We Should All Be Zionists Podcast Einat Wilf

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 meaning of atheist Zionism, atheist Judaism, and the future of religion and state in Israel. 

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 joins the conversation to discuss the Abraham Accords, liberalization in Muslim countries, and more. 

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 the future of the settlement project. 

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 symbolic power of good versus evil in thinking about the conflict. 

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 like to believe. Then, columnist Blake Flayton joins the conversation to  question the claim that Jerusalem is "united" and whether or the city can boast a liberal, democratic society. 

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?