Chosen People Problems

You think American politics are complicated? Israeli elections are so confusing, even the people explaining them aren’t sure anyone’s going to win. So we brought in two of Israel’s leading political journalists, Amit Segal and Nadav Eyal, both Call Me ...

You know the Righteous Among the Nations Michael Moynihan from the Fifth Column Podcast, The Free Press, Vice, Bill Maher, his show “The Moynihan Report”, but most importantly - he is a dear friend of the Jews and our emotional support guest. He is our...

Today we are joined by some guy named Dan Senor for a wide-ranging Ask Me Anything. We tackle questions about the state of Jewish education, why we should stop calling everyone an antisemite, how Fauda is shaping perceptions of Israel globally, and wha...

What happens when two very different Jews answer your most personal, random, and serious questions? We open up our chat for a mostly fun, sometime serious conversation about how we became friends and podcast partners, how an Orthodox matchmaker really ...

Which is more important for Israel–winning the war or the PR battle? The one and only Douglas Murray is with us today, to talk Israel, poetry, and…true crime? We start off by accidentally insulting him, but don’t worry, he still likes Jews! Also: Why d...

Guys, we have big news. Really big. Like, Dan Senor Big. We are thrilled to announce we are joining Ark Media! Yes, Dan Senor bought us (actually, his company), and we now belong to him. Don’t worry, though; he hasn’t spent as much time with us as you ...

Who knew that you could blame evolutionary biology for doom scrolling, binging on donuts or getting seasick? In this episode, we talk to Dr. Rob Kurzban, an evolutionary psychologist, about how human feelings and behaviors are shaped by evolution. He e...

This week, we’re joined by the one and only Dara Horn ( https://www.darahorn.com ) to discuss her new book, The Final Solution to the Jewish Question: A Love Story for the Living ( https://a.co/d/03XFtiB3 ). It’s an incredible book that will make you b...

Ilya Shapiro ( https://manhattan.institute/person/ilya-shapiro?shown=10 ) is a senior fellow and director of constitutional studies at the Manhattan Institute and briefly, but not insignificantly, the executive director of the Georgetown Center for the...

Dear Jews and regular people, Rosh Hashana is upon us, which means it’s time to reflect on the past year, take a hard look at our behavior, ask forgiveness from the people we’ve wronged, and then immediately start judging everyone again. What a year it...

25 years ago, we told people to never forget September 11th, and how’s that going for us? On this special episode, we are happy to interview Larry Wein, a tribe member, former NYPD Homicide detective, and 9/11 first responder. We heard what that day wa...

Aaron MacLean ( https://x.com/AaronBMacLean ) is host of the ( https://www.youtube.com/@SchoolofWarPodcast )School of War ( https://www.youtube.com/@SchoolofWarPodcast ) podcast, a National Security Analyst at CBS, a columnist at the Free Press ( https...

Warren Kinsella wears many hats: a lawyer hat, a punk-rock musician hat, an author hat - and our favorite - a pissed-off Canadian hat. We chat with him about his new book, The Hidden Hand: The Information War and the Rise of Antisemitic Propaganda. Aft...

We just wrapped up our first ever live show in Wyoming (naturally), and we had a blast!! Thank you so much to the Jackson Hole Jewish Community for hosting us, to the amazing listeners who traveled to be there, and to our special guest Nadav Eyal, who ...

John Spencer is a retired Army officer, Urban Warfare expert, Chair of War Studies at the Madison Policy Forum and Executive Director at the Urban Warfare Institute. He’s been in some funky situations (including seven visits to Gaza), and encountered e...

Hi Jews and Jew Lovers! It’s been an exhausting week running the world, but we still had some time to sit and catch up about Spain, Morocco, water guns and the kingdom of Cerritos Auto Square (mentioning them in case they want to sponsor the podcast.) ...

Mark Dubowitz is the chief executive of The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), and our new reluctant friend. We sit him down to talk about Iran, Saudi Arabia, why the IRGC wants Ted Kaczynski to kill him, why we can’t just send Bruce Willis (...

Ask A Jew is going to Wyoming!! We’ll be hosting a live show Monday, August 10th in Jackson Hole, how cool would it be if you join us there? If not for us, do it for Nadav Eyal, who will be our special guest, and who we didn’t add to the above AI image...

Rafael Mangual is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute Institute, a contributing editor of City Journal, and authour of the book Criminal (In)Justice: What the Push for Decarceration and Depolicing Gets Wrong and Who It Hurts Most. He joins us to...

Ben Kawaller is a writer and journalist who you may know from his video series “Ben Meets America” in the Free Press, and from the Reflector podcast series “Strange Bedfellows” about how the LGBT movement went slightly off the rails. We discuss coming ...

In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the judges who rule on justice, and the clueless podcasters who interrogate them. Thanks for reading Good for the Jews! This post is public so feel...

It’s 9:04 in New York and we finally reached boss level. Today’s guest is Dan Senor of the “Call Me Back” podcast, bestselling co-author of “Start-Up Nation” and “The Genius of Israel”, and all-around great guy. We chain him to the chair for a good 90 ...

Batya (!) Ungar-Sargon needs no introduction, but if you insist: she’s the host of of “Batya!” on News Nation (Saturday at 7PM & Sunday at 11AM EST), host of the YouTube show “Prove It! With Batya”, and author of the brand new book, The Jews and the Le...

Are you in or around New York City?? Mark your calendars for Monday, June 1st at 6pm!! Come have a drink with ChayaLeah and Yael! Spring Lounge 48 Spring St, New York, NY 10012 Comment if you plan to attend! Special guests may make an appearance… Good ...

WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE! Hello - SURVEY. Fill out the SURVEY. Last one to fill out the SURVEY is an antisemite. Plus you have a chance to win Chaya Leah’s baked goods, made especially for you! If you already filled it out, you are our favorite! I...

