The Fifth Question

Daniel Levine
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My name is Daniel Levine and I am a Rabbi and Jewish History Lecturer at UC Irvine! I have conversations about the most pressing issues facing the Jewish community with professors, Rabbis, and politicians with a wide range of views. Hope you enjoy :)

  1. 5 DAYS AGO

    Meet Trump’s Pick for Labor Inspector General: Representative Anthony D’Esposito

    In this episode, I sit down with former U.S. Congressman and former NYPD detective Anthony D’Esposito, who is also a Trump-appointed nominee for Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Labor. We cover the intersection of crime, policing, immigration, antisemitism (including on the right), congressional bipartisanship, and what he believes comes next for the Republican Party after Donald Trump.We begin with New York’s shifting political landscape and the policing debate—from cashless bail and discovery laws to public trust, crime reporting, and the political consequences playing out in and around NYC. We also discuss the role of federal coordination (including task forces and the National Guard debate), and how D’Esposito thinks about border security vs. immigration policy.Later, we pivot to Congress: bipartisanship in practice, the George Santos saga, and why D’Esposito says accountability has to start within your own party. We also talk about antisemitism across the political spectrum, including what he’d say to disaffected young men drawn toward extremist figures online.Finally, we explore how his Catholic faith shaped his support for Israel and the Jewish community—and his view of what defines the GOP’s future.If you enjoyed this conversation, please like, comment, and subscribe—it helps a lot.Chapters00:00 Intro00:40 Crime, policing, and NYC politics04:00 Cashless bail, discovery laws, and “crime vs reporting”09:40 Federal involvement + National Guard debate14:30 Immigration vs border security (and crime narratives)17:40 Bipartisanship in Congress23:10 George Santos: accountability and expulsion24:45 Antisemitism on the right + online radicalization31:40 Faith, Israel, and pilgrimages36:20 The future of the Republican Party after Trump42:30 Rep. Juan Ciscomani story + closingTopics we discussNYPD, crime trends, and criminal justice reformCashless bail, discovery rules, and judicial discretionFederal-local coordination: task forces and intelligence sharingImmigration vs border security (and political messaging)Bipartisanship and governing with slim majoritiesGeorge Santos and intra-party accountabilityAntisemitism on the left and rightOnline extremism and disaffected young menFaith, Israel, and political convictionPost-Trump Republican Party identity#politics #newyork #crime #congress #immigration #Antisemitism #israel #podcast #mamdani #republicanparty

    44 min

  2. 19/12/2025

    Anti-Zionism Isn’t Political Debate — It’s a Modern Ideology of Hate

    In this episode, Adam Louis Klein explains why anti-Zionism is not simply criticism of Israel, but a modern ideological movement shaping campus activism, academia, and contemporary antisemitism.We explore how anti-Jewish hatred has evolved across history—from medieval anti-Judaism, to 19th-century racial antisemitism, to today’s anti-Zionism as a full-scale social and moral ideology. Adam argues that many debates within the Jewish community are fundamentally misframed, and that treating anti-Zionism as “just criticism of Israel” obscures its real function: stigmatization, moral inversion, and social coercion.This episode examines:Why the question “Is anti-Zionism antisemitism?” misses the pointAnti-Zionism as an ideology with its own genealogy, language, and tacticsHow Holocaust inversion, apartheid rhetoric, and settler-colonial frameworks function as modern libelsWhy traditional Jewish advocacy strategies fail against anti-Zionist movementsThe role of academia, post-colonial theory, and activist scholarship in mainstreaming these narrativesWhy anti-Zionism cannot be debated like a good-faith political position—and how to respond insteadThe psychological and sociological pressures leading some Jews to internalize anti-Zionist claimsHow Palestinian suffering is often exploited rather than alleviated by anti-Zionist ideologyRather than defending Israel point-by-point, this conversation makes the case for turning the lens outward—analyzing anti-Zionism itself as a historical, ideological, and moral phenomenon.This episode is essential listening for anyone grappling with campus activism, media narratives, Jewish identity, or the future of Jewish advocacy in the West.Timestamps / Chapters00:00 – What anti-Zionism actually is07:30 – Why “Is anti-Zionism antisemitism?” is the wrong question14:00 – Anti-Zionism as ideology, not debate23:40 – Holocaust inversion & modern libels35:00 – Academia, settler-colonial theory, and ideological capture44:30 – Why traditional Jewish advocacy fails55:00 – Internal Jewish conflict & moral confusion#israel #palestine #rabbi #jewishidentity #jewishthought

