I'm a fan of your work, and your hosting it was brave and useful in the abstract.
I've heard it was a disaster, but Smith was the one who called Berenson a "faggot," which is pretty despicable. He also challenged Berenson to a physical fight before the debate (weird). From what I've heard Berenson's behavior didn't approach anything like that in response.
I listened for the first 5 to 10 minutes before I turned it off. Unfortunately so many discussions about Israel and Palestine quickly devolve into ad hominem attacks to undermine the other person's position. And for Jews, which includes myself, these discussions are very difficult because they directly contradict what we've learned our entire lives. And sadly, so much of what we Jews have been indoctrinated (since we were born) to believe is simply not true. I wrote about this at length in this blog, https://beyondspin.wordpress.com/2025/08/09/when-lies-become-ones-truth/ "when lies become truths."
Now Dave is okay in his arguments, but his command of the historical context isn't very deep. So, if you really want to learn more detail there are plenty of other people you can platform like Miko Peled, Max Blumenthal, Zachary Foster, Chris Hedges who "have been there" and can quickly address and debunk all the Israeli propaganda that has permeated our media for at least the past 70 years.
Alex unfortunately was incredibly weak. He's just parroting tropes and the whole labeling of someone else as antisemitic for a joke was just dumb. But unfortunately that's how so many modern Zionist Jews think. In my blog I shared above, I included this paragraph:
"....Yet, given what I noted above about 1948 and the more recent history of Gaza, so many modern Jewish Zionists adamantly believe that the only reason anyone hates them is because they are Jewish. That is because of what they believe, not because of what was done to Palestinians over the past 100 years. These modern Zionists somehow can’t comprehend how colonization, ethnic cleansing, occupation, murder, administrative detentions, etc created an environment of animosity and vengeance. So, these Zionists believe that they’re not only without any sin, but that they’re innocent victims. Their cognitive dissonance is off the charts. They not only believe the lies they’ve repeated so often, those lies have become the very foundation of their entire existence..."
Anyway, if you're going to host further debates on this topic, please also further educate yourself. Three books that I hyperlinked in my blog that I highly recommend are the following:
Lately, I've been thinking in terms of concepts around "triangles", or "3", and "trilateral". Meaning, in terms of "Israel"/"Israeli", "Zion"/"Zionist", and "Jew/Jewish". Further, not ALL Israelis are either Jews, or Zionists. Not ALL Zionists are either Israelis or Jews. Not ALL Jews are either Israelis, or Zionists. Sure, lots of people are all 3, but many people are ONLY 2, or even 1 of the 3. See what I'm thinking here? I'm trying to get away from the "either/or war", or the "binary-war" mentality. I'm looking for more nuance, and less conflict in thought, word, and actions..... So, I really, really really appreciate your comment above. And your listing of books for further reference also rates very highly with me! KUTGW! KEEP UP the GOOD WORK!....
Dispensationalist Christian Zionism (like what Ted Cruz espouses) is a whole other related area of discussion that I could go on and on about for a long while. Ironically this form predates modern Jewish Zionism by around 50 years by the Plymouth Brethren in Ireland. There are actually some interesting connections between the Plymouth Brethren, including John Darby, and Herzl's beliefs.
For example, Darby's teachings also influenced William Hechler, an Anglican Restorationist and eschatological writer, who helped Theodor Herzl come up w. Herzl's later parallel Jewish homeland beliefs.
Darby's teachings also came to Scofield through James Brooks, a pastor in St. Louis and Scofield's mentor. Darby visited the US in the 1860's & early 70's where his Dispensationalist teachings got traction particularly at the Niagara Bible Conference held in the 1870's, 80's and 90's.
Scofield's Reference Bible popularized Dispensational beliefs in the US after this Bible was first published in 1909. Scofield's editor for his Bible , Amal C. Gaebelein, had a lot of connections with the Jewish community in NYC. It's unclear, but maybe through Gaebelien, who spoke Hebrew, Scofield was able to become a member of NYC's very exclusive Lotos Club. Scofield's sponsor, who also nominated Scofield, was a prominent Jewish Zionist named Samuel Untermeyer.
