A Conversation with Bari Weiss- Shared screen with speaker view

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  • 00:07I am the vice president of Jewish education at Hillel international and part of the hill at home team that's bringing you great events every day.
  • 00:15This is a particularly special one with Barry Weiss and we're excited to welcome her to our virtual stage.
  • 00:21We want to invite everyone before we jump into turn on your cameras. We love seeing your faces seeing where you're from.
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  • 00:44To have you, I hear. So I see someone saying can't hear anything but I'm assuming that most people can hear me.
  • 00:52Alright, so I'll continue. So please put your name in, put your camera on this video. This is this chat is being recorded. Excuse me. There's also closed captioning available and we're going to have plenty of opportunity for you all to ask questions after my
  • 01:12Interviews her for a bit at the beginning. If you have questions that you want to ask, Please chat me directly, or put them in the public chat. I will be I will be sending on those questions on to Maya.
  • 01:24My colleague, Andrew is running tech today. And if you have any questions or sound problems or anything else, please let him know Andrew Cohen.
  • 01:31And will have an evaluation that will he'll drop into the link and toward the end of the call.
  • 01:38I'm really happy to have Danielle gold worth, who is joining us from University of California, Los Angeles get things going and to welcome Barry in my at our virtual stage Danielle, the floor is yours. Thank you all. Yes.
  • 01:54Thank you, Ben. Hi, everyone. Thank you for joining us. My name is Danielle Goldberg. I'm from Los Angeles and I'm a freshman studying applied math at UCLA.
  • 02:03And to me, Hillel at UCLA creates such a welcoming and vibrant atmosphere. Brian jewelry company comforting Shabbat dinners and mind opening learning fellowships and holiday baking.
  • 02:14And so much more where I can engage with my Jewish and Israeli identity and I'm very excited to serve next year on the Bruins for Israel board as the Vice President.
  • 02:24And I'm really looking forward to working with others to make a positive impact on you, Israel education at UCLA and yeah
  • 02:33So, okay. So I'm pleased to introduce Maya chardy around today and she's originally from San Diego, California.
  • 02:43And she represents Hillel at the University of Texas at Austin, where she has served as the executive director since 2017
  • 02:50At Texas Hillel my has formed meaningful bonds with students and staff as she advances Hillel work on campus and inspires Jewish students to create a long lasting commitment to Jewish life and Israel.
  • 03:02As a passionate member of Hillel at UCLA and Israel community. I understand the importance of miles work and strengthening the connection with
  • 03:10Between college students and Judaism in Israel. It's really important and it's evident that Judaism has played a central role in my life as she has spent time empowering young Jewish people and bonding with members of hello around the world. So
  • 03:31Very
  • 03:33Yes. Okay. And here with us today is Barry Weiss, a writer and editor for The New York Times opinion section.
  • 03:41Before joining the time she was an author editor and associate book review editor at The Wall Street Journal and a senior editor at tablet, the online magazine of Jewish news politics and culture.
  • 03:52She regularly appears on shows like the view. Morning Joe and billionaire.
  • 03:57I can say that I've watched her talk on The View and it is very inspiring to hear her powerful and knowledgeable responses to questions regarding anti Semitism in the world.
  • 04:05I admire a Bari I admire Bari for utilizing her passion and skills as a writer to fight anti Semitism and support the Jewish people in Israel.
  • 04:14It is incredible that the Jerusalem Post just named Baris seventh most influential Jewish world.
  • 04:20Her first book titled calcify anti Semitism was published this past year and it cannot be more timely as anti semitic sentiments are rising and it's very reassuring to know we have a motivated leader like very wise supporting the Jewish community.
  • 04:35Thank you so much.
  • 04:38Okay, so I will pick it up. Thank you so much. Danielle for your introduction
  • 04:43It's great to have the West Coast represented here is a native California now proudly residing in the great state of Texas.
  • 04:51And it is something that's so you know with this unfortunate situation that we're in with everyone with the pandemic and being at home.
  • 04:58These Hillel at home opportunities have been really wonderful to see students and alumni and staff from around the country being able to gather together to learn
  • 05:08And ask questions and have great conversations. And I think today. We're definitely in for a fun opportunity to hear from Barry
  • 05:15So, you know, I think this was teased a little bit there, and I go way back to our college days, which maybe we'll hear a little bit more later.
  • 05:24But one thing I want to start out with, is it really is incredible. Barry to think back to the time when we were in school together in college and all the things that were happening on campus, which I'm sure we'll talk about
  • 05:36But now seeing what you've been able to do with your writing and your speaking and your ideas and as Danielle said the influence, you've been able to have on
  • 05:44Not just young Jews but a really wide group of people with all the topics that you've been able to cover in your writing. So we're really excited to have you join us today.
  • 05:53Thanks.
  • 05:55Very
  • 05:57Seeing where all the people are
  • 06:00Are calling in from including like someone's here from Beachwood Boulevard, which is around the corner from where I am. So I'm also loving the you know the Texas hook them. People are very enthusiastic about you.
  • 06:12One thing we don't like in Texas is enthusiasm.
  • 06:15A lot of burnt orange.
  • 06:18Orange today. I'm so Barry, you know, might be fun to hear a little bit, you know, I'm sure a lot of people on this call read your op eds and in your book.
  • 06:26But love to hear a little bit more with the quarantine life. First of all, how's it been treating you have you been doing and maybe hearing a little bit of a how you've been spending your time.
  • 06:37Maybe what you've been reading what you've been watching. Tell us a little bit about how you've been keeping yourself busy these days.
  • 06:42Um, well, first of all, I hate not being in the room with all of you. I don't know about the rest of you, but Zoom is a poor substitute for connecting in real life. I'm a, I'm an extrovert and
  • 06:56Because of my book tour and because of my speaking tour that I've sort of been on non stop for the past two years, I live on airplanes and in Marriott's
  • 07:07I used to complain about having to go on three and four planes, a week now. There's nothing that I wouldn't rather do than stay in a crappy Marriott in the middle of the country next to a chick fil a
  • 07:20So I cannot wait until the world comes back, personally, but like the rest of you, I'm trying to make the best of it.
  • 07:28What am I doing, you know, today was an interesting day today. I wrote the introduction to Rabbi Jonathan Sacks who I think did it Hillel at home, maybe the first one.
  • 07:40I he has a new book coming out about Jewish ideas that have changed the world. So I wrote an introduction to that which I was really honored and excited to do
  • 07:49And then I switched gears into my New York Times editing hat. So what the world sees of my work is probably about 20% of what I do, which is columns and being on TV and
  • 08:01writing books, but the majority of my time is actually spent commissioning and editing op eds. So the one I was working on today.
  • 08:10When I saw that the meat shortages were happening. I thought about Jonathan Safran Foer and his book eating animals, which I think is very, very compelling.
  • 08:20And I reached out to him and said, you know, this is a counter intuitive take but our meat shortages may be a good thing. So we're working on an essay from him about a world without me.
  • 08:31And that has been harrowing to work on, because it's pretty disturbing, but also important, and I have to say, and I've said this on other calls publicly because I'm trying to hold myself to it. I'm trying to return myself to vegetarianism.
  • 08:48Or maybe peds Katerina ism. We'll see how strong I can be. So that was today. As for what I'm doing. You know, I had all of these ambitions to give a you read about how can move wrote the stranger during a pandemic and Beethoven.
  • 09:01You guys all know, have I done any of those things. No, I have not. The thing that I should be doing is a reading Andrew Roberts, you know, thousand page biography of will.
  • 09:13Have Churchill, which I has been sleeping next to my bed for the entire quarantine. I've been gotten past Page five
  • 09:21Instead I'm listening to a lot of podcasts, you know, if people are looking, the ones that I love, I love Sam Harris's podcast making sense.
  • 09:30I listened to the daily like maybe many of you, I listened to Eric Weinstein's podcasts. The portal which I really enjoy. So that's what I've been doing. I'm excited to listen to. Jill, of course, new podcast and I wrote a pitch. The other day for a new podcast that I might do with my sister.
  • 09:48The rest of it. You know, I'm just trying to like keep a routine. I
  • 09:52Might my fitness goals are not that ambitious I try and walk like 15,000 steps a day if I can do one of the online like dancey classes.
  • 10:01THAT'S, YOU KNOW GRAVY but that's my life. And right now, maybe the most interesting thing is that I attended my sister's socially distant wedding on Sunday, she was supposed to have this destination wedding.
  • 10:16You know, in a Bald Head Island, North Carolina, obviously that wasn't going to happen. So we did a wedding in my parents backyard. This Sunday with 12 people
  • 10:26And that was a wedding to remember. So that's what I've been up to. I'm curious what you've been up to my because I feel like you probably been doing like CrossFit in your garage, because you're very thin.
  • 10:37So, well, I was good. I have to give a shout out you met my mom's on the call. I think, and she is the queen of finding zoom, zoom, but classes. So if anyone needs that information. You can private message me and
  • 10:48I'll connect you with her. I mean, you know, UT shut down around spring break, and went virtual so our Hillel has been adapting. We've been working remotely.
  • 10:57Thankfully in Texas. It's warmed up. And we've been able to go outside and explored some state parks on the weekend. I think getting outside has been a huge part of just staying sane and
  • 11:07Just scenery and you know when you live in an apartment or some of the. I know some of you are in student apartments or you're in a dorm. Still, it's good to get outside
  • 11:17You know, trying to stay fit making up my CrossFit gym has been good at sending us workouts. So been doing our best
  • 11:23Yeah, honestly going outside for me has been amazing. And I try and do my workout side like
  • 11:28Meaning the work that does not require a computer that requires you know rolling phone calls or even interviewing people. I do a lot of that while I'm walking on a trail with my extremely bad shelter dog.
  • 11:41So that's my life right now local
  • 11:44Thanks for sharing that. So speaking. We're gonna speak more broadly, but thinking you have published a couple pieces. I know that I read during the pandemic and there was one that came out a couple weeks ago an opinion piece of the coronavirus makes our old culture wars seem quaint
  • 12:02And
  • 12:02You know, I read it while sitting outside drinking my coffee. And I was thinking, I know some of our I see some of our students have participated and when it pulls Jewish learning fellowships called Life's big questions. And one of the things we talk about our conflict and disagreement.
  • 12:17And the idea of and Hebrew say mahalo petal a sham sham mine right
  • 12:20Like disagreements out or for the sake of heaven that endured that are worthy.
  • 12:25And I love if you could like frame this piece a little bit maybe comment on it and think about how has this whole experience of the pandemic thing in quarantine the public health crisis economic crisis, put in perspective.
  • 12:36The kinds of disagreements and complex. You think we should be having and that are worthy and what are the things that like new perspective, we have to move past and check ourselves to share a little bit about that.
  • 12:46Yeah. So first of all, I'll share for those who are interested in maybe I'll share it to everyone. The link to the piece because I'm going to lose people, unlike you might have not read it. So I just shared it in the chat.
  • 13:01So the frame for this piece came from just one of the the unexpected gifts that would say of the pandemic has been
  • 13:10The distance to look at the way that we live and the things that we spent our spend our time doing and to ask ourselves, are they worthy.
  • 13:19Because most of the time, I think that many of us and, myself included, we get into routine and we kind of can sleep walk through life and kind of plug in and just keep going.
