Think Twice with Jonathan Tobin – Details, episodes & analysis

There were serious concerns raised about the way Israel seemed to have been sidelined during President Donald Trump’s recent trip to the Middle East. But JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin says that those worries need to be balanced recognizing that Trump has earned the trust of the pro-Israel community. He also believes that the substance of his policy address during the trip in which he said that the U.S. would reject both nation-building and appeasement and instead take a realist approach to dealing with the region would be better for the Jewish state in the long run. He’s joined in this week’s episode of Think Twice by Shoshana Bryen is Senior Director of The Jewish Policy Center and Editor of inFOCUS Quarterly. Bryen says that those worried about Trump and Israel shouldn’t panic. More than that, she noted that the way so many countries in the Middle East were showing eagerness to be friends of the United States since the start of Trump’s second administration was highly encouraging.  “The good news is that the United States is perceived now as a strong horse in the region,” said Bryen. And, she added, that's bound to be good for Israel as well as America. Bryen acknowledged that the fact that the war with Hamas can’t be ended quickly or easily will inevitably create some tensions with the United States since Trump dislikes “forever wars” and doesn’t want to be tied up in them. But she added that Washington has continued to send arms to the Jewish state to prosecute the war and is doing so without the conditions and criticisms that the Biden administration employed to try to hamstring Jerusalem’s efforts. Bryen agreed that the optics of Trump accepting a plane from Qatar, a “frenemy” of the United States, as a gift were bad. But she explained that it was not something from which the president would personally benefit. The Qataris are untrustworthy and connected to Iran and Hamas and host the Muslim Brotherhood. But she also pointed out that their recent conduct indicated that they knew that Israel’s successful actions in Lebanon and Syria had significantly weakened Tehran. The United States needs to be engaged in the region because the alternative is China, America’s chief geostrategic rival and moderate Arab nations don’t wish to be dominated by Beijing. Listen/Subscribe to weekly episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts.   Watch new episodes every week by subscribing to the JNS YouTube Channel. This episode of Think Twice is sponsored by The Jewish Future Promise — ensuring a vibrant and thriving future for Jews and Israel.   Sign the pledge: https://jewishfuturepromise.org/sign-the-promise/

How can American Jews help revive a community beset by assimilation and a declining sense of Jewish peoplehood among so many of its members? The answers to that have long been apparent, says JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin. Support for Jewish education, especially day schools, Jewish camps and trips to Israel is essential. But how can support for this effort be mobilized and energized? One answer is the Jewish Future Promise, a nationwide effort to get people to make a non-binding pledge that if there are any charitable contributions made upon their passing that 50% of it will be left to Jewish causes. Tobin is joined in this week’s episode by Mike Leven and Hadara Ishak, respectively the founder and the chief executive officer of Jewish Future Promise. According to Leven, who is a successful businessman in the hospitality industry, his hope for the project involves more than money. He wants parents to have conversations with children about the importance of supporting Jewish causes and in so doing, help reinforce a sense of continuity and their obligations to their fellow Jews, both in the United States and in Israel. Ishak noted that of the $6.3 trillion being donated to charitable causes in the United States, some 18 to 20% of that total comes from Jews. Yet only 11% of all the money given by Jews went to Jewish causes. They figured if that could be changed, then resources for all of the most vital needs of the Jewish people could be found. And that is what Jewish Future Promise hopes to achieve. They say the pledge isn’t about trying to persuade people not to give to non-Jewish causes but rather to remind them of the importance of investing in the Jewish future. While many people value acceptance by the non-Jewish world, Leven argues that such acceptance can’t be counted upon and that they need to remember that Israel is the “insurance” of the Jewish people’s survival. He said that this is even more true than ever after the Hamas-led Palestinian terror attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. He wants Americans to take pride in the accomplishments of the Jewish people, especially in Israel. One of the more encouraging developments is that the Jewish Future Promise is also attracting support from non-Jews, such as actress Patricia Heaton, a passionate supporter of Israel who recently became the 100,000 promiser. The group is also sponsoring a program for young people called Jewish Youth Promise involving them writing a letter to their future selves about their commitment to the Jewish people. 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. This episode of “Think Twice” is sponsored by The Jewish Future Promise—ensuring a vibrant and thriving future for Jews and Israel.Sign the promise: https://jewishfuturepromise.org/jns/

