Shows
Chosen Links by Boaz - The Podcast!"Chosen Links by Boaz" - Ep 15 - Poker Pros: A Dialogue on Israel, Antisemitism & the Game They Love(EDITOR NOTE - This episode was filmed on 07/30/25)Boaz had the BEST time speaking to a group of 13 incredible poker pros, including the most recent winner of the WSOP! A conversation about the game itself was incredibly fun, and the second half involved a conversation about Israel and antisemitism, and was quite interesting.Joining Boaz on the show:Ronnie Bardah - Poker Pro, Survivor First BootAndy Bloch - Poker Pro, MIT Engineer, Harvard LawyerAlbert Destrade - Dating Coach, Entrepeneur, Survivor LoserAri Engel...
2026-02-022h 59
Chosen Links by Boaz - The Podcast!"Chosen Links by Boaz" - Ep 14 - The Abraham Accords: How it Started and What Lies Ahead(EDITOR NOTE - This episode was filmed on 05/15/25)Boaz coordinated with Yaara Segal for over half a year to gather a multi-cultural group of experts on the Abraham Accords. Not everyone agreed throughout, but it was a polite, enjoyable and fruitful conversation about what was, what is, and what is likely to happen next.Joining Boaz Hepner on the show:Abdullah Antepli - Director, Polis Center for Politics, Duke UniversityNir Boms - Co-Director, Regional Cooperation Program, Tel Aviv UniversitySoraya Deen - CEO, Muslim Women Speakers
2025-11-022h 53
Chosen Links by Boaz - The Podcast!"Chosen Links by Boaz" - Ep 13 - Resilient: PTSD, Trauma and Healing After October 7th(EDITOR NOTE – This episode was filmed on 04/02/25. During this time, Boaz Hepner was sleeping at UCLA hospital, during a 13 day hospitalization of his child. Running home to do this episode was surreal, though a welcome break)"Resilient" is an award-winning documentary that explores the widespread PTSD in Israel following October 7th. Boaz speaks with 13 guests—including filmmaker Chava Floryn, participants of the film, and experts on trauma and resilience—to unpack its powerful message and the stories behind it.*Correction: In this episode, it was incorrectly stated that Chava Floryn is not a filmma...
2025-07-132h 31
Chosen Links by Boaz - The Podcast!"Chosen Links by Boaz" - Ep 12 - Wikipedia's War on Truth - The Fight Against Bias Toward Israel(EDITOR NOTE - This episode was filmed on 02/19/25. Tragically, on 04/20/25, guest Christian Gribneau died unexpectedly.)After a 3-part series on the diversity of the Jewish population, Boaz Hepner spoke to a panel of Wikipedia experts. A wide array of investigative journalists, Wikipedia editors, and more, this conversation was about the assumed role of Wikipedia's neutrality, and how far it appears to have veered from that path. Especially when analyzed by its stance on the Israel/Palestinian conflict, and Zionism.Panelists:-- Dr. Shlomit Aharoni Lir – University of Haifa-- Aa...
2025-05-192h 45
Chosen Links by Boaz - The Podcast!"Chosen Links by Boaz" - Ep 11 Intersecting Identities: Jews of Diverse Racial & Ethnic Backgrounds(EDITOR NOTE - This episode was filmed on 01/05/25)As a natural follow-up to the conversation with Black Jews, Boaz Hepner and Nate Looney gathered 14 Jews of color from a variety of different backgrounds, and had a conversation about their lived experiences. Not everyone labeled themselves the same way, and not everyone even wants to be labeled. A great conversation, showing just how eclectic and diverse the Jewish community actually is.When asked to provide a label, this is how each guest self-identified:Amy Albertson "Chinese-American Jew" Lani Anpo "Native A...
2025-03-172h 46
Chosen Links by Boaz - The Podcast!Episode 10 - Intersecting Identities - The Voice of Black Jews(EDITOR NOTE - This episode was filmed on 12/01/24)An essential conversation with leaders of the Black Jewish community. My second time with Nate Looney as co-moderator, as we sat with 7 amazing people, some of whom would call themselves Black Jews, and some of whom would avoid the label altogether. The 7 of them had a fantastic conversation with us, as we described their lived experiences and identities.Join us as we spoke with:Biggah - Online EducatorChaya Lev - Dancing VibemakerRachel Moon - Social Media Influencer...
2025-02-142h 32
Chosen Links by Boaz - The Podcast!Episode 9 - Vital Heroes: The Power of Living DonorsDavid Bowie sang, "We can be heroes, just for one day." But imagine being a hero every day. For an act that costs you no money, and just a little time. Organ donation. It's something we don't think about enough, but why?Did you know you could donate stem cells or bone marrow and be back to work the next day? Did you know you could donate just a part of your liver, and it will grow back? Did you know that if you donate one of your kidneys, if you ever need one yourself, OR...