Dr. Gad Saad is a scholar at the Declaration of Independence Center for the Study of American Freedom at the University of Mississippi, and all-around Mensch. As a Lebanese-Canadian-Jewish academic, let’s just say he knows a thing or two about the cult...

Today on Ask a Jew, we’re joined by writer Freya India, author of Girls: Generation Z and the Commodification of Everything, to talk about what growing up as a girl looks like in the age of Instagram, how we are all carrying generational trauma from Ev...

Two episodes in one week? You lucky ducks! Maybe there’s even a third one coming…Only Hashem (and maybe producer Gabi) knows. BUT FIRST - are you following us on YouTube? Listen, I get if you’re an antisemite and don’t want to show your cards. We won’t...

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit askajew.substack.com/subscribe

Watch this episode on YouTube!! Yes, it's happening! Please susbcribe to our brand new channel. Are the Straits of Hormuz open or closed? Is "free shipping" actually real? How do you clear underwater mines? Do ships draw crude drawings on tracking maps...

Jamie Denbo is an actress, comedian, formerly a writer and producer on Grey’s Anatomy (yes, that Grey’s Anatomy), and creator of The Beverly Podcast! Oh, you may have also seen her on Curb Your Enthusiasm and How I Met Your Mother. We talk to Jamie (an...

During these trying times, we’re here for you to process the shattering news of the last few weeks: Abby and David from Love on the Spectrum have broken up. What will happen to the lions? We also talk about the war in Iran, settlers, cutting off family...

Rabbi David Wolpe needs no introduction, but if you insist: He’s a scholar in residence at the Maimonides Fund, Rabbi Emeritus at LA’s Sinai Temple, and formerly a visiting scholar at the Harvard Divinity School (where, you know, Yael…never mind). This...

Dr. Jonathan Sarna is one of the most well-regarded historians in America and the Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University. He has written and edited over 30 books (which is more than we have read…combined) and is the expert on the J...

Happy Nowruz! Is Iran winning? Do the people support the regime? Are the Arab countries mad at us? Beni Sabti has no time for your nonsense. Born and raised in Iran, Beni is one of Israel’s top war commentators and a fellow at the Institute for Nationa...

Today on Ask A Jew, we fly into the future to talk to Claire Lehmann, the founder and editor-in-chief of Quillette, a fantastic Australia-based online publication. We talk about the state of the nation in the land down under, how Australians are grappl...

These are trying times for the United States, Israel, and the good people of Iran. Thankfully, we gathered on a Substack Live with our community to talk sh*t about Malala Yousafzai! Also: funny memes from Israel, we love the USA, Hashem trolls Chaya Le...

Behnam Ben Taleblu is senior director of the Foundation For Defense of Democracy’s Iran Program, and a senior fellow specializing in Iranian security and political issues. We ask this noted scholar the burning questions of the day like, “Do you lose we...

Happy almost-Iran war day! On this solo pod, we discuss our respective Valentine’s Days, whether or not the US should start executing Olympic athletes who don’t bring home medals, and Chaya Leah’s near Holocaust experience at a fancy kosher restaurant ...

Lahav Harkov is the Senior Political Correspondent for Jewish Insider, formerly of the Jerusalem Post, and most importantly - a repeat offender on AAJ. She’s here to answer all our current affairs questions, and some of our stupid questions too. We cov...

What’s this?? Is it your birthday? Or are you just getting two episodes in one week because we love you so much?? As Jews around the world gather to celebrate Tu B’Shvat and the New England Patriots, we caught up to discuss everything that’s on our min...

Eylon Levy is a former Israeli Government Spokesman and one of Israel’s most recognized faces on the global stage since October 7th. A graduate of Oxford and Cambridge (which is like Harvard in the UK - ybt), he founded the Israeli Citizen Spokesperson...

Yassine Meskhout is a public defender, a Moroccan, an anarchist, a liberterian, a cyclist (*shudder*) and now, our new best friend. We’ve become obsessed with his writing since his viral November 2023 essay “The Jewish Conspiracy To Change My Mind” and...

Much more on Substack! Iran, Lebanon and Syria, Oh My! Hussain Abdul-Hussain is a fellow at the The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), hailing from Beirut via Baghdad and all the way to Washington DC. We talk about how he learned Hebrew by ch...

Iran who? Venezuela what? The hottest place you need to know about right now is a little Muslim democracy in the horn of Africa called Somaliland. Recently, Israel just became the first country to recognize Somaliland as it cements its independence fro...

Last night we went Live on Substack with our listeners and AAJ BFF and The Free Press contributer, Eli Lake. Bummed you missed it? Want to watch a video version? Subscribe for free at askajew.substack.com Read Eli’s latest about Venezuela, Iran and oth...

Our podcast daddy Michael C. Moynihan is back from the dead for a long (and long awaited) discussion on conspiracy theories, antisemitism, dumb people, and why you shouldn’t end every conversation with a Jew with: BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PEDOPHILES?? Anyway...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit askajew.substack.com Hi everyone, Last night we were supposed to interview Michael C. Moynihan, but unfortunately he tragically passed away. At least that’s what we think, we don’t know wher...

All photos and videos to accompany this episode are on our substack! Askajew.substack.com In this episode we cover the events of last week, from the horrific murders in Sydney, to Ben Shapiro at TPUSA, to - of course - Mandy Patinkin. In case you misse...

You know Andy Mills from such podcasts as “The Daily” from The New York Times, “The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling” from The Free Press, and most recently, the award winning show “The Last Invention” about the Al revolution from his new company ”Longview...