So, that's led to a lot of speculation about the role Jewish Zionists had in promoting (and funding) Scofield and his Christian Zionist dual covenant teachings about the need to support Israel. Here's a paper with such speculation: https://tinyurl.com/s6u5jeyc
On X, which I think many would agree is not a legitimate space for debating, when someone calls me a name, which is quite often, I simply reply "ad hominem."
There will be a semantic debate on ad hominem, where many will assert that along with a legitimate argument, if insults are added, that is not considered to be ad hominem since the personal attack was done in "addition to" rather than "replacement of" a legitimate point. Grok will corroborate this, which is an indicator that it is not true.
My response is...that is like saying grits aint grits a unless they were ordered a la carte, and not part of a steak and grits breakfast.
The problem is that name-calling is so ubiquitous now as part of our culture that it is almost seen as aberrant if it isn't part of the debate. But unlike boxing and hockey, in a good debate, I am not looking for kids calling each other names. We are looking for something persuasive that might add to the conversation. But I am willing to concede I am not like most people.
That being said, it was quite frustrating to hear that because a holocaust museum said that thinks someone is being anti-semitic, that makes them anti-semetic.
The joke Dave told that burned way too much time and calories was similar to a great Adam Carolla blurb on the back of his first book "In Sixty Years We'll All Be Chicks"
There is a picture of Adam as a Carpenter and the caption states:
Comedian Adam Carolla in his early days as a carpenter.
He was just like Jesus except he didn't gouge the elderly.
Yes, the reason I named my low-subscriber-count substack "Bare-Faced Plague Spreader" is that I do not wear a mask, did not take the injection, and also am pretty much skeptical of anything vaccine or virology related these days.
Agreed, except for the part about Dave. As a human being I respect his right to be alive and have his own opinions, but I have no respect for the fantasy world he lives in.
Maybe your pithy comment makes sense if you're an inhuman Islamophobe. Which from your comment, one would have to assume that you are. Otherwise, if you have any understanding of the historical context, you'd have to care deeply about Gazans, especially as a Jew (like me). I deal with some of that historical context as well as what really occurred on 10/7 in this blog: https://beyondspin.wordpress.com/2025/08/09/when-lies-become-ones-truth/ When lies become truths.
Islam & Christianity are BOTH Abrahamic religions, so it's a "suicidal genocide", or else a "genocidal suicide", if you have the other, opposite point of view.... And whichever way you see it, the Globalists see it a good thing, advancing their depopulation agenda....
Alex was ridiculous with his “10 years ago you were clearly a holocaust denier / oops I mean you made a joke in the presence of a person who loves jokes like that.” I usually appreciate Dave’s logic but his bitch, faggot & vagina insults were awful and made me embarrassed for him. But the most insane thing was Alex and his appeal to authority (ie. if the holocaust museum says so, it clearly proves that Daryl Cooper is a holocaust denier). You tried your best. Looking forward to better debates. Btw, on the topic of P/I, Ilan Pappe, Chris Hedges, Max Blumenthal, Yousef Munayyer would be great guests.
I thought Dave was a bitch for not owning his "Except this one really happened. Har har har." Remark. If you're such a big tough rebel guy, just own what you say.
I just watched the whole thing. I enjoyed it. Thank you for hosting it. In the future, please give yourself permission to moderate more often, as needed. You are a balanced person, so give yourself the needed permission.
I appreciate the honesty of "disastrous debate."
Clearly you had illusions of consensus. You have been appropriately disillusioned?
Lol
I'm a fan of your work, and your hosting it was brave and useful in the abstract.
I've heard it was a disaster, but Smith was the one who called Berenson a "faggot," which is pretty despicable. He also challenged Berenson to a physical fight before the debate (weird). From what I've heard Berenson's behavior didn't approach anything like that in response.
I think if Alex hadnt started with that very strange re-hash of an old youtube video we could have had something
I listened for the first 5 to 10 minutes before I turned it off. Unfortunately so many discussions about Israel and Palestine quickly devolve into ad hominem attacks to undermine the other person's position. And for Jews, which includes myself, these discussions are very difficult because they directly contradict what we've learned our entire lives. And sadly, so much of what we Jews have been indoctrinated (since we were born) to believe is simply not true. I wrote about this at length in this blog, https://beyondspin.wordpress.com/2025/08/09/when-lies-become-ones-truth/ "when lies become truths."
