Rashida Tlaib, freshman Congressmember from Michigan, is back in the news, this time for comments she made on Skullduggery, a Yahoo podcast, last week, speaking about Israel, Palestine, the one-state solution, and her ancestors' roles during the Holocaust. Her comments were blasted, but why? What did she actually say, and what did she mean? Were Tlaib's words taken out of context? Were they purposely false? Misleading? Inexcusably ignorant? Antisemitic? None of the above? All of the above? Tlaib...
May 15, 2019•32 min
This week, Uri and Rivky have a special guest, Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin, unusual Orthodox Jewish educator and author of new book, Sin•a•gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought. They talk about what it means to fail and sin in today's world - how should we cope with both our own failure, as individuals, and with leadership and rabbinic failure, as a community? They also dive into the difficulties and failures of Jewish organization and rabbis and ask, what are the goals of Jewish education? Check o...
May 07, 2019•37 min
This week, Uri and Rivky have a special guest - friend of the show (and friend of the hosts), Rachael Fried, deputy executive director for JQY, Jewish Queer Youth, a nonprofit organization supporting and empowering LGBTQ youth in the Jewish community. They start by talking about Daniel and YCT. (For the last time, really! Well, probably not, let's be real.) Then they branch out, talking about what it looks like to be an LGBTQ member of the Modern Orthodox community and ask, will LGBTQ members of...
Apr 24, 2019•33 min
This week, Uri and Rivky start by sharing some of the feedback from last week's episode about Chovevei and Daniel Atwood. Spoiler - some positive, some negative! They then dive into this week's topic: the current standout in the Democratic Party primary, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigeig. There is a lot to talk about when it comes to Mayor Pete, but Rivky and Uri focus specifically on his religion, which he is very vocal about. They ask, is his religion important? Who is the real ...
Apr 16, 2019•30 min
Last week, we read that Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, a liberal Modern Orthodox rabbinic school in NY, will not be granting ordination to one of its 4th year students, Daniel Atwood, who is gay. The details of this particular case are depressing, confusing, and unclear - which didn't stop many in the community erupting in strong reactions - some firmly behind Rabbi Dov Linzer, the president and Rosh Yeshiva of Chovevei, and some very angry with him, others blaming Daniel, and others strongly supporti...
Apr 09, 2019•33 min
Hope everyone is recovering well from Purim! This week, Uri and Rivky talk about two recent scandals from the past week - the allegations against megadonor, Michael Steinhardt, for sexual harassment, and against the Sackler family, who have begun to face criticism for their alleged role in creating the opioid crisis (as founders of Purdue Pharma, the distributors of OxyContin). They ask, how do we judge Steinhardt and the Sacklers? What is the responsibility of nonprofit organizations, especiall...
Mar 26, 2019•29 min
This week, Uri and Rivky dive into discussion about the college cheating admissions scandal. They ask, cheating is bad, but how does it compare to legacy, affirmation action, tutoring, coaching, and a long, long list of ways we boost students? Links: Woman who got football scholarship for a men's team: https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/28/sport/missouri-female-football-player-scholarship-spt-trnd/index.html College Admissions Scandal: https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2019/03/13/college-cheating-scandal-f...
Mar 20, 2019•34 min
This week, Uri and Rivky discuss feedback about Ilhan Omar and antisemitism/islamaphobia. Then they dive into their main topic: the US Women's "institutionalized gender discrimination" lawsuit, fighting for better pay and better treatment. They ask, what's the basis for this lawsuit? Are they facing discrimination based on their gender? And what other issues might come into play here? As usual, Rivky begs Uri to be a fellow sports fan, because she's getting lonely over here. Related content: Jea...
Mar 12, 2019•34 min
This week, Uri and Rivky break down the term "out of town," based on a tach-head listener email - Hi, Aaron! Next, they ask about Michael Cohen's testimony last week, and his teshuvah - real? Contrived? (And, is the red bendel amazing??) And, in their main topic, they discuss Representative Ilhan Omar and the controversies surrounding her anti-Israel (antisemitic?) comments. How bad are these statements? Is the reaction to her and her statements appropriate? Is latent Islamophobia responsible fo...
Mar 05, 2019•34 min
Welcome back! First, Uri and Rivky break down some great feedback they got about last week's episode about kashrut. (Bottom line, which they should have said last week: trust your own decision-making process to make kashrut decisions!) Then, Uri and Rivky discuss the depressing story of Jussie Smollett. They ask, what does this mean for our society and community, and the narratives we build around these incidents? How does this story impact the way we think of "victimhood"? And what exactly are ...
