Ask Haviv Anything

Haviv Rettig Gur
  • 4.9 (1.1K)
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"Ask Haviv Anything" is a podcast about history, a podcast you, dear listener, will help to shape and direct, focusing not just on what I want to talk about but on what you want to learn and discuss. Nothing is off limits. We're going to talk about big and painful things, and also beautiful and fascinating things, wars and identities and painful history. And also more light-hearted things. Humor matters, especially when facing tough subjects. Join me on this journey. A podcast by Haviv Rettig Gur

  1. 1d ago

    150: The case for Netanyahu, with Gadi Taub

    To support our work, please consider joining our Patreon community (https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything), Substack (https://havivgur.substack.com/), or Buy Me a Coffee (https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur). We have merch! Find our awesome new mug and hat at https://shop.askhavivanything.com. And be sure to check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/haviv.rettig.gur/) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@haviv.rettig.gur). -- Gadi Taub, historian, Hebrew University lecturer and one of the most serious defenders of the Israeli right, says October 7 was a wake-up call that half the country slept through. With elections on October 27, he and Haviv argue it out. Was Netanyahu the war's master strategist or the man who presided over the complacency before it? Was the information war lost or never winnable? They also clash over hostage deals, Gaza aid, Ben Gvir and Arab-sector crime, the attorney general, and whether Israel suffers from tyranny of the majority or of the minority. -- This episode is sponsored by the Technion. Israel became the startup nation by turning talent into strength, ideas into industries. For more than a century, the Technion has trained the engineers, the scientists, the entrepreneurs who transformed Israel into the startup nation and delivered breakthroughs that changed the world. Now Technion scientists are advancing the next wave of innovation to help power Israel's next chapter. Israel, engineered by the Technion. Join us. Visit https://ats.org/rebuild. Thank you to the Technion for dedicating this episode. -- If you like what we do here, please consider joining our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything or our Substack at https://havivgur.substack.com/. You can also Buy Me a Coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur. It helps us keep the lights on. Patreon and Substack are also the platforms where you can ask the questions that guide the topics we cover on the podcast, join our great discussions where listeners share news and valuable resources, and take part in our monthly livestreams where Haviv answers your questions live. If you would like to sponsor an episode, please email us at haviv@askhavivanything.com⁠. Musical intro by Adam Ben Amitai.

  2. Sep 25

    149: Patriotism is too important to leave to extremists, with Prof. Alex Yakobson

    To support our work, please consider joining our Patreon community (https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything), Substack (https://havivgur.substack.com/), or Buy Me a Coffee (https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur). And be sure to check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/haviv.rettig.gur/) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@haviv.rettig.gur). -- Hebrew University historian Prof. Alexander Yakobson returns for a subscriber Q&A: Did the Arabs really “miss an opportunity” in 1947? Can Europe reclaim its national identities without falling into old, dangerous chauvinisms? What happens if Israel’s “modern” class walks away after years of war and a rightward political shift? Do liberal democracies fuel extremism when they abandon patriotism? From Germany’s struggle with its past to a pointed debate over Israelis leaving their country, we ask what holds a nation together and what happens when those bonds are tested. -- This episode is sponsored by David Allouch and dedicated in honor of his dear friends Ezra and Michele Chammah for their enduring friendship and unconditional support throughout the years, and to the memory of his late father Abraham Ben Haim who passed away on 25 Elul, 2023, and his mother Sarah Simcha who passed away on 6 Adar, 2025. Thank you, David, for that dedication. -- If you like what we do here, please consider joining our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything or our Substack at https://havivgur.substack.com/. You can also Buy Me a Coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur. It helps us keep the lights on. Patreon and Substack are also the platforms where you can ask the questions that guide the topics we cover on the podcast, join our great discussions where listeners share news and valuable resources, and take part in our monthly livestreams where Haviv answers your questions live. If you would like to sponsor an episode, please email us at haviv@askhavivanything.com⁠. Musical intro by Adam Ben Amitai.

  3. Sep 22

    148: What can you do for Palestinians? Stop supporting Hamas

    This episode we are trying something a bit different. First you will hear a three minute video by American journalist Ayman Mohyeldin, and then a 12 minute response by Haviv Rettig Gur. This segment was originally published to our YouTube channel and I encourage everyone to watch it there so you can also see the visuals. To support our work, please consider joining our Patreon community (https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything), Substack (https://havivgur.substack.com/), or Buy Me a Coffee (https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur). And be sure to check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/haviv.rettig.gur/) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@haviv.rettig.gur). On Patreon and Substack, you can ask the questions that guide the topics we cover, join our great discussions where listeners share news and valuable resources, and take part in our monthly livestreams where Haviv answers your questions live. If you would like to sponsor an episode, please email us at haviv@askhavivanything.com⁠.

