Highly Jewish

Honest Journalism: No spin, No agenda. Just the truth with Jacki Karsh

• Highly Jewish • Season 1 • Episode 7

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Jacki Karsh is an American media personality and activist. In 2025, she launched the Karsh Journalism Fellowship, a fellowship created with the stated goal of helping Israel win an "information war. Watch and listen to her story in full with Tanya. 

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SPEAKER_00

Um, hi everyone, I'm Tanya Siganowski, and welcome to the Highly Jewish Podcast in association with Joyce. Uh, here I have today my dear friend Jackie Karsh. She is an award-winning journalist and mother and uh New Yorker, um, and a lot of amazing things that I can't wait to unpack here today. Uh, thank you so much for for being here. Um, I'd love to just kind of dive in right off the bat with something. I don't know, tell me something that most people don't know about you since you're the one who's always asking the questions, you know, and so it's time that we ask you.

SPEAKER_01

So is there anything I think uh well first of all I've loved that in my introduction that I'm a New Yorker because that's important. I've been living in LA for 11 years and I feel as though I am still true, true New Yorker. Um I get the vibe from you though. It's a it's like an intensity that comes into the car or or it's just like a vibe that surrounds me. Yeah. Uh I never do anything like half. It's always full, and it's always just like full force. Uh so if you're if I'm in your camp, I'm fighting pretty hard. Love it. Um, what is something that people don't really know about me? I mean, the people who know me know that I'm have five siblings, which is always shocking for a lot of people. Wow. And that I am the fifth out of six. Oh my god. So it's it explains why I am both so loud. Um because I have to be the last one, so fight to be heard uh at the dinner table, and also why I don't get thrown off by a lot of chaos. You know, it's lovable chaos, but uh, you know, when you have so many people, um, but it looks like something was going on here.

SPEAKER_00

I thought yes, some elected officials here. I can't wait until that's the crew that I have for my events. I'm so excited.

SPEAKER_01

Well, I'm gonna let everybody in on a little tidbit. If it's California Highway Patrol, it's usually someone on a federal level.

SPEAKER_00

Sweet, that's good for you.

SPEAKER_01

So you have to you'd have to have federal like state detentions on that. Makes sense. Alright, that's that's really my fun little tidbit. And I'm a sparkling water drinker. I hate regular water. Oh, so you just like won't even drink regular water.

SPEAKER_00

It is it pains me. Oh my god. I mean, I hate water too, to be quite honest with you, but um, I don't know if I if I would have to pick between them two.

SPEAKER_01

I like them both. I'm a Pellegrino boiless, not sponsored. So not Perrier either though. No, no, no, no. Not any of those weird alternative branches that are settled everywhere. You should get a brand deal. Yeah, I should get a brand deal of Pellegrino. I I mean I I will take it in any shape or form, but it needs to be Pellegrino. Oh my god, it's so funny. And my kids are Pellegrino. That's a very weren't born in Europe. It's a very New York thing, I think. But my husband does not drink sparkling water. Oh my god. And he really wants our kids to be water people, but they really are sparkling water. Oh my god, they all took after their mother. I mean, it's it's like uh it's the New York life. I mean, like, I will work out and drink sparkling water in the process. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00

I'm I know it's really bad for you, so I'm trying to honestly heard the opposite. I've heard that it's actually really good for your gut. But at this point, like I hear anything has you know one thing or the other. Either oh yeah, it's good for you or it's bad for you, and it's all the same thing.

SPEAKER_01

That's the trick of is, right? Whoever's writing the article gets to decide whether it's good for you or bad for you, depending on what angle they're taking.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. So it's actually fun to watch. It's hard to figure out what the truth is, though. That must be as a journalist, I can't even imagine what it's like to get to the truth of things because everything has a narrative, everything has an agenda, everything has some kind of motive. So, how do you even figure out what's honest? I have I have news addiction.

SPEAKER_01

So, like other people have other vices. Like, I have a very hard time turning off um alerts. I was just at an event where I was speaking on stage and I asked somebody to hold myself, and when I got off stage, they said, You have an unhealthy number of news alerts. And the truth is I consume so much uh from a whole variety of sources, and I think when you have this like puppy or you know, um just all of these sources coming in, you actually have a better understanding because you actually can compare news outlet to news outlet, how they cover something, so you very clearly see the agenda, but you also can sift through and get really the kernel of what is actually happening. So, you know, even when news is breaking, how a story headline or a breaking news alert is written is so um indicative of how that news outlet is framing the story that when you get so many of them, you really very clearly see, first of all, what is the kernel truth? Okay, let's say it's a a death, someone died or was murdered. You can immediately deduce that. But then you can also grasp like what angle are they gonna take about this person based on what facts they include, they felt important to include in that news alert. Is that person an activist? Is that person a arsonist? Is that person, you know, did they include their age? Because their age is significant, did they include their race? Did they include whether they're you know married mother of four? All of that contributes to how you see a story. And if you're only consuming news from one particular outlet, you are only getting one version of that story, and you are also it's you are getting the news through a certain lens.

SPEAKER_00

Well, are there like certain outlets that you can swear by and say these are good and these are honest?

