Dr. Einat Wilf, one of the most insightful thinkers on Zionism today, reads essays from her latest compilation of essays book, "We Should All Be Zionists." Then, Dr. Wilf and columnist Blake Flayton discuss the themes of each essay and how they apply to Israel and contemporary Jewish life. Listen for insightful conversation on politics, conflict, peace, religion, revolution, past, present , and future. You can purchase your own copy of "We Should All Be Zionists" anywhere you get your books.
In this episode, the final episode of the We Should All Be Zionists Podcast, Einat leaves us with a note of optimism: changing attitudes in the Arab world. Though October 7th oddly galvanized much of the world against Israel, there are those, still, from even the most unlikely of places, who have stood by Israel's side and done even more for peace. We Should All Be Zionists means all , including Arabs and Muslims.
In 2018, Einat wrote an essay about the riots that were shaking the ground of the border between Israel and Gaza. Einat understood then that the unrest wasn't about just better living conditions -- they were an expression of the desire to "return" to Israel -- violently. Then, Blake Flayton joins for a conversation about Jewish/Palestinian appropriation in Yafo bookstores.
In this episode, Einat discusses her topic of expertise: the Palestinian "right of return," which, as we have covered many times, is not a "right" enshrined anywhere in international law, nor would it be, for many people, a return. What do Western states not understand about this concept? Plus: a new addition to The War of Return, post-October 7th, and a conversation with Blake Flayton on the failings of Prime Minister Netanyahu and proposals for Gaza's future.
In this episode, recorded at the end of December 2024, Einat examines the arguments of Peter Beinart, a Jewish columnist in a favor of a one, non-Jewish state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and of resettling Palestinian "refugees" from the 1948 war inside of Israel. Then, Blake Flayton joins the conversation to discuss "Holocaust envy."
In this episode, in which two essays are read, Einat lays the myth to rest that Yitzhak Rabin's assassination derailed the peace process between the Israelis and Palestinians. Why is the tenure of Rabin so mythologized and glorified? And if Yigal Amir did not truly kill the peace process, then what did?
In this episode, Einat reads two short essays concerning the 2020 Trump Peace Plan for Israel/Palestine, which offered the Palestinians a state. Why did many even on the Israeli left support the proposal that was deemed inadequate? Then, Blake Flayton joins the conversation to dissect if the two-state solution is really dead, and what, for the time being, can serve in its place.
In this episode, Einat sheds light on "the new Zionists," the wave of young, courageous Jews in the Diaspora who are pushing back against anti-Zionism, the new form of antisemitism. These Jews understand that nothing will ever be good enough for those demanding they give up a key part of their identity. Then, Blake Flayton joins the conversation to discuss the cascading hatred on college campuses after the October 7th massacre and how best to combat it.
In this episode, Einat presents a concept that some westerners have a hard time understanding: although Jews make up the numerical majority in the State of Israel, they perceive themselves as the minority, and although Arabs in the State of Israel are the numerical minority, they perceive themselves, looking at the region at large, as very much in the majority. Then, columnist Blake Flayton joins the conversation to discuss the Mizrahi identity and Arab governance.
In this episode, Einat co-writes with two young Arabs from the UAE about the possibility of a Muslim form of Zionism, a Middle East that embraces Israel. For this new generation, wars against the Jewish state can be seen as wasteful and a distraction. Then, columnist Blake Flayton joins to discuss Muslim society within Israel and the current war with Iran.
In this episode, Einat makes the case for why the most obvious policy for management of the conflict is continued security control between the river and the sea, but a halt (or removal?) of civilians in areas where Israel does not exercise sovereignty. Then, columnist Blake Flayton joins the conversation with insights on the current Israeli government's agenda, and the possibility of getting a new government.
In this episode, originally published as a short social media post, Einat explains the one thing that westerners cannot seem to grasp: Palestinians are, in fact, adults, who are capable of making adult decisions. Then, columnist Blake Flayton joins the conversation to go more into detail about this mental blockage and its consequences.
In this episode, Einat argues that although she once believed that the best thing for a Jew living in the Diaspora to do was to move to Israel, "to make Aliyah," today, it matters more for Israel to live in every Jew, rather than for every Jew to live in Israel. In order to make this a reality, Israel must invest resources not just in bringing Jews to Israel to stay, but to engage Diaspora Jews in all areas: education, culture, military, business, and more.
In this episode, Einat explores a problem that has been plaguing the Jewish people for decades: what to do when the entire world appears to be against you? How does one combat a web of lies so well established and prolonged? How can it be possible that the entire world can be wrong and the Jews right? Perhaps we should take inspiration from Ahad Ha'am, who published his essay "Chatzi Nechama" in response to the medieval blood libel. Then, columnist Blake Flayton joins the conversa...
In this episode, Einat makes the ultimate case, in historical and sociological terms, for why anti-Zionism is antisemitism, originally presented in the opening of an Intelligence Squared debate in London. Unfortunately, in light of the anti-Israel protests that have rocked college campuses this spring, the piece is more important than ever.
In this episode, Einat makes the case that Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel's Independence Day, is the one holiday specifically for atheist Zionists, those who founded the State of Israel by rebelling against traditional Jewish theology. Whereas other holidays have been subjected to nationalist re-interpretation in the Zionist context, such as Passover, Purim, and Hanukkah, Independence Day needed no such re-imagination. Then, columnist Blake Flayton joins the discussion to expand more upon the ...
