Pushing Jewish Institutions to Do Better - Shabbos Kestenbaum

Shalom Chaverim -On this episode of Gam v’Gam, I interview Shabbos Kestenbaum. You may know him only as the student who successfully sued Harvard, complains a lot on TV, and spoke at the RNC as a former Bernie Sanders supporter. What you may not know is that he has his own show on PragerU called The Brief where he interviews such people like Former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren and provides analysis on breaking news. More importantly, you might know that Shabbos isn’t actually a MAGA fascist, and the more you get to know him, the more you realize he’s not even the bombastic personality you might assume (okay maybe I’m only talking about myself). Shabbos is someone who believes in pushing Jewish organizations to do better because as he says at the very beginning: The better that legacy Jewish institutions, the better the American Jewish community does overall. Where You Can Find ShabbosX: ShabbosKInstagram: shabboskestThe Brief on PragerUChapters00:00 Introduction to Shabbos Kestenbaum02:38 The State of American Jewry06:26 Critique of Legacy Jewish Organizations10:20 The Role of Student Activism12:08 Free Speech and Anti-Semitism on Campus16:57 Strategies for Combatting Anti-Zionism20:35 The Intersection of Jewish and American Identity27:08 Legal Action and Community Support29:28 The Isolation of Jewish Communities31:54 Addressing the Needs of Smaller Jewish Communities34:23 The Importance of Jewish Day Schools38:23 Balancing Resources Between Coastal and Non-Coastal Communities42:58 Engaging with Smaller Communities54:05 Proposing Solutions for Jewish Community ChallengesWatch on YouTube This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gamvgam.substack.com