SPEAKER_01

No, I would say that I would say not because every news outlet has an agenda, I don't believe that. I just think that news is a business, right? And they know their audience, and this is very much a business, and so they're they're crafting things to so that you actually open the alert or that you read the article. Um even when I am fashioning my own article titles, I I I just went through this exercise where I was writing an article and I wanted to write kind of an artistic title to it. Uh, and I ran it past a couple of people who I value their opinions, and they said, it's a great title and it's really meaningful, but nobody's gonna open that article. So I had to change it to something, you know, a little bit more obvious and basic uh for where I wanted to go with it. Uh, but it's it's really a news business. So I can't stick with one particular news outlet because everybody knows their audience at this point. Data is mine and they understand, you know, click rates and and how long you even are reading something or watching something, your your stamina to with withstand certain amounts of information. And so they're actually crafting things for you as opposed to you getting the news that you should. So I I I always like to use this metaphor. We used to have to eat our broccoli to get the candy. So you would typically open the New York Times or whatever the news magazine or newspaper of your choice was, and you'd have to at least scan through the articles that you disagreed with or you didn't want to read, or uh, but you were exposed to it. Of course. Now, because of the way the algorithm is formulated, even yes, even the way news is sent to you, everything is curating. Everything is exactly how Tanya should receive the news, and they can even isolate you versus other people. Um, and so you're getting up. Everything has our own echo chamber, highly personalized, yes, highly echo chamber formed version of what should be an information source for you. And I also am a big believer in this idea that you know you should be consuming things you don't agree with. It informs you your own positions. People don't realize this, they just want to reaffirm their same positions. Sure. But you by actually understanding where other people come from, you are more likely to have a productive conversation with them. If you if you just understand your stance, where you come from and come armed with your facts, you're at a disadvantage because you don't know what they're what they're consuming, what they're bringing to the table, how they understand or see a situation. So once you can actually, you know, take that breath and read something you disagree with, or watch something you disagree with, you know, you can take some notes and be like, okay, this is wrong, this is wrong, or this is why I disagree with this, but then you are armed with an even better argument to then approach somebody, or even a more productive conversation, because you can say, I I totally understand where you're coming from on this issue, but what about this? Or that's actually true.

SPEAKER_00

And I I would like to think that I also agree with that and want to always have the conversations with people on the other side of things, but a lot of the times, at least now, it has become so polarizing, and these issues are now so much more about identity and less about thought and reason that it's hard to even get to the point where you're having a conversation with someone about something real because we're so stuck in protecting our own identity or being loyal to whatever side we're on. I mean, look, I will say this for example, when I see I get messages from people that are in different parts of England that haven't told me that their towns are being overrun by Islamists and that they have like people are trying to enact like Sharia law and they feel like they're losing their culture and they're losing their points, right? Like I get messages like that. And how would I encourage them to go and have a conversation with the other side and say, hey, you know what? Please, you know, do not impose your values onto us or respect our values when the other side's mission is to eradicate the other. So, like, how do you have a conversation with the side that wants to kill you? Like, I am all for talking if someone actually wants to talk to me. But if the other side just wants to kill me, what how do you get to the conversation?

