Talking Tachlis Podcast

This week, in their first episode of 2018, Rivky and Uri talk about the recent brouhaha involving Rivky's alma mater, Frisch, and their recent email encouraging students to write to Trump, thanking him for his embassy announcement. They then discuss Seattle's hottest new grocery store, Amazon Go, and ask, should we be more worried, or more excited? Catch up on everything below: 1. Haaretz broke the Frisch story: https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-parents-protest-pro-trump-campaign-at-kushner-s-old-high-school-1.5743721 2. All the way to Newsweek!: http://www.newsweek.com/jared-kushners-high-school-making-children-write-letters-support-donald-trump-783538 3. Jewish Week's take: http://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/jared-kushners-jewish-high-school-wants-students-to-advocate-for-israel-thats-a-bad-thing/ 4. Amazon Go story: https://www.engadget.com/2018/01/22/amazon-go-convenience-store-of-the-future-makes-me-nervous/ 5. Minority Report trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG7DGMgfOb8 6.

This week, as 2017 draws to a close, Rivky and Uri take stock of the political roller coaster of the last year, and especially ask about Trump's relationship to the Jews. But before getting there, they first discuss (and argue) about the biggest news of the week - the Rubashkin release. Catch up on everything below: Rubashkin release: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/12/21/how-trump-came-to-commute-an-ex-meatpacking-executives-27-year-prison-sentence/ Songs: Folsom Prison Blues - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xyp63MaSBs Jerusalem - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYr4Fz14C6w Phish New Year's Eve - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHbj-5sPOxI&t=383s

This week, Uri and Rivky discuss a critical question - are aliens among us? And if they are, how does that affect the way we think about GOD? You know, little things like that. We also say goodbye to Chanukah, and ask, what do we do when there are parts of Torah, or our history, that are a little emotionally difficult for us to grapple with? Catch up on everything below: Articles 1. UFOs - https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html 2. Is The Earth Flat? - https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/11/21/this-man-is-about-to-launch-himself-in-his-homemade-rocket-to-prove-the-earth-is-flat/?utm_term=.f36ae29e143d Songs 1. KMAG YOYO - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NYE7RdrRjs 2. Maccabeats - Candlelight - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSJCSR4MuhU Sponsored by www.driveinproductions.com

This week, Uri and Rivky talk about Birthright - is it a good thing for the Jews? For Israel? What is the value of Birthright? In their second topic, they pick up where Howard Dean, Melissa Harris-Perry, David Brooks, and Robert George leave off, and ask - do liberals hold the moral high ground? Catch up on everything below: 1. The Nation, Romance on Birthright Israel: https://www.thenation.com/article/romance-birthright-israel/ 2. Debate: https://www.intelligencesquaredus.org/debates/liberals-hold-moral-high-ground 3. The G.O.P. Is Rotting: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/07/opinion/the-gop-is-rotting.html Video/song links https://www.hulu.com/watch/217024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rK0kZFkg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6i-gYRAwM0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfLHAJrNnsM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCnt-drXsiU

This week, Uri and Rivky discuss last week's controversial panel on anti-Semitism, Anti-Semitism and the Struggle For Justice. The panel was held at the New School and organized by New School’s journalism program, Jewish Voice for Peace, Haymarket Books, Jacobin Magazine and Jews for Racial & Economic Justice, or JFREJ. They ask, how can you tell the difference between anti-Zionism and ant-Semitism? What did we learn from this panel, if anything? Catch up on everything below: 1. The Panel: https://www.facebook.com/jacobinmag/videos/1965805270112831/ 2. Linda, Honey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP8RB7UZHKI 3. Bob Dylan's Neighborhood Bully: https://bobdylan.com/songs/neighborhood-bully/ 4. Commentary: https://www.commentarymagazine.com/articles/new-jew-hatred-right-left/

This week, we ask, what is the estate tax? Why do Republicans want to eliminate it, and are they right? And we discuss the #metoo phenomenon and the implications for the (Jewish and non-Jewish) artists who have been exposed - how do we deal with the art they have created? Catch up on everything below: 1. https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/ten-facts-you-should-know-about-the-federal-estate-tax 2. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/02/resistance-estate-tax/470403/ 3. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/10/woody-allen-wonder-wheel/537876/ 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP8RB7UZHKI&t=20s

This week, Uri and Rivky present a Very Special Episode for Thanksgiving. They ask, as American Jews, what is our relationship to our country? What do we owe our government, and our community, as citizens of America? Catch up on the Jack Flamholz Memorial Yom Iyun, "Judaism in America: Intersecting Values and Identities": http://drisha.org/yomiyun/

This week, we break down Ekow Ankah's opinion piece in the New York Times: Can My Children Be Friends With White People? And we discuss Larry David's SNL monologue - groundbreaking humor, or horribly offensive? We end the episode with recommendations for must-read articles in our newest segment, "Did You Read It?" Catch up on everything below: 1. https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/11/11/opinion/sunday/interracial-friendship-donald-trump.html? 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0eeNijdv3I 3. https://www.wired.com/story/i-forgot-my-pin-an-epic-tale-of-losing-dollar30000-in-bitcoin/ 4. https://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/can-a-robot-join-the-faith?

In Episode 1, Rivky and Uri discuss Eitan Gross' article in Times of Israel, Andrew Altman's article in the Forward, and the use of social media. For further reading: http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/modern-orthodoxy-from-a-teenagers-perspective/ http://forward.com/scribe/386754/why-i-chose-to-attend-public-high-school-even-though-im-ultra-orthodox/ https://www.amazon.com/Circle-Dave-Eggers/dp/159413961X