  • 13:31One of the things that pause for me has done that's been beneficial for all of the hard things about it is that it's given me a little distance to think about my own contribution to
  • 13:43public debates and whether or not I think those debates that I've taken place in our worthy. Some of them I rate myself very highly
  • 13:51But others when I look back and think about, you know, an afternoon spent arguing with people on Twitter about something that as my mom would say is like NARS kite is nonsense.
  • 14:02I feel some regret for that. And the thing that brought clarity to me is that
  • 14:06I am facing the daunting challenge of writing my second book, which I've already sold. And that book is supposed to be about the culture war.
  • 14:15But now that we're in this moment where we're thinking about the questions like What is essential. I am asking myself.
  • 14:23Is that book that I was meant to write essential and are the kind of culture war debates that I cared about.
  • 14:31That important or really should my focus be on other ones. So I in this piece I try and just post some questions that I think are worthy of our time.
  • 14:41Among them, you know, one of the things that I frankly like eating meat trying to avert my eyes from because I feel like it's such a daunting question.
  • 14:51Is income inequality in this country and what to do about it. And what is the right way to create a more equitable society beyond just waving our fingers.
  • 15:01You know what David Geffen in his yacht in the middle of the Grenadines. So that's one thing that I think is really important to think about
  • 15:10Another thing I think is important to think about is globalization and the limits of it. Globalization is something that
  • 15:17You know, the factory worker in Ohio. Like, if you think about what drew people and Donald Trump what draws people to Bernie Sanders.
  • 15:25Those were things if I'm honest that I didn't relate to that much because my own leg was really enhanced by a lot of the side effects of globalization.
  • 15:34But this whole thing, especially given the way that the pandemic has traveled makes us I think revisit and rethink those things. Another thing that I that I think we need to think about is the right role of technology in our lives.
  • 15:51Obviously, it brings a lot of great things. It's bringing us in connection right now. And thank God for it, especially in the realm of telemedicine.
  • 16:00But I think if we're honest with ourselves. I don't know about you guys, but if you do, like, three zoom calls in a day. All you want to do is like
  • 16:06Go and take a nap. There was there's another I had a night the other day where
  • 16:10I had to email a friend and say I really want to come to your zoom birthday. But if I have to zoom another time this week. I am going to lose my mind.
  • 16:18So we have to be honest I think about the limits of technology.
  • 16:22Another thing that I think about our is City Living and what cities are going to look like maybe relevant to this call and to all of you. I think I'm extremely relevant question is what is the value of higher education.
  • 16:36And if we're being honest with ourselves.
  • 16:39You know, is the college model that we have right now. And this idea that everyone needs to go to a four year college. Is that really relevant just college online, should it cost the same amount as college in real life. I don't think so. So I think that we're, we're, we're
  • 16:57The pandemic has has sped up things that were on a five or maybe even a 10 year time horizon and brought it smack right into our face telemedicine was something that okay doctors were working to now it's here, you know,
  • 17:12Higher education in the future of it and they unsustainability of it. And the fact that a lot of schools are really just a credential.
  • 17:20That was something that we sort of wanted to ignore. Now, it's right here I'm sharing right now with you guys. For those who haven't read it, or another really fascinating article
  • 17:29That was in your magazine by this NYU professor Scott Galloway that I think you know brings a lot of really provocative ideas to the fore when it comes to higher education so
  • 17:38That was a story that I wrote another one that I wrote, you know, and frankly, it's hard to avoid this topic, even if we're tired of it.
  • 17:46Was is about the rising anti Semitism in my city in your city and the ways that I think that the current mayor has has stoked it so I don't know my if you want to talk about that or we want to find other things.
  • 18:00Yeah, no, I think I wanted to pivot there. I mean, obviously, you've spent a
  • 18:04Lot of your time publicly spent talking about anti Semitism. Today we were fortunate to have you join us at the hello Global Assembly in December.
  • 18:12And I know a lot of people took inspiration from from your writing and from you're speaking about the message to young Jews in America today and what we can do, like how to be proud Jews.
  • 18:24What our response should be to anti Semitism. So I think it'd be great to hear you speak a little bit about with the pandemic.
  • 18:33How is anti Semitism, from your perspective, reared its head.
  • 18:37What are some of the dynamics that that you've been commenting on and noticing. And in general, what you think the impact might be on the Jewish community as you see it.
  • 18:47Well, you know, the metaphor that I think is probably the most powerful metaphor.
  • 18:53That I think of when it comes to anti Semitism is that it's a culturally inherited virus and it sort of knows no borders, but it is a virus that, you know, spoiler alert. We can never really get rid of
  • 19:07The trick is that in societies that have a healthy immune system anti Semitism, like other forms of bigotry is something that is
  • 19:17Like you can walk around with it in the, let's say the body politic of your society, but
  • 19:22It doesn't show itself, but in societies with let's say weak immune systems, the virus of jus hatred, which is a conspiracy starts to show itself.
  • 19:33Unfortunately, we kind of have a perfect storm here because anti Semitism was something that was already as people on this call, surely know
  • 19:42Which reaching record high levels in this country. The ADL just came out with a report, a few days ago that I think it's the highest number of anti semitic incidents ever Benjamin
  • 19:54Rabbi whenever you like to call a rabbi, Ben, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that I got that right.
  • 20:00And so it's very, very concerning and what makes matters more difficult and more complicated is when you have
  • 20:11Segments within let's just take the example of New York City, right, which is the hotspot of coronavirus in the world right now and has been for a few weeks. Few months when you have certain Hasidic sex within Brooklyn, you are violating the public health.
  • 20:32Guidance and breaking social distancing rules in order to have funerals and weddings and so forth.
