The Tikvah Podcast

Ari Lamm, CEO of Bnai Zion and a rabbi well-versed in the Hebrew Bible, dives into the essence of gratitude and its biblical roots. He discusses how daily expressions of thanks begin with 'Modeh ani l’fanekha.' Lamm contrasts Leah's deep biblical gratitude against Cain's resentment, examining faith's role in our connection to the divine. He highlights the enduring significance of thanksgiving in religious practice and calls for a meaningful revival of gratitude in contemporary civic life, urging actions that reflect genuine appreciation.

Jewish Americans have been loyally voting for Democratic presidential candidates since the early decades of the 20th century. And a very great many Jews supported Vice-President Harris in the election earlier this month. But the exit-poll results reported by most news outlets—that 79 percent of the Jewish voting public cast their ballots for Harris—are, at the very least, open to some very serious questions, and probably altogether unrepresentative. The poll that generated the figure of 79-percent Jewish support for the Democratic nominee, it turns out, does not include results from the states of New York, New Jersey, and California—three states that contain some of the most densely populated Jewish voting districts, and that are homes to those Jewish subpopulations that are a great deal more likely to support Republican policies and Republican candidates. A poll that excludes the most populous Jewish cities, and that excludes most Orthodox communities, is a poll that necessarily will reveal a distorted picture that privileges Jewish populations that tend to vote for Democrats. Fortunately, other information is available. Maury Litwack is the founder and CEO of Teach Coalition, a lobbying organization active in at least seven states that aims to make it easier for religious parents to send their children to religious schools. He and his team conducted their own exit poll of Jewish voters, looking at places that tend to have a higher concentration of Jewish citizens—the swing state of Pennsylvania and the swing Congressional districts in New York State. The Teach Coalition poll found that Harris did not win more than 50 percent of the Jewish vote in those districts. On this week's podcast, Litwack joins Mosaic's editor Jonathan Silver to discuss his analysis of these data. He does not see evidence that all Jews are becoming Republican, or that they all support President Trump, or that all Orthodox Jews are doing so. There are certainly trends that point in that direction, but they're not sustained by the findings of this poll. What is sustained by the findings of this poll is that the Jewish vote is up for grabs—and that both parties ought to be competing for it. Thus the Democratic party that has the most to lose if it believes that it still has the Jewish vote in its pocket—an unfounded belief that is reinforced every time the figure of 79 percent is repeated.

In this enlightening discussion, Jon D. Levenson, a Harvard Divinity School professor and expert on the Binding of Isaac, delves into this pivotal biblical narrative. He explores the complexities of sacrifice and moral challenges faced by Abraham. Levenson highlights the intricate relationship between divine demands and parental love, raising questions about faith and obedience. He also examines broader cultural interpretations and the lasting impact of this story across religions, revealing hidden insights into gratitude and human sacrifice.

Mark Dubowitz, Chief Executive at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, dives into the implications of a lame-duck presidency, especially with Biden's administration. He warns about potential executive actions targeting Israel and explores UN resolutions that threaten Israeli sovereignty. The conversation highlights Biden's controversial sanctions against individuals in the West Bank, raising concerns about their impact on U.S.-Israel relations. Additionally, Dubowitz analyzes Iran's nuclear strategy during this politically charged transition, stressing urgent considerations for Israel.

Matthew Levitt, a former U.S. Treasury Department official and author specializing in Hezbollah, dives into the complexities of Israel's ongoing conflict with the terrorist group. He discusses the surprising resilience of Hezbollah despite significant losses and disruptions to its command structure. Levitt also addresses the critical support from Iran and the implications of Israel's tactical successes for regional stability. The discussion highlights lessons from the 2006 war and explores how Israel can transform these tactical victories into strategic outcomes for its national security.

Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought, shares insights on the Jewish calendar's role in shaping identity and unity. He discusses how holidays educate about Jewish history and reinforce national belonging. Soloveichik highlights the deep connection between community, memory, and ritual, using Tisha B'Av to illustrate resilience. He also emphasizes the importance of family traditions, like the Pesach Seder, in preserving cultural memory, drawing parallels to broader national identities.

