The fact that I still care about being Jewish is embarrassing. I should just be a guy. But, but, but this is feels like a stain on our history. And it feels like it's changed what being Jewish is. Because what being Jewish is isn't Israel. [00:00:18] Judaism has existed for 4000 years. This is a country for 75 years. People in my life are going to be mad at me about this. But, but, but I'm saying this because I am Jewish. I feel like I'm here to be lectured, not shut up. That's not nice. You can't talk that way. [00:00:36] Turns out one of the biggest mistakes comedian Adam Freedland can possibly make is try to reach the humanity that doesn't actually exist in Democratic Congressman Richie Torres heart, as they were discussing the barbarism, the genocide and the ethnic cleansing [00:00:55] that's currently taking place in both Gaza and the West Bank. Richie Torres had. Absolutely no empathy. Even as he was speaking to a host who happens to be Jewish. So this might have something to do with it. Let's put this graphic up which shows you just how much money [00:01:14] this New York congressman has received from the Israel lobby. Nearly $1.6 million in his pretty short political career, to be quite frank. So with that in mind, let's just go to this interview, [00:01:30] which spanned a variety of topics. I should be clear. They didn't just talk about what Israel is up to. But I'm going to focus on the issues pertaining to anti-Semitism and the genocide in Gaza. So here's Freedland basically explaining how he believes that anti-Semitism is [00:01:47] rising in the United States, not because people are just hateful, but due to Israel's actions against the Palestinians. Take a look. I think hatred of Jewish people has exploded in this country. [00:02:03] And I don't think it's I think it's because of our support of what looks to be an absolute brutality. And I think that. You think that's a justification for anti-Semitism. [00:02:18] Here's the thing. I think Israeli government policies are justification for anti-Semitism. My view is no justification for anti-Semitism. I think that there's zero justification for. Okay. You're deflecting again. I'm not deflecting. It's my position. What does it look like to have a flag with a Jewish star? And I'm Jewish, and for kids to be starving right now. [00:02:36] And why is my government. I don't want to do this fight. Let's not do like a yelling at each other thing. I really just for me, it's for me. I had the experience of. It just sounds like you're justifying anti-Semitism, which makes me feel like. - Are you crazy right now? - Okay. [00:02:51] Why would I do that? You're telling you're doing the I'm Hamas thing. I mean, there's really no way around it. Ritchie Torres is just a bad person. He's a bad guy. Okay? And honestly, the one doing the lecturing here is the non-Jew. Okay. Telling the Jewish host how he should [00:03:10] feel about the fact that every single time you see images and videos of Israel's barbarism toward literal children, the response to anyone who's concerned about it is, oh, that's anti-Semitic. Yeah, that's anti-Semitic. [00:03:26] It's anti-Semitic to be concerned about innocent children being butchered by a government. Yeah. Go ahead Jake. Yeah. So, look, I just want to break down that really dumb talking point of Ritchie Torres. So. Oh, it sounds like you're justifying anti-Semitism. [00:03:43] Okay, so after nine over 11, as a muslim American, I could have said, okay, that's it. You're not allowed to talk about nine over 11. Why? Because that's riling up hatred towards Muslims as you're encouraging Islamophobia. And that would have been mental because nine over 11 did happen [00:04:01] and people were going to talk about it. Right. Now, That doesn't mean that nine over 11 happened. So hence you should hate Muslims? No. But do I understand why people mistakenly ascribe that to all Muslims? Of course I do, because I'm not a moron or pretending to be a moron for money [00:04:17] like Ritchie Torres. I know that after nine over 11, a lot of people were going to be super pissed at Muslims. And then your job is to say, hey, not all Muslims etc. Get them to rational, but then not to defend the people who did it, but to go after the people who did it. [00:04:33] But if you say no, no, no, no, if we go after the people who did nine over 11, that would be Islamophobic. And in this case, there's Ritchie Torres is saying, if you're going to try to stop Israel and not violently not anything, just can we not fund, can we not proactively finance their genocide? [00:04:48] He's like, well, if you're complaining about the genocide, then that means you're an anti-Semite. Okay. Yeah. And there. Was. $1.6 million will buy you an idiot propagandist like