Chosen People Problems

What does a room full of Jewish women making Challah have to do with the midterm elections? Journalist, political commentator Mary Katharine Ham joins Yael and ChayaLeah to discuss that along with pearls of wisdom about life-changing events from October 7th, to 9/11 to surviving unimaginable loss.

Mary Katharine shares how she rebuilt her life after her husband's sudden death—and offers some refreshingly practical advice for getting through the darkest moments (hint - drink more water than wine).

Then it's on to American politics, where the election forecasts are anyone's guess, and a spirited discussion of why evangelical support for Israel matters.

Then the hosts turn their attention to the Elizabeth Holmes movie, a must-see film where you hate everyone.

In this episode:

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October 7th, 9/11, and the dates that divide life into before and after

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True power - a room full of Jewish women making challah

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Mary Katharine on grief, resilience, and practical advice

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The folks at ChayaLeah’s gym trying to get her to accept Jesus

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Don’t get your Exodus story from a cartoon

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Why the midterm polls might be wrong, the map is weird, and democracy refuses to cooperate with pundits

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What the Michigan race could mean for the future of the Democratic Party

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The Elizabeth Holmes movie: a cast of deeply untrustworthy people, spoiler alerts and can we even trust the babies?

Listen to Mary Katharine’s podcasts, Getting Hammered and Normally.

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This episode is sponsored by RootOne, which helps thousands of Jewish teens travel to Israel every year. Visithttps://rootone.org/https://rootone.org/ to learn more.

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Sign up to Ark+ to get access to exclusive episodes and ad-free listening to Chosen People Problems and every show in the Ark Media Network: Sign up at http://arkmedia.org/subscribe

Do you have something you want to ask us? Don’t worry, we won’t judge you. Submit your questions at: http://arkmedia.org/ask/cpp

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More Ark Media:

•

Listen to: Call Me Back

•

Listen to: Ark News Daily

•

Listen to: For Heaven Sake

•

Listen to: Chosen People Problems

•

Sign up for our weekly Newsletter

Follow us on social: Facebook I Instagram I X I TikTok

Continue the conversation on THE FOLD, our private moderated community for Ark Media listeners. The Fold is where you can dig into all of the issues Jews around the world are facing. There you can ask questions, hear other takes, keep talking about it with people who care as much as you do. Learn more and join us at http://arkmedia.org/subscribe

Credits: Beth Pearlman, Mindy Schaper, Ava Weiner, Andrej Todorovski, Martin Huergo, Karina Logiohio, and Ignacio Herbojo.

What happened to the era of politicians who could command respect—even from people who disagreed with them?

We’re joined by our friend Eli Lake to talk about the Bush political dynasty, the changing Republican Party, and why the people who once seemed like political punchlines look a little different in retrospect. Then things get more complicated: antisemitism, the rise of the new right, and what Jews should do when someone says something outrageous about Israel.

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The Bushes: bumbling political relics, or leaders we didn’t appreciate?

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Whatever happened to public service?

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The new right has some explaining to do - we’re looking at you Marco Rubio, JD Vance, Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes and Candace Owens

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When to argue and when to cancel someone with a controversial opinion

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Anti-Israel Jews who finally discover antisemitism firsthand.

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Why Israel’s October 7 generation give us hope

And then we ask the burning question about the new New York chic is dressing like Hasidic girls.

Listen to Eli’s podcast Breaking History.

https://www.thefp.com/listen/breaking-history

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Sign up to Ark+ to get access to exclusive episodes and ad-free listening to Chosen People Problems and every show in the Ark Media Network: Sign up at http://arkmedia.org/subscribe

Do you have something you want to ask us? Don’t worry, we won’t judge you. Submit your questions at: http://arkmedia.org/ask/cpp

____

More Ark Media:

•

Listen to: Call Me Back

•

Listen to: Ark News Daily

•

Listen to: For Heaven Sake

•

Listen to: Chosen People Problems

•

Sign up for our weekly Newsletter

Follow us on social: Facebook I Instagram I X I TikTok

Continue the conversation on THE FOLD, our private moderated community for Ark Media listeners. The Fold is where you can dig into all of the issues Jews around the world are facing. There you can ask questions, hear other takes, keep talking about it with people who care as much as you do. Learn more and join us at http://arkmedia.org/subscribe

Credits: Beth Pearlman, Mindy Schaper, Ava Weiner, Andrej Todorovski, Martin Huergo, Karina Logiohio, and Ignacio Herbojo.