SPEAKER_01

Like, what's uh what's the way around it? Okay, so a couple of things to respond to that. Number one, obviously there's a lot of nuance to the way you approach uh, you know, one version of a person versus another. Number two, I am very clearly a journalist. Like my job as a journalist is not to solve issues, my job is to bring them to your attention. I always like to say, I shine a spotlight on an issue you might not have paid attention to. That is my job. And when a journalist stops being a journalist, is when they're trying to solve the problem they're sharing with the world. Now, I also am a feeling person and a Jew, a very proud Jew and proud supporter of the state of Israel and its right to exist and defend itself and all of those things. Um, so but that's a different hat, right, that I wear. And I I do believe that you can wear multiple hats at one time, but it also depends on which hat I'm wearing at which time. So I think it's really important to be very clear and upfront about what you're representing in that moment uh and and also who you're representing in that moment. Am I Jackie Karsh representing the feelings of Jackie Karsh? Am I Jackie Karsh representing the news entity that I'm working for? Am I Jackie Karsh representing all of the Jewish people, which I think is an unfair thing to do? Uh am I representing the Jews of Los Angeles? Probably not because we're so diverse here. So I think it's really hard to be a spokesperson for so many people. What I like to do is I like to arm people with the facts and then let the people, let people unpack their own situations. At the same time, I am not put in all of the situations that other people are in. For example, I am a fifth-generation American. I will never understand the immigrant flight. I, but I, you know what I do understand? I do understand that my my great-great-grandmother came to this country with nothing, escaping persecution in from her country in Eastern Europe, and she came from Hungary. Um, I mean, I'm I'm Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Hungarian, but the fifth generation the fact that I'm fifth generation comes from my Hungarian relatives. But it was so bad there that she said she had heard about this land America, and you know, how bad could it be here? Uh I mean they're basically killing us for crumbs daily for crumbs, and so how bad could it be? Uh, I mean you could bear you couldn't even buy a home essentially in in in Hungary. There were quotas and there were assaults, and it was it was a really terrifying life to live as a Jew. And you're you're possible, and then you hear about this amazing country of America and the possibilities. And yes, the America at the time was certainly not the America of opportunities for Jews like it what it is today, but it was still better than what she was experiencing. And so she came here, worked her way up to become a citizen, and built this amazing life. And that's just one, you know, that's one uh facet of my my my lineage. But I can appreciate what this country has done for me deeply, and I'm very proud American and very thankful for this country and all of the opportunities. But yes, it has its flaws. I will not say that it is flawless, but name a place that does it. Right, exactly. And the fact I tell my children all the time this thing look around at this amazing place that we have the privilege not just to live in, but to be a part of, to have a voice in, to participate in. I mean, that is an amazing thing, not just as Americans, but as Jews, to be able to participate in civic life, to contribute to society, and to move the needle further, to be to be part of the fabric of a city. It is such a special, it is such a special thing. And I'm I'm a big believer that you know you can't just criticize and criticize and criticize. Number one, if you have a problem, do something about it. You know, like you you see a problem, you're running for something that that you know you want to make change or positive change and you want to move things in a in a certain direction. People might not agree with all of your predictions, but you're doing something about it. And and I think that that is a really special thing that people don't understand doesn't exist in a lot of other places on this planet, and it certainly doesn't exist for Jews. And I'm so appreciative of the possibility that exists as America and the fact that even when there is there are wrongs, there's often people who stand up to make that right. And I like to think of myself as someone who would stand up or does stand up to make things right when I see a wrong. Um and I, you know, and that's so that's an experience that you know I I I my son was and I were talking about this because I'm gonna I'm gonna plug this because I was uh you know the let's do something guys. Okay, so so there's the the juice they wrote this book, The Juice on the Shelf. I don't know if you saw it's a children's book. And they did it, I think it was uh just supposed to be one of these videos that they did. Um and it's a children's book about juice boxes, juice boxes, okay. And the juice boxes started out on one shelf, and they are kicked out of that one shelf, um, forced to separate all over the grocery store. And on every different shelf that they were, uh, they're persecuted, right? They're the bread says you're not like us, we don't want you here, uh the white milk cordons say you don't look like us, we don't want you here. And in every shelf they're persecuted, and then ultimately six million of them get tossed into the trash, and then the grocery store comes together and decides to give them their shelf back. And when they get their shelf back, everybody does not everybody kind of erupts around the world. Well, not all of the grocery store, but a lot of the people around the grocery store say, hey, they shouldn't have that shelf, it's not really theirs anymore. Um, or they take somebody out to have the shelf. And I read this to my kids yesterday because it came in in the in the out. And my kids got it immediately. They in my kids are not that old, they're eight, six, and four. Uh they were like, that's so good like us. Because that they've not they they've heard this story from me before. They've heard that to appreciate to not just appreciate this country, which is incredible and wonderful and it's provided us so many opportunities, but to uh appreciate the time we are living in. We are there are Jewish people who have who are living in the state of Israel, and we have the state of Israel to to protect us. And I was showing them pictures of Israeli soldiers, and my daughter goes, Oh wow, they are girl soldiers too. I said, Yeah, they're grey soldiers in America too, but she's six. Um, but just you know, the fact that she sees herself in the soldiers because they are Jews and they're holding, you know, what say what you want about Jews defending and standing up for their rights to exist, but there is something really powerful, and I actually maybe it's too um premature, but I did show them like some images of uh of Jews, you know, right before the Holocaust when there was a lot of this street persecution. So, you know, they would like drag a rabbi into the street and start cutting his beard. Yeah. And I said, and my daughter said, Why can't he defend himself? So I said, What well look at the per everybody around him. They've got guns and he's defenseless. He's just the rabbi. And then she said, Well, now we have the state of Israel to defend us, to to fight. They get it, they get it. And and that that is so important to me. My parents always spoke to me in a very mature way. Um, we're very, very always I we it was important for us to be always aware of what was happening in the news and be present and understanding because it also creates, I mean, it depends on the child you have, right? If it's just gonna create anxiety for your child, probably avoid the subject. But for my children, it really instills in them a sense of Jewish pride that to never take the time period we're in for granted, to realize that as bad as it is right now, it has been so much worse for Jews. And that if you think it is bad right now, do something. Exactly. Do something about it. Go, go and, you know, build a connection with somebody outside of our community, advocate for our rights to do certain things, make sure they came to with me to the protest at UCLA when the encampments were there. My son, my son was 18 line. Oh my god, you really did start. Oh my god. No, no, sorry, he wasn't 18, he was chew. He was true. Um he was like true, yeah, and he's holding this sign. Uh that what does it say? Like, uh, you know, don't protest my right to exist. Um the truth is because they were. He they were protesting his right to exist as a Jew.

SPEAKER_00

Um But I'm glad you understand that because so many other people, you know, people that I once called friends, that like completely wanted to deny that that was so much of the point of those protests. They're just like how do you not see that? Like it's it's bright as day, and it's just like I I didn't understand how people weren't even all it's just even a bit of a.

SPEAKER_01

But I think at the same time, just as like we're about to celebrate Passover, right? The whole point of the story of Passover is to pass on also the story of what happened to the Jews going forward. And I think if you're not bringing, I mean you don't have kids again. It's not yet, hopefully. Um but um when you do have kids, I think it is so important to bring them in earlier and to educate them earlier. You know, we're having this massive problem with with young Jews who are disassociating from the Jewish community and Israel. And I'm always asked this question, and I don't know why people think I have the answers. I always tell people I don't have the answers. I'm just a journalist.

SPEAKER_00

But you know what? Obviously, you're doing something right. Like, think about this. When you have kids that are that age that are giving those types of answers, you're doing something right, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01

Well, I think that that's that's the point is is give them something to fight for. You know, don't just tell them to play defense all the time. Yeah, show them the beauty of ritual and meaning. They're in Jewish day school, they understand the holidays, but then at the same time, you know, present them with there were Jews who didn't have the opportunity to do this. And there are Jews right now who are giving up their right to do this, you know, to fit into the crowd.

