Ask a Jew

Jonathan Elkhoury is just your typical Lebanese, Israeli, Christian, Gay Zionist.Born in Lebanon, Jonathan fled the country at the age of 8 with his family when Hezbollah took over their village. Since his father was in the South Lebanese Army and worked closely with the IDF, the family (along with about 6,000 other SLA members and their families) were offered refuge in Israel, where they have been living since.Follow Jonathan on Instagram, X and Facebook,************It's not too late to sign up for our Hanukkah party Dec 12th! (unless you are listening to this after Dec 12th, in which case it's too late). See askajew.substack.com for details. Joing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Get full access to Good for the Jews at askajew.substack.com/subscribe

The girls share everything they know about Syria (not much), argue passionately about faith in the Messiah vs. faith in the Iron Dome, and try to determine who is the better Jew (the answer may suprise you!)In New York Dec 12th? Join us both for our Hanukkah party! Check askajew.substack.com for details or email askajewpod@gmail.com. Joing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Get full access to Good for the Jews at askajew.substack.com/subscribe

Chaya Leah heeds the activists' advice and goes back to Poland. Also: Trumps hottest cabinet picks, our *least* favorite type of antisemites, and a wholesome dip into Mormon Twitter. Don't forget to RSVP for our Hanukkah party, Dec 12 in NYC! Details on Askajew.substack.com. Happy Thanksgiving!Links:The Perelmuters in PolandHanukkah party details Joing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Get full access to Good for the Jews at askajew.substack.com/subscribe

Today we welcome Zibby Owens, bestselling author, CEO, bookstore owner , “book-fluencer”, and host of the widely succesful “Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books” podcast. Most recently she published “On Being Jewish Now”, a collection of essays on Jewish identities in a post-October 7th world. Save the Date! Dec 12th AAJ Hanukkah Party in NYC! Sign up for substack for details: Askajew.substack.comCheck out Zibby’s website, check out Zibby Media, follow her on Instagram and Facebook, and of course - buy 👏 the 👏 book!Joing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Get full access to Good for the Jews at askajew.substack.com/subscribe

DECEMBER 12 HANUKKAH PARTY IN NYC! Follow askajew.substack.com for details.Some rational and irrational responses to the election that are sure to equally offend all the listeners, plus movies, planes, the orthodox draft in Israel, and more. This is probably the only podcast where a passionate argument about skincare will lead to a passionate argument about a hostage deal.Joing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Get full access to Good for the Jews at askajew.substack.com/subscribe

Looking for a non-election podcast? How about 75 minutes of soothing soviet antisemitism? We got you. Our guest today is Izabella Tabarovsky, a scholar of Soviet antizionism and contemporary antisemitism. We discuss how everything old is new again, why being a self-hating Jewish celebrity is sooooo 1970s, and what you can do today to de-program your brain from stale propaganda.You should read pretty much everything Izabella has ever written: start here.The Z3 institute for Jewish Priorities (there’s a conference you can go to in the Bay Area!)18 brave Georgian Jews in 1969We should all be RefusenicksWikipedia is Disinformation with a hard DNo, it really sucksClub Z so you can raise non-self hating kids  Joing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Get full access to Good for the Jews at askajew.substack.com/subscribe

Bonjour from Paris! (Bonjour means “hello” in French). Miss us? We missed you, each other, and the sound of our own voices. That maybe explains the fact that neither of us could shut up on this one, in fact we almost forgot we were recording and maybe went a little more vulnerable than expected (people like that stuff, right?). In this episode, we catch up about the holidays, Iran, the beef between Johnny Depp and Rabbi Sufrin, and of course our election ambivalence. There's lots more on Substack for you to read, and you can comment and chat there as well. Links:Yezidi girl saved from Gaza testimony - actual trigger warning.The story we discussed about a woman named Dafna from Kibbutz Reim.Everything is Illuminated movie recommendationDon't Dance on Graves - EdJewCationJoing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Get full access to Good for the Jews at askajew.substack.com/subscribe

In this week’s episode of “people we thought were Jewish” - Christine Rosen! Christine is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, columnist for Commentary magazine, cohosts of The Commentary Magazine Podcast, and author of the new book The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World.We talk about Christine's very unique acknowledgments page, the good, bad and ugly of technology, IRL friendships vs. online friendships, and how with great rights come great responsibilities.Buy the book The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World.Joing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Get full access to Good for the Jews at askajew.substack.com/subscribe

