Hi everyone, this is one of the last videos I recorded before It’s Only Drowning came out addressing some if its broader themes. It’s also one of the most interesting and timely.
(Unfortunately I wasn’t able to edit a shortened version of a transcript for this one, but I think you’ll want to watch or listen to the whole thing anyway.)
This all started when, a few months ago at a National Jewish Democratic Committee dinner, someone asked me if my new book had any Jewish themes. I’m Jewish, and worked lots of President Obama’s speeches to the Jewish community, but the book is about surfing with my non-Jewish brother-in-law. So I said no.
Then I realized - this is a book about two family members who have strong and conflicting opinions about important subjects. What could be a more Jewish-themed book than that? Especially right now.
So I reached out Ilan Goldenberg - who was the Harris campaign’s liaison to the Jewish community, her Middle East policy advisor, and an Iran expert at the Pentagon - for a conversation about how he’s navigated some of these challenges in his own life.
We covered that. But we also spoke about the Middle East, and what’s next in the region. We recorded this conversation last week, and as you’ll see, a lot of Ilan’s insights and predictions proved prescient in the day’s that followed.
So whatever community or communities you belong to, I hope you enjoy this conversation, that’s about both foreign policy, finding common ground, and finding points of connection even when we intensely disagree.
And if you’re interested, launch week for It’s Only Drowning ends in about 24 hours, and I would of course be thrilled if you picked up a copy.
Thanks again, and hope you enjoy and learn from this discussion as much as I did.
David
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