  4. Sep 15

    147: Are the allegations in NAZA true?

    To support our work, please consider joining our Patreon community (https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything ), Substack (https://havivgur.substack.com/ ), or Buy Me a Coffee (https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur ). And be sure to check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/haviv.rettig.gur/ ) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@haviv.rettig.gur ). -- Welcome to our new short-form episodes interspersed with the regular interviews and lectures that dive into an often-asked question about Israel, Jews and the Middle East. In our current episode we ask: Are the allegations in NAZA true? If you appreciate what we do here, please consider joining our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything or our Substack at https://havivgur.substack.com/. You can also Buy Me a Coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur. It helps us keep the lights on. Patreon and Substack are also the platforms where you can ask the questions that guide the topics we cover on the podcast, join our great discussions where listeners share news and valuable resources, and take part in our monthly livestreams where Haviv answers your questions live. If you would like to sponsor an episode, please email us at haviv@askhavivanything.com⁠. Musical intro by Adam Ben Amitai.

  5. Sep 14

    146: Israel's political system worked. Then we tried to fix it. With Dr. Shany Mor

    To support our work, please consider joining our Patreon community (https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything), Substack (https://havivgur.substack.com/), or Buy Me a Coffee (https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur). And be sure to check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/haviv.rettig.gur/) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@haviv.rettig.gur). -- Israel’s democracy wasn't designed in a grand constitutional convention. It was patched together quickly in the middle of a war in 1949. Yet, for nearly 80 years, this chaotic system miraculously prevented civil war and built a powerhouse state. Dr. Shany Mor, lecturer in political thought at Reichman University, joins the podcast ahead of the October elections to explain the hidden brilliance of the Israeli electoral system and how well-intentioned reforms like raising the electoral threshold spectacularly backfired to empower the extremes. If you’ve ever wondered why Israeli politics looks insane and still somehow works -- or whether it still will as the country’s crises seem to accumulate -- this is the episode for you. -- This episode was sponsored by Congregation Adath Jeshurun of Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. “Congregation Adath Jeshurun was founded in 1858 and later became one of the original synagogues of the Conservative Movement. We at AJ, as it is widely known, are deeply appreciative of the historical perspective, political analyses, and theological contexts that Haviv provides. May we go from strength to strength.” -- If you like what we do here, please consider joining our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything or our Substack at https://havivgur.substack.com/. You can also Buy Me a Coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur. It helps us keep the lights on. Patreon and Substack are also the platforms where you can ask the questions that guide the topics we cover on the podcast, join our great discussions where listeners share news and valuable resources, and take part in our monthly livestreams where Haviv answers your questions live. If you would like to sponsor an episode, please email us at haviv@askhavivanything.com⁠. Musical intro by Adam Ben Amitai.

  6. Sep 10

    145: Waking up from our rage-filled slumber

    To support our work, please consider joining our Patreon community (https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything), Substack (https://havivgur.substack.com/), or Buy Me a Coffee (https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur). And be sure to check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/haviv.rettig.gur/) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@haviv.rettig.gur). -- Rosh Hashanah is the only major Jewish holiday that begins in total darkness — no full moon, no light on the road. And it is there, in deepest darkness, that the new year is born, that the new light kindles. Jewish tradition teaches that this pivot from darkness to light is a time of freedom, when Joseph first came out of Pharaoh’s dungeon, when the Jews first tasted freedom from Egyptian bondage. This Rosh Hashana, we ask what happens when an entire industry farms our attention for profit. From Proverbs to Rambam to the Ramchal's blind man walking the riverbank, we show that attention -- the world's most profitable commodity -- is also our most precious personal possession. That, at least, is a core principle of Judaism. And if it’s true, then the attention-hording rage-scrolling of social media, which now dominates our culture and claims much of our attention, is a form of slavery. This Rosh Hashanah, make this moment of darkness and awakenings a pivot in your own life, a moment for reclaiming your mind. --- If you like what we do here, please consider joining our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything or our Substack at https://havivgur.substack.com/. You can also Buy Me a Coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur. It helps us keep the lights on. Patreon and Substack are also the platforms where you can ask the questions that guide the topics we cover on the podcast, join our great discussions where listeners share news and valuable resources, and take part in our monthly livestreams where Haviv answers your questions live. If you would like to sponsor an episode, please email us at haviv@askhavivanything.com⁠. Musical intro by Adam Ben Amitai.

