The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut

Over the summer, Jewish Federations joined with many other organizations to urge universities to make some changes in order to prepare for the onslaught we knew would be coming in the fall. While we’re happy to report that we’ve made some significant progress. there is still so much more work to be done, and unacceptable levels of vitriol and harassment of Jewish students. 

Earlier this month, at the University of Washington, we saw one of the ugliest versions of this phenomenon in play when a group of leaders speaking up about antisemitism–not Israel or Gaza, but antisemitism–were shouted down and forced to evacuate for their own safety. 

One of those leaders was Solly Kane, the President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, and Lauren Steinberg, Managing Director of Civic Engagement here at Jewish Federations of North America, who is taking the lead on the college campus issue. In this episode, we discuss what's happening on campuses, what's working, and what's not in the fight against campus antisemitism, as well as how it affects the broader community.

Read Washington Gov. Jay Inslee's full letter in response to calls for him to speak out about what happened at University of Washington. 

To get involved, sign up for General Assembly Nov 10-12 at https://generalassembly.org/.

"The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut," is brought to you by Jewish Federations on North America, the backbone of the North American Jewish community, representing over 350 communities across North America. Find out how you can get involved or donate to your local Federation at www.jewishfederations.org.

Have something to say about the show? Email us at [email protected].

Executive Produced by Niv Elis. Produced by Charlie Freedman.

Last month, a delegation of North American Jewish leaders quietly arrived in Kyiv for a first-of-its-kind mission to take stock of the war and its effects on the Jewish community. During that trip, the group was granted a last-minute audience with Ukraine's (Jewish) president Volodymyr Zelensky. In this episode, we discuss what happened in that meeting and talk to Ukrainians on the ground about how their community is powering through these uncertain and difficult days.

We hear from Eli Buzunov, the American Joint Distribution Committee's (JDC) Missions Coordinator in Ukraine, and Keith Shapiro, a Chicago-based Federation activist who has helped lead the charge on the issue.

"The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut," is brought to you by Jewish Federations on North America, the backbone of the North American Jewish community, representing over 350 communities across North America. Find out how you can get involved or donate to your local Federation at www.jewishfederations.org.

Have something to say about the show? Email us at [email protected].

Executive Produced by Niv Elis. Produced by Charlie Freedman.

TikTok has an antisemitism problem. One study found that people who use TikTok for 30 minutes or more daily are 17% more likely to hold antisemitic or anti-Israel views, compared with 6% for Instagram and 2% for X (formerly Twitter). In late January, TikTok's top government relations professional in Israel Barak Herscowitz resigned in protest, alleging antisemitism on the social network's platform. In the latest episode of "The Glue," Herscowitz tells Jewish Federations of North America President and CEO Eric Fingerhut about what he saw that led him to that decision. 

"The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut," is brought to you by Jewish Federations on North America, the backbone of the North American Jewish community, representing over 350 communities across North America. Find out how you can get involved or donate to your local Federation at www.jewishfederations.org.

Have something to say about the show? Email us at [email protected].

Executive Produced by Niv Elis. Produced by Charlie Freedman.

Congressman Ritchie Torres, who built his career on progressive causes, has proven to be one of the most vocally pro-Israel members of Congress while also managing to be a unifying figure, building bridges between and among his diverse constituencies.

In this episode of The Glue, we talk to Torres about  shoring up ties between the Black and Jewish communities, how we should think about DEI in an age of rampant antisemitism on college campuses, and how social media networks such as TikTok are fueling hatred and driving wedges between us. 

"The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut," is brought to you by Jewish Federations on North America, the backbone of the North American Jewish community, representing over 350 communities across North America. Find out how you can get involved or donate to your local Federation at www.jewishfederations.org.

Have something to say about the show? Email us at [email protected].

Executive Produced by Niv Elis. Produced by Charlie Freedman.

In this episode, Jewish Federations of North America President Eric Fingerhut discusses how the March for Israel came together with William Daroff, who heads the Conference of American Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The Cleveland Crew is joined by Erika Rudin-Luria of Cleveland's Jewish Federation to explore what drove so many people to show up, the obstacles they faced, what this moment in American history means, and how it all affects Israel going forward.

"The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut," is brought to you by Jewish Federations on North America, the backbone of the North American Jewish community, representing over 350 communities across North America. Find out how you can get involved or donate to your local Federation at www.jewishfederations.org.

Have something to say about the show? Email us at [email protected].

Executive Produced by Niv Elis. 

Produced by Mary Rose Madden, maryrosemadden.journoportfolio.com.

"The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut," is brought to you by Jewish Federations on North America, the backbone of the North American Jewish community, representing over 350 communities across North America. Find out how you can get involved or donate to your local Federation at www.jewishfederations.org.

Have something to say about the show? Email us at [email protected].

Executive Produced by Niv Elis. Produced by Charlie Freedman.

In this episode, Eric speaks to two incredible colleagues working on the ground in Israel: Rebecca Caspi, Director-General of Israel and Overseas, Jewish Federations of North America, and Aaron J. Goldberg, Director, Israel Office, The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, to get their insight into the communal response to the horrific Hamas attack on Israel.

