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 Boot

Andy Bloch - Poker Pro, MIT Engineer, Harvard Lawyer

Albert Destrade - Dating Coach, Entrepeneur, Survivor Loser

Ari Engel - Nomadic Poker Pro

Amnon "Gutz" Filippi - Poker Pro

Jeff Gross - GG Million$ Host, JeffGrossPodcast

Mike "The Mouth" Matusow - Poker Pro

Eric "E-Wee" Mizrachi - Poker Pro

Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi - Hall of Fame Poker Pro

Robert 'Whosbad" Mizrachi - Poker Pro

Daniel "Kid Poker" Negreanu - Hall of Fame Poker Pro

Robbie Strazynski - Cardplayer Lifestyle Founder

Melanie Weisner - Poker Pro, Coach

00:00 - Intro: "Chosen Links by Boaz" Theme & Credits

08:20 - "How have you had to adapt your gameplay over the years?" - Daniel Negreanu

13:15 - "Women in Poker: Why are the numbers still so low?" - Melanie Weisner & Group

27:15 - "Is it a boy's club? Do you want your female partner to join you?" - Albert Destrade et al

38:34 - "Is it a red flag to date a poker player? Are you degenerates?!" - Everyone

46:22 - "How will the new Federal Tax law impact your ability to earn money?" Daniel Negreanu et al

48:01 - "How have you changed or matured over the years?" Daniel et al

55:55 - Jeff Gross leaves

1:04:12 - "Do you consider yourself as professional poker players gamblers?" Ari Engel et al

1:08:20 - "Behind the Scenes of the 2025 WSOP Main Event win." - Michael Mizrachi

1:14:57 - PART 2: "Has anyone ever asked you not to show Jewish or Israeli representation?"

1:16:25 - "How do you handle playing with people who publicly protest Israel and Zionists like Dan Bilzerian and Justin Bonomo?" Everyone

1:58:40 - "How would you try to win the PR war and how do you win this urban war?" - Melanie Weisner et al

2:25:50 - Boaz brings it all together and explains why so many of us feel politicall homeless.

2:30:08 - Final optimistic thoughts from each guest...

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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 University

Nir Boms - Co-Director, Regional Cooperation Program, Tel Aviv University

Soraya Deen - CEO, Muslim Women Speakers

Dan Feferman - Co-Chair, Sharaka. Mideast Affairs Expert

Zach Grashin - Writer-Director

Ahmed Khuzaie - Political Consultant

Chama Mechtaly - Founder & Policy Advisor

Alex Plitsas - Director, Counterterrorism Project, The Atlantic Council

Ahmed Quraishi - Journalist & Regional Affairs Specialist

Yaara Segal - Abraham Accords Expert & MENA Strategy Consultant

Marc Sievers - Director, AJC Abu Dhabi

Ksenia Svetlova - Executive Director, ROPES

Amjad Taha - Politcal Strategist in Middle East Affairs

Ethan Winterstein - ICC Geller Senior Fellow

0:00:19 – Boaz introduces the Abraham Accords panel

0:15:25 – Boaz to Amjad Taha: "Where do the Abraham Accords stand after October 7?"

0:20:54 – Boaz thanks Amjad before his exit

0:25:13 – Boaz to Dan Feferman: "What are you doing in Poland and what's next for Sharaka?"

0:34:50 – Boaz asks: "How many of you are Muslim? Any Christians or non-denominationals?"

0:45:05 – Ahmed explains Islamic roots of Muslim-Jewish prayer toward Jerusalem

0:48:28 -- Chama finishes speaking and Dan says goodbye

0:48:56 -- Ethan telling about his experiences with the Geller Fellowship

0:52:23 – Boaz shares personal stories of Muslim solidarity after October 7

0:56:30 – Chama describes her dual Muslim and Jewish heritage

1:02:40 – Chama: “The Abraham Accords created a new foundation for belonging”

1:09:57 – Dan Feferman exits the episode

1:10:30 – Ethan shares post-Oct 7 student experience and UAE-Israel trip

1:16:30 – Boaz to the group: “Is there urgency on the Arab side too?”

1:17:13 – Chama: “The Accords came from fear of extremism post-Arab Spring”

1:21:16 – Ahmed: “Muslim societies need Israel to confront ideological demons”

1:39:30 – Boaz asks: “Are the Abraham Accords a partisan issue?”

