Think Twice with Jonathan Tobin

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/top-story-with-jonathan-tobin--5496747/support.Why is the Biden administration verbally supporting Israel while hamstringing Israel's Rafah operation? Why is it vetoing a UN resolution for an immediate ceasefire while proposing a resolution that calls for one? Why has the Biden administration prioritized fighting against "settler violence" right after Israel has suffered the worst massacre since the Holocaust?In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin is joined by Jewish Policy Center Senior Director Shoshana Bryen to discuss Biden's two-faced policy in the Middle East.

After Oct. 7th, antisemitism has skyrocketed around the world - in the streets, media and in public discourse. After decades of multi-million dollar campaigns and efforts by Jewish groups to educate people about the Holocaust and antisemitism, nothing seems to have helped. Why have they not succeeded and is there anything that can be done? Where is this antisemitism coming from?To answer these questions and more, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin speaks with Indiana University’s Alvin Rosenfeld, one of the nation’s most eminent scholars of the study of antisemitism and the Holocaust.

Slavery and sex trafficking have never ended in Africa. But while the human rights community seems obsessed with "genocide" in Palestine, no one really pays attention to the massive human rights violations happening to black people in Africa. Why are human rights groups so selective? Why does the media gravitate towards and champion the rights of some while others are ignored? This week on Top Story, JNS Editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin speaks with the co-founder of Americans for Peace and Tolerance Charles Jacobs and executive director of the American Anti-Slavery Group Ben Poser, both of whom are involved in raising awareness of African slaves and freeing them in some cases.

Why has there been so much silence and outright denial of Hamas crimes by purported women's rights groups? Why has the "MeToo" movement that pushed to "believe all women" not done the same for the women who were raped and abused by Palestinian attackers?To discuss all this and more, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin is joined by groundbreaking psychologist and feminist author Phyllis Chesler who said the willingness to excuse crimes committed by those seeking to slaughter Jews is unsurprising.

In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin is joined by One America News channel anchor Stella Inger Escobedo to discuss how a biased media that has been indoctrinated by woke DEI ideology is destroying journalism and distorting the coverage of the post-Oct. 7 war against the Hamas terrorists.

Since Oct. 7th, antisemitism has exploded on US college campuses with Jews and Israel being accused of being white oppressors and committing genocide. But is the problem worse than we think? Have the roots of antisemitic thinking and anti-Israel bias seeped into other parts of the American educational system?In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin is joined by Deborah Project Legal Director Lori Lowenthal Marcus to discuss all of this.

Since Oct. 7th, antisemitism has exploded in the United States with calls on the streets and on college campuses for attacks against Jews and the end of Israel. Has the place of the American Jew forever changed?To answer this question, we take a look at another time when Jews faced antisemitism and discrimination in America's history. Jonathan Tobin is joined by historian Jeffrey Gurock of Yeshiva University whose new book, Marty Glickman: The Life of an American Jewish Sports Legend, discusses the obstacles faced by Jews in that era.

This week on Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin sat down with IDF Spokesperson Doron Spielman who has been at the front lines of the Israeli battle against Hamas.They discuss the morale of the army and the Israeli people the unwillingness of the international aid organizations to help the Gazan people on the ground the immense efforts that the Israeli army makes to protect Gazan civilians the cowardice of Hamas in refusing to fight Israel face-to-face. Listen to the full story now!

Since October 7th when Israel was brutally attacked by terrorists, the script has been flipped and the media now portrays Israel as the aggressor, a killer of innocents, and conflates Israeli captives to Palestinian prisoners. How did we get here?Newsweek opinion editor and author of one of the best books on how the media works "Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy" Batya Ungar-Sargon joins JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin to discuss.

Where is the explosion of antisemitism coming from and how can we defeat it? What will be the effect on terrorism worldwide if Israel doesn't defeat Hamas?To answer this question, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin is joined by legal expert and author Alan Dershowitz, who has written a new book about the current conflict, War Against the Jews: How to End Hamas Barbarism.

How strong is the progressive anti-Israel wing of the Democrats? What unites the two seemingly opposing Islamist and Leftist ideologies? What can be done to fight back against the antisemitism and the worldview that feeds into it?In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin talks with journalist and author Ben Weingarten who predicted the rise of the progressive wing and the unholy alliance between Leftist and Islamist ideologies in his book "American Ingrate: Ilhan Omar and the Progressive-Islamist Takeover of the Democratic Party"

Unlike most Republicans and their voters, Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens and friends are defending antisemites in the wake of Oct. 7. Do they have Trump’s ear?Listen to the full story!

