Yossi Klein Halevi: Why Jewish extremism is so seductive – and dangerous
Times of Israel · LC · trust 32/100
Deputy Editor Amanda Borschel-Dan is the host of The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, What Matters Now and The Reel Schmooze podcasts, and heads up The Times of Israel’s features.
Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with author Yossi Klein Halevi. The Hartman Institute senior fellow, writer and thinker joins us in our Jerusalem studio for a probing conversation about Jewish extremism. WATCH the full episode here: Klein Halevi is the author of the 1995 “Memoirs of a Jewish Extremist,” based on his time spent as a disciple of far-right racist firebrand Meir Kahane. He is uniquely poised to delve into the psyche of the violent fringe terrorizing West Bank Palestinian and shaking members of the settler movement.
We discuss the throughline between the era that spawned Kahane and his followers and today’s national traumas that are spurring extremists to believe Kahane was right all along.
Through Kahane’s vanities and human frailties, Klein Halevi realized that the cult of personality was dangerous and unhealthy. We ask, what happens if adherents believe their racist violence is actually in the service of God?
Klein Halevi, optimistic that these youth can be awoken, sets out conditions that could, slowly, allow for their transformation.
And so this week, we ask Yossi Klein Halevi, what matters now.
What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Yitzchak Ledee.
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