This episode may contain explicit language.

Also, we recorded this on Tuesday, November 5th, so we have no idea what happened with the election.

Welcome to Karen Feeding, the show where we raise the next generation together.

I'm Zach Rosen. I host another show. It's called The Best Advice Show, and I'm Dad to Noah, who's seven, and Ami, who's four. We live in Amsterdam. I'm Elizabeth Newkamp. I write the family travel blog, Dutch, Dutch, Goose. I'm the mom to Henry who's 12, Oliver who's 10, and Teddy who's 8. We live in Tokyo, Japan. Hi, I'm Lucy Lopez. I host another podcast, the Mamasita Rica podcast.

I'm mother to Amelia who's 14, Avery, who's 11, and we live in Miami, Florida, USA.

Today on the show, we're opening up our mailbag because you all have a lot to say,

and we're so glad you do. We want to make sure your fellow listeners hear it. So gather around as we discuss your thoughts on everything from Halloween to Israel-Palestine to having the talk. You've sent so many amazing messages for us to share. And after all that, of course, we'll meet up back here for a round of triumphs and fails.

So let's get it going.

We're going to take a quick break.

And then we'll be back here to open up the mailbag in a second.

All right, we're back.

And it's time to open up our mailbag.

Let's start with the topic near and dear to Zach's heart. We got a lot of feedback on our Rosh Hashanah episode about raising Jewish kids in 2024. First up, this listener email really jumped out at us. Hi, Karen feeding, really enjoying your discussion of raising Jewish kids today and could very much relate. I wish, however, that you had addressed anti-Semitism.

One of the sad realizations of the war in Gaza for me has been how quickly criticisms of Israel

and the war, mostly justified in my view, have been laced with anti-Semitic tropes and actions.

In the progressive urban neighborhood where we live, we've been contending with hateful graffiti

at my kids' elementary school, university campus encampments that block students who identify as Jewish from passing and protests and vandalism at Jewish-owned businesses.

And in one instance, outside of a historically Jewish hospital, shots were also fired last spring at a Jewish day school, after hours and no one was hurt.

All of this has made for some pretty tough conversations with my elementary school-aged kids.

I'd love it if the show could revisit this and offer some guidance on how to have discussions about anti-Semitism

and how to express horror at the level of violence in Gaza and general dismay over the treatment of Palestinians

at the hands of the Israeli state while drawing a distinction with blame or criticism

...