Philosophers: Isaac Luria Isaac Luria is taking us into the realm of the visionary and mysterious. We’re looking into the role of kabbalah — mystical Judaism — in our everyday lives. How can an infinite God create our finite universe? How can we ...
08.21.2022 136. Ten Philosophers: Maimonides Maimonides says that you might be perplexed. Your intellect tells you that the stories in the Hebrew Bible can’t be scientifically true, but your faith tells you that they are. Maimonides is here to help! He revolutionized Judaism — from ...
08.07.2022 135. Ten Philosophers: Judah HaLevi In 1141 CE, Judah HaLevi mysteriously disappeared on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, giving rise to legends about the scholar who became Judaism's most celebrated poet. He wrote the Kuzari, a stirring defense of the Jewish faith at a time when ...
07.24.2022 134. Ten Philosophers: Saadia Gaon Saadia Gaon single-handedly saved Judaism from splitting apart in the 10th century. He was the first great Jewish medieval philosopher and the spiritual father of Judeo-Arabic culture, defending Rabbinic Judaism against sectarianism and insisting that reason and revelation together seek ...
07.11.2022 133. Ten Philosophers: Rabbi Akiva Rabbi Akiva — just about the greatest sage of them all. War between Romans and Jews set his destiny in both life and death. Compassionate, humble, and brilliant, he was martyred by the Romans for daring to teach Torah when ...
06.26.2022 132. Ten Philosophers: Philo of Alexandria Philo of Alexandria straddled both the Greek and Jewish worlds. He sought to harmonize Greek philosophy's emphasis on reason with the idea of religious revelation. In doing so, he set forth a philosophical approach to the Hebrew Bible that persisted ...
06.19.2022 131. Ten Philosophers: Hillel the Elder Starting off Season 6 with one of the all-time greatest Jewish thinkers: Hillel the Elder, from the 1st century BCE. The sage who summarized the entirety of the Torah while standing on one foot, Hillel's wisdom was preserved by his ...
10.31.2021 130. TFTYOS: Back to the Beginning Season Finale. What does it mean to be an Israelite? A Jew? A Hebrew?
10.17.2021 129. TFTYOS: Who Wrote the Bible? Who wrote the Hebrew Bible, when, and how? Boiling a huge topic down to the basics: a thousand-year long literary tradition built by authors across the centuries, compiling story after story to arrive at what we have today.
10.03.2021 128. TFTYOS: The Birth of Judaism Amidst weeping and rejoicing, the priest-scribe Ezra reads from the Scroll of Teaching before all the people gathered in Jerusalem. The governor Nehemiah records the moment that Judaism burst onto the scene, as the glory of Jerusalem was restored in ...
09.26.2021 127. TFTYOS: The Babylonian Exile: Return King Cyrus the Great of Persia sacks Babylon and frees the Jews from their captivity. Now what? Some exiles return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple, but find that it isn't quite so easy to reintegrate with their fellow Israelites. ...
09.19.2021 126. TFTYOS: The Babylonian Exile: Creativity The exile in Babylon upended the essential pillars of Israelite religion: king, god, temple, and land. The Israelites responded with immense theological creativity, reimagining these core tenets to preserve their ethnic identity. Prophets, priests, and scribes wrote new ideas and ...
08.29.2021 125. TFTYOS: The Babylonian Exile: Crisis The People of Israel began the Babylonian exile as Israelites and emerged as Jews. How? By responding to the greatest crisis in their history with an explosion of religious creativity and innovation that morphed into monotheism. Today we’re delving into ...
08.22.2021 124. TFTYOS: The Lost Book While repairing the Temple in Jerusalem, King Josiah’s high priest, Hilkiah, found a (supposedly) long lost ancient scroll of teaching. This law book, called torah, legitimized Josiah’s religious reforms. But was this book really found…or did someone close to Josiah ...
08.16.2021 123. TFTYOS: A Tale of Two Kings Where is hell? Ask King Manasseh, perhaps the single worst king in Israelite history. Thankfully he was succeeded by his grandson, Josiah, one of the absolute best.
08.09.2021 122. TFTYOS: Hezekiah's Hinge Moment King Hezekiah was one of the most beloved kings of Israel, despite a rocky reign that saw the Assyrians take most of Judah. Hezekiah built up Jerusalem (many of his works can still be seen today, including a tunnel under ...
08.01.2021 121. TFTYOS: The Fall of Israel After two hundred years, the Kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrians in 720 BCE. The prophet Amos blames it on social injustice -- the capture of wealth by the rich neglected the poor, violating the covenant with God. The ...
07.25.2021 120. Evil Queens, Hapless Kings, and a Prophet Who Doesn't Die Introducing the prophets! We start with Elijah, the prophet who appears at Passover every year but never actually died. He goes up against the evil queen Jezebel and her husband, Ahab, King of Israel.
07.18.2021 119. TFTYOS: The Split Shortly after King Solomon's death, in 931 BCE, the United Monarchy split into two separate Israelite states: the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. The king of Judah threatened to flog the people with scorpions, while the king ...
07.11.2021 118. TFTYOS: The Glory and Fall of King Solomon The reign of King Solomon was the golden era of the United Monarchy. He built the most important structure in Jewish history: the Temple in Jerusalem. Despite his achievements, he also fell into disfavor with God for his idolatrous practices.
06.23.2021 117. Current Events: The Siege of Balfour Last week saw an historic upheaval in Israeli politics as Benjamin Netanyahu was ousted from power after 12 years as Prime Minister, replaced by the most diverse government in Israeli history. What happened? Who are the big players now? What's ...
