Ask Haviv Anything

To support our work, please consider joining our Patreon community (https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything), Substack (https://havivgur.substack.com/), or Buy Me a Coffee (https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur).

And be sure to check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/haviv.rettig.gur/) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@haviv.rettig.gur).

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Welcome to our new short-form episodes interspersed with the regular interviews and lectures that dive into an often-asked question about Israel, Jews and the Middle East.

Our current episode tackles the New York Times’ Nick Kristof's oped claiming systemic sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners, which many listeners have asked us to respond to. We ask the obvious question: Is Nicholas Kristof right?

If you appreciate what we do here, please consider joining our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything or our Substack at https://havivgur.substack.com/. You can also Buy Me a Coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur. It helps us keep the lights on. Patreon and Substack are also the platforms where you can ask the questions that guide the topics we cover on the podcast, join our great discussions where listeners share news and valuable resources, and take part in our monthly livestreams where Haviv answers your questions live.

If you would like to sponsor an episode, please email us at [email protected]⁠.

Musical intro by Adam Ben Amitai.

To support our work, please consider joining our Patreon community (https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything), Substack (https://havivgur.substack.com/), or Buy Me a Coffee (https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur).

And be sure to check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/haviv.rettig.gur/) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@haviv.rettig.gur).

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Welcome to our new short-form episodes interspersed with the regular interviews that dive into an often-asked question about Israel, Jews and the Middle East.

Our current question: why don’t we talk about Egypt?

If you like what we do here, please consider joining our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything or our Substack at https://havivgur.substack.com/. You can also Buy Me a Coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur. It helps us keep the lights on. Patreon and Substack are also the platforms where you can ask the questions that guide the topics we cover on the podcast, join our great discussions where listeners share news and valuable resources, and take part in our monthly livestreams where Haviv answers your questions live.

If you would like to sponsor an episode, please email us at [email protected]⁠.

Musical intro by Adam Ben Amitai.

To support our work, please consider joining our Patreon community (https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything), Substack (https://havivgur.substack.com/), or Buy Me a Coffee (buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur).

And be sure to check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/haviv.rettig.gur/) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@haviv.rettig.gur).

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The Democratic Party is choosing party unity on Israel by ceding ground almost entirely to the anti-Israel wing. Hussein Mansour returns to the podcast to break down how this retreat of the Democratic center mirrors the DEI takeover a decade ago and other historic leftist collapses in history to a more radical wing. His analysis suggests that the shift is irreversible, that centrist Democrats will soon find themselves conceding more, and that this could have very bad consequences for the party going forward. From Fanon to Hasan Piker, inter-elite power struggles to the future of American power projection — this is a must-listen warning about the high cost of feeding the tiger you hope to ride.

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There are few if any publications like SAPIR, the quarterly journal of Jewish ideas edited by Bret Stephens from the New York Times. You might remember we've hosted a number of people on the show to talk about topics they've written about for SAPIR: Coleman Hughes, for instance, about antisemitism in the African-American community, Alana Newhouse about why Zionism is useful to all. It's a beautiful publication not only in its content but in its physical appearance, and if you live in the United States you can receive it in print absolutely free. They won't even ask for your payment information.

If you sign up now you'll receive the forthcoming issue on the theme of America, in honor of this year's semiquincentennial (250th birthday). Lots of excellent stuff in this issue about the current political crises in both the Democratic and Republican parties, the decline of education, particularly history education, in the U.S., and tangible suggestions for America as it turns 250. If you want to start receiving this excellent publication 100% free, go to https://sapirjournal.org/AskHavivAnything.

Thank you to SAPIR for sponsoring this episode.

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If you like what we do here, please consider joining our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything or our Substack at https://havivgur.substack.com/. You can also Buy Me a Coffee at buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur. It helps us keep the lights on. Patreon and Substack are also the platforms where you can ask the questions that guide the topics we cover on the podcast, join our great discussions where listeners share news and valuable resources, and take part in our monthly livestreams where Haviv answers your questions live.

If you would like to sponsor an episode, please email us at [email protected]⁠.

Musical intro by Adam Ben Amitai.

The world feels unmoored. Identity is contested, nations are uncertain, and a technology-altered future feels increasingly abstract and vaguely threatening. So much is happening, so much is at stake. So why is everyone suddenly talking about the Jews?

In this episode, Haviv sits down with writer and Tablet magazine founder Alana Newhouse to explore a striking idea: that the global obsession with Zionism isn’t really about Jews at all. It’s about something the modern West has lost -- and isn’t sure how to rebuild.

From post-nationalism to technological upheaval to political extremism, we consider Alana's thesis that Zionism is less an ideology and more a kind of “social technology” for building meaning, cohesion and a future worth striving for -- and the uncomfortable but fascinating possibility that what looks like obsessive bigotry might actually be a kind of yearning.

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There are few if any publications like SAPIR, the quarterly journal of Jewish ideas edited by Bret Stephens from The New York Times. You might remember we've hosted a number of people on the podcast to talk about topics they've written about for SAPIR: Coleman Hughes, for instance, about antisemitism in the Black community, Danielle Haas about the ideological rot in the human rights industry. It's a beautiful publication not only in content but in physical appearance, and if you live in the United States you can receive it in print absolutely free. They won't even ask for your payment information. If you sign up now you'll receive the forthcoming issue on the theme of America in honor of this year's semiquincentennial (250th birthday). Lots of excellent stuff in this issue about the current political crises in both the Democratic and Republican parties, the decline of education, particularly history education, in the US, and tangible suggestions for, well, America as it turns 250. If you want to start receiving this excellent publication 100% free, go to https://sapirjournal.org/AskHavivAnything.

Thank you to SAPIR for sponsoring this episode.

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If you like what we do here, please consider joining our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything or our Substack at https://havivgur.substack.com/. You can also Buy Me a Coffee at buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur. It helps us keep the lights on. Patreon and Substack are also the platforms where you can ask the questions that guide the topics we cover on the podcast, join our great discussions where listeners share news and valuable resources, and take part in our monthly livestreams where Haviv answers your questions live.

If you would like to sponsor an episode, please email us at [email protected]⁠.

Musical intro by Adam Ben Amitai.

To support our work, please consider joining our Patreon community (https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything), Substack (https://havivgur.substack.com/), or Buy Me a Coffee (https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur).

Be sure to check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/haviv.rettig.gur/) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@haviv.rettig.gur).

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In a world where recognition is said to be a precondition for legitimacy, Somaliland built one of Africa's most surprising success stories without stopping to ask for the world's charity or permission.

In this episode, Haviv sits down with Ambassador Mohamed Hagi, Somaliland’s first envoy to Israel and a key architect of Israel's recognition of his country, to explore one of the most unlikely and revealing relationships in global politics. We talk about a country that built a democracy out of the ruins of a terrible war, built stable and competent institutions without international support, and is now stepping onto the world stage on its own terms.

What does it mean when a deeply Muslim society embraces partnership with Israel? Why does Somaliland succeed where formally recognized states fail? And how does a small country navigate geopolitics, identity and survival in one of the most strategically fraught and vital corners of the world?

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Thank you to the anonymous sponsor who asked to dedicate this episode to the victims of October 7.

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If you like what we do here, please consider joining our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything or on Substack at https://havivgur.substack.com/. You can also Buy Me a Coffee at buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur. It helps us keep the lights on. Patreon is also where you can ask the questions that guide the topics we cover on the podcast, join our great discussions where listeners share news and valuable resources, and take part in our monthly livestreams where Haviv answers your questions live.

If you would like to sponsor an episode, please email us at [email protected]⁠.

Musical intro by Adam Ben Amitai.