{"podcast":{"title":"The Western Spirit - With Ariel Whitman","slug":"the-western-spirit-with-ariel-whitman-5561415","podcast_index_feed_id":5561415,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/a2e2df54/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/arielwhitman","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/27227773/27227773-1739022378075-2fd316c3e23dd.jpg","author":"Ariel Whitman","episode_count":369,"summary":"My name is Ariel Whitman and I live in the heart of Israel. I am the host of a podcast series focusing on the challenges of the West, in the 21st century, from a conservative, classically liberal, and libertarian perspective. We will touch on all current issues while giving emphasis to our lives here in the State of Israel and, more broadly, in the West. Amongst the interviews you will hear from world famous philosophers, intellectuals, government officials, and even ordinary citizens with fascinating stories, from here in Israel and from around the world.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-western-spirit-with-ariel-whitman-5561415"},"episode":{"title":"Why So Many Jewish Politicians Turn Against Israel | Shabbos Kestenbaum","slug":"why-so-many-jewish-politicians-turn-against-israel-shabbos-kestenbaum","published_at":"2026-03-18T15:12:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-western-spirit-with-ariel-whitman-5561415/why-so-many-jewish-politicians-turn-against-israel-shabbos-kestenbaum","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-western-spirit-with-ariel-whitman-5561415","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/arielwhitman/episodes/Why-So-Many-Jewish-Politicians-Turn-Against-Israel--Shabbos-Kestenbaum-e3gj8e7","audio_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/a2e2df54/podcast/play/117071751/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-2-17%2F420215704-44100-2-70653adc9fc2f.mp3","summary":"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…","meta_description":"In this episode of The Western Spirit, Ariel Whitman speaks with Shabbos Kestenbaum, political commentator at PragerU and one of the most outspoken voices…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2477,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-western-spirit-with-ariel-whitman-5561415/episodes/why-so-many-jewish-politicians-turn-against-israel-shabbos-kestenbaum/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-western-spirit-with-ariel-whitman-5561415/why-so-many-jewish-politicians-turn-against-israel-shabbos-kestenbaum.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}