You think American politics are complicated? Israeli elections are so confusing, even the people explaining them aren’t sure anyone’s going to win.

So we brought in two of Israel’s leading political journalists, Amit Segal and Nadav Eyal, both Call Me Back contributors, to help us make sense of the mess. We also found time to investigate Golda Meir’s love life and chat about ChayaLeah’s son’s wedding.

We get into:

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Is Netanyahu actually losing—or is everyone about to lose their minds for nothing?

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Could Israel really end up voting again just a few months later?

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Should American Israelis get on a plane to vote in an election that might determine the country’s future? And what if they live in California and just want a tax break?

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Is the fight over Haredi military service really about the army?

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Could Netanyahu ditch his far-right allies, or are they in a political marriage that even he can’t escape?

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Are Israelis paying enough attention to the country’s rapidly deteriorating relationship with the rest of the world?

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And finally: was Golda Meir having an affair? We ask the important questions.

Plus, after our guests leave, we discuss France’s riots, the safety of French Jews, and why Yael thinks moving to Israel might be good for both the Jews and the real estate market.

Read Amit’s newsletter, The Scourge of Settler Violence and Its Discontents.

Read Nadav’s newsletter, The Israeli Election is About October 7, After All

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Sign up to Ark+ to get access to exclusive episodes and ad-free listening to Chosen People Problems and every show in the Ark Media Network: Sign up at http://arkmedia.org/subscribe

Do you have something you want to ask us? Don’t worry, we won’t judge you. Submit your questions at: http://arkmedia.org/ask/cpp

____

More Ark Media:

•

Listen to: Call Me Back

•

Listen to: Ark News Daily

•

Listen to: For Heaven Sake

•

Listen to: Chosen People Problems

•

Sign up for our weekly Newsletter

Follow us on social: Facebook I Instagram I X I TikTok

Continue the conversation on THE FOLD, our private moderated community for Ark Media listeners. The Fold is where you can dig into all of the issues Jews around the world are facing. There you can ask questions, hear other takes, keep talking about it with people who care as much as you do. Learn more and join us at http://arkmedia.org/subscribe

Credits: Beth Pearlman, Mindy Schaper, Ava Weiner, Andrej Todorovski, Martin Huergo, Karina Logiohio, and Ignacio Herbojo.

You know the Righteous Among the Nations Michael Moynihan from the Fifth Column Podcast, The Free Press, Vice, Bill Maher, his show “The Moynihan Report”, but most importantly - he is a dear friend of the Jews and our emotional support guest. He is our favorite person to discuss the media landscape, the state of Europe, why having a podcast is better than being a father, and why he spends his days looking for antisemitic quotes in books from 100 years ago.

Also, we say something mean about John Cusack.

Also listen to Michael on:

The Moynihan Report. https://www.themoynihan.report/

The Fifth Column. https://www.wethefifth.com/

In this episode:

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Michael Moynihan: emotional support guest and Amazon Prime detective

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How the Fifth Column accidentally created an entire podcast community

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Mamdani sucks more than you think.

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Why does everyone suddenly have a PhD in Israel-Gaza?

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What’s really behind the student strikes in France?

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How conspiracy theories can fall apart

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How podcasts filled an unexpected need

•

Saving people one insane internet rabbit hole at a time

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Sign up to Ark+ to get access to exclusive episodes and ad-free listening to Chosen People Problems and every show in the Ark Media Network: Sign up at http://arkmedia.org/subscribe

Do you have something you want to ask us? Don’t worry, we won’t judge you. Submit your questions at: http://arkmedia.org/ask/cpp

____

More Ark Media:

•

Listen to: Call Me Back

•

Listen to: Ark News Daily

•

Listen to: For Heaven Sake

•

Listen to: Chosen People Problems

•

Sign up for our weekly Newsletter

Follow us on social: Facebook I Instagram I X I TikTok

Continue the conversation on THE FOLD, our private moderated community for Ark Media listeners. The Fold is where you can dig into all of the issues Jews around the world are facing. There you can ask questions, hear other takes, keep talking about it with people who care as much as you do. Learn more and join us at http://arkmedia.org/subscribe

Credits: Beth Pearlman, Mindy Schaper, Ava Weiner, Andrej Todorovski, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, Karina Logiohio, Leonardo Erhardt, and Ignacio Herbojo

Today we are joined by some guy named Dan Senor for a wide-ranging Ask Me Anything. We tackle questions about the state of Jewish education, why we should stop calling everyone an antisemite, how Fauda is shaping perceptions of Israel globally, and what the rise of the European right means for Israel and Jews abroad, beyond Eurovision votes.

