Think Twice with Jonathan Tobin

Author and commentator Liel Liebovitz joins JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin to talk about whether Jews are white, the right Jewish answer to anti-Semitism and the disconnect between Israelis and Americans.

The two discuss the impact of critical race theory and ideas about white privilege on the way Americans think about the Middle East. They also talk about the revival of Jewish traditions in unfamiliar settings, the essential Jewishness of Stan Lee and Leonard Cohen, the spiritual dimension of video games and what Israelis and Americans don’t understand about each other.

Historian and author Gil Troy joins JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin to talk about how toxic theories about the past are fueling anti-Semitism and undermining Jewish identity and support for Israel.

The two discuss how partisanship has given a pass to the spread of destructive ideas like critical race theory and intersectionality and how such ideologies give a permission slip to anti-Semitism. They also speak about how battles over history are impacting Jewish identity in the United States and ties with Israel and the role that Zionism and important stories – such as that of Natan Sharansky — should play in Jewish life.

In this week’s episode, the Tikvah Fund head and foreign-policy veteran of the Reagan, Bush and Trump administrations joins JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin to talk diplomacy, democracy and the future of American Jewry.

The two discuss President Joe Biden’s strategies and his attempt to get closer to Iran and the Palestinians, the foreign-policy establishment in the Trump administration and the greatest threats to the American Jewish community.

In this week’s episode of Top Story, Fox News contributor and former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer joins JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin to talk about the politics of support for Israel.

They analyze the way the two political parties have changed in their attitudes toward Israel and what, if anything, can be done to restore a bipartisan consensus on the Middle East. In addition, they delve into what's behind a surge in anti-Semitism and how to fix a dysfunctional American political culture. This is an episode you don't want to miss!

In this week’s episode of “Top Story,” JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin is joined by Shoshana Bryen, Senior Director of the Jewish Policy Center and editor of inFOCUS Quarterly. They discuss what to expect from the Biden administration’s efforts to reinstate the Iran nuclear deal and its approach to the Middle East as well as why efforts to appease the Islamist regime and the Palestinians won’t advance peace or American interests.

In Episode 6 of “Top Story With Jonathan Tobin,” JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin discusses the swearing-in of Israel’s new government and the ousting of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He asks whether it can survive and what it will mean if it does.

In Episode 5 of “Top Story With Jonathan Tobin,” JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin is joined by columnist Melanie Phillips.

Together they discuss the recent surge in anti-Semitism and examine the way that radical ideas like critical race theory and the demonization of Israel by leftist elites and Islamist groups have facilitated Jew-hatred in both Britain and the United States.

In episode 4 of “Top Story With Jonathan Tobin,” JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin is joined by JNS Jerusalem bureau chief Alex Traiman to discuss the possible end of the Netanyahu era as rivals Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid close in on a coalition agreement that will end the prime minister’s time in office. They consider the implications of a new government on Israel and the U.S.-Israel relationship as well.

In Episode 3 of “Top Story,” JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin is joined by columnist and editor Ruthie Blum who discusses the way smearing Israel legitimizes anti-Semitism and Hamas. They analyze the way the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and the associated ideologies of critical race theory and intersectionalism have given a permission slip for anti-Semitism and the demonization of Israel, especially in the aftermath of the latest conflict with Hamas terrorists.

In this week’s episode of “Top Story with Jonathan Tobin,” the editor-in-chief of JNS explores reasons for the protests against Israel involving a controversial court case and the status of Jerusalem, as well as the way some in the Democratic Party have adopted a false narrative about the Jewish state oppressing Palestinians. He explains why in this story, as in so many others, understanding history and what it means matters if you want to get to the truth.