The Comedy Cellar: Live from the Table

Social and political critic extraordinaire Richard Hanania joins us for a wide-ranging discussion on Israel, Epstein, and whatever else he's thinking about these days. 📖 Get his book The Origins of Woke: Civil Rights Law, Corporate America, and the Triumph of Identity Politics on Amazon: http://bit.ly/4lA4hH5 📰 Read his Substack: https://substack.com/@richardhanania 🐦 Follow him on X: https://x.com/RichardHanania

Suzy Weiss is a co-founder of The Free Press. Before that, she worked as a features reporter at the New York Post. There, she covered the internet, culture, dating, dieting, technology, and Gen Z. Her work has also appeared in Tablet, the New York Daily News, and The Wall Street Journal among others.

Matt Welch is the Editor-at- Large at Reason magazine and co-host of The Fifth Column podcast.

Omer Bartov discusses his recent article in The New York Times accusing Israel of genocide. A contentious conversation. Links: https://newrepublic.com/article/96369/hitler-wwii-middle-east-islam https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/books/2004/12/19/an-end-full-of-horror/f62352ab-2561-45bf-ad33-e1368d1e81cd/ https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/opinion/israel-gaza-holocaust-genocide-palestinians.html https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2024/01/israel-south-africa-genocide-case-fake-quotes/677198/ (https://archive.ph/tnIVC) https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/interview-with-human-rights-expert-william-schabas-a-strong-case-that-israels-response-constitutes-the-crime-of-genocide-a-da7e4524-ab3b-40e4-b409-f8fca9c081b8 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/13/world/middleeast/hamas-gaza-israel-fighting.html

Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand discuss using notes on stage, Dan's cruises, the adult obsession with the weather, Ozempic, Periel's new show and whether or not Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide.Live from the Table Bonus Episode: Ozempic, Stand Up and Jeffrey Epstein.

Noam Dworman and Dan Naturman are joined by Tom Nash, a self described storyteller and vagabond. Noam gets nostalgic, Dan gets philosophical and Tom explains anti-fragility. Nash is a Global Keynote Speaker and has graced the stages of some of the world's largest conferences and festivals including TED and SXSW. He is also a club DJ, author. He lost all four of his limbs after a devastating brush with a deadly disease.

Noam Dworman unexpectedly joins Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand despite the fact that he had a colonoscopy earlier in the day. They discuss his procedure, the recent Diddy Verdict and what it means to globalize the intifada.Live from the Table Bonus Episode: Colonoscopies, Diddy, Mamdani and Bob Vylan

Comedians Modi and Eric Neumann join Periel Aschenbrand. They discuss the history of the Comedy Cellar, Eric's new girlfriend and what it's like performing stand up for a room of seven people.

Watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MhxjO0q9vmkhttps://youtu.be/MhxjO0q9vmk 2 hours of debate (plus another hour over drinks after) and we didn't settle it. Discussed: Is It Genocide? Does Hamas maximize civilian deaths? Comprehending martyrdom - does Hamas consider all civilians to be combatants? Does Hamas have "no choice" but to break the rules? Does Israel break the rules? Why all the name-calling? Is civility possible in debating Israel's action in Gaza? More More from Matthew: https://historyspeaks.substack.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9z6CwgycPjUbOLElkLuHjQ

Two Zionist Jews discuss: "Until Israeli politics can radically reorient itself, it’s time to construct a vision of Jewishness that’s independent of the state that pretends to act on our behalf. It’s time for Jews to reclaim the moral mantle of our ancestors. For the Palestinians, but also for the future of the Jewish people, it’s time for Jews to abandon Israel." https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/about Josh Szeps is the host of the podcast Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps.

Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand discuss Noam's absence, the war with Iran, the Mossad and stage fright.

