Jonny Gould's Jewish State

Elon Musk returns fresh from his first visit to Auschwitz and I'm there as he returns to Krakow to address us as delegates of the European Jewish Association symposium in Krakow. He's interviewed by Ben Shapiro. The event was entitled NEVER AGAIN: Lip Service or Deep Commitment? Among the world leaders joining Elon Musk was former Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, who pushed back on Polish Holocaust denial in my interview, former French prime minister Manuel Valls, who conducted our interview in French, and Israel's minister of the diaspora, Amichai Chikli. Here's my recording of their live stage interview.

How has the October 7th massacre challenged Israeli public opinion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? What about 'day after' planning? Has it seriously begun? And does peace lie with the Gulf states? Just how much do the Saudis and the UAE want Israel to win? Who in Palestinian society is there to deal peace with? Is there anyone? Has the Israeli left anywhere left to go? Is war from Lebanon inevitable? While the Houthis, another Iranian proxy, bomb western ships in the Suez Canal, how many fronts could this war open? Is the escalation so inevitable that Iran joins the fray directly? Russia in Syria, Iran's land bridge there. Let's update that too. Why is it imperative that Israelis from both the north and south return to their towns and kibbutzim? Two of Israel's leading journalists and analysts join me here in London thanks to Elnet UK, a bipartisan, cross-party international organisation, who stand above politics, working to advance UK-Israel relations. We go deeper into the conflict, wading through the hardship, to try to find a route to a better day. Haviv Rettig Gur is a senior analyst for The Times of Israel. He's covered the politics, foreign policy, education and relationship Israel has with the Jewish diaspora for 20 years, he served as Director of Communications for the Jewish Agency and taught at the best pre-military academies in Israel. He was a correspondent at the Jerusalem Post. Jonathan Spyer is Director of Research at the Middle East Forum and edits the Forum's journal, the Middle East Quarterly. He has reported from Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, Ukraine and back home including in Gaza and Judea and Samaria. LISTEN NOW for a in-depth analysis of today's Middle East and hopes for a better tomorrow.

Our guest today is Nicholas Martin, movie producer and writer of the biographical drama, “Golda”. Golda was seven years in the making, and as you'll hear, Nicholas has delved so deeply into her story - and by extension Israel's story from independence to the 1970s - which makes this such a captivating interview. He's also made deep friendships with Golda's family and throughout Israel. A highly experienced and talented filmmaker who's become a world authority on the period, but didn't know a great deal about Israeli history before he started. Nicholas' previous film was the hilarious, Florence Foster-Jenkins. Golda also stars Liev Schreiber as Henry Kissinger and Camille Cottin as Lou Kadar, Golda's assistant. Our episode music has just been composed in support of Israel by my friend Bryan Edery with concert violinist Miriam Kramer. He's called it “Israel in my Heart, ner Tamid”. Thank you for allowing it to be our beautiful episode theme tune. I'd been talking to Nicholas about an interview for two years, before we eventually sat down in his London home for this considered and emotional discussion. I want to thank Nicholas for being such an open interviewee. This is one of the best. You can buy "Golda" on Apple TV, Amazon Video, Sky Store, Microsoft Store, Rakuten TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube as download or rent it on Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Rakuten TV, Apple TV, Sky Store, Curzon Home Cinema online. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet.

This is “Another How to Make Peace in the Middle East", building on the success of the first Talk TV Special, with more highly informed guests from the worlds of politics, the military, frontline medicine, journalism, diplomacy and think tanks. In this episode, British-born Israeli hand and trauma surgeon, Dr Elliot Sorene explains how he's operated on Hamas fighters, who after successful surgery have "promised to see him on the battlefield". He also tells us how his son survived the Nova Festival massacre and saved other's lives too. Hen Mazzig is a former IDF humanitarian soldier, who insists his experiences in Judea and Samaria give him belief in a path to peace from the younger generation of Palestinians. Jonathan Sacerdoti reveals yet more evidence of human shields and Gazan tunnels. Barak Seener has troubling statistics on just how radicalised the Palestinian population is and the extent to which hearts and minds must be changed after the war with Hamas is won. And Benjamin Anthony believes the war against Hamas is long overdue and needs to be prosecuted to the very end, but with the equal commitment of rescuing the Israeli hostages who remain incarcerated in Gazan hell. The response to the first show was instant thanks to social media and included an incredible response on YouTube, where my interview with Dr Einat Wilf has attracted approaching 400,000 views. This is ANOTHER How to Make Peace in the Middle East. With thanks to everyone at TalkTV, who give me this vital and valuable platform to discuss hopes for a better day.

Dov Forman, 20, co-author of New York Times bestseller, Lily's Promise: How I Survived Auschwitz and Found the Strength to Live, was invited to Israel by ELNET UK on a solidarity mission to see for himself the trail of death and devastation left by Hamas through Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7th. Scenes and smells he says have changed him forever. ELNET's been running constant missions ever since for European influencers and Parliamentarians.  Almost 100 MPs from eight European countries have been to Israel to bear witness. And amid new denials from enemies of Israel and the Jewish people, Dov tells us how important it is to tell the truth about the depravity and murder which took place and why talk of a ceasefire will only make the possibility of this horror happening again.

"Israel's a self-starting civil society, which takes so much on itself", so says Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, who talks about her city's response to the 250,000 displaced Israelis who've left their homes in the south. But there is a determination across the whole nation for them to return home and rebuild their lives and communities after the terrible pogrom of October 7th. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education.

On my latest TalkTV show, I spoke with Orit Meir, mother of Almog, 21, who was kidnapped from the peace festival on October 7th, then seen in a Hamas propaganda video shortly after. Nothing has been heard or seen of him since. Orit says he MUST remain front of mind amid the release of other Hamas hostages. I can't remember conducting a more emotional interview in all my years in broadcast journalism. This is a vital message to transmit through a mother's agony and anxiety as you'll hear. Bring Them All Home Now. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education.

Aside from producing

Our guest is Chaim Oren, an expert on resilience, wellbeing and high performance, who advises professional sportspeople and leading CEOs on fulfilling their human potential. When it comes to strengthening personal resilience, Chaim quotes Victor E. Frankl, Auschwitz survivor and author of Man's Search for Meaning: “If you have the why you can endure any how”. Frankl, who conceptualised “logotherapy” a therapeutic approach to find personal meaning in life, believed anyone, anywhere could “rise up to any challenge”. “If you develop a life meaning you can overcome any difficulties, dangers and hardships". Chaim is the son of two Holocaust survivors who arrived in British mandate Palestine on the Exodus ship in 1947. His late uncle Dov Shilansky, the 12th speaker of the Knesset, was a close confidant of Menachem Begin. He's famous for saying, "we don't have another choice, we must fight for our life. I won't put up my head in the handing rope again." We develop our conversation into how Israel comes together in times of existential crisis and how the intense unity has followed on from intense political divisions, created by the upheaval to reform the judiciary. Stories of great personal courage have emerged amid Hamas' savagery and brutality on October 7th. Listen now for a story of incredible heroism from an everyday Israeli, Rachel Edri, who kept Hamas fighters at bay for hours and hours and saved her own and her father's lives. Chaim has a wealth of anecdotes and quotes in a rich conversation. I hope you enjoy Chaim Oren's company as much as I did. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education.