Feb 27, 2019•34 min
This week, Uri and Rivky are joined by a guest - Josh Wilensky, manager of NY Brat Factory and previous manager of Amsterdam Burger! Rivky, Uri and Josh talk about what the kosher industry is really like on the inside. Josh shares some funny stories from the restaurants, and we ask, why is it so hard to keep a kosher restaurant open? What's with the expenses, like the mashgiach - are they worth it? And are kosher consumers really as annoying as our reputation? Relevant links: Kish Kash: https://...
Feb 20, 2019•31 min
This week, Rivky and Uri did a quick run-through of recent topics - Ilhan Omar and her tweets; the tragic killing of Ori Ansbacher; and more. They then discuss reactions to last week, and what makes a good rabbi - transitioning nicely into the current rabbinic controversy, the RCBC's recent decision to oust Rabbi Nati Helfgot, Rabbi of Netivot Shalom, in Teaneck, NJ, over their female rabbinic intern, a current student in Yeshivat Maharat. We ask, is the RCBC wrong? What is the role of rabbinic ...
Feb 14, 2019•37 min
This week, Uri and Rivky discussed the current rabbinic search at Mt. Sinai Synagogue - and they asked, hey, what's the point of a synagogue rabbi, anyway? Do we even need a rabbi? What do we value in a rabbi? And, on the flip side, what makes someone a horrible rabbi? Relevant links: Julian Edelman in Israel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odynJMMu9HA R.E.M. - Welcome To The Occupation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XARqoTAJFuM Weird Al Yankovic - Pretty Fly For A Rabbi: https://www.youtube....
Feb 06, 2019•31 min
This week, Uri and Rivky review the story we can't shake, about the Covington high school students in DC. They then dive into last week's opinion piece by Michelle Alexander, opinion columnist for the NY Times, entitled, "Time to Break the Silence on Palestine," in which Alexander argues that, though Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was clearly pro-Israel when he was alive, if he were still alive, he would clearly be distraught at what Israel, and the occupation, has become. Uri and Rivky ask, is she ...
Jan 29, 2019•34 min
This week, Rivky and Uri tackle "call out" culture - or, the phenomenon of publicly denouncing people who are engaging in something we think of as evil. Last week, David Brooks published in the NY Times that he is not a fan: "Really? Do we really think cycles of cruelty do more to advance civilization than cycles of wisdom and empathy?" Only a day later, we saw the conflict in DC: boys in MAGA hands, Native American activists, Black Hebrew protestors, and we couldn't wait to call everyone out. A...
Jan 23, 2019•29 min
This week, Uri and Rivky discuss a recent flurry of articles discussing the relationship between American Jews and Israeli Jews. In the Forward, Peter Beinart warns that American Jews reject Birthright if they don't address, head on, Israel's fraught relationship with the Palestinians. In the New York Times, Jonathan Weisman warns that American Jews are facing a division between their brethren and their values. And in Times of Israel, Daniel Gordis, responding to Beinart and Weisman, tells Ameri...
Jan 15, 2019•30 min
Rivky's back! (Took her long enough.) And this week, after Rivky and Uri's quick recaps of the last two weeks of their lives, they dive into this week's topic, Shira Hanau's recent article in the Harvard Divinity Bulletin: High Stakes For Politically Liberal Modern Orthodox Jews. They ask, is it truly so hard being a liberal Modern Orthodox Jew? What about being a conservative Modern Orthodox Jew? Let's be honest - do we want a more mixed community, or do we want others to be more like us? And w...
Jan 08, 2019•30 min
This week Uri is joined by another very special guest, the amazing Aliza Abrams-Konig! They start off with a discussion about the future of lab grown meat, which gets them into kosher certification and its boundaries, including this week's controversy surrounding comedian Leah Forster. They then talk about the recent controversy surrounding an anti-Semitic Instagram post from Lebron James. Finally, Aliza and Uri discuss their shared experiences on service learning trips, and conclude with a disc...
Jan 02, 2019•36 min
This week Uri has a conversation with the amazing Abbie Wasserman AKA Abbie Sophia. They discuss Abbie's unconventional background, the challenges of starting a business, proper social media etiquette, some surprising aspects of being a photographer in the Jewish community, and much more! There is also a cameo appearance from one of the youngest Tach-Heads out there. Music: Bonnie Raitt - Something To Talk About https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQLpRBDrhn8 Jackson Browne - Running On Empty https:...