  • 20:39Is. First of all, a betrayal of the fundamental Jewish value of
  • 20:45Of saving a life for which Shabbat and everything else can be broken. But it also, unfortunately.
  • 20:53creates a situation where people are looking and saying what are those people doing and they become a kind of scapegoat.
  • 21:02This was helped along unfortunately by the tremendously irresponsible and dangerous rhetoric of the mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio for which I, for whom I have no amount of affection and he tweeted after one of these
  • 21:20Foolish and dangerous weddings, rather than
  • 21:24Actually trying to be specific and call out that community. And frankly, the most effective way to do that would have been to rent a van.
  • 21:33And a bullhorn at a guys speaking English and drive through their advising them to go home, which a lot of other people who are worried about the spread of the epidemic inside the Pacific community have done just that, including
  • 21:45Including my friend the amazing Morty gets more about him in a minute. But Bill de Blasio instead took to one of his favorite forums, which is Twitter and
  • 21:56And for threatened the entire Jewish community. He spoke to the Jewish community and of course there. I think 1.2 million Jews and all of New York and there was something like 2000 people
  • 22:09At this funeral for this rabbi and you know it. It did not surprise me when a few days ago, we heard about a hate crime, we heard about a couple that ran up to a group of
  • 22:22Houses in Brooklyn, who are wearing their masks rip their masks off their faces and scream that the Jews are causing coronavirus
  • 22:31You know, it stands to reason, in the same way that we, I think.
  • 22:36I will say, many of us on this call, I hope, look at Donald Trump's dangerous rhetoric.
  • 22:41When it comes to minorities and when it comes to you know saying during his campaign that the Mexicans are rapists and they're bringing crime, and all of that. But there is a connection between
  • 22:54Rising bigotry in this country and the rhetoric of the person that's in the White House. Just as we make that connection between the President and I would say, you stupid culture that is
  • 23:06Intolerant at best. I draw connection between the irresponsible rhetoric of the mayor and the rising hate crimes in places like Brooklyn, especially neighborhoods like Crown Heights and Williamsburg.
  • 23:21I think it's really dangerous. And I'm really, really worried about it.
  • 23:28Thanks. Barry for sharing that I, you know, you talk about anti Semitism sadly being persist. It's persistent right throughout the generations throughout centuries and our people.
  • 23:39I would say something else, I think, is persistent history of our peoples, our ability to innovate in times of great need and crisis.
  • 23:46So I'm curious. This question came through. Also in the chat. But what are some of the side besides some anti Semitism orders in the trends, you're seeing in Jewish life that are being accelerated as a result of the pandemic that might actually bring positive outcomes when this is over.
  • 24:02Yeah. Well, I mean, it's funny because you would think that in writing about Jew hatred that I would be a pessimist or
  • 24:10bearish on the Jews in our future. But I'm entirely the opposite. I could not be more bullish about the Jewish people about Jewish civilization and my it's precisely because of what you said, it's about our ability to renew ourselves.
  • 24:26I was, you know, thinking the other day really about Passover brought this about right because what Passover teaches and this Passover is obviously a very, very memorable one. This was my first time making lots of all soup and like doing the Seder
  • 24:44Is that Jewish the Jewish past is not just the past is like our lighthouse. It's our compass. It is our moral manual to think about how to go forward.
  • 24:58And the reason for that is that, you know, right. And the reason I feel like that's so helpful, especially in this moment that can feel so uncertain is I think to myself, okay, this feels really uncertain Jewish communities are going through a incredible
  • 25:17Financial challenge at this moment, there are GCC is laying off 90% of their people. I mean, this, this feels enormous and then I think, have we been here before.
  • 25:29And I think to something like, I don't know the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. And that sounds crazy, but it's like for those Jews or I guess jeans at that time.
  • 25:40The heart of Judaism was destroyed the temple was Judaism.
  • 25:46And you would think in that moment that our ancestors would have just thrown in the towel and said, essentially, it's over. We can't pray the way the way we used to pray. We can't sacrifice animals without the temple.
  • 25:57And they literally reinvented what Judaism was they refused, time and time and time again to accept the logic of history, the logic of history would have said, you're done.
  • 26:10And yet here we are. I was thinking about this today, I am down the street from a school for Israelites. I mean, now we call ourselves choose, but the Roman Empire is not here.
  • 26:21All of the rest of the groups in that we read about in the Bible. There are only able to be recalled on a Wikipedia page mo bites the Amalekites all of the rest that were so much stronger than the week Israelites of the Torah.
  • 26:35And yet we are here and I just find that to be an earthly miracle. So I'm I'm
  • 26:43bullish on the Jewish future. That doesn't mean how and and you know, one other thing I'll add is, you know, we might be going through a time where there's a lot of change, but
  • 26:52I'm reminded that you know we we're not we're not a people, famous for our physical strength.
  • 26:59Or frankly for our magnificent monuments or buildings would we build our each other and ourselves. This is what we're about. This is how we have sustained ourselves. We have sustained ourselves because we have focused on
  • 27:13You know the watchword of this pandemic on what is essential.
  • 27:17And we know what is essential. What is essential are not fancy buildings or fancy gala dinners or awesome bar mitzvah parties, even though all those things are great. What is essential is Jewish families in the Jewish future. And I think that the focus on that.
  • 27:36Is going to be what what takes us through as far as trends. Do I think that
  • 27:45The synagogue's that were already hope you know these giants and God's I'm in Pittsburgh. So I'm thinking about it here.
  • 27:52Right, that have that we're already consolidating or had 50 people showing up on a show up. Do you like to think that it makes sense to try and revive sort of mid century American Judaism. No, but
  • 28:06That doesn't matter because what matters is not the synagogue. What matters is the community.