In this episode:

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What American Hebrew school gets wrong

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Why anti-Zionism is resonating with young Americans

•

Will the language around “genocide” and anti-Zionism eventually change?

•

Why Fauda succeeds in telling Israeli stories better than non-fiction means

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What the rise of the European right-wing means for Israel and European Jews

•

Dan lets Yael talk about Eurovision for longer than necessary

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The unlikely allies Israel may need to turn to

•

Which American presidential candidates could effectively navigate Israeli issues

•

What the 2026 midterms might reveal about the Democratic Party’s direction

Read the article discussed in the episode.
https://www.thefp.com/p/douglas-murray-afd-election-far-right-immigration-merkel

This episode is free, but to access future Ask Me Anything episodes from Call Me Back as well as ad-free listening, sign up at http://arkmedia.org/subscribe.

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More Ark Media:

•

Listen to: Call Me Back

•

Listen to: Ark News Daily

•

Listen to: For Heaven Sake

•

Listen to: Chosen People Problems

•

Sign up for our weekly Newsletter

Follow us on social: Facebook I Instagram I X I TikTok

Continue the conversation on THE FOLD, our private moderated community for Ark Media listeners. The Fold is where you can dig into all of the issues Jews around the world are facing. There you can ask questions, hear other takes, keep talking about it with people who care as much as you do. Learn more and join us at http://arkmedia.org/subscribe

Credits: Ilan Benatar, Devan Schwartz, Mindy Schaper, Ava Weiner, Andrej Todorovski, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, Karina Logiohio, Leonardo Erhardt, Ignacio Herbojo, and Yuval Semo

What happens when two very different Jews answer your most personal, random, and serious questions?

We open up our chat for a mostly fun, sometime serious conversation about how we became friends and podcast partners, how an Orthodox matchmaker really works, what both of us got wrong about Judaism, and how we approach commemorating October 7th. We also weigh in on the very important issue of who’s our favorite from Beverly Hills 90210 and the Ninja Turtles.

In this episode:

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How we went from a COVID-era Zoom to hosting a podcast together

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The unlikely friendship between a secular Israeli-New Yorker and a California Orthodox Jewish educator

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How does matchmaking actually work in the Chabad community?

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Why ChayaLeah’s grandfather’s old-school matchmaking system still inspires her

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Remembering October 7th: finding personal and communal ways to mourn

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Showing up for Jewish community even when group mourning isn’t your thing

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From the splitting of the Red Sea to manna from Heaven - what can you believe?

This episode is normally available only to Ark+ subscribers. For our first week, we are giving you a taste of what you will get as a subscriber.

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝘁𝘁𝗽𝘀://𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮.𝗼𝗿𝗴/𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲.

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More Ark Media:

•

Listen to: Call Me Back

•

Listen to: Ark News Daily

•

Listen to: For Heaven Sake

•

Listen to: Chosen People Problems

•

Sign up for our weekly Newsletter

Follow us on social: Facebook I Instagram I X I TikTok

Continue the conversation on THE FOLD, our private moderated community for Ark Media listeners. The Fold is where you can dig into all of the issues Jews around the world are facing. There you can ask questions, hear other takes, keep talking about it with people who care as much as you do. Learn more and join us at http://arkmedia.org/subscribe

Credits: Beth Pearlman, Mindy Schaper, Ava Weiner, Andrej Todorovski, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, Karina Logiohio, Leonardo Erhardt, and Ignacio Herbojo

Which is more important for Israel–winning the war or the PR battle?

The one and only Douglas Murray is with us today, to talk Israel, poetry, and…true crime? We start off by accidentally insulting him, but don’t worry, he still likes Jews!

Also:

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Why do Israelis sound like that?

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Douglas refuses to tell us who the stupidest person on the internet is

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Is Israel winning?

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Why does the media suck

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Free Palestine means more bike lanes

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Douglas will not tolerate any slander of British food

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The point of poetry

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Guilty pleasures

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Don’t rely on the Houthis for cancer research

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No Douglas, playing the piano does not count as procrastination

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How does aging even happen?

And more….

