Medi from ‪@RepAmerica‬ was born in Southern California to parents from Iran. Like Polina. he was a Democrat for most of his life who left left the left. We talk about the moment Medi realized the left had moved on without him, and why so many former Democrats feel like they got scammed. Then we got into the hard stuff. Medi doesn't hold back on Islam, the Muslim Brotherhood, and why he thinks a secular Iran isn't enough. Yelena pushed back more than once. If we don't tell the Amish or Orthodox Jews to give up their identity, why say it to Muslims? How do we criticize Islamism without making our Muslim neighbors feel like outsiders? We didn't settle it, but Yelena left with some clarity, and we think you will too.

We also covered the Barbary Wars, slavery that nobody teaches in school, what Medi grew up with in a Muslim family, and why Christianity is growing in Iran. This epsiode represents why we call ourselves The Curious Middle. Find Medi at RepAmerica.com, on YouTube at Rep America, and on Instagram at @medikation.

Jill Kargman grew up on the Upper East Side and still felt like an outsider there. The creator of Odd Mom Out joins us o talk about status, Instagram, October 7, and why she calls herself politically homeless. Jill explains why so many Jewish New Yorkers have already switched, why Hollywood stays quiet, and what her daughter saw on campus after October 7. Then it's rapid fire: Birkins, four-nanny families, body-altering filters, and the Upper East Side habit that tells you someone's a jerk.

We also talk about her new movie Influenced and her next project, a film based on her book Sprinkle Glitter on My Grave.

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Meet Tanya. She was born in Los Angeles to parents who left the Soviet Union as refugees in 1979. After October 7, her group of friends and her lesbian basketball league turned on her. Teammates she'd played with for years stopped talking to her. When she said she was voting for Trump, they actually banned her from team events. Her story went viral, and now she's running for West Hollywood City Council, and working for ThinkAgain

We chat about:

• Losing friends in the queer community after October 7
• Why Tanya believes the fight against antisemitism is being lost online
• The moment she left the Democratic Party
• Why the best politicians change their minds

https://highlyjewish.com

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Email us: thecuriousmiddlepod@gmail.com

• 00:28 Born in LA to Soviet Jewish refugees
• 02:30 Growing up a proud Jew and Zionist
• 03:40 The Lambda basketball league
• 04:40 October 7 and the friends who turned away
• 06:19 Where the misinformation comes from
• 07:00 Fighting antisemitism online at Think Again
• 09:40 Moving to Iowa to campaign for Hillary
• 11:54 Admitting you were wrong
• 13:26 Coming out at 14 and refusing to tone it down
• 18:20 The moment she left the left
• 19:30 Kicked out of the league's social events
• 21:25 Why she's running for city council
• 23:40 Bike lanes, parking, and the fight over Fountain Avenue
• 26:16 Running as a worried resident
• 28:33 Who sits on the WeHo City Council now
• 30:32 West Hollywood's voters and the immigration debate
• 34:00 The Democratic Party and antisemitism
• 37:12 Tanya's take on the LA mayoral race
• 41:01 Advice for anyone running for local office
• 44:14 Where to find Tanya and Think Again