EPISODE · Jun 18, 2026 · 24 MIN
Rabbi David Wolpe on Iran, Israel, and the Rise of Antisemitism
from The Smerconish Podcast · host David Wolpe, Michael Smerconish
Named The Most Influential Rabbi in America by Newsweek and one of the 50 Most Influential Jews in the World by The Jerusalem Post, and twice named one of the 500 Most Influential People in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Business Journal, David Wolpe is the Max Webb Emeritus Rabbi of Sinai Temple. Rabbi Wolpe has taught at Harvard, the Jewish Theological Seminary, the American Jewish University, Hunter College, and UCLA. Rabbi Wolpe has published widely, including in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Time, Newsweek and TheAtlantic. He has been featured on The Today Show, Face the Nation, ABC This Morning, and CBS This Morning as well as series on PBS, A&E, History Channel, and Discovery Channel, and has engaged in widely watched public debates with Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Steven Pinker and many others about religion and its place in the world. Rabbi Wolpe is the author of eight books, including the national bestseller Making Loss Matter: Creating Meaning in Difficult Times (Riverhead). His latest is titled David, the Divided Heart (Yale U Press). It was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Awards, and has been optioned for a movie by Warner Bros. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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What this episode covers
Rabbi David Wolpe joins Michael for a wide-ranging conversation on Iran, Israel, the World Cup, and the resurgence of antisemitism. Wolpe shares insights from the Iranian-American community, discusses growing concerns over U.S. policy toward Iran, and explains why many Jews are feeling increasingly uneasy in America. The discussion also explores changing public attitudes toward Israel, the difference between criticism of Israeli policy and antisemitism, and what it will take to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East. Original air date 18 June 2026.
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Rabbi David Wolpe on Iran, Israel, and the Rise of Antisemitism
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