06.13.2021 116. TFTYOS: Why Jerusalem? How did Jerusalem become the holy city of Judaism? In about 1000 BCE King David set up his royal palace in this small Canaanite city and turned it into the capital of the Israelite people. It was a major achievement ...
06.03.2021 115. Current Events: Roadblocks What’s the deal with Israeli settlements? A look at how the settlements began, why they were built, and why they remain. It’s the great paradox: the Occupation is necessary for Israel’s security but detrimental for its future as a Jewish ...
05.23.2021 114. TFTYOS: The Men Who Would Be King The Israelites demand a king. Was this a sign of failure or success? The prophet Samuel warns against it, but Saul becomes the first king of Israel. He soon faces a rival in David, the greatest king in all of ...
05.21.2021 113: Current Events: The Power Imbalance Is this a fair fight? This week we're pushing back against the charges that because Israel holds all the power, its attacks on Gaza are unjust.
05.16.2021 112. TFTYOS: The Era of the Judges For two hundred years the Israelites relied on judges for leadership, not kings. This era offers a powerful role for women and some of the oldest stories that make it into the Hebrew Bible.
05.13.2021 111. Current Events: Sheik Jarrah, Jerusalem, Hamas Fighting erupted on multiple fronts this week between Israelis, Palestinians, and Arab-Israelis. What's going on? Go beyond the headlines and social media hot takes for an in-depth look at why this is all happening now.
05.09.2021 110. TFTYOS: The Covenant Where does the name Yahweh come from? Who got to be considered an Israelite? How can we understand the sacred bond between God and the People of Israel that forms the bedrock of Judaism today?
04.25.2021 109. TFTYOS: The Hitchhiking God How did monotheism start? The Israelites worshipped a national god named Yahweh — the same god that Jews worship today. But where did Yahweh come from? How did the Israelites meet him? And was he their only god?
04.18.2021 108: TFTYOS: Conquest or Settlement? How did the Israelites end up in Canaan (modern day Israel)? In the Hebrew Bible the Israelites claim to have taken Canaan through military conquest. But the historical record says that’s doubtful. So what happened?
04.11.2021 107: TFTYOS: Did the Exodus From Egypt Ever Really Happen? It’s the most famous event of Jewish history: the exodus from Egypt of millions of Israelite slaves, thanks to the power of their God and the prophet Moses. But did it ever really happen?
04.05.2021 106. TFTYOS: Princes of Egypt Egypt ruled Canaan…until it didn’t. With empires collapsing all over the Mediterranean region, new peoples suddenly had the space to emerge. Like the Israelites. But also their arch-nemeses, the Philistines.
03.28.2021 105. TFTYOS: The Flood Stories of Mesopotamia Noah and the Flood, the origins of Abraham and Sarah, and the laws of the Book of Exodus, are just a few examples of how deeply influenced the Israelites were by Mesopotamian culture and ideas, which came from the east ...
03.21.2021 104: TFTYOS: A Rift In the World Kicking off Season 5: The First Thousand Years Or So! This episode we’re looking at how the land of Israel was formed millions of years ago, the early humans who lived there, and why the building of a simple stone ...
09.27.2020 103. Israel 1948-1967: The Israeli Dream Season 4 Finale. The miracle that was the creation of Israel is threatened by a recession, cultural fault lines, and a deep sense of gloom. As a terrifying war looms, Israelis are left considering whether the Israeli dream might be ...
09.13.2020 102. Israel 1948-1967: The Waiting Period For three weeks, known as "hamtanah," Israelis waited as military, diplomatic, and political forces drove them towards war with the Arabs.
08.30.2020 101. Israel 1948-1967: Israel & America A short primer on Israel's relationship with American Jews and America's presidents in the 1950s and 1960s. Ben Gurion and American Jewry have a little argument, while Kennedy and Johnson develop better relations with the Jewish State.
08.24.2020 100. Israel 1948-1967: Meet Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat starts Fatah, a Palestinian militia, to attack Israel. The Arab countries form the Palestinian Liberation Organization (the PLO) to counter Fatah's influence. And Israel finds itself facing a familiar conundrum: what to do about terrorism? A retaliation operation ...
08.16.2020 99. Current Events: Israel-UAE Peace Deal On August 13, 2020, Israel and the United Arab Emirates announced a peace agreement. This is only the third time an Arab country has made peace with Israel. Here's what you oughta know!
08.16.2020 98. Israel 1948-1967: The Spies From stealing fighter jets to stealing secrets, Israel's spies are the stuff of legend. Some ended in triumph, and others tragedy. They all played a critical role in Israel's security during the 1960s.
08.09.2020 97. Israel 1948-1967: Water, Water! Israel’s innovations in water use spread around the world, helping to lift millions out of poverty and famine. The National Water Carrier brought water to every corner of the country. But water was also a source of conflict with its ...
07.13.2020 96. Israel 1948-1967: The Events of Wadi Salib The police shot an unarmed member of a discriminated group, riots followed, and a social change movement spread throughout the country. Not the United States in 2020, but Israel in 1959. In the ongoing miracle that was Israel, the Mizrahi ...
07.05.2020 95. Israel 1948-1967: The Teenage Years Hebrew, the kibbutz, the military, and politics were achieving big things and undergoing big changes, as Israel entered its teenage years in the 1960s. And David Ben Gurion, the man who personified the Jewish State, made a huge decision.
06.29.2020 94. Current Events: Are Jews White? Are Jews “white” here in America? The extreme right says no, the radical left yes. The American Jewish experience has been multifaceted. And there are Jews of Color.