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This episode is sponsored by Tikvah's Millstone Scholars Program, a selective national honors program where seventh- and eighth-graders study Jewish civilization, Israel, and America through primary sources and debate. Classes begin the week of October 18. Apply now at https://tikvah.org/ark.

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Sign up to Ark+ to get access to exclusive episodes and ad-free listening to Chosen People Problems and every show in the Ark Media Network: Sign up at http://arkmedia.org/subscribe

Do you have something you want to ask us? Don’t worry, we won’t judge you. Submit your questions at: http://arkmedia.org/ask/cpp

____

More Ark Media:

•

Listen to: Call Me Back

•

Listen to: Ark News Daily

•

Listen to: For Heaven Sake

•

Listen to: Chosen People Problems

•

Sign up for our weekly Newsletter

Follow us on social: Facebook I Instagram I X I TikTok

Continue the conversation on THE FOLD, our private moderated community for Ark Media listeners. The Fold is where you can dig into all of the issues Jews around the world are facing. There you can ask questions, hear other takes, keep talking about it with people who care as much as you do. Learn more and join us at http://arkmedia.org/subscribe

Credits: Beth Pearlman, Mindy Schaper, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, Karina Logiohio, Ignacio Herbojo

Guys, we have big news. Really big. Like, Dan Senor Big.

We are thrilled to announce we are joining Ark Media! Yes, Dan Senor bought us (actually, his company), and we now belong to him. Don’t worry, though; he hasn’t spent as much time with us as you have, so he doesn’t quite know what he’s in for.

AND we have a new name! Please welcome: Chosen People Problems! You’ll get used to it. It’s really fun to say. Other than that, it’s still us, still for free, but just a whole lot more of us, more guests, and so far they are letting us do whatever we want around here (we’ve only made, like, one producer cry, and turned one sound editor antisemitic).

We want to thank you, our amazing listeners, who turned us from an entirely organic little baby to the media empire we are now (or will be soon). We don’t know a ton about business, but I think they wouldn’t buy us if we didn’t have listeners - so thank you!!

And thanks to the amazing people who loved us and took a chance on us so early on, and to Gabi and Mickey, our Ask A Jew team, who did more for us than we can acknowledge (though we try).

If you are a Substack subscriber at http://askajew.substack.com, you'll get an email soon about your subscription, and if you are a paid subscriber, you’re actually going to get some extra perks now, finally! (Hint: subscribers will get a full extra Chosen People Problems show a week later). So keep your eyes and inboxes open for that!

We are so excited for this journey, and see you at Ark!

Questions for us? Submit them at: https://tinyurl.com/askajew

Who knew that you could blame evolutionary biology for doom scrolling, binging on donuts or getting seasick? In this episode, we talk to Dr. Rob Kurzban, an evolutionary psychologist, about how human feelings and behaviors are shaped by evolution. He explains the adaptive functions of emotions, the role of boredom, and how our minds respond to environmental cues, providing insights into human nature and morality.

Also:

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Evolution doesn’t care about your feelings

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Do animals get bored?

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Scrolling through Instagram has some evolutionary purpose

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Wait, is evolution real??

•

The temptation of non-kosher donuts

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Why some people are into spanking

•

Oh and lots about peeing and puking

Remember, you can watch this episode on Youtube!

Definitely buy (and read) All the Feels: The Evolved Function of Every Human Emotion and Sensation so you can impress your friends with all these fun facts.

Do you have something you want to ask us? Don’t worry, we won’t judge you. Submit your questions HERE

—-

This episode is sponsored by Tikvah's Millstone Scholars Program, a selective national honors program where seventh- and eighth-graders study Jewish civilization, Israel, and America through primary sources and debate. Classes begin the week of October 18. Apply now athttp://tikvah.org/arkhttp://tikvah.org/ark.

This week, we’re joined by the one and only Dara Horn to discuss her new book, The Final Solution to the Jewish Question: A Love Story for the Living. It’s an incredible book that will make you both angry and proud, which is kind of on brand for us right now.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9gykZ22yuIY

We get into why antisemitism is not just a prejudice but a lie (and it can’t be solved by “empathy”); why Holocaust education kinda sucks sometimes, and why the most interesting question in Jewish history is not why they tried to kill us, but why we are still here.

Check out Dara’s Tell Institute(coming soon to a school near you?)

Have questions for us? Submit here: https://Tinyurl.com/askajew

Ilya Shapiro is a senior fellow and director of constitutional studies at the Manhattan Institute and briefly, but not insignificantly, the executive director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution.