The pandemic playbook was ripped up in 2020—but did the replacements work? Was Great Barrington/Sweden the better way? In this deep-dive conversation, Comedy Cellar owner Noam Dworman goes head-to-head with Princeton political philosopher Stephen Macedo over the empirical record and moral calculus of COVID-19 policies. Here is the Israeli study Noam refers to: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8144835/

Rabbi Yishai Fleisher is the International Spokesperson for the Jewish Community of Hebron - a Middle East hotspot, King David's first capital, and home of the Mearat Hamachpela - the Tomb of the Biblical Patriarchs and Matriarchs. He is also an elected Councilman in one of the largest Jewish community in Judea - Efrat - and an advisor for international affairs to Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir. Rabbi Yishai is a popular English-language podcaster and YouTuber on the topics of Israel, Judaism, and the Middle East and has appeared in major media outlets including CNN, Piers Morgan, and more. Yishai is a rabbi, a graduate of Cardozo Law School in NYC, a former paratrooper, and continues to serve in the IDF reserves.

Daniella Greenbaum Davis is an Emmy-award-winning producer, writer, and social media strategist with bylines in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Daily Beast, Commentary, and Washington Post. She executive produced the first ever holocaust-edu-series for TikTok, How to: Never Forget, which garnered 20M views and was profiled by ABC, NBC, Deadline, Variety, PBS, and E!.

Sarah Rose Siskind is a science comedy TV writer, psychedelic comedian, roboticist, and founder of Hello SciCom, a science comedy and communication agency that helps smart people get their message across.

Noam Dworman invites Ross Barkan and Jesse Singal join to reconcile their Twitter feud . Ross Barkan is a columnist for New York Magazine and a contributing writer to the NY Times Magazine. He's the editor in chief of The Metropolitan Review, a new books and culture review magazine, and his new novel, Glass Century, is out now. Jesse Singal is a former writer-at-large at New York Magazine, cohost of Blocked and Reported, and author of The Quick Fix: Why Fad Psychology Can't Cure Our Social Ills.

Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib is the head of Realign For Palestine, a project of the Atlantic Council, where he is a resident senior fellow. He is a Gaza native and a political analyst who writes extensively on strategic affairs in the Middle East. Links to what was referenced in this episode: https://x.com/trackingisrael/status/1877801096275431758 and https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/dec/18/jabaliya-refugee-camp-gaza-destruction-idf

Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Anna Rascouët-Paz, a French-Colombian journalist who reports for Snopes. She's also worked at WNYC for the show Radiolab, as an independent research publisher Annual Reviews and Bloomberg News. She recently produced a documentary podcast series on statelessness called Citizens of Nowhere.

Dr. Einat Wilf is a leading thinker on Israel, Zionism, foreign policy and education. She was a member of the Israeli Parliament from 2010 to 2013, where she served as Chair of the Education Committee and Member of the influential Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Born and raised in Israel, Dr. Wilf served as an Intelligence Officer in the Israel Defense Forces, Foreign Policy Advisor to Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres and a strategic consultant with McKinsey & Company. Dr. Wilf has a BA from Harvard, an MBA from INSEAD in France, and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Cambridge and is the author of seven books that explore key issues in Israeli society.

Yair Rosenberg is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of its newsletter Deep Shtetl, about the intersection of politics, culture, and religion. Previously a senior writer at Tablet Magazine, he has also written for The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Guardian, and his work has received recognition from the Religion News Association and the Harvard Center for Jewish Studies.

A discussion of the Murray/Smith debate on the Joe Rogan show. Our call: A Murray victory that was somewhat obscured by Dave Smith's talented and agile performance.

Taped the day before the Rogan-Murray-Smith debate, are bigots and quacks being normalized on the biggest shows in the world? And, what are the consequences? Ami Kozak: https://www.youtube.com/@amikozak_official

Nick Gillespie is a libertarian, the Editor at Large of Reason Magazine and host of the podcast, Reason Interview with Nick Gillespie.

Author, podcaster and internationally recognized comedian, Corinne Fisher is running for mayor. She is building a campaign across all five boroughs that celebrates the magic, electricity, and community that make NYC the best city on Earth. To learn more, visit www.corinnefisher.com

New York Post columnist David Christopher Kaufman has a unique biography and a unique take on the world as a result. Here are a few of his latest: https://www.commentary.org/articles/david-christopher-kaufman/jews-americas-new-blacks/ https://nypost.com/2025/03/15/opinion/when-will-sideline-jews-finally-speak-up-against-their-haters/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/comment/2025/03/14/democrats-leadership-vacuum-michelle-obama-gavin-newsom/ https://airmail.news/issues/2025-1-25/the-view-from-here Video: https://youtu.be/6MZCO_YNWRI

The gang shoots the breeze about JD Vance's disloyalty in the Signal thread, and Noam laments his falling out with Darryl Cooper. Here are the Twitter threads referenced. https://x.com/noam_dworman/status/1903559854272155730 https://x.com/noam_dworman/status/1903940043426709736 https://x.com/noam_dworman/status/1904640072131240302 Video version: https://youtu.be/fARjR-1Lx_Q

River Page is a reporter at The Free Press. Previously, he worked as a staff writer at Pirate Wires, covering technology, politics, and culture. His work has also appeared in Compact, American Affairs, and the Washington Examiner, among other publications.

