War is Stupid: An Anti-War Podcast About War

Orli Matlow sits down with Jenny Chan, director of Pacific Atrocities Education, whose public history projects increase awareness of the crimes committed in the Asia-Pacific Theater of World War II. The atrocities were so atrocious that a literal Nazi wrote home that the Imperial Japanese Army was going too far with what is now known as the Rape of Nanking. Jenny exposes Imperial Japan’s war crimes including Unit 731 (the “Disneyland of human experimentation”), cannibalism, “comfort women,” and how the atomic bombings and the CIA helped them get away with it all. Jenny also shares what she learned from her grandma, inspiring stories of resistance and survival, and how World War II still affects politics in Asia today.    Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective.    Follow Pacific Atrocities Education:  Website Instagram YouTube  Contribute   Follow Orli: Instagram TikTok Website

Orli Matlow sits down with comedian and activist Davidson Boswell, fresh out of spending 24 hours in jail for disrupting the Metropolitan Opera. Davidson shares how and why the Carmen counter-programming went down, and how the war on Venezuela is actually about Cuba. They riff on everything from the American Civil War to Canadian wildfires, and challenge the myth that things have to get worse and be as bad as they are now. Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective. Follow Davidson: Instagram TikTok YouTube Substack Patreon    Follow Orli: Instagram TikTok Website   Help lives in Gaza by making a matched gift to World Food Program USA  

Orli Matlow speaks with Australian Jewish writer and organiser Em Hilton about the recent anti-Semitic terror attack in Australia and its profound impact on the Jewish community. They discuss the acts of heroism amidst the tragedy, growing up Jewish in Australia and Canada, and building safety through solidarity—united against Iberian ham. Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective.  Read Em's piece in +972 Magazine Donate to the United Support Fund For The Victims and Families of the Sydney Terror Attack   Follow Em: Instagram Na'amod UK Follow Orli: Instagram TikTok Website  

Orli Matlow sits down with Sally Abed and Alon-Lee Green, co-founders of Standing Together, a grassroots movement fighting for peace, equality and social justice in Israel-Palestine. They discuss what the fight looks like, what peace looks like, and how the issues won’t be solved by simply getting rid of Netanyahu. Sally and Alon-Lee also share their origin stories, riff on a joke from Alon-Lee’s wedding, and share advice for everyone fighting fascism around the world.  Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective.  Listen to The Long Answer podcast. Follow Standing Together: Website Donate Instagram TikTok Follow Sally: Instagram Follow Alon-Lee: Instagram TikTok Follow Friends of Standing Together local chapters

Orli Matlow sits down with Andrew Facini, Communications Director at The Council on Strategic Risks, to learn all about tactical nuclear weapons and armageddon. Andrew walks us through the consequences of a nuclear blast, whether or not bombing Iran this past summer saved the world, and why the US has lost its appetite for regime change. They talk about the new movie A House of Dynamite, and Andrew makes the case for optimism, bringing some much-needed holiday cheer.  Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective.    Follow Andrew: BlueSky Nolan Center Report: The Consequences of Tactical Nuclear Weapons Use   Follow Orli: Instagram TikTok Website Personal Fundraisers from Friends of Friends in Gaza: Support Majdy's family farm: http://givebutter.com/majdy Support Salah's family farm: http://givebutter.com/salah A new NGO founded by doctors buying formula for babies and offering vital nutrition and education to children in Gaza: https://www.thechildrensvillagegaza.org/  A small NGO providing sanitary needs and shelter: https://www.cleanshelter.org/   

