Nachshon was the first Israelite into the Red Sea – before God parted the waters. So, commited activist or blind follower? Much has been said about leaders, less about what we value in the rank and file. Ruth Messenger has thought about both, as a city council member, as Manhattan borough president, in her … Continue reading »
Category Archives: Politics and Policy
Episode 169: Lippmann & Almontaser
Rabbi Ellen Lippmann and Muslim activist Debbie Almontaser are united by their work for social justice and their affection for Kahlil Gibran. “You can’t really tell if he’s writing from a Christian perspective, a Muslim perspective, a Jewish perspective,” says Debbie. “It’s just so universal.” A conversation about common ground and the difference between … Continue reading »
Episode 168: Jonathan Greenblatt
“Even when they won, they somehow inexplicably managed to lose,” he says of an outfit he’s supported all his life. Not the Democratic Party, the Boston Red Sox. Losing can teach relience and effort, he asserts, lessons he applies as head of the Anti-Defamation League. A conversation at JCC Manhattan about pursuing social justice in challenging … Continue reading »
Episode 167: Zarin Hainsworth
Are some religions more upbeat than others? Zarin Hainsworth works for the rights of women around the world as did her mother, a true optimist. “Of course she was, because she was a Baha’i.” says Zarin, who also attributes her own optimism to her Baha’i beliefs. I find her outlook baffling but her accomplishments … Continue reading »
Episode 162: Frances Beinecke
A past president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, she has a chilling awareness of the harm that can be done by nincompoops in power, and yet she is surprisingly optimistic. We spoke at Planthouse Gallery about Rachel Carson, climate change, and the terrifying, if unlikely, prospect of being on a spaceship with Peter … Continue reading »
Episode 158: Gale Brewer
Can local government protect us from the enormities perpetrated by the White House? Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer is not entirely comforting, but it is encouraging to hear a public official who is competent, honorable, knowledgeable, respected by (and respectful of) her constituents – qualities not conspicuous around the Oval Office. It’s also nice … Continue reading »
Episode 153: Alicia Glen
Madonna wasn’t drawn to New York City by tax breaks but by its cultural life, creative community, good transportation, and great bars. But if she arrived today, could she afford a place to live? Alicia Glen, deputy mayor for housing and economic development, sees the pop star as a business model, revealing the city’s … Continue reading »
Episode 146: Layli Miller-Muro
The founder and executive director of the Tahirih Justice Center, a non-profit that assists immigrant women fleeing violence, she notes that while we are influenced by people we admire, we are also shaped by those who “test” us, as she tactfully puts it. I call them jerks. And she’s right: we’re shaped by jerks. … Continue reading »
Episode 123: Dr. Thomas Farley
The commissioner of health for New York City under Mayor Bloomberg, he battled cigarettes, transfats, and the fifty gallon vats of cola traditionally sold at movie theaters. He is the author of Saving Gotham and recently became the health commissioner of Philadelphia. We convened at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health with musician Kevin … Continue reading »
Episode 113: Steve Israel
He represents New York City’s third congressional district, comprising much of both Nassau and Suffolk counties, as Long Islandian as you can get, and is the first member of Congress to be a guest on the show, so the stakes were pretty… actually, there was no pressure at all. He was amiable, I was attentive … Continue reading »
Episode 88: Alan Dershowitz
A Harvard law professor, he is known both for his legal work and his staunch defense of Israel. Among clients – Leona Helmsley, Mike Tyson, Michael Milken, Claus von Bulow, O.J. Simpson. I met him last summer at a gamelan concert. Yes, that old Indonesian meet-cute. We spoke on stage at JCC Manhattan, joined by … Continue reading »
Episode 61: Mayor David Dinkins
David Dinkins is the son of a barber and a domestic. After leaving the Marine Corps, he attended Howard University on the GI Bill, graduated cum laude, then earned a law degree while working nights. In 1989 he was elected the 106th mayor of the city of New York. Among his many accomplishments, it was … Continue reading »