The Fifth Question

I recently appeared on the Rabbi Avi Show to unpack my views on a variety of hot topics including:Zionism, intermarriage, antisemitism, campus life, American politics, and much more!#interfaithlove #campus #trump #gaza #interfaith Please Like, comment, and subscribe :)

Andrew Pessin joins me again to trace the 19th-century ideas that made political Zionism feel almost inevitable—emancipation, nationalism, Marxism, Darwinism, and the rise of modern racial antisemitism. From there we unpack The Protocols of the Elders of Zion: what it claimed, where it came from, why it spread, and how conspiratorial antisemitism still echoes in the way Israel and Jews are talked about today.We also discuss why it was so hard for many Jews to “see the writing on the wall” in real time, how antisemitism shifts forms across eras, and Andrew’s new project: the Institute for the Critical Study of Anti-Zionism.Topics include:Why the 1800s set the stage for ZionismEnlightenment-era “emancipation” and its limitsNationalism and the “state within a state” fearDarwinism, “scientific racism,” and modern antisemitismThe origins and influence of ProtocolsHow conspiracy thinking mutates and survivesAndrew’s Institute for the Critical Study of Anti-Zionism#zionisme #rabbi #herzl #israel #palestine #gaza #holocaustremembrance #trump

In this wide-ranging conversation, I’m joined by former Congressman Reid Ribble (Wisconsin’s 8th District) to unpack the biggest political questions shaping America right now: the rise of antisemitism across the political spectrum, Trump’s political impact (and contradictions), Israel/Ukraine and U.S. foreign policy, the national debt, entitlement reform, immigration, and why Congress feels increasingly broken.We begin with headlines and lived realities—from antisemitic violence and campus controversies to the broader cultural currents driving polarization—then zoom out to examine populism, institutional leadership, free speech vs. protection of Jewish students, and the politics of outrage in the social media era. Ribble also reflects on why he left Congress, how internal House rules changed lawmaking, and what it would take to restore bipartisan problem-solving.Topics include:Antisemitism and populism (right + left)Political leadership and institutional accountabilityTrump, Israel, and the “playing both sides” dynamicThe Antisemitism Awareness Act + IHRA definition debateFree speech vs. protecting students from intimidation/violenceWhy Ribble retired from CongressCongress, closed rules, and the concentration of powerNational debt: modern monetary theory vs. “borrowing from ourselves”Ukraine, Israel, and American support for alliesImmigration, workforce needs, and declining birth rates2028 presidential candidates and party realignment

I recently appeared on the Don't Know Much About podcast with Naya Lekht to discuss my philosophy of Israel and Jewish Education.To listen to the last episode I did with Naya see here: https://youtu.be/bsodVJMFX-U?si=0PpJzK31WNX9Kb1V#holocaustremembrance #israel #orthodoxjudaism #reformjudaism #jewishidentity Jewish History, Politics, Israel, Antisemitism, and Zionism - I cover it all.If you appreciate these episodes please like, comment, and subscribe!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daniel.levine.31/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rabbidaniellevine/#israel #rabbi #jewish #WhatisZionism #dojews ?

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is often used to project modern political causes onto a man who can no longer speak for himself. In this episode, I take a closer look at how MLK’s legacy—particularly his clear support for the Jewish community and Zionism—has been reinterpreted, distorted, and in some cases erased by today’s activist movements.We talk about the growing trend of folding anti-Israel ideology into social justice spaces, the attempt to cast MLK as an anti-Zionist figure despite his own words, and why that framing collapses under even minimal historical scrutiny. From post-1967 geopolitics to campus activism, from media narratives to selective memory, this episode asks a simple question: why are people so determined to remake MLK in their own image?MLK was explicit about where he stood. Ignoring that isn’t progress—it’s revisionism.If you find this conversation valuable, don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to help keep these discussions going.#mlk #blacklivematter #zionisme #israel #progressive #ice #abolishthepolice