Podcast #16 - Dr. Yechiel Reit - Understanding Haredim: philosophy, society, military service

It's been a long time since I posted a long-form podcast, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to interview Dr. Yechiel Reit, a doctor who immigrated from the USA to Israel over two decades ago,. He identifies as Haredi, but he has extensive experience in the army, giving him a deep and broad understanding of the complex issues surrounding the current hot topics in the news. For those of you who subscribed to my channel for the music videos - hang on in there! There are more bangers headed your way! Listen on Spotify: https://go.shaulbehr.com/hs-16-sp Timestamps: 00:00 Highlights 02:06 Intro - Who is Yechiel Reit? 14:24 Army experience - October 7 and thereafter 19:25 Applied Monotheism: what does it mean to be Haredi? 30:47 Can Religious Zionists be Haredi? 31:29 A more scientific definition of Haredism 33:33 Differentiation from Religious Zionism 35:19 Was Rav Kook Haredi? 36:30 Elazar Stern's army dilemma 45:20 Current affairs: Haredi participation in Israeli society, strategy vs tactics 50:04 Why do Haredim reject higher education? 1:05:30 General rules vs personal exceptions 1:13:00 Internal policy vs external policy - what is the Haredi plan for Israel? 1:17:35 The foolishness of overconfidence / Dunning-Kruger effect 1:22:10 Building your worldview around the assumption that Israel is permanent 1:25:55 Decision that factor in uncertainty 1:27:30 The Chazon Ish's psak about a mixed religious/non-religious school 1:30:19 Ben Gurion's decision: should the IDF keep kosher? 1:38:10 The future belongs to the Old Jew, so does the Old Jew have a responsibility to plan for that future? 1:43:15 Merkaz HaRav's refusal to send hesder students to the army early after Oct 7 1:45:18 Is Israel a Jewish state? 1:52:14 Why does it matter if Israel is a Jewish state? 2:03:08 The army's opposition to religious brigades 2:16:42 What changed on Oct 7 2:20:17 How the Chashmonaim Brigade was created 2:27:14 Why Chashmonaim failed 2:34:00 Secular politicians actually don't want Haredim in the army 2:38:36 The draft law is intended to sabotage Haredi enlistment 2:42:25 Chutznik vs Israeli culture

#15 - Dr. Ariel Hochster - School & Clinical Psychologist

Psychology, dealing with pain, why there is so much recidivism among sexual predators, understanding and acknowledging another person's pain

#14 - Rabbi Simi Lerner - Personal struggles in the religious world - what is a healthy path in life

A deep and powerful discussion with my friend, Rabbi Simi Lerner, about the moral imperatives of Judaism, what to do when confronted with religious leaders whose statements you find abhorrent, and how to find a balanced path through life. You should listen to his podcast with Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, "Two Rabbis, Three Opinions": https://go.shaulbehr.com/2r3o

#13 - Rabbi Yonah Klein - Author, Musician, Outreach Rabbi

Fascinating convo with my friend and fellow author Rabbi Yonah Klein, mostly about writing, but also included a piece about his work in youth outreach. Take his Jewish Fiction survey! https://go.shaulbehr.com/jfiction-survey

#12 - Chief Rabbi Yoni Wieder - Chief Rabbi of Ireland

For Hakol Sababa's first-ever Zoom podcast, Rabbi Wieder and I spoke about the questions on everyone's mind: Why is Ireland so obsessively anti-Israel? Are the Irish people antisemitic? What does the future hold for the Irish Jewish community? That, and much more in this great episode! Did the Zoom format work out well? Please leave comments and suggestions!

#11 - Rabbi Alon Joseph - "Mister Gratitude" in business, Hatzolah, cognitive biases, South Africa

My friend Rabbi Alon Joseph sounds off about the impact of instilling positive values, both in a business and home environment. He tied it in with his volunteer work with the Hatzolah medical rescue organization. We also discussed how to overcome our personal cognitive biases, and the uniqueness of the South African Jewish community.