"The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut," is brought to you by Jewish Federations on North America, the backbone of the North American Jewish community, representing over 350 communities across North America. Find out how you can get involved or donate to your local Federation at www.jewishfederations.org.

Have something to say about the show? Email us at [email protected].

Executive Produced by Niv Elis. 

Produced by Mary Rose Madden, maryrosemadden.journoportfolio.com.

"The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut," is brought to you by Jewish Federations on North America, the backbone of the North American Jewish community, representing over 350 communities across North America. Find out how you can get involved or donate to your local Federation at www.jewishfederations.org.

Have something to say about the show? Email us at [email protected].

Executive Produced by Niv Elis. Produced by Charlie Freedman.

In this episode, we speak to New York Times opinion writer Jessica Grose about her fascinating 5-part series exploring how Americans are moving away from religion. and what it means for society.

Study after study shows the rise of "nones," people who identify as having no religion. But there's also a plethora of evidence that religion plays a special role in community building. Eric and guest host Rabbi Daniel Septimus, the CEO of Austin's Federation Shalom Austin, explore with Grose what's behind the trends and how communities can adapt.

Read Grose's full series here.

"The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut," is brought to you by Jewish Federations on North America, the backbone of the North American Jewish community, representing over 350 communities across North America. Find out how you can get involved or donate to your local Federation at www.jewishfederations.org.

Have something to say about the show? Email us at [email protected].

Executive Produced by Niv Elis. 

Produced by Mary Rose Madden, maryrosemadden.journoportfolio.com.

"The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut," is brought to you by Jewish Federations on North America, the backbone of the North American Jewish community, representing over 350 communities across North America. Find out how you can get involved or donate to your local Federation at www.jewishfederations.org.

Have something to say about the show? Email us at [email protected].

Executive Produced by Niv Elis. Produced by Charlie Freedman.

As one of the lead negotiators for President Isaac Herzog's team in the talks over judicial reforms, Yaniv Cohen had a front row seat to the discussions between government and opposition on the future of Israel's democracy.

Cohen, who is Founder and Chairman of Tachlith (The Israeli Institute for Public Policy), breaks down the challenges Israel's society faces, how the controversy may play out, and why he's optimistic despite the extreme polarization the reforms have brought about.

"The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut," is brought to you by Jewish Federations on North America, the backbone of the North American Jewish community, representing over 350 communities across North America. Find out how you can get involved or donate to your local Federation at www.jewishfederations.org.

Have something to say about the show? Email us at [email protected].

Executive Produced by Niv Elis. 

Produced by Mary Rose Madden, maryrosemadden.journoportfolio.com.

"The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut," is brought to you by Jewish Federations on North America, the backbone of the North American Jewish community, representing over 350 communities across North America. Find out how you can get involved or donate to your local Federation at www.jewishfederations.org.

Have something to say about the show? Email us at [email protected].

Executive Produced by Niv Elis. Produced by Charlie Freedman.

As editor-in-chief of Buzzfeed News and the media critic for the New York Times, Ben Smith had a front row seat to (and a significant role in) the social media-zation of news media. On this episode of “The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut,” Eric and Ben discuss what went wrong, how our fragmented media and social media landscapes pull communities apart and fuel hate, and what we can do about it. Guest Host Karen Elam, who heads the Levine Center to End Hate for the Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester, brings her perspective on how to push back against these trends.

"The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut," is brought to you by Jewish Federations on North America, the backbone of the North American Jewish community, representing over 350 communities across North America. Find out how you can get involved or donate to your local Federation at www.jewishfederations.org.

Executive Produced by Niv Elis. 

Produced by Mary Rose Madden, maryrosemadden.journoportfolio.com.

"The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut," is brought to you by Jewish Federations on North America, the backbone of the North American Jewish community, representing over 350 communities across North America. Find out how you can get involved or donate to your local Federation at www.jewishfederations.org.

Have something to say about the show? Email us at [email protected].

Executive Produced by Niv Elis. Produced by Charlie Freedman.

It's been nearly five years since the deadliest antisemitc attack in US history, the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh. As the trial of the shooter is set to begin, we sit down with Jeff Finkelstein, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, and Maggie Feinstein, director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership, to learn how the community has held together in the face of a horrific trauma, ask whether increased security presence is more comforting or unsettling, and delve into how communities can make themselves more resilient.  

"The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut," is brought to you by Jewish Federations on North America, the backbone of the North American Jewish community, representing over 350 communities across North America. Find out how you can get involved or donate to your local Federation at www.jewishfederations.org. 

Executive Produced by Niv Elis .

Produced by Mary Rose Madden, maryrosemadden.journoportfolio.com.

"The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut," is brought to you by Jewish Federations on North America, the backbone of the North American Jewish community, representing over 350 communities across North America. Find out how you can get involved or donate to your local Federation at www.jewishfederations.org.

Have something to say about the show? Email us at [email protected].

Executive Produced by Niv Elis. Produced by Charlie Freedman.