Rabbi Kaufman's Understanding The World: Recent Episodes
Rabbi David Kaufman
Rabbi Kaufman's Understanding the World is a podcast about Israel, the Middle East, American Foreign Policy, Current Events, Judaism, and issues of concern to Jews around the world.
I discussed what happened during the elections based on the information that I had at the time. While some details changed in regard to which candidate won certain states, I discussed the elections as if what ended up happening, would. So the conclusions are accurate.
I discussed Israel's agreements with the UAE and Bahrain, Israeli-Arab peace generally, the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, and discussing Turkey and Iran in the region.
Interview by Rabbi David Kaufman along with Michael Wolnerman of David Wolnerman, a survivor of the Holocaust, who spent time at a number of camps including Auschwitz and Dachau. He was liberated by General Eisenhower's forces from Dachau. The interview took place at the Des Moines Jewish Community commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz.
A look at the evolution of the concept of the messiah in the Jewish tradition. What was expected and is expected?
Looking at the how the concept of God changes from ancient times going forward. And then looking at how the concept of forgiveness, achieving purity, and later the concept of salvation, being saved from a status of sinfulness.
Looking at the History from the 2nd Century BCE and the Origins of the festival of Chanukah.
My class for the Ray Society of Drake University on current events, December 2019. Looking at Rabbi Mirvis' letter before elections in Britain. Discussing impeachment. Rising Antisemitism, including on college campuses.
I explain how we got the calendars that we have today and offer a basic outline of the Jewish holidays through the calendar year.
This is part of an ongoing class for the Ray Society of Drake University on current events. I began with the conflict between the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Israel which broke out the night before. Then I spoke about the Whistleblower law and need for it. I also spoke about the killing of al-Baghdadi, the impact of the killing on ISIS, and new US-Syria policy in light of the President's press conference about the killing of al-Baghdadi.
My class for the Ray Society of Drake University in October 2019. I primarily spoke about events in Syria, explaining who is who and what is going on. This class took place five days before the killing of al-Baghdadi and was at a time of grave concern about Turkey's invasion of northern Syria and an anticipated complete withdrawal of US forces from Syria.
A realistic assessment of where relations between Israelis and Palestinians and between Jews and Arabs are in May of 2019 and possibilities for improvement in those relationships leading to "peace" and resolutions that could lead to the development of a Palestinian state or states of some sort alongside Israel.
Background of Zionism and then a discussion of early Immigration to Ottoman and British Mandate Palestine followed by the birth of the modern nation of Israel and issues related to divisions between American and Israeli Jews.
Part of my Introduction to Judaism class series discussing the concept of Philosemitism, love of the Jews, and Modern Antisemitism particularly in relation to Anti-Zionism. If you're interested in the latter concept, please also see my May 2019 Understanding the World Class in which I discussed Soviet Anti-Zionism and it's fostering of left wing Antisemitism.
Looking at the foundations of Social Action in the Jewish tradition, the concepts of Justice (Mishpat), Righteousness (Tzedek), and Kindness (Chesed) in the Jewish tradition.
During my May class for the Ray Society, I discussed:
•Background on ISIS Anti-Christian terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka •Soviet Anti-Zionism as the origin of Left Wing Antisemitism •Targeting and Intimidating Jews during Apartheid Week on Campus •Issues of Holocaust Memory in relation to Palestinians – Tlaib’s "Calming Feeling" and in relation to Poles – Restitution is a "Posthumous Victory for Hitler" •Rejoin the JCPOA? •What is this Economic Summit in Bahrain? •Life in Israel when under attack.
In my April Class for the Ray Society, I discussed
Ambassador Dermer's visit to Iowa, Upcoming Israeli Elections, The recent Ukrainian Elections, The ousting of Omar Bashir in a military coup in Sudan, The response to the Notre Dame Cathedral fire, and a bit about the Mueller Report.
In my March 2019 class for the Ray Society, I briefly talked about the initial implication of the Mueller Report concerning collusion, then I spoke more extensively about the "Hate is Bad" resolution in Congress, about Nationalism and Nativism and where they cross into Ethno-Nationalism and Supremacism, a bit about AIPAC and a bit about the recognition of the Golan Heights.
Discussed the Covington Catholic Kids, racism, and misplaced anger. The issue of "White Jews", and the Antisemitism in the UK's Labour party among other issues.
I discuss the multitude of views within the Jewish tradition about the Afterlife. Yes, Jews not only believe in one, but have a wide variety of views about it.