2025-01-022h 20
Chosen Links by Boaz - The Podcast!Episode 8 - Building Bonds: Where Black and Jewish Perspectives Converge(EDITOR NOTE - This episode was filmed on 10/10/24)Some say that the Jewish and Black communities share such a deep history that their bond is unbreakable. We marched together during the Civil Rights Movement, but where are we today?For the first time, I had the pleasure of filming with a co-moderator—Nate Looney, who kept me on track and guided the conversation brilliantly.Enjoy the discussion with these 12 powerful Black voices, both Jewish and non-Jewish. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-11-112h 30
Chosen Links by Boaz - The Podcast!Episode 7 - Fact Checkers: Guardians of Truth(EDITOR NOTE - This episode was filmed on 8/21/24)Truthiness. A word made famous by Stephen Colbert. But the TRUTH is, that what I see as fact, someone else sees as fiction. And vice versa. How do we navigate our news, especially in this digital world, with any confidence?I had the pleasure of speaking to these 6 people, who continue to contribute their expertise to the world of fact versus fiction. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-10-142h 10
Chosen Links by Boaz - The Podcast!Episode 6 - Palestinians For Peace With IsraelNo doubt, I will be criticized by left-wing, anti-Israel people for having Palestinian guests who don't walk the usual anti-Israel and frequently pro-Hamas line. I will also be criticized by right wing, pro-Israel people for giving a voice to Palestinians who also have criticisms and complaints about Israel. But this is how we move forward, this is how we make progress, and these brave Palestinians have my respect and gratitude for their time, empathy, thoughtfulness, and self-sacrifice in this wonderful episode. As much hate as I will receive for doing this, they receive it tenfold.
2024-09-022h 51
Chosen Links by Boaz - The Podcast!Episode 5 - Survivor Player Round Table For IsraelBoaz speaks to 12 former "Survivor" players about topics that cover Israel, the war, antisemitism around the world, and more.And for fans of the show, don't you worry, there's certainly some discussion of the show included! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-08-182h 38
Chosen Links by Boaz - The Podcast!Episode 5 - Survivor Player Round Table For IsraelBoaz speaks to 12 former "Survivor" players about topics that cover Israel, the war, antisemitism around the world, and more.And for fans of the show, don't you worry, there's certainly some discussion of the show included! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-08-162h 38
Chosen Links by Boaz - The Podcast!Episode 4 - Countering Antisemitism in U.S. PoliticsApparently I CAN put an entire episode together in 24 hours. With a little help from my friends.Michael Sinensky contacted me Wednesday morning, "WE NEED TO HELP DEFEAT THE ANTISEMITIC SQUAD!" I fully agreed, but it takes me weeks to months to create my episodes. I told him there's no story if we don't have a candidate to talk to. And it won't be a commercial; it's a conversation about antisemitism in American politics. He agreed.Michael worked his magic. Within an hour he had Don Samuels campaign on the phone with me...
2024-08-052h 16
Chosen Links by Boaz - The Podcast!Episode 3 - Parchment of Resilience: Survivor Players Speak Up For IsraelIn the 3rd episode, 14 players from the popular show "Survivor" take turns reading parchments explaining Israel, Zionism, Antisemitism, Hamas and more. A wonderful mixture of Jewish players and their many allies. The only thing these players "vote off" is the multitude of misinformation and misconceptions made about the only Jewish country on earth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-07-2509 min
Chosen Links by Boaz - The Podcast!Episode 2 - University Student ExtravaganzaBoaz Hepner's "Chosen Links" section (as published in the Jewish Journal) has its 2nd episode, and it's a big one. About 35 students from different universities speak about their experiences as Jews and Zionists over the past few years - especially since October 7th.This is divided into 3 very different chapters:Part 1 - Game Show - Tune in and watch as Boaz reads off statements submitted by the students, and see which school wins the game show as...the most antisemitic! Plus, what's that - a Zoom Bomb?!Part 2 - Q&A...
2024-07-032h 45
Chosen Links by Boaz - The Podcast!Episode 1 - Comedy Round TableOn this first official Chosen Links Round Table, Boaz starts by gathering some influential people who are using comedy to promote education about Israel and antisemitism.Tiffany Haddish, Judy Gold, Avi Liberman, Shawn Eni, Ryan from The Daily Brine, LE Staiman (plus an appearance by Lyle), discuss, and moderated by Boaz Hepner.As seen in video form here:https://youtu.be/d9cEt9oHdI4 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-06-242h 47
Chosen Links by Boaz - The Podcast!Episode 0 - John Ondrasik: A Conversation With the Lead Singer of Five For FightingThe first video recorded interview in Chosen Links by Boaz was with the fantastic John Ondrasik, of the hit band Five For Fighting. They have a great conversation about Israel and antisemitism, and John being a staunch ally through and through. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-06-2437 min