Podcast
War is Stupid: An Anti-War Podcast About War
Hosted by Orli Matlow · EN
The history and comedy podcast that challenges the centuries-old conventional wisdom that war is the smart and sensible thing to do. Hosted by comedian Orli Matlow.
35episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Italian Americans Are MAGAroni? with Comedian Ron Placone
5d ago00:57:07Tap to summarizeOrli Matlow sits down with Italian American comedian Ron Placone, whose show Anti-Fascist Pasta Night is heading to the Edinburgh Fringe this August. They discuss the true history of fighting fascism with food, covering everything from Mussolini to Heated Rivalry. Ron opens up about his political awakening during the Iraq War, the multiplicity of Italian American identity, and shares his pro tips for surviving a run at the biggest arts festival on the planet. Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective. Follow Ron: Website Instagram Substack Podcast YouTube Watch Left At Wall: Tubi YouTube Follow Orli: Instagram TikTok Website
Transcribe →Trauma Begets Trauma? with British Jewish Filmmaker Gillian Mosely
2w ago00:35:34Tap to summarizeOrli Matlow sits down with British Jewish filmmaker Gillian Mosely, whose latest film Planet Israel explores Israeli society during and after October 7th. She investigates how right-wing Religious Zionism and settler ideology came to dominate Israel, with its roots in the work of Bibi’s dad’s boss Ze’ev Jabotinsky and Brooklyn-born convicted felon Rabbi Meir Kahane. They discuss what we owe our ancestors, interviewing people in Gaza, and the British Jewish experience—including Orli (figuratively) bombing in Camden cabarets. Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective. Watch Planet Israel on Kinema Follow Planet Israel: Website Instagram Follow Orli: Instagram TikTok Website
Transcribe →Veterans Appreciate "Thank You For Your Service"? with Common Defense
3w ago01:03:14Tap to summarizeOrli Matlow sits down with Common Defense organizer Michael Carter and member Susan O’Neill, who served as an Operating Room Nurse in Vietnam. They discuss organizing veterans against forever wars, authoritarianism and VA privatization, and what Supporting The Troops actually looks like, with shoutouts to Stephen Sondheim and Bruce Springsteen along the way. They talk the realities that lead people to join the military, the militarization of society, and finding hope in people—and birds. Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective. Follow Common Defense: Instagram YouTube Website Follow Susan: Buy Don't Mean Nothing on Amazon Website Follow Michael: Instagram Substack Website Follow Orli: Instagram TikTok Website
Transcribe →Cuba Is The Future? with Comedian Gabe Pacheco
4w ago00:51:51Tap to summarizeOrli Matlow sits down with comedian Gabe Pacheco, who might soon be subpoenaed by the federal government for joining the same aid mission to Cuba as Hasan Piker. They talk about Cuba’s history and present, whether Che Guevara shirts are as popular there as they are at liberal arts colleges, and why we need to bring the name Smedley back. Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective. Follow Gabe: Instagram YouTube Halal Cartels Podcast Website Follow Orli: Instagram TikTok Website
Transcribe →American Voters Can Fix Israel and Palestine? with Mattan Berner-Kadish
May 1801:01:53Tap to summarizeOrli Matlow sits down with Mattan Berner-Kadish, an advocate for civil rights in Israel since his parents sued the country when he was four years old. Mattan talks about his work in the Occupied West Bank, bearing witness to extreme Israeli settler and military violence, including the killing of his close friend and fellow football fan Awdah Hathahleen. They talk nepo babies in the IDF, ICC evidence on Israeli Tinder, and how American Jews are the most progressive in the world (complimentary). Mattan talks about his new nonprofit From Here Forward, and makes the case that Naftali Bennett is not the Great Hope to save lives in Palestine and Israel—American primary voters are. Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective. Donate to From Here Forward Follow Mattan: Instagram TikTok Substack Follow Orli: Instagram TikTok Website
Transcribe →Catholics and Protestants Can Live Together? with Comedian Katie Boyle
May 1100:56:15Tap to summarizeHost Orli Matlow welcomes Irish comedian and newly minted American citizen, Katie Boyle. Katie teaches Orli about iconic figures in Irish history including Michael Collins, the pagan goddess Bridgid, and Crazy Bob. They talk the cool anti-war Pope Louis XIV and the real purpose of religion, plus Katie covers gun control and abortion rights—and doing standup in places that don’t have either. They also cover The Troubles, The Great Famine, and the lessons that today’s empires can learn from Britain losing theirs. Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective. Watch Katie’s specials: Terapy I'll Do It Myself Follow Katie: Instagram TikTok YouTube Website Follow Orli: Instagram TikTok YouTube Website
Transcribe →Nuance Is Possible? with Alex Willick, New Israel Fund
May 400:47:52Tap to summarizeHost Orli Matlow sits down with Alex Willick, who was featured in the recent New Yorker article “At Synagogues, Tensions Are Boiling Over" by Eyal Press. A director at the New Israel Fund, he was invited to talk to the congregation about a recent trip to The Land, but the invitation was rescinded when he planned on speaking about settler violence in the West Bank. He shares the story that was banned from the bimah, and they discuss just how extreme this Israeli government truly is, its roots in the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, and what our responsibilities are as people who care about human rights. Read The New Yorker piece here. Learn more about the New Israel Fund here. Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective. Follow Orli: Instagram TikTok Website
Transcribe →The Western Front Is Walkable? with Author Briana Gervat
Apr 2700:43:24Tap to summarizeHost Orli Matlow sits down with Briana Gervat, author of There Will Come Soft Rains: A Journey Along the Western Front. Briana hiked for 36 days through France and Belgium, tracing the path of World War I, a devastating war that changed the world for the absolute worst (with the exceptions of Winnie the Pooh and Pilates). Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective. Follow Briana: Instagram Amazon Follow Orli: Instagram TikTok Website
Transcribe →There's A Palestinian Pop-Punk Musical? with Composer Fouad Dakwar
Apr 2000:53:33Tap to summarizeHost Orli Matlow sits down with multimedia artist and 2025 Jonathan Larson Grant recipent Fouad Dakwar to celebrate the release of the concept album for his semi-autobiographical musical Fouad of Nazareth, out now! Fouad talks the Palestinian Christian immigrant theatre kid experience, covering everything from his family's Nakba story to which role he played in a summer camp production of Spring Awakening. They talk the "fairy tale" of the two-state solution, the Golden Age of Teen Angst musicals, and the universality of Fiddler on the Roof. Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective. Listen to Fouad of Nazareth on Spotify and Apple Music. Follow Fouad: Instagram Website Follow Orli: Instagram TikTok Website
Transcribe →War Is A Public Health Crisis? with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan Senate Candidate
Apr 1300:33:20Tap to summarizeHost Orli Matlow sits down with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who is running as a Democrat to represent the March Madness champions of Michigan in the United States Senate. Abdul talks Iran and Lebanon, Israel and Temple Israel, and what a foreign policy that prioritizes the sanctity of human life would look like—as both a doctor and a politician. They discuss his favorite part of the Passover Seder, how Jews and Muslims can best unite against white supremacists, and the storied history of Detroit pizza. Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective. Follow Abdul: Website Instagram TikTok Facebook Twitter Bluesky YouTube Follow Orli: YouTube Instagram TikTok Website
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