The first part of Rabbi Kaufman's Introduction to Judaism class on Angels in the Jewish Tradition.
Rabbi Kaufman's class explaining the development of the concept of the messiah, mashiach, and messianic age in the Jewish tradition.
Beginning with polytheism and discussing developments of primalatry (the worship of one god primarily or first while also worshiping other gods) and monolatry (the worship of one god while believing in the existence of others), before moving on to monotheism. Later, discuss the impacts of these concepts on attaining forgiveness and meriting blessings.
This is the second class dealing with the foundations and development of Reform Judaism as part of Rabbi Kaufman's Introduction to Judaism Class at TBJ.
Rabbi Kaufman's Introduction to Judaism Class discussing the history from the Plague to the beginning of Hasidism, the middle of the 14th Century through the 17th Century. Featuring specific discussions of the impact of the Plague and the story of Shabbatai Tzvi, the most important history of the Jewish community that you probably never heard.
The last portion of the December 2018 class including a discussion of the aftermath of the Khashoggi execution and a discussion of an ancient meteor strike that could be the origin of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Rabbi Kaufman discussed
The origin and meaning of Chanukah
Antisemitism in Europe
Immigration - Both Border Security and Immigration Reform
Meteor Strike and Sodom and Gomorrah
Among other Issues
Rabbi Kaufman's class on the Jewish Calendar and Jewish Holidays taught as part of the Taste of Judaism class at Temple B'nai Jeshurun in October, 2018.
Discussed
-The pipe bombs mailed to progressive political figures and organizations
-War almost started by Gazan Rockets caused by Lightning
-Kavanaugh Hearings
-How Should We Judge
-Presumption of Innocence
-Khashoggi Execution
-US - Saudi Arabia Relations
This is a class in Rabbi Kaufman's Taste of Judaism series on Shabbat practices and Jewish prayer, taught at Temple B'nai Jeshurun in Des Moines, Iowa in October, 2018.
This is a class in the Rabbi Kaufman's Taste of Judaism series held in October, 2018 on the different streams of Judaism with a bit of explanation about who the Jews are today. Taught at Temple B'nai Jeshurun in Des Moines, Iowa.
Discussed several issues in detail:
-25th Anniversary of The Signing of the Oslo Accords -Closing of the PLO Office in DC -Defunding of UNRWA -UNRWA to UNHCR -Antisemitism in Europe – The Case of Yitzhak Melamed -Corbyn and Labour in the UK -Nation State Bill – Arabic and the Druze
I discussed issues related to Iran including the US withdrawal from the JCPOA and events in Syria, and then issues related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict focusing specifically on the US Embassy opening in Jerusalem and the March of Return in Gaza.
A class taught by Rabbi David Kaufman explaining the history and development of the calendar, outlining the Jewish holidays, and discussing the festival of Passover and the Passover Seder specifically.
Discussed the water situation in Cape Town, South Africa in the context of BDS efforts vs Israel and antisemitism.
Offered a brief overview of the primary conflicts in the Middle East.
Discussed in detail the attack by Wagner against the oil fields held by forces allied with the United States and the massive US response.
Rabbi David Kaufman's class on Modern Antisemitism beginning with a bit of the history of antisemitism and traditional antisemitism and then moving forward into modern times with a focus on the morphing nature of antisemitism and Israel related antisemitism.
This is a recording of Rabbi Kaufman's current events class, Understanding the World, for the Ray Society of Drake University on February 8, 2018. A number of different issues related to current events were discussed including the situation in Syria, but the a focus was on several speeches given by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in response to President Trump's statements about Jerusalem.
This is a recording of an introductory class on Midrash taught by Rabbi Kaufman looking at some selections from Midrash Tanhuma on Genesis.
This is a recording of Rabbi David Kaufman's January 18, 2018 class on the concepts of the Messiah and Messianic Age in the Jewish tradition.
This is a recording of a class taught by Rabbi David Kaufman on January 11, 2018 on the evolution of the concept of salvation and atonement in the Jewish tradition. How do people achieve purity in the tradition? How do they merit the best of the afterlife?
This is a recording of Rabbi Kaufman's class Understanding the World taught for the Ray Society of Drake University in November of 2017. The focus was on Rabbi Kaufman's understanding of a reasonable and realistic resolution for Israeli-Palestinian Peace.
This is a recording of a class taught by Rabbi David Kaufman on Shabbat Practice and Prayer that is part of the Adult Education Program at Temple B'nai Jeshurun.