  • 28:10So if that's happening in a hub era or if that's happening in an independent minion, or if that's happening, frankly, we know being outside is really safe right now in a person's backyard. That's great. Um,
  • 28:24So I don't know I but asking more specific things because about this because I think it's really fun to talk about
  • 28:31Well, I think that's really I what what you said at the end there. I think there's there's always a
  • 28:36Someone who runs a hill like there's a fear factor of change.
  • 28:40Of the way we always have done things the way this program has happened the way we've gathered for this holiday and the Passover, maybe was that early test of how can we innovate.
  • 28:47And make this meaningful while you know falling in line with the situation. What did we learn from the we might take forward. So yeah, there was someone who came a specific question like,
  • 28:55What my change with synagogues, like we talked a little bit about the article about higher ed is higher ed changes. What does that mean for campus life.
  • 29:03And I don't know if you have enough
  • 29:06Data yet to have thoughts on that but
  • 29:08I've been thinking. Obviously a lot about the financial burdens of Jewish life. I mean, this is something that I talked about a lot, way before
  • 29:15The fact that we have a situation where money is a barrier to a full Jewish life.
  • 29:20In New York City, you know, it costs something like $40,000 a year. I'm sure more to send your kid to the Heschel school or term us doesn't seem like a scandal.
  • 29:32It costs an enormous amount of money to send your child to the thing that you know will make them be a Jew and give them a Jewish education.
  • 29:41Jewish schools and Jewish summer camps. We know they work. They are too expensive and yet we also know that there is a tremendous amount of capital in our community.
  • 29:51I think, and I hope that this moment is clarifying like that this money is going into the right places. One thing that is very worrisome to me. I was just
  • 30:02Trying to help a friend, find a way to get to Israel. He lives in Brooklyn, his entire family is there, he wants to go there and right now because of coven because he's not an Israeli citizen. He's not being allowed into the country.
  • 30:15And that got me thinking, you know, what do we know is one of the key things that creates a sticky connection between young Jews and Judaism. It's going to Israel.
  • 30:25It's going to the place where Jewish life is being, I would say lived out in its most full sense, arguably, what does it look like for
  • 30:35Young Jews that are not getting that experience right now. I think that's a question that I'm really concerned about. On the other hand,
  • 30:44I was thinking about it because I'm thinking for you know 70 for high school seniors that are anticipating going to college right now, but they are likely going to zoom universities.
  • 30:57for at least the next year maybe those people think about a gap here. Maybe they think about doing a gap here and doing something that they wouldn't have otherwise done that is fulfilling to their Jewish identity. I think about, for example.
  • 31:14Places like Earth sky time community farm in Vermont Maya where our college friend max Levis where there's like this incredible Jewish farm outside of Manchester that has these unbelievable Shabbat dinners.
  • 31:26Maybe 20 kids that would otherwise be going to university next year, take a year off to go and work there.
  • 31:32I think that this is a moment that calls for what we are famous for as a people. And frankly, a skill that has not been called upon
  • 31:41Yet in our own lifetimes and not those are the skills of Jewish adaptability Jewish flexibility and Jewish reinvention. I don't think you are. I know what this is going to look like. I think a lot of the younger people in the call are going to be the people who show us the way
  • 31:57Awesome. Thank you.
  • 32:00I would ask one more question my Jewish life I want to pivot for a second. This is coming through from the chat and it's ironic because Barry you're speaking just from Pittsburgh.
  • 32:09Which I've never been to, but as a beautiful place. And also, as I understand. Squirrel Hill very urban enclave of Jewish life and I know you live in New York City.
  • 32:18Yeah.
  • 32:18Question is, what's the future of the suburban suburban Judaism right in the middle of the last century really saw Jewish communities move out to the suburbs.
  • 32:27And, you know, what do we see the impact of urban life for in the Jewish community suburban life do we see that changing moving forward.
  • 32:35It's an amazing question. I'll be personal here.
  • 32:38You know, when my girlfriend and I are thinking about where do we want to be in the next year, if we have the chance to
  • 32:44Maybe get out of New York City and go somewhere else. The natural answer for us or for everyone in this woman is like, go to the country go somewhere world where you can be out in nature, where you don't need to worry about wearing a face mask.
  • 32:57But our number one question for where we want to go is where is there a good Jewish community.
  • 33:02Because even if I don't have the luxury of going to restaurants. Surely I want to be able to put people even in my backyard for Shabbat dinner, even if it's two or three people.
  • 33:12And the answer, still, at least for the time being, our major urban centers there. They're just, you know, you need a you need us to do Judaism. We know this.
  • 33:24It's not sustainable, to do Judaism this way. There is a reason that everything in Judaism requires a community. It's a very good program, and I'm not downing it after 3000 years
  • 33:36So I'm Will there be, and this is, I think, what could be very exciting. I'm not an expert on the suburbs, so I'm kind of avoiding the question a little bit because because I don't know maybe
  • 33:48I think there might be creative communities that spring up. I'm thinking about
  • 33:55A situation like what would it look like for someone to buy creatures in the Catskills or what would it look like for there to be more communities springing up like Isabella Friedman.
  • 34:06Where people live there, you know, and they create a community that's not just a retreat center, but perhaps is more of like a key books model.
  • 34:16Because if we want to be somewhere outside of the city. And we also want to be alongside other Jews. What would that look like and you know the other day was sort of fantasizing about doing that with
  • 34:28Some of my friends, I was talking to some people like my my sort of community, which is the people who run tablet magazine. And I was like, what would it look like for us to buy a bunch of
  • 34:39farmhouses in upstate New York, and do something like this. I think that could be pretty awesome.
