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Latest Episodes:

How Universities Lost Their Way, With Cary Nelson Mar 20, 2025

Show notes

Universities are meant to be spaces of free inquiry, knowledge, and rigorous debate. But according to academic and writer Cary Nelson, they’ve instead become hotbeds of ideological conformity—long before October 7. In his new essay Mindless, published in the Jewish Quarterly, Nelson traces how universities abandoned shared intellectual principles, paving the way for the antisemitism and misinformation now taking hold on campuses worldwide. He joins Liel to discuss the forces that led to this institutional failure, the consequences for Jewish students and faculty, and what must happen to restore true academic freedom.

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How to Be a Jew ... At the World Championships Mar 19, 2025

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A few weeks ago, we brought you a conversation with AJ Edelman, the first Orthodox Jew to compete in the Winter Olympics and the pilot of the current Israeli bobsled team.

Shortly after that interview, Tablet signed on as a sponsor for his bobsled team, complete with merch you can find at https://tabletmagstore.com/

This week, we’re bringing you a dispatch from his time at the World Bobsled Championships and the three things you need to know about bobsledding.

For more information about the Israel Bobsled team, visit israelbobsled.team.

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Why Dual Loyalty is Good for the Jews, with Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz Mar 13, 2025

Show notes

The charge of dual loyalty has long been a key weapon in the arsenal of anti-Semites everywhere. But in his new book, The Case for Dual Loyalty: Healing the Divided Soul of American Jews, Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz of Los Angeles’ Valley Beth Shalom argues that it’s time to embrace the idea. He joins Liel to talk about why American Jews should be loyal to Israel and the United States alike, why that is a complimentary rather than contradictory idea, and why it’s time, in the aftermath of October 7th, for Jews to reconsider the way they view their identities

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How to Be a Jew ... And an Accidental Gunslinger Mar 12, 2025

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Salvador Litvak, also known as the Accidental Talmudist, is the filmmaker behind the 2005 cult classic When Do We Eat and the author of Let My People Laugh: The Greatest Jewish Jokes of All Time!. He joins us to discuss his new film, Guns and Moses, in which a small-town rabbi becomes an unlikely gunslinger after his community is attacked. Guns and Moses premiered at the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival in 2024 and is expected to release nationwide this summer.

Sponsors:

The Institute for Jewish Spirituality invites you to Mindfulness for the Climate Crisis: Resilience in a Changing World. Register at Jewishspirituality.org

Join the American Technion Society for an exclusive briefing with Technion Professor Brigadier General Jacob Nagel, as he shares key finding from his report to the government on Israel’s defense technology and security needs, and the Technion’s vital role in this evolving strategy. Register at link.ats.org/security

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Why Trump’s Deportation of Mahmoud Khalil is Perfectly Legal, with Ilya Shapiro Mar 12, 2025

Show notes

Last Saturday, ICE agents detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian-born Palestinian who was one of the leaders behind the year-long Tentifadah in Columbia University. Khalil and his group have repeatedly expressed their support for Hamas and other terrorist organizations, a violation of U.S. immigration law. Ilya Shapiro, senior fellow and director of constitutional studies at the Manhattan Institute, joins Liel to explain why the act is completely legal, and why we shouldn’t fall for the bad faith argument that Khalil’s arrest is a free speech issue.

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What to Do in Ukraine, and in Gaza? With Eli Lake Mar 06, 2025

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It’s been a week of fast-paced breaking news, from a bit of Hamas propaganda winning the Academy Award for best documentary to President Trump and Vice President Vance presiding over a heated meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky in the White House. Journalist and podcaster Eli Lake joins Liel to discuss what Trump gets wrong about Ukraine, what he gets right about Israel, and what Israel’s options may be as its ceasefire with Hamas draws to an end.

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How to Be a Jew … like a Shtisel Mar 05, 2025

Show notes

Shtisel was a world wide phenomenon, and after the success of the original, co-creator Yehonatan Indursky is back with a new story, Kugel, focusing on Libbi and her dad Nuchem Shtisel during their days in Antwerp.

Hadas Yaron, who stars as Libbi, joins us to talk about the difference between Shtisel and Kugel, and what makes them such compelling Jewish television. We also, of course, discuss the foodstuff that inspires the show’s title (are you team savory or sweet?).

You can stream both Shtisel and Kugel on Izzy, a new streaming service from Israel.

Hosted by Courtney Hazlett, Rabbi Diana Fersko, and Josh Kross, each episode of How to Be a Jew takes a look at a current, cultural topic and what it means for us as Jews, and how we react to it because we are Jews.

Want to send us an email? Send it off to podcasts@tabletmag.com

For more podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts

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How to be a Jew … Like Dara Horn Feb 26, 2025

Show notes

Like most Jews, the news of the murder of the Bibas children not only saddened us, but it also made us ANGRY. How do we deal with our own thoughts about the event, and the greater world’s response as well?

Dara Horn, a prolific author known for her book People Love Dead Jews (and the podcast Adventures with Dead Jews) as well as her work fighting antisemitism, joins us to deal with our anger and provide context for why we should be optimistic about the future of Jews. We also talk about her new Passover-themed graphic novel for kids, One Little Goat. How does a seder that won’t end lead to a time-traveling adventure? Have a listen.

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Can Orthodox Judaism Be Reformed? with Rabbi Irving Greenberg Feb 20, 2025

Show notes

One of American Jewry’s leading theologians and thinkers, Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg has spent decades engaging—and enraging—orthodoxy by suggesting it was time for religious Jews to examine some of their closest-held beliefs, including on such controversial issues like gay marriage or female members of the clergy. He joins Liel to discuss his new book, The Triumph of Life: A Narrative Theology of Judaism, the role of God during the Holocaust, and why he believes the ancient religion is finally old enough to grow out of some of its ancient hang-ups.

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How to Be a Jew ... Like Olympian AJ Edelman Feb 19, 2025

Show notes

AJ Edelman is the first Orthodox Jew to compete in the Winter Olympics and serves as the pilot of the Israeli bobsled team. He joins us to make the case for Jews in sports, recounts his unconventional path to “sliding sport” acclaim (and the setbacks he’s faced), and talks about what it’s meant for him to represent Israel on an international stage.

If you want to sponsor AJ and his team, get in touch with us at podcasts@tabletmag.com

Want to send us an email? Send it off to podcasts@tabletmag.com

For more podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts

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