Boarding School, Jewish Identity and Never Quite Belonging | Hugo Rifkind

Hugo Rifkind is a Times columnist, satirist, and author who grew up the son of a Conservative cabinet minister — inside privilege, but never quite feeling entitled to it. In this conversation, he and Elizabeth explore what it means to pass for something you're not entirely sure you are, and what it takes to finally see the things you were too close to name. In this episode they cover: • Is wanting to be seen the same as actual connection? • Growing up Orthodox Jewish in Edinburgh and what faith actually meant in his household • The Scottish boarding school system — the normalised violence, the culture of silence, and reading a public inquiry twenty years later • Being publicly Jewish since October 7th, and watching a community feel frightened while their traditional allies looked away • Writing satire that exposes what politicians are specifically not saying -- Our guests and listeners to our podcast come from all kinds of perspectives and what draws us together is a desire to be self-aware about our own values and curious about other peoples. Comment your reflections below, we read them all👇 The Sacred is produced in partnership with Comment Magazine, and with support from The Jerusalem Trust and Open Society Foundations. 🎙️Listen to The Sacred: linktr.ee/sacredpodcast 📖 Follow Elizabeth Oldfield: www.elizabetholdfield.com/ 💡Produced by Theos Think Tank in partnership with Comment Magazine 👉 Follow Hugo Rifkind: https://www.instagram.com/p/DXmPHlqo1... -- Chapters 0:00 - Intro 01:16 - "What's Sacred to you?" Hugo's Surprisingly Honest Answer 1:51 - Connection, or Just Wanting to Be Seen? 4:33 - Why He Became a Journalist 6:23 - Orthodox Jewish, Son of a Cabinet Minister, Scottish Boarding School — An Unusual Childhood 13:12 - Being Publicly Jewish Since October 7th 19:09 - The Boarding School Where Nobody Told You to Stop 20:13 - Public Inquiry into His Boarding School 24:36 - The Impact of Boarding School Culture 33:22 - Masculinity, Teenage Boys and Andrew Tate 39:57 - Philosophy, Life's Meaning & Atheism 43:33 - Humor and Political Sattire 56:37 - Growing Up Inside Power and Never Feeling Entitled to It 1:00:38 - Guilt, Blind Spots, and What He'd Want Said at His Funeral 1:02:29 - Elizabeth's reflections