Mark Finkelstein and I talked about the implications of Palestinian reconciliation efforts uniting Fatah and Hamas and what the future may hold.
Had a great conversation with Rachel Laser and Barbara Weinstein of the Religious Action Center RAC. We talked about what the RAC is, what it does, about a number of issues of concern to the progressive community and about the upcoming URJ Biennial in December.
Rachel Laser is the RAC's Deputy Director. Ms. Laser has a diverse background in policy advocacy, coalition-building, message development and political strategy. She served as Senior Vice President at Hattaway Communications and as Director of the Culture Program at Third Way, a Washington, DC progressive think tank specializing in understanding and reaching moderates.
Barbara Weinstein is the Religious Action Center's Associate Director. She directs legislative policy and oversees the RAC's Eisendrath Legislative Assistant program - a one year fellowship for recent college graduates focusing on Jewish values and social justice. Barbara is also the Director of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism, a joint body of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the Union for Reform Judaism and its affiliates that seeks to apply the insights of Jewish tradition to domestic and foreign issues including human rights, world peace, civil liberties, religious freedom, famine, poverty, as well as other major societal concerns.
The Jewish Federations of North America's William Daroff joined Mark Finkelstein and I on Understanding the World today. We talked about social issues like SNAP and ACA as well as Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process, the Sharansky proposal for the Holy Basin in Jerusalem and much more.
Catherine Swoboda and Megan Forgrave from the World Food Prize joined Mark Finkelstein and I in the studio to talk about the World Food Prize, Hunger in Iowa, GMOs and much more.
Great interview with Dr. Phyllis Chesler.
Phyllis Chesler is an Emerita Professor of Psychology and Women's Studies at City University of New York. She is a best- selling author, a legendary feminist leader, a psychotherapist and an expert courtroom witness. Dr. Chesler has published thousands of articles and, most recently, studies, about honor-related violence including honor killings. She has published many classic works such as Women and Madness, Mothers on Trial. The Battle for Children and Custody, and Woman's Inhumanity to Woman. She published her fifteenth book in October, 2013, titled An American Bride in Kabul.
We talked Syria, Iran, and much more with Jonathan Spyer, columnist for the Jerusalem Post, senior researcher for the GLORIA Center and fellow for the Middle East Forum. If you want to know everything that is going on in Syria and the Middle East, listen to this show!
Mark Finkelstein and I talked Iran, Rouhani specifically, Netanyahu, Syria, the Peace Process and Israel-Diaspora relations with one of the Jerusalem Post's leading columnists.
45 minute interview with Dr. Zuhdi Jasser. We discussed Syria, Egypt, the Arab Awakening, Islamists, the Muslim Brotherhood and so much more.
Biography of Dr. Jasser:
M. Zuhdi Jasser, M.D. is the Founder and President of theAmerican Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD). A devout Muslim, Dr. Jasser founded AIFD in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on the United States as an effort to provide an American Muslim voice advocating for the preservation of the founding principles of the United States Constitution, liberty and freedom, through the separation of mosque and state. Dr. Jasser is a first generation American Muslim whose parents fled the oppressive Baath regime of Syria in the mid-1960’s for American freedom. He is leading the fight to shake the hold that the Muslim Brotherhood and their network of American Islamist organizations and mosques seek to exert on organized Islam in America.
Dr. Walid Phares, expert on global terrorism and the Middle East. Discusses the situation in Syria at length as well as helping us to understand the situation in Egypt and the broader situation of the Middle East in relation to American foreign policy.
Mark Finkelstein and Rabbi Kaufman discussed the moral and ethical imperatives related to addressing the situations in Syria and Egypt. What does it mean that Syria used genocidal weapons, weapons designed to kill every man woman and child exposed in an area? What does it mean that the Muslim Brotherhood has systematically attacked Coptic communities throughout Egypt? What must the US do? Can it simply sit back and watch it all unfold? We discussed it all in detail as well as the day's Ketusha rocket attack in the north of Israel.
Tzafnat Mor, the Des Moines Jewish Federation's new Israeli Shelicha, joined Mark Finkelstein and I. We discussed Israel, the peace process, Egypt and what it means to be a Shelicha.
I discussed the Supreme Court decisions on the Voting Rights Act, Defense of Marriage Act, and Prop 8 including articles addressing the impact of each juditial decision. These three significant decisions will affect how states in the South conduct elections and affect the lives of LGBT individuals, couples, and families throughout the United States.
