Embracing U.F.O.s and rejecting Zionism, with Arielle Angel

Time To Say Goodbye

Hello from a freezer full of “non-human biologics”!

This week, we speak with Arielle Angel, editor-in-chief of Jewish Currents and known alien stan. (3:30) We get her thoughts on last week’s Congressional hearings (nothing a true believer like Arielle didn’t already know) and what aliens are up to when they visit Earth. (26:15) In our main segment, we discuss the democratic crisis in Israel spurred by Netanyahu’s far-right coalition and (34:00) what this moment could mean for the Palestinian national movement, both in Israel/Palestine and the U.S. diaspora. (43:00) We also hear how Arielle arrived at her current politics.

In this episode, we ask:

If aliens are real, why didn’t Trump tell us?!

Have the centrist protests against the Israeli government made BDS seem less extreme?

What can the Jewish left teach us about doing identity-based organizing while simultaneously denouncing the validity of identitarian nationalism?

For more, see:

* The 2017 Times story that convinced Jay that aliens are real

* Some background on the Roswell incident from the History Channel

* Ezra Klein’s interview with U.F.O. reporter Leslie Kean

* Explainers from Jewish Currents on the ongoing judicial crisis in Israel (by Elisheva Goldberg) and the Israel-Palestine rift within DSA (by Alex Kane)

* A forced apology from Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal after she called Israel “a racist state”

* Arielle’s article on grievance politics from last fall, and our episode discussing the piece: Grievance politics, why we love “Mo,” and the YYYs’ return

* Our previous conversations with the lovely folks at Jewish Currents, from May 2021:

* Sheikh Jarrah and What Feels Different This Time about Israel/Palestine with Josh Leifer of Jewish Currents

* Jewish Currents in Conversation with Time To Say Goodbye!

If you’re feeling extra inspired, you can read Arielle’s fiction, Jay’s novel, and Tammy’s poetry.

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