People of the Pod

This week, we take a deep dive into the results of the 2020 election. First, we’re joined by writer and commentator Bethany Mandel to discuss what pre-election polls got wrong and why. Then, we hear from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency’s Washington Bureau Chief, Ron Kampeas, to break down the results of the congressional election and hear what the 117th Congress will look like. _____ Episode Lineup: [0:39] Bethany Mandel [9:27] Ron Kampeas [25:00] Shabbat Table Talk with Simone Rodan-Benzaquen

This week, Ira Sheskin, a professor at the University of Miami and editor of the American Jewish Year Book, joins us to break down what we know so far about the results of the 2020 election, with a focus on the Jewish vote in Florida. Then, we hear from Senator Norm Coleman, National Chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition, and Mark Mellman, President and CEO of the Democratic Majority for Israel, on what the outcome means for America, the Jewish community, Israel, and the world. _____ Episode Lineup: [0:36] Interview with Ira Sheskin [17:00] Norm Coleman and Mark Mellman [27:42] Shabbat Table Talk Show Notes: Decision 2020: Analyzing the Impact for the Jewish World – AJC Advocacy Anywhere Event with Senator Norm Coleman and Mark Mellman: https://www.ajc.org/news/decision-2020-analyzing-the-impact-for-the-jewish-world-ajc-advocacy-anywhere

This week’s episode features a conversation with actress and philanthropist Debra Messing about her new podcast, The Dissenters, and how her experiences with antisemitism shaped her identity. Then, in a live podcast recording with the Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center in New York earlier this week, we break down the results from AJC’s groundbreaking report, The State of Antisemitism in America 2020, with Avi Mayer, AJC’s Managing Director of Global Communications, and Holly Huffnagle, AJC’s U.S. Director for Combating Antisemitism. ____ Episode Lineup: [0:37] Debra Messing [13:06] Live Recording with Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center [33:53] Shabbat Table Talk Show Notes: The Dissenters episode with Dr. Edith Eve Eger: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dr-edith-eva-eger-healing-survivor-on-trauma-healing/id1510623465?i=1000494818306 The Dissenters website: https://www.thedissenters.com/ AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2020 Report: https://www.ajc.org/AntisemitismReport2020 Full Live Recording with Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center: https://www.emanuelnyc.org/streickercenter/past-events/#473232802

This week we’re joined by Jewish Insider National Politics Reporter Jacob Kornbluh, who has spent months reporting on the state of COVID-19 in New York’s ultra-Orthodox communities. On October 7, Kornbluh, a resident of Borough Park, was attacked while reporting on anti-lockdown protests in his neighborhood. We’ll hear a portion of this special live podcast recording, on why the ultra-Orthodox community has been so hard-hit by the pandemic, what is fueling the recent protests, and where the community should go from here. Then, we sit down with Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, to talk about the ramifications of this week’s end to the UN arms embargo on Iran. Episode Lineup: [2:06] Jacob Kornbluh [26:21] Mark Dubowitz [39:35] Shabbat Table Talk Be sure to tune into a special live podcast recording, “The Antisemitism Gap: The Startling Results from AJC's Groundbreaking Report” on October 28 at 4:00pm EST. Click here to register: https://streicker-center.ticketleap.com/the-antisemitism-gap-the-startling-results-from-ajcs-groundbre/. Show notes: https://www.ajc.org/news/covid-19-in-new-yorks-ultra-orthodox-community-a-conversation-with-jacob-kornbluh-ajc-advocacy https://rabbisacks.org/noach-5781/ https://mitzvahproject.causevox.com/lev-rudoren?fbclid=IwAR08cJKJDvIGVQXw0SrS5wfGxF_0MClmavefGt0CC7oV-ACUqseplHqWFSg

This week, Facebook announced that it would ban Holocaust denial content from the platform. We’re joined this week by Jordana Cutler, Facebook’s Head of Policy for Israel and the Jewish Diaspora, to discuss this important decision and the role AJC played in making it happen. Be sure to tune into a special live podcast recording, “COVID-19 in New York's Ultra-Orthodox Community: A Conversation with Jacob Kornbluh” on October 20 at 4:00pm EST. Click here to register: https://bit.ly/2SYOs2

This week, we speak to Josh Kraft, a community leader, a seasoned nonprofit executive, and through his family, a six-time Super Bowl champion. He recently took the helm of the Kraft family’s philanthropic efforts, and he joins us to discuss "[tbh]," or "together beat hate," an initiative of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, an organization focused on creating replicable models for fighting antisemitism and other forms of prejudice, racism, and hate. Show notes: https://www.togetherbeathate.org/

White supremacy has featured prominently in the public discourse in recent years and during the current election cycle. In this week’s episode, we sit down with the creators of two podcasts to explore the history of white supremacy in the United States in order to better understand the state of this hateful ideology today. First, Odette Yousef, host of WBEZ Chicago’s ‘Motive,’ speaks to us about the podcast’s third season, which examines the origins of Nazi skinhead culture. Then, we hear from Josh Levin, host of Slate’s ‘Slow Burn,’ the fourth season of which explores how David Duke, America’s most famous white supremacist, rose to prominence.

This week, we sit down with Abbe Gluck, a former clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed away last week, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah. A professor of law and founding faculty director of the Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy at Yale Law School, she and fellow former clerk Gillian Metzger penned an op-ed in The New York Times just days after Justice Ginsburg’s passing, recalling her impact on them and on gender equality in the United States. Professor Gluck joins us to reflect on that legacy.

Following Tuesday’s historic signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates at the White House, we sit down with Israeli Acting Consul General Israel Nitzan to help us break down this exciting development and what it means for Israel. Then, in our closing segment, Shabbat Table Talk, AJC Associate Director for Policy and Middle East Initiatives Benjy Rogers shares why the Abraham Accords give him hope for the region.

AJC, which for more than 25 years has advanced understanding and fostered cooperation between Arab states and the Jewish people, last week announced its plans to open an office in the United Arab Emirates – the organization’s first permanent presence in the Arab world. The move comes in the wake of the historic announcement last month by U.S. President Donald Trump, His Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the UAE and Israel would establish full diplomatic relations. On this week’s episode, we’re joined by AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson, who has long led AJC delegations to the Gulf and maintains close ties with senior Emirati officials, to speak about this historic announcement. Then, in our closing segment, Shabbat Table Talk, we hear from AJC Young Leadership Program Associate Naomi Ravick on her thoughts during #BlackJewishUnity Week, a partnership between AJC and the National Urban League. Show notes: https://www.ajc.org/news/challenges-and-opportunities-of-being-black-and-jewish-in-america-blackjewishunity-week