*No International Laws were broken during the recording of this episode.* Dr. Mijal Bitton is a spiritual leader at the Downtown Minyan, an NYU sociologist, a scholar-in-residence at the Maimonides Fund, co-host of the Wondering Jew podcast AND she’s r...

Chaya Leah is back from Vegas, and boy does she have some stories to tell (not the kind you think, though. They are much, much worse). Also, are orthodox Jews allowed to celebrate Thanksgiving? Was Yael disappointed when she met hostages in real life? ...

Happy Thanksgiving! Today on Ask A Jew, CNN Political Contributor and author of the new book “A Revolution of Common Sense: How Donald Trump Stormed Washington and Fought for Western Civilization”, Scott Jennings!. You know Scott as the “spokesperson f...

Periel Aschenbrand is a writer, comedian, author, and producer of the Comedy Cellar podcast “Live From the Table”. We discuss her life in comedy, post-October 7th stand up, and the irony of hiding in a baker’s oven during the holocaust. Find Periel on ...

Join the conversation on Substack askajew.substack.com Hello from NYC, where everything is going juuuussstttt grrreeaaat. Don’t worry though, we’ll protect you. What really was great was our Shabbat dinner with our friends at the Six Street Synagogue! ...

Need a break from the NYC mayoral race and the left-wing antisemitism of Zohran Mamdani? Let’s dive into the refreshing world of right-wing antisemitism! See you this Friday at Ask A Jew’s NYC Shabbat Dinner! Tickets Here. No, you don’t need to be Jewi...

Join us November 7th in NYC for a Shabbat dinner!! Tickets here! There will be food, there will be alcohol, there will be listeners just like you. Tickets are limited. In this solo-pod, we recommend taking smartphones away from your kids and giving the...

You may recognize journalist Amit Segal from Dan Senor’s “Call Me Back” podcast, or his contributions to The Free Press. Israelis know him as Channel 12’s Chief Political Correspondent, co-host of our local version of “Meet the Press”, and author of th...

More photos and videos on askajew.substack.com Good morning from a different Israel, Something feels lighter in the air today. It’s been this way since I landed yesterday and probably started Wednesday evening when Trump announced a deal had been reach...

Hi everyone, It’s a week of hope, despair, commemoration and as usual, unbridled rage. We caught up Friday to cover the many events of the last few weeks. Also we recorded this before the announcement of the Trump plan, sorry. Hard to keep up with the ...

Shana Tova from Chaya Leah’s kitchen table! It is not even 8am, and she already peeled 400 apples, made 200 matza balls, and skinned 3 chickens. I am sitting here trying to stay out of the way while working on our business aka this podcast. It’s very t...

Sarah Hurwitz served as a White House speechwriter from 2009 to 2017, first as a senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama and then as head speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama. She’s with us to discuss her new brilliant book: As a Jew: Recl...

We are happy to welcome author, cultural critic, and social media explainer Leigh Stein to Ask A Jew today! We discuss her new novel, If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant for You — a modern-day gothic page-turner set in a Los Angeles social media influenc...

A long overdue solo awaits for those who dare! First of all we apologize for the lack of Taylor/Travis content here, we recorded this a few days ago before the breaking news. We hope you can still enjoy this discussion that covers: * ICE and immigratio...

Shabbos Kestenbaum is probably the most famous Jewish Harvard grad since Natalie Portman. You may know him as a former Bernie Bro and divinity student who went on to sue Harvard for discrimination, speak at the Republican National Convention, and accom...

This week we welcome one of our favorite journaists of the moment, Olivia Reingold of The Free Press! We discuss her Jewish roots, atheism, how she went from an NPR fangirl to working for (gasp!) Bari Weiss, what’s wrong with Gen Z, accidental antisemi...

We are so excited to have the one and only Babka King, Chris Cares None with us! If you haven’t seen Chris’s videos on Instagram and TikTok where he reviews foods from different ethnicities, with some special love to Babka and Rugelach, why are you eve...

Happy Sunday and a blessed week to everyone, except Mandy Patinkin. In this catch-up we talk about the unfolding situation in Gaza (spoiler: some healthy disagreement!), the meaning of being able to criticize someone you love, toothaches and heartaches...

Helen Lewis is a big deal y’all, and yes we’d be saying that even if she didn’t have a British accent. She’s a staff writer at The Atlantic, author of the new book The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea, as well as Difficult Women: An I...

Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman is a cognitive scientist, podcaster, mentalist and author of 11 (!!) books. We had him on to talk about his latest “ Rise Above: Overcome a Victim Mindset, Empower Yourself, and Realize Your Full Potential, and were diagnosed wi...

Bethany Mandel is the co-author of the bestseller “ Stolen Youth ” (with former guest Karol Markowicz!) and blogger/podcaster at The Mom Wars. We recorded this one a little while ago (there’s been an entire war in between) so excuse our tardiness. We t...

Chaya Leah is back from Israel, and boy does she have a story to tell! It has everything: bombs, planes, boats, sandwiches, and horny birthright kids. We’re so happy she’s home safe, and hope that her grandchildren will retell her story to the next gen...

Since Chaya Leah is lost at sea somewhere between Cyprus and Natanz, I was joined by Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov, formerly a senior contributing editor, diplomatic reporter and knesset Reporter for The Jerusalem Post, and of course former Ask A Jew g...

Thank you to Andrew Fox for jumping on our live Substack video to talk about Israel, Iran, and answer your questions. Send your prayers to the IDF, the people of Israel, and the people of Iran. Good for the Jews is a reader-supported publication. To re...

Uri Berliner was a senior business editor at NPR for 25 years, when he decided to set his tote bag on fire and spill the tea. We talk to him about his bombshell essay, How NPR Lost America, NPR’s coverage of Israel, viewpoint diversity, journalism, pod...

