Jonny Gould's Jewish State

Did Saul Singer and Dan Senor imagine their best-selling book, Start-up Nation, would reframe Israel’s brand - even its perception - right across the world? The book describes our guest today as “one of Israel’s legendary business ambassadors… whose taken on a role that anywhere else, would typically belong to the Chamber of Commerce, Minister of Trade, or Foreign Secretary.” But what is it that drives Israel’s extraordinary economic miracle and investability? And what extra dividends will peace and normalisation with the Arab world bring to the Middle East? Welcome to Jonny Gould’s Jewish State, Jon Medved, CEO of Our Crowd. This episode is not sponsored by Our Crowd, but you can support Jonny here if you like his insights and interviews about Israel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you a member of a mainstream Orthodox Jewish community? Do you regard yourself as a “liberal” whether your political views are left or right? How should we include Jewish LGBTQ+ people in our communities? At the moment, they live on the fringes of the mainstream, neither included or excluded. Is that fair? Would it be so difficult to accommodate or recognise a union of two Jewish people of the same sex? Or would it bring the whole tent of Jewish values down with it? Is it the job of Judaism to resist secular trends - or is acceptance of same sex unions permanent societal progress? I’m putting this out there because the life choices presented to people in society clash with traditional, mainstream Jewish organisations, if not the values of the Jewish people who make up their membership. Ben M Freeman is a thoughtful, respectful, proud Jew and Zionist, who’s adding a key voice and ideas to the community. This is also about every Jew expressing pride in themselves and to resist non-Jewish perceptions of who we are. Have a listen and tell me what you think. Leave a rating or review at Apple Podcasts and a reply to @jonnygouldpod on X Buy Ben’s book here ▶️ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jewish-Pride-Rebuilding-Ben-Freeman/dp/1913532135 Help support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State (including Gift Aid) at https://www.donorbox.org/jgpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What has happened to American foreign policy since Joe Biden took the presidency from Donald Trump? Is every despot in the world emboldened by the shocking withdrawal from Afghanistan? And what does this mean to Israel as it faces the existential threat of Iran edging closer to nuclear capability? As the latest round of JCPOA talks between Iran and the US continue in Vienna, Israel correspondent James Marlow brings his latest “Israel Briefing 4” to Jonny Gould’s Jewish State. Help support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State (including Gift Aid) at https://www.donorbox.org/jgpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Help support Jonny with a coffee right here. He’s been the youngest ever chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee with a military career served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tom Tugendhat MBE MP is an Arabic speaker and a fervent supporter of Israel who names of one the Jewish state’s Prime Ministers as a political hero(ine), Golda Meir. He takes this opportunity to pay tribute to the small band of Jewish soldiers serving in the British military. This episode remembers Lieutenant Paul Mervis from the 2nd Battalion, The Rifles, who was killed near Sangin in northern Helmand, Afghanistan in June 2009. He’s campaigning for the Law of Treason to apply to terrorist atrocities committed at home by British citizens after the unspeakable murders of fellow MPs Sir David Amess and Jo Cox and according to our mutual friend, Nick Timothy, former chief of staff at number 10, he’d make a great Foreign Secretary. I met Tom for the first time a few months before this interview as he helped launch EMAN, the Extremist Monitoring Analysis Network which aims to "combat hate speech and extremist ideologies by profiling radical individuals and organisations of all faiths". This is Tom Tugendhat MBE MP. Help support Jonny with a coffee right here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Help Jonny make these podcasts: buy him a morale boosting coffee here! A crowd of around 250 gathered to hear Gideon Falter of the Campaign Against Antisemitism demand of the BBC, “Where is the proof? Tell the truth”. This is about a bus load of Jewish people heading down London’s Oxford Street in high spirits, dancing and singing celebrating Chanukah - only to be attacked by an aggressive group of men shouting anti-Zionist jibes, banging their shoes against the bus windows and panels, performing Nazi sieg heil salutes and then chasing the bus down the road. But the BBC covered the incident claiming they’d heard conclusive proof of an anti-Muslim slur which had come from inside the bus. All this from a video recorded by someone in the vehicle. BBC London TV went further and broadcast speculation that the slur might’ve even triggered the group of men into attacking the bus in the first place. Joining Gideon on the stage was Fiyaz Mughal OBE of Muslims Against Antisemitism who reminded the crowd that bias against minorities also extends to stereotypes about Muslims too. Help Jonny make these podcasts: buy him a morale boosting coffee here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beatie Deutsch, elite marathon runner, Israel’s three-time national champion, Olympic and World Championships hopeful, face of the Adidas “Impossible is Nothing” campaign - and Orthodox Charedi mother of FIVE. She won the Tiberias Marathon, which she called “a useful practice run”. Her running style and extraordinary pace isn’t the first thing one notices. She wears modest clothing and covers her hair while she runs. Her values attracted Adidas to seek her out, joining Lionel Messi, David Beckham and Beyoncé on the roster. For a multinational corporate that usually shies away from G-d and spirituality, this is quite the departure. In this extraordinary episode, Beatie also discusses manifestation as part of spiritual and psychological race preparation. 🎙Jonny Gould’s Jewish State is brought to you with Dangoor Education. Help support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State (including Gift Aid) at https://www.donorbox.org/jgpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support thirsty Jonny's podcasting when you buy him a coffee here. President of Israel Isaac Herzog’s visit to Great Britain in November 2021 set a new high mark in the nation-to-nation relationship. His Excellency met the Prince and Princess of Wales, who themselves just returned from a Royal tour of the Middle East in Jordan and Egypt and an exhibition at Chelsea FC, honouring elite Jewish athletes murdered in the Holocaust, President Herzog departs the chair of the Jewish Agency to become Israel’s head of state, pledging to strengthen diaspora ties to his nation. As you’ll hear his family spent over a century in the UK before moving to Israel and says his British-Jewish heritage shapes his identity and his mission as President. Support thirsty Jonny's podcasting when you buy him a coffee here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonny's podcast is thirsty work. Help by buying him a coffee here! Today’s guest is the UK Ambassador to Israel, His Excellency Neil Wigan. Britain and Israel have never been closer. Values are converging in the post-Brexit and the Abraham Accords eras: two nation states with common values, industries and defence challenges. And Ambassador Wigan is the embodiment of that; he’s married to an Israeli, Yael and they have two children. There’s some straight talk coming up in this episode, like when is the British embassy joining the US in Jerusalem? But he’s under no illusion of the existential threat posed by Hamas and others in the south and Hezbollah in the north. 