In these times of danger in the Middle East, even on one's own doorstep, it was both heartening and morale boosting for everyone who attended a Parliamentary reception at the Houses of Parliament. Led by Elnet UK with United Hatzalah of Israel and World Jewish Relief, we learned of support on the ground for victims in the Ukraine and Israel. Meant to mark the 600th day since the war in Ukraine started, the Hamas terror attacks meant the focus was shifted - though we were urged not to forget the terrible war in Europe. In both conflicts, we were reminded of the “sickening suffering” inflicted on innocent civilians. And not just of concern to Israel, instead a war for the future of humanity between good and evil. Shocking testimonies don't seem to get easier to hear. We heard Noam Sagi's testimony about his mother's kidnap from her kibbutz Nir Oz home. He gave a news conference to the London-based media. It's coming up. I hosted the panel discussion with Assaf Admoni of United Hatzalah, Marta Kubica, chief executive of Elnet (Central and Eastern Europe), and Beth Saffer, head of older peoples' programmes at World Jewish Relief. We'll also heard from Minister for Immigration, Robert Jenrick MP, Wayne David MP, Shadow with responsibility for the Middle East and North Africa and Lord Stuart Polack. But first to introduce the whole evening, Joan Ryan, CEO of Elnet UK. This episode is brought to you with Elnet UK, dedicated to strengthening relations between the UK, Europe and Israel based on shared democratic values and strategic interests.

Words are important. In times of war, their importance is magnified. Never has my mission for Jonny Gould's Jewish State seemed more urgent: to combat the slurs, the lies and the distortions of history which threaten Israel and Jewish people. The media has a responsibility - at the very least - not to fan conjecture and untruths, because it comes with a by product: incitement. And the media column seems found to be woefully short of moral purpose. Hundreds of thousands Britons felt emboldened to head for Central London in support of Hamas, which prompted a disagreement between the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman and the chief of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Mark Rowley about the small amount of arrests. We hear from Sir Mark outside the Home Office as he left the meeting. As the weeks went by the protests, which became weekly got bigger, swelling from 100,000 to over 350,000 by week 4. Ms. Braverman eventually lost her job, describing the anti-Israel rallies as “hate marches” in a Times newspaper article. We hear from UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak confirming the media's scandalous rush to parrot Hamas' claim that Israel bombed a Gazan hospital as a lie. Mr Sunak visited Jerusalem to show moral support for Israel to meet his opposite number, Benjamin Netanyahu. We hear from both at a news conference. And when the world's lead international politician finds a way to blame Israel for the massacres perpetrated against them, you might wonder whether the world is ranged against Israel, holding the Jewish state to a different standard. UN secretary general Antonio Gutteres said Hamas' butchery didn't come “in a vacuum”. The butchery, rape, kidnapping is given reason by the UN. The resolve to destroy Hamas amid calls for “proportionality” and a ceasefire have caused outrage in Israel. You'll also hear from Israel's foreign minister, Eli Cohen. If you enjoy my podcast and you'd rather it existed than not and that I kept doing it - you can buy me a coffee at www.buymeacoffee.com/jonnygould because it really helps! Tell your friends, subscribe now if you haven't already and scroll back through the 120 previous episodes!

Israel's collective spirit is rekindled. After eight months of street protests, of political turmoil and the societal divisions it scored, the nation has responded in unity to the terror committed by brutal Hamas murderers, rapists and kidnappers on October 7th. The people have risen “ground up, not bottom down” in the best ideals of Israeli and Jewish society. The IDF, the collective “us” has brought Israelis together once more. And it's a phenomenon our guest today says will change both the Middle East and Israel for good. Benny Davidson is an Entebbe hostage survivor. Now aged 60, Benny was just 13 when he and his family were among those rescued in the legendary Israeli raid in July 1976. He gives talks across the world on hostage trauma and says he'd go anywhere to do so. This episode is his insight into what the hostages are going through and what can and should be done to get over 200 babies, the elderly and whole family groups out of hell. He calls for more support for hostage families, which he and his brother Ron have already started to do. His parents are still with us, in their late 80s - and he pays them a stirring tribute in love and respect. It was their quick thinking under pressure at Entebbe, which he says helped to form him. Benny also pays a deeply emotional eulogy to Yoni Netanyahu, brother of the Prime Minister, Benjamin, who commanded the elite Sayeret Matkal unit at Entebbe. He gave his life that day.

Israel is heartbroken, the house of Israel is heartbroken. Israel is at war again fighting genocide. It's resilient people are traumatised by shock, horror and grief. A quiet Shabbat morning, also the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah where Jews celebrate finishing reading the Torah and then start to read it again, “In the Beginning”, was shattered by a mass invasion of Hamas terrorists, smashing through the concrete border wall, paragliding into Israel, before rampaging through a music festival killing 260, machine gunning people at the bus stop and in their own homes in Sderot and on kibbutzim. Gruesome videos and pictures swiftly circulated on X, horror one can never unsee. The elderly and babies slaughtered, women raped, bodies taken in to Gaza paraded and desecrated, mothers with children in their arms abducted are all now hostages in Gaza's terror tunnels and tower blocks. Depravity and barbarism reminiscent of the European Holocaust and Russian pogroms. How did Israel's famed security services miss this evil plan fermenting? Can Israel contain this war to just one front? Or when Benjamin Netanyahu says retaliation will change the Middle East does that mean going to the source of this terror, Tehran? Is the long anticipated attack from Hezbollah about to happen? And what catastrophe would this wrought on Israel's towns and cities? There are 220 Israeli hostages. Is a ground invasion the answer? How will Israel prevail? These are questions for Israel's former deputy national security adviser, Chuck Freilich, author of "Israeli National Security: A New Strategy for an Era of Change" and his latest, "Israel and the Cyber Threat: How the Startup Nation Became a Global Cyber Power." This episode also includes moving testimony from Michal Maayan, speaking in New York as Israel's permanent deputy representative. Let's take a step back here, with someone I've come to know over the last couple of years, Chuck Freilich.

This is a special episode featuring a competition winner from a primary school who won the chance to make an episode of Jonny Gould's Jewish State. I ran it for Year 6 pupils at North West London Jewish Day School and was delighted when 11-year-old Bella Bolot stepped up to the plate and secured us an interview with Bill Browder. Bill is a London-based American-born financier, the CEO and co-founder of Hermitage Capital Management, once the largest foreign portfolio investor in Russia. On discovering that taxes he was paying to the Russian exchequer were being stolen by middlemen officials, he started to expose large scale systemic corruption in the country. With his Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, he took on large companies like Gazprom and Sidanco. But as they confronted faceless power, the consequences were fatal. In retaliation, in November 2005, Bill was refused entry to Russia, deported to the UK, and declared a threat to Russian national security. But Sergei was tortured and murdered in prison for testifying on Bill's behalf. He takes responsibility for this terrible crime and it totally changed the trajectory of his life, both private and commercial. Bill now heads the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign. He gives us a snapshot of what Russia's become under Vladimir Putin and how life isn't just made up of comfortable decisions. Sometimes we have to take a stand. My thanks to Miss Caplan and Mr Radomsky at North West London Jewish Day School. Listen here to Bella's interview with Bill Browder.

