From Chinese Restaurant Dishwasher to U.S. Treasury: Mitchell Silk’s Unlikely American Story

Former U.S. Treasury Assistant Secretary Mitchell Silk joins J100 for an in-person conversation about his extraordinary path from working in Chinese restaurants as a teenager to becoming a senior American official involved in China trade negotiations, global finance, infrastructure, fintech, and CARES Act relief.

Silk reflects on his Hasidic identity, his grandfather’s influence, his years in Asia-focused law and finance, his work at the Treasury Department, the future of U.S.-China relations, Israel’s economic importance, antisemitism in financial markets, digital currency, and his new book A Seat at the Table.

Chapters

00:00 Israel, America, and Economic Opportunity

01:22 Introduction

04:04 From Chinese Restaurant to China Expert

10:09 Law School, China, and Early Career

15:00 Jewish Identity and Hasidic Roots

19:09 Being Observant in Big Law

22:35 Energy, Infrastructure, and Innovation

31:29 The Path to Treasury

37:48 U.S.-China Relations and Trade

46:29 Inside the Treasury Department

49:10 Israel, Fintech, and the Abraham Accords

50:46 U.S.-Israel Relations and Financial Antisemitism

55:24 Digital Currency and the U.S. Dollar

57:44 Why He Wrote A Seat at the Table

You can find the condensed transcript & summary of this episode and more episodes at

https://open.substack.com/pub/thealgemeiner/p/from-chinese-restaurant-dishwasher?r=5m0oyd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

This episode of "The J100 Podcast" was produced by David Taragin.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(24)

Glenn Cohen on Hostages, Trauma, and the Psychology of Survival

As the Jewish world marks 50 years since the raid on Entebbe, former Mossad officer, Israeli Air Force veteran, and psychologist Glenn Cohen joins J100 to discuss hostage rescue, ambiguous loss, traum...

2 Juli 1h 14min

Shopify President Harley Finkelstein on AI, Antisemitism, Israel, and Jewish Success

Shopify President Harley Finkelstein discusses his family’s journey from persecution to prosperity, the mission behind Big Shot, the antisemitism that made him more publicly Jewish, and why AI may be ...

11 Juni 1h 11min

Dr. Gad Saad on Freedom, Academia, Elon Musk, and the Death of Rationality

Dr. Gad Saad joins the J100 Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation centered on his new book, Suicidal Empathy.From growing up Jewish in Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War to becoming one of the mos...

14 Maj 1h 10min

The Battle for Israel’s Story with Dr. Einat Wilf

What if the central mistake in understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict… was never military—but conceptual?Dr. Einat Wilf argues that for decades, Israel—and much of the world—has been fighting ...

30 Apr 1h 11min

The Fracturing Consensus: Matt Brooks on Israel and American Politics

Is support for Israel still bipartisan — or has something fundamentally changed?In this episode of J100, Matt Brooks – CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition – speaks about the evolving relationship b...

16 Apr 39min

The Self-Appointed Ambassador for Israel: Sylvan Adams

Sylvan Adams joins J100 for a wide-ranging conversation on aliyah, antisemitism, sports diplomacy, philanthropy, and the future of Israel. From his family’s Holocaust-rooted story to his efforts to st...

19 Mars 1h 4min

Resigning from the Heritage Foundation and the Courage to Disagree with Robert P. George

Princeton professor Robert P. George joins J100 to examine campus antisemitism after October 7, the crisis of ideological conformity, anti-Semitism on both the left and right, and why a free society d...

26 Feb 1h 4min