How Jiu Jitsu Started A Middle East Talk

Send us Fan MailA jiu jitsu gym is not where most people expect to have a careful conversation about Israel, antisemitism, and identity, but that’s exactly what happens here. I’m joined by a Jewish Israeli American lawyer and training partner to talk through the topics people usually avoid, not to score points, but to understand how real lives and real history sit behind the headlines.We start with what brought him to the mic: a post about war in the region and the need to hear a perspective that often gets flattened or caricatured. From there we dig into growing up Jewish in the American Midwest, the moment academia and politics start framing everything as oppressor versus oppressed, and why that mindset can make complex conflicts feel like a cartoon. We also connect the dots to education in the US, including school choice, why some kids get opportunity and others get trapped, and how ignorance can turn into ugly generalizations.Then we zoom out to Jewish diaspora history and the stories many Americans never learn: Jewish communities across North Africa and the Middle East, what it meant to live as a protected but second class minority, and why so many communities fled. We also talk borders and immigration through a faith lens, plus a vivid look at Shomer Shabbat as a weekly reset that forces community, rest, and attention.If you want a conversation that treats Jewish identity, Israel, diaspora history, and antisemitism with seriousness and humanity, hit play. Subscribe, share this with someone who thinks they already understand the topic, and leave a review with the question you still can’t shake. Support the show