Episodes
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How should we really be talking about Israel - in the classroom, or anywhere else? This week, Uri speaks to Dr. Noam Weissman, Executive Vice President of OpenDor Media, where he spearheads the educational vision and leads content creation across all divisions. Noam heads a team of content creators and educators for the Unpacked brand which reaches millions of young Jews each year with articles, videos and social media content. He is also the host of the popular Unpacked podcasts “Unpacking Israeli History” and “The Power Of” as well as the host of the YouTube channel, Today Unpacked.
For more, see:
https://jewishunpacked.com/deir-yassin-the-battle-for-truth/
https://jewishunpacked.com/the-altalena-israels-almost-civil-war/
https://jewishunpacked.com/the-kastner-trial-why-a-jew-who-saved-many-was-put-on-trial-for-working-with-the-nazis/
https://jewishunpacked.com/kfar-qassem-a-wound-that-still-bleeds/ -
NY Times - the gift that keeps giving. Last week, you may have read: “For Strictly Observant Jews in Brooklyn, the Sabbath Expands," an article that highlights the new, expansive eruv covering most of Brooklyn. Within hours, there were hundreds of comments on the article, many of which were disparaging and mocking towards Orthodox and Chasidic Jews. This week, Uri and Rivky break down the article and comments, but they also go further - are loopholes a bad thing? And just as importantly, what do ritualistic mitzvot mean to us, as observant Jews?
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/16/nyregion/brooklyn-observant-jews.html -
Missing episodes?
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The new Netflix movie “You People” is a romantic comedy centering around Ezra Cohen, a white Jew, who falls in love with Amira, a black Muslim. Very much in the style of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, or Fiddler on the Roof, there are culture clashes and tension, much of which stems from Amira’s dad, played by Eddie Murphy, and Ezra’s mom, played by Julia Louis Dryfus.
The movie touches on a lot of hot button issues that are very much in the news (or, "the culture"), and much negative feedback in the Jewish community centers around particular lines on scenes. This week, Uri and Rivky ask, what were the filmmakers trying to achieve with this film, what does this say about American culture and society, and what does it say about the state of Jews in America?
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This week Uri is joined by Aliza Abrams Konig. They start by reminiscing about Aliza's previous appearance on Talking Tachlis, and they touch on a number of hot button issues including lab grown meat, the Netflix movie You People, and Joe Rogan's recent antisemitic comments. They then spend most of the conversation discussing Aliza's experience having a child with a surrogate, including various issues relating to Jewish law, and common misconceptions.
This is a different podcast where Aliza goes into more detail about her experience.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/simultaneously-navigating-surrogacy-a-kidney/id1610003724?i=1000557506816 -
Last week, Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Zuckier released a thoughtful, interesting piece about a new vision he entitled Ethical Orthodoxy. In this episode, Uri and Rivky sit down with Shlomo to ask him about this manifesto. They ask what its impetus was, what failures he sees in the religious world, and the practical ways he would want to build an Orthodox community around this worldview.
Read more here:
Ethical Orthodoxy: A Manifesto: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0fjD6QnfLBJDtzLzCc3UkTGKm4k5uVYFkJmtS9xC18PR1mMGrpsSwxH1wwJ4DgEuxl&id=100005452486362
Ben Shapiro - Modern Orthodoxy's Moral Failure - https://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/modern-orthodoxys-moral-failure/2022/12/12/
Lookback window: https://hareiani.com/tag/lookback-window/ -
Wow, the NY Times sure has been publishing a lot of recent articles about Orthodox Jews. Uri and Rivky ask, what's that about? And what does it have to do with identity, journalism, and Elon Musk's Twitter takeover?
Recent NY Times piece about Chasidic schools: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/29/nyregion/hasidic-orthodox-jewish-special-education.html
NY Times about Yeshiva University:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/11/nyregion/yeshiva-university-lgbtq-club.html
Astral Codex Ten: https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/the-media-very-rarely-lies -
THE OFFERING opens in theater and on demand starting this Friday, January 13th. Watch the trailer @ https://youtu.be/oMc-iybcRdc
Uri discusses the film and some of its Jewish themes with one of the stars of the film Emily Wiseman, director Oliver Park, Writer/Producer Hank Hoffman, and Producer/Story Developer Yoni Yunger. -
George Santos was elected to the US Congress in New York’s 3rd District, representing parts of Long Island and a small part of Queens, and is to be sworn into office today, on January 3rd 2023.
In mid-December, the NYT exposed Santos’s lies, including: false degrees from NYU and Baruch, non-existent work stints at Citi Group and Goldman Sacks, a fake charity, financial crimes. But most interesting to us, he also falsely claimed to be Jewish, and that his grandparents fled the Holocaust.