Dec 26, 2018•36 min
This week, Uri and Rivky dive into a sensitive and difficult topic: why Jewish law? Is it because God commanded it? Because it's moral? Because it impacts the world? (None of the above?) Why do we have the Torah’s laws? Music: Talk Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hHnOBlwU3A
Dec 18, 2018•34 min
This week, Uri and Rivky ask about the recent reporting about their Charedi brothers and sisters. Namely: A. the measles outbreak that was recently brought from the Charedi community in Israel to the Charedi community in America. And B. the recent NY State decision to push for a deeper investigation into Charedi schools, which detractors claim provide graduates with basically no secular education. They ask, what responsibilities do religious communities have towards their adherents? And, what ri...
Dec 12, 2018•34 min
This week, Uri and Rivky talked about the bipartisanship that showed itself, as usual, in the responses to the death of George H.W. Bush, before they got into their main topic: the NY Times opinion piece published last week, entitled “The Hypocrisy of Hanukkah.” Michael David Lukas, a secular Jew, grapples with what it means to be a Jew in modern America, especially one who wants to commemorate Hanukkah, but doesn't feel comfortable with the underlying messages of the holiday. We ask, is Lukas's...
Dec 05, 2018•29 min
Last week, Airbnb announced it would stop listing homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Much of the world considers the settlements, built on land Israel captured in the 1967 war, to be a violation of international law - but Israel considers the land to be disputed, not occupied. Immediately, many in our community were up in arms, with many calling for a boycott of Airbnb. Uri and Rivky ask, should we be boycotting Airbnb? Is Airbnb’s removal of Jewish homes in the West Bank antisemitic?...
Nov 28, 2018•29 min
This week, Uri and Rivky compare their travel woes from last week's storm, and then Uri gives several more disclaimers about how he isn't a supporter of Jews for Jesus. (The lady doth protest too much?) They then dive into this week's topic - an article written by writer and editor, Gal Beckerman, entitled American Jews Face A Choice: Create Meaning or Fade Away, which reviewed five new books touching on American Jewish identity, and what will sustain it in the future. Beckerman argues that what...
Nov 21, 2018•34 min
On Saturday morning, October 27, a gunman entered the Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, killing 11 people and injuring 6 more. The shooting is being called the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history. What lessons can we learn from this horrible tragedy? Does this represent a resurgence of antisemitism? Is that resurgence connected to the rise of Donald Trump? Is it fair to tie the threat of antisemitism to the Republican party? Relevant links: FBI Hate C...
Nov 15, 2018•37 min
This week, Uri and Rivky discuss Avi Shafran's opinion piece: “A Safer Space For Women In Orthodox Judaism’s Rules For Sex.” Shafran argues that the secular world might do better with adopting some of Orthodox Judaism's rules for modesty - and that maybe they would protect women, especially in the age of #metoo. They ask, is it true? Does Orthodoxy has a safer, more respectful approach to women than the secular world? Relevant links: 1. Shafran: https://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/272690/a-safer-sp...
Oct 31, 2018•34 min
This week Rivky and Uri start with some feedback: should the podcast be more Jewish? Then they discuss the recent case of Lara Alqasem, an American student who was detained in Ben Gurion airport for her ties to the BDS movement. Why did Israel do this? Do actions like that have counter-productive results? Finally, Rivky and Uri discuss what they will do when they win the $1.6 billion Mega Millions jackpot. Links: Bechdel Test: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bechdel_test NYT Op Ed: https://www.n...
Oct 23, 2018•28 min
This week, Uri and Rivky break down an exciting new film, Empathy Inc., by an up and coming director, Yedidya Gorsetman. They then dive into their main topic. 3 academics have revealed an elaborate hoax - they wrote 20 fake scholarly papers, that they then submitted to various prestigious academic journals in the fields of Gender and Sexuality, Feminism, Queer studies, and Race studies (which they grouped in a field they called "Grievance Studies.") Each paper used fashionable buzzwords and made...
Oct 18, 2018•30 min
Rivky and Uri are back! Talking Tachlis has finally returned after our long break for the holidays. This week, they talk about the only thing to discuss: Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. They ask - how can we possibly separate the people from the politics? Is there a war on men? And, in a more global, philosophical sense, when we're in an unprovable he said/she said argument about sexual misconduct - who do we believe?
Oct 10, 2018•34 min
This week, Uri and Rivky look back on 5778 and the first year of Talking Tachlis. What were our most controversial topics? Which episodes got the most listens? Which episodes were our favorites? Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IsSpAOD6K8 Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwOfCgkyEj0
Sep 13, 2018•27 min
