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:

Put your enemies on a sheet cake - with Rabbi Gavriel Bellino Apr 08, 2025

Show notes

This week in honor of Passover, we welcome the coolest Rabbi I know (after Chaya Leah’s father of edJEWcation), Rabbi Gavriel Bellino of NYC’s 6th street shul.

There are tons of photos, videos and musing that go with this episode from my visit to Israel. please check them out on substack at askajew.substack.com and/or on Instagram @askajewpod.

If you live in NYC you should absolutely visit 6th Street Shul (yes, this is Yael!) Its super welcoming and lowkey, and they throw some great parties. They also have the best Instagram account (operated by the Rabbi).

We talk about being a born-and-bred NYC Rabbi, issues facing Judaism today, spirituality, Kosher sushi, gays, women and David Schwimmer.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

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10 Things Every Jew Should Know Before They Go to College Apr 02, 2025

Show notes

This week we welcome returning guest and the youngest person we know, Blake Flayton, to talk about his new book: 10 Things Every Jew Should Know Before They Go to College. We talk to Blake about how to win over Gen Z (with social justice!), whether or not we should we be gatekeeping the the antisemitism discourse, and why we don’t want to see anymore Holocaust movies….for now.

You can follow Blake on Substack, X and Instagram, check him out calling out campus antisemitism in The NY Times before it was cool, and of course buy the book - everyone should read it, not just the kids! Also listen to his excellent podcast with Einat Wilf, We Should All Be Zionists.

Also:

* AI Therapy

* Finally the world is waking up! oh wait nvm

* What Birthrigtht gets wrong

* You say Dual Loyalty like it’s a bad thing

* Fighting Antisemitism from the left - Blake’s latest essay on Substack:

* Keep your friends?

* Enough with the Holocaust movies

* I’d rather be 9 people’s favorite thing than 100 people’s 9th favorite thing

* Are we all just talking to ourselves on Instagram? The problem with social media Zionism.

* The Insta-fada!

* Woke Anne Frank

* Stop what you’re doing and learn Hebrew

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

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What Women Want Mar 25, 2025

Show notes

G’day from the Land Down Under! Promise this is our first and last Australia joke in these show notes. Today we welcome the Jewish Hugh Jackman (ok, I lied), Josh Szeps to Ask A Jew! Josh is the host of Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps, and host of Szeps Live on Substack every Tuesday at 9pm (that’s normal time, not whatever they use in Australia). We loved having Josh on, even though he’s a lefty and that makes us feel unsafe. But it’s hard not to love him, and you will too. Also it doesn’t hurt that he’s kind of a hottie.

Aside from a 40 minute standard chit-chat about aviation, we cover:

* Do they even have months in Australia??

* We forgive you, Mel Gibson

* Shabbas Gay

* Why don’t people fall in Australia?

* The moon looks different in Australia

* How much money does Elon Musk have in Australia

* Ok Josh, spill it - what happeend to the Malaysian Airline??

* Aviation Today - with Josh Szeps

* Can you introduce us to the cast of Love on The Spectrum?

* The Princess Bride 2

* Australia replaced its Prime Minister with a paper straw

* 39 minutes in and we’re still talking about planes

* Josh’s grandmoother’s amazing holocaust story (sorry we mocked her for it)

* Antisemitism in Australia

* WHERE’S THE JEWS??

* Oh look a bunch of Jews disagreeing about Israel

* Josh is wrong about Israel and french fries

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

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Everyone (Except our Listeners) Sucks Mar 19, 2025

Show notes

The world needs to stop talking about Jews and the only way that will happen is if Barak Obama and Jennifer Aniston have a baby.

PHOTOS, CONVO, AND MORE ON SUBSTACK! askajew.substack.com

Also:

* Chaya Leah makes a stunning confession

* Purim Hangover

* Covid anniversary

* Hasidic fashion and the horrors of Brandy Melville

* The strange life of supermodels

* Save us, Barak Obama and Jennifer Aniston!

* Shitty Columbia students

* You don’t hate the universities enough

* Not all slopes are slippery

* CL book recommendation: Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

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Econ for Dummies Mar 11, 2025

Show notes

You demanded, we supplied! This week we are honored to have Prof. Russ Roberts join us on Ask A Jew. Russ is the host of the wildly successful podcast EconTalk (where he talks about everything from tariffs to the Opera), president of Shalem College in Jerusalem, and a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford. He’s also the author of many books, including How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness , and the economics-based novel, The Price of Everything. It is only natural that this internationally renowned economist and influential podcaster sit down with us to explain, like, what is economics anyway.

We discuss tariffs, AI, Jerusalem, incentives, empathy, and prayer, among other things. We also dive into whether or not being a Jew and a Zionist makes sense from an economics stand point, and which careers we should all invest in when the robots come for our jobs.

Make sure to check out “EconTalk: Conversations for the curious” wherever you get your podcasts, follow Russ right here on Substack Russ Roberts, and take a sneak peak at his new book currently titled The Agnostics Guide to Jewish Prayer.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

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The Zionist Case for Ukraine Mar 04, 2025

Show notes

Who’s this, disprespecting us on our podcast?? It’s our very own rare earth mineral, The Free Press columnist and host of the wonderful Breaking History podcast, Eli Lake! Did he even say thank you once? I don’t know. Probably at the end. Does it even matter? We hope you enjoy the episode. If you didn’t, it’s because Chaya Leah didn’t bring her translator.