This week, Uri and Rivky discuss, is Santos different than other politicians? Is the fact that his lies are worse mean that he can’t be trusted in this position of power? Are his lies, including his Jewish identity, offensive? And what does his claim to Jewish ancestry says about the place and perception of Jews in America today?
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Kanye. Kyrie. And...Dave Chappelle? Maybe? This week, Rivky and Uri talk about this “resurgence” of antisemitism and ask, what the heck is even happening? And what was with Chappelle’s monologue? Funny? Not funny? Cruel? Offensive? Funny and offensive? And...the three men involved here - Kanye, Kyrie, and Chappelle, are not only three famous entertainers, but three black entertainers. Does that mean anything? If so, what does it mean?
Chappelle's Monologue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m-gO0HSCYk
The movie Kyrie posted: https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/kyrie-irving-antisemitism-non-apology-for-movie-17555214.php
Meyers Leonard scandal: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2935262-heats-meyers-leonard-uses-anti-semitic-slur-during-call-of-duty-live-stream -
This week, Uri and Rivky dive into the Supreme Court affirmation action cases being brought, in particular, on behalf of Asian students, who claim that in an attempt to help black American students, Asian American students are being discriminated against, and not given spots in these colleges that are instead going to the recipients of affirmative action. Some have compared these to the famous quotas that many Ivy League colleges had for Jews in the early to mid 20th century. They ask, how do we feel about affirmative action - as people, as Americans, and as Jews?
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This week Rivky and Uri are joined by the indomitable Mordechai Levovitz to discuss the latest craze taking over TikTok- Orthodox Jewish musical group The Miami Boys Choir. They try to understand what could be fueling this trend, and they ask, is it good for the Jews?
Times of Israel article - https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-miami-boys-choir-churned-out-generations-of-child-stars-where-are-they-now/ Rolling Stone article - https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/miami-jewish-boys-choir-tiktok-viral-1234602435/ -
Last Sunday, the New York Times ran a front page article, “Failing Schools, Public Funds: Hasidic Students in NYS Are Deprived of Basic Skills.” The article describes the abysmal track record that many Hasidic schools have on standardized tests, their lack of secular education, and the government funding these schools receive without abiding by the government’s academic standards. There are also accusations of teachers hitting students, the hiring of unqualified teachers, censoring of secular textbooks, inaction from politicians due to Hasidic voting blocs and influence, and the extreme challenges faced by members of the community who leave the fold, but find that they are equipped with the basic skills needed to navigate the outside world.
Rivky and Uri ask, what is this article really about? And what is the point of education?
https://yuobserver.org/2022/09/what-the-pride-alliance-failed-to-learn-from-jewish-history/
https://yucommentator.org/2022/09/the-dangers-of-liberalism-and-why-yu-should-change-its-charter/
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTp3R7h5JeieCsugLhZbvPjKjuKcIZnIELjThuwFI4rCSDBqaCK02E0oz1eqXTP8pUeb1TV21WITDWm/pub
https://twitter.com/SruliFruchter/status/1537098109875998720
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/11/nyregion/hasidic-yeshivas-schools-new-york.html
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We modern day Jews think of ourselves as the descendants of Israelites....but we're not the only group who thinks that of ourselves. This week, Uri and Rivky speak to Drs. Steven Fine and Jesse Abelman, co-curators for a new exhibit at the Museum of the Bible (MOTB), called The Samaritans: A Biblical People. (A partnership of the Yeshiva University (YU) Center for Israel Studies and Museum of the Bible.)
For more about the opening: https://www.museumofthebible.org/exhibits/the-samaritans-a-biblical-people
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The fight about whether to allow the Pride Alliance, the club for LBGTQ undergraduate students at YU, has now been elevated to the Supreme Court. This week, Uri and Rivky attempt to share student voices and ask, does Yeshiva University welcome LGBTQ students in its undergraduate schools? And, what is the end goal for YU and for Modern Orthodoxy?
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A couple of weeks ago, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas claimed that Israel had committed 50 massacres, 50 Holocausts, of Palestinians. And we were all set to discuss that. But then, this weekend, journalist and former Talking Tachlis guest Peter Beinart, published an op-ed, taking issue with Jewish groups who accuse critics of Israel of antisemitism.
Are these stories connected? What is antisemitism? And must we reevaluate our definitions of antisemitism?
Abbas Press Conference - https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-monstrous-lie-abbas-50-holocausts-claim-met-with-outrage-in-israel-germany/
Peter Beinart in NYT - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/26/opinion/antisemitism-israel-uae-saudi.html
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This week Rivky and Uri speak with Lazar Berman, the diplomatic reporter for Times of Israel, to hear about his recent 3 week trip to Ukraine reporting on the war. They also discuss the latest updates on the current Iran nuclear deal negotiations.
Lazar's work for Times of Israel - https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/lazar-berman/
To have Lazar speak in the New York area on either August 21 or September 6, you can reach him at [email protected]
Links:
Bill Maher segment about appropriation and "Jewface" https://youtu.be/uDkNmbJLB3o Wall Street Journal Podcast about Ben and Jerry's Israel saga https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly92aWRlby1hcGkud3NqLmNvbS9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcy93c2ovdGhlLWpvdXJuYWw/episode/YzRiZDNiZjQtZDY2Zi0xMWVjLWFkNTQtYmIwNTAxMDk3YTEz?hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwjQ3-6Ohsz5AhUflIkEHd0sAKgQieUEegQIBRAF&ep=6 -
This week, Rivky and Uri talk about the concept of "Jewface," or when a non-Jewish actor plays a very Jewish role. This will often involve using stereotypical Jewish mannerisms, or even prosthetic noses, as is the case with Bradley Cooper in an upcoming movie about Jewish composer Leonard Bernstein. Do we have a problem with this? Is it antisemitic? Is this phenominon comparable to the more well know practice of Blackface?
Links:
Ben and Jerry’s
https://www.timesofisrael.com/ben-jerrys-seeks-injunction-against-parent-company-as-israel-legal-battle-goes-on/
https://nypost.com/2022/08/09/israeli-students-accuse-ben-jerrys-of-occupying-tribal-land/
Sarah Silverman Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jewface-iron-dome-mr-mom/id1533130572?i=1000537086147
https://forward.com/culture/476527/does-sarah-silverman-actually-have-a-point-about-jewface/
Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein
https://www.jta.org/2022/05/31/culture/netflix-releases-photos-of-bradley-cooper-wearing-prosthetic-nose-to-portray-leonard-bernstein-reigniting-jewish-representation-debate
Haaretz
https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2022-01-24/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/whats-offensive-its-the-idea-that-theres-such-thing-as-jewish-character-traits/0000017f-dc24-d3ff-a7ff-fda4bbc70000?lts=1660140547361
Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z3efR2Fu18
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On this coming Sunday, we’ll be commemorating Tisha B’Av, the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. Uri and Rivky ask, why isn't Tisha B'Av widely recognized in the Jewish world? And what would have to happen to turn the day of mourning into a day of joy?
New York Times on Tisha B'av - https://latitude.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/16/holy-ambivalence/ Reform Judaism - https://www.reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/tishah-bav Reconstructionist - https://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/article/pondering-meaning-tisha-bav/ If Not Now - https://www.972mag.com/as-u-s-jews-we-need-to-figure-out-what-leverage-we-have-in-ending-the-occupation/ Russia calls out "US Hypocrisy" - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/04/world/europe/russia-reaction-floyd-protests.html North Korea calls US country of "extreme racists" - https://www.newsweek.com/north-korea-calls-us-country-extreme-racists-after-george-floyd-protests-1508704 China uses US racial reckoning as propoganda opportunity - https://www.npr.org/2020/06/03/868566978/in-george-floyd-protests-china-sees-a-powerful-propaganda-opportunity -
Several weeks ago, during several bar and bat mitzvahs being celebrated at the egalitarian section of the Western Wall, about 50 Charedi young men interrupted their services. They blew whistles, screamed at the attendees, and ripped up their prayer books. Videos show them calling the worshipers “Nazis,” “Christians,” “animals,” “shiksas," and “Reform Jews.”
In a similar-but-different story, Gil Tamary, a Jewish and Israeli Channel 13 journalist, recently snuck into Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, has a total ban on non-Muslims entering the city. Tamary made it clear that he knew he was breaking the law. This event enraged both the government of Saudi Arabia and many Muslims worldwide.
Uri and Rivky ask, are these stories as the same? Who are the "good" and “bad” guys, in either story? And ultimately, is it fair, and is it appropriate, to restrict groups of people from religious spaces?
Lazar Berman: https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/lazar-berman/
Rabbi Scott Kahn episode about the kotel episode: https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/egalitarian-prayer-at-the-kotel-how-should-orthodox-jews-respond-121/
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Last week, NASA released the first images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. This project took 20 years and $10 billion, and these new images are the most detailed, incredible views into deep space that humans have ever seen.
This week, Uri and Rivky ask, is it worth it? What is the point of NASA, and space exploration? And what does any of this have to do with us Jews?
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