  7. Sep 7

    144: Inside the fight to change Haredi politics, with Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer

    To support our work, please consider joining our Patreon community (https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything), Substack (https://havivgur.substack.com/), or Buy Me a Coffee (https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur). And be sure to check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/haviv.rettig.gur/) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@haviv.rettig.gur). -- Israel helped rebuild the Haredi world after the Holocaust. It funds its institutions and sends its children to defend it. Why won’t more Haredim join them? Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer understands the anger. A Haredi rabbi who enlisted after October 7, he also understands why putting on an Israeli uniform can feel like crossing an existential boundary -- and why that boundary must change. In this installment of our election series, we explore the struggle inside ultra-Orthodox Israel: the parties and rabbis who hold power, the emerging challengers, and the growing demand for education, work, military service and a political voice. It’s a conversation about gratitude, shared sacrifice, and whether a community built to preserve the Jewish past can take responsibility for its future. -- This episode is sponsored by an anonymous listener who asked us to say: “Thank you to Haviv for this podcast. Things get noisy in the diaspora. We really appreciate your clarity and voice.” -- If you like what we do here, please consider joining our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything or our Substack at https://havivgur.substack.com/. You can also Buy Me a Coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur. It helps us keep the lights on. Patreon and Substack are also the platforms where you can ask the questions that guide the topics we cover on the podcast, join our great discussions where listeners share news and valuable resources, and take part in our monthly livestreams where Haviv answers your questions live. If you would like to sponsor an episode, please email us at haviv@askhavivanything.com⁠. Musical intro by Adam Ben Amitai.

  8. Sep 3

    143: How to win the Israeli election

    To support our work, please consider joining our Patreon community (https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything), Substack (https://havivgur.substack.com), or Buy Me a Coffee (https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur). And be sure to check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/haviv.rettig.gur) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@haviv.rettig.gur). -- Israel's first election since October 7 will be held on October 27 -- and the system it runs through is one of the simplest in the free world, which is exactly why the results look insane from outside. One district: the whole country. One ballot slip. You vote for a party, never a person. In this primer, Haviv walks through how a slip of paper becomes 120 Knesset seats: the 3.25% threshold that erased Bennett and Shaked's party in 2019 by just 1,380 votes, the Bader-Ofer leftover math that quietly rewards big parties and can decide the election, and the surplus-vote agreements filed by October 16 that could hand a bloc the last two seats -- and the country. Plus: why the most chaotic Knesset in memory produced the most stable government since 1973, why religiosity predicts an Israeli's vote better than income or ethnicity, the Haredi demographic numbers nobody can wish away, and the most under-covered story of the cycle -- Arab turnout. By the end you'll know what to watch on election night, and why Israeli broadcasts will be excitedly obsessing about "Bader-Ofer" on election night. -- This episode is sponsored by David Allouch and is dedicated “to the next generation, among whom are my amazing nieces, Tali and Elsa; my equally amazing nephew, Ilan; and the children of my dear friend Binyamina, Shmuel, Freidel Esther and Eliyahu. May they all continue to thrive and bring their intellectual creativity to the world, as their ancestors did before them.” -- If you like what we do here, please consider joining our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything or our Substack at https://havivgur.substack.com/. You can also Buy Me a Coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur. It helps us keep the lights on. Patreon and Substack are also the platforms where you can ask the questions that guide the topics we cover on the podcast, join our great discussions where listeners share news and valuable resources, and take part in our monthly livestreams where Haviv answers your questions live. If you would like to sponsor an episode, please email us at haviv@askhavivanything.com⁠. Musical intro by Adam Ben Amitai.

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Hosts & Guests

4.9
out of 5
1,062 Ratings

About

"Ask Haviv Anything" is a podcast about history, a podcast you, dear listener, will help to shape and direct, focusing not just on what I want to talk about but on what you want to learn and discuss. Nothing is off limits. We're going to talk about big and painful things, and also beautiful and fascinating things, wars and identities and painful history. And also more light-hearted things. Humor matters, especially when facing tough subjects. Join me on this journey. A podcast by Haviv Rettig Gur

Information

  • Creator
    Haviv Rettig Gur
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    155
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Haviv Rettig Gur
  • Show Website
    Ask Haviv Anything

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