Chaya Leah Sufrin and Yael Bar tur are two of the most influential Jewish women in America. Known for their compassionate and thoughtful discussions, they discuss topics ranging from antisemitism to The Social Security Act of 1935. Their guests include...

Today is a heartbreaking and terrifying day for Jews in America—and for anyone who cherishes the values of decency, freedom, and civilization itself. The cold-blooded murder of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim last night in Washington, D.C., has shat...

We got the top Jew everyone! Eric D. Fingerhut is the President and CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), previously the President and CEO of Hillel International, and also a former congressman for the great state of Ohio. Take that re...

Happy Mother’s Day! This week, we invited the women who have been listening to us blabber for over 40 years — our biggest fans and fiercest critics: our own moms! Please enjoy our conversation with Chanie Perelmuter and Liora Bar tur. We talk childhood...

Today is the specialest day in Israel. We just exited Memorial Day for soldiers and victis of terror, the saddest day of the year by far, and went straight — and I mean straight, within minutes — into Independence Day, the happiest. 24 hours of pain an...

Happy Good Friday! Shh, we have a serious guest, everyone behave please in the comment section. Today we welcome Jacob Mchangama. Jacob is the author of the breezy beach read “ Free Speech – A History from Socrates to Social Media”, research professor ...

This week in honor of Passover, we welcome the coolest Rabbi I know (after Chaya Leah’s father of edJEWcation), Rabbi Gavriel Bellino of NYC’s 6th street shul. There are tons of photos, videos and musing that go with this episode from my visit to Israe...

This week we welcome returning guest and the youngest person we know, Blake Flayton, to talk about his new book: 10 Things Every Jew Should Know Before They Go to College. We talk to Blake about how to win over Gen Z (with social justice!), whether or ...

G’day from the Land Down Under! Promise this is our first and last Australia joke in these show notes. Today we welcome the Jewish Hugh Jackman (ok, I lied), Josh Szeps to Ask A Jew! Josh is the host of U ncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps, and...

The world needs to stop talking about Jews and the only way that will happen is if Barak Obama and Jennifer Aniston have a baby. PHOTOS, CONVO, AND MORE ON SUBSTACK! askajew.substack.com Also: * Chaya Leah makes a stunning confession * Purim Hangover *...

You demanded, we supplied! This week we are honored to have Prof. Russ Roberts join us on Ask A Jew. Russ is the host of the wildly successful podcast EconTalk (where he talks about everything from tariffs to the Opera), president of Shalem College in ...

Who’s this, disprespecting us on our podcast?? It’s our very own rare earth mineral, The Free Press columnist and host of the wonderful Breaking History podcast, Eli Lake! Did he even say thank you once? I don’t know. Probably at the end. Does it even ...

Look. The words are done. They have just run out. So we filled the void with various mouth noises, about everything from the orthodox child labor, Meir Kahane, the Grand Canyon and Apple Cider Vinegar. Listen, some weeks are so icky, it’s ok to order a...

This week we welcome our pals and confidants, Kat Rosenfield and Phoebe Maltz Bovy, co-hosts of Feminine Chaos! Kat is a novelist, culture writer, and frequent contributor to the Free Press, where you should read whatever she writes, no matter the topi...

Happy Valentines Day! That’s a Jewish holiday right? Well, we’re celebrating Rebbe Saint Valentine anyway. In this festive episode we get all googly-eyed over our guest Aleeza Ben Shalom, a matchmaker and relationship coach who you all know from Netfli...

We totally thought Richard Hanania was a Jew, and by the time we found out he’s Palestinian (gasp!) it was too late to cancel. Just kidding, we loved talking to Richard about everything from the online right-wing “trollosphere”, antisemitism (which he ...

We sit down to recap the events of the week, which feels like a decade. Check out videos and shownotes on askajew.substack.com Also: * Chaya Leah wants to deport Yael * The hostage releases are so emotional. And that emotion is rage. * Where do they ke...

That feeling you have in the pit of your stomach? We’re all there. A mix of hope, fear, anger and grief. An American friend asked me if I’m happy about the hostage deal, and it was hard to use that word in this context. Though I support the deal (like ...

Dr. Jonathan Schanzer is the Executive Director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, host of the FDD Morning Brief, and formerly a terror finance analyst for the US Treasury. There’s a lot to talk about this week, especially the hostages, an u...

This week we welcome on of our favorite podcast hosts and top 5 favorite lesbians, non-Jew Katie Herzog! Katie is the co-host of the wonderful Blocked and Reported podcast about internet drama with Jesse Singal, which makes her a victim of antisemitism...

What do you people call it? 2025? Anyway, we hope it’s awesome! Is your new year’s resolution to listen more of the Jewish weave, covering everything from Hanukkah to TJ MAxx? If so, you’re in for a treat. Also: * Our sufganiyot (seasonal donuts) game-...

Brendan O’Neill is the chief political writer for Spiked and host of The Brendan O’Neill Show podcast. He writes for numerous publications, including the Daily Mail, the Spectator, the New York Post and The Australian. His latest book is After the Pogr...

This week we welcome Judy Gold, comedian, writer, actor and author of "Yes, I can say that! When they come for the comedians we're all I trouble ". We go everywhere in this one - feminism, lesbians Israel, comedy, cat calling - you name it, we laugh ab...

Jonathan Elkhoury is just your typical Lebanese, Israeli, Christian, Gay Zionist. Born in Lebanon, Jonathan fled the country at the age of 8 with his family when Hezbollah took over their village. Since his father was in the South Lebanese Army and wor...

The girls share everything they know about Syria (not much), argue passionately about faith in the Messiah vs. faith in the Iron Dome, and try to determine who is the better Jew (the answer may suprise you!) In New York Dec 12th? Join us both for our H...