SPEAKER_00

And there are also so many Jews that wish they could do it and they can't afford it. Yeah. I also feel like, you know, in the same what I loved about Birthright is that it afforded everyone the opportunity to go. And what I love about, you know, there's a media agency called Amplified, and I love them because they help amplify the voices. Of Jewish influencers and educators, and they do this for free. They provide services to help for free. So you're getting, you know, I think that that's probably something that I hope, you know, is done more often. That we are actually letting, you know, every single Jewish student that really wants a Jewish education, they're able to find it. 100%. That has to be something that becomes a thing.

SPEAKER_01

Dear, we invest as a Jewish community, I think, like a billion dollars annually in fighting anti-Semitism. And we spend a fraction on that of investing in our Jewish community. Um, and that that to me is a misappropriation of of limited funds. You know, there's only so much of the pot here. And we we should really reconsider how do you get what what we're finding in this in these last few months of I don't know, this last two years since October 7th, is that we are failing to put our own oxygen masks sometimes. And we are so busy trying to fight other people's hate. We are not investing in our own Jewish joy. Enough. We are investing, but not enough. Yeah. Um and teaching and teaching our children why why it is important to care about who they are. Um and it's not just children, it's teaching ourselves. Yeah. I mean I remember right after Gen Z. A hundred percent. Well, right after October 7th, I realized that I had gotten education on the foundation of the state of Israel and all the vows, but I I couldn't recite them back to you. So I educated myself. Sure, absolutely. I'm excited to hear this crazy order. Oh, you're gonna have to go first then. Hi, how are you?

SPEAKER_00

One second.

SPEAKER_01

Hi, uh do you have blonde roast? I do, yeah. Okay, great. Can I get a venti blonde soy misto? A sespeed mista, but you want it with blonde roast.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, and soy milk, please. And soy. What else needs to be? Okay. Can I get an iced dopio with blonde espresso in a grande cup with brown sugar cold foam on top, and please do a little extra of it. Say it. With what up? Uh brown sugar cold foam. Like a that's it. That's it. Uh Tanya. You want a mungry?

SPEAKER_01

No, no, I'm good, I'm good.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, thank you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, but that's your crazy order. That's my pretty weird too. Yeah, well, we both apparently want blonde espresso sauce, so I I know, so that's my issue sometimes with Starbucks. Some Starbucks don't use blonde roast.

SPEAKER_00

Well, that's so funny.

SPEAKER_01

So I I I only that's why you asked me which Starbucks. I know this one does.

SPEAKER_00

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01

But I don't even know the difference until um my girlfriend told me. It's really, very different. Like the the the pike roast is basically inedible. I mean, undrinkable. So it's too intense. But I'm I'm such a basic coffee gal. Like I don't like all of the fruit-fruit ones. I get that. But you're doing soy, huh? Soy, yes. But I, you know, I don't know. I their soy milk has a lot of good sugar in it. And I feel like I'm also a caffeine gal, so like I can drink. So how many more of these are you gonna have to? I okay, so I I start I wake up at 5, have my first cup around 5 30. I do cold brew with uh vanilla almond milk, all the sugar in it. You know, like I love that stuff. Love it. Um, and then usually around this time is when I have my second cup. I eat rough. And we're eating five app quick?

SPEAKER_00

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

When I ask a quick question, then you'll be able to get that. You better have the app.

SPEAKER_00

I know I'm fancy. Collecting the stars. No, I only I was doing Apple Pay, so not that that Maddie has the Starbucks app, right?

SPEAKER_01

Oh my god. That looks like a milkshake.

SPEAKER_00

So it's basically brown sugar cold foam, then this is just a double shot of the space with ice. And that's it.

SPEAKER_01

So yeah. If it was if it was not if it was not milk, I would I would be interested. Yeah, it's it's only the foam itself, but that is the. I can I can have cheese, but for some reason just regular milk. I don't know. I I don't like the taste anymore.

SPEAKER_00

I stopped having it eight years ago and just I swear I feel like I'm like, I belong in the 50s because I'm just like I want a whole glass of whole milk. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_01

That's okay. My mom drinks half and half. Yeah. Well that makes sense. That's your mom. I always when she comes to visit me, you should eat to get my half and half. Oh my god. Of course I got your half and half so it's those giant jugs that get none of it gets drinked. Um, what's the meast though? You know, I think it's half coffee, half milk. Got it. Take oh look, here it comes. It takes a while. You gotta get the Starbucks at. I'm always I'm always collecting free drinks. I know, she every yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I know. I know. It's that's embarrassing. I always have to get the I'm a coupon girl. Oh my god, yeah, I definitely I'm not I need to go through the deal more often. Wow, okay, thank you. Oh.

SPEAKER_01

It's so the problem with um with wearing lump stin. Um you can always tell who's starting.

SPEAKER_00

Well, that makes it easy. That's so funny. Oh no, I remember I think there was a time where even I was fundraising for the Jewish nonprofit, and I asked Jeff, because I've known Jeff since high school. And so I asked him if he would, you know, consider supporting the organization. It's like you have to talk to my wife. She she decides everything.