Orli Matlow welcomes comedian Ethan Stanislawski to talk about growing up as the son of a Jewish history professor, the grandson of a Liberal Zionist political icon, and the next door neighbor of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (It turns out that the Upper West Side is not, in fact, the utopia from Nora Ephron movies). They talk Holocaust museums in public schools, studying abroad in Berlin, the Six Day War, and how borders are made up—but families are real.  Check out Ethan’s show Jew, Interrupted in LA and Toronto. Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective. Follow Ethan: Instagram TikTok Linktree Follow Orli: Instagram TikTok Website Personal Fundraisers from Friends of Friends in Gaza: Support Majdy's family farm: http://givebutter.com/majdy Support Salah's family farm: http://givebutter.com/salah A new NGO founded by doctors buying formula for babies and offering vital nutrition and education to children in Gaza: https://www.thechildrensvillagegaza.org/  A small NGO providing sanitary needs and shelter: https://www.cleanshelter.org/ 

Orli Matlow welcomes Rabbi Margo Hughes-Robinson, Executive Director of Partners for Progressive Israel, for a conversation with as many sidebars as a page of Talmud. They talk about the old-timey colonizers who set the systems up that haunt us to this day, and the role of a rabbi in facilitating the trauma and spiritual work that needs to be done in a time of genocide. They also talk movies, Moomins, and Orli reveals herself to be a nepo baby descended from the Vilna Gaon.  Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective Resources: Guide for Discussing Genocide Report with Alliance for Middle East Peace UNRWA Demystified: A Guide for Complex Conversations Partners for Progressive Israel Instagram PPI Website  Follow Orli: Instagram TikTok Website

Activist and journalist Sam Stein joins host Orli Matlow to talk about his experiences living in the West Bank: first as a student blasting “America, F*** Yeah!” through Israeli checkpoints, and then as a protective presence activist deterring violent Jewish extremists from attacking his Palestinian friends.  Sam speaks about his friend, the late human rights activist Awdah Hathaleen, who was brutally murdered on camera by settler Yinon Levi, who still walks free. ​​To support Umm Al Khair, donate at RememberingAwdah.com or here. Follow Tariq Hathaleen and Ahmad Hathaleen on Instagram.   Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective.    Follow Sam: Instagram  Substack Patreon Follow Orli: Instagram TikTok Website

Host Orli Matlow welcomes comedian, screenwriter, and certified Film Nerd Greg Roque to talk war movies, from All Quiet On The Western Front to Amy Schumer’s upcoming October 7th rom-com (yes, that is a real thing). Greg shares the wisdom of Grand Theft Auto IV, his journey converting to Judaism, and whether or not becoming a father has changed his opinion of Winston Churchill. Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective. Follow Greg: Instagram Website Follow Orli: Instagram TikTok Website Personal Fundraisers from Friends of Friends in Gaza: Support Majdy's family farm: http://givebutter.com/majdy Support Salah's family farm: http://givebutter.com/salah A new NGO founded by doctors buying formula for babies and offering vital nutrition and education to children in Gaza: https://www.thechildrensvillagegaza.org/  A small NGO providing sanitary needs and shelter: https://www.cleanshelter.org/ 

It's Election Day in New York City, an election that has become about Israel and Palestine despite being for New York City! Host Orli Matlow welcomes comedian Atheer Yacoub to talk Zohran Mamdani (who really just wants to talk about buses), throwback Islamophobia, BDS, her childhood in Ramallah and Alabama, and chocolate. Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective. Follow Atheer: Denied Entry Full Comedy Special Instagram TikTok Patreon   Follow Orli: Instagram Tiktok Website Personal Fundraisers from Friends of Friends in Gaza: Support Majdy's family farm: http://givebutter.com/majdy Support Salah's family farm: http://givebutter.com/salah A new NGO founded by doctors buying formula for babies and offering vital nutrition and education to children in Gaza: https://www.thechildrensvillagegaza.org/  A small NGO providing sanitary needs and shelter: https://www.cleanshelter.org/   