#10 - Doron Keidar - Executive Protection Professional, Podcaster, and Film-maker

When I invited Doron to my podcast, I thought we were going to spend a lot of time talking about security issues and current affairs. Well, we did...but we talked much more about his personal back-story, and his work to influence the Christian world to support Israel and the Jewish people in every way possible. We could have talked forever, and there's so much more I want to explore with him. If you want to find out more about Doron, his website is doronkeidar.com. You can find his podcast on YouTube at https://go.shaulbehr.com/doron-keidar-yt and on Spotify at https://go.shaulbehr.com/doron-keidar-sp

#9 - Rabbi Karmi Gross - Education and integrating Haredim into the army and Israeli society

What a powerful discussion with Rav Gross - the Rosh Yeshiva of the Netivei Torah high school and Yeshivas Derech Chaim, the first Haredi hesder yeshiva. Buckle up, this one is lit!

#8 - Rabbi Michael Friedman - The Wellness Rabbi

Rabbi Friedman has recently published "The Healing Haggadah - Passing Over Trauma". We spoke about the Pesach Seder as national group therapy for epigenetic trauma, helping us to improve our resilience both as individuals and as a collective. Fascinating stuff!

#7 - David Lange - Israellycool, Israel advocacy online

David Lange is the founder of israellycool.com, an Israel advocacy organization. We had a lot to talk about, from his personal backstory to the ethics of doxxing, plagiarism within our own tent, and some speculation about where Israel goes from here.

#6 - Hillel Fuld - Tech entrepreneur who because a digital warrior for Israel

Hillel Fuld is a former tech entrepreneur who now dedicates his time to Israel advocacy on social media. We spoke about reasons for antisemitism, why Israel is so bad at getting its message out, and what we can do to improve things.

#5 - Moshe Feiglin - Leader of the Zehut political party

Moshe Feiglin is the leader of the Zehut political party. We spoke among other things about his past with Zo Artzeinu and Manhigut Yehudit, his hot-and-cold relationship with Likud, the connection between the Oslo Accords and October 7, and his vision for a faith-based alternative leadership for Israel.

#4 - Rabbi Gabi Bookatz - South African community rabbi and volunteer for Alcoholics Anonymous

Rabbi Gabi Bookatz is a community Rabbi in Johannesburg, South Africa. We spoke at length among other things about his personal backstory, his work with Alcoholics Anonymous, and the South African Jewish community.

#3 - Gavriel Glenney - Convert and scholar

Gavriel Glenney is a former Evangelical pastor from the USA who converted to Judaism and now lives in Israel. Come and hear his amazing and inspiring story! Check out his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Gavrielsjourneytojudaism He is available for speaking engagements. To contact him, email Gavriel73@yahoo.com. Phone/Whatsapp: +972-58-632-4562

#2 - Rabbi Jonathan Feldman - Helping young immigrants integrate into Israel

Rabbi Jonathan Feldman is a former US pulpit rabbi who now lives in Israel. He works with Tribe Tel Aviv (https://www.tribe.org.il/), an organization for young professionals who have moved to Israel, helping them to network, contribute, and get the best out of Israel. Here he shares his personal backstory and gives some insight into his activities in Tel Aviv.

#1 - Yosef Daniel - Musician, convert, lover of Israel

Yosef Daniel Villarreal is a musician and convert to Judaism. You can find him on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2fC4U6QtC4sihBkfpZagIX?si=r5Y36PQsSTiCW0XnGojIOw And on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yosefdanielmusic/

Rabbis who think the mayor is worse than Hamas

70-year-old You demands a reckoning!

Kivrei Tzaddikim

A short thought about the largest single burial site of tzaddikim in the world. If you enjoy my content - please subscribe!

Haredi participation in the army, economy, and society

Tackling one of the thorniest issues in Israeli society today.

The blessing that follows a calamity

Short wartime update, this time with a call to action.

Wartime update 16 October 2023 - including live siren!

My interview with TalkTV: https://youtu.be/7ycx_qI0mUI?t=1955

Wartime update 10 October 2023

A lot of people have been contacting me to check how we're doing. Feeling the love. So I figured I'd give an update. And maybe start a regular channel/podcast.