Our two guests today make their first appearances on the “podcast of record”, and you might say after 120 plus episodes of Jonny Gould's Jewish State, they've been a rather glaring omission. The Right Honourable, Lord Eric Pickles and the Right Honourable, Joan Ryan are in conversation. We focus on the future of Holocaust remembrance, including a serious attempt to get to the bottom of what actually went on in the only concentration camp built on British soil by Hitler, at Alderney in the Channel Islands. We also discuss the UK government bill to quell the racist endeavours of BDS. The Anglo-Jewish community owes a debt to those in our political class who stood up to the growing scourge of antisemitism which followed Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party. And typically, proof that the “oldest hatred” stands above party politics is the cooperation, even camaraderie, which exists right across party lines. Joan's Labour, Eric's Tory. Once again, I handover the interview microphone for a deeper conversation between these two comrades. The Rt Hon. Joan Ryan in conversation with Lord Eric Pickles is brought to you with Elnet UK, dedicated to strengthening relations between the UK, Europe and Israel based on shared democratic values and strategic interests.

Let's confront the latest expression of antisemitism: that which hates Jewish people for the State of Israel. I'm delighted that Jake Wallis Simons has given his first interview about his new book to Jonny Gould's Jewish State, “Israelophobia: The Newest Version of the Oldest Hatred and What To Do About It”. We can't really have a conversation about Jew-hate in the 21st century without confronting those who try to separate anti-Zionism from antisemitism. Because 9/10 Jews say Israel is key to their Jewish identity and it never takes long for antisemitism to spring from slurs which start with Israel. Enter Jake, editor of the Jewish Chronicle, who also writes for the Spectator, the Telegraph and you've seen him on Sky News reviewing the papers. He also spent time overseas as a foreign correspondent. The time is ripe to discuss Israelophobia, the newest mutation of the oldest hatred. Jake's book is out on 7th September and you can preorder it here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Israelophobia-Newest-Version-Oldest-Hatred/dp/1408719274?nodl=1&dplnkId=67bc639c-0008-4097-a727-7d2f69c64ad5 Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proud to be supported by Dangoor Education.

Our guest today says the unedifying term “civil war” bandied describing judicial reform in Israel is a useful device to maintain pressure on both sides to find a solution. Let me be clear: I spent much of July and August 2023 in Israel and the country is not “entering a state of civil war” as former Prime Minister and convicted criminal, Ehud Olmert claimed. There's no curfews, no rubber bullets and no army in place of cops on the streets. But that's not to say this isn't a serious situation. As positions entrench further, is hope for a solution ebbing away? Time for some realpolitik. While in Tel Aviv, I met historian and commentator, Dr. Edy Cohen, PhD. This is the third time Edy's joined me on Jonny Gould's Jewish State - but the first time face to face. Beirut-born Edy has his finger on the pulse of the Arab world. He is a world authority on Muslim holocaust denial, Islamist terrorism and the history of Jewish communities in Arab lands. There's no one with a more amplified voice across the whole of the Middle East than Edy. He tweets almost exclusively in Arabic to over 570,000 followers. In 1991, the Lebanon he was raised in became too hostile, so he and his family fled for their lives and he's lived in Israel ever since. As a native Arabic speaker, Edy tweets through divides, talking directly to Arab audiences on Israel, the Jewish people and the religion which they never get at home. Edy's a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern History from Bar-Ilan University and his 2017 book, “The Holocaust in the Eyes of Mahmoud Abbas” exposes a vicious holocaust denial at the top of the Palestinian Authority. And in “The Mufti and the Jews: his connections to the Nazis”, Edy reveals new evidence of a 1943 plan the Arab leader hatched with the Nazis to exterminate the Jews in mandate Palestine - if World War II had been lost. But the allies won the Battle of El Alamein and so the Holocaust didn't spread in any meaningful sense into the Middle East and Maghreb, where a million more Jews would surely have suffered the same fate as their brothers and sisters in Europe. So let's talk about the collision of events which might lead to the end of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the burning of holy books in Sweden and what Israel has to do with Morocco's territorial ambitions in the Western Sahara! And what precisely is the Saudi/US/Israel offer? “It's bigger than Camp David”, says Professor Chuck Freilich, Israel's former Deputy National Security Adviser, who also appears in this episode to outline the proposition. A Senior Analyst at the Israel Ministry of Defense, policy adviser to a cabinet minister and delegate at the Israeli Mission to the United Nations. Chuck lays out the win-win-win for the US, Saudi and Israel - but as with all peace deals, it's no free lunch. Infact, what's on the table is costly for Israel. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education.

Jonny Gould's Jewish State stays in Israel heading for the Knesset in Jerusalem and a couple of nights out in Tel Aviv, fresh from an eye opening visit to the Israel Gaza border (scroll back one episode for that atmospheric episode). I was part of an Elnet UK delegation, an organisation sharing democratic values and strategic interests between the Jewish State and the UK and Europe. Now let's talk to politicians and an Iranian expert for a snapshot on regional and domestic issues. The white heat of judicial reform has seemingly pushed the general public's concerns about the Palestinians into the shadows. I met Hanoch Milwidski MK on trying to bring Israelis back together. Then it's off to Tel Aviv to meet Iranian expert, Dr. Meir Javadanfar, who supports the JCPOA. What many in Israel and around the world regard as appeasing the Iranian regime, allowing them space and time to create a nuclear weapon! Why does he support it? And he took part in the Iranian Revolution, yes really! But first let's hear the story of Ruth Wasserman Lande, a former Knesset MK, itching to get back and with seemingly endless ambition. Ruth served as advisor to Shimon Peres, as Deputy Ambassador at the Israeli embassy in Cairo. Her parents arrived from Soviet Lithuania with nothing. Raised in a Russian speaking home, the Soviets even took her mum's wedding ring off her. Real stories from real people. Lived-in and brought your ears. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is brought to you with Dangoor Education.

Let's take you to a top secret location in the south of Israel to observe at firsthand an Iron Dome battery, followed by a trip to the Erez Crossing, the main border exchanging goods and workers between Gaza and Israel. We were told by the IDF the night before not to come because there'd been incoming rocket fire which they'd defended against from that very location. But in the end, the invite and clearance was reinstated. When I arrived there, I was surprised by the personnel in charge of the two bulky anti-missile launchers. The IDF soldiers responsible for defending Israel with the system were three 18 year old girls. I interview two members of the IDF, who reveal what it takes to be a soldier with split-second responsibility, to make crucial decisions - and at such a young age. The Jenin operation, dubbed “House and Garden”, (yes, really) was also in full action and yet another car ramming and stabbing greeted our arrival into Tel Aviv. I was part of an Elnet UK delegation, an organisation sharing democratic values and strategic interests between the Jewish State and the UK and Europe. Come with me as I cross both sides of the buffer zone on the main border between Israel and Gaza. Never forgotten.