🎙Listen to the UK Ambassador to Israel, His Excellency Neil Wigan. Support Jonny's podcasts by buying him a coffee here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ambassador Dr. Michael Oren: solider, diplomat, ambassador, politician, author, journalist, opinion leader. Dr. Oren was Israel’s ambassador to the US for four years until 2013, during fraught years where allies felt a personal enmity to one other, President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu. Born into small town upstate New York in 1955, young Michael swapped the wealth and confidence of post-war America for a front seat in what he calls the nation of miracles. His childhood was influenced by his father and uncle’s US Army service in World War II and the terrible discovery of what the Nazi enemy had done to the Jews of Europe. But young Michael set about mapping out his life ambition to be Israel’s ambassador to the States, making Aliyah at 24. And for all the challenges Israel faces, Michael’s arch-optimism is based on lessons from Jewish history. 🎧LISTEN to Ambassador Dr. Michael Oren. Jonny Gould’s Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special Israel Briefing number 3, Jonny Gould’s Jewish State Israel Correspondent, James Marlow joins us to talk about the race to become the next Jewish Agency chair. The Jewish Agency is the bridge between the diaspora and Israel and prospective candidates are keener than ever to build and sustain relationships between Jews at home and abroad. You’ll hear the latest from James as the race hots up and from two frontrunners for Israel’s most important job behind that of the country’s President and Prime Minister. Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, Fleur Hassan Nahoum and His Excellency Michael Oren, Israel’s ambassador to the United States from 2009 to 2013. Isaac Herzog stepped down as chairman in July 2021 to be sworn in as the 11th president of the State of Israel. Support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Jonny Gould’s Jewish State live on stage at JW3. Had it not been for the pesky pandemic, live shows would’ve been a far more frequent occurrence for yours truly. So it’s with great pleasure that we present this show in aid of Jewish Blind and Disabled with Robert Rinder LIVE in the main theatre at JW3. In this frank and funny conversation, Rob reveals how his hit daytime show, Judge Rinder was originally pitched as a remake of 70s courtroom drama, Crown Court. He also discusses his lifechanging attitudes from his deeply moving episode of “Who Do You Think You Are”, which told the story of his grandfather’s miraculous escape from a Nazi death camp. And there's more than a smattering of Yiddish in our exchanges - and the customary debate over their precise meanings! It’s not too late to make a donation to Jewish Blind & Disabled. On the night we raised a phenomenal £95,000 in the room. Donate now at https://www.jbd.org/donate And you can support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State too (including Gift Aid) at https://www.donorbox.org/jgpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

March 2025: I am very sad to hear of Dore Gold’s passing and as tribute, here is a re-release of our discussion as way of remembering his sharp mind and sizeable place in Israel’s history. Ambassador Dr. Dore Gold has spent his professional life as a diplomat and trusted senior prime ministerial advisor pursuing peace and security for Israel with willing Arab partners. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, he lives in Jerusalem with his wife and family. Dore Gold was Israel’s ambassador’s to the UN in the late 90s. He advised on the Madrid peace conference in 1991 before leading Likud’s dialogue with the Hashemite kingdom in Jordan which led to peace in 1994. This was a direct response to the ruling Labour Party’s dialogue with the PLO. Ambassador Gold was also a key figure in the closure of the PLO’s office in East Jerusalem, a concession insisted upon as Israel opened talks with Yasser Arafat as part of the Oslo Accords. Since the turn of the millennium, he’s been president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs with his deep experience of US–Israel policy. A supporter of the Abraham Accords, he doesn’t believe the change of administration in Washington will undermine the extraordinary achievements of President Donald Trump‘s diplomats across the region - even if the foreign policy priorities of the Biden administration have veered away from the Middle East. His articles and books cover a wide variety of Israeli diplomacy on Jerusalem and he’s dedicated to the Golden City replacing Tel Aviv as the ultimate diplomatic hub. He’s also concerned with the UN and its implications for Israel, nuclear Iran, the United States' relationship with Israel and the possibility that Saudi will complete its extraordinary change from sworn enemy to partner in normalization. This is Ambassador Dr. Dore Gold. Help support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State (including Gift Aid) at https://www.donorbox.org/jgpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support thirsty Jonny with a coffee here! Our guest is journalist, author and social commentator, Melanie Phillips. She was once a committed diaspora Jew, pledged to contribute to life and society in her native UK. Moving to Israel was not on the radar; why would it be when she lived in the “goldener mediener”, a “golden country” in Yiddish, where Jews could live and prosper? Today she’s an arch-Zionist, living mostly in Jerusalem with her husband, the BBC’s former legal affairs correspondent Joshua Rozenberg. This episode chronicles Melanie’s change of mindset, using her story to illustrate what’s been happening to Anglo Jewry since the end of World War II. We also ponder the modern Conservative Party, why she thinks the BBC see her as the “acceptable face and voice of lunacy” and whether zealotry can ever be a positive influence. Jonny produces these podcasts for free. You can help support the show with Gift Aid at https://www.donorbox.org/jgpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest today is former TV and radio foreign correspondent, now acclaimed best-selling author on geopolitics, Tim Marshall. His book, The Power of Geography, Ten Maps That Reveal the Future of Our World discusses the many changes in a globalised and multipolar world. I’ve known Tim for over thirty years. Our paths have crossed radio and TV newsrooms at Independent Radio News, LBC and Sky News in London and we stayed in touch as he became a bestselling author on geopolitics. He’s one of the media’s good guys, staying clear of political commentary, instead seeing the world from the viewpoint of the people and places he observes. That makes for the integrity of his commentaries and analysis. Understanding people from their perspectives is in such a short supply in today’s social media rage! We can learn a lot from Tim’s generosity of spirit. Enjoy this episode with Tim Marshall and support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State: Paypal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State with a cup of coffee! Our guest today is Her Excellency, Tzipi Hotevely, Israel’s first female ambassador to the United Kingdom. Her Excellency’s honeymoon as Israel’s new ambassador to the UK didn’t last long. Israel’s world leading vaccine rollout (Episode 52) dominated headlines as Ambassador Hotovely took the reigns in London from Mark Regev in August 2020. Then the fourth Gaza War ignited wicked antisemitism on our streets. I ask what Israel’s mission can do to help Britain’s diaspora. She was born in Rehovot in 1978, the daughter of ardent Zionist immigrants from Soviet Georgia. As with Ambassador Regev (Episode 31), we talk about social mobility in Israel, the dynamism of the economy. Tragically, anti-Zionism exists among young Jewish people across the West, in the US. And here too. Heads are being turned by media and peer pressure. But while 75% of American Jews support Israel as a Jewish state, 85% say it’s “important or very important” to stand up for the “oppressed or marginalised”. Overbearing anti-Israel narrative makes bias out of balance. Palestinianism is cheered on by halfwit football wokery and TV celebrities. Her Excellency has a message for those in the diaspora less than supportive of the Jewish state. Britain took time to decide to join Australia, Canada and the USA in not sending a representative to Durban IV, a twentieth anniversary commemoration of the first Durban conference against racism which descended into hatred, antisemitism and the birthplace of the modern language of delegitimisation of Israel. Listen up for her thoughts on that, the Abraham