What happens when words become weapons? When history’s lessons are ignored? In this gripping conversation, J100 host David M. Cohen is joined by Mort Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, for a wide-ranging and unfiltered dialogue.
Born to Holocaust survivors in a displaced persons camp, Mort built a career as a mathematician and health economist before devoting his life to Jewish advocacy. Over three decades at ZOA, he has shaped U.S. policy on Israel, spearheaded the battle to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, and fought tirelessly against antisemitism in all its forms.
Together, David and Mort explore:
Why “words become sticks and stones” — the link between rhetoric and violence
The morality and consequences of hostage deals and prisoner swaps
How the embassy move to Jerusalem almost failed — and who made it happen
The existential threats of Iran, radical Islam, and rising antisemitism
The quieter crisis of assimilation and intermarriage
Provocative, passionate, and deeply personal, this episode forces us to confront uncomfortable truths — and reminds us why the fight for Jewish survival is as urgent as ever.
Condensed Transcript
David M. Cohen: Welcome back to the J100 podcast, brought to you by the Algemeiner. Today’s conversation is as urgent as it is timeless. My guest is Mort Klein, longtime president of the Zionist Organization of America. Born in a displaced persons camp to Holocaust survivors, Mort became a mathematician, a health economist, and a researcher with Nobel laureate Linus Pauling before pivoting to a life of activism that has reshaped U.S. policy toward Israel.
Mort Klein: My parents were Holocaust survivors. My father lost his entire family at Auschwitz; my mother lost half her family. From them, I understood that verbal hatred becomes physical violence. That’s why when I hear chants of “from the river to the sea,” I know what it means: a call to murder Jews. Words become sticks and stones.
David M. Cohen: That theme seems to run through everything you’ve done. You began in academia and government, but at some point made a dramatic shift.
Mort Klein: My wife pushed me. She told me, “Mort, you’re wasting your talents on making a living when the Jewish people are in trouble.” I knew nothing about Israel then, so I started reading and educating myself. I exposed lies in textbooks, fought anti-Israel candidates, and eventually was asked to run for president of ZOA. I never planned to win — but I did. And for 32 years, I’ve stayed because the threats to our people only deepen.
David M. Cohen: You’ve taken on unpopular positions, especially about hostages, Gaza, and intermarriage.
Mort Klein: Appeasing evil isn’t kindness. Releasing 1,027 terrorists for Gilad Shalit gave us Hamas leaders like Sinwar. The Torah itself says not to overpay for captives. Painful as it is, we must think of the nation, not only the individual family. And intermarriage? It’s destroying us from within. Seventy-five to eighty percent of non-Orthodox Jews marry out. That’s a demographic catastrophe.
David M. Cohen: You were deeply involved in the embassy move to Jerusalem. Few know how close it came to failing.
Mort Klein: That’s true. At first, we had only eight senators. Every major Jewish organization opposed us. It took John Kyl, Bob Dole, Sheldon Adelson, and finally Donald Trump to make it a reality. I was there the day the embassy opened. It was one of the proudest moments of my life.
David M. Cohen: And today? What worries you most?
Mort Klein: Radical Islam. Ten to fifteen percent of Europe is Muslim now, changing policy against Israel. Millions more have come to the U.S. under Obama and Biden. Surveys show most harbor antisemitic views. That, and intermarriage, are my deepest fears for the Jewish future.
David M. Cohen: Mort, thank you for your candor and your fight.
Mort Klein: And thank you for joining the battle. We need every hand.
