Podcast Summary: Totally Booked with Zibby

Episode: Kimberly Brooks, 10 THINGS EVERY JEW SHOULD KNOW BEFORE THEY GO TO COLLEGE
Host: Zibby Owens
Guest: Kimberly Brooks (illustrator, co-conceiver, and editor of the book, partnered with authors Emily Schrader and Blake Flayton)
Release Date: August 21, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the urgent necessity for Jewish college students—and their families—to understand essential facts and context about antisemitism, Israel, and the complexities they may face on campus. Zibby Owens interviews Kimberly Brooks, illustrator and editorial force behind 10 Things Every Jew Should Know Before They Go to College: An Illustrated Guide, created alongside experts Emily Schrader and Blake Flayton. The discussion traverses Brooks’s inspiration for the project, the alarming gaps in knowledge among American Jews, the proliferation of misinformation particularly on college campuses, and the critical importance of being factually and emotionally prepared.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Genesis of the Book

[06:29–10:54]

• Brooks describes how as an artist and author she became concerned during the pandemic about the surge of online misinformation and antisemitic rhetoric, especially after joining Clubhouse discussions during the May 2021 conflict between Israel and Hamas.
• She observed first-hand the "morass of misinformation" and realized even educated American Jews lacked basic historical and political knowledge pertinent to defending themselves.
  • “I have like a couple superpowers. One is that I paint… [the other is] I know how to take very complex information and break it down into the smallest, simplest parts.” [09:45, Brooks]
• Inspired by her own children entering college and stories from co-creators about antisemitism on their campuses, Brooks saw the need for an accessible, illustrated guide.

The Role and Limitations of Expertise

[10:54–13:44]

• Zibby asks why Brooks didn't put her name more prominently on the cover.
  • Brooks responds her role was as editor, visual storyteller, and content "herder," but she deferred to the subject-matter expertise of Schrader and Flayton.
  • She expresses concern about the growing crisis: “We are raising our kids in these safe, warm, cozy environments… When they go to college, they're entering a sawmill of misinformation.” [11:50, Brooks]

Shocking Discoveries While Researching

[13:44–17:06]

• The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA): Brooks was stunned to learn about its unique status and criticisms, particularly that its existence “deincentivizes” resolving refugee status.
  • “My money is going to an agency that builds rockets to kill Jews and indoctrinates kids to hate Jews from the time that they're born. So that's chapter five. It's called the Stick up...” [14:25, Brooks]
• The branding of "Palestinian": She clarifies it was coined in the 1960s, and previously Jews in the region were also referred to this way.
• Misconceptions about Israel’s founding: The land originally settled by Jews was undesirable (desert/swamps), but was transformed, leading to later resentment.
• The United Nations’ bias: Brooks describes the UN as having become a “twisted theater of dictatorships” where Israel is unfairly targeted.
  • “It's laughable. Almost the United Nations...” [16:40, Brooks]

Combatting Misinformation and Systemic Bias

[19:35–24:45]

• Zibby probes what can be done given the pervasive, curricular-level spread of misinformation.
  • Brooks warns: “It looks like it’s going into public record. It’s in other textbooks. It’s... in the curriculum.” [19:39, Owens]
• Brooks responds:
  • The “poison” of some ethnic studies curricula is already institutionalized, sometimes even earlier than college.
  • “Theoretically, the book should be called 10 Things Every Jew Should Know before they Start Kindergarten.” [20:25, Brooks]
  • She emphasizes the book’s 590 citations and nonpartisan, factual approach as a critical shield for students' intellectual self-defense.
• Brooks references increasing numbers of students, even those with Jewish backgrounds, becoming susceptible to anti-Israel propaganda.
  • She recommends David Bernstein’s Woke Anti Semitism for deeper analysis of how progressive ideologies sometimes morph into “asymmetrical warfare” against Jews and Israel.

Emotional Toll, Family Conversation, and the "Shield" Metaphor

[24:45–26:55]

• Zibby shares her plan to give the book to her own teens:
  • “This is our dinnertime quiz as we read it this summer. But we need this. And I think that people are often intimidated because the other has so much information all the time... they feel like bullied and ill equipped... and so they don’t [engage].” [24:52, Owens]
• Brooks underscores how knowledge can combat helplessness, and reiterates the emotional impact of what she uncovered:
  • “The more I realized, the more furious I became... how deep the lies are. ...You have one people that’s been holding an olive branch consistently for decades and decades and decades.” [25:35, Brooks]
  • She notes the persistent ideological challenge that “there exists a people and an ideology... that want Jews either converted or dead. That’s hard to... fathom.” [25:54, Brooks]

Personal Impact & The State of Arts and Academia

[26:55–28:16]

• Zibby asks about backlash or negative consequences for Brooks.
  • Brooks replies she is fortunate to have grown up in a diverse, open era but notices “the art world has its own issues with antisemitism.” [27:03, Brooks]
  • She laments recent curricular trends marginalizing Jewish contributions:
    • “Now, a lot of curriculums are denuding... Western civilization of their Jews because they’re Jews... It’s really the opposite of what... good intentions... of diversity were supposed to do.” [27:34, Brooks]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I was a Clubhouse Jew. ...People are telling so many lies about Jews. ...Many Jews actually were just sort of learning about what it meant to be Jewish or anything like that.”
  [08:15, Brooks]

• “I really think... it's one of the most important things I've ever done. ...They're turning it into a textbook for many different temples and schools.”
  [12:35, Brooks]

• “The title needed to be acute because... we are raising our kids in these safe, warm, cozy environments... when they go to college, they're entering a sawmill of misinformation.”
  [11:46, Brooks]

• “Ironically, the same indoctrination that was happening in UNWA schools is now going to— is happening in America under the guise of this ethnic studies curriculum.”
  [21:36, Brooks]

• “Knowledge is power. This, to me, is a shortcut to the knowledge.”
  [22:05, Brooks]

• “The house is on fire, you know, so. So I think on some level, Reform Jewish education has failed.”
  [23:39, Brooks]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 06:29 – Genesis of the project: Brooks’ path from artist to book editor/conceiver
• 08:20 – Clubhouse experiences during Israel-Hamas 2021 conflict and misinformation revelation
• 11:03 – Why Brooks did not take a lead author byline
• 13:56 – Most shocking discoveries for the book (UNRWA, “the occupation”, the UN)
• 19:35 – What can be done about antisemitic misinformation; curricular challenges
• 20:25 – Extent of the problem: should start before college, not after
• 24:45 – Zibby discusses using the book as a conversation starter with her children
• 25:35 – Brooks on the emotional toll and urgency: “the more I learned, the more furious I became…”
• 27:03 – Personal price and the marginalization of Jews in arts and academia

Conclusion

Brooks and Owens close with gratitude for the book’s contribution and call for its wide adoption. Brooks’s work is depicted as both an emergency response and a vital educational tool; the episode leaves listeners with a sense of urgency about combating antisemitism with informed resilience.

Final takeaway:
10 Things Every Jew Should Know Before They Go to College is not just a response to a moment of crisis but a vital roadmap for young Jews and their families to understand, defend, and take pride in their identity—and to withstand rising tides of misinformation and hate with factual knowledge and emotional strength.

Listen to the full episode for deeper insights and stories behind the guide, as well as reflections on the power of art and community in the fight against antisemitism.