Accords and the chances of peace with Joe Biden in the White House. This is Israel’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Tzipi Hotovely. Support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State: Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/JonathanLGould Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State: https://www.paypal.me/JonathanLGould In these troubled times, are we looking back with increased respect to Menachem Begin’s leadership? Is history being kind to one of Israel’s great prime ministers? Our guest today is Jonathan Gruber, film director of “Upheaval, The Journey of Menachem Begin”. Menachem Begin helped build then mould today’s State of Israel, a tireless fighter for all Jewish people. They say his life, both pragmatic and miraculous made him a man of contradictions and nuances. But wasn’t that just because he was charged with such grand responsibility on so many levels? Some events went spectacularly right, some tragically wrong. But throughout, his courage of conviction and unwavering values shone through. I’m joined by the movie’s director, Jonathan Gruber to discuss his film of one of Israel and the Jewish people‘s most important figures of the 20th century. Support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State: https://www.paypal.me/JonathanLGould Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support Jonny Gould's podcast production by buying him a coffee here. Israel’s Gaza conflict in the spring of 2021 lasted eleven brutal days but tragically, there’s no sign it’ll be the last. Israel’s citizens endured a pace and ferocity of Hamas rockets unprecedented in the four conflicts dating back to 2008. Yet over 90% of the 4,200 murderous missiles were shot out of the sky by the Iron Dome radar defence system. This episode is a detailed media briefing by both the IDF and Israeli police BEFORE the assembled journalists distilled what was said to the public. According to the IDF, 680 of the rockets fired from Gaza actually landed inside the strip, an astonishing 16%, putting their own citizens at the same risk as Israel’s. It’s also been horrifying for the Jewish diaspora, facing hordes of thugs loudhailing murderous intimidation at Jewish people from their cars in London and fighting on the streets of Europe and North America. And for the first time, Israel’s war was fought on both sides of its Gaza border as Israeli Arabs rioted in major cities. Israel’s disengagement and withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 was a unilateral dismantling of 21 towns with complete evacuation of Israeli citizens and the IDF. But this latest round of the conflict had quite a different feel. A more urgent one felt worldwide. Snarling antisemitism was ramped up and agitated by convoys of cars draped with Palestinian flags driving, hooting and loudhailing calls for murder and rape of children through Jewish areas of London. A Met police officer was caught siding with protestors even as they were confronted and attacked by those also making up the same protest. Palestinianism was cheered on by halfwit football wokery and TV celebrities. Blue tick influencers cheer-led the terror giving it a sheen of legitimacy and respectability. And football’s authorities looked on as Wembley’s prestigious FA Cup Final witnessed players showing off a Palestinian flag at the same time as the Met contained violence in the West End. And because that wasn’t called out, the same happened at Manchester United as a small post-pandemic crowd handed World Cup winner Paul Pogba the same flag to show the Premier League’s worldwide viewers the state of English football. An identifiable Aston Villa steward was seen posing with Anwar El Ghazi inside Villa Park after the last game of the season against Chelsea. Clashes happened inside Israeli cities between Jews and Arabs. Disturbances and demonstrations with the added shock of a synagogue burned down by rioters in Lod - not Łódź. This was a whole new challenge to the IDF, Shabak (or Shin Bet homeland security) and of course, the Israel Police. Gaza’s indiscriminate rockets, designed to destroy Israel’s Jews also actually killed Muslim Arabs, a Hindu carer for the elderly and rural agricultural workers from Thailand. Israel braces itself post-ceasefire for the stash of Hamas and Islamic Jihad’ unspent rockets and mortars. There are many, many thousands left. IDF intelligence reckoned about 8,700 remained after the end of hostilities. This is a Ministry of Foreign Affairs' news conference featuring IDF Spokesman, Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus and Police spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld with assembled media representing UK and US media - including Jonny Gould’s Jewish State. Support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State: Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/JonathanLGould Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jewish communities and friends right across the world came together in solidarity with French Jews in sorrow and outrage at the murder of Dr. Sarah Halimi. Episode Lineup: (02:01) Muslims Against Antisemitism’s Liz Arif-Fear (02:25) Karine Gould (07:10) Maureen Lipman (11:43) Sophie Wiesenfeld (13:22) Hen Mazzig (16:44) Raphael Landau (19:35) Gideon Falter. The 65-year-old retired medic and teacher fell victim to a heinous and brutal attack before being thrown to her death over the balcony of her Paris apartment. The Court of Cassation, the highest in the French Republic, ruled Kobili Traore couldn’t face trial as he was high on marijuana while committing the most gruesome and sustained attack on his neighbour. All this despite being a violent drug dealer and known antisemite. He’d verbally abused Sarah and her daughter in the lead up to the murderous crime. Jonny Gould and his wife, Karine went to the rally organised in the UK by the Campaign Against Antisemitism. Despite Covid restricting numbers, the event was well-supported. Support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State: Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/JonathanLGould Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest today is the Conservative Party candidate for London mayor, Shaun Bailey. Support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State: Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/JonathanLGould I spent more time in a modest queue of journalists observing Shaun Bailey than I did actually talking to him directly. But it was just as instructive. As a Tory, Shaun is the best-placed candidate to beat Sadiq Khan in London’s mayoral election on May 6th 2021. But what chance does he have? He’s not particularly well-resourced by his party which means it’s more down to him to drive his own campaign. But as you’ll hear, he counts himself as a characteristic London “hustler”, insisting his town is not necessarily a Labour city. He makes an impression with his honesty, but is he too unguarded to be a unifying London politician? With many thanks to Hendon Ward councillor Nizza Fluss, who organized his appearance with representatives of Shomrim and Hatzola at Hendon and Golders Green, Shaun answered my questions with clarity and brevity. We talk about his vision of “inclusion”, which he insists must include Jewish people, his policies on ULEZ charging, policing and stations. Then we discuss “disgusting” Israeli Apartheid Week, his positive action after taking part in the “March of the Living” and why a trade mission to Israel is key to restoring the fortunes of London’s post-pandemic economy. And he says Sadiq Khan’s Labour have some way to go before Jewish voters should feel comfortable again voting for them. PICTURE: Avi Yodaiken. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest today is renowned author, playwright and journalist, Tuvia Tenenbom. Tuvia tells unvarnished, uncomfortable truths. He challenges what you actually believe to be true, confronts what you think you believe in. Some Jewish people are scared by him. Some rant back and threaten him as a form of denial. Leadership runs from him. The Taming of the Jew are a collection of his observations on the outward antisemitism he encountered while travelling the British Isles. Utterly unrepentant, listen to Tuvia’s view of British Jewry. Hear which Lord threatened to sue Tuvia if he published what he told him in their interview and the shock at how some Jews are actually colluding with their accusers. You can buy The Taming Of The Jew by Tuvia Tenenbom here: https://amzn.to/3rATAcc Support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State: Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/JonathanLGould Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jonnygould?fan_landing=true Kofi: https://ko-fi.com/jonnygould Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Buy me a cup of coffee to support my work at https://ko-fi.com/jonnygould Our guests today are Member of Knesset, Professor Nachman Shai PhD and former Israel Ambassador to the USA, Danny Ayalon. PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s built his coalitions on the ultra-religious - but Covid disrupted their society. Some are moving into secular academia and productive jobs, while Arab Israelis, 20% of the population are reaching the higher echelons of Israeli society for the first time, thanks to Bibi the pragmatist. Israel’s longest serving prime minister changes course without causing the upheaval that comes with it. 🎧LISTEN to our prestigious guests for some stunning predictions on the “tragedy of Netanyahu” and the emancipation of Israeli Arabs brought about by the Abraham Accords and Bibi’s investment in society. Let me inform, educate and entertain you! I’d appreciate your help. If you’ve listened to a few episodes and eagerly anticipate the next one, follow this link to donate. Buy me as little as a cup of coffee at https://ko-fi.com/jonnygould Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bristol University's reputation is being tarnished by their inaction over a conspiracy theorist professor who calls for an end to Zionism in lectures. Support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State: Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/JonathanLGould Professor David Miller's called for "an end to Zionism in the world", a dogwhistle which has attracted support from Chris Williamson and Asa Winstanley, whose supporters have trolled Sabrina Miller and other Jewish students incessantly on social media. I've handed the mike to Sabrina to tell the story of their struggle and included clips from the #HateOffCampus rally they organised by government advisor on antisemitism, Lord John Mann, Countdown superstar and antisemitism campaigner, Rachel Riley and JSoc President Edward Isaacs. I’ve also included interviews I've personally collected along the way from US Special Envoy Elan Carr and Baroness Ruth Deech. The fight against David Miller shouldn't just be left to a small group of Bristol's highly-motivated, inspiring Jewish students. This is for everyone who believes in combating hate wherever it manifests itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the extended interview with Col. Richard Kemp, of which excerpts appeared alongside other world-class experts in the previous episode 52 on Israel's world leading vaccine rollout. I’ve produced this full version of the interview with Richard because we discussed wider global issues beyond just Israel’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis. We go on to the continuing threat of Iran’s nuclear aspirations and if the Islamic theocracy will only be emboldened by the new Biden Administration. Richard also pays tribute to the outgoing Trump Administration - in particular Jared Kushner, Ambassador David Friedman and Jason Greenblatt, recalling as eyewitness how Israeli PM Netanyahu’s 2015 address to the US Congress proved the kernel which grew into the Abraham Accords. There’s also the growing threat of China, which he says “affects the whole world”. LISTEN TO COL. RICHARD KEMP 🎧 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support Jonny with coffee How has Israel built a world-leading reputation in combatting the Coronavirus threat? Why do foreign governments look to Israel for their lead? It all started with the incredible vaccine rollout in the summer of 2020. A deep faith in science and healthtech, a militarised efficiency, a high price on the value of life and a commitment to innovation and a unifying national cause. I’ve spoken to leading figures from the worlds of medical research and innovation, national security, diplomacy, politics and journalism. We hear from Israel’s chief researcher in its largest healthcare organisation, Clalit’s Ran Balicer, Colonel Richard Kemp, the UK’s former national security chief who chaired Cobra, responsible for coordinating national intelligence including MI5 and MI6. His Excellency Mansoor Abulhoul, the UAE’s ambassador to the UK, who declares the vaccine rollout as the early dividend of the Abraham Accords. And journalist, writer, author and hawklike watcher of the Middle East, Jake Wallis Simons, who writes for the Spectator and is deputy editor of Britain’s Jewish Chronicle, We also hear from David Jones MP, on the executive committee of the council for Arab British understanding and vice chair of the All-party parliamentary group on Jordan. And how despite the headlines, how Israel distributed some vaccines to the Palestinians but why the PA wanted to keep that quiet. Support Jonny with coffee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you enjoy Jonny's podcasts, you can help him by buying a coffee here. Our guest today is Spiked Online's chief political writer, Brendan O’Neill. Brendan is one of the English-speaking world’s foremost political commentators. He came to fore as the excruciating drama of Britain’s departure from the European Union edged on (and on). I first spoke to Brendan leading up to the 2016 referendum when I was talkRADIO’s evening show host. I’ve watched him ever since, battling away for the 17.4m who voted Leave. In this Jewish and Israel podcast, I frame our discussion around the hard-left and its changing attitude to national self-determination, Israel and the anti-Zionist antisemitism which has followed. We also draw the obvious parallels between Brexit and Israel the nation state and discuss the woke left’s cancellation of Julie Burchill, also an outspoken supporter of Israel and the Jewish people. There’s football’s “taking the knee”, being Irish in the UK. buying your council house and civil liberties in the era of Covid. “I didn’t desert the left, the left deserted me!”, explains Spiked’s former editor, now concentrating his efforts on a prolific body of writing. Our democracies are the stronger for it too. I can’t thank Brendan enough for this captivating and hugely popular episode. 🎧LISTEN NOW to Brendan O’Neill. If you enjoy Jonny's podcasts, you can help him by buying a coffee here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonny Gould's Jewish State presents Israel correspondent, James Marlow for a special report on the fallout from the assassination of Iran's chief nuclear scientist. Support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State: Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=BW4GZLQCCL29Y&item_name=Podcast+production+&currency_code=GBP&source=url Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jonnygould?fan_landing=true Kofi: https://ko-fi.com/jonnygould Find Jonny on Social Media: https://twitter.com/jonnygould https://www.facebook.com/jonnygouldshow https://www.instagram.com/jonnygould This is Israel Briefing 2, the second in a series of major event reporting from International Affairs and Middle East specialist, James Marlow. Not just Jonny Gould’s Jewish State Israel correspondent, but also a contributor for ITN, Al Jazeera and LBC Radio. James has written about this subject for the Times of Israel and Spiked-On-Line. So much has changed so suddenly in the Middle East. Now Joe Biden has replaced Donald Trump as US President, what impact will be felt from Tehran to Ramallah to Riyadh? The fallout from the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh is discussed with James in this special report. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is Paul Harris, editor, proprietor and chief executive of the Jewish Telegraph newspaper. The Jewish Telegraph, the north of England (and Scotland’s) foremost community newspaper is 70. Paul Harris is the editor, proprietor and chief executive. Every week - and for the last seventy years, he and his mother and father before him have published the newspaper. Started in Manchester on their dining room table with a borrowed typewriter and £50 capital, it’s grown into a newsroom and advertising platform with 4 regional offices in Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds and Liverpool. He regales us with some great stories over the years involving Yasser Arafat, Michael Jackson and Sharon Osbourne, although they weren’t all in the same room together! If I told you the one about Paul interviewing the PLO leader inside his Tunis compound while on a family holiday and who he took into the terrorist leader’s cage with him, you'd never believe me. Paul will have to tell you. “Hold my beer, hold the front page!” 😆 Listen to the life, career and newspaper of Paul Harris! Support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jonnygould Kofi: https://ko-fi.com/jonnygould Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guests are Euan Philipps and Emma Picken of Labour Against Antisemitism. Support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State: https://ko-fi.com/jonnygould Jeremy Corbyn spent just nineteen days suspended from the Labour Party after the Equality and Human Rights Commission's report delivered a damning verdict into the party's victimization of its Jewish members. But as Corbyn was restored to the membership, new leader Sir Keir Starmer refused to return the parliamentary whip to his former boss. But even that is open to review. The factional war between Labour’s hard-left and moderates is now in full flow, but what will the outcome be - and can Labour ever be voted into power while this remains unresolved? Euan Philipps and Emma Picken of Labour Against Antisemitism submitted 15,000 pages of evidence to the EHRC. In this episode, they explain their motivations, their hopes and predict what’ll happen now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve listened and enjoyed a few episodes, help me by following this link to donate: https://ko-fi.com/jonnygould. Today’s guest is Anne Frank’s stepsister, Holocaust survivor and world renowned speaker, Eva Schloss. Eva Schloss, step-sister of Anne Frank, forgives the Nazis. Aged just 11, her happy family life in Vienna was cancelled as the Germans annexed Austria, turning the populous against the Jews in an instant. She describes this national mood change as “unbelievable”. Non-Jewish friends suddenly shunned her and her older brother was severely beaten by classmates. With her family, she fled for her life through Belgium and Holland, as the Nazis mercilessly hunted Europe’s Jews. Young Eva had to adapt to new schools, languages and countries and was bullied by fellow children and even teachers. Eventually, betrayed by a Dutch underground agent, she was captured and sent to Auschwitz. In 1945, barely alive, she was rescued with her mother by Soviet troops. Her father and brother were killed. But the 91-year-old survivor says, “Forgiving is most difficult because the human consciousness has a hard time living in the present”. She’s on a mission to talk for her family and the millions of others, senselessly slaughtered by the Nazis and their European accomplices during World War II. Eva is now a prolific speaker around the world on the horrors of the Holocaust and knows what true forgiveness means. Could you forgive like she has? With sincere thanks to my good friend Rabbi Yosef Vogel and his Centre for Jewish Life for this incredible interview opportunity and you’ll hear Yosef towards the end of the interview with his rabbinic insights. This is Eva Schloss🎧 Can you help keep this voluntary service going? If you’ve listened and enjoyed a few episodes, help me by following this link to donate: https://ko-fi.com/jonnygould Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arnold Roth, father of teenager Malki, who was murdered in a Jerusalem suicide bombing, is calling for the extradition from Jordan of the attack’s planner. He’s also calling for the BBC to apologise to its Arabic audience for “toxic distortions” of the murderer’s characterisation. Malki Roth, just 15-years old, was one of 15 victims of a suicide bomber at the Sbarro pizza restaurant in Jerusalem, orchestrated by Ahlam Aref Ahmad Al-Tamimi, who drove the bomber to the site. Tamimi was sentenced to 16 life terms by Israel for her role in the attack, but was one of the prisoners freed in exchange for the release of Gilad Shalit in 2011. She lives freely in Jordan and openly boasts about how she orchestrated the suicide mission, while at the same time presenting herself as a victim. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is His Excellency, Mansoor Abulhoul, UAE ambassador to the UK. Support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State. Buy him a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/jonnygould or make a bigger donation with Gift Aid at http://donorbox.org/jgpodcast “Normalization" is possibly the most understated word to describe the seismic changes triggered by the Abraham Accords of September 2020. Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain entered a new era of peace and understanding, brokered by President Donald Trump's US Administration and signed at the White House. The speed by which the peoples of Israel and the UAE are realising the opportunities made possible by diplomacy is quite breathtaking. Expressions of religious similarity and mutual understanding, physical and economic links and recognition of multiple opportunities deliver hourly headlines across the world. Including this interview, recorded just as the Israeli Knesset ratified the treaties. And so it is to this prestigious episode which wouldn't have been possible even a month ago. But what of the Palestinians? What difference to their future can normalization provide? Can this peace create positive leverage in the face of Palestinian rejectionism? LISTEN TO HIS EXCELLENCY, MANSOOR ABULHOUL, THE UAE AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED KINGDOM. Let me inform, educate and entertain you! I’d appreciate your help. If you’ve listened to a few episodes and eagerly anticipate the next one, follow this link to donate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is His Excellency, Ferenc Kumin, Hungarian ambassador to the UK. “We (Hungary) feel a moral drive to strengthen our ties to Israel and the Jewish community. And when you have that moral drive, it makes it easier, you don’t hesitate”. The words of the new Hungarian ambassador to the UK, Ferenc Kumin. It's been quite a summer covering Israel and it started for me with this remarkable interview with His Excellency, Ambassador Ferenc Kumin at the Hungarian Embassy in London. With Israel, Bahrain and the UAE agreeing to normalization, Muslim-majority Kosovo also establishing diplomatic ties and with Serbia pondering moving their mission to Jerusalem, a reset of positions, some deeply entrenched is now due from nations across the world. There are still present day problems of antisemitism in Hungary, but there is both an awareness and willingness to confront it. I was touched by Ambassador Kumin's sincerity and knowledge of Hungarian Jewish history as we discussed their extremely difficult history of the twentieth century. LISTEN to this powerful and sometimes emotional interview. I’d appreciate your help to keep this voluntary service going, so if you’ve listened to a few episodes and eagerly anticipate the next one, buy me a coffee here! Thanks! ⤵️ https://ko-fi.com/jonnygould Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Middle East peace to standup, from Lord Balfour to Israeli HealthTech, from Labour antisemitism to pop music and from smoked salmon to football, Jonny produces regular free podcasts. Want to help Jonny’s efforts? You can make a monthly donation of £3 and support his efforts at https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=BW4GZLQCCL29Y&item_name=Podcast+production+&currency_code=GBP&source=url Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A university lecturer at Southampton Solent was sacked for telling his course leader, “I believe that Jewish people are among the cleverest in the world. They are much maligned because of it.” Stephen Lamonby remarked to Dr. Janet Bonar that people from different countries had become good at certain things owing to “high exposure”. He said that Germans are good at engineering because they are “exposed to a high