  • 34:46So I hope other people are thinking creatively in that way and one book that has influenced me in this regard. It's very different. But, but I think that people might benefit from reading it is a book by Roger a are called the Benedict option.
  • 35:01His book is about. He's a conservative cat. I think he's a Catholic he's you know he left the Catholic Church. He's a conservative Christian. And the book is about.
  • 35:10Looking at the model of the Benedictine monks and there's all of these communities all over the country that are throwing these Benedict option communities.
  • 35:19A lot of them are sort of monastic and rural but it got me thinking about, you know, I'm the most urban person I know. I live on take out. I don't really drive. I go on plans, all the time. I live in coffee shops.
  • 35:35But what would rural life look like for someone like me and really the answer is a community of like minded people. So I hope people are coming up with really cool ideas on this score, especially the young people.
  • 35:48And then I also think about the the looking to I don't mean this in a in a in a judge the way like secondary Jewish communities. So, for example, places like Miami.
  • 36:02I went to Miami earlier this year to meet with the Jewish community there and absolutely fell in love with it. I think we could see an infusion places like that from expats from places like New York but we'll see.
  • 36:16We'll see. Okay, I'm going to switch gears a little bit. We're going to talk. Okay.
  • 36:20So bear your journalist, you're a writer. And one thing I love about pretty much everything you publish as I can go to dinner with friends, sit around and say, Did you read that latest Barry Weiss piece. And I know we're going to have a provocative fun
  • 36:32Conversation.
  • 36:34And you know you have you have written and described yourself. You are a proud Zionist you are proud you you have strong opinions and you put them out there. And I'd love if you'd share a little bit about your experience.
  • 36:46Working at a place like the New York Times and the other places you have worked, where there are writers who come from different political perspectives have strong different opinions and what does that look like in today's newsroom
  • 36:57Or whatever that looks like now in a virtual remote work world. What does it look like to be in process with other writers who might totally disagree with you and vice versa and
  • 37:09How do you see your role as someone who puts things out there in the world that you know people are going to disagree with. And when is that important. Why is that important share a little bit
  • 37:17Well, I'm talking to the best possible group for this because honestly, it's a little bit like being on a college campus. What do I mean by that.
  • 37:25Um, it's hard to stand and like I wish I could tell you that it. First of all, it gets easier standing out but I stand out because there are a lot of people I work with who strongly disagree with me now. I find that there's a lot of fruitfulness that can come from that disagreement.
  • 37:46The specifically you know my editor is someone who is very different from a politically, but who values intellectual diversity and difference
  • 37:58And who is able to help me anticipate what my critics will say in response to me. So having that person as my first editor is extremely useful for me because she'll say to me, you know that this particular line is going to enrage people and I say, oh, I didn't even mean it that way.
  • 38:15Let me change it and then she'll say, but you know this specific paragraph is getting rich people say yes, I know that I want to do that. So she'll help me avoid possible landmines that I didn't even see and she'll help me strengthen my argument. So I find that
  • 38:30Very, very useful. The thing I will say is that
  • 38:35I'm not the most popular person in the lunch room and I haven't been for a while.
  • 38:42That's okay with me. And you know, when I think about what matters and and the the honestly the privileges of my life, you know,
  • 38:54Not being the most popular person. Okay, I get to go and be my full self in my place of work every single day. And that is a reality being you being a scientist.
  • 39:08dating a woman that would have been a reality that would have been an unimaginable, not just to my ancestors. But to my grandmother. And so, if not being the cool kid is the price to pay for that to me. That seems like a really, really low price to pay.
  • 39:26And the thing that I will say is that there's something just very liberating about coming out. And what I mean by that is that, you know,
  • 39:36Sure coming out in your gender identity coming out in your sexual orientation.
  • 39:42But coming out as thinking differently can be something that is really, really hard and I know that because every single day. I hear from not just college students but high school students.
  • 39:53That are struggling with being their full selves. And I know that you know in all kinds of ways from all kinds of college students that reach out to me but
  • 40:01Specifically from pro Israel or Zionist college students. And the thing that I will say is that there is nothing better than being free really and various just nothing better than being your full self. And for those of you who may be are facing a similar question of whether or not to
  • 40:22Come out of the closet. You know, I need adults. I need law. I mean, lawyers, I need yoga teachers I need food critics who tell me that in their social circles.
  • 40:32They're not open about what they really believe politically or about Israel. And I guess the thing I would say is the same thing. Harvey Milk set come out, it's
  • 40:41Not just for you. But it's good for other people who will look to your example and I just can't tell you how good it has felt in my own life and the
  • 40:52I don't know. Just, just the luck in the gratitude that I feel for having the platform that I have
  • 40:58So very, thank you for raising that because it went exactly where I wanted to go because we have a lot of students on this call who might be thinking
  • 41:05I was in that class last semester. I'm in this group and I don't feel I can speak up about my opinions.
  • 41:11Whatever they are, and you're sharing that message come out. Be yourself it's liberating can that's really tough and you have thick skin and you've
  • 41:21grown into that role. Do you have advice specific ways that
  • 41:25A. How did you get to be that comfortable and maybe what experiences helped shape to you to get you to a place where you're proud expressing your beliefs and your opinions and what advice would you give to students who are struggling with how to find that voice and how to do that.
  • 41:39That's a great question. Maya.
  • 41:42I'll say a few things. First, I know it sounds cheesy, but that I, the other the other day someone said to me, You're a historical do and it sort of thought about them like
  • 41:53I don't think there's any other kind of do to be like you, if you're a Jew limit history. Personally, I find, not just as a student of Jewish history. But if history. In general, having that perspective.