Facing immense national tragedy and a world that is more outraged by Israel's response to Oct. 7 than the slaughter itself, how can Israel survive? Does Israel have the national DNA that will allow it to unify and persevere?JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin is joined by Dan Senor, co-author of the best-selling book Start-Up Nation and the just released "The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World."

What is Israel up against in the war against Hamas? Even if Israel is winning on the battlefield, are we losing the information war? In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin is joined by Tal Heinrich, spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They discuss the war goals of Iron Swords the information battle happening on the airwaves and on the streets of America Israel's hope and unity in destroying Hamas and winning the war.

Is Israel violating international law in Gaza? Is Israel responsible for the Gazan people? Does Israel have an obligation to rescue the hostages?On this week's Top Story, Jonathan Tobin is joined by Eugene Kontorovich, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for the Middle East and International Law at the Antonin Scalia Law School of George Mason University,

Is Western 'peacemaking' in the Middle East perpetuating the Arab-Israeli conflict? Has the refusal by the West to see the evil of Hamas backfired? This week, Jonathan is joined by author and journalist Melanie Phillips.Listen Now to the full story!

Hamas attacked Israel last week almost 50 years to the day of the Yom Kippur War. Are there parallels between the two attacks? Has Israel made the same mistakes? Should Israel's response be similar?On this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin talks with Uri Kaufman, author of the new book "Eighteen Days in October: The Yom Kippur War and How It Created the Modern Middle East".

Will Hezbollah join the war against Israel? Has US foreign policy led to the emboldening of terrorists in the region? Is the most brutal attack on Jews since the Holocaust a simple outgrowth of Palestinian culture and education?In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin is joined by Hezbollah expert Tony Badran.

Former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman talks about his new movie "Route 60: The Biblical Highway" and the sacrifice that Israel should NOT make for the sake of peace.

Did Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer tell the truth about the nuclear scientist? Also, Is the communist ideology alive and well in today's politics?In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin speaks with historian Harvey Klehr about the movie “Oppenheimer” and the legacy of American Communism.

In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin conducts a wide-ranging special interview with former Trump National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.They discuss If US elections are actually fair Domestic and foreign threats facing the United States His controversial comments on the Holocaust and how America should have "one religion" The US/Israel relationship under Biden and much more in this unedited raw interview.

At a time of such division, it has never been more timely to look back at the roots and history of Zionism. JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin is joined by author Rick Richman who discusses his new book, And None Shall Make Them Afraid: Eight Stories of the Modern State of Israel.They discuss how two compatible ideologies, Zionism and Americanism, helped create a free and democratic state of Israel. our misunderstanding of key figures like Theodor Herzl, Ze'ev Jabitinisky and others. why this history is so important for today.

Is Israel ignoring its existential problems? Has Israel swept its problems under the rug for the political needs of the here and now?In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin discusses the problems facing Israel as it heads towards its 100th birthday with historian and former Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Oren. He is the author of the new book 2048: The Rejuvenated State, a manifesto about how the Jewish state can deal with a long list of existential challenges including those brought to the fore by the divisions over judicial reform.

What is true Jewish leadership? Have we been thinking about our Jewish heroes all wrong?In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin discusses the essence of Jewish leadership with Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, the author of Providence and Power: 10 Portraits in Jewish Statesmanship.An insightful, fundamental and big-picture discussion that you won't want to miss!

Is the Israeli left by refusing to serve in the military holding the country hostage? Have we seen this before?In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin discusses the battle over judicial reform with Dr. Iddo Netanyahu, the physician and playwright who is the younger brother of the prime minister and the hero of Entebbe, Yoni Netanyahu.They discuss the real issues underlying the battle for judicial reform the United States and American Jewry and what their place is, if any, in the current crisis the history of the left in Israel and how it impacts today Iddo's personal history in being a part of one of Israel's most illustrious and controversial families. You won't want to miss this episode!

Has any President ever failed so thoroughly domestically and internationally as Joe Biden?In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin talks with the Wall Street Journal’s Kimberley Strassel, author of the new book, "The Biden Malaise: How America bounces back from Joe Biden’s Dismal Repeat of the Jimmy Carter Years".They discuss Comparing and contrasting the circumstances and policies of the Carter and Biden administrations How culture wars are NOT the way to win the presidency and were not why people loved Donald Trump Could another Ronald Reagan exist again and would he even win?