This is a story of moderation, to use our history of oppression to resist fascism, anti-Jewish hate, to uphold hard-fought liberties and the rule of law. Russia led by Stalin and Germany by Hitler were gruesome, murderous, evil regimes. Yet Soviet Russia's crimes aren't acknowledged in any comparable way to those perpetrated by the Germans and their Nazi accomplices across Europe. But they are in this engaging chronicle of Lord Daniel Finkelstein's own family history, Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad: A Family Memoir of Miraculous Survival. Danny's parents, like my own grandparents and great uncles and aunts resisted victimhood to rebuild their family lives here in England. I'm getting a taste for handing over the interview microphone because a previous interviewee now becomes the interviewer. In episode 113, Dr. Bea Lewkowicz was interviewed by Jonathan Freedland as she knew both young men who escaped Auschwitz and warned the world of the horrors within. Detail so rich in our podcast that Jonathan updated his bestseller, The Escape Artist. Here Bea interviews Lord Danny Finkelstein about his book - with a series of searching questions. Bea also knew both Danny's parents and interviewed them for her AJR Refugee Voices Archive, where she's director. Danny says his parents held Bea in high regard and like him, she is also the child of two Holocaust survivors. That lived-in knowledge, that shared experience makes Danny delve into his own family story deeper than anything you might've seen or heard about his book so far. Tell your friends and share my podcast with them. It's in the Top 5% Most Shared Podcasts in the world, and for that I thank you so much. This is Bea Lewkowicz, director of AJR refugee voices, in conversation with Lord Daniel Finkelstein, author of Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad: A Family Memoir of Miraculous Survival. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education.

This episode of Jonny Gould's Jewish State focuses on Israel's greatest (ever) regional ally, the United Arab Emirates. The UAE is asserting itself diplomatically on the regional and world stage. Should Israel be worried about the swirling winds of interests in the region?  The Emiratis have followed Saudi Arabia in re-establishing diplomatic ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran - and Syria has been welcomed back into the Arab League fold, despite Bashar al Assad's brutal and bloody decade-long civil war.  Furthermore, Assad has been invited by the hosts to the forthcoming COP28 conference in Dubai, posing a diplomatic problem for Western leaders to avoid being in the same room as him. After the euphoria of normalization in September 2020, Jonny takes the temperature of the Abraham Accords and wonders where the UAE's stunning rapprochements with former foes in the Middle East leaves Israel? In preparation for this episode, Jonny went to the Israeli Embassy in London, and spoke exclusively to the Ambassador, Tzipi Hotovely and deputy mayor of Jerusalem, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum. Also in this episode, we hear a stunning rebuttal to European criticism of the UAE hosting COP28 from Majid Jafar, CEO of Crescent Petroleum, the Middle East's oldest privately held oil and gas company. As the world works towards the energy transition, should one of the world's leading oil and gas providers be hosting it at all? You'll get your answer here. And what if Labour get elected in the UK in 2024? We hear their policy about future oil exploration in the North Sea. This really is a time of change. Let's try to get some answers in this episode. 

Jonny Gould's Jewish State circles back to a previous episode, uncovering startling new revelations. New details so rich, a bestseller has been updated to include them. In episode 88, I sat down with my old friend, Jonathan Freedland to discuss The Escape Artist, the story of two young Jewish men who broke out of Auschwitz to warn the world of the horrors within. Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler's 32-page report reached the desks of Roosevelt, Churchill and the Pope and they warned Hungary's Admiral Horthy to stop the deportation of his country's Jews to Auschwitz - or they'd make him a war criminal. On receiving this, Horthy panicked and stopped turning a blind eye to the death trains leaving from across Hungary. 200,000 Jewish lives were spared because of Vrba and Wetzler's actions. Dr. Bea Lewkowicz is a fellow member of my synagogue and one Shabbat morning, she told me that rather uniquely, she knew both Rudi and Alfred, who was her own Uncle Freddo. But the contrasting post war fortunes of the two men was stark. Rudi lived a metropolitan academic's life in Vancouver, but Fred was trapped behind the iron curtain in Czechoslovakia, constrained and ostracised by the repressive communist regime. Bea is director of the AJR Refugee Voices Testimony Archive of the Association of Jewish Refugees, where she creates and archives holocaust testimonies. She's also a director of Sephardi Voices UK. So for the first time in the series, I'm more than delighted to hand over the interview microphone to Jonathan, in conversation with Bea. If you've read The Escape Artist and invested in their remarkable story, you'll love this. If you haven't, this is a great place to start. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education.

“Since World War II, Israel has assassinated more people than any other country in the Western world.” is a brutal sentence from the start of “Rise and Kill First”. Our guest is Ronen Bergman, author of the New York Times bestseller, which has sold hundreds of thousands of copies. It's the product of a thousand interviewees, some of whom Ronen quizzed multiple times, along with millions of words of research. The detail also comes from a wealth of unclassified documents, some long forgotten in the private possession of veterans who gave them to him. There were many suggestions for the book's title but “Rise and Kill First” from the Babylonian Talmud kept on coming up in the many conversations he had with his interviewees. It's phrase which has become a mission statement, seemingly inscribed in the mindset - even hearts of many of Israel's defensive operators and underpinned by generational Jewish persecution. But for all the sudden, brutal decision-making and actions, this remains a humane account and the hope which emerges from for a more progressive society. None of the contents of the book are endorsed or verified by the Israeli defense establishment - which makes the reading still more fascinating. Listen to this fascinating interview with Ronen Bergman.

This is my second sit-down interview with Trevor Horn and you'll hear why it's nothing like the first time. The previous one (episode 43) made an impression with Wikipedia's editors, who included Trevor's “I believe in Judaism, more than I believe in anything else” as a reference. On leaving last time, Trevor told me at the door, "no one ever asked me about that before". In this in-depth conversation about his life and career, Trevor talks about growing up as a post-war baby boomer in Hetton-le-Hole and how the family left the Durham village to secure their future in the more prosperous midlands (as my own family had done a generation before). We discuss Paul McCartney's constant reinvention as the key to longevity and his own determination to keep working. Then there's Rod and the magnificent orchestral album, his most recent production. Trevor also pays a touching tribute to his late wife, Jill Sinclair, “the first person who told me I was good. There's also a couple of Jewish jokes she used to tell him too. And we expand on his religious beliefs, how Shabbat is a “great idea” and reading the Torah illuminating. Trevor's been touring the US as Seal's musical director with support band, The Buggles, reuniting with his old friend, Geoff Downes. It was their number one hit, “Video Killed The Radio Star” which propelled him to fame before he became a producer on Jill's recommendation. There's a stem-by-stem analysis of the brilliant “whiz bang” noises of Owner of a Lonely Heart, The Art of Noise, ABC's band manifesto, the Belfast Child of The Simple Minds and why Two Tribes by Frankie Goes to Hollywood sounds like the Hatikvah, Israel's national anthem! I had another hour of questions for Trevor, but I hope this gives you a snapshot of what a talented and modest man he is, and why I've been a fan since my teenage years. Dear Listener, this is Trevor Horn II. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is brought to you with Dangoor Education.

