Jonny Gould's Jewish State

Find all of Jonny's writing and podcasts on his Substack. It’s year four of our Schools Podcaster of the Year Award, presented by Dangoor Education — a project close to my heart because it’s about encouraging the next generation to think seriously about journalism, storytelling, and the power of asking the right questions. Today’s young people are growing up in a world saturated by TikTokers, YouTubers, influencers and instant opinion. News and current affairs reach them faster than ever, often through the pressure and noise of social media. Real journalism still matters. The heavy lifting of inquiry, accuracy, courage and curiosity remains fundamental to our democracy and freedoms. And this award is our way of encouraging high-minded journalistic ambition in the next generation. All three of our winners today come from North West London Jewish Day School. First, Maya Ryz and Leonore Gould quiz Harry Potter star Jason Isaacs. Jason's built an accomplished screen career, from Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter to acclaimed roles in The Patriot, Star Trek: Discovery and The OA, combining intensity, wit and remarkable range. Then Sarah Amsellem gets to grips with her cousin, Nathan Trochet. Jonny Gould's Jewish State proudly supports our North West London Jewish Day School Podcaster of the Year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Help Jonny continues to make his podcasts by ⁠supporting him here⁠. Born to a family who lived in a one-bedroom basement apartment in Soviet Ukraine, denied opportunity because he was Jewish, and starting out at the bottom of a steel mill, Eduard Shyfrin went on to build a vast business empire — but that’s only part of his story. In this episode, he takes us from Soviet hardship and discrimination to music, memory, reinvention and Jewish identity, revealing how a boy shaped by love, discipline and adversity became a profound Jewish thinker and entrepreneur. He's also a musician and a determined smoker! Don't miss this out-of-the-box conversation on kabbalah, data and philosophy with Eduard Shifryn. Help Jonny continues to make his podcasts by supporting him here. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find all of Jonny's podcasts and writings on his Substack pages. The October 7th War aka the 47 year long Iran Israel War is reaching a head. The head of the snake is being cut off. This is a collage of soundbites, news conferences and parliamentary statements which tell the story of how this decisive leg of the war started in the early hours of Saturday morning, the 28th February 2026. It also underscores the ideological schism that exists between Britain and Europe and on the other hand the United States. In this episode, we'll hear from Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, British opposition leader of the Conservatives Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK party leader, Nigel Farage. Think about supporting Jonny's work and find all his episodes and appearances on TV at buymeacoffee. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, supporting philanthropy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find all of Jonny's podcasts and writings on my Substack and help me by buying a coffee. In this conversation, we meet Rawan Osman - a woman of Syrian and Lebanese heritage who grew up in a world where the "Jew" was the ultimate, untouchable enemy. Rawan’s worldview shattered during an everyday trip to a grocery store in Strasbourg. What started as a visceral panic attack at the sight of Hebrew turned into a life-altering epiphany. "That gentleman converted me from an enemy to an ally simply by deciding to be kind," she says. It wasn’t just a change of heart; it was a total identity reset. From the discovery of her Mizrahi Jewish blood to the "chutzpah" of a tradition that encourages you to argue with God, Rawan deconstructs the patterns of prejudice with unflinching clarity. But what is the personal cost of choosing conviction over comfort? How do you rebuild an identity when your family and friends remove themselves from your world? Rawan offers a roadmap for finding truth in a region defined by shadows. This isn’t just a conversion story, it’s a wake up call for the future of the Middle East. Join us for the story of Rawan Osman! Find all of Jonny's podcasts and writings on my⁠ Substack⁠ and help me by ⁠buying a coffee⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find all of Jonny's podcasts, personal appearances and writing on Substack and support him with a coffee here. Parents, if you're about to send your child to university, how are you preparing them for it? Western campuses aren't all what they used to be. In this powerful conversation, I meet the brilliant Izabella Tabarovsky — a leading scholar on Soviet antisemitism and anti-Zionism, and author of Be a Refusenik: A Jewish Student’s Survival Guide. Izabella grew up under the Soviet system, where 'anti-Zionism' was the official line — and it quickly turned into suspicion of all Jews, Zionist or not. "Jews who grew up in the Soviet Union know well their copybook is being repeated here", says Izabella. And Israel hate doesn’t distinguish between the Jewish State or its diaspora or your child, the institutions become anti-Zionist, so all Jews are suspect. It doesn’t matter whether you are a Zionist or not. They don’t even understand what Zionists are. When they speak about Zionists they mean you and me. The Iron Curtain hate of the Cold War-era has resurfaced in universities in the UK, US, Europe, and beyond — dressed up in modern language, but delivering the same chilling results: isolation, hostility, and erasure of Jewish identity. What does this mean for your son or daughter heading off in their first weeks away from home? How can families prepare? What lessons from Soviet refuseniks can help Jewish students thrive — or simply survive — in today's environment? Izabella breaks it down with unflinching clarity: the patterns, the propaganda echoes, and practical steps parents and students must take now. This isn't just history repeating — it's a wake-up call for the present. This is Izabella Tabarovsky. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Find all of Jonny's podcasts, personal appearances and writing on ⁠Substack⁠ and support him with a ⁠coffee here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Help support Jonny by buying him a coffee and find his Substack feed with all his podcasts and articles. What you’ll hear now in this short interview is a headline masterclass in defining and tackling antisemitism. If only I had longer, but our guest filled the room with shorthand wisdom of the deepest kind when we met during an antisemitism conference in Vienna where I was presented with a plethora of brilliant and courageous people. Vienna, the scene of my own family’s escape to Birmingham in 1938 and 1939 from Hitler’s European tyranny. Join us for a compelling conversation with Michal Cotler-Wunsh, Israel's former Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism, ex-Knesset member, and leading voice on the "oldest hatred" in its modern form. Born in Jerusalem, raised in Canada as stepdaughter to renowned human rights advocate Irwin Cotler, she returned to Israel for military service, law studies, and a career bridging academia, policy, and politics. Her PhD probed free speech limits on campuses—eerily prescient today. Since the October 7 attacks, Michal has spotlighted the surge in antisemitism, featured in the documentary Tragic Awakening: A New Look at the Oldest Hatred. She dissects how anti-Zionism mutates into mainstream Jew-hatred, the failures of the global response, and why this threat demands urgent action from everyone - and you. A must-listen on resilience, truth, and defending shared humanity. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, supporting philanthropy. Help support Jonny by ⁠buying him a coffee⁠ and find his⁠ Substack⁠ feed with all his podcasts and articles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Help Jonny's worldwide coverage of Jewish and Israeli stories. Buy him a morale boosting coffee here. And so it’s happened. There’s now a piece of Palestine on British soil. In Galena Road, a back street of Hammersmith. An interesting name for a Palestinian address. It’s a Sephardi Jewish surname for one. And archaeologists discovered a prehistoric trench under the modern office building on which this embassy now stands - the remnants of a Roman road. The Romans,conquerors of Jerusalem, destroyers of the Second Temple, which forced most of the indigenous Jews into exile. You decide if G-d has a sense of humour. Keir Starmer’s ill-conceived declaration of Palestine, which has led to this embassy and described by former prime minister Boris Johnson as a “fart in a gale” amounts to a staging post in the Palestinian pursuit to destroy the Jewish State. Starmer’s unleashed a persistent stink on the British people rather than a momentary pong. As the continuing Hamas protests ruin London’s premier shopping and entertainment thoroughfares, Starmer’s only served to embolden the keffiyeh-wearing terror supporters into Palestining our city centres on days off and threatening the daily lives of Jewish people as they go about communal prayer or dropping kids off at school. In a stroke, Starmer’s turned an office block off King St’s one-way system from a self-proclaimed mission to a full-blown embassy, with a Palestinian flag hoisted outside. “Palestine” has no internationally agreed boundaries, no capital and no army. No army of course, but for terrorist militias Hamas, Islamic Jihad and others. But now Starmer has gifted them the diplomatic credentials and privileges of every other state represented in London - now with the cloak of diplomatic protection to plan what Palestine is best known for. Starmer’s proclaimed vision for Palestine included a governing militia he freely calls a terrorist group, whatever he now says since Donald Trump’s decisive action to bring all but one of the remaining Israel’s hostages home from Gaza hell. So if you’re wandering down King Street in your kippah or tzitzis unlucky enough to take the wrong short cut to Ravenscourt Park tube, think twice about the route you take. Because the Palestine Embassy isn’t a peaceful diplomatic entity and by promoting it, Starmer’s contributed to importing the intifada to Britain’s streets. Here’s Hassan Zomlot, Palestine’s first Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Listen very closely to his words. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Find all of Jonny's podcasts and writing on his Substack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find Jonny's articles and all of his podcasts here. Support Jonny's efforts by buying him a coffee or two! The world moves on fast. The headline ticker keeps rolling, attention shifts, and even the most brutal moments are softened by the relentless pace of the news cycle. But for those left to mourn — and for Jewish communities across the global diaspora — the shock of Bondi has not faded. It’s hardened into fear. Fear driven by the perceived lack of action by western leaders against creeping Islamist incursions into the West, attacks that target Jews and threaten the very foundations of open societies themselves. This episode is an attempt to bottle that shock. To take you back to the moment you first heard the news — whether you woke up to it, saw it break during your day, or learned of it whichever time zone you’re in. To remind you how it felt as you lit your own Chanukah lights on day one. You’ll hear from eyewitnesses there as it unfolded collected from Sky News Australia. From a doctor, speaking anonymously who treated the dead and injured. From an Australian police officer on the scene. From Rabbi Levi Wolff of Sydney’s Central Synagogue. And from the highest levels of leadership in Israel — President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Plus as Chanukah drew to a close Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns, on the government’s response to the tragedy. We’ve since seen an unimaginable terror plot foiled in the UK, by Britain’s secret services for what can best be described as a Bataclan style massacre on Manchester’s Jewish communities. This is not about letting the Bondi moment pass. It’s about remembering it — clearly, honestly, however uncomfortably. Action on this international persecution of Jews must start now. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education. Find Jonny's articles and all of his podcasts ⁠here⁠. Support Jonny's efforts by ⁠buying him a coffee⁠ or two! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find all of my podcasts, TV appearances and writing at my Substack. As westerners, as Jews, as supporters of Israel, we should know more about the Kabyle people, the largest of North Africa’s indigenous Amazigh groups, part of the Berber people. On December 14th 2025, Kabylia declared independence from Algeria. With their own language, culture, and a centuries-long tradition of autonomy, the Kabyle have maintained a distinct identity despite repeated periods of foreign rule and the oppression which always follows. Is there future at a turning point. Rogue state Algeria has sharply escalated its repression of the Kabyle people’s political, cultural, and religious life with churches forcibly closed and leaders in civil society facing escalating intimidation. Many detained without due process, and political expression increasingly criminalized. And now, in the midst of this pressure, Kabylia issued a Declaration of Independence. They believe in Britain’s moral authority and so a delegation came to our parliament in London. The delegation waited until the final hour to learn whether Paris-based President-in-Exile, Furhat Merhenni would receive his UK visa in time. But he didn’t get it. But the story moves forward. To understand what this moment means for Kabylia, for Algeria, and for the region, I spoke Murad Amellal, Chief of Staff to President Merhenni and his Special Envoy. In our conversation, he walks us through the stakes, the strategy, and the sentiment around the world as Kabylia approaches what he calls a defining chapter in its modern political journey. But there are big questions: * If the leadership isn’t physically there, what does a Declaration of Independence actually do in practice? * With the President-in-Exile, what happens next? * If the declaration were issued on Algerian soil, just how would Algeria move to suppress it? * How does President Merhenni’s role compare to leaders in Israel’s early statehood? Who is Ben-Gurion, Begin or Herzl? * And find out why the Kabyle people’s cultural, linguistic and religious background embrace western values not those of Islamic extremism. All that—and more—in my rangy conversation with Murad Amellal. Find all of my podcasts, TV appearances and writing at my ⁠Substack⁠. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Follow all of Jonny's podcasts and latest writing in his Substack. Today we explore the legacy of Joe Lieberman and the documentary movie Centered about his life. He remains to this day the only orthodox Jew to stand for vice president of the United States, on the ticket with fellow Democrat Al Gore, losing by the narrowest and most controversial of margins to George W. Bush. And how he may have stood again as a Republican candidate alongside John McCain later in his career. Centered, directed by Jonathan Gruber, who also made the brilliant Upheaval, the story of Menachem Begin, captures Joe Lieberman’s lifelong devotion to public service, moral conviction, and pragmatic leadership. I was delighted to meet Rob Schwartz in London as the movie was screened here for the first time, a close friend of Joe Lieberman and a trusted partner through decades of public life. Rob’s insider’s perspective as Senator Lieberman’s chief of staff, bring depth, warmth, and intimate understanding to his legacy celebrated in Centered. Follow all of Jonny's podcasts and latest writing in his ⁠Substack⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Help support Jonny's independent journalism by supporting him on Substack. The BBC's top brass have lost their jobs over the institutionalised bias of their news coverage. But their news output which made them so famous and trusted around the world has let the rest of the corporation down for a very long time. Director-General Tim Davie and CEO of News, Deborah Turness resigned over a series of scandals exposed by a memo written by Michael Prescott and leaked to the Daily Telegraph. As a supporter of Israel, you'll have known for a long, long time how their news produced hostile output about the Jewish State - and today we meet a man who has dedicated his career to listening, watching and reading BBC Arabic's astonishingly antisemitic output. He's CAMERA's Senior Arabic Researcher and he goes by an alias, "David Grom". CAMERA is The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis. I have bleeped out his real name both for his own protection and for the sad reality that we live in an incessant time of cancellation. "David" talks about his editorial achievements, what he's found, particularly since October 7th and how "artwashing" is a growing part of anti-Israel sentiment in the growing arena of the podcast. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by you, Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find Jonny's writing and other podcasts on his Substack. Buy him a coffee here. A chunk of my background, both personal and professional, has been washed away. I didn’t think football was supposed to hurt like this. Banning a mere thousand or less Israeli football fans from Villa Park for a Europa League tie is a cause for deep sorrow. But not just for me, an Aston Villa fan through my Holocaust-surviving grandfather who setup his typewriter shop bang next to Aston Station on the Lichfield Road, but for this generation of Villa fans and those to come. Because football is supposed to be a thrilling, entertaining source of pride. Not a dispensary for anger and shame, of imported hate and community breakdown. Is the Beautiful Game still beautiful? My generation and those that came before had the best of it. We enjoyed league title wins, European glory and trips to Wembley. But it would have meant nothing without the communal joy and camaraderie it spawned. And for this Jewish kid, it was a high voltage plug-in to the prevailing, sometimes overwhelming culture of my city beyond my upbringing. So accepting they were of me, that by the age of 21, I was reporting my beloved team from the press box for the radio station covering the West Midlands and Shropshire. When I returned as a national reporter to the old Trinity Road box years later, the stewards, dear old men, bowled me over with their effusive welcome back. Like that beautiful Archibald Leitch-designed stand, their unvarnished spirit is gone. So this is my own very personal sadness about what football and the city that helped shape me has become. The English game shunned politics, now it’s buried by it. Snarling Islamist boycotters - an elected MP is trashing what was good here. For what? They think it’s all over. It is now. Find Jonny's writing and other podcasts on his ⁠Substack⁠. Buy him a ⁠coffee here.⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find my writing and podcasts on Substack. The anger we feel as British Jews has reached a head as we mourn the two congregants from Heaton Park, who were killed on Yom Kippur inside the synagogue. This episode also includes the regrettable appearance of David Lammy, the deputy prime minister in front of a furious community in north Manchester. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education, the Rosemarie Nathanson Charitable Trust and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Help Jonny and buy him a coffee here. Benjamin Netanyahu has called the recognition of a Palestinian state led by western nations 'sheer madness' - it shows 'murdering Jews pays off.' he added in defiant disgust. All this as the United Nations General Assembly disgraced itself again as scores of so-called diplomats walked out en masse jeering, sounding more like a wrestling match than the highest chamber of world diplomacy - as Mr. Netanyahu began his address. As you’ll hear Israel’s Prime Minister took apart the cowardice and appeasement which lies behind western leader’s recognition of Palestine. Meanwhile, President Trump's 21-point peace plan for Gaza, unveiled at the UN to Arab and Muslim leaders, seeks a swift end to the October 7th war. Listen to his first reaction to its unveiling and the Prime Minister's tough and uncompromising speech in front of the UNGA. Jonny Gould’s Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe to Jonny's writing and podcasts on his Substack As Jews prepared for Rosh Hashanah around the world, the leaders of the UK, Canada and Australia declared for Palestine. Rounding up the reaction from London and Jerusalem on a day millions feared would come, here's a bonus episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Follow Jonny's podcasts and writings on his Substack. Tanya Gold’s provocative article, Shameless: Exploiting the Holocaust is in the Autumn 2025 edition of the Jewish Quarterly, the magazine of stories, ideas, and debates shaping Jewish culture and history. Tanya takes aim at the state of Holocaust fiction — think Schindler’s List, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Tattooist of Auschwitz.  She passionately argues these stories push Jewish victims to the margins all too often, centering on non-Jewish heroes or romanticized narratives that soften the Shoah’s brutal reality.  Why do these polished, mainstream tales dominate the raw, firsthand accounts of survivors like Elie Wiesel, Primo Levi, or Zalmen Gradowski?  And with antisemitism surging and Holocaust education under revisionist pressure from social media, what does it mean when these works are staples in UK classrooms?  Let’s explore the ethics of Holocaust storytelling, and ask: are we remembering the past—or rewriting it? Follow Jonny's podcasts and writings on his ⁠Substack⁠. Visit Jewish Quarterly here. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sign up to Jonny's substack. The Labour government has a super majority in Britain’s House of Commons, the sixth biggest of all time, similar to Tony Blair’s in 1997 - but that makes it prone to backbench rebellion. Even within its first year of government. As we’ve seen. And as Sir Keir Starmer failed to win support to get his original welfare bill over the line, with big U turns on an inquiry into grooming gangs and winter fuel payments to the elderly, there’s also that queasy feeling when it comes to his government and Israel. When Bob Vylan’s murderous chanting live on stage at Glastonbury was transmitted on the BBC, Wes Streeting’s shock reaction was that Israel’s embassy should get its house in order. And now the Prime Minister has declared that Britain will recognise a Palestinian State unless Israel ceases its war on terror in Gaza. That Starmer is trying to use recognition as a blackmail tool is not just monstrous - but from a parallel world to reality. Hamas are delighted, they describe it as the fruits of their October 7th pogrom, no less. So the PM's actions only serve to prolong the war, for generations, using Israel as a geopolitical football, just to head off a backbench rebellion and appease leading cabinet members who’d usurp him as leader if given the chance. How do you feel about Labour? Did you vote for them? Here are two Labour MPs who hold strong views which go against the prevailing winds. I met Sharon Hodgson and Joani Reid at The Actions Matter Summit held in Vienna in December 2024, working for ELNET UK, the European Leadership Network. Their European arm organised it in partnership with the Combat Antisemitism Movement. These interviews were recorded in the fraught weeks before British Israeli hostage Emily Damari was released from Gazan hell, a desperate crisis which really struck a deep chord with Sharon. And Joani is the ultimate conviction politician. Her consituency in East Kilbride has no Jewish community and she has no Jewish family. She's a former councillor in Lewisham, so why is she so vocal in support of Jewish people? Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet. Sign up to ⁠Jonny's substack⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonny's podcasts rely entirely on your generous support. Buy Jonny a coffee, so he can keep making them. Thank you. Today, we’re honoured to share the agonising recollections of Keith and Aviva Siegel, survivors of Hamas captivity in Gaza. They came to London and addressed the media at the Israeli Embassy in Kensington. Abducted from their Kibbutz Kfar Aza home on October 7, 2023, Aviva endured 51 days, Keith 484, facing starvation, abuse, and torture, even attempts to force conversion to Islam. Now reunited, they talk tirelessly for hostages still held. I won’t sugar coat or redact any of what they said. It’s most distressing in places. It brought me to tears when they talked about the Bibas family. But please don’t turn off, don’t look away. Share with as many as you can because as Aviva says, if Hamas are allowed to do this, a worldwide tyranny becomes allowed and tolerated. This is their mission to bring every hostage home. Jonny's podcasts rely entirely on your generous support.⁠ Buy Jonny a coffee⁠, so he can keep making them. Thank you. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education, the Rosemarie Nathanson Charitable Trust and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find all of Jonny's podcasts, recorded since 2018 and his writing by following his Substack. You can help support him with a coffee here! It's the third year of Jonny Gould's Jewish State Schools Podcaster of the Year, presented with Dangoor Education. Our winner from Year 6 is 10-year-old Meira Masher from Independent Jewish Day School in Hendon, London and she secured time for us with an international cricketer with an extraordinary story. Mandy Yachad wore tzitzit at the crease while batting for South Africa. They’re on display at Lords, the Home of Cricket, in a permanent exhibition. Of course he played at Lord’s - wearing them! And Mandy was no ordinary player. He was an opening batsman who scored 14 centuries and 32 fifties in his 16-year first class career, spanning 109 matches - mostly during the apartheid era. With much of his career falling during the international sporting boycott of South Africa in the 1980s and early 1990s, Mandy was denied the opportunity during the prime of his career. Mandy was named among the South African Cricket Annual five Players of the Year both in 1985 and 1991. He also played 21 times for his country at hockey too. He eventually quit because he became religious and found it too difficult to observe shabbat. Now at 64 with a lifetime of special memories, how does he reflect on his career? What's South Africa like these days and what was it like to grow up in an apartheid state? This is Mandy Yachad in conversation with our winner, Meira Masher. Find all of Jonny's podcasts, recorded since 2018 and his writing by following his ⁠Substack.⁠ You can help⁠ support him with a coffee⁠ here! Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by the Rosemarie Nathanson Charitable Trust. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Follow Jonny's writing and podcasts on his Substack. Buy him a coffee in support here. The United States struck three Iranian nuclear sites - with President Donald Trump hailing it a 'spectacular military success'. In this episode, listen to announcements by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a momentous night of aerial attacks over Iran. And coming up a fascinating listen in hindsight as Mr Trump speculated over the original two weeks he had given Tehran - with an abrupt and stinging dismissal of his European allies over the Iran crisis. Mr Trump says the facilities were 'totally obliterated' and warned Tehran it 'must now make peace’. Follow Jonny's writing and podcasts on his ⁠Substack⁠. Buy him a ⁠coffee in support here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find all of Jonny's podcasts and writing at his Substack, where you can also support his efforts. Iran's reckless retaliation against Israel's highly targeted attacks on military targets is throwing up new challenges for Israel, the US and other western countries who SHOULD be rallying around the Jewish State. In this episode, listen to the incredulous response of stranded British nationals Max Radford and Gabriella Somerville telling them to go to Egypt in order to fly home! And Colonel Richard Kemp becomes one of the first international voices to eyewitness the heroic work of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, set up to stop Hamas stealing western aid and selling it for a profit to their own people. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, supporting philanthropy. Find all of Jonny's podcasts and writing at his ⁠Substack⁠, where you can also ⁠support his efforts⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support Jonny's work and find all of his podcasts and writing here. A people that rises like a lioness and raises itself like a lion. כדהֶן־עָם֙ כְּלָבִ֣יא יָק֔וּם וְכַֽאֲרִ֖י יִתְנַשָּׂ֑א More than 200 fighter jets from the Israel Air Force, guided by Israeli Intelligence, struck over 100 targets across Iran, including hideouts of senior operatives in the Iran’s military leadership. The strikes eliminated the three most senior military commanders of the Iranian regime: Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Iranian regime, Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami and Commander of Khatam al-Anbiya (Emergency Command). Support Jonny's work and find all of his podcasts and writing ⁠here.⁠ Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support Jonny's work ⁠here⁠, find all his⁠ writing and podcasts here⁠ and follow his ⁠YouTube Channel⁠. Reform UK are gathering momentum if polls are anything to go by. The only one that matters is of course, the next General Election which isn’t until 2029 at the latest. Despite that, and a massive majority in the commons, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is treating Reform UK like the opposition, with the Tories in turmoil. Would you vote for Reform? Is it safe to vote for them? How do you feel about Nigel Farage? Can we trust Reform? Are our lives as Jewish people in Britain secure? So right here, let’s confront the challenging realities of the British media’s relentless antiIsrael barrage, and with it escalating security concerns. This is Richard Tice MP, Deputy Leader, Reform UK. Jonny Gould’s Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Support Jonny's work here and find all his writing and podcasts here. Follow his YouTube Channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Follow and find the rest of Jonny's Jewish and Israeli podcast and articles. From gospel stages to the Western Wall, Dumisani Washington’s journey is anything but ordinary. As the founder of the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel, Dumisani shares his extraordinary path - born and raised in the African American church and studying classical piano, to discovering his deep connection with Israel and founding a movement to bridge the gap between Black and Jewish communities. In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, Dumisani exposes the dangerous manipulation of Black identity by movements like BLM, reveals how Iran and anti-Zionist ideologies are infiltrating minority spaces, and explains the true historical bond between Africa and Israel — a bond rooted in Scripture, music, and justice. He shares what happened after his first visit to Israel, how antisemitism in America is being repackaged for a new generation, and why Black-Jewish unity is more urgent than ever post October 7th. This is what solidarity can really look like, a conversation which I hope will inspire you and cut through the more negative headlines we’re all exposed to. Follow