Don't Know Much About with Naya Lekht
Don't Know Much About is a podcast hosted by Dr. Naya Lekht, a scholar and educator with a PhD from UCLA in Russian Literature. Each episode unpacks a contentious topic — from antizionism and Soviet history to Jewish identity and contemporary geopolitics — through rigorous research, personal stories, and candid conversations with leading thinkers. Clarifying the complex, one conversation at a time.
Don't Know Much About with Naya Lekht
From Law to Culture: Where the Real Battle Is Being Fought
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On this episode of Don’t Know Much About, Dr. Naya Lekht shifts the conversation from law to culture, arguing that while legal frameworks may lag behind, culture is where meaning is made, narratives are shaped, and ultimately, where battles over truth are won or lost.
She is joined by journalist and columnist David C. Kaufman, whose work has appeared in Tablet, The New York Times, Commentary, The Wall Street Journal, and Telegraph. Together, they confront the alarming normalization of anti-Jewish rhetoric in public discourse—from the use of “Zionist” as a slur to the growing acceptance of October 7 denialism and justification.
They explore why antizionism is increasingly functioning as a socially acceptable form of Jew-hatred, the difficulties of Jewish leadership to clearly name and confront ideological threats, the role identity politics may play in distorting reality, and how the embrace of Palestinianism within parts of the African American community has had serious consequences for its well-being.
Clarifying the complex. Step into my classroom.