1:42:02 – Boaz thanks Chama as she exits

1:48:47 – Zach reports live from Tel Aviv as rocket sirens go off

1:53:38 – Boaz launches lightning round: “Rapid-fire audience questions to the panel”

2:01:02 – Boaz to the group: “Are the Abraham Accords being promoted outwardly?”

2:13:38 – Boaz: “We have 15 minutes left — final questions to each of you”

2:15:09 – Boaz reads question from Owen Zaret: “Are Abraham Accords countries recruiting others?”

2:17:52 – Guests reflect on missed implementation & organizing challenges

2:18:55 – Example shared: UAE mediating indirect talks between Israel and Syria

2:44:25 – Boaz reflects on complexity, diversity, and disagreement

2:45:50 – Boaz invites closing remarks: “20 seconds each — what didn’t you get to say?”

2:46:01 – Final thoughts from Yaara, Ethan, Ambassador Sievers, and Ahmed

2:48:06 – Boaz closes the episode​

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"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 filmmaker. In fact, Chava is an award-winning documentarian with over 100 short films to her name, including a TV pilot and three documentaries. Her most recent film, Resilient, has won 7 awards to date—5 for Best Picture, 1 for Best Musical Score, and 1 for Best Cinematography.

Boaz was joined by:

Soraya Deen – CEO, Muslim Women Speakers

Chava Floryn – Filmmaker, Author, Somatic Healer

Barbara Heller – Actor, Writer, Podcaster

Peter Himmelman – Musician. Author. Visual Artist

Maayan Hoffman – Executive Editor, ILTV News & Correspondent, The Media Line

Rabbi YY Jacobson – World Renowned Speaker

Rona Lalezary – Mindset Trainer and International Public Speaker

Micki Lavin-Pell – Marriage, Family, Sex and Trauma Therapist

Or Meir Ooliel – Musician and October 7 Survivor

Orli Peter – CEO, Israel Healing Initiative

Howard Rosenman – Producer

Gil Troy – Author of ''To Resist the Academic Intifada''

Tehran Von Ghasri – Comedian & Social Commentator

Timestamps:

0:02:46 – Guest Introductions Begin

0:17:05 – End of intros

0:18:06 – Boaz asks Chava: “Why did you go make a documentary after Oct 7?”

0:25:59 – Gil Troy gives historical context for Israel’s resilience

0:29:46 – Rabbi YY Jacobson on discussing trauma with children

0:34:13 – Gil chimes in

0:36:41 – Peter Himmelman on Jewish strength through humor and history

0:40:05 – Gil exits; Micki on healing through helping

0:43:48 – Peter and Orli Peter: “Is empathy love, or something else?”

0:49:18 – Boaz (as a nurse): “How do you stay empathetic without burning out?”

0:50:01 – Maayan & Chava on trauma programs from IDF and government

0:55:43 – Boaz to Or: “Do survivors like you feel seen by the system?” (+Chava, Maayan, Orli)

1:02:57 – Rona chimes in

1:04:24 – Or opens up about needing therapy

1:06:10 – Tehran chimes in

1:09:53 – Soraya chimes in

1:13:50 – BREAK

1:14:47 – Boaz to Soraya: “Why join a Jewish-centered conversation?”

1:21:23 – Tehran chimes in with Peter

1:27:00 – Maayan on her deep bonds with non-Jewish allies

1:30:55 – Boaz to Barb: “How do we process grief without imploding?”

1:39:41 – Micki chimes in

1:41:38 – Chava on a family visiting LA post-trauma

1:45:24 – Or recounts his October 7th survival story

1:56:14 – Tehran and Peter chime in

2:01:35 – Soraya chimes in

2:03:07 – Tehran to Soraya: messaging of love from Muslim allies

2:07:04 – Peter’s story about an Uber driver from India

2:09:00 – Rona on Mental Health Is Real

2:14:05 – Howard Rosenman speaks

2:19:40 – Final thoughts: “What gives you hope?”