Four toxic elements are coming together to create a rising tide of antisemitism.In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin discusses the factors fueling a rising tide of antisemitism around the globe with scholar Richard Landes, author of the book "Can The Whole World Be Wrong? Lethal Journalism, Antisemitism and Global Jihad."They discuss: - The intertwining of far-left ideology and Islamist worldview - How the media has paved the way for lies and propaganda to enter the mainstream

In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin discussed the debate over judicial reform in Israel as well as the way American intervention in the controversy – both from the Biden administration and from U.S. Jews — Aylana Meisel, the founder of Tikvah Fund Israel’s Law and Liberty Forum.

Why have liberal Jewish groups protested the Supreme Court decisions that favor religious freedom and meritocracy?In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin discussed the hypocrisy of liberals who support the independence of Israel’s out-of-control Supreme Court but want to impeach the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court. He also spoke with law professor and LegalInsurrection.com founder William Jacobson about the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions on affirmative action, free speech and curbing the power of the executive to cancel student loans.

Has this crucial aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict been left out of the discussion?In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin spoke with Farley Weiss and Leonard Grunstein, the authors of a new book about the battle to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Because It’s Just Right: The Untold Backstory of the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moving the US embassy to Jerusalem.

Why is the US Jewish Establishment focused on causes that have so little to do with Jews? Has the Jewish leadership betrayed the Jewish community?In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin spoke with Charles Jacobs and Avi Goldwasser, editors of a new collection of essays titled Betrayal: the Failure of American Jewish Leadership to discuss these issues.

In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin spoke with Tablet Magazine’s Liel Leibovitz who argues that the battle over Israeli judicial reform is an “existential crisis” and not just a political dispute about Netanyahu or the Supreme Court. Is Israel to be a Jewish state or a state for the Jews? They also discuss a recent article penned by Leibovitz in which he described the rise of woke ideology about race and especially sex and gender as a new form of “paganism.”Find out more now!

Are the policies of equity, diversity quotas and defunding the police really helping Black people?In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin discussed the new secular religion of anti-racism and the woke catechism of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) with Heather Mac Donald, author of the new book, "When Race Trumps Merit: How The Pursuit of Equity Sacrifices Excellence, Destroys Beauty and Threatens Lives".

In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin talks with columnist Stella Morabito about her new book “The Weaponization of Loneliness: How Tyrants Stoke Our Fear of Isolation to Silence, Divide and Conquer”.Morabito outlines how the pandemic highlighted the way isolation could induce Americans to abandon their belief in individual rights. Was this an isolated incident? Are there other examples where ideologues have used isolation and the fear of being canceled to get society to conform? Is there a pattern that is repeating itself?

President Joe Biden may have come into office as a purported foreign policy expert but according to JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin he’s maintained his streak of being wrong on every issue for the last half-century.Tobin is joined by Hudson Institute scholar Michael Doran to talk about the far-reaching consequences of Biden's weakness.

In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin discussed the coronation of Britain’s King Charles and its significance for the larger struggle for Western civilization with British journalist and JNS columnist Melanie Phillips.

In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin discussed the partisan divide over Israel with former Senator Norm Coleman, who is currently national chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition. They discuss Polling suggesting how Democrats have stopped supporting Israel How and why this has happened? The dire state of campuses for Jews and Pro-Zionists. Coleman's journey from progressive to Republican

In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin discusses the way American Jewish groups are recklessly intervening in Israel’s political battle over judicial reform. He also speaks with journalist Heather Robinson on What is the role of American Jews vis-a-vis Israeli government policy? Can the struggle for judicial reform and the opposition in Israel be compared to the American political landscape? Tucker Carlson’s firing at Fox News The shift in American culture to reliance on government

JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin is joined by scholar and host of Young Heretics podcast Spencer Klavan, author of the new book "How to Save the West, Ancient Wisdom for Five Modern Crises".Klavan posits that at a time when free speech and basic principles of equality and liberty are under attack from woke progressives, the best answer to the crisis may not be so much political as it is educational and spiritual.They discuss science, politics and woke ideology replacing G-d in society the relevance and importance of ancient philosophy and faith to contemporary problems. the riches of Western civilization must be embraced rather than tossed aside.

In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin speaks with Kohelet Policy Forum founding chairman Moshe Koppel about the group’s efforts to promote judicial reform in Israel. What’s next for the Kohelet foundation? Will judicial reform ever happen?Find out on this week's episode!

The ADL’s attempt to inject the question of antisemitism into the debate over a potential indictment of the former president undermines the real battle against Jew-hatred.Listen to the full story now!