    57 min

  3. 11/12/2025

    From Satmar to Open Orthodoxy | Rabbi Ysoscher Katz

    Rabbi Ysoscher Katz on Open Orthodoxy, Satmar Roots, Queer Inclusion, Mysticism vs. Maimonides, and the Haredi IDF Draft Crisis.In this episode, Daniel sits down with Rabbi Ysoscher Katz — a leading voice in Open Orthodoxy with deep Satmar Hasidic roots — to explore the future of Orthodox Judaism in the 21st century. They discuss why Rabbi Katz sees contemporary Orthodoxy as being in crisis, the obsession with labels (“ultra-Orthodox,” “modern Orthodox,” “open Orthodox”), and how to build a Judaism that feels spiritually exciting, morally serious, and genuinely inclusive.Rabbi Katz shares his journey from growing up in Williamsburg’s Satmar community — with no secular education and an intensely anti-Zionist worldview — to becoming a passionate, liberal Zionist who still treasures the gifts of his Hasidic upbringing. He reflects on living with the tension between egalitarian modern values and halakhic hierarchy, and why he believes we must make observant life so meaningful that people are willing to live with its unresolved dissonances.The conversation dives into halakhic change and halakhic evolution, including Rabbi Katz’s responsa on women’s participation in the synagogue, LGBTQ / queer inclusion, and how close re-readings of classic sources can reveal possibilities earlier poskim never needed to see. From nursing in shul to bris and pidyon haben in same-sex families, he shows how fidelity to halakha can coexist with radical hospitality.Daniel and Rabbi Katz also contrast Maimonides’ rationalism with Kabbalah and Hasidut, asking whether a purely rational Judaism “sucks out” too much of the mysticism and passion that biblical and rabbinic Judaism took for granted — and why a mystical, non-Maimonidean frame might better serve modern religious seekers.Finally, they tackle the explosive debate over Haredi exemption from the IDF draft, the social and spiritual cost of non-participation in Israel’s defense, and how religious anti-Zionism collides with the lived reality of soldiers — including Rabbi Katz’s own children — serving in Gaza.If you’re interested in Orthodox sociology, Jewish theology, Kabbalah, Zionism, or the future of halakhic communities, this wide-ranging conversation is for you.#RabbiYsoscherKatz #lgbtq #orthodoxjudaism #OpenOrthodoxy #ModernOrthodox #halakha #QueerInclusion #JewishMysticism #maimonides #kabbalah #hasidut #Zionism #haredi #idf #jewishthought #jewishpodcast #jewishtradition

    53 min

  4. 07/12/2025

    Soviet Refuseniks and Modern Zionism ft. Izabella Tabarovsky

    In this episode, I sit down with Izabella Tabarovsky — senior scholar of Soviet and contemporary antisemitism and author of Be a Refusenik: A Jewish Student Survival Guide — for one of the most important conversations about Jewish identity, Zionism, and campus life after October 7.We cover:Why American Jews feel afraid and disoriented in the current climateHow antisemitism from the far left, far right, and Islamist movements has converged into a single narrativeWhat today’s students can learn from the Soviet Jewry / Refusenik movementThe tension between working inside institutions vs. grassroots activismWhy traditional “fight antisemitism” programs don’t work, and what doesHow to build thick Jewish identity, resilience, and peoplehoodWhat parents and students need to know before choosing a collegeWhether Jews actually have true allies in American politicsWhy anti-Zionist Jews today differ from historical Jewish movements like the BundIf you're a Jewish student, parent, educator, or campus professional, this conversation offers the historical framework, language, and mindset to navigate this moment with strength—not fear.📘 Order Isabella Tabarovsky’s book: Be a Refusenik: A Jewish Student Survival Guide (Amazon)🎧 Subscribe for more episodes on Jewish history, Zionism, campus culture, and contemporary antisemitism.⏱️ Timestamps00:00 Intro00:15 Why American Jews feel fear today03:00 Antisemitism from left, right & Islamists07:20 Inside vs. outside strategy on campus12:00 What the Refusenik movement teaches us18:00 Rebuilding Jewish identity & peoplehood29:00 Anti-Zionist Jews: then vs. now45:00 Do Jews have allies in America?51:00 Advice for parents & Jewish students54:30 How to move forward strategically#IsabellaTabarovsky #BeARefusenik #jewishstudents #CampusAntisemitism #zionisme #jewishidentity #Americanjew #sovietunion #israel #AntiZionism #jewishpodcast #isalmic

    57 min

  5. 21/11/2025

    Debate: Has Antisemitism Taken Over the Republican Party?