Host Orli Matlow sits down with Michael Greenberg, founder of Climate Defiance, to talk about the need for, well, climate defiance. They explore his journey to activism, the concept of ecocide, the power of heckling, and the fact that you don't need to be good at science to join the fight for a livable planet.  Theme music and editing by This Revolution Production Collective. Follow Climate Defiance: Website TikTok Instagram Twitter Facebook Follow Orli: Instagram TikTok Website Donate to food banks: FeedingAmerica.org Personal Fundraisers from Friends of Friends in Gaza: Support Majdy's family farm: http://givebutter.com/majdy Support Salah's family farm: http://givebutter.com/salah A new NGO founded by doctors buying formula for babies and offering vital nutrition and education to children in Gaza: https://www.thechildrensvillagegaza.org/  A small NGO providing sanitary needs and shelter: https://www.cleanshelter.org/ 

Host Orli Matlow sits down with Dr. Nicholas Wright to talk about his new book Warhead: How The Brain Shapes War and War Shapes The Brain. Dr. Wright draws on his experiences in the operating room and at the Pentagon to posit that the brain is wired for conflict, yet we are somehow not doomed as a species. The fascinating conversation covers the past (Winston Churchill wasn’t always Winston Churchill), the present (The Russo-Ukrainian War is still going on, even it’s only on the front pages in Kyiv), and the future (yes, AI is coming. In fact, it’s already here). Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective. Follow Dr. Wright: Buy “Warhead” Website X   Follow Orli: Instagram TikTok Website Personal Fundraisers from Friends of Friends in Gaza: Support Majdy's family farm: http://givebutter.com/majdy Support Salah's family farm: http://givebutter.com/salah A new NGO founded by doctors buying formula for babies and offering vital nutrition and education to children in Gaza: https://www.thechildrensvillagegaza.org/  A small NGO providing sanitary needs and shelter: https://www.cleanshelter.org/ 

Host Orli Matlow welcomes comedian Nour Hadidi to talk two of the most devastating forces on earth: the military-industrial complex and Toronto sports. They discuss watching the hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas, and how it feels when the world begins to catch up to what you've been saying for years. Nour reflects on growing up in Jordan, her experience joining the Global March to Gaza last June, and the joys of FaceTiming on the toilet. They cover the universal nightmares of dating and IBS, and pitch a better use for $33.77 billion dollars than war. Theme music and editing by This Revolution Production Collective. Follow Nour: Instagram Comedians 4 Palestine YouTube TikTok The Nour Hadidi Podcast Website Follow Orli: Instagram TikTok Website Personal Fundraisers from Friends of Friends in Gaza: Support Majdy's family farm: http://givebutter.com/majdy Support Salah's family farm: http://givebutter.com/salah A new NGO founded by doctors buying formula for babies and offering vital nutrition and education to children in Gaza: https://www.thechildrensvillagegaza.org/  A small NGO providing sanitary needs and shelter: https://www.cleanshelter.org/ 

Host Orli Matlow welcomes the World’s Most Moral Podcast Guest, Daniel Maté, composer, lyricist, and co-host of Bad Habara: The World’s Most Moral Podcast. They talk politics in musical theatre and musical theatre in politics, from the pogroms of Fiddler on the Roof to Irving Berlin’s bloodlust in 1943’s This is The Army to the hate crime that is Miss Saigon. They go back to 1918 with public domain tunes and cover more recent musicals including Slam Frank. Spoiler alert for Ragtime—we can never go back to before.    Recorded October 8th, before the ceasefire in Gaza.   Theme music and editing by This Revolution Production Collective.   Follow Daniel: https://www.instagram.com/danielbmate/  https://www.youtube.com/@danielmatemusic  https://www.youtube.com/@LyricsToGoShow  danielmate.com  https://www.walkwithdaniel.com    Follow Bad Hasbara: https://www.instagram.com/badhasbara/  https://www.youtube.com/@Badhasbara  https://www.patreon.com/badhasbara    Follow Orli: https://www.instagram.com/hiremeimfunny https://www.tiktok.com/@hiremeimfunny   Personal Fundraisers from Friends of Friends in Gaza: Support Majdy's family farm: http://givebutter.com/majdy Support Salah's family farm: http://givebutter.com/salah Support Moath's family & education initiative: http://givebutter.com/moaath A new NGO founded by doctors buying formula for babies and offering vital nutrition and education to children in Gaza: https://www.thechildrensvillagegaza.org/ A small NGO providing sanitary needs and shelter: https://www.cleanshelter.org/

