Why have some of the most influential voices on the populist right become increasingly hostile to Israel, skeptical of America, and sympathetic to Russia?

In this fascinating solo interview, Rabbi Pesach Wolicki sits down with cultural critic and author Dr. James Lindsay to explore the ideas of Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin and the growing influence of his worldview on parts of the American right.

Together they examine the roots of anti-globalism, the appeal of traditionalism, the rise of what some call the "woke right," and the intellectual currents connecting Russia, Iran, nationalism, and anti-Israel sentiment. They discuss why so many young people are searching for identity and rootedness, how legitimate frustrations with modern culture can be manipulated into destructive ideologies, and why the Judeo-Christian foundations of America remain essential to understanding both freedom and human dignity.

This is a wide-ranging conversation about ideas, propaganda, faith, nationalism, and the battle for the future of Western civilization.

On this episode of Shoulder to Shoulder, Pastor Doug Reed and Rabbi Pesach Wolicki welcome Rabbi Elie Mischel to discuss his provocative new book, Countdown: American Jews and God's Plan for Redemption.

At the center of the conversation is one of the most uncomfortable questions in modern Jewish life: the issue of "dual loyalty." Can Jews fully belong to America while remaining faithful to the Jewish mission centered in Israel? And what happens when rising antisemitism forces that question into the open?

Rabbi Mischel makes the controversial argument that Judaism is not fundamentally a religion at all, but a nationhood rooted in the Bible, the Land of Israel, and a collective historical destiny. Drawing on the stories of Abraham, the Exodus, and the Book of Esther, he argues that many American Jews are confronting the same identity crisis faced by Persian Jewry thousands of years ago: are they Americans who happen to be Jewish, or Jews temporarily living in America?

The discussion explores Zionism, assimilation, exile, redemption, Tucker Carlson, the modern accusation of dual loyalty, and why Rabbi Mischel believes the current moment may be a turning point for the future of American Jewry. The episode also examines the growing crisis of biblical literacy among both Jews and Christians, and why recovering the Hebrew Bible is essential for understanding Israel and the moral struggles of our time.

Check out The Israel Bible YouTube channel.

Join Doug and his family as they prepare to move to Israel by watching The Reeds Are Here on YouTube.

Watch Shoulder to Shoulder along with Pesach's other fantastic content on his YouTube channel.

or Jews, Shavuot commemorates the revelation at Mount Sinai and the giving of the Torah. For Christians, Pentecost marks the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 2 and the birth of the Church's public mission. These are not the same holiday, and this conversation does not blur the profound theological differences between Judaism and Christianity.

Yet the parallels are impossible to ignore.

In this episode of Shoulder to Shoulder, Rabbi Pesach Wolicki and Pastor Doug Reed explore the deep biblical and symbolic connections between Sinai and Pentecost: fire, covenant, divine revelation, responsibility, language, and the call to bring knowledge of God into the world. Along the way, they examine how Acts chapter 2 emerges from a thoroughly Jewish context, why Shavuot has no explicit biblical explanation, and what both faith communities can learn from the idea that ordinary believers are meant to become God's representatives in the world.

This is a thoughtful and text-based exploration of how two distinct traditions can share resonant themes without surrendering their unique identities.

Join Doug and his family as they prepare to move to Israel by watching The Reeds Are Here on YouTube.

Watch Shoulder to Shoulder along with Pesach's other fantastic content on his YouTube channel.