    What’s going on inside the American right when open antisemitism, Holocaust revisionism, and “Groyper” culture are suddenly on center stage?In this episode, I sit down with Kimo Gandall — former chair of the California College Republicans and a Harvard Law–trained attorney active in GOP politics — to unpack the Nick Fuentes / Tucker Carlson moment, the Heritage Foundation backlash, and why some Republican leaders (like JD Vance and Trump) seem so reluctant to clearly draw red lines.We dig into the deeper questions underneath the headlines: economic precarity for young men, the rise of incel and “America First” subcultures, the limits of classical conservatism, and whether liberal pluralism still offers Jews (and everyone else) the safest framework for living with deep differences.In this conversation, we discuss:Why Nick Fuentes and the Groypers are resonating with young right-wing men online and on campusThe Tucker Carlson–Fuentes interview and the Heritage Foundation controversyJD Vance, Trump, and why GOP elites are so hesitant to forcefully condemn explicit antisemitismHow “everyone is Hitler” rhetoric on the left helped normalize Nazi talk on the rightIncels, masculinity, and the economic + social anxieties of Gen Z menLiberalism vs. particularism: can strong religious identities and pluralism coexist?What Jews should (and shouldn’t) learn from rising antisemitism on the rightWhy censorship backfires, and what a healthier “marketplace of ideas” might look likeAbout my guest:Kimo Gandall is the former chairman of the California College Republicans, a recent graduate of Harvard Law School, and an attorney based in Texas who works closely with college Republican organizations and GOP campaigns.To read the article we referenced: https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-far-rights-college-crusade🔔 Enjoyed the episode? Hit subscribe, leave a comment, and share this with someone trying to make sense of the new right.#tuckercarlson #tuckercarlsontonight #gop #maga #conservativepolitics #jewishpodcast #israelusrelations #freespeech #republican

    1h 4m

  6. 18/11/2025

    Leaving Anti-Zionism: Confronting the Ideology

    In this episode, I sit down with Zahava Feldstein, creator of Rabbi’s Daughter Rebellion, who describes herself as a “reformed anti-Zionist Jew.” We trace her journey from growing up as a rabbi’s kid in the American South and thriving in feminist Jewish day school, to becoming a staunch anti-Zionist at Scripps College through SJP/JVP organizing, critical race theory and ethnic studies — and then the moment it all began to crack when she sat down with her dad and the Encyclopedia Judaica and re-encountered Jewish history on its own terms.Along the way, we dig into why so many Jewish students are pulled into anti-Zionist spaces, why Hillel and Chabad feel so different on campus, how critical race theory gets mis-applied to Jews and Israel, and what it might look like to create psychologically safe spaces for Jewish students who are questioning Zionism without losing their Judaism.In this conversation, we discuss:Zahava’s story: rabbi’s daughter, feminist day school kid, then SJP/JVP organizerHow Palestinian ethnography, ethnic studies, and critical race theory shaped her anti-ZionismThe moment she realized her professors’ frameworks didn’t know or care about JewsWhy she now calls herself a “reformed anti-Zionist” rather than a simple Zionist or anti-ZionistThe California ethnic studies mandate, CRT, and where Jews fit (or don’t)How anti-Zionist spaces use “anti-normalization” to shun Hillel and campus rabbisWhy Chabad often feels “apolitical” and safe for radical left anti-Zionist JewsThe difference between criticizing Israel and erasing Jewish history and peoplehood“Right to exist” vs “need to exist” — reframing the core question about IsraelHow Jewish education often fails students on Israel, power, race, and empireWhy so many Jewish studies departments are unequipped to answer ethnic-studies-style attacks on JewsAdvice for rabbis, parents, and educators trying to support Jewish students on campus todayIf you’re a Jewish high school or college student, a parent, rabbi, educator, Hillel/Chabad professional, or just someone trying to understand anti-Zionism, Zionism, and critical race theory in the post–October 7 campus world, this episode is for you.➡️ See More From Zahava FeldsteinIf you want to dive deeper into Zahava’s work, writing, and research, check out the links below:🔗 LinkedIn ProfileZahava Feldstein — PhD Student in Antisemitism Studies (Gratz College), MA Stanford, MA University of ChicagoConnect with her professional updates here:  / zahava-feldstein  ✍️ Substack: “Rabbi’s Daughter Rebellion”Her long-form audio-essays on identity, ideology, antisemitism, and Jewish life:https://zahavafeldstein.substack.com/🔥 Related Post: “What the f** is campus antisemitism?”*A highly relevant piece if you enjoyed today’s conversation:https://zahavafeldstein.substack.com/...#palestine #israel #sjp #JewishStudents #campus #criticalracetheory