Ritchie Torres. Just, I mean, Soulless. [00:05:05] That's what really stood out to me about Richie Torres in the context of this interview. So, you know, as the back and forth on this topic continued, you know, Freeland, I thought this was an important moment, explained how he himself used to identify as a Zionist, and then he ended up living [00:05:22] in Israel and experienced some things that enlightened him. Take a look. - I lived there. - For to be mean. Sir, I lived there when I was 18 and I grew up in Zionism, and we were told, and our whole community in this country is told, [00:05:40] that we have to defend Israel and love Israel because it will stop the Holocaust. It will stop another Holocaust from happening. And I, my parents, my dad was born in 1951. That was six years after these atrocities. His friend's parents, he knew these people that had been through this hell, [00:05:58] these skeletons and and it terrified us. And and the understanding in our communities that we have to defend Israel. But I lived there, and I went to a settlement at the end of my year there. [00:06:15] And I looked down a hill at a Palestinian village, and I saw how they lived. And I turned back and I looked at the settlement and saw how they lived. And people live in a in a world where they're demeaned and dehumanized and surveilled constantly by people in. [00:06:31] And this is in Gaza, by people in Swat team outfits, with, with semiautomatic weapons. And that's what the world is seeing. See, this is why I, I can't stand Israel defenders, you know, [00:06:47] just defaming the entirety of the Jewish population by saying that what's happening right now in Gaza is being done on behalf of the Jewish population in the name of the Jewish population, because it's not it's not about the Jewish people at all. [00:07:04] I mean, I look, I listen to Friedland there and what he's saying. And this is a man with a heart and a soul, and he, he, he knows that there's injustice and he's speaking out against it. So to do what Netanyahu and the IDF [00:07:20] is doing in the name of Jewish people overall is one of the most disgusting and defamatory things - I have seen in modern history. - Yeah. So this is a perfect example of how it's not about religion. It's about a government. Right? [00:07:36] Because you have a Jewish person saying, I don't want anybody to do this in my name. And he being a wonderful, decent, moral person, and you have a person who is representing Israel, who is not Jewish, saying, no, Israel should get to, kill all these people. And the people who are being killed are guilty. [00:07:52] And the people doing the killing are not guilty. Right. And so why is he saying that? Is he saying that to protect Jews? No, as Adam is pointing out, no, he's actually putting Jews in greater danger. And, and, and one of the reasons that he's putting them in greater danger is because he's he saying, if you criticize the monstrous actions [00:08:09] of Israel, that means you hate Jews? An attack on Israel is an attack on all Jews. All Jews are then responsible for all of Israel's actions. But that's nuts, because no one in the Israeli cabinet called any of my Jewish friends or family. They didn't. It's not true. [00:08:25] They're just using Jews as human shields. So no, no, no you can't. If you criticize Israel, that means you criticize. Okay, then again, back to nine over 11. It's so can you imagine Israel is doing something terrible. Al Qaeda did something terrible. And by the way, Israel killed has so far killed 20 times the number of people [00:08:45] al Qaeda killed on nine over 11. You want to catch feelings about. Oh, my God, you can't compare them, I just did. Okay. And if you kill 20 times the number of people as al Qaeda, you're probably should be looking at yourself as what's wrong with you as opposed to how dare you compare me to al Qaeda when I am the great and holy Israel? [00:09:06] You're not. You're a sick government in the middle of a genocide. So if somebody made the audacious and preposterous argument that you cannot criticize al Qaeda, al Qaeda, because they represent all Muslims, that would hurt the Muslim community, and I would speak out super forcefully and [00:09:24] say, no, they don't represent all Muslims. Are you insane? We're not in favor of that kind of terrorism. But here people are saying, no, the non-Jew is telling the Jew, hey, you know what? Israel represents all of you, and you're all responsible for Israel's actions. [00:09:40] He's like, no, I'm not. I'm against it. He's like, shut up, Jewish person. I'm telling you what's right. It's insane. It's ludicrous. Ludicrous it is. So finally, despite the fact that, you know, Freedland explained [00:09:56] what his own personal