Ask a Jew

Today is a heartbreaking and terrifying day for Jews in America—and for anyone who cherishes the values of decency, freedom, and civilization itself.The cold-blooded murder of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim last night in Washington, D.C., has shattered any illusion that the hate-filled rhetoric we’ve been hearing was just talk. It wasn’t. For those of us who have been warning that this kind of incitement would spill into violence, this is our worst nightmare come true. And yet we still hear people whispering, some quite loudly, that the Zionists had it coming. This was not random. This was the deadly consequence of a climate that has normalized antisemitism under the guise of politics. Some people think violent antisemitism is the result of the the war in Gaza. We know it's the other way around - the war in Gaza is the result of violent antisemitism. In this episode, which we recorded a few days ago before these horrific events, we sat down with Jonah Platt—actor, podcast host, and passionate Jewish advocate—to talk about Judaism, Israel, generational disconnects, and what it means to be a vocal Jew in today’s climate. Check out his excellent podcast, Being Jewish [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/being-jewish-with-jonah-platt/id1767185986] with Jonah Platt. We cover the following topics: * From Hollywood to Jewish Advocacy * The Role of Family in Jewish Identity * What’s Going Wrong with Jewish Education? * Jewish Students and the New Face of Antisemitism * Chabad, Cheese Plates & Jewish Hospitality * Why Aren’t More Jews in Hollywood Speaking Up? * Fighting Disinformation & Misguided “Allies” In the end, Jonah reminds us: don’t wait for celebrities to save us. We are done staying silent about this, and hope you can join us. Don't worry about being on the right side of your favorite Instagram influencer, worry about being on the right side of humanity. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit askajew.substack.com/subscribe [https://askajew.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

We got the top Jew everyone! Eric D. Fingerhut [https://generalassembly.org/speakers/6189] is the President and CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America [https://www.jewishfederations.org/] (JFNA), previously the President and CEO of Hillel International, and also a former congressman for the great state of Ohio. Take that resume to your Jewish mother! In case you don’t know, the Jewish Federations of North America is the umbrella organization for the different Jewish organizations, and they respond to the needs of Jews in the US, Israel and around the world. The Federation raises about 2 billion annually, which is enough for a couple of Air Force Ones I reckon. Eric was kind enough to sit with us for over an hour to discuss the state of Jews in America today, why 80% of Jews support Israel, and why we can't afford to be divided. He patiently answered all our dumb questions including: do the Jewish organizations bear any responsibility for he outbreak of antisemitism? Should we care what the world thinks? And how should we save the Jews with a million, ok a billion, dollars. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit askajew.substack.com/subscribe [https://askajew.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Happy Mother’s Day! This week, we invited the women who have been listening to us blabber for over 40 years — our biggest fans and fiercest critics: our own moms! Please enjoy our conversation with Chanie Perelmuter and Liora Bar tur. We talk childhood, community, Holocaust (of course) and bra shopping. And please, call your mother! Want to help us grow? Rate us 5 starts and review us on Apple or Spotify This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit askajew.substack.com/subscribe [https://askajew.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Today is the specialest day in Israel. We just exited Memorial Day for soldiers and victis of terror, the saddest day of the year by far, and went straight — and I mean straight, within minutes — into Independence Day, the happiest. 24 hours of pain and heartbreak, followed by a short ceremony that throws us into a celebration of what we have gained thanks to those we lost. It’s a rollercoaster, like most things here. Here’s a video [https://substack.com/@askajew/note/c-113254806?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=1gxumo] I took today at the market during the national moment of silence for the fallen. It’s chilling and frankly pretty cool to watch an entire country stop in their tracks to remember. We do this 3 times a year: once on holocaust memorial day (last week) and twice on memorial day. On other days if you hear a deep siren, you should run for shelter. In this episode, Chaya Leah invites listeners who are her children to complain about her, Yael reviews the cafeteria at the Holocaust museum in Poland, and we debate the merits of uphill battles, as recommended by Douglas Murray. Special thanks for our genius editor Mickey for removing as many sniffles, coughs and in general as much auditory grossness as he could find from this one. It was a lot worse before he got involved, trust me. Good for the Jews is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. By the way, you know the show is called Ask A Jew, right?? So send us your questions, big or small, offensive and funny, to: askajewpod@gmail.com. Ready for some visual stimulation? First off, here;s CL’s favorite Tel aviv dogwalker doing his morning roll call: And released hostage Agam Berger blowing our minds at the Holocaust ceremony in Auschwitz: Did someone say Poland? here are the photos from my trip of my family’s home, factory and places of burial. Oh wait, I also traveled all around Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the Sea of Galilee. Want to see? 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 askajew.substack.com/subscribe [https://askajew.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Happy Good Friday! Shh, we have a serious guest, everyone behave please in the comment section. Today we welcome Jacob Mchangama [https://jacobmchangama.com/]. Jacob is the author of the breezy beach read “Free Speech – A History from Socrates to Social Media” [https://www.amazon.com/Free-Speech-History-Socrates-Social/dp/1541600495], research professor at Vanderbilt University where he is also the founder and Executive Director of The Future of Free Speech institute [https://futurefreespeech.org/], and a Senior Fellow at The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression theFIREorg [https://substack.com/profile/139927201-thefireorg]. JOIN THE CONVERSATION ON SUBSTACK! ASKAJEW.SUBSTACK.COM Here’s what we cover: * Anne Frank is from Denmark, right? * Free Speech in the ancient world * When is speech actual violence? * The optimistics and pessimistic case for free speech * Back when the ACLU was cool * Immigration and speech * Can’t we just make antisemitism illegal * The vibe shift * Mahmoud Khlalil * The future of free speech Here’s your feel-good story for the week [https://x.com/yaelbt/status/1912478439744897109]: An IDF reservist found this sweet pup in Gaza, who apparently ran over when he heard the soldiers speaking Hebrew. The soldier quickly discovered that this is no other than Billy, a dog that was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. He belonged to Rachel Dancyg, the ex-wife of hostage Alex Dancyg [https://www.timesofisrael.com/alex-dancyg-75-renowned-holocaust-educator-was-wise-and-witty/] who was murdered in Gaza. Rachel’s brother, Itzik Elgarat [https://www.timesofisrael.com/slain-captive-itzik-elgarat-buried-brother-says-netanyahu-dug-his-grave/], was also abducted from the kibbutz and murdered in Gaza. Some sweetness in the midst of it all. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit askajew.substack.com/subscribe [https://askajew.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]