Noam Shuster-Eliassi is what some people might call a ‘unicorn’.

She’s an anti-Zionist, Jewish-Iranian Israeli who speaks fluent Arabic and grew up in a tiny village in Israel called the ‘Oasis of Peace’, where Jews and Palestinians choose to live together. And while she started a career in diplomacy with a stint at the United Nations trying to bring pea…

On the day after Zohran Mamdani’s historic election win, what better ‘We’re Not Kidding’ guest could we ask for than New York City icon Ilana Glazer? The Jewish-American comedian, activist, and ‘Broad City’ creator joined Mehdi in midtown Manhattan to talk about what Mamdani’s victory means for the future of US politics.

The two also discuss the recent failures of the Democratic party and whether Mamdani’s win has the power to finally push party leadership to embrace its populist flank. “Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries were not there celebrating last night,” Ilana says. “A Democratic mayor won. They should be there celebrating.” They also talk about someone else who was definitely not celebrating on election night — Debra Messing and her very public Instagram crash out.

Ilana opens up to Mehdi about her feelings around the modern Jewish identity, particularly since Oct. 7. The two also discuss the weaponization of antisemitism by figures like Jonathan Greenblatt (who has already announced the Anti-Defamation League’s ‘Mamdani Monitor’ to purportedly “keep Jewish New Yorkers safe”), while simultaneously ignoring the dangers of right-wing antisemitism espoused by people like Nick Fuentes and Tucker Carlson. Finally, Mehdi asks Ilana about speaking out against Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the risks of receiving backlash or being censored.

Subscribe to Zeteo to support independent and unfiltered journalism: https://zeteo.com/subscribe

Watch, listen and subscribe to ‘We’re Not Kidding’ on Substack: https://zeteo.com/s/were-not-kidding-with-mehdi-and-friends

Find Zeteo:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonews

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonews

Find Mehdi:

Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

Credits:

Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan

Guest Host: Ilana Glazer

Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi

Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello

Music: Andy Clausen

Design: Alicia Tatone

Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera

Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali

If you were a fan of the HBO series ‘Succession’ — then do we have a treat for you. On this new episode of ‘We’re Not Kidding’, Mehdi is joined by Iranian-American actor Arian Moayed who played the scene-stealing character Stewy Hosseini on the hit HBO show.

Mehdi and Arian unpack the ways our reality mirrors the fictional world of ‘Succession’, like how pro-Israel billionaire Larry Ellison, the world’s second richest man, is buying up media companies Paramount, CBS News, and TikTok. Mehdi also challenges Arian to a new rapid-fire question game called, “Real Billionaire or ‘Succession’ Character?”

As two naturalized US citizens, Mehdi and Arian discuss the recent military-style ICE raids in Arian’s hometown of Chicago and the fears that many immigrant communities are feeling in the Trump era. Mehdi and Arian also get into the recent political history of Iran, including the 1979 revolution which led to Arian’s family immigrating to the US when he was a child. Arian, an outspoken critic of the Iranian government, explains the importance of Iranian representation and self-determination and offers his own analogy for why Western governments should stay out of Iran’s affairs.

Finally, the two discuss the two-year anniversary of Oct. 7 and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. As Arian was one of the earliest signatories on the Artists 4 Ceasefire letter in October of 2023, Mehdi asks if he feared retribution from Hollywood and the entertainment industry for being pro-Palestine.

SUBSCRIBE TO ZETEO TO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT AND UNFILTERED JOURNALISM: https://zeteo.com/subscribe

WATCH, LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO ‘WE’RE NOT KIDDING’ ON SUBSTACK: https://zeteo.com/s/were-not-kidding-with-mehdi-and-friends

FIND ZETEO:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonews

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonews

FIND MEHDI:

Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

FIND ARIAN:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arianmoayed

Waterwell: https://www.waterwell.org/

CREDITS:

Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan

Guest Host: Arian Moayed

Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi

Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello

Music: Andy Clausen

Design: Alicia Tatone

Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera

Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali