The good news: No more Oscar talk.
I recently came across an episode of Thaddeus Russell’s Unregistered podcast that I just have to share with you. It’s Unregistered 265: Rabbi Yaakov Shapiro. That link will get you to the YouTube version, but it’s also on all the normal podcatchers.
The recent tragic events in the Middle East have prompted me to get more educated on the history of the region. In doing so, I learned there has been a large schism within Judaism on the subject of Zionism.
I knew of the opposing sides, but I didn’t know the details. Now I finally think I do, and the revelation blew my little mind. I highly recommend you take the time (a little over an hour and a half) and please let me know what you think.
Another resource I highly recommend will take a longer time commitment (about 30 hours, all told), but again, it is well worth it. If you want a very deep and moving dive into the history of the formation of the state of Israel, I strongly encourage you to check out the Martyrmade podcast, specifically the 6 episodes entitled Fear and Loathing in the New Jerusalem, along with a bonus episode called War all the Time: Israel vs. Palestine (1948-1982.
I’ve linked to YouTube and Substack, but again, they are available in the usual podcatching places.
I’m not trying to shepherd anybody towards any conclusions on this bloody and divisive issue, but if you are interested and concerned about this conflict, these are excellent resources to help inform you on the matter.
Thaddeus Russell is an interesting fellow who tends to find interesting people to interview. He wrote a well-known book called A Renegade History of the United States and he runs a series of online courses called Renegade University.
I can’t vouch for that program, but I am a big advocate for continued education. A deeper understanding of the world around us is a very good thing. More importantly, a lot of the crap we all learned in school was… well… crap.
To that end, I think very highly of Liberty Classroom by Tom Woods. If the world seems confusing, disjointed, or opaque to you in any way, this is a cure. History, Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Literature. There is so much to learn here and it’s all top-notch.
So, about that bad news: I bet ya miss all the movie talk!
Sorry for all this “homework”. But again, I really think you’ll find it valuable. In these short articles, I promise I’ll only share outside links to things I think are very useful or interesting.
You can find “fluff” anywhere. I want to give you higher quality stuff. If you check them out, please let me know what you think about Rabbi Shapiro’s arguments and Martyrmade’s excellent history.
The more perspectives, the better, and more minds make for better understanding.
Naturally,
Adam
Thanks for this. While searching for a deeper understanding of Zionism I found Martyrmade. The context it's provided has been nothing short of eye-opening.
Indeed, there is a special place in Hell for those who have made a career of exploiting my late mother's faith and heritage for their blood-soaked political project. I'd better just stop there.