This is Sarah Idan's story, Sarai more informally and publicly. She used to enter beauty pageants “to help bring people together”. But as Iraq's winning Miss Universe in 2017, she got much more than she bargained for. Sarai's new life as a renowned Human Rights campaigner started there and then, when she took a selfie with Adar Gandelsman, participating alongside her as Miss Israel. All hell let loose back home as the Iraqi tourism ministry ordered her to take the selfie down, “because it was harming the Palestinian cause“.  “I said, what?”, Sarai replied and in that moment knew her feeling as an outsider even at home, was being realised. The flurry of events which followed saw her family flee Baghdad and join her in a new life in California.  Her Iraqi citizenship has been revoked, and she knows full well if she ever returned there, “I'd be killed in the airport”. Sarai now uses her fame and notoriety to push against despotism and terror. She's represented Hillel Neuer's UN Watch in Geneva and as you'll hear in this characteristically fearless discussion, she's a champion of combating racism, prejudice and anti-Zionism among her own people, Arabs and Muslims.  She describes herself as a Zionist despite growing up around the incessant antisemitic echo chambers of Baghdad. Sarai is a lover of music and chose the theme tune for this episode, a stirring and emotional opus by Rachmaninov, “Symphony No. 2 Opus 27 III. Adagio” by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy. The contrast between the music and her early life is rather striking. She is the CEO of an NGO called Humanity4Ward and has a podcast, The Sarai Talk Show”. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is always thankful for the support of Dangoor Education.

These are the sage words of President Isaac Herzog as Israel's Head of State tries to bridge the gap between his people, the biggest schism in the young country's history. Jonny poses the questions and well-positioned experts and well-positioned protestors present opposing arguments. PLUS we have an exclusive interview with Professor Avi Bell from the Kohelet Policy Forum, the very think tank who designed the proposals which threaten to tear Israel apart, conducted by the expert hosts of the IDDF podcast, Professor Chuck Freilich and Ambassador Danny Ayalon.

The unedifying scurry by BBC management to get Gary Lineker back on air after suspending him, diffuses both a row with its staff and kicks the can of impartiality into the long grass. A couple of tweets by the BBC's lead football presenter brought down the entire coverage of the Corporation's TV and radio sport for a weekend. Lineker compared the government's language on immigration as "not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 1930s”. He was suspended by the BBC's Director General, Tim Davie on the grounds of breaking their social media guidelines. In this special episode, we mop up the layers of unresolved issues that have fallen by the wayside in the rush to appease Gary and chums to get BBC Sport back onair. Listen now for exclusive quotes from Panorama documentary maker John Ware, Theresa May's former Chief of Staff, Nick Timothy, prominent journalists Nicole Lampert and Jonathan Sacerdoti, author of The Greatest Comeback, David Bolchover, Alex Hearn, Director of Labour Against Antisemitism and CEO of UK Lawyers of Israel, Jonathan Turner. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education.

A shining light in the shimmering city. “If you build it, they will come”, said Kevin Costner in the baseball movie, Field of Dreams – and there's a similar vision for BNJC, Brighton & Hove's new Jewish community synagogue and residential property development. There are around 4,000 to 5,000 Jewish people in the East Sussex city and this audacious project is an attempt to revitalise Brighton & Hove's Jewish community. The foundations were laid in 2015 and now it's open. BNJC has a beautiful modern synagogue with a tranquil feel, surrounded by 45 flats and houses built in a tower and around a mews courtyard, There are 55 underground parking spaces. The bar/cafe and restaurant with a kosher kitchen has the capacity to cater for your simcha of upto 220 people. There'll be a nursery onsite from the get-go as the aim is to encourage young families to live down on the Sussex coast. Let's hear more from CEO Marc Sugarman in this episode.

Big things are happening in the United Arab Emirates, really big things. As the nation which reached out to Israel in the most expansive expression of peace yet with an Arab partner, it's time Jewish people understood more about this nation. Abu Dhabi is the stage for a new era of religious pluralism. The Emirati capital has opened the Abrahamic Family House, a beacon of mutual understanding, coexistence and religious peace. It consists of a mosque, church, synagogue and educational center. In this episode, we hear from the Chief Rabbi of the UK and the Commonwealth, Ephraim Mirvis at the opening of the first purpose-built synagogue in the Arab world for a century - and a few words from Pope Francis, who conducted mass in front of 130,000 Catholic faithful in Abu Dhabi. It's also the year of COP28 in the capital and we hear from the president-designate, His Excellency Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, who spoke about the future transition of the United Arab Emirates' energy industry. Mr Al Jaber serves as the UAE's special envoy for climate change and the Emirates' state oil producer — the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. In this episode, His Excellency explains the need to balance the realities of providing the world with oil and gas today while creating a new future of clean energy tomorrow. You don't have to be Jewish to engage with Jonny Gould's Jewish State. It's a venture out for those who want to know more about the world which affects them and for non-Jews, who interact with Israel and Jewish people in the most positive and progressive way.

Israel's judicial reform row is proving an awful spectacle for the watching world. I wanted to find voices of moderation and considered opinion - and in particular, within the ruling Likud Party: is there anyone willing to stand up to Benjamin Netanyahu over the division this is causing? As a diaspora Jew, I look on in dismay at the threat to unity of the Jewish people. And I'm not saying for a moment the judiciary doesn't need reform. It's just the way this is unfolding which is causing such upset. Benjamin Netanyahu's government are trying to force legislation "down the throat of half of the population", according to Israel's former ambassador to the US, Danny Ayalon. And my guest today calls the Netanyahu government's attempt at change a “sledge hammer” in what he calls an “I'll show you” kind of political culture. It's the new CEO of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Dan Diker. Alongside, Dan, Ambassador Ayalon also appears in this episode, a Likud grandee confronting this issue. There's also comment from Jerusalem's deputy mayor, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum. Just as bad has been some Jews in the diaspora publicly dissociating themselves with the Jewish State. Never. Not in this podcast. We also talk about the long-awaited arrival of Sudan to the Abraham Accords table and the sudden opportunities for defence and security from Africa plus the "untenable" violence from the Palestinians against everyday Israelis. Then there's a definition of Jeremy Corbyn's version of political antisemitism and in the shifting sands of Middle Eastern diplomacy, what on earth has happened to Oman, who seem to have fallen under the spell of Iran's mullahs. LISTEN to this fascinating, passionate, eyewitness conversation with the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs' new president, Dan Diker.

Emily Schrader was back in London with Yoseph Haddad on a whistlestop UK speaking tour, which included a nasty confrontation with pro-intifada students on campuses in London and Nottingham. Scroll back an episode for one of his energetic and hopeful speeches from the tour. Emily is an American-Israeli journalist and opinion former, a regular on the Jerusalem Post and the co-host of TV show, Headlines with the Haddads, an explainer on the Middle East to American audiences and tackling biogotry misinformation. In planning our conversation, we decided this time to take a snapshot of where the Middle East is on Iran. Emily is in touch with normal Iranian people everyday, thanks to the marvels of social media. We also unpack what a two state solution can look like in the era of the Abraham Accords – and wave a magic wand over the constitutional crisis drummed up by the Netanyahu government who want to take advantage of Israel's unwritten constitution and plan to make the Knesset superior over the judiciary. A move to greater democracy or an illiberal elite, who won't look after Israel's minorities? LISTEN to this captivating and informed conversation. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is brought to you with Dangoor Education.