experiences in Israel happened to be. Ritchie Torres basically took it, threw it in the trash. And even after the interview was technically over, they still engaged in a bit of a back and forth. The cameras were still rolling and while it was awkward, [00:10:12] I think it's worth taking a look at it. We could have talked about so much other stuff. No, I think you had an agenda to speak about this. - I didn't have an agenda. - I really didn't. It's your number one topic. It's not my number one topic. It's just not. - It is. - You're not my number one topic. [00:10:27] It's not what I saw. Well, then I'm happy I was not elected on this show. You don't get elected in the South Bronx, in the. Bronx to make you feel bad or like. But I just don't think you know what you're talking about. Yeah, I don't think you know what you're talking about, Richie. [00:10:44] Okay. You are the one who's literally paid to say and spew the bile that comes out of your mouth. Yeah. And for him to lecture Friedland is just. It's disgusting. I feel bad because you could tell Friedland was really thinking [00:10:59] that they could have, like, a a real exchange here, you know? But you can't really have a genuine exchange. A sincere conversation with a robot with an empty suit, with someone who's just, I don't know, soulless. I look at Richie Torres and I see soulless. [00:11:16] Go ahead. Jake. Yeah. So last couple things here. This is old school versus new school, too. So the new school is. I don't care that I'm from Turkey. Adam doesn't care that he lived in Israel. We're all just trying to do the right thing, right? So if the Turkish president is, you know, attacking democracy, [00:11:32] which he is, we call him out. Why? Because we're Americans, and we got no dog in that fight. And our job is in news is to be unbiased. Adam is doing the same thing for Israel. You know why? Because he's an American. And so that's why we protect our Jewish American brothers and sisters [00:11:48] and do not make the mistake Ritchie Torres wants you to make, and AIPAC wants you to make and assume that all Jews agree with the heinous actions of Israel. But so why does Ritchie Torres care about that? Because he's like, he woke up like, gosh, he woke up in the Bronx and he's like, oh God, Israel, I'm just dying to protect Israel no matter what. [00:12:06] Even if they do a genocide, I can't wait to support them. No, it's because he's corrupt and he got paid $1.6 million. So the core of this issue isn't even Israel. It's money in politics because Ritchie Torres will do anything for money. So if you think he's not selling out to the drug companies, the oil companies [00:12:22] and all those he sells out to everyone. And if anyone else gave him one point, if Sweden gave him 1.6 million, Botswana gave him $1.6 million. He'd be like, oh, of course, the great people of Sweden, and they should be allowed to murder anyone they like. And if you and if you are, criticize them, you're anti-swedish okay. [00:12:39] He would say it. Of course he would say it. He gets paid to represent his donors and not his voters. And finally, that leads to the Bronx comment. He's like, Bronx is not really an issue in Israel. I'm not doing this to win. No, no, of course it's not an issue in Israel, in the Bronx and that. [00:12:56] But why do you keep talking about a nonstop? You're one of the top congressmen to constantly talk about Israel. Okay. And how does it help you win an election? Not by getting voters. You know how it helps you by getting the money, Lebowski. And so the money comes in and you use that money to lie to your voters [00:13:14] to trick them into voting for you. You never talk about Israel because your voters wouldn't like that. Instead, you tell them other lies that you bought with the AIPAC money. So, no, look, Adam did a nice job trying to interview this corporate sellout, but the reality is, there's no talking to these people. Not only are they robot Santa, on top of that, they're so corrupt. [00:13:31] You can't have an honest conversation because an honest conversation is you're doing it for the money. And then he'd be like, oh, no way, man, I just love Israel's genocide. Okay, whatever. He's useless. But by the way, remember, Ritchie Torres is not like some exception to the rule. [00:13:47] He is the rule that is the great majority of our congressmen. They don't care about Jewish people. They don't care about religion. They don't care about their voters. All they care about is, where's the money? I will be a prostitute for anyone who pays me. So that is how Ritchie Torres is very symbolic of the US Congress. [00:14:05] Every time you ring the bell below, an angel gets his wings. Totally not true. But it does keep you updated on our live shows.