SPEAKER_01

So, okay, when I first moved to LA, this is this is something I've never spoken about on camera. So this is an exclusive. When I first moved to LA, um, and I got married, um, I was Jeff's wife everywhere. There was no place where I was Jackie, it was always Jeff's wife. Oh god. And then probably I would say about three years ago, Jeff started becoming Jackie's husband. And I said, he's like, somebody somebody just call me your husband.

SPEAKER_00

I made it. I'm officially Oh my god. Oh, that is so well, he's definitely leaned into it. Because he's you know, he probably uses that as an excuse for everything. Nope, I can't talk about it.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, I go to like four events a week. He goes to maybe one, and usually it's the one I'm moderating. So he's very happy that like I'm taking front front stage. But I mean, when I even if I were if even if I'm hosting an event at our home, I do a lot of that. Um we're not gonna miss that one.

SPEAKER_00

Well, no, I mean it's just it's so funny because I uh I think back in December I like messaged him to wish him happy holidays, and we um we have like another another friend that I know that also went to high school, and so I was like, why don't we get together and play tennis? And he was like, Okay, mind you, I messaged him this in December. Okay, and he goes, I think I'll have time in September.

unknown

Okay.

SPEAKER_01

So I'm like, yeah, okay, I'll mark McCall. Okay, that's a bit of a tennis player. Not great. I mean anyway that's why. So the only fight that I ever really got in when we were dating was when we played tennis together. So from your audience, my husband is was nationally ranked in California, number four, at from ages 11 to 13. Okay, that's his big time to fame. Okay, and then played college tennis for Pep and is an avid tennis player, and he at our country club, he's like the 18-year champion uh and it's it's a competitive, it's a competitive thing.

SPEAKER_00

Wow, I literally asked like the Michael Jordan of tennis to play tennis with me. Yeah, I'm basically like So, so okay, so then I thought so.

SPEAKER_01

When we were dating, he mistaken I was a skinny fat person, you know, like I'm skinny, but I'm really fat on the inside.

SPEAKER_00

Um but I've actually been fat fat too.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, so now I exercise a lot, but when I was just dating him, I didn't exercise. Um, and so he he said, Oh, let's play tennis. So I thought, how bad can I be? I took tennis less as an eight-year-old. Well, I sucked, and I also take criticism really poorly. Um god, I don't really I'm really not gonna criticism. What's your side?

SPEAKER_00

I'm a Sagittarius. So am I, but I I mean, do I take criticism? I guess I'll have to ask my girlfriend. I I would like to think I take criticism well. No, I I don't.

SPEAKER_01

I don't. I mean, I internalize, I definitely absorb it, but I react very viscerally. Okay. Oh god. So I was like the situation where he was just I think he, if I can recall, he was just giving me pointers and saying like my backhand was bad, I wasn't using my hands this way, I wasn't moving my feet enough. And I think at one point I did slam the tennis racket and like storm off the court. This was date what what number date was this? I was already living in Los Angeles at this point. So I had moved, I had I was locked in, but I was I was questioning my decisions.

SPEAKER_00

He picked the right time to use.

SPEAKER_01

I said, I said criticize all you want, something else, but not me.

SPEAKER_00

I'm dying. Okay, so maybe that's a good reason why he probably is telling us.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so uh if he watches this, I'll I'll try and get you uh a play with him. But well, you know what? We can go play some basketball. He knows that at least with basketball we can. We can go play basketball. Though he's extreme we're both extremely competitive people. So I don't know, maybe that's why I got really upset about that.

SPEAKER_00

Oh god, that is so funny. But actually, I would like for him to improve my my backhand. That would be great. Then I'd actually invested in tennis lessons because I needed to show him.

SPEAKER_01

Oh my god. I needed to show him up. But I mean, we're we're we're both extremely competitive in I I would say that he lacks my New York intensity in day-to-day life, but on a court, he's got a very, very and in work as well. But he does it with his much more laid-back California football.

SPEAKER_00

I love that. I mean he always gave me the the sweetest energy, like he was just such a nice guy.

SPEAKER_01

Yep. Yep, yep, yep. He is the yin to my yang. Yep. Well, you're nice sometimes. Wait, sweet.

SPEAKER_00

When's your birthday? You for yourself? Uh December 14th. Oh my god, I'm the next day, I'm 15th. Are you serious? Yeah, that's so funny. Oh my god, happy birthday. Yeah, happy birthday. I celebrate the whole year. Oh yeah, I mean, obviously. As we should.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, if you if you made it to another year, you should celebrate every day. I agree. I agree completely. Well, I mean, every day is a gift.

SPEAKER_00

I that's why it's called the present. I I literally just said that same thing recently, and I I said it like, can you believe that? Like the present is a present. And I'm like, that's definitely not the first time I have heard that, and I'm saying it like I'm like I just for this beautiful idea.

SPEAKER_01

It's all part of my same philosophy. You are literally only given one chance on this earth to, you know, every day should be productive. Every day you should go to sleep saying, What is one thing that you have done to move the world in a in a better way? Um, and that's I I think that that's just so important. Uh how could you, if you if you've had a bad day, wake up the next day with like an incentive to do something better? Whether that's for something for somebody else or something for yourself, I'm all about self-care too. But I I really think that you know you can have bad days, but don't let it turn into bad weeks, bad months. And realize that just to be alive is a gift, just to have functioning legs. You ever been sick? Oh my gosh. How much do you appreciate your health? And then when you get healthy, you forget that you were sick. No, a thousand years. So you don't appreciate your health. And so the same thing is like to be in this moment, to be on this planet, to be able to be engaging with you or be driving in a beautiful city like Los Angeles, to be in this country. I know it sounds like very la di-da, but I think it's like this mantra that keeps me going because I think a lot of people lose that stamina to be able to continue at something. They get into this routine of life, and I think that social media can play a really big role on a negative effect on how people see their world or their experiences.