War is Stupid: An Anti-War Podcast About War celebrates its first ever gender reveal—which is what true freedom is all about! Marcela Onyango (they/them) joins host Orli Matlow (she/her) in a riff-heavy episode to talk about everything from chattel slavery to wage slavery to "Young Sheldon." Marcela shares their journey going from democratic socialist to anarchist, and from "Sex and the City" fan to emphatically anti-girlboss. Together they uncover the meaning of life: do trivia, get drunk, sing karaoke. Correction: Obama didn't send the National Guard to Ferguson, Missouri in 2014—it was Missouri Governor Jay Nixon.    Follow Marcela: Marcela's Instagram Feel The News Instagram Feel The News Substack Feel The News YouTube Follow Orli: Orli's Instagram Orli's TikTok Personal Fundraisers from Friends of Friends in Gaza: Support Majdy's family farm: http://givebutter.com/majdy  Support Salah's family farm: http://givebutter.com/salah Support Moath's family & education initiative: http://givebutter.com/moaath  A new NGO founded by doctors buying formula for babies and offering vital nutrition and education to children in Gaza: https://www.thechildrensvillagegaza.org/  A small NGO providing sanitary needs and shelter: https://www.cleanshelter.org/  

It's the first ever War is Stupid holiday special...and the holiday is Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement! Host Orli Matlow sits down with Rabbi Andrue Kahn, Executive Director of the American Council for Judaism, to talk about the connection between Jewish values and anti-war activism, from biblical times to today. Rabbi Andy shares his journey to the rabbinate, his experiences getting arrested for civil disobedience, and his take on Netflix's hot rabbi show. Follow Andy: https://www.instagram.com/rabbiandykahn/ https://www.rabbiandruekahn.com/ Follow The American Council for Judaism: https://www.instagram.com/americancouncilforjudaism https://acjna.org/ Follow Orli: https://www.instagram.com/hiremeimfunny/  https://www.tiktok.com/@hiremeimfunny  https://substack.com/@warisstupid  Personal Fundraisers from Friends of Friends in Gaza: Support Majdy's family farm: http://givebutter.com/majdy  Support Salah's family farm: http://givebutter.com/salah  Support Moath's family & education initiative: http://givebutter.com/moaath  A new NGO founded by doctors buying formula for babies and offering vital nutrition and education to children in Gaza: https://www.thechildrensvillagegaza.org/ A small NGO providing sanitary needs and shelter: https://www.cleanshelter.org/ 

Host Orli Matlow sits down with the incredibly cool teen Iddo Elam, who served prison time for refusing to serve in the Israeli military. They talk about Iddo’s journey as a conscientious objector, which includes putting on tefillin for the first time ever in military prison—and also Hannah Einbinder’s acceptance speech at the Emmys. Iddo provides encouragement to everyone around the world living under fascist vibes, making the case for its inevitable collapse.    Follow Iddo: https://www.instagram.com/iddo_elam/  https://x.com/iddoelam  Support The Peace Partnership through the Center for Advancement of Peace Initiatives: https://capi.org.il/the-peace-partnership/  https://www.israelgives.org/amuta/580500429    Learn more and donate to the Refuser Solidarity Network: https://www.refuser.org/    Follow Orli: https://www.instagram.com/hiremeimfunny/   https://www.tiktok.com/@hiremeimfunny    Personal Fundraisers from Friends of Friends in Gaza:    Support Majdy's family farm: http://givebutter.com/majdy     Support Salah's family farm: http://givebutter.com/salah     Support Moath's family & education initiative: http://givebutter.com/moaath     A new NGO founded by doctors buying formula for babies and offering vital nutrition and education to children in Gaza:  https://www.thechildrensvillagegaza.org/   A small NGO providing sanitary needs and shelter:  https://www.cleanshelter.org/  