Older episodes

Jew Oughta Know

What's Jew Oughta Know about?

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Jew Oughta Know episodes:

143. Current Events: West Bank Violence, Explained

142. Current Events: Israel's Judicial Crisis Explained

141. Current Events: Israeli Elections 2022

140. Ten Philosophers: Mordecai Kaplan

139. Ten Philosophers: The Baal Shem Tov

138. Ten Philosophers: Baruch Spinoza

137. Ten Philosophers: Isaac Luria

136. Ten Philosophers: Maimonides

135. Ten Philosophers: Judah HaLevi

134. Ten Philosophers: Saadia Gaon

133. Ten Philosophers: Rabbi Akiva

132. Ten Philosophers: Philo of Alexandria

131. Ten Philosophers: Hillel the Elder

130. TFTYOS: Back to the Beginning

129. TFTYOS: Who Wrote the Bible?

128. TFTYOS: The Birth of Judaism

127. TFTYOS: The Babylonian Exile: Return

126. TFTYOS: The Babylonian Exile: Creativity

125. TFTYOS: The Babylonian Exile: Crisis

124. TFTYOS: The Lost Book

123. TFTYOS: A Tale of Two Kings

122. TFTYOS: Hezekiah's Hinge Moment

121. TFTYOS: The Fall of Israel

120. Evil Queens, Hapless Kings, and a Prophet Who Doesn't Die

119. TFTYOS: The Split

118. TFTYOS: The Glory and Fall of King Solomon

117. Current Events: The Siege of Balfour

116. TFTYOS: Why Jerusalem?

115. Current Events: Roadblocks

114. TFTYOS: The Men Who Would Be King

113: Current Events: The Power Imbalance

112. TFTYOS: The Era of the Judges

111. Current Events: Sheik Jarrah, Jerusalem, Hamas

110. TFTYOS: The Covenant

109. TFTYOS: The Hitchhiking God

108: TFTYOS: Conquest or Settlement?

107: TFTYOS: Did the Exodus From Egypt Ever Really Happen?

106. TFTYOS: Princes of Egypt

105. TFTYOS: The Flood Stories of Mesopotamia

104: TFTYOS: A Rift In the World

103. Israel 1948-1967: The Israeli Dream

102. Israel 1948-1967: The Waiting Period

101. Israel 1948-1967: Israel & America

100. Israel 1948-1967: Meet Yasser Arafat

99. Current Events: Israel-UAE Peace Deal

98. Israel 1948-1967: The Spies

97. Israel 1948-1967: Water, Water!

96. Israel 1948-1967: The Events of Wadi Salib

95. Israel 1948-1967: The Teenage Years

94. Current Events: Are Jews White?