Naturally, we bring him in to talk about Legally Blonde, which Baldwin Brother is the hottest (clearly Billy), and fine, the commerce clause.

Follow Ilya’s work on his Substack Shapiro’s Gavel, but his book Lawless: The Miseducation of America’s Elites – An Insider's Account of Institutional Weakness and the Transformation of Law Schools, and of course check him out on X, where it all began…

Also:

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Ilya identifies as “Trans-Sephardic”

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What kind of russian doesn't like pickles??

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Ilyan really wants to talk about the commerce clause - but we want to talk about mayonnaise.

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The Federalist Papers are the Talmud of the constitution

•

Shapiro V Georgetown

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Never tweet and then go to bed

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How badass is it to publish your resignation letter in the Wall Street Journal?

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Yael gets quizzed for her citizenship test

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Unfortunately we ran out of time to talk about the commerce clause, but we did have time to hear why Alec Baldwin flipped Ilya the double bird.

Questions for us? Submit them at: https://tinyurl.com/askajew

Dear Jews and regular people,

Rosh Hashana is upon us, which means it’s time to reflect on the past year, take a hard look at our behavior, ask forgiveness from the people we’ve wronged, and then immediately start judging everyone again.

What a year it has been.

Actually, we take that back. We’re tired of saying “what a year it has been.” Every year is apparently going to be A YEAR now. We would like one boring Jewish year, please. Nothing historic. Nothing unprecedented. Nothing that requires a statement from a Jewish organization. Just apples, honey, some light antisemitism we can complain about, and everyone home by 10.

Is that really too much to ask?

This week on Ask a Jew, we’re getting ready for the new year with someone very special: ChayaLeah’s dad, Rabbi Abba Perelmuter.

We brought him on partly because he is a rabbi with decades of wisdom and an incredible ability to make big Jewish ideas feel relevant and human.

But Yael really wanted him on because she was hoping he would tell an embarrassing story about ChayaLeah.

He could not remember one.

Honestly, devastating.

* Why Sukkot is the tragically under-marketed holiday of the Jewish calendar and deserves a rebrand.

* What to do on Rosh Hashanah if you’re Jewish but haven’t been inside a synagogue since your cousin’s bar mitzvah.

* Why community matters even if you don’t know the prayers, don’t know what you’re doing, and don’t plan on staying for three hours. Just show up.

* ChayaLeah’s annual rant: STOP WAITING TO BE INVITED. Invite someone yourself. You don’t need a gorgeous table or a five-course dinner. There are lonely people waiting for someone to remember them.

* Why parents whose college kids suddenly come home with radically different views should educate themselves before starting the argument.

* Whether we give antisemites and anti-Israel celebrities way too much of our attention.

* Macklemore, Mark Ruffalo, Mandy Patinkin, Ed Sheeran, Brad Pitt, Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson, Nirvana and, somehow, the Miami Boys Choir.

* Why America knows what celebrities and quarterbacks think but can’t name four philosophers. Seems healthy.

* Whether Ask a Jew could be the Beatles of podcasting. (The answer appears to be no, but Vegas is still on the table.)

* And finally, what ChayaLeah was actually like as a child: opinionated, challenging her teachers, befriending older kids and apparently already preparing for a career in podcasting.

And maybe that’s what we love most about Rosh Hashana. Judaism gives us a reset button every year, while also being extremely clear that you are, unfortunately, still you.

Thank you to everyone who has listened this year… You’ve laughed with us, argued with us, corrected us, defended us, gotten mad at us, and told us you were yelling responses to us while driving.

We love this weird little community we’ve built.

So for 5787, we wish all of you a year of health, laughter, good marriages, good friendships, good food, and group chats that never get screenshotted and sent to the wrong person.

Stay tuned for next year….. lots of great guests coming up including Brad Lander and Mandy Patankin.

Shana Tova U’Metuka.

See you in 5787.

Yael & ChayaLeah

25 years ago, we told people to never forget September 11th, and how’s that going for us?

On this special episode, we are happy to interview Larry Wein, a tribe member, former NYPD Homicide detective, and 9/11 first responder. We heard what that day was like for Larry, as well as the six months that followed, which he spent at Ground Zero. Every. Single. Day.

We talk about the idiocy of conspiracy theories, mental and physical health for first responders, and a special trip he is planning to Israel for the Police Unity Tour, which brings American and Israeli cops together to cycle through the country.

