Former U.S. Treasury Assistant Secretary Mitchell Silk joins J100 for an in-person conversation about his extraordinary path from working in Chinese restaurants as a teenager to becoming a senior American official involved in China trade negotiations, global finance, infrastructure, fintech, and CARES Act relief.
Silk reflects on his Hasidic identity, his grandfather’s influence, his years in Asia-focused law and finance, his work at the Treasury Department, the future of U.S.-China relations, Israel’s economic importance, antisemitism in financial markets, digital currency, and his new book A Seat at the Table.
Chapters
00:00 Israel, America, and Economic Opportunity
01:22 Introduction
04:04 From Chinese Restaurant to China Expert
10:09 Law School, China, and Early Career
15:00 Jewish Identity and Hasidic Roots
19:09 Being Observant in Big Law
22:35 Energy, Infrastructure, and Innovation
31:29 The Path to Treasury
37:48 U.S.-China Relations and Trade
46:29 Inside the Treasury Department
49:10 Israel, Fintech, and the Abraham Accords
50:46 U.S.-Israel Relations and Financial Antisemitism
55:24 Digital Currency and the U.S. Dollar
57:44 Why He Wrote A Seat at the Table
You can find the condensed transcript & summary of this episode and more episodes at
https://open.substack.com/pub/thealgemeiner/p/from-chinese-restaurant-dishwasher?r=5m0oyd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
This episode of "The J100 Podcast" was produced by David Taragin.