Chaya Leah heeds the activists' advice and goes back to Poland. Also: Trumps hottest cabinet picks, our *least* favorite type of antisemites, and a wholesome dip into Mormon Twitter. Don't forget to RSVP for our Hanukkah party, Dec 12 in NYC! Details o...

Today we welcome Zibby Owens, bestselling author, CEO, bookstore owner, “ book-fluencer ”, and host of the widely succesful “ Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books ” podcast. Most recently she published “ On Being Jewish Now ”, a collection of essays on J...

DECEMBER 12 HANUKKAH PARTY IN NYC! Follow askajew.substack.com for details. Some rational and irrational responses to the election that are sure to equally offend all the listeners, plus movies, planes, the orthodox draft in Israel, and more. This is p...

Looking for a non-election podcast? How about 75 minutes of soothing soviet antisemitism? We got you. Our guest today is Izabella Tabarovsky, a scholar of Soviet antizionism and contemporary antisemitism. We discuss how everything old is new again, why...

Bonjour from Paris! (Bonjour means “hello” in French). Miss us? We missed you, each other, and the sound of our own voices. That maybe explains the fact that neither of us could shut up on this one, in fact we almost forgot we were recording and maybe ...

In this week’s episode of “people we thought were Jewish” - Christine Rosen! Christine is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, columnist for Commentary magazine, cohosts of The Commentary Magazine Podcast, and author of the new book Th...

On the eve of October 7th, we gathered with 100+ of our closest friends (you guys!) to share our feelings, frustrations, sad tears and happy tears. Don't worry, we still found some space for holocaust jokes and hot dictators. Thank you to everyone who ...

Sunday October 6 listener Zoom!! Go to askajew.substack.com for details. Shana Tova from the bomb shelter! Just kidding, the IDF said we can go out, plus, after an hour we finished folding laundry and drinking a bottle of whiskey, and we were bored. Th...

This episode is brought to you by the Federated States of Micronesia. No, they aren't paying us for sponsorship, but they are the only country that still loves us, so this one's on us! This week we discuss the Hezbollah pager explosions, the list of co...

Greg Lukianoff is a First Amendment lawyer, President and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), and co-author of the hits " The Coddling of the American Mind" with Jonathan Haidt and "The Canceling of the American Mind" wit...

David Christopher Kaufman is a columnist and editor at the NY Post and an adjunct fellow at the Tel Aviv institute. He joins the girls this week to talk elections, Israel, and the identity of the half black, half Jewish, totally Zionist American journa...

We are joined by Brianna Wu, the Executive Director of Rebellion Pac, who proudly calls herself queer, progressive - and a friend of Israel. We discuss growing up in Mississippi, what progressives can learn from Hasidic Jews, the Women's March, Gamerga...

We hopped on to record with a heavy heart this morning, after hearing the devasating news of the murder of 6 Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity: Carmel Gat, Ori Danino, Almog Sarusi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alex Lobanov and Eden Yerushalmi. They managed...

The girls are joined by retired British Army Major Andrew Fox, who has spent time in Afghanistan, Iraq, Gaza, and other exotic tourist destinations. We discuss wars of choice, try to pick a fight with Taylor Swift, compare military MREs, and wonder why...

This week we take your questions, very politely and with no conflict at all discuss Jewish extremism, and float the idea of a listener trip to Israel… You can send us your questions to [email protected] Make sure to check out our podcast recommendat...

America’s favorite Nepo baby after Jesus, the greatest one-eye war hero since Moshe Dayan, the man who puts the Ho in Idaho - we are honored to welcome Ben Dreyfuss to Ask A Jew today. In this vulnerable, first of its kind tell-all, Ben opens up to us ...

A haunting and beautiful skit from the Israeli show "Hayehudim Baim" ("The Jews are coming") Peter Paltchik, olympic medalist, with his coach Oren Smadja who just lost his son in Gaza Isael's Olympic team (6 medals and counting!) Dr. Mijal Bitton at th...

Karmela Waldman may be a Holocaust survivor with a heartbreaking story, but the true victim of the Nazis is clealrly her son, Joel, as he tells us. The hilarious mother-son duo join the girls to talk about optimism, the True Crime podcast they co host,...

The girls are joined by Andy Mills, a reporter and a podcaster who spent time as both a fundamentalist Christian and an employee of The NY Times. You may know him from such podcasts as The Daily, The Witch Trials of J.K Rowling, and most recently, Refl...

In this week's solopod, Judaism's Piers Morgan and Roger Waters sit down to discuss the woes of the Jewish people in 2024. But first, we waste your time with talk about toxic relationships, skincare, skimpy bathing suits. Fear not - about 26 minutes in...

Reuven Fenton is a reporter for the NY Post and the author of the new novel "Goyhood", which the Jerusalem Post called "A unique story of identity and redemption that examines no less of an issue than the essence of Judaism." We talk identity, the Post...

Why war isn't as simple as two armies fighting, the obsession with "2,000 pound bombs", Hamas's non-battlefield strategy (which the media helps it achieve) and so much more with John Spencer. No one understands the intricacies of modern warfare like Jo...

In this episode of Ask A Jew, we answer your questions like why can religious Jews go into a mosque but not a church? Does an alarm clock need to be kosher? And should you say a prayer every time you use the bathroom? Have a question? Send it to us at ...

Noam Dworman is the owner of the world famous Comedy Cellar in New York City, co-host of the podcast Live From The Table, and two-time MVP of Ask A Jew. We sat with him last week in a beautiful Soho studio (thank you Jonathan!) to talk about Israel, Tr...

The girls welcome Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of the Park Avenue Synagogue for a very serious conversation about faith and Jewish identity in 2024, Anti-Zionist Jews, compassion, and what the future may hold for America's Jews. * The Interview beings 31 minu...