But first - you are blessed with 25 minutes of us catching up on some, shall we say, lighter topics. We talk about Yael’sfavorite new Instagram account of a random Texan dude who is fluent in Hebrew, why the Met Gala should have a holocaust themed night, and also play F/Marry/Kill with Zohran Mamdani, Brad Lander and John Galliano (it’s really easy when you think about it)

Have questions for us? Go to https://tinyurl.com/askajew to submit and maybe we will read them on air!

And don’t forget that you can watch this episode on YouTube!

Aaron MacLean is host of thehttps://www.youtube.com/@SchoolofWarPodcastSchool of War podcast, a National Security Analyst at CBS, a columnist at the Free Press, a retired Marine captain, and now, a reluctant and delightful guest on Ask A Jew. We discuss Iran, China, growing up the son of a WW2 veteran, The War of the Spanish Succession (??), and, ew, are we turning into France??

Join the conversation on Substack:http://askajew.substack.comhttp://askajew.substack.com

And check out this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AskAJew

Also:

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Avoiding the Jihad elective at Oxford.

•

Boulder Colorado is a gateway drug to the Muslim Brotherhood.

•

Aaron learned Arabic only to be deployed to a non-Arabic-speaking country.

•

What’s your favorite war, Aaron?

•

Chaya Leah’s first word was Auschwitz.

•

Why is Harrison Ford still hot??

•

Not many people know what it’s like to have your freedom at stake?

•

Aaron’s forthcoming book: “Pro-Israel - Despite it all”.

•

Are we winning the war??

•

What happened to the Turks? They used to be cool.

•

What should we talk about next, China? Cancer?

•

Ew, are we turning into Europe??

•

Draft - yay or nay?

Questions? Submit them here: https://tinyurl.com/askajew

Warren Kinsella wears many hats: a lawyer hat, a punk-rock musician hat, an author hat - and our favorite - a pissed-off Canadian hat. We chat with him about his new book, The Hidden Hand: The Information War and the Rise of Antisemitic Propaganda. After you have purchased the book, follow Warren on Xas well.

Here is a piece he wrote about his research for The Free Press:

Our interview with Warren starts around minute 35, before that you can enjoy us catching up about Lindsay Clancy, how dare Bill Ackman donate a billion dollars to medical causes, the land mass currently known as Israel, and more.

Also -

Have a question for us? We have a form!

ICYMI, here we are in Wyoming with Nadav Eyal:

Thanks for reading Good for the Jews! This post is public so feel free to share it.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

https://askajew.substack.com/subscribe

We just wrapped up our first ever live show in Wyoming (naturally), and we had a blast!! Thank you so much to the Jackson Hole Jewish Community for hosting us, to the amazing listeners who traveled to be there, and to our special guest Nadav Eyal, who you all know from Call Me Back, Yediot Achronot, and his substack Between Us. You can and should also follow him on X and Instagram.

Good for the Jews is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

If you like, you can also watch this episode on YouTube, and check out more photos on our Instagram!

* We cover all this and more with Nadav:

* What the Heck is goin on in Israeli politics??

* What the polls are saying, and what can change it.

* People who hate Israel won’t change their mind if Bibi loses…but it will be easier

* Israel needs to get out of the news cycle

* Can the next Israeli government have Arab parties in its coalition?

* Diplomacy vs. Strength, The Rebbe vs. Nadav

* Iron wall, not Sparta

* The American mindset is the minority mindset - and we Israelis can learn from that.

* Mainstrea media is the worst form of media - except for all the others.

* Only follow journalists who can lose their jobs for telling the truth.

* Notes from the trenches of Columbia University.

* If it walks like a terrorist and talks like a terrorist, it’s a terrorist - even if it’s Jewish.

Again thank you to the amazing community of Jackson Hole for making this happen! Where should we have our next live show?

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

https://askajew.substack.com/subscribe

John Spencer is a retired Army officer, Urban Warfare expert, Chair of War Studies at the Madison Policy Forum and Executive Director at the Urban Warfare Institute. He’s been in some funky situations (including seven visits to Gaza), and encountered everything from terrorists to killer bees. He captures it all in his new book, Twenty Times I Almost Died: Life Lessons from the Edge of Survival. It’s a great book, funny and insightful, and you should absolutely buy it for yourself and the people in your life.

