Understanding the Roots of Radicalized College Campuses with Rabbi Steve Leder

Head Rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles ( rabbi for a large congregation incuding many stars) is our guest for this episode.  Rabbi Leder, one of the country’s most influential rabbis and the author of 5 life changing books,  joins us to discuss the radicalization and chaos on university campuses. We invited Rabb Leder to discuss his latest book, For You When I am Gone, but first wanted to address the Jew hatred inflaming US universities so we have split our conversation in two parts. In this episode,  Rabbi Leder breaks down the rise of Jew hatred on college campuses, tracing its roots back to a decades-long campaign of indoctrination. There was a very organized and well funded campaign leading to today's moment. 

But, it's not all doom and gloom and there are huge reasons to be optimistic.  Rabbi Leder shares how  peace with Saudi Arabia can transform the world and shift the power away from the regimes choosing to make war and hatred their top priority. If you doubt that is possible, consider Israel’s peace treaty with Jordan, Egypt and normalized relations with the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. Despite the desperate attempts of Iran to keep the world inflamed with hate and war, we need to unite and stay focused on peace. 

This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking to understand what the f&^(&( is happening across the US.  And remember, in the words of Rabbi Leder, "Peace is an environment in which conflict can be addressed with civility and respect."

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Topics Discussed:

(03:22) The origins of campus protests and the 25-year groundwork
(09:15) How economic disparity and victim identity fuel current unrest

(17:40) The hope for peace in the Middle East and its implications
(26:50) Addressing the conflation of Palestinian rights and extremist agendas
(31:10) The importance of fighting for the rational middle ground in society

Notable Quotes:

Today's college anti-Israel protests are "The bearing of fruit of a tree planted 25 years ago."

"This is straight up Jew hatred, and Jew hatred has been inculcated into this community to the degree that hatred subordinates every other value these people claim to live by."

"Peace is an environment in which conflict can be addressed with civility and respect."

"The greatest threat and the greatest enemy to a better life for Palestinians is Hamas and Hezbollah and Iran and Qatar and the Islamic brotherhood."

"The news is not the world. The news is just the collection of stories that will sell the most commercials. It's entertainment."