Want more AAJ fun? Join the conversation on Substack! askajew.substack.com

Here’s what we cover:

· Yael learns something astonishing about how Chaya Leah views Volodymyr Zelenskyy and J.D Vance

· You’re not a Russian agent, you’re just stupid.

· Trump is playing 4D Uno

· This wouldn’t have happened under King David

· Eating s**t is the bed rock of diplomacy

· The axis of idiocy - people who love Gaza and Putin

· A digression into terrorist rectums

· Go prove you don’t have a sister

· Ugh, have you even heard of traveling medicine shows?

· Truth is for losers

· Plato Vs. the Torah

· What to tell an ugly bride?

· A great story whose details Yael can’t remember

· How antisemitic does someone have to be for you to cut them off?

· The Oscars pissed us off, even though they haven’t started yet

· A ray of stupid sunshine

· Let’s dig into Meir Kahane because none of this has upset people enough

Want to help us grow? Share this episode and give us a 5 star rating or comment wherever you get your podcasts!

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New Look Same Mood Feb 27, 2025

Show notes

Look. The words are done. They have just run out. So we filled the void with various mouth noises, about everything from the orthodox child labor, Meir Kahane, the Grand Canyon and Apple Cider Vinegar. Listen, some weeks are so icky, it’s ok to order a 7-11 Big Gulp on Uber Eats in the middle of a recording. Or is it? Anyway, please excuse our mess, but you get it, right?

* The story of Ariel Bibas’s best friend from kindergarten

* The new Hollyowod Jews who are punching back. Don’t you just love to see it?

* Friend of the pod talking Kahane with Israelis

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

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Golden Girls Reboot Feb 18, 2025

Show notes

This week we welcome our pals and confidants, Kat Rosenfield and Phoebe Maltz Bovy, co-hosts of Feminine Chaos!

Kat is a novelist, culture writer, and frequent contributor to the Free Press, where you should read whatever she writes, no matter the topic.

Phoebe is the opinion editor of the Canadian Jewish News, contributor to The Globe and Mail, author of the book The Perils of “Privilege” and a Canadian-American patriot.

We talk Kosher Superbowl halftime shows, beauty and aging, The Golden Girls, and more! Don’t forget to check out Feminine Chaos on Substack, and wherever you get your podcasts.

JOIN US ON SUBSTACK TO KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING! askajew.substack.com

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ WANT TO HELP US GROW? CONSIDER GIVING US A 5 STAR REVIEW ON APPLE OR SPOTIFY ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Links:

A very Kosher halftime show

Kat’s piece in the Free Press about Men and pregnancy loss

Golden year: What I learned watching The Golden Girls for the first time in 2024

Some Jewish unaothorized covers of Austalian hits from the 80s

Bonus: The piece Kat was working on when we recorded about the show Apple Cider Vinegar, titled “Why Women Fall for Wellness B******t”. Have you watched it? Discuss! I ended up binging it over the weekend and thought it was great. The trailer doesn’t do it justice in my opinion.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

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Love Doesn't Care About Your Feelings Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

Happy Valentines Day! That’s a Jewish holiday right? Well, we’re celebrating Rebbe Saint Valentine anyway.

In this festive episode we get all googly-eyed over our guest Aleeza Ben Shalom, a matchmaker and relationship coach who you all know from Netflix’s “Jewish Matchmaking”, and author of the new book Matchmaker Matchmaker: Find Me a Love That Lasts, which you should buy at least 2 copies of.

We dive into Aleeza's advice to "date ‘em til you hate ‘em", untangle love and values, and hear why Chaya Leah’s grandfather (who was himself a matchmkaer) would force men to stare into the mirror as they described their ideal girl.

The interview with Aleeza starts around 41 minutes in, but first, you have to sit through our thoughts on Trump’s plan for Gaza, travel tips for Somaliland, and a pitch for a new reality show to find the next palestinian leader.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Want to help us grow? Give us a five star rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Also:

* Gaz-a-Lago

* Somaliland and Puntland, see you at the beach!

* Some TV recommendations, old and new

* Who is Ian Sommerholder?

* Love doesn’t care about your feelings

* Down with Disney!

* Indepndence is overrated

* The Jewish ick

* Unrealistic expectations, and Chaya Leah’s grandfather’s advice for men (I’m not a pimp, I’m a shadchan!)

* Skip the dinner date

Check out Jewish Matchmaking on Netflix, and follow Aleeza on Youtube and Instagram, Did you know w’ere on Instagram too? Sometimes we forget. But check us out.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

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The Dumbening of Society - With Richard Hanania Feb 05, 2025

Show notes

We totally thought Richard Hanania was a Jew, and by the time we found out he’s Palestinian (gasp!) it was too late to cancel. Just kidding, we loved talking to Richard about everything from the online right-wing “trollosphere”, antisemitism (which he gets his fair share of), Twitter politics, elite human capital, disappearing pronoun bios, and in general why everything is just more stupid now.

Follow Richard on X/Twitter , check out the Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology, and subscrie to his Substack here.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

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