Shows / SAPIR with David Wolpe
SAPIR with David Wolpe
Hosted by David Wolpe, the SAPIR podcast is a home for thoughtful, wide-ranging conversations that matter. Drawing on the latest issue of SAPIR, this season explores the theme of influence through culture, politics, technology, and education. Learn more about SAPIR and subscribe to the print journal at www.sapirjournal.org.
Episodes
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
SAPIR Debate: Free Speech and Antisemitism Live at The Weitzman in Philadelphia
Does the fight against antisemitism require new limits on free speech? Two leading thinkers tackle that question in the latest SAPIR debate, produced with and…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
AI and Religion with Tyler Cowen
Economist Tyler Cowen joins David Wolpe for a conversation about AI, religion, and what makes us human. Tyler makes the case that AI’s biggest impact may be on…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
Power vs. Influence with Bret Stephens
Bret Stephens, SAPIR editor-in-chief, joins David Wolpe for a conversation about why having power doesn’t always mean you have influence. Bret makes the case…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
Coming Soon: A New Season of SAPIR
Host David Wolpe is joined by guests like Tyler Cowen, Bret Stephens, and Danielle Allen to explore the theme of influence across culture, politics…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
The SAPIR Debates: Is the Administration's Campus Crackdown Good for America?
For many Jewish and Zionist students, faculty, and administrators, the tumultuous year following October 7 meant navigating campus life amid protests…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
Censorship Won't Help the Jews with Yascha Mounk
Johns Hopkins political scientist Yascha Mounk joined Bret Stephens to discuss his new essay, “Censorship Won't Help the Jews,” in the (Fixing) America issue…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
The State of Jewish Books with Ruth Wisse and Adam Bellow
Literary scholar Ruth Wisse and publisher Adam Bellow join Rabbi David Wolpe for a lively discussion on American Jewish literature, 50 years on from the year…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
Islam in America with Reihan Salam
Manhattan Institute president Reihan Salam joined Bret Stephens to discuss his new essay, “Islam in America,” in the (Fixing) America issue of SAPIR. Read…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
“The Jewish Case for Public Service” with Anne Neuberger
Anne Neuberger joined Bret Stephens to discuss her new essay, “The Jewish Case for Public Service,” in the (Fixing) America issue of SAPIR.Read Neuberger’s…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
Sneak Peek of the (Fixing) America Issue – with Bret Stephens and Rabbi David Wolpe
Tomorrow, June 10, SAPIR launches its latest issue, on (Fixing) America. An exciting set of contributors including political scientist Yascha Mounk, former…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
“The Future is Sephardic” with Mijal Bitton
Are we are venturing into the twilight of an American Jewish era? In a recent SAPIR essay, Dr. Mijal Bitton makes the case that it’s time to reimagine Jewish…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
Boyz II Mensches with Adam Teitelbaum
Men are drifting, disconnected, and increasingly absent from communal life, argues longtime Jewish communal professional Adam Teitelbaum in his new essay, Boyz…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
Queers for Zion with Eve Barlow
Hatred of Israel has become a symptom of what plagues LGBTQ politics today, argues Eve Barlow in her SAPIR essay, Queers for Zion. What happens when a…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
What Makes the Exodus True with Joshua Berman
Should it matter whether Yetziat Mitzrayim — the exodus of Israelites from Egypt, the defining story of the Passover seder that Jews around the world have…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
The SAPIR Debates: Is Fighting Antisemitism a Losing Battle?
The oldest hatred – an honorific given to anti-Jewish prejudice – never tires. If anything, it gathers force. According to many surveys, animus towards Jews is…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
The Silicon Dome with Yonatan Adiri
In an age of geopolitical fragmentation, a nation’s strength is often defined by its technological indispensability. Israel’s success, argue Yonatan Adiri and…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
Sneak Peak of the “Aspiration” Issue – with Bret Stephens and Rabbi David Wolpe
Tomorrow, we launch our second issue on Aspiration—devoted to audacious ideas for a thriving Jewish future. Four years ago, when we published our first issue…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
KIND Snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky
When KIND Snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky looks at a glass of water, he doesn’t see it as half empty or half full. He sees an opportunity to fill up the cup. In…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew
Jack Lew was drawn to a mission of service well before becoming the 76th U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. As a kid in Forest Hills, Queens, he stepped up as his…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S19E3: “Poverty and Jewish Community” with Ilana Horwitz
Economic vulnerability affects 1 in 4 American Jews, but it doesn’t affect all of them equally, writes Tulane University sociologist Ilana Horwitz in her…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S19E2: A Jewish Sovereign Wealth Fund — Yes or No?
