Jonathan Neman, co-founder and CEO of Sweetgreen, joins Jonah Platt on Being Jewish with Jonah Platt. He’s the son of Iranian Jewish refugees who fled almost overnight, and in less than two decades turned a Georgetown dorm-room idea into a 300-location public company.

Jonathan opens up about the tweet he sent in the raw, emotional hours after October 7th, one he now says he’d phrase very differently, and what he’s learned since about turning viral moments into teaching moments instead. He shares his single piece of advice for Jews navigating this moment, a philosophy he preaches to Gen Z Jewish leaders working to fight rising antisemitism on college campuses. He gets into the meditation practice that anchors his entire day, including the surprising mix of Muslim, Hindu, and Jewish mantras he’s collected along the way. And Jonathan traces his family’s own Persian Jewish story, from his parents’ overnight escape from Iran to why he didn’t always feel proud of that identity growing up, and makes the case for why that same community became one of the most successful immigrant groups in American history.

This is Being Jewish with Jonah Platt.

This episode and whole season of Being Jewish is brought to you by Birthright Israel Foundation. Help send the next generation of young Jews to Israel at https://onetrippchangeseverything.com.

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