and find the rest of Jonny's Jewish and Israeli podcast and articles here: http://jonnygould.substack.com Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. This episode is dedicated in loving memory to Levi Levin, may his music continue to uplift and provide inspiration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Help support Jonny's podcasts by buying him a coffee here. This is for every Jewish fan of the Beautiful Game! It's a hearty football discussion with the one and only David Pleat, featuring Paulo di Canio, chicken soup, Alex Ferguson, chopped liver, Brian Clough & Peter Taylor and Leslie Silver at Leeds. Oh, and throw in Chris Waddle and mum's meatballs for good measure. Tipped as “the next Tom Finney” as an England Schoolboy, David rejected the overtures of a host of clubs to stay at home, finish his ‘O’ Levels and enjoy his mum's home-cooking. David's autobiography, "Just One More Goal", available wherever books are sold, tells his story from an upbringing in Nottingham through a successful managerial career at Luton, Tottenham, Leicester and Sheffield Wednesday. He's still involved in the game as a scout for Scottish champions, Celtic. Nothing is off bounds as David also addresses the allegations of kerbcrawling made against him while at Luton, and whether he experienced antisemitism in the game. “Just One More Goal” has been nominated for sports autobiography of the year. Half the proceeds of the book sales is going also to the Motor Neuron disease charity. LISTEN now to David Pleat with Jonny Gould. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Help support Jonny's podcasts by ⁠buying him a coffee here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find the rest of Jonny's podcasts at http://jonnygould.substack.com Julia Haart doesn’t hold back in this raw and riveting conversation. From her early years in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community to building a billion-dollar global fashion powerhouse, she shares the gripping, often painful journey behind the headlines. This is the woman behind My Unorthodox Life—but what she reveals here goes far beyond reality TV. In this interview, Julia opens up about what really drove her to walk away from a life of religious constraints, how she built Elite World Group from the ground up, and why comfort and beauty don’t have to be opposites. She shares how a scene from Bridget Jones’s Diary sparked her revolutionary shapewear brand, why she believes God is closer to her now than ever before, and how she balances deep Jewish pride with fierce criticism of religious extremism. She also speaks openly about receiving death threats, witnessing the devastation of October 7 firsthand, and why unity among Jews—regardless of religious label—is now more crucial than ever. And in a surprising twist, Julia teases two groundbreaking inventions she’s working on—one that could change global communication, and another that might help end child labor. This is more than an interview. It’s a masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and unapologetic truth-telling. If you think you know Julia Haart, this conversation will make you rethink everything. Watch until the end—you won’t want to miss her vision for the future of Israel, Judaism, and humanity itself. With thanks to Amit at Migdal Ohr UK Find the rest of Jonny's podcasts at http://jonnygould.substack.com Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find all my podcasts and writing at jonnygould.substack.com Phase 2 of the Gaza War is underway, as strikes continue against Hezbollah in the north - even though their command has been decimated "upto 80% of it", according to our guest, Andrew Fox. In this Voices of Clarity series of live events at Chabad of Hampstead Garden Suburb, Andrew discusses the live issues affecting Israel as the conflict on seven fronts continues since October 7th. We talk about a newly rebooted Syrian enemy beyond Mount Hermon and Turkey's growing influence and how reliable a friend is President Donald Trump in the White House? With thanks to Rabbi Bentzi Sudak. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy Find all my podcasts and writing at jonnygould.substack.com and you can buymeacoffee (and find my work too here). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find the rest of Jonny’s podcasts and writing here. Agree or disagree, Joe Walsh’s counter-intuition on American politics, Donald Trump and the Middle East is hard to ignore.  With one and half million followers across his social media channels, Joe, who served Illinois's 8th district in the House of Representatives returns to Jonny Gould’s Jewish State for a second time.  Because having appeared on the show before Donald Trump’s second election victory, here’s why. A lifelong Republican with a penchant for throwing a Tea Party, Joe opposed Donald Trump so much, he voted Kamala for the White House - whatever their differences.  He said the two-party system needed a shakeup. Oh, and he also told me in his first ever response to my first ever question to him: "I want to retire and die in Israel".  Not Jewish. An American Catholic. So does he believe in Israel’s society more than America's? So much to catchup on. Hold tight, here’s Joe Walsh. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, supporting philanthropy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I can’t align with Palestinian protests and they say I’m less Irish because of it”. Rachel Moiselle is a young woman born and bred in Dublin, a PhD. student who calls herself a city girl. She loves the place she grew up in - but the feeling among her people isn’t much reciprocated. Raised a Roman Catholic, her father’s family were Jewish - and in standing up for Ireland’s community of around 3,000, Rachel’s found out the hard way about antisemitism since October 7th. She’s been shunned, cancelled and lost friends. But she wouldn’t change a thing - oh, except one, that is, she’s fully converting to Judaism. Rachel gives her first ever interview to Jonny Gould about the life she's been thrust into since October 7th. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can help me with a coffee here. "There are two million Palestinians in Gaza!", they cry. All the time. It's repeated as fact. "Bringing Judea and Samaria into Israel would create an Arab majority". Is that right? Quite apart from being untrue, the problem with these statements is that Israel creates policy based on them. So is it time to establish real facts about population and childbirth? Where is the population momentum? Does it lie with Jewish Israelis or their Arab neighbours? Our guest today is Yoram Ettinger, who challenges conventional narratives about population trends in Israel and the Palestinian territories.  His extensive experience diverges from most assumptions. Support me with a coffee here. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The podcast which prides itself in introducing new voices to the world on the issues we all care about. This is Shannon Seban, a young standout politician from Paris. She’s a conviction politician who believes if you behave otherwise, eventually you’ll lose trust and votes. Shannon currently serves as a municipal councilor in Rosny-sous-Bois and president of Macron’s Renaissance party in Seine-Saint-Denis, it’s where she was born and raised, a diverse and socio-economically challenged area.  Her upbringing there has significantly shaped her politics, she challenges stereotypes about youth from underprivileged neighborhoods. But it comes at quite cost. From Algerian Jewish background, She filed complaints about antisemitic abuse she received during her campaign in 2023 and 2024. She refuses to kowtow to any party line, so where does she stand on President Macron since October 7th. Is Macron becoming a liability? Is she being courted by other parties? How far can she go in French politics? This is Shannon Seban. Jonny Gould’s Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you enjoy Jonny's podcasts? Help support him with a coffee here or join his Substack. There’s a higher consciousness and awareness about Tal Hartuv.  