Now Dave is okay in his arguments, but his command of the historical context isn't very deep. So, if you really want to learn more detail there are plenty of other people you can platform like Miko Peled, Max Blumenthal, Zachary Foster, Chris Hedges who "have been there" and can quickly address and debunk all the Israeli propaganda that has permeated our media for at least the past 70 years.
Alex unfortunately was incredibly weak. He's just parroting tropes and the whole labeling of someone else as antisemitic for a joke was just dumb. But unfortunately that's how so many modern Zionist Jews think. In my blog I shared above, I included this paragraph:
"....Yet, given what I noted above about 1948 and the more recent history of Gaza, so many modern Jewish Zionists adamantly believe that the only reason anyone hates them is because they are Jewish. That is because of what they believe, not because of what was done to Palestinians over the past 100 years. These modern Zionists somehow can’t comprehend how colonization, ethnic cleansing, occupation, murder, administrative detentions, etc created an environment of animosity and vengeance. So, these Zionists believe that they’re not only without any sin, but that they’re innocent victims. Their cognitive dissonance is off the charts. They not only believe the lies they’ve repeated so often, those lies have become the very foundation of their entire existence..."
Anyway, if you're going to host further debates on this topic, please also further educate yourself. Three books that I hyperlinked in my blog that I highly recommend are the following:
1948 and After, by Benny Morris
A General's Son, by Miko Peled
The Lemon Tree, by Sandy Tolan
A couple other good books worth reading are
Three Worlds, by Avi Shlaim
The Israel Lobby, by John Mearsheimer.
Lately, I've been thinking in terms of concepts around "triangles", or "3", and "trilateral". Meaning, in terms of "Israel"/"Israeli", "Zion"/"Zionist", and "Jew/Jewish". Further, not ALL Israelis are either Jews, or Zionists. Not ALL Zionists are either Israelis or Jews. Not ALL Jews are either Israelis, or Zionists. Sure, lots of people are all 3, but many people are ONLY 2, or even 1 of the 3. See what I'm thinking here? I'm trying to get away from the "either/or war", or the "binary-war" mentality. I'm looking for more nuance, and less conflict in thought, word, and actions..... So, I really, really really appreciate your comment above. And your listing of books for further reference also rates very highly with me! KUTGW! KEEP UP the GOOD WORK!....
Venn diagrams are useful. As I like to say (and sometimes sing): “it’s not either/or, it’s both and more…” https://sanefrancisco.substack.com/p/the-navy-blue-venn-diagram
And, sometimes it's NEITHER.....
That’s true too!
Thanks.
Dispensationalist Christian Zionism (like what Ted Cruz espouses) is a whole other related area of discussion that I could go on and on about for a long while. Ironically this form predates modern Jewish Zionism by around 50 years by the Plymouth Brethren in Ireland. There are actually some interesting connections between the Plymouth Brethren, including John Darby, and Herzl's beliefs.
For example, Darby's teachings also influenced William Hechler, an Anglican Restorationist and eschatological writer, who helped Theodor Herzl come up w. Herzl's later parallel Jewish homeland beliefs.
Darby's teachings also came to Scofield through James Brooks, a pastor in St. Louis and Scofield's mentor. Darby visited the US in the 1860's & early 70's where his Dispensationalist teachings got traction particularly at the Niagara Bible Conference held in the 1870's, 80's and 90's.
Scofield's Reference Bible popularized Dispensational beliefs in the US after this Bible was first published in 1909. Scofield's editor for his Bible , Amal C. Gaebelein, had a lot of connections with the Jewish community in NYC. It's unclear, but maybe through Gaebelien, who spoke Hebrew, Scofield was able to become a member of NYC's very exclusive Lotos Club. Scofield's sponsor, who also nominated Scofield, was a prominent Jewish Zionist named Samuel Untermeyer.
So, that's led to a lot of speculation about the role Jewish Zionists had in promoting (and funding) Scofield and his Christian Zionist dual covenant teachings about the need to support Israel. Here's a paper with such speculation: https://tinyurl.com/s6u5jeyc
###
Your article was very good, thank you. 🙏🏽
On X, which I think many would agree is not a legitimate space for debating, when someone calls me a name, which is quite often, I simply reply "ad hominem."
