Jew on Jew Hate and CNN’s Anchor Jake Tapper

Being Jewish with Jonah Platt

Jonah Platt

Faith And Spirituality, Cultural Exploration, Religion & Spirituality, Jewish Experience, Faith Conversations, Jewish Heritage, Society & Culture, Jonah Platt, Non-jewish Allies, Jewish Identity, Being Jewish, Diversity Of Judaism, Jewish Culture, Personal Journeys, Jewish Athletes, Celebrity Interviews, Art And Judaism Sports, Judaism, Jewish Food And Politics

4.9 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 4 November 2025

⏱️ 79 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this special Election Day episode of Being Jewish with Jonah Platt, Emmy Award–winning journalist Jake Tapper joins Jonah for a candid and wide-ranging conversation on politics, identity, and truth-telling in a polarized world. Best known as the anchor of CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper and State of the Union, Jake reflects on his decades covering America’s most defining political moments — from the Virginia governor’s race to the New York City mayoral election — and how journalism has evolved in an era of social media outrage and political echo chambers.

Together, Jonah and Jake explore the intersections of Jewish identity, antisemitism — past and present — and the evolving challenges of journalistic integrity in today’s press environment. Jake also opens up about his writing process and his latest books — Race Against Terror, which follows the pursuit of an Al-Qaeda killer, and Original Sin, his political thriller about a presidential cover-up during the 2024 election.

This episode is a deep dive into the ethics of journalism, the responsibility of storytelling, and what it means to stay empathetic and informed in turbulent times. It’s a timely, thought-provoking listen for anyone who cares about democracy, truth, and the power of Jewish values in public discourse.

Topics covered include:

Discussing Key Political Races
The Democratic and Republican Parties
Concerns Within the Jewish Community
Antisemitism in Politics
Personal Experiences with Antisemitism
Challenges in Media Reporting
Jake Tapper's Jewish Identity
Jewish High School Experiences
Jewish Summer Camp Memories
Interfaith Marriages and Family Traditions
Writing About Joe Biden
Race Against Terror: A New Book
Five Deep Questions with Jake Tapper

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Shalom, Kavarim, Banot, and welcome to another very special episode of the world's number one Jewish podcast.
0:08.1	I have to ask for a small favor.
0:10.4	As an independent show, we don't have a massive marketing machine behind us.
0:14.6	Our growth is purely organic, fueled by dedicated viewers and listeners like you.
0:19.5	So if you would be so kind, please take 30 seconds,
0:24.0	head over to Apple Podcasts and Spotify, find this show, and leave me a five-star rating and a short
0:30.0	written review. I love seeing all of your thoughtful and generous feedback. Some of it has even
0:35.0	made it onto the show and may again. And as of this recording,
0:38.7	we are just eight ratings away from hitting 500 on Apple. Crossing that threshold would be a huge
0:44.3	milestone for us. It's a small mitzv on your part, but it really is the fuel that allows us to
0:50.0	keep these amazing conversations going. So thank you in advance. Unless you don't leave a rating,
0:56.0	in which case you're a butt head. Shalom. Today I'm going to throw the old Rebbe Keepa
1:01.0	on and begin with a little bit of Toyota. Let's see if we can learn something about ourselves
1:06.0	in 2025 by looking at ourselves thousands of years ago, shall we? Three famous Bible stories.
1:11.8	First, the Tower of Babel.
1:14.0	When humankind, united by a single language, arrogantly tries to build a tower to heaven,
1:19.1	God confuses their speech, creating many languages and scattering them across the world.
1:24.1	Next, when the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah become consumed by wickedness, God
1:28.8	destroys them with fire and brimstone. Yikes, God sounds like a lot. Toyer a joke!
1:36.4	And last, while Moses communes with God atop Mount Sinai, the Israelites grow fearful and impatient,
1:42.0	and in a frenzy of revelry and idolatry,
1:45.2	abandon their covenant to worship a golden calf, leading Moses to shatter the Ten Commandments in fury,
	...

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