Ask Haviv Anything

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 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.

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).

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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A century-long alliance between America's Black and Jewish communities was one of the most important drivers of American democratic reforms. But that relationship has not stood the test of time. The two communities seem more divided than ever.

In this honest and unflinching conversation, Haviv sits down with activist, journalist and entrepreneur Van Jones to confront that unraveling, the mistrust, the misunderstandings and the widening gap between two communities that once changed history together. From civil rights to October 7, DEI to Gaza, we ask what happened, why the two communities don't understand each other, and whether that old, consequential alliance can be rebuilt.

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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.

Canada has long imagined itself as one of the safest, most tolerant societies on earth. For generations of Jews, it felt that way too. But something has changed, suddenly and profoundly. Synagogues have been shot at. Jewish schools targeted. People are hiding their identities, looking over their shoulder, taking down mezuzahs.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Casey Babb to ask a question few outside Canada are even aware needs asking: what is happening to Canadian Jews?

From the history of Jewish life in Canada to the shock of October 7 and its aftermath, we trace how a quiet, integrated community is now grappling with fear, isolation, and a growing sense that the country they helped build may no longer fully accept them. This isn’t just a story about Jews in Canada. It’s a story about what happens when a society loses the ability to confront its own realities -- and what that means for its future.

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This episode was sponsored by Josh Sheptow and dedicated to the memory of Amnon Zilberspitz. Amnon was taken to the extermination camp at Auschwitz at age 20 with his brother and sister. Only he survived. After the war, he arrived at Kibbutz Dorot in 1947. On the Kibbutz he met Sara, the love of his life. Shortly after the War of Independence broke out, Amnon enlisted to fight. Amnon, the last of his family, fell in the Battle of Beit Guvrin at age 24. May we be worthy of Amnon and of all those who gave the only life they had to make the miracle of Israel possible.

You can learn more about Amnon in a video by Ofer Winter and Shimon Engel produced by Dov Abramson Studio for the Beit Avi Chai memorial project.
The video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDOj-C4mq3E&list=PLv2rnAORLiVBbV9uGbYC0ZdPq23pg2xPW

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If you like what we do here, please consider joining our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything. There you can ask the questions that help us choose our topics, 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.

On the eve of Yom HaZikaron, Memorial Day, we explore the profound arc of Israel's national remembrance days -- from Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) through Memorial Day, into Yom Ha'atzma'ut (Independence Day), and ending with the quiet, almost unknown commemoration of Theodor Herzl’s yahrzeit. It is an arc of memory, sacrifice, and renewal -- not abstract, but usually personal and intimate -- that lies at the heart of Jewish strength and survival in a dangerous world.

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This episode was sponsored by an anonymous sponsor who asked to dedicate it to the memory of those we lost on 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. There 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.