There will be a semantic debate on ad hominem, where many will assert that along with a legitimate argument, if insults are added, that is not considered to be ad hominem since the personal attack was done in "addition to" rather than "replacement of" a legitimate point. Grok will corroborate this, which is an indicator that it is not true.
My response is...that is like saying grits aint grits a unless they were ordered a la carte, and not part of a steak and grits breakfast.
The problem is that name-calling is so ubiquitous now as part of our culture that it is almost seen as aberrant if it isn't part of the debate. But unlike boxing and hockey, in a good debate, I am not looking for kids calling each other names. We are looking for something persuasive that might add to the conversation. But I am willing to concede I am not like most people.
That being said, it was quite frustrating to hear that because a holocaust museum said that thinks someone is being anti-semitic, that makes them anti-semetic.
The joke Dave told that burned way too much time and calories was similar to a great Adam Carolla blurb on the back of his first book "In Sixty Years We'll All Be Chicks"
There is a picture of Adam as a Carpenter and the caption states:
Comedian Adam Carolla in his early days as a carpenter.
He was just like Jesus except he didn't gouge the elderly.
More people should think like we do, ain't that right, you idiot?....
Does BFPS mean that you don't wear the Globalist Transhumanist Technocratic slave muzzle, either?.....
I'm trying to be an infectious carrier of hope, optimism, and humor; and spread immunity to negativity & pessimism.... Wanna join me, Jimmy?
Yes, the reason I named my low-subscriber-count substack "Bare-Faced Plague Spreader" is that I do not wear a mask, did not take the injection, and also am pretty much skeptical of anything vaccine or virology related these days.
I think I already have joined you.
My Grandmother always said to me, "Great minds think alike"....@grin@
Agreed, except for the part about Dave. As a human being I respect his right to be alive and have his own opinions, but I have no respect for the fantasy world he lives in.
Sadly, it really most modern Zionist Jews (not Dave) who have created an illusionary world that they live in, as I noted in this blog: https://beyondspin.wordpress.com/2025/02/24/when-truth-doesnt-match-reality/ When truth doesn't match reality.
Truly is hard to care for anyone or anything in Gaza. My thoughts go out to the 50k Christians slaughtered by Muslims in Africa.
Maybe your pithy comment makes sense if you're an inhuman Islamophobe. Which from your comment, one would have to assume that you are. Otherwise, if you have any understanding of the historical context, you'd have to care deeply about Gazans, especially as a Jew (like me). I deal with some of that historical context as well as what really occurred on 10/7 in this blog: https://beyondspin.wordpress.com/2025/08/09/when-lies-become-ones-truth/ When lies become truths.
Islam & Christianity are BOTH Abrahamic religions, so it's a "suicidal genocide", or else a "genocidal suicide", if you have the other, opposite point of view.... And whichever way you see it, the Globalists see it a good thing, advancing their depopulation agenda....
Alex was ridiculous with his “10 years ago you were clearly a holocaust denier / oops I mean you made a joke in the presence of a person who loves jokes like that.” I usually appreciate Dave’s logic but his bitch, faggot & vagina insults were awful and made me embarrassed for him. But the most insane thing was Alex and his appeal to authority (ie. if the holocaust museum says so, it clearly proves that Daryl Cooper is a holocaust denier). You tried your best. Looking forward to better debates. Btw, on the topic of P/I, Ilan Pappe, Chris Hedges, Max Blumenthal, Yousef Munayyer would be great guests.
I thought Dave was a bitch for not owning his "Except this one really happened. Har har har." Remark. If you're such a big tough rebel guy, just own what you say.
I just watched the whole thing. I enjoyed it. Thank you for hosting it. In the future, please give yourself permission to moderate more often, as needed. You are a balanced person, so give yourself the needed permission.
Not “afraid” of Muslims as your Islamophobe label would imply. I simply don’t care about Gaza or its residents. You’re protesting too much.
Alex Berenson made it a disaster. It was incredible to watch him pull all the whiny woke maneuvers of a gender studies major. Just embarrassing.
After reading all the comments, I don't think that I NEED to actually watch the debate....THANK-YOU, Commenter Community!....