For information about the impact of Same Sex Marriage on Children and Families, I encourage you to read
http://www.aamft.org/imis15/content/consumer_updates/Same-sex_Parents_and_Their_Children.aspx
Jonathan Tobin of Commentary Magazine shared his thoughts on the Iranian Presidential Election, the situation in Syria, Turkey's relations with the United States and Israel, prospects for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians and more. A great interview with one of the leading political commentators.
A conversation with Rabbi Arthur Waskow about Jewish Renewal, the Environment, Social Activism and much more.
Since 1969, Waskow has taken a leadership role in the Jewish Renewal movement. In 1971, he helped found the Fabrangen Havurah in Washington, DC. The Torah discussions at Fabrangen inspired Waskow's book Godwrestling (NY: Schocken, 1978).
He founded The Shalom Center in 1983 and serves as its director. In its inception the Shalom Center primarily confronted the threat of nuclear war from a Jewish perspective, emphasizing the story of Noah and the imperative to save the world from "a flood of fire". As the Cold War abated, the Shalom Center turned its focus toward ecology and human rights issues. From 2002 to 2008, it pursued shared action among Jews, Christians, and Muslims; opposition to attacks on American Muslim life and opposition to the US War in Iraq. From 2005 on, it has especially focused on the dangers of "global scorching" and the climate crisis.
Waskow's best-known books include Godwrestling (1978), Seasons of Our Joy (1982), Down-to-Earth Judaism: Food, Money, Sex, and the Rest of Life (1995), Down-to-Earth Judaism, andGodwrestling — Round 2: Ancient Wisdom, Future Paths (1996). With Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB, and Murshid Saadi Shakur Chisti, he co-authored The Tent of Abraham (2006). With Rabbi Phyllis Berman he has co-authored "Tales of Tikkun: New Jewish Stories to Heal the Wounded World"; "A Time for Every Purpose Under Heaven: The Jewish Life-Spiral as a Spiritual Journey"; and "Freedom Journeys: Tales of Exodus and Wilderness Across Millenia." He was the managing co-editor of Trees, Earth, and Torah: A Tu B'Shvat Anthology, and he edited Torah of the Earth: 4,000 Years of Jewish Thought on Ecology(2 vols, Jewish Lights).
Mark Finkelstein and I were joined by Aden Finkelstein who just finished a semester in Israel on the Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim TRY program. Aden shared thoughts about his experience. Mark and I also discussed the situation in Syria and efforts to restart the peace process.
Interview with Arnold Roth an Israeli corporate leader who lost his daughter in the Sbarro Pizza bombing and has since spoken out about terrorism and terrorist organizations. Roth also founded Keren Malki, the Malki Foundation, named after his daughter, which aids Israelis of all religious backgrounds and ethnicities in keeping their special needs children at home. Truly a mensch, Roth is someone to whom we all should listen.
Ishmael Khaldi is the first Israeli Bedouin diplomat. An Israeli citizen and a Muslim, he brings a unique perspective to discussions about Israel, Antisemitism, and Arab and Muslim life in Israel.
Mukesh Kapila, CBE is Professor of Global Health and Humanitarian Affairs at the University of Manchester. He is also Special Representative of the Aegis Trust for the prevention of crimes against humanity, and Chair of Minority Rights Group International. His book "Against a Tide of Evil", published by Mainstream (Random House Group) was released in March 2013.
Professor Kapila has extensive experience in the policy and practice of international development, humanitarian affairs, human rights and diplomacy, with particular expertise in tackling crimes against humanity, disaster and conflict management, and in global public health.
Previously he was Under Secretary General at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the world's largest humanitarian and development network. Earlier, he served the United Nations in different roles as Special Adviser to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva and then Special Adviser at the UN Mission in Afghanistan. Subsequently, he led the UN's largest country mission at the time as the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sudan, and then became a Director at the World Health Organization.
Carl Wilkens remained behind during the genocide in Rwanda and helped to save lives. His story is inspiring. Carl Wilkens now tours the country educating about genocide and encouraging people to learn about "the other," promoting peace and understanding.
Dexter Van Zile of CAMERA.org spoke about the origins of anti-Israel activism in Christian churches, the Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions movement in mainline churches, and Christians in the Middle East in general. Van Zile also spoke of his and CAMERA's interaction with CBS concerning its criticism of the program "Christians in the Holy Land" which aired in April of 2012.
Professor Barry Rubin gave a primer on the entire Middle East, discussing Syria, Turkey, Egypt and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.