Lightning Round: Favorites and Talmudic Memory

In this special Election Day episode of Being Jewish with Jonah Platt, Emmy Award–winning journalist Jake Tapper joins Jonah for a candid and wide-ranging conversation on politics, identity, and truth-telling in a polarized world. Best known as the anchor of CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper and State of the Union, Jake reflects on his decades covering America’s most defining political moments — from the Virginia governor’s race to the New York City mayoral election — and how journalism has evolved in an era of social media outrage and political echo chambers.

Together, Jonah and Jake explore the intersections of Jewish identity, antisemitism — past and present — and the evolving challenges of journalistic integrity in today’s press environment. Jake also opens up about his writing process and his latest books — Race Against Terror, which follows the pursuit of an Al-Qaeda killer, and Original Sin, his political thriller about a presidential cover-up during the 2024 election. 

This episode is a deep dive into the ethics of journalism, the responsibility of storytelling, and what it means to stay empathetic and informed in turbulent times. It’s a timely, thought-provoking listen for anyone who cares about democracy, truth, and the power of Jewish values in public discourse.

Topics covered include:

• Discussing Key Political Races
• The Democratic and Republican Parties
• Concerns Within the Jewish Community
• Antisemitism in Politics
• Personal Experiences with Antisemitism
• Challenges in Media Reporting
• Jake Tapper's Jewish Identity
• Jewish High School Experiences
• Jewish Summer Camp Memories
• Interfaith Marriages and Family Traditions
• Writing About Joe Biden
• Race Against Terror: A New Book
• Five Deep Questions with Jake Tapper

Sponsors

Sponsored by Berkeley Moshav

https://www.berkeleymoshav.org/

Mentioned in the Episode:

Understanding The Tower of Babel

Sodom and Gomorrah; The Cities Destroyed by God

What Really Happened at Mount Sinai

Bullsh*t Behavior & Central Synagogue's Rabbi Angela Buchdahl

Buchdahl Has Faced Criticism for Declining to Sign a Rabbinic Letter Condemning the Mayoral Candidate.

Increase in Jewish Hate

Jewish Population Changes

Race Against Terror: Chasing an Al Qaeda Killer at the Dawn of the Forever War by Jake Tapper

Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson

Jake Tapper Instagram

Jake Tapper X

The Lead with Jake Tapper

Key Early Elections

The Danger of Zohran Mamdani

What Does “Globalize the Intifada” Mean and How Can it Lead to Targeting Jews with Violence?

The Overton Window

The Lynching of Leo Frank

Dana Bash BJJP Ep

Sheryl Sandberg BJJP Ep

Protests at Jake Tapper’s Home

Hamas Weaponizes Sexual Assault in GAZA

Adi Vital-Kaploun, killed on October 7th, 2023

NY Times Admits to Relying Too Heavily on Hamas Reporting

News outlets’ erroneous “14,000 babies” claim

Watch the 2024 Presidential Debate

Inside the Trump Family’s Global Crypto Cash Machine

Who is Spin Ghul?

United States vs Ahmed Ghailani 

Call Your Mother Deli 

Rabbi Solomon ibn Gabirol

Selected Religious Poems Of Solomon Ibn Gabirol Translated Into English Verse By Israel Zangwill

Benjamin Franklin Bache

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