Yoseph Haddad is an Arab Israeli who believes with body, mind and soul in his country. And by his country, I mean the State of Israel, Yoseph joined up with StandWithUs UK at one of London's oldest continuous communities, the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in west London. Being counterintuitive, Yoseph is the target of constant protest, even death threats – some substantial - as he advocates for both a Jewish and democratic state. A smallish opposition greeted his arrival at University College London. Campuses are at the epicentre of anti Zionism and Palestinianism. Yoseph was born in Nazareth and raised in Haifa, he served in the IDF's elite Golani battalion and served in the 2006 Lebanon War. He was badly injured and lost friends and comrades beside him in battle. He was a commander, which means an Arab commanding among others, Jews. Because as he says, it's the IDF, the Israel Defense Forces, not the JDF, it's not exclusively Jewish. He runs Together Vouch for Each Other, an organisation building bridges between Arab and Jewish Israelis and to aid Arab mobility in Israeli society. Yoseph is a captivating speaker, and I recorded his speech for this latest episode.

This is a truly heroic story which starts in Holocaust disaster and heads to the glory of winning Europe's greatest football prize. David Bolchover is the author of a biography on Bela Guttmann, “The Greatest Comeback, From Genocide to Football Glory”. David recounts the story of Bela, the ultimate Jewish footballing hero, who survived to become a twice-winner of the European Cup with Benfica and the inspiration for one Portugal's greatest stars, Eusebio. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is brought to you with the support of Dangoor Education.

Uri Geller went around the world, found and fame and fortune and has now returned home to Israel. Before Gal Gadot and Lior Raz, who was Israel's biggest celebrity? Uri magnetised the world - literally - with his amazing feats of showmanship. Jonny Gould's Jewish State wouldn't be complete without a record of the life of Uri Geller! So what's he doing now? Where is he? How did he attain such huge fame and notoriety and I ask him if Israel is the only place he could've possibly come from? He's also furious with Harry Kane. Find out how and why in this thrilling episode! Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by UK Toremet.

A new era has started for your favourite Jewish podcast: http://www.jewishstate.radio Jonny Gould's Jewish State is now also a 24-hour radio station. Featuring the best interviews from the series and the very latest news from the Middle East and beyond, Jonny Gould's Jewish State Radio aims to engage an even bigger audience who want to hear different perspectives on Israel and the Jewish diaspora. Tell your friends about Jonny Gould's Jewish State and its brand new radio station. Where do you find it? Just click on: http://www.jewishstate.radio

John Ware is the BBC Panorama documentary maker who took on the Corbynites - and won. His 2019 documentary “Is Labour Antisemitic?”, which was aired on BBC1, launched three long years of bitter legal struggle. It's unusual for a journalist to sue for defamation - but everything was at stake for John - from his own reputation to the basic principles of journalistic process. So John sued the Labour Party, Jewish Voice for Labour and a fellow journalist, Paddy French - and with great fortitude and resilience won through. It's not entirely over. John needs to collect the damages awarded from those who defamed him and now Al Jazeera have produced what he calls “agenda journalism” in a 17 minute segment of a documentary, which vilifies a young man by the name of Luke Stranger. We highlight that in this episode too. John's not earned a penny for twelve months: defamation is a harrowing weight on one's mind. Not to mention the headspace one also needs to keep up with the news as a working journalist. But he's back on the saddle and preparing to make another Panorama documentary on - Brexit! Find out how much the legal process cost those who defamed him, who they were in this gripping insider's view.

“Being a Zionist is the path to peace”. There is hope in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Dr Einat Wilf is a deep thinker on the Israel's ever present challenge: the pursuit of existence in peace and security. It was an honour to host the Q and A session for StandWithUs UK as Einat addressed London's South Hampstead Synagogue. She was born in Jerusalem, raised in a Labour Zionist family and completed her Israeli military service as an Intelligence Officer with the rank of Lieutenant. Einat then went to Harvard University, got a BA in government and fine arts before earning an MBA from INSEAD in France and a PhD in political science at Wolfson College, Cambridge. Einat describes herself as a Zionist, a feminist and an atheist. She says The Abraham Accords has created a competing narrative in the Arab world. We're hearing it in the Gulf from a new generation of peace loving Arabs who recognise the path to growth - economic and spiritual. I expressly heard it myself on my recent trip to the UAE. Listen to this clearsighted analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and how being a Zionist will eventually lead to peace. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is brought to you with UK Toremet.

Mumford and Sons were huge. Over 14 glorious years, Winston Marshall and his friends rocked stadia in front of tens of thousands and headlined Glastonbury! If you remember all the improbably long bearded hipsters and the tweed the kids were rocking, it's likely they were listening to the Mumfords on their AirPods. But Winston left the band in 2021 for tweeting about Unmasked: Inside Antifa's Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy, a book written by American journalist Andy Ngo. Winston apologised for praising the book but decided he'd take a break from the band "to examine his blindspots". A few months on, he wrote an essay defending his support for Andy Ngo, the reaction to his apology for the tweet, then announced he would permanently leave Mumford & Sons to exercise free speech about politics without involving his former bandmates. It was a moment of sadness as he fully expected he'd be playing with the guys he grew up with until retirement age. So now he's cast as a culture warrior, a description he's in direct conflict with as, he likes to create culture - not go to war on it. Winston now produces an excellent podcast called Marshall Matters for the Spectator and he's quite the magnet for guests including Jordan Peterson, David Baddiel, Graham Linehan and Candace Owens who came out in defence of “Death Con 3” chump, Kanye West. Winston's still rocking the banjo and guitar in a solo career - both in the studio and as a live performer around the world and our frank discussion is punctuated by Winston's broad, infectious laugh. Given my delightful first couple of hours with him, he might just be better without them. Listen and enjoy Winston Marshall. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is brought to you with Dangoor Education.

This is the second podcast of discussions from a first ever trip to the United Arab Emirates. I attended the Global Media Congress in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi, an impressive showcase of regional media with a clear message: “The UAE is reaching out to the world in peace and cooperation”. Amjad Taha is a well-known influencer in the Gulf Cooperation Council with a significant following on social media. The author of The Deception of the Arab Spring, an adviser to key institutions in the Arab world, Amjad was part of the first Bahrain UAE youth delegation to visit Israel as the ink was drying on the historic Abraham Accords. So what drives the UAE and how is this impacting its foreign policy? Also, in this episode, James Cleverly, Britain's Foreign Secretary on his trip to Abu Dhabi, with a very personal experience of why the UAE and the partners of the Abraham Accords are such key allies. This episode of Jonny Gould's Jewish State is brought to you with Strategico, the full service digital marketing agency for your growth focused business.