After nearly 16 months of war, a critical and comprehensive look at what went wrong on October 7th is yet to be done. What really were the crucial mistakes made on October 7th? Is Israel poised to repeat the same mistakes in the future? Is the hostage deal pushing Israel in the wrong direction strategically and morally? To discuss all this, Jonathan Tobin is joined by Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Seth Frantzman, author of the new book, The October 7th War, Israel's Battle for Security in Gaza. Stay informed about Israel and the Jewish World! Latest news: Get in-depth analysis at https://bit.ly/jewish_news_service Subscribe for more: Never miss a story - sign up for our newsletter https://bit.ly/subscribe_to_JNS Support our work: Your donation helps JNS fight for accurate headlines: https://bit.ly/Support-JNS

In this week’s episode of “Top Story,” JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin speaks with former Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Tevi Troy about the failures of the public health bureaucracy during the Covid pandemic as well as the damage done to children by school closures that were supported and extended by teachers’ unions. Troy also notes that states where people valued “liberty” and had a “lighter touch” on lockdowns generally fared better during the pandemic than those states that had a heavy-handed approach.The two then discuss the growing problem of antisemitism. Troy notes it has four sources: Anti-Israel hysteria from the left, white nationalists on the far right, Muslim antisemitism that is rooted in hate for Israel and the one that “liberals really don’t want to talk about: African-American antisemitism.” Troy also points out that the Anti-Defamation League has “fallen down on the job” in dealing with this problem because it is only focused on hate on the right.

Few still oppose gay marriage. But if the state can force even creative artists to celebrate it, no one’s rights to religious liberty are safe.Listen to full story here!

In this week’s episode of “Top Story,” JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin speaks with legal expert and author Thane Rosenbaum about how best to defend free speech while also pushing back against the mainstreaming of antisemites. Tobin and Rosenbaum talk about the need to rein in Big Tech Internet companies and social media platforms to prevent them from using their unprecedented monopoly power to skew debates and even elections as happened with the suppression of Biden family corruption stories in 2020.

In this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin speaks with critic, historian and novelist Michael Walsh, the editor of the new book “Against the Great Reset: 8 Theses Contra The New World Order.” It discusses the efforts of the World Economic Forum and the Davos set that attends the group’s influential annual conference to reshape society to conform to the dictates of woke ideology, radical environmentalism and socialism.

In this week’s episode of “Top Story,” JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin speaks with columnist Ruthie Blum about the fallout from both the Israeli election and the American midterm elections. Blum says Israel is ready for a shift in policy on dealing with terrorism and crime as well as judicial reform from a new government led by Benjamin Netanyahu.The two argue that a main challenge for Netanyahu will be dealing with the Biden administration’s commitment to a policy of appeasing Iran, even though the regime there is tottering. They also discuss former President Donald Trump’s prospects in the 2024 presidential race agreeing that his ego-driven attacks on fellow Republicans have undermined his case for leadership of the GOP.

JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin speaks with journalist Heather Robinson to break down the midterm election results with particular emphasis on races in New York and Pennsylvania that she covered for JNS. The two analyze the failure of the GOP to do as well as expected in the midterms. Robinson discusses how the abortion issue may have influenced the votes of Jewish women as well as other factors that allowed Democrats to hold on in the Northeast. Tobin and Robinson also break down the impact of the results on the 2024 presidential race and how Republican Jews will be faced with a choice as to whether to support former President Donald Trump because of his pro-Israel record or to embrace Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin and JNS columnist/author Ruthie Blum discuss the Israeli election results and what they mean for the future of Israel.