# Why So Many Jewish Politicians Turn Against Israel | Shabbos Kestenbaum

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-western-spirit-with-ariel-whitman-5561415/why-so-many-jewish-politicians-turn-against-israel-shabbos-kestenbaum
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-western-spirit-with-ariel-whitman-5561415/why-so-many-jewish-politicians-turn-against-israel-shabbos-kestenbaum.md
Podcast: [The Western Spirit - With Ariel Whitman](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-western-spirit-with-ariel-whitman-5561415)
Published: 2026-03-18T15:12:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/arielwhitman/episodes/Why-So-Many-Jewish-Politicians-Turn-Against-Israel--Shabbos-Kestenbaum-e3gj8e7
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/a2e2df54/podcast/play/117071751/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-2-17%2F420215704-44100-2-70653adc9fc2f.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-western-spirit-with-ariel-whitman-5561415/episodes/why-so-many-jewish-politicians-turn-against-israel-shabbos-kestenbaum
Duration seconds: 2477

## Resource

In this episode of The Western Spirit, Ariel Whitman speaks with Shabbos Kestenbaum, political commentator at PragerU and one of the most outspoken voices exposing antisemitism in American politics and on elite university campuses.After October 7, Kestenbaum became widely known for confronting antisemitism at institutions like Harvard and speaking out about the changing political landscape surrounding Israel and the Jewish community.In this conversation, we discuss:• Why attacking Jews and Israel has become profitable online• The rise of antisemitism on social media• The growing divide inside the conservative movement over Israel• The emergence of the so-called “woke right”• Why some Jewish politicians increasingly distance themselves from Israel• The incentives driving political outrage and viral antisemitismKestenbaum argues that social media and modern political incentives are reshaping the debate around Israel, Judaism, and antisemitism in ways that few people fully understand.📌 Watch, share, subscribe and join the conversation to uncover what’s really at stake.📌 Support the channel by buying me coffee! ☕️ https://buymeacoffee.com/westernspirit📌 For business inquiries, including advertising opportunities on our show, please email us at: thewesternspiritpodcast@gmail.comChapters00:00Introduction to Shabbos Kestenbaum and his background01:14The question of Israel's role in US military actions against Iran02:17Rubio's statement and the truth about US-Iran tensions03:09Historical context of US conflicts in the Middle East04:11Media narratives and political agendas in war coverage05:20Poll support for Trump and the US military campaign06:23Generational perspectives on Middle East conflicts07:21The influence of social media and bot farms10:07The impact of social media on…

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