Host Orli Matlow sits down with former Marine Lyle Jeremy Rubin, author of the memoir Pain is Weakness Leaving The Body: A Marine's Unbecoming, to talk everything from Afghanistan to The Music Man. Lyle opens up about his politics going into the military and his politics after, the accountability crisis in American politics (George W. Bush is not a cutie patootie!), and the theatricality of war and military culture. They cover such radical ideas as gun control, being thoughtful, and having empathy. Lyle's book: https://bookshop.org/p/books/pain-is-weakness-leaving-the-body-a-marine-s-unbecoming-lyle-jeremy-rubin/39a2d54c496323ab Bang-Bang Podcast: https://substack.com/@bangbangthepod  Follow Orli: https://www.instagram.com/hiremeimfunny/  https://www.tiktok.com/@hiremeimfunny  Personal Fundraisers from Friends of Friends in Gaza: Support Majdy's family farm: http://givebutter.com/majdy  Support Salah's family farm: http://givebutter.com/salah  Support Moath's family & education initiative: http://givebutter.com/moaath  A new NGO founded by doctors buying formula for babies and offering vital nutrition and education to children in Gaza: https://www.thechildrensvillagegaza.org/ A small NGO providing sanitary needs and shelter: https://www.cleanshelter.org/ 

Host Orli Matlow sits down with Jess Salomon (The Tonight Show, The Hague) for a wide-ranging conversation that includes the war crimes lawyer to comedian pipeline, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the Rwandan genocide, Zionist crashouts, and the future of the Jewish story. Follow Jess: https://www.instagram.com/jess_salomon/  https://salomonsays.substack.com/ Follow Orli: https://www.instagram.com/hiremeimfunny  https://www.tiktok.com/@hiremeimfunny Personal Fundraisers from Friends of Friends in Gaza:  Support Majdy's family farm: http://givebutter.com/majdy    Support Salah's family farm: http://givebutter.com/salah    Support Moath's family & education initiative: http://givebutter.com/moaath    A new NGO founded by doctors buying formula for babies and offering vital nutrition and education to children in Gaza:  https://www.thechildrensvillagegaza.org/    A small NGO providing sanitary needs and shelter:  https://www.cleanshelter.org/ 

Host Orli Matlow sits down with comedian and host of The Vanquished podcast Freddy G to talk men, masculinity, and militarism. The wide-ranging conversation includes tea on Sigmund Freud (a man), wrestling (drag shows for straight men), Alexander the Great (a man…and a nepo baby), Kurt Vonnegut (a man), Barbie (a doll/woman), Taylor Swift (a woman) and Travis Kelce (a man), the pro-war candidacy of John Kerry (a man), the pro-war presidency of Joe Biden (a man) and the pro-war candidacy of Kamala Harris (a woman). Correction: Beau Biden served in Iraq during the Iraq War, not the Gulf War. War is Stupid regrets this error!   Follow Freddy G: https://www.instagram.com/orangefreddyg https://www.tiktok.com/@orangefreddyg Listen to The Vanquished: https://www.patreon.com/TheVanquished  https://www.instagram.com/vanquished_pod  https://www.tiktok.com/@vanquishedpod Follow Orli: https://www.instagram.com/hiremeimfunny  https://www.tiktok.com/@hiremeimfunny Personal Fundraisers from Friends of Friends in Gaza:  Support Majdy's family farm: http://givebutter.com/majdy  Support Salah's family farm: http://givebutter.com/salah  Support Moath's family & education initiative: http://givebutter.com/moaath  A new NGO founded by doctors buying formula for babies and offering vital nutrition and education to children in Gaza:  https://www.thechildrensvillagegaza.org/  A small NGO providing sanitary needs and shelter:  https://www.cleanshelter.org/