American Jewry has long thrived in a society built on institutions. But today, we live in an anti-establishment age, where subtlety fuels suspicion and open…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
The SAPIR Debates: Is There a Realistic Future for the Two-State Solution?
The assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin 30 years ago, in November 1995, marked a major turning point in the prospects for peace between Israelis and…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S19E1: Building Israel's Trillion-Dollar Economy with Michael Eisenberg
Of Israel’s many achievements since October 7, none perhaps was as unforeseen as the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange reaching an all-time high two years since the…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
On Money with Bret Stephens and Rabbi David Wolpe
Why does the stereotype about Jews and money endure? Is Judaism a contractual or covenantal religion? Is Jewish life today too expensive? Should the cost of…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
The SAPIR Debates: Does Zionism Have a Future on the American Left?
In the shadow of the war in Gaza, shifting ideological fault lines and coalitions are redefining the boundaries of progressive politics nationwide. The…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S18E3: A Catholic Response to Jewish Chosenness with Professor Robert P. George
Amid a troubling resurgence of antisemitism, Princeton scholar Robert P. George declared in his most recent SAPIR essay that “any attempt to deny or undermine…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S18E2: Choosing to be Chosen with Rabbis Noa Kushner and Adam Mintz
What does the process of conversion — joining the Jewish people— reveal about the meaning of chosenness? In his recent essay for SAPIR, Rabbi Adam Mintz writes…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S18E1: Is Israel the Chosen Nation? with Michael Oren
“For many of its secular pioneers,” writes former Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren in his most recent SAPIR essay, “Zionism was a revolt against chosenness. It…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
Welcome Rabbi David Wolpe! Our New Podcast Host
Today marks a new chapter as we re-launch the podcast, SAPIR Conversations, with even more discussions and double the hosting power. Moving forward, Rabbi…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
Our Political Moment with Bret Stephens and Mijal Bitton
Charlie Kirk, a conservative political activist, was murdered at a campus event in Utah on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 10th, 2025. As Americans…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
Views from the Iranian Diaspora with Roya Hakakian and Mehdi Yahyanejad
Twelve days of war between Israel and Iran sparked passionate debates about the future of the Islamic Republic. How did Israel’s strikes impact the stability…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S17E3: Can the Media Keep Kosher? with Bret Stephens and Amit Segal
Do we still expect journalists—and the outlets they represent—to be objective? Or have we come to accept that much of today’s media falls into the realm of…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
Did Israel and the U.S. destroy or delay Iran's nuclear program? with Eyal Hulata
It’s been less than a week since the unprecedented U.S. military strikes against the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities in Iran. Codenamed…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S17E2: Renewing Jewish Activism with Sara Forman and Mark B. Rotenberg
In the wake of October 7, many American Jews have grappled with what it means to not only engage in activism—a longstanding tradition in Jewish history and…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
U.S. Perspectives on the Israel-Iran War with Lieutenant General Joseph Guastella and Dana Stroul
On Friday, June 13th, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, targeting nuclear sites, drones and rocket launchers, and senior Iranian military leadership. In…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S17E1: Building Alliances in a Post-10/7 World with David Hazony and Amy Spitalnick
In a time of rising antisemitism, extremism, and anti-Zionist sentiment, are we too discerning about our allies? Or does the moment demand that Jews hold fast…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
SAPIR Debates @ 92NY: Is Donald Trump Good for the Jews?
