Nick Gillespie and the Pussy Cat in Outer Space
Hi Friends,
Yael is in Israel so I am left writing this week’s post.
I have to say, I really loved this episode with Nick. The episode could have gone on for two more hours!
Nick Gillespie (our favorite libertarian) is an editor at large at Reason, the libertarian magazine of "free minds and free markets," and host of The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie. We had a wonderful conversation about the state of the world, and in particular, the state of the Jewish world.
In this episode we talk about:
*Hollywood’s portrayal of Israel
(we all agree that Paul Newman is the perfect looking Jew)
*Exodus by Leon Uris (the book!) Get the Book
Exodus (the movie!) Watch the movie here
Mosaic Magazine Read the article here
*Fiddler on the Roof
*Does anyone really care about the Palestinians?
*Are college students worse today? (Nick defends them)
*The death of institutions
*Free speech on campus
*Leslie Fiedler - it’s really worth your time to read his work
*Capitalism and the Jews by Jerry Mueller Get the book here
*Why is our political system so broken?
*We are not our grandparents- but maybe ChayaLeah’s kids are….
*Jewish Power
And much, much more
Friend of the pod, Eli Lake, released an incredible episode that is really worth your time:
As always, we love hearing from you! Please comment below or send us an email at askajewpod@gmail.com.
I grew up with Reform and Conservative Jewish traditions but I have Hasidic cousins. I can appreciate that the tight-knit nature of the Hasidic lifestyle can be fulfilling for a lot of people, but I’m glad I grew up in Reform and Conservative Judaism.
For one thing, my career is very important. I like that I can choose whether I want to get married, to whom, and when. I like that I don’t have the same pressure to simply have children and be a homemaker. That I was given the freedom to be able to see the world and that I have friends from a wide array of backgrounds. I like being able to try different cuisines. My sister’s a lesbian. I’m happy that she’s able to pursue meaningful relationships and that she doesn’t feel pressured to marry a man. I have family who are Japanese and Korean, and I’m glad I’m from a background that is welcoming and inclusive to people who aren’t ethnically Jewish.
I’m generally secular because I like the freedom of it. I can’t say that I personally would be at all content trading that for an orthodox lifestyle.
A pitch for the Ask A Jew reboot of Romeo & Juliet: CL’s son enters into a secret match with a Satmar girl.