level of industry from an early stage in their lives”. When Dr. Bonar, an engineering lecturer, mentioned her degree in physics, Mr Lamonby said that Jewish people had “a particular gift” for the subject. He used Albert Einstein as an example and asked Dr Bonar if she was Jewish. She took offence and called Mr. Lamonby a racist. Mr. Lamonby was sacked by the University and an employment tribunal dismissed his claim. Judge Colm H. O’Rourke said: “A Jew told they are good at physics — because they are a Jew — may well consider that as demeaning their personal intellectual ability/hard work.” Mr. Lamonby says, “at university, you can only think things, you can’t say them!” Is this verdict a complete miscarriage of justice? Is it even offensive to Jews to say they have a talent for physics? Although Jews account for less than 0.2% of the world’s population, at least 20% of all Nobel Prizes have been won by Jews, including 56 winners of the Physics Prize – nearly half of the total! When does philosemitism become antisemitism? And what’s happening to free thinking in our British universities? If you enjoy Jonny's podcast shows, you can help support him at http://www.donorbox.org/jgpodcast or you can buy him a coffee and see all his podcasts here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This a rework of the Trevor Horn episode from 2019. As lockdown looms large over 2020, this is a tribute to his creative vibrancy throughout the previous year: the worldwide concerts and ambitious records. And it’s updated to include the orchestral album with Rod Stewart and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, which followed “Reimagining the 80s”, a 65-piece rework of the best songs by stars from the decade. I was lucky enough to see Trevor in concert during this prolific period of creativity at the Royal Festival Hall in London. But I’ll always remember this very personal discussion because of how we discussed his deep connection to both Judaism and the synagogue community of South Hampstead in London. We also talk about his own background growing up in County Durham. His father came from a family of teachers, his mother from mineworkers and the class snobbery which emerged from that seems a world away from his life now. I’m always proud when an interviewee tells me at the end that he or she’s never been asked a question about an aspect of their life before. Jewish religious spirituality and community is a big part of Trevor’s life. “I believe in Judaism more than I believe in anything else”. You can help support Jonny with Gift Aid at https://www.donorbox.org/jgpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Help Jonny's podcast along with a coffee! This is the second episode of a two-part series on the future of Britishness, patriotism and the nation state. In Part 1, Trevor Phillips talked of “mission creep” in diversity and Karen Harradine distinguished between power and influence, arguing that though Trump and Johnson were in power on both sides of the Atlantic, many of our institutions were influencing against them. Today, "Britain's strictest headmistress" Katharine Birbalsingh discusses the unifying call of Britishness for those of us lucky to live here. And writer and campaigner Inaya Folarin Iman says identity politics discounts humanity and its sheer potential and possibilities. Katharine came to prominence a decade ago at the Conservative Party conference, when she spoke in support of the party's education policies. She slated a "culture of excuses, of low standards ... a sea of bureaucracy ... [and] the chaos of our classrooms", “because it keeps poor children poor." Katharine confronted the prevailing culture in education to setup the Michaela secondary school in Wembley. Inaya Folarin Iman is a writer, commentator, campaigner and director of the Free Speech Union, campaigning for freedom of speech and expression, democracy, liberty and human potential. I need your help to keep this podcast going, so if you’ve listened to a few episodes and eagerly anticipate the next one, buy me a coffee here! Thanks! ⤵️ https://ko-fi.com/jonnygould Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cancel culture, editorial purges and your sporting heroes kneeling before kickoff. Why should sport be a promotional platform to institutionalize potentially divisive ideas? Unlike other countries, English football's popularity was built on its competitive integrity and little else. I just want to watch Aston Villa lose in peace in an ideologically free zone and wonder to why the jobs market might be engineering opportunites for some and not others. What is antiracism and is it the same as being against racism? - and if not, what exists between those definitions? Is antisemitism the elephant in the vaccuum? If we all agree racism is a problem is change even possible when the establishment of public sector, charities, even sports governing bodies are rushing to be associated with an organisation which also wants to defund the police and crush capitalism. Not to mention their plan for Israel. And is the silent majority of Britain made up of factory workers, lollipop ladies and warehouse operatives miffed to be told they’re guilty of white privilege? Over the next two episodes, I talk to some of the leading critics of these sudden events to define this newly-charged identity politics which it has triggered. Trevor Phillips has been there done that, a doyenne of arts, equality and data analytics, he’s also among many other roles, the former chief of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, who have completed their report into Labour antisemitism which dogged Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership and threatens Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership. Writer and campaigner and Conservative Woman, Karen Harradine believes that while Trump and the Tories are in power, it’s an unelected illiberal left which dominates cultural and civic institutions. And coming up in the next episode: Educationalist and headmistress, Katharine Birbalsingh, who is proud to be British and wishes people would stop telling her black and Asian pupils that somehow their identity lies elsewhere even if they and their parents were born here. And director of the Free Speech Union, Inaya Folarin Iman, who says we’re navel-gazing in the narrow world of identity politics when the human condition of achievement and fulfilment is so much greater. I'd love your help to keep this podcast going, so if you’ve listened to a few episodes and eagerly anticipate the next one, buy me a coffee here and scroll through all the other episodes too. Thanks! ⤵️ https://ko-fi.com/jonnygould Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is Theresa May's former joint chief of staff, Nick Timothy. Many will recall a bushy beard during his time running Mrs. May’s administration; a style of grooming by which the tabloids dubbed him, “Brummie Rasputin” but they’ll have to find a new nickname for him now! Nick formulated and wrote policy in the Home Office before ascending to the corridors of Number Ten where he wrote Mrs. May’s 2017 General Election manifesto. But he didn't see out her premiership, taking the hit with Fiona Hill for her disastrous 2017 election campaign, an experience he calls "both brutal and chastening". His career continues as both a columnist for the Daily Telegraph and author of "Remaking One Nation: The Future of Conservatism", in which he outlines a restoration of civic capitalism as the way to bring a bruised and divided country together. We also discuss the problems of globalisation, the West’s future relations with China which he's long warned about, lessons learned for both major parties from the 2019 General Election and he hits back at an allegation of antisemitism from the left-wing magazine, The New Statesman. A Brummie like me, Nick cites another son of Birmingham, the 19th Century’s Joseph Chamberlain as his political hero. LISTEN to Nick Timothy. Have you listened to a few of Jonny’s podcasts? If you enjoy his shows, you can help support him at http://donorbox.org/jgpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Greenblatt is the co-architect of the peace plan which changed the course of the Middle East during 2020. In January 2017, he was appointed Assistant to the President and Special Representative for International