I wanted to share my recent appearance on Rabbi Daniel Levine’s podcast.
Here is the link to the episode (the description is below). As always, I greatly appreciate your feedback.
What really happened on October 7—and what happens to the truth when Jewish nonprofits start fundraising off of it?
In this episode, Rabbi Daniel sits down with investigative journalist Daniel Mael for an unflinching look at how some Jewish organizations have allegedly distorted both October 7 and the antisemitism that followed in order to raise money and protect their own reputations.
Mael walks through his family’s experience with IDF gear shortages after October 7, and why he began publicly challenging groups like Friends of the IDF and their “no shortages” messaging. From there, the conversation digs into viral atrocity stories that appear to be fabricated—babies cut from wombs, infants in ovens, mass rape claims—and how, he argues, they migrated from Gaza Telegram channels and cartel snuff videos into mainstream Jewish fundraising speeches and films featuring groups like ZAKA and United Hatzalah.
Along the way, we wrestle with big questions:
Does spreading fake horror stories actually undermine the case for Israel—especially with people in the middle?
What happens when legacy institutions like Anti-Defamation League (ADL) get captured by mission creep and politics?
How should Jews think about platforming extremists like Nick Fuentes—expose them or ignore them?
Did conservative media figures like Ben Shapiro and Candace Owens help shift the right from ideas to “owning the libs” clips?
Why did Jewish campus strategy lean so heavily into intersectional coalitions and groups like Hillel International and Turning Point USA end up on opposite sides of the culture war?
If you care about October 7, Israel, Jewish safety, and the integrity of our own institutions, this episode is uncomfortable on purpose. It’s about choosing nuance over propaganda, and truth over easy unity.
Here is the comment I left on the video.
I enjoyed the discussion.
I was on the ground after Oct 7 and I know that a lot of what you said is true.
That being said, while I am very much in agreement in general in open discussion, I am starting to realize that things have shifted especially in the last few months.
At this point, nobody cares at all about facts and explanations. All they will take out of you saying that there were certain things made up about Oct 7 is "there you go, see how the whole thing is made up." Then they cherry pick a quick clip from this video and share it on social media as proof.
While you think that by admitting faults, it gives the facts more credibility, that is no longer the case. We see the same thing with Richie Roberts on the latest Tyler Olivera video of Lakewood. He thought he was going to show himself as a good man fighting against oppression and all they see is "the Jews have all the power"
This has been a shift that is moving rapidly and accelerates month over month and at this point, I think the time for explanation is past. It will not be heard and will be misused.
Mass rape of Oct 7 victims and hostages has been clearly documented, and should NEVER be conflated with “fake horror stories”.
In your zeal for Al Chet Vidui self flagellation sticking to facts is probably a better strategy.