We talk about the badass bond between the IDF and the US Armed Forces, the privilege of being a pacifist, and why John might prefer his kids go to Columbia over the Naval Academy (shudder)

* Chaya Leah was also in the army… Hashem’s army

* The NY Times wants to know if John got his $7,000 from us.

* Pushing back against Jon Stewart

* No man steps into the same river twice

* John can’t decide what’s worse, sending his kids to Columbia, or the Naval Academy.

* Oh you don’t believe in war? How nice.

* We ask John about his life, he answers about subterranean warfare.

* A brief detour to Ukraine

* Can you teach resilience?

* Total victory? It’s possible.

* The bond between the US military and the IDF is pretty badass.

* Lies of omission are everywhere.

* Soft times create weak men.

* Children on flights are worse than some wars.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

https://askajew.substack.com/subscribe

Hi Jews and Jew Lovers!

It’s been an exhausting week running the world, but we still had some time to sit and catch up about Spain, Morocco, water guns and the kingdom of Cerritos Auto Square (mentioning them in case they want to sponsor the podcast.)

Have a question?? Askajewpod@gmail.com

Also:

* J-Pop is the new K-Pop.

* If Chaya Leah’s hair looks good but nobody can see it, does it still look good?

* Can you use a water gun on Shabbat?

* Stop calling everyone an antisemite, some people are just stupid.

* Tell us if you experienced an antisemitism and we’ll tell you if you really did (that number again is askajewpod@gmail.com)

* Our apperance on the Josh Szeps show! Want to listen? How about a 7-day free trial to his channel?? Click here.

* Albanians are cool, except that one guy who didn’t let my friends in his restaurant.

* Anyone in London?? Hit us up.

* You can now watch Mark Dubowitz of the FDD talk about whether the Iranian leadership is hot on YouTube.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

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Mark Dubowitz is the chief executive of The Foundation for Defense of Democracies(FDD), and our new reluctant friend. We sit him down to talk about Iran, Saudi Arabia, why the IRGC wants Ted Kaczynski to kill him, why we can’t just send Bruce Willis (in Armageddon) to drill into Pickaxe mountain, and who the bad guys would want winning the Israeli election…

Follow Mark on X, but not too closely like the Iranian government.

Who’s joining us in Wyoming for our first ever live show?? Nadav Eyal will be there, will you? August 10th, there are only 37 tickets left!!

Also in this episode:

* Why didn’t Iran pick a good photo of Mark to present at Khamenei’s funeral?

* Make democracy cool again.

* Mark never met a self-hating Jew until he came to America.

* How to deal with your anti Zionist kids? Tell them they’re idiots.

* The Iranians won’t miss an opportunity to kiss an opportunity.

* Mark realizes we want to talk about whether or not Ahmedinejad is attractive… and he has some thoughts.

* What do you say to Americans who ask why are we in this war with Iran?

* Trump was talking about Kharg island before it was cool.

* The US Israel military alliance is something to behold.

* Is Trump forcing Saudi Arabia to hang out with us?

* Who do the Iranians want leading Israel?

* Israeli politics - this coalition must be defeated.

* The Israeli expression that shouldn’t be used in English.

* We need to talk about the Mexican president.

* Magic Pickaxe mountain.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

https://askajew.substack.com/subscribe

Ask A Jew is going to Wyoming!! We’ll be hosting a live show Monday, August 10th in Jackson Hole, how cool would it be if you join us there? If not for us, do it for Nadav Eyal, who will be our special guest, and who we didn’t add to the above AI image because he may (rightfully) sue us.

Any questions? Email us at askajewpod@gmail.com

Thanks for reading Good for the Jews! This post is public so feel free to share it.

This week, we discuss Clavicular and Ro Khanna’s great adventures, why the Haredi issue will probably determine Israel’s next elections, and how adorable it is that everyone’s obsessed with us.

Oh look, i’m angry in the NY Post again! Please read and fume with me. This time I write about how a brave Israeli hostage practically had to ambush the UN lady in charge of violence against women to finally agree to hear about her sexual assault at the hands of Hamas. However bad you think the UN is - it’s worse.

Now, here is a photo from my Israel trip, the dead sea to be exact. Fun fact - this animal is called a Yael. And yes, it wento to Harvard.

Finally, last night I had dinner with not one but TWO former AAJ guests! Can you guess who they are? Hint: neither are Israeli.

Drop the answer in the comments. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

https://askajew.substack.com/subscribe