Award-winning comedian, writer and professional provocateur Sami Shah joins Tami Sussman and Anthony Levin in the studio this week, but he’s not here to answer questions ... he’s here to ask them. In this loose, insightful and hilarious conversation, Sami probes the Anthony and Tami about South East Asian Jews, male circumcision and how they’d like to be buried. Expect laughter, discomfort, surprising insights and a few things you’re definitely ashamed to admit.

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Articles relevant to this episode:

https://thejewishindependent.com.au/im-part-jewish-part-australian-and-part-indian-where-do-i-belong

https://thejewishindependent.com.au/the-dads-redefining-jewish-belonging-for-their-kids

https://thejewishindependent.com.au/save-a-seat-at-the-table-for-death

https://thejewishindependent.com.au/unnecessary-alarm-over-circumcision

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Are you interested in issues affecting Jews in Australia, the Middle East and the world at large but a little bit ashamed that you don’t know much about it all … because you’re like … not Jewish ? Well you’ve come to the right place!

For the next few episodes, we’ll be inviting someone who isn’t Jewish, to raise all the awkward questions you might be too ashamed to ask.

First up in this week’s spin-off, Tami and co-host Elise Esther Hearst (filling in for Dash) are joined by writer & dramaturg Van Badham who asks them some questions about their experience as Jewish people and creatives. Expect to hear about Jewish mythology, arts community politics + Tami & Elise’s speciality: intergenerational trauma!

Welcome to Ashamed to Ask

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Are you interested in how Jewish Australians are approaching the upcoming federal election? If you answered YES, then this is the episode for you.

Join Tami, Dash, (former advisor to Anthony Albanese) Dean Sherr and (former advisor to Malcolm Turnbull) Jack Pinczewski as they have a go at cutting through some seriously chewy and Jewy election topics.

For more visit The Jewish Independent

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Tami and Dash sit down with social researcher and author Neer Korn to explore the big question: Is Australia actually racist? From synagogue attacks to very public displays of anti-Zionism, Jewish Australians are feeling less safe since October 7. Neer explains why that fear - while understandable - might not reflect the full story. They cover antisemitism, institutional racism and why your average Aussie doesn’t think much about Jews at all.

Articles relevant to this episode:

https://thejewishindependent.com.au/are-australians-racist-ive-been-trying-to-bait-them-for-years

https://thejewishindependent.com.au/australias-last-antisemitism-crisis-was-different

https://thejewishindependent.com.au/survey-shows-protests-are-hurting-the-palestinian-cause

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Why does the Australian Jewish community need its own climate advocacy network? In this episode, Tami and Dash sit down with Joel Lazar - CEO of the Jewish Climate Network - to discuss the intersection of Jewish values and climate responsibility. Joel explains how Jewish teachings inspire environmental stewardship, busts some common myths, shares some illuminating ‘factoids’ and tackles the challenges of climate advocacy in a polarised political landscape.

Articles relevant to this episode:

https://thejewishindependent.com.au/out-of-a-synagogue-in-flames-a-compulsion-for-climate-action

https://thejewishindependent.com.au/inserting-climate-into-the-jewish-conversation

Article mentioned in this episode:

https://thejewishindependent.com.au/should-mum-or-dad-have-the-safe-sex-chat

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Tami sits down with Mizrahi comedian Rapha Manajem to talk about his upcoming Melbourne International Comedy Festival show, The Salmon Was Good. Rapha who proudly claims a Mizrahi/Ashkenazi – and potentially Sri Lankan Jewish – heritage dives into the chaos of identity, family and his most memorable experience as a Jewish youth movement leader.

As one of many Aussie-Jewish comedians lighting up MICF this year (alongside Jude Perl, Josh Glanc, and Jacob Sacher), Rapha gives us a taste of what to expect from his show. Did we mention he’s Mizrahi?

Articles relevant to this episode:

https://thejewishindependent.com.au/five-jewish-laughs-at-melbournes-comedy-festival

https://thejewishindependent.com.au/my-mother-is-german-jewish-and-my-father-is-arab-israeli-which-makes-me-sri-lankan

https://thejewishindependent.com.au/should-mum-or-dad-have-the-safe-sex-chat

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In his third book, The Jews: An Indigenous People, author and advocate Ben M Freeman argues that to fully embrace Jewish indigeneity and reject the non-Jewish world’s attempt to impose its thinking upon us, the Jewish people must re-examine the idea that Judaism is a religion. Tami and Dash have some follow-up questions, and in this episode of ATA, Ben M Freeman answers them.

Articles relevant to this episode:

https://thejewishindependent.com.au/the-pomegranate-proof-jews-as-an-indigenous-people

https://thejewishindependent.com.au/we-need-to-stop-thinking-of-judaism-as-a-religion

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To celebrate the launch of TJI’s Body Image Series ‘Every Body’, Tami and Dash speak to Dietitian, Nutritionist, Author, Podcaster, Ted X Speaker, TV Personality and Influencer Lyndi Cohen. Lyndi discusses her experience growing up as a South African migrant in Sydney's Jewish community and how cultural norms and expectations shaped her relationship with body image and dieting. Together, they unpack the link between diet culture and intergenerational trauma in Jewish communities and Lyndi shares practical tips for breaking free from these harmful cycles.

Articles relevant to this episode:

https://thejewishindependent.com.au/how-do-you-ladies-stay-so-slim

https://thejewishindependent.com.au/beyond-body-shaming

https://thejewishindependent.com.au/under-the-sheitel

https://thejewishindependent.com.au/my-experience-of-my-body-has-radically-shifted

Email your feedback and voice memos here: ashamed@thejewishindependent.com.au

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