    1h 8m

  7. 13/11/2025

    The Muslim Woman Calling Out Ilhan Omar and Zohran Mamdani

    Dalia Al-Aqidi — Baghdad-born journalist, activist, and current challenger to Rep. Ilhan Omar — joins me to discuss her extraordinary life: growing up under Saddam Hussein, fleeing Iraq, decades reporting from war zones, and why she distinguishes Islam from Islamism. We dive into her fight against anti-Semitism, her views on immigration and U.S. foreign policy, and her perspective on Ilhan Omar, Al Jazeera, and the future of the Middle East.#Chapters 0:00 Welcome & who is Dalia Al-Aqidi0:41 Baghdad upbringing; parents in Iraqi theater1:20 Fleeing Iraq (1988) & joining the opposition1:44 Radio Free Iraq and activism1:52 Chris Stevens’ influence & immigrating to the U.S.2:33 Life in America; 37 years in journalism3:00 Covering wars from Iraq to Afghanistan4:04 Cultural vs. religious Islam; women under dictatorship7:02 Anti-Jewish indoctrination in the Middle East9:00 Why progressives avoid criticizing radical Islam11:26 Islam vs. Islamism & the “Islamophobia” label14:12 Muslim Brotherhood’s influence in the West16:09 Why some immigrants import illiberal politics18:18 Risks for Muslim dissidents; community pressures21:05 Immigration, liberal ideals & “ideological tests”24:12 Borders vs. legal immigration28:07 On nation-states, borders, and sovereignty30:26 Community ties across faiths31:32 Concerns about Ilhan Omar, CAIR, and Turkey34:12 Al Jazeera Arabic vs. English38:05 Minneapolis issues: safety, economy, campus anti-Semitism40:13 Voting by issues; thoughts on Trump & Biden42:25 The Abraham Accords & Middle East peace46:02 Dalia’s post-Oct 7 trip to Israel49:01 Misconceptions about Jews & Israel in Arab media52:24 Advice for Israel & American Jews combating hate57:19 Where American Jews fit politically now59:20 Building a centrist “decency coalition”1:00:02 Pro-life vs. pro-choice nuance1:01:23 Can she win a deep-blue district?1:02:10 Closing remarksKey topics: Iraq, Saddam Hussein, Ilhan Omar, Islam vs. Islamism, Muslim Brotherhood, Al Jazeera, anti-Semitism, immigration policy, Chris Stevens, Qatar, Hamas, October 7, Abraham Accords, Israel, centrism.#islam #islamism #iraq #ilhanomar #zohranmamdani #israel #muslim 🎙 Guest: Dalia Al-Aqidi 🎙 Host: Rabbi Daniel Levine If you enjoyed this conversation, please like, subscribe, and share to support the show.💬 Comment with questions for a follow-up episode.

    1h 2m

  8. 06/11/2025

    Meet the Republican Congressman Who Isn't Afraid of Trump

    Rep. Don Bacon: Conservatism vs. Populism, Israel, Anti-Semitism, Immigration & the GOP’s FutureFormer Air Force Brigadier General and five-term Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02) joins us to talk candid conservatism: calling out Trump and the populist right, defending liberal-democratic norms, Israel and anti-Semitism on campus, immigration policy, faith in public life, and what’s next for the Republican Party.If you value nuanced, good-faith conversations, hit Like and Subscribe—it helps us bring on high-caliber guests like Rep. Bacon.Guest: Rep. Don Bacon — 30 years USAF; member of Congress, Nebraska’s 2nd District.Chapters00:32 Who is Don Bacon? Air Force → Congress; NE-0201:01 Why he critiques Trump & the populist right02:05 Values over tribalism: January 6, Ukraine, tariffs03:11 Faith, Constitution, and old-school conservatism05:00 Congress, Article I, and executive overreach07:00 Early connections to Jews & Israel; Genesis 12:309:05 First trip to Israel, Yad Vashem, and “never again”11:15 Missile defense cooperation & deterrence12:17 Why support for Israel is fraying (left & right)15:18 Conservatives vs. national populists20:07 Policy tells: free markets, trade, Ukraine, Israel21:28 Post–Oct 7: bipartisan support & where it slipped23:18 The real value of U.S.–Israel ties (intel, tech, industry)30:00 Faith in public life & pluralism33:22 Anti-Semitism Awareness Act & speech on campus37:36 Immigration: stop illegal inflow, expand legal pathways40:24 Why he’s retiring from Congress (and what’s next)42:48 The GOP after Trump: the coming contest43:41 Final thoughts: issue-by-issue integrityKey topics & SEODon Bacon interview, conservative vs populist right, Trump criticism, January 6, Ukraine aid, Israel support, Iron Dome, anti-Semitism on campus, free speech, Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, immigration reform, evangelical faith and politics, future of GOP, liberal democracySupport the show• Subscribe + comment with your biggest takeaway• Share this episode with a friend who follows U.S.–Israel policy#tuckercarlson #stevebannon #maga #conservatism #israel #antisemitism #immigration #gop #politics #liberaldemocracy

    45 min
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About

My name is Daniel Levine and I am a Rabbi and Jewish History Lecturer at UC Irvine! I have conversations about the most pressing issues facing the Jewish community with professors, Rabbis, and politicians with a wide range of views. Hope you enjoy :)

Information

  • Creator
    Daniel Levine
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    157
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Daniel Levine
  • Show Website
    The Fifth Question

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