On the eve of October 7th, we gathered with 100+ of our closest friends (you guys!) to share our feelings, frustrations, sad tears and happy tears. Don't worry, we still found some space for holocaust jokes and hot dictators. Thank you to everyone who joined, from Portland to Iran -  we are very lucky to have you. Special thanks to Super Friends and former guests Eli Lake (The Reeducation, The Free Press) and Mike Pesca (The Gist) for jumping on and sharing their wisdom. Listen all the way to the end for an uplifting finish (Or dare I say...a happy ending).Need a community? We have one! Join askajew.substack.com to continue the conversation on chat or comments. Joing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Get full access to Good for the Jews at askajew.substack.com/subscribe

Sunday October 6 listener Zoom!! Go to askajew.substack.com for details.Shana Tova from the bomb shelter! Just kidding, the IDF said we can go out, plus, after an hour we finished folding laundry and drinking a bottle of whiskey, and we were bored. This episode was recorded before Iran launched a ballistic missile attack at our faces, so if we sound a little too cheerful and irreverent....well, I guess that's on brand. Pics and links here on substack. In this one:Who’s less hot, JD Vance or Tim Walz?An update on Nicole Kidman’s wigs on The Perfect CoupleOur low expectations from celebrities these daysGeorge Washington wrote a nice letter once to Jews an we’re still talking about itA distressed hostage back from Hamas captivity, and Noa ArgamaniEl Al to people trying to get flight tickets to Israel: Don’t.What kind of Orthodox is this?Is Austria’s far right leader hot? AAJ investigatesAn on-an-off relationship with G_dWe may have made a big mistake offing that austere religious scholar Hassan NasrallahOur friend Eli Lake about the importance of winning, in The Free PressA Sephora for BeirutWhy do Orthodox women always do this for a living?And a listener has an R-rated Auschwitz related question…Joing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Get full access to Good for the Jews at askajew.substack.com/subscribe

This episode is brought to you by the Federated States of Micronesia. No, they aren't paying us for sponsorship, but they are the only country that still loves us, so this one's on us!This week we discuss the Hezbollah pager explosions, the list of countries that can no longer sit with us, Hassan Nasrallah's glow-up, decolonized pizza at MIT, tips on how to focus,and more. The UN being the UNMIT activists disrupt Israeli professor, steal pizzas (and a happy ending!)The Man from Vilna - how to think about Simchat Torah this year (lyrics here) Joing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Get full access to Good for the Jews at askajew.substack.com/subscribe

Greg Lukianoff is a First Amendment lawyer, President and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), and co-author of the hits "The Coddling of the American Mind"  with Jonathan Haidt and "The Canceling of the American Mind" with Rikki Schlott. He joins us to talk all things free speech, like why campuses are burning, how violence is kind of bad, actually, and why he fights for our right to say dumb things, and be called out on them. Also:What should keep us up at night?Culture of free speech vs. the law of free speechActually, violence is bad2023 was the worst year for deplatforming in historyHarvard is so mad at Greg right nowEven antisemites have free speech rights :(Are the universities redeemable?You're anti-intellectual! No, you're anti-intellectual! Blame the lack of viewpoint diversityStudents + admins = troubleAre you ever sick of all this free speech nonsense?Kids need to be told they are stupid more oftenFIRE-branded Shabbat dinners, coming soon to a table near youFollow Greg on Twitter/X if you please, and also on Substack at The Eternally Radical IdeaThe article that inspired the book The Coddling of the American Mind in The Atlantic (2015)Joing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Get full access to Good for the Jews at askajew.substack.com/subscribe

David Christopher Kaufman is a columnist and editor at the NY Post and an adjunct fellow at the Tel Aviv institute. He joins the girls this week to talk elections, Israel, and the identity of the half black, half Jewish, totally Zionist American journalist.  Also: * The mood in Israel* The difference between being a Jew and being Jewish* Why Hamas is like dating in New York* A Zionist Jew and a non-Zionist Jew walk into a bar...* We all feel the same and it hasn't stopped for a day* The pressure on young black Jewish kids* The black struggle is not the Palestinian struggle* Pro-Trump Jews, identity politics, and Kamala Harris* Doug Emhoff is the "right kind of Jew"Follow David on X and InstagramAnd read his writing in the NY PostJoing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Get full access to Good for the Jews at askajew.substack.com/subscribe