That the Jews have survived is one of the great mysteries of history, and for some theologians, Jewish survival is even an indication of God's providence. The stronger the force against the Jews, the more miraculous their resilience and endurance. But that mystery has another dimension to it–because in America, the Jewish community is not doing well at all. And that's not because America is like Egypt or Spain or Germany–in fact it's precisely because America is so decent, so good, and so welcoming that the Jewish community finds itself contracting and growing shallower. There is a powerful countertrend among the Orthodox subpopulations of American Jewry. Their rates of generational retention and inmarriage are high. Jewish education is advanced, and even flourishing. The U.S.-Israel relationship tends to be a salient issue in their approach to public affairs. But the Orthodox segment of American Jewry is very small. What about the other 85 or 90 percent? Elliott Abrams, the chairman of Tikvah and a distinguished foreign-policy expert, is the author of a new book addressing these topics, If You Will It: Rebuilding Jewish Peoplehood for the 21st Century. Abrams takes comprehensive stock of the available data on American Jewish communal life and then poses a question. The Orthodox Jews of America have a formula that works. But what can be done to strengthen the Jewish attachments and Jewish identities of the non-Orthodox? What do the data tell us? Abrams joins Mosaic's editor Jonathan Silver to discuss If You Will It. Musical selections in this podcast are drawn from the Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, op. 31a, composed by Paul Ben-Haim and performed by the ARC Ensemble.

From exploding pagers to airstrikes and a possible ground invasion, what are the IDF's goals in Lebanon? Everyone knows that on October 7, Hamas perpetrated a horrible, genocidal attack on Israel. In response to that attack, Israel committed itself to neutralizing the military threat from Gaza. On October 8, not wanting to seem any less committed to the eradication of the Jewish state, the Lebanon-based terror group Hizballah began to shoot rockets and missiles into Israel's northern territories. Nearly a full year later, Israeli towns and villages within Hizballah rocket range remain empty, and many tens of thousands of Israelis live as evacuees in hotels and apartments. Week after week, month after month, the rockets from Lebanese territory have not stopped. Israel has conducted occasional defensive operations, but about one week ago, the Israelis unmistakably increased the tempo and intensity of their own attacks, taking the fight to the territory of the adversary rather than continuing to bear its missile barrage. The retired Israeli brigadier general and defense strategist, Assaf Orion, joins Mosaic's editor Jonathan Silver to discuss this situation. Assaf is the Liz and Mony Rueven International Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and a prolific author and thinker not only on the security architecture of the Middle East and Israeli military planning and strategy, but also on China and great-power competition. Musical selections in this podcast are drawn from the Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, op. 31a, composed by Paul Ben-Haim and performed by the ARC Ensemble.

A few weeks ago on Manhattan's Upper East Side, a new school opened its doors and welcomed its inaugural classes of students. Emet Classical Academy is America's first Jewish classical school and a project of Tikvah. It's designed for 5th- to 12th-grade students, and is an animated by a vision of the importance of Western civilization, the responsibilities of American citizenship, high standards of excellence in classical languages, math and science, and the power of music, poetry, and the visual arts. Joining that is a full curriculum in the Hebrew language, the Hebrew Bible and rabbinic literature, and the history, politics, and meaning of modern Israel. The establishment of Emet is even more significant given the current cultural, political, and ideological moment. Many of its pillars are deemed irrelevant, if not shameful, at the country's elite, ideologically charged private schools, many of which were abandoned by students in Emet's first classes. To discuss all this, Emet's founding head of school, Abe Unger, joins host Jonathan Silver. Together, they talk about Emet's founding, the cultural and educational questions to which Emet holds itself forth as an answer, and what it's like to learn in Emet. Musical selections in this podcast are drawn from the Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, op. 31a, composed by Paul Ben-Haim and performed by the ARC Ensemble.

Marc Novikoff, an associate editor at the Washington Monthly and freelance writer, dives into the protests that erupted across American campuses during the 2023-2024 academic year. He reveals how the intensity of these protests correlates with university prestige, tuition prices, and student wealth. Novikoff discusses the impact of socioeconomic factors on activism, highlighting differences between elite and working-class institutions. He also explores the concept of 'luxury beliefs' among the elite and their influence on student perceptions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.