2:29:25 – Boaz final thoughts

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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

-- Aaron Bandler – Jewish Journal

-- Yfat Barak-Cheney – World Jewish Congress

-- Jordan Cope – StandWithUs

-- Christian Gribneau – Justapedia Foundation

-- Mathilda Heller – The Jerusalem Post

-- Ohad Merlin – The Jerusalem Post

-- David Swindle – The Algemeiner

-- Jonathan M Weiss – Wikipedia Editor

-- Betty Wills – Justapedia Foundation

-- David Wiseman – Online Reputation Expert

Chapters:

3:27 – Bios

11:43 – Boaz reads listener-Wikipedia exchange

17:57 – Jonathan on current editing activity

19:26 – Jordan asks about left-right balance

22:55 – Dr. Shlomit expands on Hamas coverage

25:45 – Wikipedia vs Al Jazeera?

27:57 – Consensus sources explained

29:05 – Is JPost a “trusted” source?

35:48 – When did bias begin?

39:01 – David on his investigations

40:21 – Dr. Shlomit: pre/post-October 7

53:41 – Ohad gives Eurovision example

55:08 – Jordan on legal liability

56:40 – Betty on lawsuits

58:27 – Anonymity and accountability

1:02:01 – Mathilda replies

1:03:13 – Betty on Wikipedia's monopoly

1:03:55 – Dr. Shlomit: sue Google, not Wikipedia

1:05:15 – David: no clear solution

1:07:24 – Betty on Justapedia as alternative

1:10:27 – Aaron clarifies Section 230

1:13:29 – Yfat: “train has left the station”

1:15:51 – Christian offers optimism

1:17:51 – Break

1:18:23 – Return

1:18:52 – Bible as a source?

1:19:38 – Aaron on the Wikipedia "Blacklist"

1:21:42 – David replies

1:22:26 – Arabic Wikipedia discussion

1:23:47 – Banners since Oct 7

1:25:30 – Day 1 confirmation

1:26:54 – Jordan: recent changes

1:28:10 – Betty on school radicalization

1:30:30 – Farewell to Jordan

1:31:02 – Wikipedia as a movement

1:33:44 – Wikipedia vs UNRWA

1:35:19 – Fixing Wikipedia?

1:36:10 – Christian on article visibility

1:39:12 – Yfat: digital literacy

1:41:39 – Risks of AI as solution?

1:43:15 – Betty: Wikipedia mirrors media

1:44:26 – Jon: Wikipedia reflects public bias

1:45:08 – Did Wikipedia change over time?

1:46:40 – David on antisemitism's rise

1:47:27 – Betty on universities

1:47:52 – Wikipedia-critical article downgraded

1:49:52 – Mathilda on editor bans

1:53:20 – Aaron responds

1:56:19 – Boaz summarizes

1:58:42 – Are foreign actors involved?

2:03:03 – Can editors be less anonymous?

2:05:07 – Shlomit: anonymity = no accountability

2:08:20 – David explains “sock/meat puppets”

2:09:42 – Jon replies

2:10:20 – Canvassing on Wikipedia

2:11:07 – Jon elaborates

2:12:13 – Yfat replies

2:13:50 – Boaz lightens the mood

2:14:32 – Final thoughts: How do we fix bias?

Final Answers:

2:16:03 – Ohad

2:19:17 – David Wiseman

2:21:07 – Mathilda

2:23:18 – David Swindle

2:24:47 – Christian

2:27:32 – Betty

2:29:53 – Jon

2:32:13 – Yfat

2:33:18 – Dr. Shlomit

2:37:54 – Aaron

2:40:49 – Boaz's final thoughts

2:44:48 – Goodnight​

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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 American Jew or Indijewness"

BournRich - "A Jew living the African American experience"

Emily Bowen Cohen - "Muscogee-Jewish"

Jenny Cohen - "Mexican Jew"

Abraham Hamra - "Syrian Jew"

Eliana Jolkovsky - "Korean-American Jew"

Mari Katz O'Leary - "Hispanic Jew"

Iola Kostrzewski - "Black Sephardic Jew"

Aimee Lacaden - "Pacific Islander, European, Jewish"

Matthew Nouriel - "Iranian Jew"

Tabby Refael - Iranian American Jew"

Raymond Roker - "Bahamian-American & Ashkenazi"

Elizabeth Younger - "Choctaw Native American Jew"

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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 Educator

Chaya Lev - Dancing Vibemaker

Rachel Moon - Social Media Influencer and Activist

April Powers - Global Head of DEI, Antisemitism

Dr. Yehudah Pryce - Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Elisheva Rishon - That Modest Fashionista Thought Leader

Ashira Solomon - Host of the Black and Jewish Podcast

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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 if a family member does, you'll all be on the top of the list? And those are just the ones you can donate while still alive and healthy!

