149: I'm Gonna Git You Sukkah, with Peter Beinart

Quick Overview

The podcast episode features an interview with Peter Beinart, focusing on his recent writing about Jewish identity after the destruction of Gaza, the controversy surrounding public figures like Van Jones apologizing for insensitive comments regarding Gaza, and the changing political landscape allowing mainstream Democrats to voice criticism of Israeli policy.

Key Points: Peter Beinart recently authored "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza" and is the editor at large for Jewish Currents. Beinart discussed the challenge of seeing public figures, like Van Jones, apologize for insensitive comments, noting that public culture has shifted such that criticism of Palestinians now elicits heat, unlike previously. Van Jones apologized for a "sick joke" on Bill Maher's show where he suggested images of dead Gazan babies were part of a Qatari/Iranian disinformation campaign, which Beinart noted was an appeal to the incentive structure of blaming foreign interference. Beinart advocates for a nuanced approach to changing minds, emphasizing being "tough on systems and soft on people," modeling this after Naomi Klein and Ta-Nehisi Coates's rhetorical style. Beinart expressed concern over the incentive system created by certain Jewish leaders that pressures non-Jewish pundits, especially Black commentators, to adopt specific views on Israel to avoid accusations of anti-Semitism. The hosts and Beinart noted the political shift allowing mainstream Democrats like Senator Chris Van Hollen to publicly criticize Netanyahu's propaganda, suggesting the political environment is becoming oxygenated for moral stances. Beinart explained his book's title, "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza," as a necessary contribution to Palestinian liberation bound up in Jewish liberation, focusing on the toll supremacy takes on the soul.

Context: The podcast, Bad Hazbara, hosted by Matt Leeb and Daniel Mate, interviews journalist and editor Peter Beinart just before the holiday of Sukkot. The discussion centers on Beinart's reflections on Jewish identity in the context of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, exemplified by his book, and addresses recent media controversies involving commentators like Van Jones and the evolving political discourse around Israeli policy within mainstream American politics.