We are joined by Brianna Wu, the Executive Director of Rebellion Pac, who proudly calls herself queer, progressive - and a friend of Israel. We discuss growing up in Mississippi, what progressives can learn from Hasidic Jews, the Women's March, Gamergate, being an inspiration for a Law & Order episode, her global ranking as an elite Super Mario 2 Runner - and more!Follow Brianna on XThe famous Law & Order episode based on Brianna's storyBrianna's Super Mario runJoing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Get full access to Good for the Jews at askajew.substack.com/subscribe

We hopped on to record with a heavy heart this morning, after hearing the devasating news of the murder of 6 Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity: Carmel Gat, Ori Danino, Almog Sarusi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alex Lobanov and Eden Yerushalmi. They managed to survive 11 months, only to be executed somewhere between Thursday and Friday by their captors. We're angry, sad, contemplative, fearful - and thought you might want to join us through this ride. Joing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Get full access to Good for the Jews at askajew.substack.com/subscribe

The girls are joined by retired British Army Major Andrew Fox, who has spent time in Afghanistan, Iraq, Gaza, and other exotic tourist destinations. We discuss wars of choice, try to pick a fight with Taylor Swift, compare military MREs, and wonder why Americans love tiny dogs and Hezbollah flags.Also:Wait why does England need an army?The US Military is rubbish at drinkingLearn from our fails in Iraq and AfghanistanDon't pick wars of choiceThe importance of playing niceThe Leroy Jenkins military approach to Ukraine (Or: Why Ukraine is Genociding Russia)Some difference of opinion on Taylor SwiftHey, we made it work with the Christians, eventuallyFrom the River to the DNCThe great British MRE Bake OffFood WashingFollow Andrew Fox on Substack and on X.The IDF’s Boot Is on Hamas’ Throat - Tablet, August 2024Israel Is Succeeding in Gaza - Tablet, May 2024How Israel is clearing Hamas out of Rafah - The Spectator, August 2024This idiot at the DNC   Joing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Get full access to Good for the Jews at askajew.substack.com/subscribe

This week we take your questions, very politely and with no conflict at all discuss Jewish extremism, and float the idea of a listener trip to Israel…You can send us your questions to askajewpod@gmail.comMake sure to check out our podcast recommendations and more on Substack askajew.substack.comJoing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Get full access to Good for the Jews at askajew.substack.com/subscribe

America’s favorite Nepo baby after Jesus, the greatest one-eye war hero since Moshe Dayan, the man who puts the Ho in Idaho - we are honored to welcome Ben Dreyfuss to Ask A Jew today. In this vulnerable, first of its kind tell-all, Ben opens up to us about his relationship with social media, his famous father, Judaism - and why he still hasn’t forgiven Bin Laden.Make sure to check out Ben’s hilarious newsletter Calm Down on Substack, and follow him on X , you probably won’t regret it.   Joing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Get full access to Good for the Jews at askajew.substack.com/subscribe

 A haunting and beautiful skit from the Israeli show "Hayehudim Baim" ("The Jews are coming")Peter Paltchik, olympic medalist, with his coach Oren Smadja who just lost his son in GazaIsael's Olympic team (6 medals and counting!)Dr. Mijal Bitton at the NYU rallyJoing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Get full access to Good for the Jews at askajew.substack.com/subscribe

Karmela Waldman may be a Holocaust survivor with a heartbreaking story, but the true victim of the Nazis is clealrly her son, Joel, as he tells us. The hilarious mother-son duo join the girls to talk about optimism, the True Crime podcast they co host, Surviving the Survivor,  and the book Joel wrote about his mother by the same name, which he calls a living eulogy, but she refers to as “A poor man’s Tuesdays with Morrie”. Surviving the Survivor bookSurviving the Survivor podcastJoel and Karm’s Instagram Joing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.comEmail us your questions askajewpod@gmail.com ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Get full access to Good for the Jews at askajew.substack.com/subscribe