0:00 - 47:00: the girls catch up on their week for the first part of the episode, talking about the joys of meditation (kind of), the miracle of procastination (with a touch of divine intervention), and a Eurovision recap. 47:00: In the second part of ...

This week we are delighted to welcome newly-minted Jew, our number one draft pick for the Tribe this season, the Caitlin Clark of Judaism - Nellie Bowles! Nellie is the Chief Stratgy Officer at The Free Press, formerly of The NY Times, and author of th...

Glory to the Gays! This week we are joined by Ben Appel, author of the upcoming “ Cis White Gay: The Making of a Gender Heretic” AND a graduate of the Popular People's University Formerly Known As Columbia. In this struggle session we cover the liberat...

Forget college campuses, the real culture war will take place next week in Malmo, Sweden, where the Eurovision Song Contest (otherwise known as the "gay olympics") takes place. We are joined by sports journalist and Eurovision rainman Sharon Davidovitc...

Sarah Rose Siskind is a science comedy writer and psychedelic comedian. she came by to tell us about how she hosted a psychedelic Shiva after October 7th, which she also wrote about for Psychology Today. We also discuss how drugs may have influenced No...

Remember when OJ died?? That's what we were talking about a few days ago when we recorded this, and all was calm in the world. Coincidentaly this blissfully unaware episode is also number 100 for us! Thank you for that, Chaya Leah is petitioning to the...

Tom Aharon is an Israeli standup comedian, and co-host of Israel's top commercial daily radio morning show, New Morning. We discuss doing stand up for IDF soliders after Oct 7, Hezbollah's VP of Global Marketing and Natan Sharansky's underwear. Happy B...

Dr. Peter Berkowitz is the Tad and Dianne Taube Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford, former Director of the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff, executive secretary of the department's Commission on Unalienable Rights, and senior a...

In this episode we cover a failed meditation, a succesful trip to Israel (it's all fine now), and the moral confusion about rapes that aren't planned but just kind of happen. Also: a listener creates a fun game: who said it white nationalist or left wi...

This week we welcome Jennifer Murtazashvili, Professor at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, and Founding Director of the Center for Governance and Markets. We talk about an interfaith initiative she co-fo...

Two hours with one of our favorite Shiksa's, Bridget Phetasy! Fair warning that Bridget used to write for Playboy, and Chaya Leah was very interested in that, so this episode gets spicy. Bridget Phetasy is host of Dumpster Fire on YouTube and the Walk-...

A very bad Jewish dad joke An exciting new AAJ Spin-off ((((((Why)))))) Our friend and former guest Batya Ungar-Sargon kicking ass on Bill Maher Should you get a Aaron Bushnell face tattoo? Abolition week at Harvard Academia - Should we stay or should ...

This week the girls welcome Rob Henderson, author of Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class. Born to a drug-addicted, homeless mother in California, Rob was passed around 7 foster homes and grew to become a rowdy teenager. He turne...

This week, we welcome Lord Winston Marshall (we assume he’s a Lord, he’s from England) - writer, podcaster, musician, and noble friend of the Jews. You may know Winston as co-founder of the band “Mumford and Sons” and more recently as host of “The Wins...

Make Colorblindness Great Again! Writer, musician, rapper, author and podcaster Coleman Hughes joins us this week to discuss his new book which you should buy and read, "The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America." We cover Neoracism,...

In this episode, we discuss the personal stories of two fallen IDF soldiers - Ahmad Abu Latif and Cedrick Garin. You can read more about Ahmad in this story from our friend Nancy Rommelmann, and see a video of both young men on our substack, askajew.su...

James Kirchick is a journalist and author of the NY Times bestseller "Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington". You may know him from his work in Air Mail, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and others. Follow Jamie on Twitter, read his excel...

Good morning from Israel, where it is currently October 116th. on this solo pod, the girls occupy familiar and new territories: Being sick at home We are brothers? Hostages forever. The Russian roulette that is Jerusalem bus travel Chaya Leah guarding ...

Nick Gillespie is an editor at large at Reason, the libertarian magazine of "free minds and free markets," and host of The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie, he’s also our favorite libertarian! In this episode we talk about: Hollywood’s portrayal of...

This week on Ask A Jew, the girls sit down with their colleague at the top of the podcasting charts Mike Pesca, who just returned from his first ever reporting trip to Israel. We discuss the war with Hamas, growing up Italian and Jewish, and attempt to...

Join the discussion on Susbtack askajew.substack.com Follow, review and rate Ask A Jew five stars us on Apple podcasts, it helps us grow! Joing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.com Email us your questions [email protected] ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ...

This week we are re-airing one of our favorite episodes, "All I want for Christmas is Jews", from December 2022. In this episode we interview Rabbi David Komerofsky, an expert on Christmas music. I know, right?? If Rabbi K's name sounds familiar, it's ...

Thank you to everyone who showed up at the Hanukkah Party! It was lots of fun, we had donuts, drinks, home made hamentaschen (why not!) and more laughs than awkward introductions. Lets do it again sometime! Pics here. This week: Pray for the social med...

SEE YOU WEDNESDAY, DEC 13 Hanukkah Bash - 3 sheets bar, 134 West 3rd street, 6pm. RSVP More info on askajew.substack.com In a nice catch-up episode we discuss this non-fun rollercoaster of emotions, turn our rage to all different directions (this was b...

As part of our ongoing therapy, we welcomed Jonathan Rauch, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Jonathan is one of our favorite authors, and his books “ Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Though t” and “The Constitution of Knowledge - ...

~~Save the Date - December 13th Hannukah party in NYC ~~ Follow substack for more info: askajew.substack.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sam Harris is amazing. Me too, unless you’re a jew WHO? Unicef? UNHRC? GTFO Ilhan "so...

