Jewish Contrarians - formerly SpeechCast

In this episode of Jewish Contrarians David and Brandy discusses the book by Dmitri Shufutinsky - Jew Jitsu: Turning Our Enemies' Arguments Against Them

David and Brandy discussed the decline in education standards, the politicization of schools, the potential harm of certain teaching methods, and the infiltration of radical ideologies into the education system. They discussed the importance of educating parents and teachers about these ideologies and the need for long-term effort to reverse the current dynamics.

As we prepare to send our kids back to school, we know that they will likely face continuing antisemitism. Join us as we discuss what has been happening in K12 districts and teacher unions over the summer and find out how we can prepare for the upcoming school year.

David Bernstein and Bar Ilan University professor of English literature William Kolbrener discuss Kolbrener's PhD alma mater, Columbia, and other subjects.

David and Brandy are back after a short hiatus traveling. They are joined by JILV's Director of Partnership Development, Rabbi Mark Cohn, to discuss whether guests who actively oppose the existence of Israel would disrupt the purpose of the Seder or enhance it.

Fern Oppenheim, cofounder of the Brand Israel Group, joins David and Brandy about her recent analysis of data pertaining to young people's attitudes toward Israel and Hamas.

David and Brandy discuss how many Jews feel unrepresented by the traditional Jewish community organizations. They explore how many Jews feel underrepresented by traditional communal bodies and discuss the critical need for these organizations to reassess their alignment with progressive politics.

The podcast speaks with Rabbi Jeff Salkin the author of "Tikkun Ha'am / Repairing Our People: Israel and the Crisis of Liberal Judaism." We discuss the role of faith in challenging society and the reframing needed in our Liberal Jewish institutions.