As America celebrates its 250th birthday, Pastor Doug Reed and Rabbi Pesach Wolicki look beyond fireworks and patriotism to the ideas that made the American experiment unique. They explore how the Bible shaped the Founders' understanding of liberty, why freedom and personal responsibility are inseparable, and what passages from Deuteronomy, the Ten Commandments, and even Little House on the Prairie reveal about the moral foundations of a free society. Along the way, they discuss the Ark Encounter, biblical literalism, and why Israel's appreciation for America reflects more than politics. It's a thoughtful conversation about faith, freedom, and the enduring power of America's Judeo-Christian heritage.

Is support for Israel weakening among younger Christians and conservatives? Has the U.S.-Israel relationship reached a turning point? Pesach speaks with Heather Johnston, founder of the U.S. Israel Education Association, about educating Congress, strengthening Christian support for Israel, and why she believes today's challenges are serious but far from hopeless. Along the way, Heather shares the remarkable personal journey that led her from replacement theology to a lifetime of service to Israel.

In this episode of Shoulder to Shoulder, Pastor Doug Reed and Rabbi Pesach Wolicki unpack the recent Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran, and ask what it really means for Israel, Lebanon, Hezbollah, and the future of the Middle East.

Is this MOU a dangerous betrayal, a temporary pause, or a diplomatic framework that was never meant to survive? Pesach argues that while the agreement contains deeply troubling concessions, much of the panic surrounding it misses the larger picture. Together, Doug and Pesach examine the fine print, the political calculations behind it, the role of Iran's proxies, and why Israel must retain the freedom to defend itself.

They also move beyond geopolitics to a deeper question of faith: when evil is real and peace feels impossible, do people of faith wait for God to fix history, or do they step forward with courage and act?

Is Zionism embedded in the Quran itself? According to Muslim activist and interfaith leader Anila Ali, the answer is yes.

In this fascinating conversation, Anila joins Rabbi Pesach Wolicki and Pastor Doug Reed to explain why she believes that the Quran affirms the Jewish people's connection to the Land of Israel, why she proudly calls herself a Muslim Zionist, and why much of the Muslim world's hostility toward Israel stems not from Islamic theology but from modern political movements. Drawing on her own upbringing, her study of Islamic texts, and her work building Muslim-Jewish partnerships, Anila offers a strikingly different vision of Islam than the one most people encounter in the headlines.

The discussion explores her efforts to bring Muslim delegations to Israel, the reactions of those who discover a reality very different from what they expected, and the personal cost she has paid for speaking publicly in support of Israel and the Abraham Accords. Whether you agree with her or not, Anila presents a perspective that challenges assumptions and invites a deeper conversation about faith, history, and the possibility of peace.

Why does Lebanon seem trapped in a cycle of political paralysis, foreign interference, and violence? In this episode, Rabbi Pesach Wolicki and Pastor Doug Reed step back from the headlines to explore the deeper story behind Lebanon's ongoing crisis. From the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of Lebanon's unique political system to the rise of Hezbollah and Iran's growing influence, they explain how a century of decisions has produced one of the Middle East's most dysfunctional states. Along the way, Doug shares stories from his travels across America, including an unexpected conversation about Israel with a former Major League Baseball All-Star. The result is a wide-ranging discussion about history, geopolitics, faith, and why understanding Lebanon is essential to understanding the modern Middle East.

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.