Dr. Sally Satel is a psychiatrist and a lecturer at Yale University. She has written widely in academic journals on topics in psychiatry and medicine, and has published articles on cultural aspects of medicine and science in numerous magazines and journals. She has testified before Congress on veterans’ issues, mental health policy, drug courts and health disparities. She is the author of numerous books including Brainwashed, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Science.

Nuts and bigots are garnering millions of followers, spreading like cancer online. Noam insists that we can (and should) engage with arguments while at the same time identifying bigotry (and mental illness) for what it is. YouTube of this episode: https://youtu.be/laAHt7s-qcg Here is Dave's entire episode: https://youtu.be/7zRkdH8Zsw4?si=djHKKeFE6tFInT1I&t=4005

Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Kathryn Wylde is President and CEO of the Partnership for New York City, a nonprofit organization whose members are global business leaders and the city’s major employers. The Partnership is the primary liaison between business and local government, providing private sector expertise and resources to public agencies and programs. Areas of focus include education, transportation, infrastructure, public safety, and economic opportunity. Prior to taking over as Partnership CEO in 2000, Wylde led the Partnership’s city-wide affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization, and business investment programs. She is an urban policy expert and a frequent spokesperson for the New York business community.

Liel Leibovitz is an author and editor-at-large for Tablet Magazine and the host of its weekly podcast, Rootless. He is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. His work focuses on thinking about anti-Semitism as a national security threat.

Talia Bongolan Shwartz is a thirty year old former radical progressive turned first-time Trump voter. In May 2021, she was iced out of her activist circles when "Defend Al Aqsa" and "Zionism is Racism" signs started to outnumber the BLM signs at her weekly protests. This event marked the beginning of an ideological turn away from the left. Today, Shwartz talks Jews and politics on X @talibotz and co-hosts a podcast about gender and transition called The Navel Gays.

Fred Kaplan is a former Washington, Moscow, and New York correspondent for the Boston Globe. He writes the “War Stories” column in Slate and is the author of seven books including The Insurgents: David Petraeus and the Plot to Change the American Way of War (which was a Pulitzer Prize Finalist). A Capital Calamity is his latest book and his first novel.

Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by CEO of ADL, Jonathan Greenblatt and comedian, Modi. Jonathan Greenblatt is the CEO of ADL (the Anti-Defamation League), the world's leading anti-hate organization with a distinguished record of fighting antisemitism and advocating for just and fair treatment to all. Greenblatt joined ADL in 2015 after serving in the White House as special assistant to President Obama and director of the Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation. He is author of the book, It Could Happen Here: Why America is Tipping from Hate to the Unthinkable—And How We Can Stop. Voted one of the top 10 comedians in New York City by The Hollywood Reporter, Modi is one of the comedy circuit’s most sought after performers. Featured on HBO, CBS, NBC, ABC, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, and E! Entertainment, Modi has received rave reviews in The New York Times, Time Out NY and The New York Post.

Eli Lake is the host of Breaking History, a new history podcast from The Free Press. A veteran journalist with expertise in foreign affairs and national security, Eli has reported for Bloomberg, The Daily Beast, and Newsweek. With Breaking History, he brings his sharp analysis and storytelling skills to uncover the connections between today’s events and pivotal moments in the past. You can listen to his podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/4GGl8rnfldvqTeA0vAFK9G https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/breaking-history/id1790502779

Michael Oren is an historian, former Israeli Ambassador to the US, and NYT bestselling author. He served as a Member of Knesset and as the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office. In his new book, "2048: The Rejuvenated State," Ambassador Oren sets out his vision for Israel in honor of Israel's 75th Independence Day 25 years in the future. His substack is: claritywithmichaeloren.substack.com

A heated argument over congestion pricing. Noam is dead set against it. Npam is aware that people think this is his worst performance! Alex Matthiessen is an environmental strategist and founder/president of the eco-political consulting firm Blue Marble Project, as well as the senior adviser to the Congestion Pricing Now Campaign. In 2010, he began the Move NY congestion pricing campaign, which laid the groundwork for the program.

