Jew Oughta Know

Re-releasing Episode 65 with three unsolved mysteries from the Holocaust: the fate of Raoul Wallenberg, who betrayed Anne Frank, and the wartime actions of Pope Pius XII.

Re-releasing Episode 67 about the Iraqi Jewish Archive, discovered by the U.S. military in 2003. Who should get it: Iraq, the United States, or the Iraqi Jewish community in America?

Re-releasing Episode 68 about the Dead Sea Scrolls, found two thousand years ago in caves near the Dead Sea. Who wrote them? And where is their billion-dollar buried treasure?

Re-releasing Episode 61 about the Golem. Something both living and dead has been hiding up in the attic of the Old-New Synagogue in Prague for the last 500 years. What is it? What happened to it?

Re-releasing Episode 62 about the Lost Menorah -- just in time for Hanukah to begin tonight. The menorah is one of the most sacred symbols in Judaism, and we know that it really existed in the Second Temple. We know who took it, when, and where. What happened after that remains a mystery.

The living hostages are home. An extraordinary cease-fire deal is hopefully bringing this nightmare to a close. What’s next? Who won and who lost? And where do we go from here?

Last week we looked at emerging threats. This week we’re going for pie-in-the-sky optimism. Can new ideas and leaders in Saudi Arabia and Syria bring forth a better future? Will Zionism move from an emphasis on security to a focus on developing a model society? Enjoy this milestone episode — #200 for Jew Oughta Know!

All the dramatic events since October 7 tell us that “it’s a new Middle East.” Countries are realigning their relationships, old threats are giving way to new ones, and new ideologies are rising. Part 1 of 2 examines the threats: Turkey and radical Islam.

Israel launched Operation Lion Rising, a preemptive strike to destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Ballistic missiles are raining destruction on Israel in a fight with the Jews’ most committed genocidal enemy. This is a historic, dramatic moment with the potential to upend the world.

Why didn’t Trump visit Israel during his trip to the Middle East last week? On multiple issues Trump has left Netanyahu standing on the sidelines, leaving the prime minister struggling to Make Israel Relevant Again.

Trump attacks antisemitism on the left while encouraging it on the right. Jewish hatred should have consequences. But we shouldn’t use antisemitism as a pretext to erode the rule of law in order to punish political enemies.

What happens to Israel when its most important ally turns away from democracy? When happens when a weakened United States can no longer help Israel defend itself? Where else should Israel turn when the United States allies with autocracies? Is Trump good for Israel — or its biggest long-term threat?

The hostage release “ceremonies” reveal why a solution for Gaza is so elusive. How much of the answer is dependent on the Palestinian’s developing a different national culture?

Three hostages come home. This begins the first phase of a complex cease-fire-for-hostages agreement. Should we be pessimistic or optimistic? Is this a victory for Israel or Hamas? Why did this happen now, and what happens next?

How “social justice”, “racism”, and “genocide” are re-interpreted and re-defined to demonize Israel, Zionism, and Jews.

Re-releasing Episode 29 on the historical story of Hanukah. Where does the story come from? What happened? What’s with the miracle of the eight days of oil?

After 54 years, the Assad dictatorship in Syria has fallen. Iran is humiliated; its theory of power in the Middle East is a failure. And Israel is once again the region’s preeminent power. It’s been a wild few days — here’s what happened and why.

There’s a cease-fire in Lebanon but no path forward in Gaza, and this raises the question of Israel’s strategic direction. How come Israel can end the war with Hezbollah but not with Hamas?

Where do Hezbollah and Hamas get their money? State sponsors, legitimate businesses, donations and humanitarian aid, and criminal activity all pour billions into the terrorists’ banks — which are now prime targets for Israel.

Jews are feeling uneasy about whomever they vote for — Donald Trump or Kamala Harris — because both parties are rife with antisemitism. Whether in the form of conspiracy theories or anti-Zionism, it’s evidence of an ailing society. Can Americans fix this rot in their politics?