Orli Matlow sits down with comedian Mika Stein for the War is Stupid High Holidays special, diving deep into Jewish philosophy and how to adapt to synagogues with guitars. Mika reflects on his experiences in Yeshiva and the Jewish non-profit world, being Black and Jewish, and how criticizing Israel more than America is like “hating your dad’s mistress.” They cover everything from the Jewish Labor Bund’s principle of doikayt (“hereness”) to the legacy of HBO’s Entourage.
Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective.
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00:00 - Teaser: Zionism and Jewish Guilt
01:28 - Introduction to Mika Stein
01:54 - The Jewish Day School-to-Standup Comedian Pipeline
04:00 - Mika's family history and work in Jewish non-profits
5:26 - Rodeph, "human shields," and House of the Dragon
10:04 - Jewish identity outside of the modern nation-state of Israel
11:03 - Jewish hookup culture around the world
15:45 - Mika's background and frat era 1
6:39 - Exploring anti-Zionism
18:04 - Doikayt and the Jewish Labor Bund
21:07 - Mika's Zeyde
23:43 - The Texan Jewish Experience
26:05 - Political Power and the USS Abraham Lincoln
28:41 - The High Holidays and Mayor Zohran Mamdani
33:48 - Anti-LGTBQ+ hate crime in Jerusalem
34:27 - Becoming disillusioned on a middle school trip to Israel
36:27 - Mika's joruney to comedy through Entourage and Jon Stewart's Elmopalooza
42:28 - Being Black and Jewish and embracing multicultural families
45:12 - Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Joshua Heschel, and coalition building
49:40 - Modern antisemitism and the importance of being a good hang
