The Ministry of Agitation and Propaganda/ With guest Matti Friedman

Ask a Jew

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 the Birth of Israel" about the founding of the Mossad and the nation.

A former AP correspondent, Matti blew the lid on what the media gets wrong about Israel, in this badass essay in The Atlantic and in Tablet.

We cover a lot of ground in this one, and manage to make it all the way to the end without talking about current Israeli politics, but then discuss Matti's impactful and insightful letter to American Jews (with OG's Yossi Klein Halevy and Daniel Gordis) on why they need to raise their voice against Israel's current government.

Also:

From Toronto to Jerusalem

The myth of the Kibbutz
If someone offers to introduce you to an old spy - you say yes!
There are no delis in israel
This ain’t Norway
Why the media is so obsessed with Israel (maybe because there are more staffers covering Israel than all of China and Africa?)
Save us Bruno Mars
Herzl the Hipster
Media literacy
Where does Matti get his information? (in books, like some nerd)News is activism
We want to believe...The NY times
Can we afford to criticize Israel publicly?
Let’s end on a pessimistic note
J/k we’re never letting him go
The orthodox scene in israel is thriving...and it’s terrifying (to some of us)
We want to be socialists, as long as everyone else is a libertarian
Draft theo orthodox to the army? Yael puts chaya Leah on the spot
Matti's Hotmail

We want to give Matti an out but then we remember Indian Jews

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