  • 42:07Gives me a tremendous amount of gratitude, which is the thing I would say
  • 42:13If your whole perspective is limited just to the moment that you're in and the context, you're in
  • 42:18Things can feel really suffocating but if you see yourself in a much grander sweep of things. I think you're able to gain real perspective. So I think honestly focusing on history is something that helps me more tangibly
  • 42:33Need to find a few people that support you and it really can be a few people you know Ruth Weiss, the professor at Harvard always talks about finding a gang.
  • 42:44And that's been really true in my own life going back Maya to when we were students at Columbia, having just a handful of people and those people from our college days remain close friends of mine. I'm just literally getting WhatsApp from two of them in Israel right now.
  • 42:59That can make the whole difference in the entire world. And then I would say for younger people, I think, you know, for example of
  • 43:09The student who buys maybe know his name blank slate. He's a student at George Washington University.
  • 43:14Then published her very powerful op ed in The New York Times about being a progressive scientist on campus and then maybe you want to share it. If you Google Blake fleet near times will share it in the chat. He's someone that read my book and wrote me Blake's on the call.
  • 43:32He's someone that I think of as as as a hero. And how did he become a voice he did something that I
  • 43:40Wish I had done when I was younger, which is he wrote someone that he read and admired a note. He wrote me an email that moved me beyond anything I could say
  • 43:51And that email that very long and moving email became that op ed that he wrote and not in a way, he's gay. But that was his coming out as a Zionist. And I think that that will leave. I know that that inspired all kinds of other people to do the same.
  • 44:08So I would say that reaching out to people who you want to emulate you admire who you think would be a good mentor for you. They want to do that.
  • 44:18And I would just really recommend doing it. So that's finding a gang of people in your own context, even a few people and also in other campuses.
  • 44:29And then finding a mentor, even if they're not immediately where you are and they certainly weren't for me when I was a student on campus, finding them outside of it was a really big deal for me. I'll give you a really a specific example that really kind of transformed my whole life.
  • 44:45When I was a Zionist student at Columbia, I would do all kinds of public events and debates and that was sort of my best training for for what I do now.
  • 44:54And there was an older man who would come to a lot of my events and he was giving out these pro Israel pamphlets.
  • 45:01And he definitely was not a student. He was like in his late 60s, maybe, you know, early 70s, I would say.
  • 45:07And one day I went up to him, I said, who are you and told me, I'm Charles Stevens and I'm really interested in politics, you need to meet my son Bret Stephens. He's a columnist at the Wall Street Journal and you really should go intern there.
  • 45:20Did not read the Wall Street Journal. Okay. I thought it was just a paper for people that were interested in finance.
  • 45:26But that was how I met Brett how I became an intern at the Wall Street Journal and how I eventually thought of my thought of myself as someone that could even pursue this career at all, probably, unlike a lot of people on this call.
  • 45:39I did not aspire to be a writer. I thought like, I don't know, maybe I'll be a lawyer. I didn't really know what I was going to be. And it was only through that sort of serendipitous chain of events.
  • 45:50That I got to be where I am now. So, I mean, that's the other thing is just sort of luck and serendipity, or as Judaism would say but share. I am getting that op ed right now for the Blake wrote right now because I see someone saying we shared in the chat.
  • 46:05It's gone. It's gone. Okay, there we go.
  • 46:07Um, other advice.
  • 46:12Yeah, I don't know, maybe Blake could comment in the chat about if coming out was was worth it for him because I know that like I wish that I could tell you guys that the experience of coming out is gravy. Once you do it.
  • 46:26But it's it's not there. It's like one step forward, two steps back there things that are hard about it, but you just sort of have to ask yourself at the end of my life.
  • 46:36Do I want to have been someone that was true and honest and courageous or do I want have been someone that floated along
  • 46:45A very, very Barry. I'm doing something unorthodox here and I've unmuted Blake.
  • 46:49Yay. Hello ladies muted. Again, hold on.
  • 46:53This is like one of those when they when people haven't seen each other, meet and every like you know the sports games when they have the reunions everyone watching
  • 47:01Can you make a picture for a second.
  • 47:04Yeah.
  • 47:05I see. Hi. Oh my goodness. I was like, so taken aback. You're like that Blake late morning was like, oh, that's my name. Hi.
  • 47:12Can you share maybe with everyone for a few minutes like
  • 47:16How it was worth it.
  • 47:18Oh my gosh.
  • 47:19It was, it was the most amazing thing I've ever done. It felt like I
  • 47:26I'm sorry I don't have the words to articulate your correctly, but it felt like the most liberating experience that I could ever imagine. Because I was, I felt so lost and isolated from the
  • 47:39The closest people who I had called friends and classmates all my freshman year of college and coming out as you put it, as you know, Harvey Milk says everybody needs to come out and
  • 47:53Sharing with the world. You know what I had experienced and what I truly believe in myself gave me not only a whole new group of friends and colleagues on campus and off campus.
  • 48:04But it gave me the biggest self confidence that I was just lacking because I just was made to feel so uncomfortable for being pro Israel and Zionism and it just it. It gave me a whole new lease on my college experience. It was awesome.
  • 48:21And then
  • 48:22We and or do you think you're going to be able to go, you're going to go to Israel next year right for junior year
  • 48:27Is that yeah so I am at this point still studying abroad in the fall in Tel Aviv University. I've been accepted into Tel Aviv University and I will be as of now still studying abroad if if corona.
  • 48:41Renders that unlikely, then I will go in the spring, but as of now, it's still happening in August. Yeah.
  • 48:47Yeah.
  • 48:51awesome, amazing. Thank you, Blake. So if
  • 48:53I just want to add one thing about Blake, which is
  • 48:57I had the experience of being with him at the ABL conference and what moved me and sort of blew my mind is, he had a name tag on
  • 49:07And all of these younger people, high school students and other college students were running up to Him asking me to take pictures with him.