Negotiations. With presidential advisor and President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner and US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, they drafted “Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People”. Officially he’s left his role as one of President Trump’s chief Middle East peacemakers. But in practice, it’s quite another matter. “It's like that line from the Eagles' song, 'you can checkout anytime you like, but you can never leave'", says today’s prestigious guest of “Hotel California”. He admits to still being involved despite leaving the White House in September 2019. The following February, Jason joined the board of Our Crowd, a crowdfunding investment platform aimed at projects in the Middle East, but says he's in regular contact with diplomats, politicians and contacts built up during his years in Washington. It's a wonderful interview in which we define the hopes and challenges of making an elusive peace to Israel and the Palestinians and he doesn't shy away from the difficult obstacles. He's realistic in his outlook. Jason is a first-generation American. His parents only arrived in the US in 1941 and 1956 as penniless Jewish immigrants of both Nazism and Communism and he marvels at the opportunities his country has given him. LISTEN to Jason Greenblatt. If you enjoy Jonny's shows, you can help support him with a donation at http://www.ko-fi.com/jonnygould Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonny's podcast is helped along by your generous support. Buy me a coffee here. How many acts of heroism never come to public attention because of the modesty of the heroes themselves? This is a first-ever audio interview in English with one such man. His name is "Dani', the Mossad commander in charge of “Operation Brothers” for five drama-filled years from 1978. Without doubt, this is one of Israel's finest hours; a Mossad mission to emancipate thousands of Ethiopian Jews from the dangers of revolution and persecution. But this is also about partnership and brotherhood. Mossad would never have achieved this lethally dangerous, giant humanitarian mission without the equal determination of the Ethiopian Jews themselves, to realise a generational longing to return to Israel, the land of their forefathers. "Dani" only agreed to this interview on condition that his full identity wouldn't be revealed. And while he's partially emerged out of the shadows, I'm told many of his Mossad colleagues remain completely anonymous. “Operation Brothers” was a mission to spirit thousands of Ethiopian Jews out of their remote highland villages to walk hundreds of miles to the hell of a Sudanese refugee camp, whereupon they would begin a perilous exodus to Israel. Some Jews were given passports and papers and flown out of Khartoum Airport, a difficult and dangerous process in itself. But thousands of others were transported hundreds more miles to the Sudanese coast under cover of a plain-sight Red Sea diving resort which Dani and his Mossad agents ran as a fully functioning hotel while conducting their covert operations each night. 10% of the Jews didn’t make it, dying on the exhausting journey. Mossad is famous for spying missions and counterespionage - but this was nothing to do with that. This was a world first for such an organisation: purely humanitarian, 700 kilometres behind enemy lines in Sudan, which was extremely hostile to Israel back then. Dani's Mossad command of this covert mission is faithfully chronicled in Raffi Berg’s brilliant book, "Red Sea Spies". I am so grateful to Raffi for organising the interview and truly honoured to talk to Dani. This episode is dedicated to Kasei and Kidan Cohen. Let me inform, educate and entertain you! I’d appreciate your help. If you’ve listened to a few episodes and eagerly anticipate the next one, follow this link to donate. Buy me as little as a cup of coffee at https://ko-fi.com/jonnygould Recorded in May 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Jonny Gould’s Jewish State grows, so does the challenge to deliver relevant content to a bigger audience. I have now expanded into news coverage as Israel gets a first government in 18 months after three exhausting elections. This is “Israel Briefing”, the first in a new series on Jonny Gould’s Jewish State, as James Marlow becomes our Israel correspondent. On Israel's 72nd anniversary, Binyamin Netanyahu leads yet another government as PM, the Trump Administration urges him to scale down business with China, while reports of Iran’s withdrawal from Syria appear to have been somewhat overstated. James also reveals the brinkmanship behind forming the next government, an enlarged 36 ministries as splintering parties seek cabinet responsibility but the merger of the UN and US Ambassador roles. If you like what you hear today, please share generously on Facebook, Twitter and email. Jonny makes these podcasts for free and if you enjoy his shows, you can help support him here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Israel is fast emerging as a hub for international TV drama. Netflix is syndicating a host of Israeli hit shows across 192 countries. It was unthinkable even five years ago that the Startup Nation would add cultural ‘soft power’ to its already established high-tech rollcall of global successes. Fauda was thought just to be of interest to an Israeli audience. Originally only in Hebrew and Arabic, it's the story of the IDF's special units who go deep behind enemy lines to combat terror and rescue hostages. Among the mainstays of all three series is co-creator and lead, Lior Raz who plays Doron Kabbilio (and other undercover aliases) and his Shin Bet commander, Itzik Cohen, the long suffering Captain Gabi Ayub. I caught up with Itzik, locked down in Tel Aviv, who explained with great passion the role of the actor in such a realistic show. Lior Raz comes courtesy of Roger Bennett of Men In Blazers. Thanks and Courage, Roger. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is brought to you with Dangoor Education. You can support his work too right here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve listened to a few episodes and eagerly anticipate the next one, follow this link to support Jonny. Today’s guest is author and the creative power behind the Netflix smash hit Unorthodox, Deborah Feldman. This has become the runaway most-listened to episode of Jonny Gould's Jewish State so far. Unorthodox on Netflix has become the must-watch drama everyone seems to relate to. It’s a highly moving portrayal in English, German - and Yiddish. It’s about a pregnant teenager fleeing her ultra-orthodox Jewish community in New York for a new and uncharted life in Berlin. The series heroine, Esty Shapiro, played by Shira Haas is fictitious - but the story mostly isn't. It's a version of the life of Deborah Feldman, who now lives in the German capital having grown up in Brooklyn in a Satmar community. Deborah's book chronicles her own exodus from Williamsburg and I tracked her down to her Berlin home, which was easier than normal during lockdown! It's an intense interview covering many topics, including the role of women in orthodox communities, how the current Jewish generation deal with the trauma of the Holocaust, the future of Zionism and just how many Chasidim(religious Jews) have taken Esty and Deborah's route out. It’s “thousands and now it’s become a movement”, says Deborah. LISTEN to this powerful, thought-provoking interview with the real Esty Shapiro, Deborah Feldman. Let me inform, educate and entertain you! I’d appreciate your help. If you’ve listened to a few episodes and eagerly anticipate the next one, follow this link to donate. Jonny Gould’s Jewish State is brought to you with Dangoor Education. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest today is Professor Gerald Steinberg, founder and CEO of NGO Monitor. The values of Human Rights are part of modern-day international conflict. Modern warfare is also fought through social media, the United Nations and via NGOs or non-governmental organizations. "Soft power can be very deadly, I've seen it with my own eyes", says today's guest Professor Gerald Steinberg, founder of NGO Monitor. And so often, the central battlefield of NGOs is between Israel and the Palestinians. Gerald set up NGO Monitor in 2001 because he saw the need to "vigorously challenge" and end the promotion of "politically and ideologically motivated anti-Israel agendas by NGOs”. In this fascinating episode, we discuss in detail the change in how Human Rights is conducted and where organizations such as BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) started. If you appreciate Jonny's podcasts, kindly support him with a donation and see his other podcasts here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest today is Joseph Cohen, creator of the Israel Advocacy Movement and it's extraordinarily powerful viral videos. Joseph Cohen’s helping to change perceptions of Israel and Judaism. Amid rising antisemitism and antizionism, Joseph hopes his work will inspire others to follow his lead. His YouTube and Facebook videos have been viewed millions of times and been retweeted by President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu. Joseph's unusual background gives him a deep understanding of working class England and his study of the similarities between Islam and Judaism provides his outreach work with additional authenticity. I’m calling Joseph “Zionism’s Angel of the North”, a tribute to his background as the child of a hippy commune in a Durham pit village. The town in which he grew up was part of the “red wall”, which overwhelmingly voted Conservative at the 2019 General Election, as Boris Johnson inflicted the worst electoral defeat on Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour since 1935. And Joseph says the north has “zero appetite” to switch back to Labour “anytime soon”, because Labour seem concerned with issues like climate change which don’t resonate in a constituency where there’s mass unemployment, shops are closing and people need a car to get to work. Listen to this extraordinary episode with Joseph Cohen! Thank you for your continued support of my work. You can help me by giving at http://donorbox.org/jgpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I can go freely to the Western Wall or the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, why can't our Jewish and other friends go to the Temple Mount?" Ed Husain is a vital voice from the British Muslim community with his many speeches and articles on tolerance and pluralism. He was a teenage Islamist who embraced Muslim nationalism but started life in his father's more peaceful, religious mosque. Now he’s a steadfast opponent of the creed of the extremist. He's the author of The Islamist, an account of his five years as an activist here in the UK - and The House of Islam: A Global History, which discusses the classical tenets of Islam and the ways in which they're being distorted by political Islam. Ed explains how the West's thirty million Muslims must acquaint themselves with life in a secular state where they're no longer the dominant population or conqueror. I released this podcast on Purim, which Ed mentions. It’s his wish that modern-day Persia, now Iran, should return to the days of Mordechai, who as Prime Minister heralded a period of growth and civilization in Shushan after the threat of mass-extermination by Haman. The story of the Megillah Esther is read day and night on Purim. If you’ve enjoyed Jonny’s episodes, help his work to continue at http://donorbox.org/jgpodcast or http://buymeacoffee.com/jonnygould Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode opens with a stark warning to Europe’s leaders: a second refugee influx looks increasingly likely. Yaakov Lappin is a military analyst and researcher whose book, “The Virtual Caliphate” predicted the emergence of ISIS as they then swept through Iraq and Syria. He was alarmed at how easily accessible IS was online and how it led readily to the radicalization of so many young western Muslims. And he says though ISIS have been defeated militarily, the threat of both extreme Sunni and Shia terrorism must be countered or Europe could face another mass influx of refugees. In this wideranging discussion, Yaakov also unpacks the opportunities which Donald Trump's Deal Of The Century offers plus a new IDF leadership system he's helping to develop. Jonny produces these podcasts for free. To make a donation to his efforts, buy him a coffee here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ambassador Mark Regev embodies the modern Israeli story. Leaving his native Australia at 22 without family or contacts waiting for him, he praises Israeli mobility which aided his rise to the top of diplomacy. Armed with mother-tongue English, his ability to communicate Israel to billions of people is both of great advantage personally and nationally. He pays tribute to the pioneer generation of Israeli orators, led by South African-born Abba Eban and his stirring command of language. Ambassador Regev hopes the Palestinians reject ‘rejectionism’ and recognise the opportunities provided by Donald Trump’s “Deal of the Century”. Three Arab governments were present in the White House as it was unveiled. He asks why the Palestinians aren’t also celebrating decades and decades of independence as the UN partition laid it out. We also discuss the Palestinian issue as a vehicle for antisemitism, statistically and substantively - and the roots of leftist Jew-hate in Voltaire, Dostoyevsky and Jewish-born Karl Marx. Ambassador Regev confirms that Israel is Brexit-ready for trade with the UK post-transition. Britain is Israel’s largest European trading partner. But this is just part of a burgeoning relationship as “robust” security collaboration “makes people safer in both democracies, as the bottom line”. Islamic terror, he insists, is a common enemy to Britain and Israel. He also talks excitedly about the new prosperity Israelis are enjoying as the “Startup Nation”. GDP per Capita is now on par with the UK. Ambassador Regev is leaving London after five years as the nation’s leading diplomat here, so I ask what’s next for him? With many thanks to Ambassador Regev for his generous time and reflections and to Israeli embassy spokesman, Ohad Zemet, who facilitated and arranged the interview. Pictures by Inc. Monocle, thank you very much, Stuart. Brilliant work. Jonny makes these podcasts for free. If you’ve listened to a couple or more of the series, you can support him at http://www.paypal.me/jonathanlgould Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is an excerpt from Ep 31, the full interview with Israel's Ambassador to the UK, Mark Regev. In this ‘preview clip’ Ambassador Regev tells Jonny Gould that growing trade is but part of a burgeoning relationship between Israel and the UK, which can only grow post-Brexit. Bilateral trade stands at $18bn both ways so Israel was quick off the mark to complete a deal to continue trade seamlessly after the 2020 transition. Security co-operation and collaboration between the two independent nations makes the citizens of both safer according to Ambassador Regev. IDF pilots and the RAF have been training together because Britain values Israel’s aircraft combat experience. Look out for the FULL interview, Episode 30, with Ambassador Mark Regev on Jonny Gould's Jewish State. Jonny makes these podcasts for free. If you’ve listened to a couple or more of the series, you can support him at https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=BW4GZLQCCL29Y&item_name=Podcast+production+&currency_code=GBP&source=url Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can support Jonny in making these podcasts right here. The former White House Communications Director, Anthony Scaramucci is a political celebrity. He’s making a career out of his ten days in the Trump Administration. The Mooch was heading to Pennsylvania to campaign for Mike Bloomberg’s short-lived Democratic Party bid for the Presidency. And in advance of that, he was in London addressing an intimate invitation-only crowd at the Four Seasons, Ten Trinity Square Hotel. After a wide-ranging discussion about why he turned against Trump (he spoke out against the President's rebuke to "the squad", the four Democratic congresswomen who he said should "go back and help fix the totally broken crime-infested places they came from"), I caught up with him for a one-to-one chat about the Deal Of The Century, President Trump’s plan for a new settlement in the Middle East. You can help Jonny make these podcasts right here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices