As I say at the top of many podcasts, I love to be able to bring you conversations at the intersection of the topics The Debrief covers. In this podcast with Ami Fields-Meyer, co-author of the new book On Courage: How to Be a Dissident in an Age of Fear, we wove together the fight for democracy against authoritarianism with Jewish American politics and values. Israel-Palestine formed part of our conversation, as well.
On Courage is a manual for Americans who are taking democratic backsliding in our country seriously and considering how we can fight back. It is highly relevant for readers in other countries, as well.
The topics Ami and I covered included:
What a dissident is, why would people would choose to become dissidents when costs are potentially steep and success is not guaranteed, and leveraging our relative freedom and privilege to fight back before it gets harder to do so
Four warning signs of an emerging authoritarian leader and their applicability in the current American context
How technology (including smart phones, social media, and AI) make state repression easier — and steps we should take to protect ourselves
“Double thinkers” — Mikhael Manekin of the Israeli anti-occupation group Smol Emuni (“Faithful Left”), and how “connected criticism” from inside a community can help to shift views
“Imperfect coalitions” — the notion of creating broad coalitions to halt democratic backsliding, which includes people that have significant disagreements. Ami and I explored how this could be helpful in thinking about divergences within the democratic camp over Israel-Palestine
There’s much more in our conversation, and in the book itself. A listener noted in the live chat that they plan to recommend On Courage for their book group. It’s a great idea and potentially a way to foster a “political home” — something the book advises all of us to cultivate.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this conversation!
🎉 Exciting news as we celebrate The Debrief’s first birthday this month! 🎉
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Take Action!
Urgent: Speak Out to Save Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s Life
Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya probably didn’t set out to be a dissident. He is a renowned pediatrician and was the director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan hospital, until the Israeli military arrested him in December 2024. Along with 13 other Palestinian doctors, Dr. Abu Safiya is being held in administrative detention — without charge.
His life appears to be in imminent danger. Today, UN experts called for his immediate release, stating, “In light of ongoing reports of continued severe torture and the latest reports suggesting that his injuries could lead to imminent death, Israel must ensure that Dr. Abu Safiya has access to immediate and adequate medical care.”
Dr. Abu Safiya’s lawyer states that during a recent visit, his client was almost unrecognizable due to severe injuries sustained in Israeli detention. The lawyer quoted Dr. Abu Safiya as having told him, “They brought me here to kill me. I don’t see myself surviving. This is the end.”
Last month, liberal Israeli newspaper Haaretz published an editorial calling on Israeli authorities to release Dr. Abu Safiya. The editorial argued:
“If Israel has evidence against Abu Safiya, it should indict him and present that evidence. If it doesn't have evidence against him, it needs to release him, and all the other jailed doctors, promptly.”
Senator Chris Van Hollen has demanded Dr. Abu Safiya’s release, as has Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez.
I’ve signed a petition from the Israeli organization Academia for Equality and I’d like to invite you to do so, as well. The petition is directed to “academic, medical, and legal communities in Israel” and calls on them “to act immediately to save the life of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya.” Academia for Equality works to advance equality, social justice, and Jewish-Arab partnership in academia and public life.
If you’d like to sign a petition directed to your Members of Congress, there are options for doing that, too. For example, I found petitions from CAIR and Doctors Against Genocide.
Thanks for taking action, friends!
Coming Up
Thursday, July 16, at 12:30pm Eastern
For quite some time, I’ve been wanting to do a podcast on the future of the US rabbinate. The Atra Center for Rabbinic Innovation released a study in late 2025 that included some findings that surprised me — and made me want to learn more. Among them were the demographics of current rabbinical students, only 30% of whom identify as men, while 58% identify as women and 12% as nonbinary. Further, 51% identify as LGBTQ, a huge jump from 15% among rabbis ordained 10-20 years ago. Last but not least, 16% of rabbinical students converted to Judaism and 12% identify as a race other than white.
To discuss that and what implications it might have, as well as the hot topic of where the next generation of American rabbis stands on Israel-Palestine, I’m delighted to welcome Rabbi Amelia Wolf of Congregation Etz Hayim in Arlington, Virginia and Rabbi Andy Kahn of the American Council for Judaism to The Debrief.
I hope to announce additional podcasts coming up soon, so stay tuned.
Thanks for your support of The Debrief!
Warm regards,
Debra
