War is Stupid: An Anti-War Podcast About War

Orli Matlow sits down with comedian Mika Stein for the War is Stupid High Holidays special, diving deep into Jewish philosophy and how to adapt to synagogues with guitars. Mika reflects on his experiences in Yeshiva and the Jewish non-profit world, being Black and Jewish, and how criticizing Israel more than America is like “hating your dad’s mistress.” They cover everything from the Jewish Labor Bund’s prin...

Orli Matlow sits down for Rafael Jesús Gonzalez, the first poet to appear on the show and the first Poet Laureate of Berkeley, California. Professor Gonzalez talks about his experiences in the Flower Power Revolution during the Vietnam War, organizing against nuclear weapons during the Reagan era, and building Dr. Martin Luther King's Beloved Community working towards healing. Professor Gonzalez reads two poems about the horrors of...

Orli Matlow sits down with Palestinian political thinker, strategist, and writer Hamze Awawde for a powerful conversation about complexity and complicity. Hamze dives deep into the “peace-industrial complex” and its priorities, how many “Israeli-Palestinian dialogue” events are scripted, and how “settler violence” is a euphemism for “state violence.” He encourages people to reflect on...

Orli Matlow sits down with pacifist Presbyterian pastor Ben Daniel, author of Grace Over Guns, which brings a proudly Christian perspective to pursuing peace in a militarized world. They discuss military violence’s dismal record in achieving peace, and stories of successful non-violent resistance in Costa Rica, Estonia, and The Bible. Ben discusses his experiences presiding over funerals, responding to the inevitable “W...

Orli Matlow sits down with actor, writer, and producer Nick Pearl and in the spirit of The Sound of Music, the conversation starts with music and ends with fleeing Nazis. They explore what being Jewish means outside of Being Jewish with Jonah Platt™ and Nick’s experience going from having antisemitic high school bullies to receiving online d**th threats from Zionist Jews. They discuss his day with Ice T on Law and Order, the ...

Orli Matlow sits down with clinical psychologist and academic Dr. Alice LoCicero to discuss what war does to the mind and spirit, whether experienced on the ground or through a screen. Dr. LoCicero explores whether moral injury is a medical issue or societal issue, pursuing systemic change as a course of treatment, and her work in Sri Lanka during their Civil War. They also talk The Odyssey, debating Odysseus’s DSM diagnosis....

Orli Matlow sits down with Dr. Ambrogio A. Caiani, senior lecturer in modern European history at the University of Kent and author of the new book Flirting with Evil: The Catholic Church in the Age of Total War and Globalisation. They discuss the Vatican’s allies during World War II (hint: they weren’t The Allies), what they knew during the Holocaust, and when did they know it. Dr. Caiani shares the moving stories of th...

Orli Matlow sits down with foreign affairs correspondent Ashley Gate, who lectures at Columbia University on AI and drones, for the episode with the most “oh my god”s yet. They discuss the terrifying ways Artificial Intelligence is used in Gaza, Iran, and by men on the subway, and how war has evolved from using horses to employing “killer robots.” Ashley explains whether or not “autonomous weapons&rdqu...

Orli Matlow sits down with organizer and creator Jean-Paul Fartre for a conversation that’s more political philosophy than flatulence. Professor Fartre reveals the connection between dating apps and the post-9/11 War on Terror, because they're even worse than we thought. He shares his experiences teaching in San Quentin State Prison, and the differences between socialist organizing in The Philippines and the United States. Th...

Orli Matlow sits down with political scientist Bill Hartung, a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and standup comedian. They discuss his latest book, The Trillion Dollar War Machine: How Runaway Military Spending Drives America into Foreign Wars and Bankrupts Us at Home. Bill shares what the anti-war movement can learn from the anti-apartheid movement, the Luddites, and the 2026 NBA Champion N...

Orli Matlow sits down Rabbi Jill Jacobs, the CEO of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, an organization that trains and mobilizes rabbis and cantors and their communities to bring a moral voice to protecting and advancing human rights in North America, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories. They discuss Truah’s decision to host Mayor Zohran Mamdani at their gala rather than declare him “an enemy...

Orli Matlow sits down with British Jewish historian, writer, and musician Joseph Finlay, who passionately argues against her claim from the Amsterdam episode that “London is like NYC for goyim.” They explore the rich Jewish history of London, which was one of socialism and anarchism up until Thatcherism. They discuss the anti-fascist resistance of the 1936 Battle of Cable Street, which was recently co-opted by the Zioni...

Orli Matlow sits down with Italian American comedian Ron Placone, whose show Anti-Fascist Pasta Night is heading to the Edinburgh Fringe this August. They discuss the true history of fighting fascism with food, covering everything from Mussolini to Heated Rivalry. Ron opens up about his political awakening during the Iraq War, the multiplicity of Italian American identity, and shares his pro tips for surviving a run at the biggest ...

Orli Matlow sits down with British Jewish filmmaker Gillian Mosely, whose latest film Planet Israel explores Israeli society during and after October 7th. She investigates how right-wing Religious Zionism and settler ideology came to dominate Israel, with its roots in the work of Bibi’s dad’s boss Ze’ev Jabotinsky and Brooklyn-born convicted felon Rabbi Meir Kahane. They discuss what we owe our ancestors, int...

Orli Matlow sits down with Common Defense organizer Michael Carter and member Susan O’Neill, who served as an Operating Room Nurse in Vietnam. They discuss organizing veterans against forever wars, authoritarianism and VA privatization, and what Supporting The Troops actually looks like, with shoutouts to Stephen Sondheim and Bruce Springsteen along the way. They talk the realities that lead people to join the military, the m...

Orli Matlow sits down with comedian Gabe Pacheco, who might soon be subpoenaed by the federal government for joining the same aid mission to Cuba as Hasan Piker. They talk about Cuba’s history and present, whether Che Guevara shirts are as popular there as they are at liberal arts colleges, and why we need to bring the name Smedley back. 

Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective. 

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Orli Matlow sits down with Mattan Berner-Kadish, an advocate for civil rights in Israel since his parents sued the country when he was four years old. Mattan talks about his work in the Occupied West Bank, bearing witness to extreme Israeli settler and military violence, including the killing of his close friend and fellow football fan Awdah Hathahleen. They talk nepo babies in the IDF, ICC evidence on Israeli Tinder, and how Ameri...

Host Orli Matlow welcomes Irish comedian and newly minted American citizen, Katie Boyle. Katie teaches Orli about iconic figures in Irish history including Michael Collins, the pagan goddess Bridgid, and Crazy Bob. They talk the cool anti-war Pope Louis XIV and the real purpose of religion, plus Katie covers gun control and abortion rights—and doing standup in places that don’t have either. They also cover The Troubles,...

Host Orli Matlow sits down with Alex Willick, who was featured in the recent New Yorker article “At Synagogues, Tensions Are Boiling Over" by Eyal Press. A director at the New Israel Fund, he was invited to talk to the congregation about a recent trip to The Land, but the invitation was rescinded when he planned on speaking about settler violence in the West Bank. He shares the story that was banned from the bimah, and they d...