In American Jewish life, few questions are as fraught — or as revealing — as this one: Is Donald Trump good for the Jews? In this launch of the SAPIR Debates…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S16E4: Jewish Identity vs. Identity Politics with Rabbi Meir Soloveichik
Is multiculturalism destined to fail? Is it possible to reject identity politics while also championing strong Jewish identities? On Wednesday, April 9 at…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S16E3: The Bounds of Jewish Disagreement
Diversity of opinion is a key feature of our ancient tradition. Dating back to the Talmud, we have taken pride in our capacity to transcend difference through…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S16E2: Pre-Passover Conversation with President Isaac Herzog
As we prepare to celebrate our freedom from slavery, has the promised land lived up to the promise of Zionism? After October 7, can Israel’s internal…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S16E1: I Am Not a Jew of Color with Mijal Bitton
In her recent SAPIR essay, Mijal Bitton wrote that she does not identify as a Jew of color, despite being a non-white Jew, because the “term often feels more…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S15E4: Dana W. White on Why HBCUs Are Key to Fighting Antisemitism
In the latest issue of SAPIR, Dana W. White observes that historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), once places that honored and taught the…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S15E3: “Academia’s Palestine Exception” with Shaul Kelner
Critical theory – the study of the ways “oppression gets produced and reproduced within and across societies” – is the dominant method of inquiry in many areas…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
First Principles for the University with Danielle Allen and Jonathan Haidt
Following the release of its issue on The University, SAPIR brought together leaders and experts from academia, philanthropy, and Jewish organizational life…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S15E2: The Purpose of the University with Ari Berman and Ron Liebowitz
The modern university is at a crossroads. Is it still defined by its foundational mission to cultivate curiosity and advance knowledge, or is it defined by…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S15E1: The Rising Threat of Academic Boycotts with Netta Barak-Corren and Ronald R. Krebs
Since October 7, Israeli researchers and faculty have felt the chilling effects of a flourishing global boycott movement. In a shift that’s taken hold at high…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
The Day After: One Year Later with Ambassador Michael Oren
On November 27th, 2023, former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren laid out his vision for Israel’s endgame in Gaza. Now, more than ten months after…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
The Progressive Community: One Year Later with Sheila Katz
Following Hamas’ October 7 attack, many in the Jewish community were profoundly distressed by those on the Left who celebrated the attack or immediately cast…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
Jewish Peoplehood: One Year Later with Mijal Bitton
Maimonides Fund Scholar in Residence and Downtown Minyan Rosh Kehillah Mijal Bitton crystalized the despairing unity felt by Jews around the world on October 7…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S14E3: The Draft Controversy and a New Haredi Outlook with Yehoshua Pfeffer
The Haredi community has been facing — and facing down — mounting pressure to participate meaningfully in areas of Israeli civic life, including military…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S14E2: Faith in the Future of American Jewry with Pamela S. Nadell
Is the recent uptick in antisemitism a sign that a golden era of American Jewish life is over? Or is it the latest chapter in a long history of prejudice that…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S14E1: The Trust Trap with Yuval Levin
Americans’ faith in our leaders and institutions is at an all-time low. What is the source for this loss of confidence and what are the implications for the…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S13E3: Democracy's Pessimism Paradox with Bret Stephens
Can uncertainty — and even full-on doubt — about the future of democracy be an unlikely source of democratic strength? Watch as SAPIR Institute Director Chanan…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S13E2: The Resilience of Israel's Intelligence Services with Chuck Freilich
Fifty years after the Yom Kippur War, Israel’s vaunted military and intelligence establishment again failed to protect the Jewish state. What must it do to…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S13E1: The Courage to Be Uncool with Noa Tishby
Since October 7, American Jews have been pushed out of the places that were once their cultural and political homes. This feeling of outsiderdom is a new one…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S12E3: The Roots of Black Antisemitism with Coleman Hughes
Coleman Hughes joined Bret Stephens for a conversation on antisemitism in the black radical tradition. Hughes, the author of “Black Radicalism” in the recent…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S12E2: Gen Z and Zionism: Is There a Future? with Ammiel Hirsch and Noam Weissman
In stark contrast to previous generations, younger American Jews are growing up increasingly disconnected from Israel and Zionism. What accounts for this…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S12E1: An Insider’s Look: Israel and the Human-Rights Establishment
Former Human Rights Watch senior editor Danielle Haas sits down with SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens to discuss her recent essay, “The Human-Rights…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S11E3: Jewish Life in Our Technological Future with Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter and Dr. David Zvi Kalman
The rapid ascent of artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and other technologies requires Jewish leaders to understand the dramatic effects these…
- SAPIR with David Wolpe
S11E2: Synagogue Leadership in Turbulent Times with Rabbi Elliot J. Cosgrove and Rabbi Rachel Isaacs
SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman hosted a conversation about the future of synagogue life in a time of disruption with Rabbi Elliot J. Cosgrove of Park…