Former Congressman Anthony Weiner comes to discuss his past and future. His mistakes, life in prison, what he's learned and how it all can make him an even better leader for New York City.

00:02:00 Congestion Pricing 00:21:19 The Dave Smith Fued 00:49:12 Trump and H-1B Visas 00:56:08 Being a gigolo and regrets Comedian Aaron Berg Aaron Berg is a NYC-based comedian, a regular performer at Skankfest, and an author who is originally from Toronto. He graduated with an honors degree in Philosophy from The University of New Brunswick. He has made multiple TV and film appearances and his six stand up albums are available on iTunes and Amazon.

Eyal Yakoby is a twenty two year old graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently a student at MIT dedicated to combating anti-Americanism. He has been seen on CNN, FoxNews, Washington Post and more.

In the first of our 2 sessions with Scott, we get into his powerful book "Provoked," and whether or not the United States is the main villain in the Ukraine War. Was the Maidan a coup, an organic movement, or a bit of both? What was the Nuland phone call all about? Where do the Kissingers and the Tucker Carlsons diverge? Part II is here: https://youtu.be/hdeMqJDWOm4 Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine Available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/hFaTYPm

In the second of our 2 sessions with Scott, we get into some of the sources cited in his powerful book "Provoked," and whether they are biased by an extreme worldview. We also argue about Candace Owens and whether her views ought to make her beyond the pale as an accepted member of a political clique (Noam says yes, Scott says no). Also, was Maidan a coup, an organic movement, or a bit of both? Part 1 will be uploaded shortly. Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine Available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/hFaTYPm Some links: https://peakprosperity.com/dave-collum-year-in-review-2021-rise-of-global-authoritarianism/ https://www.jasonhartman.com/2182-trump-assassination-attempt-inside-job-or-incompetence-conspiracy-or-coincidence/ https://news.grabien.com/wire-dave-collum-goes-deep-conspiracy-theories-911-epstein-pizzag https://english.almayadeen.net/articles/analysis/third-911-hijacker-may-have-been-cia-recruit https://quoththeraven.podbean.com/e/quoth-the-raven-131-dave-collum-the-conspiracy-theory-episode/

GrayZone journalist and host of the Useful Idiots Podcast, Aaron Maté, comes in to argue about Ukraine, Israel, and all the rest.

Our guest didn't show, so we discussed a few things on our minds.

Ann Coulter, stops into the Comedy Cellar. Some Studies on Long Covid: https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/how-to-manage-long-covid-brain-fog https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2024/august/in-covid-19-patients-neurological-symptoms-last-up-to-three-years/ https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanwpc/article/PIIS2666-6065(24)00080-4/fulltext

1. Yardena Schwartz, author of "Ghosts of a Holy War," discusses her new book on the 1929 Hebron Massacre and how it informs the modern day. https://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Holy-War-Palestine-Arab-Israeli/dp/145494921X 2. Noam responds to the accusation made on the Jake Shields podcast that he had taken Dave Smith and Nick Fuentes out of context.

Author of the WSJ op-ed: "Why I Voted Against the Democrats I don’t care for Trump, but I needed to strike back against the hectoring and fanaticism of the left," tells us about the experiences within liberal academia that led to her decision to vote for Trump. Read the column: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/why-i-voted-against-democrats-fanaticism-of-the-left-swayed-over-trump-dislike-874daacc

Kat Timpf is a New York Times best selling author, comedian, and television personality. She's currently the co-host of “Gutfeld!” on Fox News weeknights at 10 p.m. and a Fox News analyst. Her new book, "I Used to Like You Until. . ." (How Binary Thinking Divides Us) is out now.

Richard Hanania is the President of the Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology. His substack is: @richardhanania Support the show and get 10 free HelloFresh meals at https://www.hellofresh.com/FREECELLAR