Ben Rathauser is a 25 year-old student, former IDF soldier and a writer based in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Israel. We spoke with him to get some insight into his writing, life and philosophy on handling online political discourse in 2019.
“I think the best pieces and the pieces that are truest to me, are those that incorporate both the emotional side, which is capturing human interactions, and backing up these experiences with serious research and facts. ” – Ben
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Shownotes:
0:33 – Intro
2:07 – Connection to Israel, growing up in a Zionist home
3:20 – Highschool –>basic training in the IDF
4:11 – Training for the infantry unit in the Israeli unit
6:08 – Experiences taken from the time in the Israeli army
7:49 – Life in Tel Aviv
9:05 – The recent Israeli election
12:28 – Talking Politics with strangers
13:12 – Donald Trump from the eyes of Israelis
15:23 – Were you always interested in learning about politics?
16:14 – Writing for “The Times of Israel” blog
18:12 – A trip to Vietnam and Israeli- Palestinian relationships
19:38 – Entertaining opposing viewpoints in writing
22:20 – Being attentive to internal and external emotions and incorporating this into writing.
24:33 – Keeping a cool head when others go overboard during online debates
29:30 – Thoughts on Nas Daily
31:29 – Journalism?
32:15 – Can you name a hero of yours?
35:22 – Can you tell us about the first time you remember getting into trouble?
36:45 – Ben shares his spirit animal
Ben is a 25 year-old student and writer based in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Israel. His pieces have been published in The Times of Israel and The Jerusalem Post. To contact him, send an email to benrat93@gmail.com.
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Alexander Watson: As a forest investment expert and a manager of several sustainable reforestation projects in Latin America and South East Asia, Alexander has a broad experience in implementing and promoting international forestry projects. To his academic merit, he holds a Bachelor in Forestry from the Technical University of Dresden in Germany and a Postgraduate Certificate in Social Banking and Social Finance from the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom.
Morgan Randall: Morgan is an American data scientist working in a small town outside of Munich. He enjoys learning about the world through drawing the strangers around him with both his hands.
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