SPEAKER_00

I think it's the biggest detriment, honestly. Like, forget even the duration and uh just all the ways that it can be. But it also the the way that it drains your day of time. Yeah. Like I remember, you know, I'm always a very punctual person, and I'm also someone that noticed, you know, I've always felt like the hours in a day. And I don't know if maybe after COVID things shifted, because I definitely feel like things have been weird since COVID. But uh throughout my entire day, the hours move quicker, and like I feel constantly more rushed. And when I think about it, it's because I'm constantly on my phone, staring at something, being distracted by something. Like it be, you know, every time I'm in a conversation or like my phone goes off, then I feel like wow, like it's such a it sucks so much of my day and my attention, and I think it robs me of so much of the opportunity to stay present or to enjoy what's around me. And like at the same time, I love this tool so much, and I depend on it in so many ways, certainly for my livelihood at this point, but it's one of the the worst things that has done to just our ability to connect, you know. Like I've I saw, I don't remember what I was watching. I I I I wish I remembered this, but it was a TV show, and there was a scene where I think someone our age like walked into a bar with his niece, and everybody at the bar was his niece's age was on their phone, like the whole bar, everyone was just sitting in circles on their phone, no one is talking. And the guy looks at his niece and he's like, Why don't you go? Like, if you think he's cute, why don't you go talk to him? And she's like, What? You want me to eat? I'm gonna go up there to someone I don't know and engage and interrupt that what he's doing and and talk what? And like she looked horrified. And like when you look at it from their perspective, I'm like, oh my god, like we they're being raised to not think that they're able to just say hi. Like, even now, how many times do you even pick up the phone to call somebody like without first texting them and saying is now a good time? So funny. Let's look at it.

SPEAKER_01

I'm I'm gonna I'm a phone call, I'm a phone call assaulter. So I'm not gonna be. I'm complaining about it, but I'm on an old. I'm gonna believe the fifth that the even sitting in the car with you right now, I'm trying very hard to not check my phone. I'm pretty impressed by the way you haven't. There are a lot of buses going off, so I know something in the world is happening. Oh god. I just will have to wait until I get out of the car. 39 news reports. Yeah, who knows? Um, so that's number one. Number two, I am someone who believes in conversation. Like, that's my whole job is about going up to random people and asking them, what do you think about this? Or how can you comment on this, or what's happening in your neighborhood? It's really about getting out of my comfort zone. And I'll never forget my first assignment when I was I went to Columbia Journalism School, got a master's in broadcast journalism, and I remember the the first we had took this class recording 101, and my professor, Ruth Tadwar, shout out to Ruth. Um, I was assigned Morningside Heights, um, and you it's it was just like your beat, and then you were supposed to go there and just talk to people about what was going on, and you were supposed to get an exclusive story, basically something that the news had not covered, by talking to regular people. And I remember the first time I went, you know, uptown to Morningstone Heights from Columbia. I was so, and this was before phones were such a thing, I was so uncomfortable just talking to random people about what's going on in their lives. Like, even in the I so I walked into a grocery store and I, you know, I was a fish out of water. Like, I'm gonna just go up to the grocer and say, what's the big news story? You know, it was like so out of my comfort zone. And I remember coming back the next day and I had nothing. Like I had no story whatsoever. So I told my my professor, I I didn't get a story. And she said, Okay, what was the issue? Like, who did you talk to?

SPEAKER_00

I'm dying.

SPEAKER_01

Nobody, I just observed. So she said, Well, you'll never learn anything about people, about pe or get outside of your worldview if you don't talk to people, yeah, if you don't ask people the questions, if you don't find out from them what are the big concerns of their lives. And that was such a click for me in that I have to put myself in that uncomfortable position in order to help both find out what's going on, shine a spotlight on somebody else's problem, and really understand the world around me outside of myself. So that exercise in journalism school just prepared me for a future of going out into the world and being able to engage with honestly everyone. What do they say about journalists? They're Jack of all trades, masters of none. We can talk about pretty much anything, but you know, shallow, shallow deep. I'm not getting deep on any subject. But uh, but that's the truth. I mean, I I think if you can for uh for a second climb outside of your own body, climb into somebody else's and think, how are they seeing the world? How is the world treating them? How can you engaging with them help unpack their problems or help just shine a spotlight? Again, I'm not there to solve anything as a journalist. I'm just there to shine a spotlight on something that maybe you weren't paying attention to. I mean, I like to say like the work that I do for the county is I shine a spotlight on government working, which is so weird for most people because most people, when they read the news, see when government doesn't work. That's the stuff that makes headlines, right? Absolutely. And so, you know, everybody, because my beat is homelessness, right? I cover homelessness in Los Angeles County. There are 70,000 plus homeless people, but I cover the the times where people get housed and actually stay there.

SPEAKER_00

So that's like your specific thing.