In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin speaks with JNS columnist Ruthie Blum about the ongoing fight over judicial reform in Israel. Blum says the point of the pushback against the reforms isn’t just to topple Netanyahu. They’re also attacking his voters. She characterized the battle over the issue as one that wasn’t solely one about religion but also about class and income and to ensure that Israel’s working class and religious voters are shut out of power indefinitely.Find out what really is going on

In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin speaks with Breitbart News senior editor-at-large Joel Pollak who discussed the famous insight of the publication’s founder Andrew Breitbart about “politics being downstream of culture.” In this far-reaching interview, they discuss Why do liberal Jewish institutions only see antisemitism on one side? How the ADL has made common cause with hate groups and exaggerated antisemitism statistics to justify its existence Addressing accusations against Breitbart of antisemitism and being part of the alt-right. Pollak’s view on the current protests against legal reform in Israel. “Top Story” also airs on JBS-TV. Listen/Subscribe to weekly episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Watch new episodes every week by subscribing to the JNS YouTube Channel.

Do Jews have a role to play in saving Western civilization? Can Jewish values pave the way to repairing today’s society?In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin speaks with Tikvah Fund executive director Eric Cohen who argues that “the West and Israel are under assault.” Part of the answer must be a revival of classical Jewish education that will allow Jews, "to contribute to the renewal and strengthening of American culture at a moment when it needs Hebraic remedies for some of our woke disorders”. Listen now to the full episode!

In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin speaks with historian Oren Kessler, the author of the new book, Palestine 1936: The Great Revolt and the Roots of the Middle East Conflict. While Tobin puts the recent surge of Palestinian terror and Jewish debate about how best to respond to it in the context of the history of the conflict, Kessler explains that the events of the 1930s should help inform our understanding of the recent history of the conflict.

In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin speaks with authors Bethany Mandel and Karol Markowicz about their new book, Stolen Youth: How Radicals Are Erasing Innocence and Indoctrinating a Generation. The two, who are both journalists and mothers, discussed how the coronavirus pandemic weaponized the woke left’s efforts to use tactics to silence dissent.Both point out that the easiest victims for those seeking to impose essential racist ideas like those of critical race theory and other leftist doctrines on the country are its children who are being discouraged from the independent thinking that is essential for a healthy democracy. They each say that developing a will to resist this assault on Western values and a culture of conformity is essential. As Markowicz says, “We all need to put up a fight and we need to start now.”Check out their new book: https://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Youth-Progressives-Replacing-Radicalism/dp/1956007083

In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin speaks with law professor and author David Bernstein about his new book, Classified: The Untold Story of Racial Classification in America.According to Berstein, the hope that America might transcend its past history of racial division is being prevented by the efforts of critical race theorists and the vast number of people who benefit from efforts to make racial divisions permanent.They discuss The racist roots of US race classifications The need to separate government from race The permission slip race ideology gives to anti-Semitism Check out Prof. Bernstein’s book - Classified: The Untold Story of Racial Classification in America https://www.amazon.com/Classified-Untold-Racial-Classification-America/dp/1637581734

In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin speaks with journalist Tom Gross about the biased coverage of Israel as well as the debate about the Netanyahu government’s proposals for judicial reform.

JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin speaks with Middle East Forum President Daniel Pipes who believes that the failure of Israel and its supporters to insist that the Palestinians concede defeat in their efforts to destroy the Jewish is the reason why the conflict continues. Pipes also argues that the main challenge to Israel is not Palestinian terrorism, terrible though it may be. Palestinian ability to generate “toxic hostility among leftists who accept the “Palestinian narrative at the UN and other international forums that have as their goal making it a pariah state,” is a much greater strategic threat.The acceptance of the “Palestinian narrative” among left-wing elites and those who wish to do harm to the Jewish state is a problem to which Israelis are not paying enough attention.

In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin speaks with entrepreneur and philanthropist Bernie Marcus, the founder of the Home Depot chain of stores, to his new book, Kick Up Some Dust: Lessons on Thinking Big, Giving Back, and Doing It Yourself. Marcus believes that Americans need to rediscover capitalism and hard work and reject woke socialist myths.He’s just as angry about what he considers self-destructive behavior on the part of American Jews, who continue to support institutions and universities that promote woke antisemitism. “Jews are not the brightest people in the world,” asserts Marcus. Just as dangerous is the fact that groups that are supposed to be defending Jewish interests, like the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee, are, he says, “not pulling their weight,” when it comes to fighting antisemitism. He is equally outraged by anti-Israel organizations like J Street. Jews, he said, need to wake up and begin to defend their interests just as Americans need to reject the left’s toxic ideas.