Not all of us become doctors and nurses to save lives (okay, I did), but these are tangible things we can do with little downside, but all of the upside in the world for the person on the receiving end.

I sat with 8 incredible individuals discussing their roles in this adventure:

Jay Feinberg, Leukemia survivor, and Founder + CEO of Gift of Life Marrow Registry.

Mike Gabler, heart valve specialist (and winner of CBS's Survivor).

Bonnie Lilien, kidney recipient (from Rabbi Jason Weiner).

Dr. Nick Nissen, liver transplant surgeon at Cedars Sinai.

Scot Pollard, NBA champion, and recent Heart transplant recipient.

Dr. Laurel Schramm, pediatrician, and recent liver donor.

Rabbi Jason Weiner, kidney donor (to Bonnie Lilien) and head Chaplain at Cedars Sinai.

Abraham Zilkha, 2 time donor to the same recipient via Gift of Life.

And for easy reference, here are the 2 sites to signup:

Gift of Life (Bone Marrow Registry) https://www.giftoflife.org/

Renewal (Kidney donation) https://www.renewal.org/

At the very least listen to this enjoyable conversation, and see if it inspires you. I bet it will.

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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.

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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.

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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.

They just want peace, a true peace, a 2-state solution, not a river to the sea intifada, and I hope you'll take the time for this wonderful conversation.

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And for fans of the show, don't you worry, there's certainly some discussion of the show included!

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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, and we had a plan for an episode the next day. He got Jordan Cope to speak for StandWithUs, Alexander J Minn to speak about Don's assistance with UC Irvine, and the deservedly world famous Emily Austin.

I worked a bit of my own magic, and got The Simon Wiesenthal Center's Rabbi Abraham Cooper, and Arizona State Representative Consuelo Hernandez. And to edit the work professionally in a hurry, PokerGO's Mike Burgher came to the rescue. And just like that, we had a phenomenal Round Table!

Enjoy the conversation, subscribe to the Chosen Links channel on YouTube, and check out Instagram for the reels that are sure to go viral!

And let's get Don Samuels elected for the Democratic party next week, and unseat Ilhan Omar!

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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 with Carly Gammill, legal rep from StandWithUs - Carly explains what Title VI is about, and answers questions directly from the students. And she does it in a way you can actually understand!

Part 3 - Round Table - Boaz talks to the remaining students, in this helpful and meaningful conversation.

Tune in for this weird, dark, and at times humorous insight into the experiences of Jewish and pro-Israel students from across the country. With collaborations by StandWithUs, Israel on Campus Coalition, Camera on Campus, End Jew Hatred & We Are Tov.

Thank you to the following students for their invaluable and brave participation:

Ada Hepner, Adam Saar, Adam Thaw, Aden Kosoi, Alana Goldman, Alex Rosenblum, Alexandra Ahdoot, Allison Stone, Angelina Palumbo, Ari Haim, Aron Goodman, Abi Nosrati, Avram Plager, Brandon Meyer, Cara Lopatin, Charlie Leeds, Darius Gross, Edan Levy, Ethan Hamid, Ethan Winterstein, Ezra Landman-Feigelson, Fanya Fenton, Gabriel Gaysinsky, Gideon Askowitz, Nani Chung, Jake Rendler, Jake Kaplan, Joe Gindi, Joslyn Reile, Max Bray, Maya Ungar, Noa Fay, Noah Rinsler, Noah Rubin, Sam Rappoport, Sami Ilan, Sammy Shiff, Sari Eisen, Sophie Bulkin, Topaz Gal-Zur, Yasi Ohebsion, Yuval Jacobi, Shabbos Kestenbaum

And thank you to Cantor Rachel Goldman Ruiz and L.E. Staiman for their appearances, David Kopp for last minute camerawork, and Chad Rubel for his editing expertise.

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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

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