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the jew oughta know story

Jerusalem’s Old City. Photo: Jason Harris

Who was in Israel before it was Israel? What’s the Babylonian Exile? Why do Hasidic Jews all dress in black? Did Jews really eat this much hummus?

Jason Harris spent 6 years leading 545 young Jews (ages 18-26) on fourteen Brithright Israel trips. By the end of each trip, there were more questions than there was time to answer them. He kept track of the questions, determined to find a way to stay connected with his participants and fill in those gaps. So many more people told Jason they wanted to learn about Jewish history but didn’t know where to start.

The Jew Oughta Know podcast was born.

Every episode is Jason’s attempt to tell a story that he thinks people really ought to know.

But there is also a deeper purpose to Jew Oughta Know. Too many of Jason’s Israel trip participants admitted that they didn’t feel they could fully participate in Jewish life without grasping the basic knowledge around Jewish history, narrative, and especially modern Israel. Jews and non-Jews alike tell him they want to understand why history speaks so loudly to the Jewish people, why Israel is so important to the Jews, and how the past informs what we read in the news today.

A lack of knowledge shouldn't be a barrier to developing a meaningful connection to Judaism. Jew Oughta Know is here to help you begin or continue the lifelong journey that is Jewish learning. This isn’t THE history, and as many topics as are covered in a given episode, there are others not fully addressed. The perspective shared here is Jason’s — there are innumerable other valuable voices out there, too. But to the extent that this podcast and its accompanying website help you find the knowledge you’re looking for in a way that strikes you as impactful, meaningful, fascinating, and fun, then it has served its purpose. Enjoy!