Chosen People Problems

Today we are joined by some guy named Dan Senor for a wide-ranging Ask Me Anything. We tackle questions about the state of Jewish education, why we should stop calling everyone an antisemite, how Fauda is shaping perceptions of Israel globally, and what the rise of the European right means for Israel and Jews abroad, beyond Eurovision votes. In this episode: What American Hebrew school gets wrong Why anti-Zionism is resonating with young Americans Will the language around “genocide” and anti-Zionism eventually change? Why Fauda succeeds in telling Israeli stories better than non-fiction means What the rise of the European right-wing means for Israel and European Jews Dan lets Yael talk about Eurovision for longer than necessary The unlikely allies Israel may need to turn to Which American presidential candidates could effectively navigate Israeli issues What the 2026 midterms might reveal about the Democratic Party’s direction Read the article discussed in the episode. https://www.thefp.com/p/douglas-murray-afd-election-far-right-immigration-merkel This episode is free, but to access future Ask Me Anything episodes from Call Me Back as well as ad-free listening, sign up at arkmedia.org/subscribe. ___ More Ark Media: Listen to: Call Me Back Listen to: Ark News Daily Listen to: For Heaven Sake Listen to: Chosen People Problems Sign up for our weekly Newsletter Follow us on social: Facebook I Instagram I X I TikTok Continue the conversation on THE FOLD, our private moderated community for Ark Media listeners. The Fold is where you can dig into all of the issues Jews around the world are facing. There you can ask questions, hear other takes, keep talking about it with people who care as much as you do. Learn more and join us at arkmedia.org/subscribe Credits: Ilan Benatar, Devan Schwartz, Mindy Schaper, Ava Weiner, Andrej Todorovski, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, Karina Logiohio, Leonardo Erhardt, Ignacio Herbojo, and Yuval Semo

What happens when two very different Jews answer your most personal, random, and serious questions? We open up our chat for a mostly fun, sometime serious conversation about how we became friends and podcast partners, how an Orthodox matchmaker really works, what both of us got wrong about Judaism, and how we approach commemorating October 7th. We also weigh in on the very important issue of who’s our favorite from Beverly Hills 90210 and the Ninja Turtles. In this episode: How we went from a COVID-era Zoom to hosting a podcast together The unlikely friendship between a secular Israeli-New Yorker and a California Orthodox Jewish educator How does matchmaking actually work in the Chabad community? Why ChayaLeah’s grandfather’s old-school matchmaking system still inspires her Remembering October 7th: finding personal and communal ways to mourn Showing up for Jewish community even when group mourning isn’t your thing From the splitting of the Red Sea to manna from Heaven - what can you believe? This episode is normally available only to Ark+ subscribers. For our first week, we are giving you a taste of what you will get as a subscriber. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝘁𝘁𝗽𝘀://𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮.𝗼𝗿𝗴/𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲. ____ More Ark Media: Listen to: Call Me Back Listen to: Ark News Daily Listen to: For Heaven Sake Listen to: Chosen People Problems Sign up for our weekly Newsletter Follow us on social: Facebook I Instagram I X I TikTok Continue the conversation on THE FOLD, our private moderated community for Ark Media listeners. The Fold is where you can dig into all of the issues Jews around the world are facing. There you can ask questions, hear other takes, keep talking about it with people who care as much as you do. Learn more and join us at arkmedia.org/subscribe Credits: Beth Pearlman, Mindy Schaper, Ava Weiner, Andrej Todorovski, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, Karina Logiohio, Leonardo Erhardt, and Ignacio Herbojo

Which is more important for Israel–winning the war or the PR battle? The one and only Douglas Murray is with us today, to talk Israel, poetry, and…true crime? We start off by accidentally insulting him, but don’t worry, he still likes Jews! Also: Why do Israelis sound like that? Douglas refuses to tell us who the stupidest person on the internet is Is Israel winning? Why does the media suck Free Palestine means more bike lanes Douglas will not tolerate any slander of British food The point of poetry Guilty pleasures Don’t rely on the Houthis for cancer research No Douglas, playing the piano does not count as procrastination How does aging even happen? And more…. ___ This episode is sponsored by Tikvah's Millstone Scholars Program, a selective national honors program where seventh- and eighth-graders study Jewish civilization, Israel, and America through primary sources and debate. Classes begin the week of October 18. Apply now at tikvah.org/ark. ___ Sign up to Ark+ to get access to exclusive episodes and ad-free listening to Chosen People Problems and every show in the Ark Media Network: Sign up at arkmedia.org/subscribe Do you have something you want to ask us? Don’t worry, we won’t judge you. Submit your questions at: http://arkmedia.org/ask/cpp ____ More Ark Media: Listen to: Call Me Back Listen to: Ark News Daily Listen to: For Heaven Sake Listen to: Chosen People Problems Sign up for our weekly Newsletter Follow us on social: Facebook I Instagram I X I TikTok Continue the conversation on THE FOLD, our private moderated community for Ark Media listeners. The Fold is where you can dig into all of the issues Jews around the world are facing. There you can ask questions, hear other takes, keep talking about it with people who care as much as you do. Learn more and join us at arkmedia.org/subscribe Credits: Beth Pearlman, Mindy Schaper, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, Karina Logiohio, Ignacio Herbojo

Guys, we have big news. Really big. Like, Dan Senor Big. We are thrilled to announce we are joining Ark Media! Yes, Dan Senor bought us (actually, his company), and we now belong to him. Don’t worry, though; he hasn’t spent as much time with us as you have, so he doesn’t quite know what he’s in for. AND we have a new name! Please welcome: Chosen People Problems! You’ll get used to it. It’s really fun to say. Other than that, it’s still us, still for free, but just a whole lot more of us, more guests, and so far they are letting us do whatever we want around here (we’ve only made, like, one producer cry, and turned one sound editor antisemitic). We want to thank you, our amazing listeners, who turned us from an entirely organic little baby to the media empire we are now (or will be soon). We don’t know a ton about business, but I think they wouldn’t buy us if we didn’t have listeners - so thank you!! And thanks to the amazing people who loved us and took a chance on us so early on, and to Gabi and Mickey, our Ask A Jew team, who did more for us than we can acknowledge (though we try). If you are a Substack subscriber at Askajew.substack.com, you'll get an email soon about your subscription, and if you are a paid subscriber, you’re actually going to get some extra perks now, finally! (Hint: subscribers will get a full extra Chosen People Problems show a week later). So keep your eyes and inboxes open for that! We are so excited for this journey, and see you at Ark! Questions for us? Submit them at: https://tinyurl.com/askajew

Who knew that you could blame evolutionary biology for doom scrolling, binging on donuts or getting seasick? In this episode, we talk to Dr. Rob Kurzban, an evolutionary psychologist, about how human feelings and behaviors are shaped by evolution. He explains the adaptive functions of emotions, the role of boredom, and how our minds respond to environmental cues, providing insights into human nature and morality. Also: Evolution doesn’t care about your feelings Do animals get bored? Scrolling through Instagram has some evolutionary purpose Wait, is evolution real?? The temptation of non-kosher donuts Why some people are into spanking Oh and lots about peeing and puking Remember, you can watch this episode on Youtube! Definitely buy (and read) All the Feels: The Evolved Function of Every Human Emotion and Sensation so you can impress your friends with all these fun facts. Do you have something you want to ask us? Don’t worry, we won’t judge you. Submit your questions HERE —- This episode is sponsored by Tikvah's Millstone Scholars Program, a selective national honors program where seventh- and eighth-graders study Jewish civilization, Israel, and America through primary sources and debate. Classes begin the week of October 18. Apply now at tikvah.org/ark.