SPEAKER_01

Like that's it, that's your um I have been, I have been, so I've been working for the county news channel for about 11 years, almost the entirety of my my duration in Los Angeles. And uh, and yeah, so I I started covering homelessness right away. I um I went out for my first story, and I was it was a homeless count story, and I we were at first just focusing on the people doing the homeless count. So if you have people who are watching this who don't know what a homeless count is, so something that happens in Los Angeles County every year to assess how many unhoused individuals live in Los Angeles County. Everyday people from Los Angeles, Angelinos, go out and help do account, and it's broken down into different sectors and it's very, very well organized. And the point is so that they can distribute, um, it's like an allocation of services issue. So if you don't know that there are 20,000 people in this one vicinity, you don't you might not be uh distributing the right amount of services to that particular sector. So it's really helpful. So the first time I went out on this homeless um coverage story, they the uh objective was to talk to the people doing the counting, right? Uh, but I saw us passing all of these unhoused individuals. And I said to my video, I'm like, let's go talk to them. I'm sure unhoused the people, like maybe, yes, there are a lot of people experiencing mental health issues, there are a lot of people experiencing uh drug abuse issues, but there are also people who are just down on their luck, and let's find those people. So we did, and it ended up being a really powerful story. Um, and there was this one guy I'll never forget, he called himself the invisible man, and he said, People like I just I had a terrible accident, I lost my job, I have no family that's still alive, and I just ended up on the street. But people see me as the invisible man, nobody acknowledges who I am, and it was such a powerful um interview uh that I ended up because of that being the I don't want to call it wholeess correspondent, but someone who covers a story because I maybe was from that training in journalism school, but I was able to come outside of my own, and yes, I am super blessed to have wonderful family and have a family that loves me and help can help take care of me. I have you know a house and and food and all of that, but I was able to come outside of that for a second, literally get on this man's level. He was laying on the ground, so I got on his physical level and had a conversation with him, and for three minutes he felt seen. And I think that that that can be emblematic of how we can see Jewish issues too, how we can see American issues, is that we are all people, humans, all wanting at the end of the day the same ending, right? A good life. That's what everybody wants at the end of the day. But how people get there is very different, right? And how they see who they see is an obstacle along the way is very different. But at the end of the day, most people are good. I do believe that. And I think that there we can disagree on how you get there, but we're all looking for the same destination. Um, and when it comes to Jewish issues, I always like to say that if I am just fighting with people, if I'm just disagreeing with them, I'm making no progress towards a more perfect union. Like I am not making any progress. To bettering the Jewish people, if I am just fighting with other people. But if I am building a bridge, connecting with another person outside of our community, getting a politician who probably has a lot on his plate to understand our community a little bit better by understanding his community a little better, or his plight, or what he's going through, then I've also bridged that world and we can work towards something better. And at the end of the day, the people that I interact with are very receptive to change. It doesn't happen overnight. Like these things are like a giant steamship, right? You're not, you try and course correct, you're gonna tovel over. Yeah. But you know, it should move slow and steady towards change. And you will not see it immediately immediately, but in 20 years, it the world will look like a very different place. And I think when it comes to whether that's combating anti-Semitism or, you know, bringing more Jewish joy, it all is the same. It is it is about realizing that we have chosen to live in a metropolis of Los Angeles amongst other people. We don't live in Israel. Yeah. And we have to get along with our neighbors. And we are part of the fabric of this society, whether we like it or not. True. And and to be involved and to engage and and and to also have a stake in this world.

SPEAKER_00

So that's my spiel. I mean, I I love that I feel like so much of these conversations personally really helped me because I think, you know, I've been politically I've now lived both lives. Um and when it comes to, you know, how I felt since October 7th has just been a lot of anger and a lot of pain and a lot of feeling of being um really let down by the side that I used to champion. Yeah. And so I think for me, I've been almost hardened a little bit to have those conversations on the other side. I think a part of me enjoys my echo chamber because it feels safe and warm and cuddly and technically, it's like this coffee. It feels great. Yeah, exactly. I'm not going outside my comfort zone with coffee. Right, exactly. You know, and I think that there's um there is an element to this conversation that's really gonna propel me to to kind of step back out of that, especially now as someone who's running for office. I mean, look, there was a there was an instance where, you know, I there's a there's a human rights series that is getting put on by the city of West Hollywood. Um and they're paying an anti-Zionist to come and speak. And I'm trying to imagine like what I would do if I were had been, you know, a member of city council and I was in this position. And here's the reality. The reality is like I personally wish that that person was never someone without need to be platformed. Obviously, if I am serving the city as a as a representative, I have to represent the whole city, right? So for me, it would be fair and equitable to make sure that that man had a space to talk. But then I would also ensure that someone that was like also had a space to talk. The other ones are working. You know, like I that's what matters. I was like, I don't I don't want to kick anybody else from a table. I just want to make sure that I still have a seat. A hundred percent. And that's what's most important. And I think that as long as we can get to a point where we at least make sure that everyone has to have a place. Like, I feel like all of us, at least when it comes to Israel, would feel a whole lot better taking criticism about it if someone didn't question whether it should exist. Yeah. You know, and it's really that simple. If everyone can just get behind, yeah, you know what, a one Jewish state in the world, that's okay. I mean, literally, it's one. Like, if we can just get past that as the majority, you know, then we can talk about like anyway.

SPEAKER_01

I would say that that, yes, while I I'm a big believer in bridge building, there are people who have no intention of bridge building. They have no intention of even allowing my right to exist or to support the state of Israel. I'm not engaging with those people. They are they're to me. So there is a limit to who you're willing to take. And at the same time, I do not think that Jews should be a rug that everybody stamps on. You know, we have every right to defend ourselves, we have every right to demand from our elected officials certain repercussions for negative actions. We have every right to demand the ability to go to a campus and go to class. We have every right. I mean, there's I I we have every right to walk a street with a yarmulke and not feel that there is a fear, even if it's an imagined fear, to feel like there are others looking at us in a certain way. So I I think there's, yes, you can hold two truths at the same time. I like to say I operate in a world of nuance and the gray. You should, I I Jews should never be weak. That's not something that's not something we advocate for. You shouldn't be a proud Jew and a Jew who wants to live amongst other nations. Yeah, that's you know, we're Jews among nations. But at the same time, you need to be a strong Jew, both in your particular personal beliefs and also in how you stand up for yourself and your right to exist. The idea that I would sit at a table and not demand the same rights as the person sitting next to me, that's not me. So so I think it's like you gotta hold two truths at the same time. You're really good at that. So that's a that's a good balance, balance doesn't exist in most aspects of my life, but in my thoughts sometimes.

SPEAKER_00

I'm still I think I'm still trying to to learn it. But yeah, I think it's definitely bridge bridge building is important, at least with the other side that wants to be the same. You know, like there's got a common ground has to be between two people that actually want to reach common ground.

SPEAKER_01

But I would also say it's not even just somebody who opposes you. There are a lot of other communities out there that are also experiencing discrimination. And it's not necessarily politically, it's just other communities that are they're different than our own that would love to have relationships with the city. And I think that we often think that we're so alone. You know, we're s we are. We're what eight million in this country. Um, so there's so few of us, and yet there are many other communities who have very similar values to us. And we don't we we don't often think about them as community partners. You know, a lot of times we focus on certain communities over others, but like, you know, my best friend is um, and I I was at her wedding in Hong Kong and I had to actually give my speech in uh Cantonese. Um no, it is very hard. But but you know, me and her talk about all the time that our cultures are so similar. We value family, intellect, education, um, you know, being good, hard work. The Asian community is is one that you know I have spent a lot of time working at that as a real community that that is receptive to outreach. And that, you know, if you look at some of the events of the past, we don't always do so much outreach with their community, but there's a lot of other communities that we can really, it's not just about political differences. Yes, there are there's a lot that needs to be done in terms of outreach to communities that you know to other people who don't feel the same way as we do, or people who have different values than we do, but at the same time, there's again, we're all on this planet looking to have a good life. Yeah, and um just reaching out. I mean, there's a reason why I choose a lot Chinese.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that's a great way. That's a great way to end it because yeah, Christmas is always my favorite day for that reason. I love all the Chinese restaurants that have assigned this. I don't know why you picked us for this, but this is like the best day too for it's so funny. I love that they're the food is good. The food is just like the biggest thing. Yeah, the food is the food is definitely the best. But yeah, I love that. To your point, I think that we do have a lot of allies, and it would be nice if I think there was just more visibility with the other side to supporting us. You know, we've set we've had a lot of really great support from our our Christian Zionists. Um they're wonderful, they're so amazing. So there's yeah, there are amazing groups, and I think that it's just important to be more visible. And like you said, yeah, more receptive to others. I think the great thing that we are able to do as Jews is rely on each other.

SPEAKER_01

I'll leave you with this message because I'm such a mom. So I recently watched Monsters Inc. Um Do you seen that movie? Yes, but like we just recently saw again.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, again, okay, got it. We watched it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I hear it.

SPEAKER_01

So, so and I'll I'll remind you of the plot. Okay. Uh so initially, what powers their world is fear and scaring kids, right? That was fear is a very powerful force, right? We we know that it is a powerful force, it gets people activated, but it's not sustainable. It's not sustainable. And what is actually more powerful, like five times as powerful? Right. No, joy, connection, love, laughter. All of that is so much more powerful. It like blows out the city the first time they experienced it because the laughter was so such a powerful force, they their circuiting was not wired for it. Oh yeah. And that's and that to me, like I walked away from watching the movie with my kids thinking that is such a metaphor for how we as Jews should really approach life. Yes, fear is very powerful, the rise in anti-Semitism is really concerning, and I'm going to work at to try and reverse those stats, do whatever is my power. But at the same time, investing in Jewish joy, investing in Jewish pride, investing in who we are as Jews, that will really propel us for the future. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And clearly reading children's books and watching whatever's going on for the kids seems to translate way better. Think about this. No, but really, it seems like after everything that's weird. I don't think there are any moral lessons there. Yeah, I mean, yeah, it's true, not so many.

SPEAKER_01

Definitely not saying Tarzan just made me want to go to the changle.

SPEAKER_00

That's oh my god. Do you though? Do you go camping? Because I can't. No. Yeah, it's also like so it didn't really work too.

SPEAKER_01

Um I'm not I'm I'm I'm a Tarna made you go to the hotel.

SPEAKER_00

I'm a garden person. Not a not a camping too. Tarzan made you go to the hotel. I like running water. That's that's uh showers are important. I need showers too as well. Yeah, me, I'll go glamping. Camping, not so much for sure.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

All right, well, I guess I can try and talk. Thank you for joining us, and I thank you for being here.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, my pleasure. Thank you for the coffee. Yeah, of course, of course. So good.