What do you know about the United Arab Emirates? Want to know more of Israel's newest and perhaps most important partner in peace? I've just returned from my first ever trip to an Arab nation. I went to the capital, Abu Dhabi, to the Global Media Congress, a highly impressive showcase of regional media - with exhibitors from further afield including the Philippines, Russia, Azerbaijan - and Israel. It's a place where East meets West. My guest today is typical of the spirit of big heartedness. His name is Loay Alshareef and he gave me a very personal guided tour of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, in which we talked about the differences between Islam, Judaism and Christianity - but more importantly their parallels, what binds us as people of faith - in a world where secularity can sometimes get ahead of itself. The majesty and craftsmanship of this 21st-century wonder is breathtaking, The extravagant chandeliers in each room, the beautifully etched windows including the 99 Koranic words for G-d. The UAE is a nation state insistent on pursuing peace in the world - even with partners who they may still have fundamental, outstanding differences with. It has a defined national story, a founder and a magnificent foundation stone in the form of the Grand Mosque. It's all very contemporary. Very 21st century and UAE nationhood is wrapped up in Islam, an Islam of tolerance and engagement and peace. Why? Because they're a nation in a hurry to build and create, to diversify from 20th Century oil to new digital and climate economies. They need the best talent from around the world to help them do it - now! So Just 12% of the country is Emirati. The remaining 88% is made up of foreigners. Like London, 200 languages are spoken among its people. Loay is outward looking and educated internationally - he is a student of languages, an alumnus of Penn State University, he's a computer engineer by qualification, loves nothing more than assembling them! LISTEN to a fascinating trip around the Global Media Congress in conversation with Loay Alshareef. This episode of Jonny Gould's Jewish State is brought to you with Strategico, the full service digital marketing agency for your growth focused business.

Fleur Hassan-Nahoum is Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem with an ambitious eye on the future. A flying visit to the UK gave us a chance to chat on Jonny Gould's Jewish State for the second time. Another year to go in office in Jerusalem, but will she stand for another term? Because there's a Likud government she wants to be a part of - and given her rather unique background, there's an ambassadorial air about her too. Apart from very strong diplomatic skills and the ability to talk to diverse communities, the fact she comes from Gibraltar, a British rock off the Spanish mainland in view of Morocco with English and Spanish mother tongues and perfect Ivrit of course (and the daughter of Gib's first Chief Minister), is she a shoo-in for a diplomatic mission? Fleur's also co-founder and founding member of the UAE-Israel Business Council and we discuss the “baby steps” towards societal change in the conservative Arabian Gulf. Let's also have a sober talk about Smotrich and Ben Gvir, the extreme end of Netanyahu's comeback government. What are they really about? Is Bibi actually the root to a more stable Israel? Why the deal with Hezbollah and Lebanon's government over the Karish Gas Field has many positives - Qatar, the World Cup, the slavery and deaths - and the outside possibility that one day, they may be peace partners. It's all here! Listen to another energetic episode with Fleur Hassan-Nahoum. 

You've never heard a story like this. Catherine Perez-Shakdam lives in the UK. She's also lived in France, Yemen and Iran. While living in Tehran and married with kids, she mixed in the regime classes, socialising, even going on pilgrimages to Iraq. Nothing unusual about that, you say. But Catherine is Jewish, of French Sephardi background. As an outsider in plain sight, Catherine never revealed her Jewishness - obviously - so got up close to the leadership. She says it's a deeply political and ideological regime, not religious. Even Nihilistic. In Yemen, Catherine started writing articles critical of the Saudis which came to the attention of Iran. And while living there, she travelled with President Raisi on his private plane during election campaigning - and asked for and got a private audience with the Ayatollah Khamanei. This is Catherine's highly revealing and detailed story of what drives Iran's ruling class. It's a forensic eyewitness of a regime, which she says infiltrates the West - with murder on their minds. And that's not all about Catherine. She's descended from Sephardim who stayed in Spain for centuries after the 1492 expulsion. The 1930s, in fact, when her family ran from Franco's fascists aiming for Palestine - with tragic consequences. So this is also a story of Jewish resilience. How trauma can travel through generations yet Jews emerge triumphant in a culture which strives for a better life for its children even at cost to oneself. Catherine is now a research fellow for the Henry Jackson Society. This is the extraordinary life of Catherine Perez-Shakdam. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by UK Toremet. Help support Jonny Gould's Jewish State (including Gift Aid) at https://www.donorbox.org/jgpodcast

The decades old Israel-Lebanon maritime border dispute is top of the running order again - with the planned start-up of Israel's drilling for gas in their offshore Karish field. But the hum of escalating rhetoric from Iranian-sponsored Shiite terror group Hezbollah threatens war. Their leader Hassan Nasrallah has repeatedly said it and some of Karish sits north of Lebanon's claimed line. Western Europe needs Mediterranean gas since Russia invaded Ukraine. Germany and the like need to extricate themselves from Putin's weaponisation of energy. Can Israel avoid war to become a regional energy power? And what about the Iranian protests at the same time as America attempts to renegotiate the JCPOA deal in Vienna? Edy Cohen's a native Arab speaker, born and raised in Beirut, now living in Israel. He has over half a million followers across the Arab world. He tweets Israeli and Jewish perspectives to the Muslim neighbourhood, delving deeper than almost anyone. Edy deals in absolutes, in realpolitik and it's the second time he's appeared on Jonny Goulds Jewish State. Israel's Foreign Ministry establishment doesn't like him because his outreach is both powerful and unrestrained by the filter of diplomatic niceties. That's why I like him, that's why you reacted so positively to him – and that's why he's back. Welcome Edy Cohen back to our podcast!

I'm so pleased to welcome back Jason Greenblatt to our podcast for a second time. The first time, Jason had just left Washington DC after co-writing President Trump's Peace to Prosperity Plan for Palestinians and Israelis, which in turn led to the historic Abraham Accords. Now he's back with us to discuss his book, “In the Path of Abraham, How Donald Trump Made Peace in the Middle East - and How to Stop Joe Biden from Unmaking It”. Throughout our two interviews, Jason's instinct for the family and the worlds that surround it - on both sides - has always been at the fore. That each person he's negotiated with is a family man with roots, dreams and a future. I'd like to think this interview has a texture of two people who've come to know each other a bit better. Certainly In my case, I've come to respect Jason's work in the pursuit of peace - always based in the realities of the world. Will is President Joe Biden pursue the amazing breakthrough of Abraham Accords or will he and his administration continue to bolster Iran's nuclear ambitions?  Have a listen to Jason Greenblatt. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by UK Toremet.

