Jonah Does CNN and KIND Founder Daniel Lubetzky
Being Jewish with Jonah Platt
Mexican-Jewish Upbringing and Identity
Daniel recalls Mexico City's tight Jewish community, Yiddish schooling, and cultural blend of Mexican, Jewish, American identities.
Jonah interviews Daniel Lubetzky, Mexican-American Jewish founder of KIND, Shark Tank investor, and longtime bridge-builder, about how his Holocaust-survivor father and Mexican Jewish upbringing shaped his commitment to connecting communities. Lubetzky describes mourning his father, saying Kaddish, and launching both KIND and the OneVoice Movement the same year, crediting prayer and purpose with keeping him grounded. He explains PeaceWorks, a trade-based social enterprise linking Israelis and Arabs (and later other conflict regions), which succeeded in sustaining relationships but never scaled and ultimately closed. He recounts OneVoice’s effort to empower moderates against media-driven extremism, mobilizing nearly a million Israelis and Palestinians, yet falling short of ending the conflict. Lubetzky outlines his latest project, the Builders Movement, and its “builders vs. destroyers” framework, its education, media, and civics work, and argues kindness is strong, honest action.
- Lubetzky reflects on the impact of reciting Kaddish after his father’s death and how Jewish ritual shaped his worldview.
- The founding story behind KIND Bars and why Lubetzky named the company after his father’s values.
- Lubetzky’s first social enterprise PeaceWorks, connecting Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians, Egyptians, and Turks through trade.
- How PeaceWorks also operated in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Chiapas, Mexico to foster cooperation across conflict lines.
- The creation of the OneVoice Movement, which mobilized nearly 1 million Israelis and Palestinians around shared peace principles.
- Why Lubetzky believes media narratives often amplify extremists instead of moderates in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
- Launching the Builders Movement, a global initiative promoting cooperation over division.
- The Builders Movement framework built around the “Four Cs”: Curiosity, Compassion, Creativity, and Courage.
- Educational partnerships with institutions such as Stanford University to promote builder-mindset leadership programs.
- Collaboration with leaders like Van Jones to strengthen alliances between Jewish and Black communities.
Thank you to this episode's sponsor:
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Police Arrest Suspect in Ramat Gan Stabbing
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The History, Significance, and Meaning of Kaddish
Al Jazeera Propagates Hatred. Is it also a Foreign Agent?
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Kind Creates the Kind Foundation to Help Foster Kinder and Healthier Communities
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Jewish Neighborhoods: Mexico City
Mexican school merger will expand ORT’s presence in Latin America
Jewish Nobel Prize Laureates
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Red snapper with Veracruz-style sauce (huachinango a la Veracruzana)
The Rise and Fall of Eliot Ness
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Written and Hosted by Jonah Platt, Executive Producers: Steve Hein, Jonah Platt, Chief Business Officer: Kenyon Laing, Chief Marketing Officer: Katya Chen, Production Manager/Executive Assistant: Josie Rothschild, Research Associate: Samantha Greenwald, Production Associates: Rachel Stern, Charlie Zuker, Production Interns: Sasha Nelson, Emma Webb, YouTube Consultants: Jason Al-Samarrie & Zac Stein, Post Production by TIMEWEAVER, Creative Director: F. Brian Scofield, ACE, Lead Editor: Noam Klement, Editor: Gray Clevenger, Joe King. Graphic Designer: Noah Bell, Theme Music by Gabriel Mann, Performed by Jonah Platt
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