  • 49:14And it's like, you don't even know the effect, you can have on someone by being courageous yourself. And it really is. It is a personally transformative.
  • 49:25Experience. Um, yeah. And I would just say like even if there's not
  • 49:31An ally in the dorm room next to you. We do exist and we are here and as I like to say cancelled people or people that you know yeah let's say cancelled people you guys will all know what I mean, are some of the most interesting, fascinating curious people in the whole world.
  • 49:51But get cancelled sooner rather than later.
  • 49:53So I'll ask you very with this phenomenon that were alluding to, you know, it's referencing in Blake's experience.
  • 50:00There was a question that came up in the chat about, you know, anti Israel anti Semitism in the LGBT community.
  • 50:07Where's your balance of optimism pessimism and this whole question of intersection ality and what does it mean to be, you know,
  • 50:16To be pro Israel and involved in other causes, and times when that may conflict. I imagine there's days where it's more on the pessimism more optimism. But what's your, what's your current sense of the balance in those
  • 50:27Well anyone who reads me knows that I am not a fan of the current Israeli Government nor most of its policies.
  • 50:36But I also
  • 50:39You know, to me it's like the irony of seeing like, you know, queer students for Hamas, and I'm like, do you really know what Hamas does or what goes on in there. I think that it's
  • 50:52I want to be careful because I I really believe that for the vast majority of young people who are taken with who are sort of on the anti Israel or anti Zionist bandwagon.
  • 51:07It is a policy that's born out of ignorance, more than anything else. They couldn't locate Israel on a map of the world.
  • 51:15They don't have any sense that you know it is gay Palestinians who are seeking refuge just across the border in Israel.
  • 51:23And so I think I always try and approach young people especially on this topic with curiosity and assume that they're not coming to their position out of malice, but out of a sense of ignorance.
  • 51:39Until I'm proven wrong, of course, and then I'll do about it with anyone, but when it comes to the question of intersection ality
  • 51:46I've also talked about this a lot intersection ality as a theory makes a whole lot of sense. You know, I'm sure lots of people on this call know about it, but that's the idea.
  • 51:58Sort of the theory of oppression coined by a scholar named Kimberly Kimberly Crenshaw
  • 52:03And she used it to help explain why black women who were applying for jobs at at GE were being discriminated twice over, they were denied jobs on the line, because they were to female and they were
  • 52:17Denied jobs as secretaries in the company because they were to black and so intersection ality was a really useful way of explaining
  • 52:27That thing that many of us in our own lives of experience. Am I being called this disgusting word on Twitter because I'm a Jew, because I'm a woman.
  • 52:36Because I'm gay. Because who knows it's all of those things. And that was intersection ality was a way of explaining that
  • 52:43Unfortunately, the way intersection ality functions in the world uses a kind of caste system. It's the reversal of the caste system that was an existence until about five minutes ago. Historically,
  • 52:56But Jews don't fare very well in this caste system I've written a lot about it. I don't want to waste people's time with it, but I am
  • 53:03Not a fan of intersection ality but I'm a fan of liberalism. I'm a fan of places where I can walk down the street, holding my girlfriend's hand.
  • 53:14And when it comes to the Middle East, there's still really only one place for that's possible for all for all of its flaws. And that's the kind of conversation that I try and have with people and
  • 53:25I honestly happily surprised. Often, a lot of times with where it goes.
  • 53:30So very have time for one last question in three minutes. You have been asked to address the zoom University class of 2020
  • 53:40Odd
  • 53:41You brought a lot of messages for think about yourself as you were finishing your college years. I remember them well. But what would be your message at this moment in history for students graduating right now going into the world, what would you want to share
  • 53:56I guess that would share and I imagine many people are feeling this way that
  • 54:03The leaders that we need are not there. There are no adults coming to save us. The cavalry is not riding in
  • 54:12You are the cavalry, you are the people that are going to get us out of this. And what I wish for all of you is just the courage to see yourself.
  • 54:24As a person that can be a leader and a hero. And I just, I'm a very big believer in that that
  • 54:32By looking in the mirror and telling yourself. You can be the thing I'm sure this is like
  • 54:36Sounding whoo, whoo, and like the secret and manifesting and Oprah ism, I promise. I don't like worship crystals. But I do believe that by telling yourself. You can be a thing.
  • 54:47And by doing it, maybe even despite yourself or despite your fear, you really can be that and
  • 54:55I have to tell you, like, I know Millennials Gen Z whatever we're calling people younger than us get a really bad rap. But I'm sure my that you feel the same way as I do, having worked with these young people. I'm just, I feel so optimistic because
  • 55:10The leaders that are technically our leaders right now suck. But young people have so so much to offer. And I would just say, like, now is the time to take risks and be courageous and understand that you really do have the power to change things. And I just so leave that
  • 55:31Amazing. Thank you, for I agree with
  • 55:33That I promise I don't have coronavirus
  • 55:35I love it.
  • 55:36I like the announce, nice. Oh, thank you. Barry, I'll turn it back over to Ben, I think, to close us up but Barry. Thank you so much for spending some time with us and thank you to everyone who sent some great questions through the chat and turn it over. Yeah.
  • 55:52Hey, thank you. Maya, and thank you, Barry. That was really wonderful. This is nearly here to say hello.
  • 55:58I love that name. Thank you. This is my fourth daughter, one of four girls just like you very
  • 56:04It's been a great pleasure to have you all with us keep coming back to hill at home. We got lots of stuff happening and more to be announced soon, Barry. Thank you as always for your wisdom guidance and in these in these challenging times we need your voice, more than ever.
  • 56:22Take care everyone
  • 56:24Bye, guys. Thanks, Mike.
  • 56:26Why
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