In this chapter, Einat analyzes why the Arab world is perceived among the West to be an abject failure -- in governance, democracy, technology, sustainability, and more. But then, we shift to a model of Arab success: the Gulf states, who have recently normalized relations with Israel. The center of the Arab world, culturally, ideologically, and economically, has shifted away from Beirut and Damascus to Dubai. What does this mean for Israel and Jews around the world? Then, columnist Blake Flayton...
In this episode, Dr. Wilf makes the case for a crucial Israeli political decision: demarcating a final eastern border. This means officially designating who is in Israel, and who is out. But what does this mean for the presence of Israeli military over the green line? What does the mean for the Palestinians who live there? Columnist Blake Flayton then joins the conversation to discuss models of Israeli disengagement, accusations of apartheid toward Israel's presence in the West Bank, and th...
In this episode, Dr. Wilf investigates how Americans, and many westerners, view the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: through the lens of western race relations, the Israelis as "white" and the Palestinians as "people of color," which may be thought of as a form of neo-colonialism. Or, maybe, "a Disneyland of hate." Then, columnist Blake Flayton joins the conversation to discuss how this ignorance came to develop amongst those who object to western constructs, and the s...
In this episode, Einat argues that if the Americans were to open a consulate to the Palestinians deep within East Jerusalem, it would advance the cause of a two-state solution. What does nothing to encourage two states is maintaining embassies in Tel Aviv, a wonderful city, but decidedly not Israel's capital. Neither does it make sense to have consulates for the Palestinians in West Jerusalem, as the capital of Israel is not "neutral territory," as much as the United Nations would...
In this episode, Einat interrogates the progressive hatred of Israel, and asks: is animosity toward Jews ever due to Jewish behavior? Or perhaps it is a reflection of the society itself -- and something failing in its internal structure. Then, columnist Blake Flayton joins the conversation to ask: how does one come to terms with this historical trend in the modern era, in the age of the State of Israel?
In this episode, Einat reviews "Who Do You Think You Are?" by Yuli Novak, founder of Breaking the Silence, an organization which seeks to inform Jews in Israel and people of all stripes around the world about the occupation of the West Bank. But is there really some big secret being kept from us? Einat proposes that there is something really quite childish (and even spiritual) in learning more about Israel and thinking oneself "liberated" for coming to alternative conclusions...
In this episode, Dr. Wilf takes us back to Durban, South Africa in the summer of 2001 at the World Conference Against Racism, which notably descended into an antisemitic hate fest that echoed the debate surrounding UN Resolution 3379, declaring Zionism as a form of racism, in 1975. Then, columnist Blake Flayton joins to discuss the recent trial against Israel at the International Court of Justice and whether or not it is even sensible for Israel to participate in international bodies.
In this special episode, Dr. Wilf reflects on the "Zionism and anti-Zionism" course she taught at Georgetown University several years ago, and how one student had told her that the course was more helpful than "hours of therapy." What did she mean by that? Why do young Jews feel that Zionism has therapeutic powers, and is this phenomenon new? Then, writer David Hazony discusses his new book which incudes this essay by Dr. Wilf, Jewish Priorities , followed by a further conver...
In this episode, Dr. Einat Wilf reads an essay on the strong reactions in Israeli society upon the passing of the controversial "Nation State Law" in 2018. The debate around the language and the context of the law are more relevant than ever in 2023. Then, columnist Blake Flayton joins the conversation to discuss both sides of "from the river to the sea" and the disconnection between American and Israeli Jews.
In this episode, Dr. Wilf discusses the differences between Jews who feel comfortable with having power, versus those who don't. What is the relationship between morality and power, progressivism and power? Then, columnist Blake Flayton joins to discuss Christianity's influence on Jewish communities and the rise of anti-Zionism.
In this 2021 op-ed, Dr. Wilf argues that choosing to provide millions more in aid for UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, does nothing but give cover to the dream of undoing Israel by giving political legitimacy to the demand to settle millions of Palestinians within sovereign Israel. Then, columnist Blake Flayton joins the conversation to discuss both Biden and Trump's relationship with Israel in a time of war.
In this episode, Dr. Wilf discusses the relationship of both women and Jews with power. Both feminism and Zionism broke the traditional understandings of the "proper place" for women and Jews. Then, columnist Blake Flayton joins the episode to discuss why young progressives don't understand this concept, and the relationship between Zionism and feminism within Israel itself. This episode was recorded before the events of October 7th.
As Israel still grapples with the traumatic events of October 7th, Dr. Wilf discusses the difference between constructive ambiguity and constructive specificity as they relate to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Is it better to tackle issues like refugees and borders as soon as we get into the room, or is it better to resolve the minor issues first? Then, columnist Blake Flayton joins the conversation to speak about the problem of "moral narcissism" in discussions about the confl...
In this episode, Einat reads an essay co-authored with Adi Schwartz for Ha'retz in 2018. Wilf and Schwartz discuss why all efforts to transform Gaza, to supply it with the resources needed to better the quality of, life have failed. Then, columnist Blake Flayton and Einat further debunk the myths surrounding Palestinian aid and what they mean for the future of the conflict.
In this episode, marking the thirtieth anniversary of the signing of the Oslo Accords, Dr. Wilf discusses the hope, politics, and disappointment surrounding the agreements. What can Israeli society learn from their failure, should the moment for peace negotiations arise again? Then, columnist Blake Flayton joins to discuss the contemporary discourse regarding Oslo, including recently uncovered and newsworthy revelations.