She's grounded but spiritual, realistic but also optimistic.  Because Tal’s very existence since 2010 is an improbable miracle. She makes one imagine the dead returning to recount the experience of their murder.  In December of that year, she was brutally attacked by Hamas terrorists while hiking the hills around Jerusalem alongside her friend, Kristine Luken, an American Christian.  Kristine was murdered next to her, but Tal survived by playing dead despite severe injuries, including 18 machete wounds and numerous broken bones. Tal describes in disturbing detail the attack itself (don’t look away) and then reflects on how its changed her, what she was like before and after it, what she thinks of the current 🎗️deal and being labelled a victim when she’s anything but. The attackers who harmed her and killed Kristine are supposed to serve long sentences, but one of the murderers is released in a terrorist-for-hostage-swap agreement. But how does she manage her survivor's guilt when her friend didn’t make it?  Her multiple wounds cause pain when she moves and is a constant visceral reminder of what happened.  How does that impact her life, physically and emotionally?  And after October 7th, she unpacks what peace actually means! This is a truly captivating interview and I hope you appreciate it listening to it as much I did making it. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is brought you with the support of Dangoor Education and UK Toremet. Do you enjoy Jonny's podcasts? Help support him with a coffee here or join his Substack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find more Jonny and buy him a supportive coffee here and he's got a Substack too. Dr. Dan Diker of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs spelt it out for me a couple of episodes back. You've got to address the neighbours in Arabic! So I took his words to heart and did something about it. And where better to start than with President Trump's astounding news conference alongside Prime Minister Netanyahu when he said, "we'll own Gaza". The man to deliver truths to the Arab world is Dr. Edy Cohen, who drills down into the Arab world like no other Israeli. How? With an extraordinary X following of over 850,000. Listen to Edy here, firstly in Arabic and if you want to hear it in English, scroll forward a couple of minutes to find it. Find more Jonny and buy him a supportive coffee here and he's got a Substack too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find more Jonny and buy him a supportive coffee here and he's got a Substack too. Tell your friends and become a regular listener and part of the community of Jonny Gould's Jewish State listeners and YouTube viewers! And become a member with a small monthly donation which helps Jonny make the shows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find the rest of Jonny's podcasts here and support him with a well-earned coffee here. I was in Brussels as the European Jewish Association gathered experts together from all backgrounds to discuss Middle East post October 7th. In between sessions in the hotel conference centre, I found myself outside the entrance with Ghaith al-Omari, taking in the fresh air and we started talking.  Sporting a blue pinstripe suit, Bohemian ponytail and smoking what looked like a Gitanes, Ghaith and I drummed up a chat that moved onto the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which he was involved in.  As part of the Palestinian Authority, he advised the negotiating team during the permanent-status negotiations for two years from 1999, including the Camp David summit and the Taba talks. It broke down, as we know, but then he helped draft the Geneva Initiative, an unofficial model aimed at a modified resolution. He’s now a Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute, where he continues to provide insights on Palestinian politics, Middle East diplomacy, and the U.S.-Israel Strategic Relationship. With his easygoing manner, I felt I could ask Ghaith any question, which I did, as I wondered how big will the peace industry grow while we wait for the world’s most intractable war to finish? Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Find the rest of Jonny's podcasts here and support him with a coffee here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find and follow the rest of Jonny's interviews in the series here. Is Donald Trump’s return to the Oval Office a cause for celebration in Jerusalem, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh - and fear in Tehran?  Is the multipolar world but a consequence of America’s loosened grip on the world by previous administrations? Will President Trump reassert his nation on the world stage?  And the hostage deal: what should we make of its grievous cost in terms of future security with the release of hundreds of convicted murderers? Will we see a reprise of the terror which allowed Gilad Shalit to come home in exchange for a thousand killers, including Yahya Sinwar, architect of October 7th? These are the vital questions I got to ask Dr. Dan Diker, who I caught up with on a flying visit to London.  Dan, who’s based in Israel is President of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.  He's written six books exposing the “apartheid antisemitism” phenomenon in North America and authored studies on Iran’s race for regional supremacy and Israel’s need for defensible borders Help support Jonny making his podcasts right here. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthrophy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find more of Jonny's podcasts at http://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonnygould What happens in academia when the best minds are curbed by antisemitism and its modern day manifestation, antizionism? We all know the problems of campus antisemitism, more acute since October 7th. It’s an honour to discuss and unpack this problem in academia with world-renowned scholar on antisemitism, Professor David Hirsh. Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Goldsmiths, University of London, David focuses on contemporary antisemitism, crimes against humanity and totalitarianism.  He's also Academic Director and CEO of the London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and he founded "Engage," a campaign against the academic boycott of Israel.  David has a BSc from City University, London, an MA in Philosophy and Social Theory from the University of Warwick, and a PhD from Warwick where he wrote his dissertation on "Crimes Against Humanity and International Law." He authored "Contemporary Left Antisemitism" exploring the left-wing's problem and he edited "The Rebirth of Antisemitism in the 21st Century: From the Academic Boycott Campaign into the Mainstream".  Despite his considerable achievements, his progress has been hampered by hate.  So how has he stuck at it? And what could he have been if he'd been allowed to use his intellect beyond the fight?  I met David at Action Matters in Vienna in December 2024, organized by ELNET, the European Leadership Network in partnership with the Combat Antisemitism Movement. This episode is presented with the cooperation and support of ELNET UK, a bipartisan, cross-party international organisation working to advance UK-Israel relations based on shared democratic values and strategic interests. Considering the awful and disturbing content of our conversation, it’s good humoured, lucid and I hope as you listen, highly informative and educational. Find more of Jonny's podcasts at http://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonnygould Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m releasing this key episode of the Benjamin Anthony Show on Jonny Gould's Jewish State, and you can follow the show here. Benjamin is joined as always by MirYam Institute's in-house military analyst, Yaakov Lappin, as they discuss the hostage deal's implications for Israeli society, the IDF, Israel's security and the hostage families and whether it might collapse amid the murderous bad faith of Hamas. They also analyze what might have been offered as a "sweetener" by incoming President Trump to Prime Minister Netanyahu and whether or not U.S. collaboration around the targeting of Iran's nuclear weapons program may be what pursuaded Israel's premiere to step back from several of his stated red-lines.  