The Elizabethan Age draws to a close. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest serving monarch passed away peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire on Thursday 8th September 2022 after 70 years on the throne. Her loss is indescribable and her passing has sparked the most extraordinary outpouring of grief from across the world. But what did she mean to her Jewish subjects? Will the nation's temperature change? Is the end of the Elizabethan age a symbol of the end of the post World War II settlement? Will King Charles live upto his role? And where does Israel fit into it? As the nation comes to terms with the loss of the Queen, Jonny Gould covers the whirlwind of constitutional events and political change. The episode also includes audio tributes from the Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, Lord Stuart Polak, Lord David Wolfson, the Right Hon. Grant Shapps and international royal correspondent, Jonathan Sacerdoti. I also have a lovely anecdote from Israeli President, Isaac Herzog. I'm not ashamed to ask for your help. A one-off donation to help me make these podcasts is always gratefully received - but a monthly donation really gets our service off the ground. Your donation can also be made with Gift Aid. It's so easy to do so just click on: https://donorbox.org/jgpodcast Are you in? Please share my series with your friends and .. thank you for listening

Hillel Neuer is so often the lone voice talking truth to power at a United Nations on a seemingly interminable mission creep as western countries loosen their resolve in countering dictatorships. Diplomat and international lawyer, Hillel Neuer is the Executive Director of UN Watch, the human rights NGO based in Geneva. Since 2009, Hillel's headed the annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, a renowned international gathering providing a global platform to courageous pro-democracy dissidents who put their lives on the line to demand fundamental freedoms in oppressive regimes. I was privileged to have been part of it when I was invited to host and interview Farida Khalaf, the Yazidi girl who escaped Isis. As America loosens its grip in Geneva and China, once a diplomatic backwater, now asserts itself at the UN, Hillel says the repurposing of the United States' goals must start back home. But what future does the free world have and is Hillel optimistic or pessimistic with what he sees in Geneva? And who's his favourite pop star? All human life is here. Have a listen and enjoy Hillel Neuer! Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by UK Toremet.

I enjoyed two hours over lunch in the company of one of Britain's most successful and certainly most irreverent writers. I met Julie Burchill at one of her favourite places on the Sussex coast - in Hove, actually, her home town for the last 27 years. Julie started her glittering writing career at the NME in 1976, aged 17 and left when she was 19 as she thought that people in their twenties who still wrote about music were ‘sad old men'. Since then she's had number one best-selling novels, won an Emmy and been condemned in the House of Commons. Now, in her sixties, she proclaims she's in glorious decline - but still a cracking little scribbler. And there's another consistent dimension to her writings. She's always loved Jews and Israel. For a while she learned modern Hebrew at night class and even joined a synagogue. We got together to promote her brand-new substack page, www.julieburchill.substack.com and in particular her new novella, the Judgement of Solomons, the story of an unlikely Aliyah between an Israeli and his second wife, a non-Jewish woman with the son from his first marriage hanging around. But the story has an extraordinary raison d'être, stay tuned to find what that is. Then our conversation moved onto the themes of her brilliant book, Unchosen, an autobiography through the prism of her long held philosemitic views. There's also the why and when she quit cocaine, we lift the lid on what motivates her prolific writing career and why Israelis are turned on by the raw sex appeal of the Birmingham accent! Stay tuned for a lovely conversation practicing her three favourite hobbies. luncheon, Modern Hebrew and spite. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by UK Toremet.

Only four Jewish prisoners ever escaped the vicious SS guards, their ferocious dogs, rows of tall electrified fences and men on watchtowers wielding automatic weapons of Auschwitz-Birkenau. But Walter Rosenberg, just 19-years-old used knowledge, cunning and patience to do what no Jew had done before. He and Alfred Wetzler, in his early twenties, escaped from Auschwitz. But Walter, later to become Rudolf Vrba, hasn't been legendized like others who emerged from what became known as the Holocaust. Until now. Because his audacious breakout with Fred saved the lives of 200,000 Jews, mostly from Budapest. They revealed Europe's depraved undertaking to destroy its Jews - and warn those yet to be uprooted - Hungary's Jews - of their inevitable destruction - if they got on trains bound for “new lives in the east” as they were told. Even if those in power had known about the mass extermination of the Jews for sometime, their vivid Auschwitz attracted mass media and exerted political pressure. And Rudi had something else which marked him out, being young and fit was one thing, but he also had an extraordinary capacity for memory: counting and record keeping in his head. It enabled him to write a comprehensive 32 page report with Fred to reveal the precise hell they'd come from. The media was alerted and it ended up in the hands of Churchill, Roosevelt and the Pope. This is the life story of Rudolf Vrba, The Escape Artist by Jonathan Freedland. This is a special interview as I've been friends with Jonny for 40 years and we talk about a few other parts of our friendship too. Jonny Gould's Jewish State podcast is supported by Dangoor Education. You can buy The Escape Artist right here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Escape-Artist-Broke-Auschwitz-World/dp/1529369045

Our guest today is a Rabbi raised in Kharkiv, Ukraine from the age of 6 months, it's pretty much all he's known. Rabbi Mendel Moskovitz moved there with his parents as a baby as his family serve as Chabad emissaries to rebuild Jewish life in Kharkiv, following the fall of Communism.   Graduating as a rabbi in Sydney, Australia, Rabbi Moskovitz returned home with his wife, Chani. There he raised three children, and served as a Rabbi to Ukrainian youth for 7 years, until war changed everything.    Now he is ambassador to The Jewish Relief Network Ukraine. He highlights acute Jewish suffering to the world and raising funds for the incredible work being done by Chabad to provide vital humanitarian relief.  JRNU is the umbrella organization for operations in Ukraine, providing food, medicine and medical care, housing and even security.  Donate now at www.JRNU.org Through 48 regional coordinators and staff on the ground in 35 cities, JRNU is serving people too frail to flee, those who are otherwise unable to flee, and those who refuse to leave behind a husband, child, father or other loved one. Without a working economy, unemployment is at an astronomical rate and tens of thousands of people rely on JRNU each week for basic necessities.  By donating at jrnu.org or by following the link in the podcast description, you can send desperately needed money to support ongoing work in Ukraine. If you run a community, please think about magnifying JRNU's voice in the to reach more caring and concerned individuals who may support the work of Rabbi Moskovitz and the Chabad efforts in Ukraine, who could even come and talk in your community. Donate now www.JRNU.org

Our guest today is Douglas Murray, best-selling author of The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity and Islam and The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity - and now he's back with The War On The West, how to prevail in the age of unreason. All the narratives and norms, the assumptions which underpin our understanding of the societies in the West we grew up in are under attack - from within. Much of it is being fought through just one single prism, race. He examines how Western civilisation and its achievements in culture, science medicine and free thought, not to mention how these were hard fought for and won, are being challenged by universities, corporations, broadcasters and the church, in what looks like a wilful self-immolation. And these anti-Western attacks also go after Jews and Israel. But what's the purpose of it? When will this debt be paid off by Western nations and their biggest populations? What's the end game - and what are the consequences? Is this how civilisations come to an end? What do we do? And if some of these progressive arguments prevail, can we all continue to live together in tolerance? Before you pack your bags, let Douglas present his arguments! Jonny Gould's Jewish State is brought to you with UK Toremet, Promoting Philanthropy.

Ambassador Ron Dermer and Ed Husain addressed a live audience for StandWithUs UK, which I hosted in Central London. These two friends were instrumental in creating the pathway which led eventually to the Abraham Accords. This was no ordinary occasion and I won't forget posing the questions, just as those in attendance will remember being there. We talk about Israel's relationships with Russia, the Jews in Ukraine even Russian coordination in Syria over Israel's security issues. Then there's Iran and the JCPOA nuclear treaty, BDS and diaspora Jewry, Jeremy Corbyn and a growing theme of Jonny Gould‘s Jewish State: the relationship between Islam and Judaism and how it can bind people in a region where religion is so important. Sit back and enjoy a gripping conversation with two of the world's most well-informed people on the biggest diplomatic breakthrough of our age.