Judaism

Chosen People Problems

Yael Bar tur, secular sinner, and Chaya Leah Sufrin, pious Haredi, ask each other the hard questions, from Torah to Tinder askajew.substack.com

Latest Episodes:

Urban Warfare Urban Legends with John Spencer Jun 26, 2024

Show notes

Why war isn't as simple as two armies fighting, the obsession with "2,000 pound bombs", Hamas's non-battlefield strategy (which the media helps it achieve) and so much more with John Spencer.

No one understands the intricacies of modern warfare like John Spencer. As a retired US Army Major and chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, not only has he studied war for years, he also put his boots on the ground as a soldier and researcher (including several visits to Gaza over the last year).

So of course, we asked him the important questions - are we all going to die? Is he single? And why is he so obsessed with concrete?

The After Action Review:

How did he learn about Israel?
Global world order
Remember when Iran attacked Israel?? What was up with that.
There are worse things than war
A Just War? Yes (here’s what the author of the Just War theory, Michael Walzer, had to say last year)
Drones! Here is Yael’s thread about battlefield innovation)
Wait what is going on in Ukraine again?
Dead chinese military generals that don’t exist
Appeasement never works
Speaking up for Ukraine vs speaking up for Israel
The dangerously dumb
John is a normal person — what do normal people think?
The myth of the 2,000 pound bomb
War has never been two militaries just trying to defeat each other - there are politicians and populations involved.
Hamas’s goal is not to win on the battlefield
How the US lost a battle of Fallujah because of media pressure
Oh guess what Hamas is stealing (and bombing) humanitarian aid.
Start digging!
Sorry ladies, his heart belongs to concrete…
Everyone should have a friend in the military

Follow John on X/Twitter

Israel Has Created a New Standard for Urban Warfare. Why Will No One Admit It? - Newsweek, March 2024.

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Why does an alarm clock need to be Kosher? Jun 19, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Ask A Jew, we answer your questions like why can religious Jews go into a mosque but not a church? Does an alarm clock need to be kosher? And should you say a prayer every time you use the bathroom?

Have a question? Send it to us at askajewpod@gmail.comWhen is it time to post things on Instagram again?

Before we get to that though, we cover our thoughts on if it's ok to go back to posting day to day things on Instagram, our strange social media algorithms, the NYC Meetup wrap-up, the ugliest of all the Hadid’s, war isn’t a Loony Tunes cartoon, what we’re angry about today, AND - is TJ Maxx the secret to healing the world?

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There's No Place Like Noam Jun 12, 2024

Show notes

Noam Dworman is the owner of the world famous Comedy Cellar in New York City, co-host of the podcast Live From The Table, and two-time MVP of Ask A Jew.

We sat with him last week in a beautiful Soho studio (thank you Jonathan!) to talk about Israel, Trump, people you disagree with, and more. Manny Dworman, a 5th-grader with some strong opinions about free speech, made this episode even better than we could have hoped for.

Also: Thank you to everyone who came to the AAJ Happy Hour in NYC! Was great to meet you, for photos and more announcements head over to substack: askajew.substack.com

Breakdown:

he problem with Holocaust education
A supply and demand problem
Some pessimistic predictions
Noam’s solution - take his kids to israel
Chaya Leah has a solution (guess what it is)
The cool kids don’t like us
What to do about the West Bank
Hebron for Tel Aviv?
Make America Pro-Israel again - the case for Trump?
Talking to people you disagree with
Is Noam a narcissict? We ask his son.
What Chaya Leah changed her mind about
When a broken clock is right twice a day
Should Briahna Joy Gray have been fired? Manny has some thoughts
Jews behind the curtain
They hired you to be a Jew!

Show notes:

Inflation Debate between Paul R. Krugman and Lawrence H. Summers

Live From The Table

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East Side Story - With Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove May 29, 2024

Show notes

The girls welcome Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of the Park Avenue Synagogue for a very serious conversation about faith and Jewish identity in 2024, Anti-Zionist Jews, compassion, and what the future may hold for America's Jews.

* The Interview beings 31 minutes in, after we catch up on Yael's meditation retreat and other spiritual adventures.

Park Avenue Synagogue

Rabbi Cosgrove's Sermons

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The Fighting Irish May 22, 2024

Show notes

0:00 - 47:00: the girls catch up on their week for the first part of the episode, talking about the joys of meditation (kind of), the miracle of procastination (with a touch of divine intervention), and a Eurovision recap.