While Benjamin and Yaakov celebrate the return of every hostage, they present notes of caution about the consequences the deal might bring about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find and follow the rest of Jonny's interviews in the series here. Erin Molan’s moral clarity, critical thought and searing conviction has elevated her voice to a world stage. Tasked with making testy opinion pieces straight down the barrel at Sky News Australia, Erin was removed rather abruptly from her starring role towards the end of 2024. Aside from her forthright journalism, it's her background which also makes her so compelling. Moving around the world as a child, her father Jim Molan was a Major General in the Australian Army and later a liberal senator in Parliament. What he taught her and what it means to her looms large here.  A fluent speaker of Indonesian, Erin grew up in the world's largest Muslim nation. TV journalism has a new world star and you'll hear why when you listen to my interview with Erin Molan. Help support Jonny making his podcasts right here. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthrophy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find more of Jonny's podcasts here. Support his podcast work here. Mark Birbeck’s civic life changed on October 7th.  Taken aback by the lack of widespread support for the victims from his fellow Britons, he set about being the change he wanted to see. He founded Our Fight UK to support the Jewish community and Israelis following the terrible events of that morning and the wars and plight of the hostages ever since. With other key figures, notably Kurpa Patel and Iranian dissident Niyak Ghorbani, Mark has fronted protests and counter-protests, challenged boycotts, arms embargoes, and curbs on talking and protesting freely on Israel and antisemitism. He was arrested for displaying a sign labelling Hamas as terrorists, which led to his ban from attending Palestinian-related protests for three months and even talking to Niyak under his bail conditions. But for all the street activism, his faith in British democracy, standards in civic life and policing hasn’t eroded one iota and he engages in dialogue with young Muslims countering him on the streets and seeks out common values with them. He says there are some. Listen for what they are.  And in the course of his extraordinary efforts, he’s re-engaged with a pride in our country.  Mark is an inspiration and comfort for those of us, including me, I confess - who fear that some of our nation's values have been eroded.  Share this episode far and wide, as you listen to Our Fight UK founder, Mark Birbeck. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthrophy. Find more of Jonny's podcasts here. Support his podcast work here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find more from Jonny here. This is Survivor, an animated film created by puppeteer and cartoonist, Zoom Rockman. It's the story of Auschwitz and Dachau survivor, Ivor Perl BEM, based upon his Holocaust memoir, Chicken Soup Under The Tree. The first screening in London took place in November 2024 and you'll hear Ivor and Zoom reflect on the movie and why it's so important. I’ve had the privilege of having a one-to-one conversation with Ivor at his London home, where he shared his harrowing experiences and reflected on the reawakening of antisemitism today. This is a Lemon Soul film, in loving memory of Jonny Zucker, an inspirational teacher, fantastic children's author, who celebrated reading among kids and envisioned educational ideas such as this movie. The stirring title music was composed and performed by Erran Baron Cohen, who produced musical accompaniment on the night. Listen to the story of Survivor. Find more from Jonny here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emily Damari, who's 28, is a joint UK and Israeli citizen and the only living remaining British national held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. On the morning of October 7th, 2023, Emily was in her home on Kibbutz Kfar Azza, 2 miles from the Gaza border, when terrorists entered her house. Her beloved golden cockapoo Choocha was shot dead, Emily was shot and left with severe injuries. She was then blindfolded and kidnapped in the back of her own car and driven into Gaza. Emily's captivity is now well over a year long. Emily's mother Mandy, 63, is a Brit, born in Surrey and grew up with her parents and three brothers in Beckenham, Kent. She visited Israel on holiday aged 20 where she met and fell in love with her husband. Emily is the youngest of four siblings and her mother Mandy says, "her unforgettable smile and cheeky and quick sense of humour light up every room she enters." Emily is a massive Spurs fan and would often plan trips to the UK around a concert or a Spurs game. Tottenham fans have recently initiated the #ShesOneOfOurOwn campaign in her honour. Mandy faced the UK media at a London news conference with an impassioned mesage,🎗️Bring Emily Home. Listen now. She's joined by Lord Stuart Pollak. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jotam Confino is one of Israel’s brightest young journalists. Both disciplined and intrepid, Jotam brings together old school standards with open source leads which surround us all on the socials today.  The key is to discern which video is real, which source reliable. That’s journalism.  Originally from Denmark, Jotam made Aliyah (the Jewish ideal of return) because he wanted to live and work in Israel as a journalist. His career only really began when he moved there in February 2018, when he was 27.  He holds an MA in Security and Diplomacy and a BA in International Studies.  You’ve seen him writing and broadcasting in The Telegraph, CBS News, BBC, USA Today, Haaretz, The Sun, Daily Mail, Good Morning Britain, Sunday Express - and now Jonny Gould’s Jewish State.  He doesn’t shirk the trolls on social media either. He’s Happy to debate online.  And we got together while he was here in London on a book tour.  “Netanyahu’s Israel: Rise of the Far Right” is a collection of interviews with key figures since 1996, and offers the reader a rare look behind the scenes of some of Israel’s most historic moments of recent decades. It’s on Amazon.  Let’s talk about being a Jewish and Zionist journalist. In the overwhelming anti-Israel tirade of mass media, has his commitment to objective reporting relented into defending Israel? Is there anything wrong with that?  What are the tunnels like?  And Netanyahu: can he survive to the end of his term, could he ever win without the right wing of his coalition?  Oh, and will the new Trump Administration turn the tide for Israel. Are the mullahs day’s numbered in Iran?  Let’s meet Jotam Confino. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Follow the rest of Jonny’s podcasts here Brian Epstein is one of the most significant cultural figures in Anglo Jewry’s 20th century.  Midas Man is the fifth Beatle's story. Also from Liverpool, Brian saw the fledgling Fab Four performing at the Cavern one lunchtime, was bedazzled by them and went about masterminding their rise to global fame. He crafted their image, secured their first record deal, and so heralded the British cultural invasion of America. Brigit Grant wrote the screenplay for "Midas Man” highlighting his journey from family department store heir to one of the most influential music managers of all time. But behind the glitz and glamour was a man seeking acceptance and love, but not able to get it.  Midas Man peels back the curtain on the swinging '60s, the triumphs, heartbreaks, and secrets of the man who changed the face of music forever. Brigit popped round my house, we put the kettle on and had a good chat about Brian and the movie. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education. Follow the rest of Jonny’s podcasts here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is “strategic drift” and why does it threaten Israel’s military progress in Gaza?  How dismantled is Hamas? How can Israel’s borders be secured so that the people of Sderot, Ofakim and the kibbutzim return home?  Is Israel going to have to build a wall?   In the north, the IDF is capitalising on some remarkable early breakthroughs in the battle to break Hezbollah. What now?  As Yoav Gallant is sacked by Benjamin Netanyahu - again, is that a signal of military progress? And the return of President Trump to the Oval Office: what that will mean to Israel’s fight against Iran and its proxies.  These are all questions for my friend, Andrew Fox. Research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, Andrew served in the British Army for sixteen years, retiring as a Major in 2021  As a senior lecturer in War Studies and Behavioural Science at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, He holds degrees in Law & Politics, Modern War Studies, and Psychology.  It’s always good to speak to Andrew Fox. Jonny Gould's Jewish State couldn't do it without the support of Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"An urgent ceasefire, get humanitarian aid in without further delay, release the hostages. Oh, and let's move towards a Two-State Solution".  When we switch on the news, that's the agenda-setting drumbeat from politicians, aided and abetted by international institutions and their media lackies. The unrepentant, unaccountable BBC and others don't care about the mess they leave. Welcome back for the third time to Jonny Gould's Jewish State, Imshin, Jacqui Peleg. Her sources are impeccable, transparent and open source and they tell the REAL story in Gaza. Because they come from videos uploaded to social media by Gazans themselves. This is how they want us to see and hear them. They’re all available now on her X account, Imshin. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find more of Jonny’s podcasts and writing here. Israel is fighting an existential war on seven fronts but an eighth one always seems to be discounted from the reckoning.  It’s the battle of narratives, played through media, both legacy and social. Somewhere since October 7th 2023, the truth has been trampled down a long deep rabbit hole.  What you’re about to listen to is totally irreconcilable with the shorthand, throwaway phrases you get from mainstream bulletins.  Mosab Hassan Yousef, born in 1978 is a child of the Israel Gaza conflict.  He’s "The Green Prince," son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, co-founder of Hamas.  Raised in a family deeply entangled with Hamas, Mosab seemed destined for a life of terrorism. But he defected to Israel in 1997 and worked as a spy for Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service for a decade until he moved to the United States.  He helped them prevent numerous suicide bombings and other terror attacks leading to the capture of several Hamas operatives.  His autobiography, "Son of Hamas," details his life, his disillusionment with Hamas and his espionage. He converted to Christianity too, distancing himself from his roots still further - adding a layer to his own transformation. Not enough delegates turned up to the European Parliament in Brussels to listen to him and he declares his disappointment at the start of this speech - so let's gets his stark message out still further. Share this episode to your friends. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education. You can also help Jonny by supporting him here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a rather different and special episode of Jonny Gould’s Jewish State. It's year 2 of our “Schools Podcaster of the Year” award, presented this year by Dangoor Education.  It stars our winner, 11-year-old David Green from Year 6 at North West London Jewish Day School, who won the chance to make this episode with me.  David has the open mind of a young man blessed with great intelligence and the capacity for profound uncluttered insights.  And he secured time for us with Rabbi Dr. Raphael Zarum, a man of great learning. His latest book is "Questioning Belief: Torah and Tradition in an Age of Doubt”, reconciling Judaism with modernity, addressing profound questions that intersect faith, science, and contemporary life. He’s Dean of the London School of Jewish Studies (LSJS) and holds the Rabbi Sacks Chair of Modern Jewish Thought, named in honour of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks of blessed memory, our late Chief Rabbi’s' legacy in contemporary Jewish philosophy and education. With the Dangoor Education “Schools Podcaster of the Year”, I'm encouraging the next generation to think seriously about journalism and storytelling - not just to take in the TikTokers and YouTubers. And the word is spreading, a second school is joining the title chase. So if you’d like yours to have a separate competition, have a word with your head and put them in touch with me. Here is Rabbi Zarum with competition winner, David Green. The podcast series is supported by UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy Help Jonny to continue making these podcasts: buy him a coffee here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support Jonny's work here. “After The Pogrom” - what now for Israel and the Jewish diaspora? And for western civilisation for that matter?  The swirling dust of conflict has brought with it significant changes to our world and yet amid Israel’s fight on seven fronts, Brendan O’Neill’s coherent methodic analysis explains what we’re witness to.  Brendan’s not on X, you’ll only find “burntoakboy” as he’s known on Instagram “because the rest of social media is far too rough and ugly” for him. And it’s where since October 7th 2023, he’s been ever present with stout, sometimes uncensored defences of the State of Israel. You’ve seen him writing for Spiked Online and on TV and radio.  But he’s no Johnny Come Lately: he’s not jumped on the Israel bandwagon. In our first interview here on Jonny Gould’s Jewish state in 2020, Brendan compared the Jewish and non-Jewish people’s takeaways from the Second World War.  While Europeans declared that to end all wars, we needed “happy clappy borders”, Jews on the other hand recognised that secure borders were absolutely essential to our survival.  How right he’s proved to be. Scroll back to episode 51 for a gripping interview during the Brexit and Covid years. But right now, recorded on this most poignant date in our recent history, it’s always a pleasure to spend time with Brendan O’Neill. Buy “After The Pogrom” here. And you can help support Jonny's efforts by following this link. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Help Jonny make the podcasts: buy him a coffee here. Amid the IDF's push into Lebanon to eliminate Hezbollah, the thwarting of terror attacks on Israel’s streets and the hail of rockets fired into them, we must always, always keep in our minds the plight of our hostages incarcerated by the savages of Hamas and their accomplices in Gaza.  For it was on that fateful Shabbat and Simchat Torah morning of October 7th 2023, that the lives of Israeli and Jewish people around the world changed forever.  Free the hostages. Bring them home now. Let’s go back to where it all started.  As chaos broke out all around her, our guest today relives the moments of sheer terror that morning, but her words are laced with a message of future hope and delivered with tremendous dignity. This is Irit Lahav, survivor of the Kibbutz Nir Oz disaster as she revealed how she survived, while her dearest friends were murdered or taken hostage around her. Also, when and why she wants to go home and why it’s so important for the country as a whole that she does. Help Jonny make the podcasts: buy him a coffee here. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices