Two Nice Jewish Boys

Today we will be diving - yet again - into the current political turmoil in Israel, sparked by the proposed judicial reforms by the new Netanyahu government. For those who have been living on a different planet, massive demonstrations and an immense campaign throughout mainstream media against the reforms have led to a complete backlash, tearing apart Israeli society. The place where these reforms are being prepared is the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, and more specifically the Law and Constitution Committee, led by MK Simcha Rotman, who was our guest on episode 275. Today, we have the privilege of speaking with one of the advisors for the head of the committee, Prof. Talia Einhorn, who just arrived from Jerusalem and even today took part in the committee. Prof. Einhorn is an accomplished law professor, with countless articles and studies on important topics revolving around Israeli and international law, including a major treatise on Israeli private international law - the third edition of which was just released in 2022. She is a titular member of the International Academy of Comparative Law and has been serving as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Appointment of Senior Civil Service Officials. Join us as we discuss the current state of affairs in Israel and gain insight into the proposed judicial reforms from an expert in the field.

Political turmoil has been rocking the nation of Israel in recent times, with the suggested judicial reforms put forth by the Netanyahu government at the center of the storm. The reforms have been met with fierce opposition from many quarters, and the country remains divided on the matter. The situation has been complicated by the fact that hundreds of economists have written a letter warning that the reforms could have a negative impact on Israel's economy. The government is comprised of ultra-Orthodox parties, whose demographics threaten to collapse the country's economy in the coming decades. This, combined with the proposed reforms, has created a perfect storm of economic uncertainty in Israel. Joining us today on the podcast is data journalist Idan Erez, an economist, writer, and political activist. Erez holds a bachelor's degree in economics and history from Tel Aviv University, he's currently working at Globes, one of Israel's most important economic news outlets. Eretz is a (kind of?) libertarian who supports a free market, reducing regulations, and lowering taxes. He is also a member of the political lobby "Our Interest," and one of the founders of the association "Freedom for All." On today's show, we'll be discussing the current state of the Israeli economy, and the potential impact of the proposed reforms. Idan's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Idaneretz Idan's articles: https://www.globes.co.il/news/%D7%A2%D7%99%D7%93%D7%9F_%D7%90%D7%A8%D7%A5.tag

Jews are an important part of the history of the United States, and their contribution stretches across many different fields like cinema, politics and of course - the bagel. But a little less known aspect of Jewish history in America, is the role Jews played in wars, and in particular - the civil war, and even the Independence war. When the Civil War broke there were about 150,000 Jews in America. 125,000 of them lived in the Union States and supported Lincoln. As for the rest of them, 25,000 Jews - they were part of the Confederacy, and some of them even fought for the Rebels. To shed some light on this fascinating aspect of American Jewish history, we have on the show today the author Chaim Rosenberg, who wrote a new book called Shield of David: A History of Jewish Serviceman in America’s Armed Forces. Chaim Rosenberg has written fifteen books focused largely on the role of the individual in shaping American greatness. Rosenberg's books focus on the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, child labor in America, and the Loyalists in the American Revolutionary War. His book Yankee Colonies Across America won the 2016 non-fiction prize of the New England Society in the City of New York. We’re super thrilled to have Chaim with us today to talk about his new book! Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Shield-David-History-Servicemen-Americas/dp/1637588992 Photo: Archangel12

(THIS EPISODE DESCRIPTION WAS WRITTEN BY CHATGPT, WE DIDN'T TOUCH IT) In this week's monthly recap, we discussed the juicy scandals of the bar association and the political turmoil with the suspension of Netanyahu. We also delved into the frightening events of terrorist attacks in Neve Yaakov and Jerusalem, as well as the high tech exodus happening with companies like Papaya Global moving money out of Israel. But don't worry, we balance the heavy with a fun story about Eytan's doctor's clinic and the always entertaining commentary from David Hodek threatening civil war. Join us for a wild ride through the events of the past month in Israel!

In case you didn’t hear, over 80 thousand people gathered at HaBima Square in Tel Aviv Saturday night to protest what they’re calling the “Judicial Revolution”. This revolution, the protesters assert, which is being carried out by Prime Minister Netanyahu, aka Crime Minister, and his right-wing coalition partners, is a threat to our very democracy! The reform proposed by brand new Justice Minister Yariv Levin plans to grant the coalition the power to appoint judges and enable them to override the Supreme Court, along with other legislative changes. These are hotly debated issues in Israel. Many people see them as either seen as a breath of life or a strike of death to our young democracy. Today we’re gonna break down the Israeli Judicial system and the proposed reforms. And we have just the guy to help us out - Professor Moshe Koppel, the founder of the Kohelet Policy Forum, a think tank dedicated to “Israel’s future as the nation-state of the Jewish people, to strengthen representative democracy, and to broaden individual liberty and free-market principles in Israel.” Professor Koppel is a computer scientist, so we might also discuss how ChatGPT might be used to draft Israel’s constitution.

Back in 1953, at MIT, two young mathematicians crossed paths. Professor Yisrael Aumann was a young brilliant doctoral student when he met John Nash, one of the fathers of game theory and the subject of the biography and Oscar-winning film A Beautiful Mind. Nash shared his ideas on game theory with Aumann who later said "I didn't give the field much thought at the time because I was busy with pure mathematics". Years later when Aumann was hired by Bell to work on antiaircraft missiles, he realized that Nash's ideas were a game changer. Pun intended. Later both men would receive Nobel prizes for their contributions to the field of economics. Recently, Aumann expressed criticism about assertions by prominent behavioral economists such as Daniel Kahneman and Dan Ariely that humans are fundamentally irrational. Aumann urges a return to Rationality. Professor Yisrael Aumann is himself a legend of Game Theory. He's a founding member of the Stony Brook Center for Game Theory and is a Professor at the Center for the Study of Rationality at the Hebrew University. We're thrilled to be joined today on the show for the second time by Professor Yisrael Aumann.

Naor and Eytan talk about the new government, all recents controversies and much more!

Geopolitics expert Dr. Dan Schueftan discusses the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Europe's struggles with inflation and an energy crisis, Iran's alliance with Russia, and the civil uprising in Iran. They explore the geopolitical dynamics in Europe and the Middle East, Iran's strategic choices, the Middle East's geopolitics of power and brutality, uncertainty in Iran, the strength of Israeli society amidst crises, solutions and tensions, and issues with the police force and justice system.

November 1st, 10pm. Israel's election exit polls start rolling in. The right wing with Bibi at its helm have achieved the unthinkable, a triumphant comeback. Some left wing parties are even struggling to pass the threshold, leaving them on the precipice of oblivion. One, Meretz, doesn't make it. The right have done it again, and celebrations are in order. In the words of the great Jewish poet, Pink!, "I'm coming up so you better get this party started. Get this party started." BUT...record scratch sound effect… that was all some 45 days ago. A month and a half later, and still no government. Bibi is expected to announce his new coalition this Tuesday, but time shall tell. For the expected Premier, the struggle was real. 45 days of agony. Maybe they'll instate a new Jewish holiday to commemorate this time. It seemed that with each passing day another exciting expected right wing reform evaporated into thin air. Judicial reforms, economic reforms, police reforms. Poof, poof, poof. Now, all that remains are two questions. Will a government be formed at all? And if so, will it even be right wing? To help us answer these questions, we're joined by a beloved friend of the podcast, a contender for the title of Nicest of Jewish Boy, Roy Iddan. Roy Iddan is a scriptwriter and political analyst. He's consulted for some of the major political parties in Israel including the Likud and Blue and White. He's also the creator of the hugely successful Israeli police drama, Manayek, which was recently sold to none other than HBO! We're thrilled to be joined by Roy to talk politics, police and TV.

This episode is sponsored by Naor’s Youtube channel ‘The Italy Guy’! Check it out here and don’t forget to hit the subscribe button! https://www.youtube.com/c/ItalyGuy *** Naor and Eytan talk about recent events in Israel, US and the entire known universe!