47:00: In the second part of the episode, we talk to Ann McElhinney and Phelim McAleer, creators of the October 7 play - yes, this is a off-broadway show made entirely of testimonies of real survivors, portrayed by an amazing cast of actors. It’s playing now in NYC and we highly recommend it. We talk about why two non-Jewish Irish people decided to travel to Israel in November 2023 (for the first time ever!) to tell these stories, how they prepared to stage it, the reactions, and of course - what the hell is wrong with Ireland?

October 7 website

Trailer for the play

Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Review from the NY Post

Kevin Spacey trial podcast

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Conversion Therapy - with Nellie Bowles May 14, 2024

Show notes

This week we are delighted to welcome newly-minted Jew, our number one draft pick for the Tribe this season, the Caitlin Clark of Judaism - Nellie Bowles! Nellie is the Chief Stratgy Officer at The Free Press, formerly of The NY Times, and author of the wonderful new book “Morning After the Revolution: Dispatches from the Wrong Side of History” which you should absolutely buy and read (don’t check it out of the library, pay up!).

We talk about converting to Judaism, how if you're going to be a lesbian you may as well marry Bari Weiss, why free dental dams are a 👏 human 👏 right (don't google what those are) and why we're spreading a rumor that Timothée Chalamet was just spotted at an IDF recruitment office...

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Glamping 4 Gaza - With Ben Appel May 06, 2024

Show notes

Glory to the Gays! This week we are joined by Ben Appel, author of the upcoming “Cis White Gay: The Making of a Gender Heretic” AND a graduate of the Popular People's University Formerly Known As Columbia.

In this struggle session we cover the liberation of the Columbia campus, why Jews and Gays should unite against the world, and why your hairdresser probably hates you.

Check out Ben's work at www.benappelwrites.com, as well as on Twitter and Substack.

Show notes:

A hero is born at UCLA
That great SNL ISIS bit
These videos that never cease to amaze us

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Good Evening Ramalmo! Eurovision talk with Sharon Davidovitch May 02, 2024

Show notes

Forget college campuses, the real culture war will take place next week in Malmo, Sweden, where the Eurovision Song Contest (otherwise known as the "gay olympics") takes place. We are joined by sports journalist and Eurovision rainman Sharon Davidovitch to talk about how Israel will fare this year in the glitter soaked battlefield - even if you know nothing of what is as big as the Superbowl across the pond, this episode offers fascinating takes about the Intersection between gepolotics and culture. We talk about why Israel had to change the name of it's song this year or risk being kicked out, how Dana International blew the world's mind in 1998 as the first transgender winner (from Israel!), why the 1983 outfits of the Israeli team were a big F U to Germany, how we determine who is antisemitic based on how they vote, and a little about what it's like to play and cover sports on behalf of Israel abroad. Come for the music, stay for the weird insights into Scandanavian incestuous voting habits.

Show notes:

Israel's banger 2024 entry, Hurricane by Eden Golan (previously titled "October rain")

Israeli contestant warned to stay in her hotel room in Sweden

Israels' first win, A-Ba-Ni-Bi (Paris, 1978)

Israel's second win, Hallelujah (Jerusalem, 1979)

Israel's third win, Diva (Birminghamm 1998)

Israel's fourth win, Toy (Lisbon, 2018)

Honorary mention - "Chai" (Munich, 1983)

Spotify playlist of Israeli Eurovision entries

Sharon's Twitter

Sharon's website (Hebrew)

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Am Yisrael High Apr 25, 2024

Show notes

Sarah Rose Siskind is a science comedy writer and psychedelic comedian. she came by to tell us about how she hosted a psychedelic Shiva after October 7th, which she also wrote about for Psychology Today. We also discuss how drugs may have influenced Nova festival survivors, why Chaya Leah and Yael need to go on a “trip” to Auschwitz, and proposing to her fiancé at Burning Man.

More about Sarah

Sarah's Twitter

When a Modern Psychedelic Meets an Ancient Ritual of Grief

Jews Who Toke Instagram

I Got Engaged in the Mud at Burning Man - The Free Press

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A Postcard From Peaceful Times Apr 17, 2024

Show notes

Remember when OJ died?? That's what we were talking about a few days ago when we recorded this, and all was calm in the world. Coincidentaly this blissfully unaware episode is also number 100 for us! Thank you for that, Chaya Leah is petitioning to the Rabbis to make it a holiday as we speak (100 days of fasting? Need to workshop).

We did have a lovely chat with our friend Jay of the Habibi Bros about Iran, which you can find on our Instagram, @askajewpod.

Links:

Follow Kim Goldman, Ron Goldman's sister

Why Meadow Died The People and Policies That Created The Parkland Shooter and Endanger America's Students

EdJewcation - the new podcast!

The president of Pomona College is done playing

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