We welcome young journalist and activist Blake Flayton, fresh off a ground invasion into academia. He tries to explain to us what is wrong with the kids today, what TikTok and peer pressure has to do with it, and why we need different kinds of Jews on ...

In honor of Islamophobia month, we detained Mujahed Kobbe and Siraj Hashmi, otherwise knows as the Habibi Bros, hosts of the Habibi Power Hour." Seriously, this is the most fun we’ve had all month - and that's before we strip searched them. Follow thei...

The girls use their guest Yossi Klein Halevi, senior fellow at the Hartman Institute, as a free therapist. Warning: This episode gets funny and lighthearted at times, some might even say optimistic. We talk: Israeli music is so….Israeli. Why is Yossi d...

On October 6th, we sat down for a lovely conversation with journalist Mary Katharine Ham, who you may know from CNN, The Federalist, and as the co-host of wonderful podcast " Getting Hammered". I'd like to say that back 3 weeks ago when we recorded thi...

12 Days of War - with IDF Col. (Res.) Miri Eisen We are joined by IDF Colonel (Res.) Miri Eisen, formerly a senior intelligence officer and now the head of the International Institute for Counterterrorism at Reichman University. We discuss Hamas's endg...

Joing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.com Email us your questions [email protected] ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Want to help us grow? Rate and review us 5 stars on Apple podcasts and Spotify ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ This is a public episode. If you'd like to disc...

Elon Musk goes to Auschwitz, Chaya Leah goes to spin class. Are you a holocaust denier? Then why aren't you following u s on Substack?? https://askajew.substack.com/ Please rate and review us five stars ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ on Spotify/Apple - it helps us grow! Al...

Saudi Arabia, you up? Bibi and Elon, sitting in a tree A beautiful tradition or antisemitic blood libel? Why not both? Non binary silverware Yael asks Chaya Leah about a Yom Kippur tradition involving Jews paying Arabs The weird chicken thing that Orth...

Democracy Hipster - With Yascha Mounk Oh look, Yascha Mounk wrote another book. " The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time" is really great (just like all the others), so we invited Yascha on to talk about democracy around the world in...

As a Rosh Hashana gift to ourselves (and our listeners) we spent an hour with the Beyonce of Rabbis, the honey to our apple, the horseradish to our Gefilte - Rabbi David Wolpe! He joins us from Cambridge where he is a visiting scholar at Harvard Divini...

Why did G_d forsake the people of Israel at Burning Man? Did Abraham work in a gift shop? You’re so not invited to my Bat Mitzvah (J/k please come) Would you read your angsty teenage diary on stage? These people did and its hilarious. Hot 12 year old b...

Remember when diversity wasn’t an annoying word that makes you think of 5 hour office HR power point presentations? Our guest today is diverse in the coolest way possible - not just his background, but his experience and work as well. Yirmiyahu Danzig ...

The Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk of Jewish podcasting are back this week, talking about the latest tragedy to befall the Jewish people, prosthetic noses. We learn that this is the Jewish month of self reflection, debate whether israel should have a Su...

The girls welcome Israeli author and co-founder of the Tel Aviv, institute Hen Mazzig. Hen, who identifies as a Queer, Mizrahi Zionist, has a huge online footprint, where he shares stories about Israel that people may not have seen before. We talk abou...

Chaya Leah is back from Italy and France The hazards of kosher fine-dining in Europe Harvard loves dead Nazis Yael is traumatized by classic Europe Americans love standing in line The Jewish ethics of having an affair You don’t *have* to love thy neigh...

Yael is stuck in Texas, so Chaya Leah and her father, Rabbi Aba Abba Perelmuter, take to the stage for some light Torah studies. They were left with explicit instructions to answer listener questions, but you know, these people...instead they have an e...

This week we are joined by author and journalist Matti Friedman, who recently penned " Who by Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai " (you can hear him discuss it with Bari Weiss here) and before that the incredible " Spies of No Country: Secret Lives at th...

New segment: What kind of Jew is this? Podcast about K-Pop and the war in Gaza (Hebrew) Robbie Williams does Pride TLV Don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and follow us on Substack and instagram @askajewpod Joing the AAJ c...

We are back with our friend and reluctant mentor, Meghan Daum! Meghan is an author, host of The Unspeakable podcast, co-host of A Special Place in Hell with Sarah Haider, and founder of the Unspeakeasy, a special online community for special online wom...

The girls are very excited to welcome a real doctor to today’s episode, and not just any doctor - Dr. Drew Pinsky! In case you you live under a rock (or in Israel): Dr. Drew is a board certified physician and addiction medicine specialist known for his...

We are thrilled to chat with Batya Ungar-Sargon, deputy opinion editor for Newsweek and author of "Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy." In this Megillah (am I doing this right?): The Islamic jihad comes for the Backstreet Boys What kind ...

Just in time for Mother's Day, we are joined in the studio by the man who birthed us, Matt Welch! From his humble beginnings as a Newsie in Prague, to head of a podcast empire and reluctant cult leader, Matt makes idol worship almost acceptable to a re...

Join us for our first real meetup in NYC, May 8th! Details in the episode. For more info: Sign up for our Substack newsletter askajew.substack.com, and email us at [email protected] *The rebranding of Antisemitism https://nypost.com/2023/04/28/nyc-c...

Chaya Leah reviews a strip show on Vegas (relax, it was men!) A blasphemous Seder A passionate defense of peeling tomatoes Karens of the Bible Holocaust bell dings at: 15:50 A terrible disease and the only known cure is subscribing to our podcast and r...

Eli Lake is back to guide us through the desert and into freedom, stopping along the way to talk about Kanye, Iraq, Ukraine, Israel, Trump, Alvin Bragg and Nickelback. Not quite the 10 plagues, but something. Follow Eli at @Elilake on Twitter, and us o...

Mark Epperson, ordained Presbyterian minister turned musical theatre performer, comes to educate us about Jesus Christ. You know who else loves you? We do! That's why we're having a Zoom hangout Sunday, April 2nd. Subscribe to askajew.substack.com for ...

Yael is back from Mexico, where she is profiled at the airport and almost gets a tattoo from an Argentine of German descent. Chaya Leah first tells a horror story of an interfaith breakfast, and then proceeds to offend everyone who loves the New Testam...

Get out your jazz hands! In this episode of "Ask A Jew," men and women are dancing together! We welcome our two Broadway correspondents, playwright Jeremy Kareken ("Lifespan of a Fact"), and actor, director, singer and Jewish activist Ari Axelrod. Not ...

Tom Brady, Ozempic, Madonna, and other heroes from the bible are discussed in this week's episode. We also give free medical advice, answer your questions about the NBA, and tell a lot of stories that start with, "I probably shouldn't say this on the p...

This week we discuss Netflix's new romcom "You People," which frankly we find offensive to people who like funny movies and attractive male leads. We also learn about a Kosher Superbowl halftime show, what Orthodox kids learned from Dr. Drew, and... ou...

This week we interview David Ben-Moshe, a black guy from Baltimore who discovered Judaism while serving time in federal prison for drug and gun charges, and now lives in Israel as an orthodox Jew. Yup. Don't worry, we ask ALL the important questions in...

Ever look at the Knesset and tell yourself, "Wow, we're lucky the US congress is so normal"? This week, we call on Lahav Harkov of the Jerusalem Post to help us untangle the swamp of israeli politics (mixed metaphors by design). Follow Lahav on Twitter...

The girls welcome hilarious stand-up comedian Dan Naturman, who you may know from America’s Got Talent and Last Comic Standing. You can catch Dan on instagram @DanNaturman, and don’t forget to follow Ask A Jew @askajewpod and on Substack askajew.substa...

Much like the 90s sitcoms that made us the women we are today, this week’s episode starts out with talks about nudity and boyfriends and ends with a heartwarming message about something or other. Also: *The Yad Vashem food court review. * Israeli dogs ...

Two episodes a week? It must be some kind of non-denominational holiday season miracle! For this episode, we got a Rabbi who’s an expert on Christmas music. No, really. David Komorovsky is a rabbi in Canton, Ohio. Growing up in the Midwest with a Jewis...

Happy Chanukah! If you don't know, Chanukah is an 8-day holiday in which Jews around the world celebrate the miracle of chocolate-covered gold coins. During this episode, Yael Jew-splains the holiday to a mortified Chaya Leah, who issues one or two cor...

Best friend of the Jews and righteous among the podcasters, Michael Moynihan of The Fifth Column is our special guest this week. We feel especially blessed to interview our goyfriend (in person!) since The Fifth Column sort of gave birth to Ask A Jew, ...

Welcome to our two-part anniversary show! With Yael preparing to leave the homeland and Chaya Leah coming off the high of her son's Bar Mitzvah, we discuss cute holocaust survivors, how fun it is to ignore the latest anti-semitism viral thing, and make...

What do Orthodox Jews and a Dominatrix have in common? Leather, of course! In this special episode, we interview an Israeli/German BDSM Queen Dasa Hink, and yes - we go here, there and everywhere. Frankly, she had us at historical role play scenarios. ...

Are you a left wing anti-semite? A right wing anti-semite? This episode has something for everyone! We are back after our little Jewish holiday hibernation: Yael tells us about her time in Africa (which was just like the Lion King) and Chaya Leah is re...

The Yom Kippur special extravaganza! Just as the girls are about to shut their pie holes for 25 hours (to abstain from eating, not talking) they meet to beg your forgiveness. Joing the AAJ conversation on Susbtack! askajew.substack.com Email us your qu...

Let's party like it's 5783!! What's worse: Rosh Hashanah services or New Year's eve in Times Square? Also, is it Hasidic Jew migration season? Turns out they have some days off where they're allowed to do things, which explains why they are in bloom in...

The girls welcome special guest Peter Shankman - tech entrepreneur and 5-time best selling author. Learn more about Peter here Don't forget to sign up for our Substack newsletter and leave us 5-star reviews on Apple podcasts, you anti-semites! Joing th...

The girls welcome Yehoshua (Jason) Bedrick, fellow at the Heritage Foundation's Center for Education Policy, and the man who literally WROTE THE BOOK on Yeshivas vs. New York. What follows is a friendly sparring over religious liberty, school choice, t...

Yael and ChayaLeah need therapy over their first negative review. Yael explains that ChayaLeah failed at meditation and should never try again. They also answer a listener's questions about seven days of post-wedding parties, and give legal opinions on...

Please take a moment to like and review us, and also sign up to receive updates at https://askajew.substack.com/ It's a back to school special! Today we talk about the trauma inflicted by Sesame Street (spanning continents and age groups), Chaya Leah's...

Sign up for FREE on our Substack to stay in touch! Today we welcome national security correspondent, journalist and podcaster Eli Lake. Since we have such an esteemed guest with us, we spend plenty of time talking about reality tv, hot members of congr...

In this episode of AAJ the girls go real deep on being confident and dealing with their shortcomings, all while blaming their moms (and the Holocaust) for their problems. They also discuss Yael's bday party that you weren't invited to, ChayaLeah's obse...

Yael and Chaya Leah debate the hot issues of the day, from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to something happening to someone in China? (We weren't really paying attention). Also: how we define our Judaism (surprisingly the girls have very different an...