The Upfront Podcast

Today, we are hearing about the largest persecuted minority that you and I have likely never heard of before. My guest today is Cynthia Sun, a Senior Researcher at the Falun Dafa Infocenter, who is based in New York. Her work focuses on persecution documentation, transnational repression, and public policy. She authored a report on Chinese influence at American colleges, which was featured by the...

My guest today is Ruthi Forer, a Somatic therapist specializing in sexuality and Tantra, focusing on trauma and nervous system regulation using body-based (somatic) tools, based in central Israel. We are talking about how she combines her extensive experience, training, and knowledge to teach people how we can regulate our nervous system, why institutions created to control society make use of sha...

My guest today is Roy Barkan, a writer, performer, and public figure from Israel. He is the son of the late prominent Israeli actor and pop culture phenomenon Yehuda Barkan. Roy wrote a book based on his life experiences that touches on many topics that you don't usually hear much about. We are talking about his life’s story, including having celebrity friends with addictions to drugs, and ho...

Eitan Chitayat is a creative director, copywriter and brand-builder, and founder of the Natie Branding Agency in Tel Aviv. Eitan has been delivering branding campaigns for B2C and B2B clients for over 25 years. He has lived in Hong Kong, London, Tel Aviv, New York, and Boston, working with clients such as Google, Volkswagen, American Express, and Toyota, as well as Israeli companies like Amdocs, N...

My guest today is the eloquent Yirmiyahu Danzig, known as @that_semite on social media. Yirmiyahu is an educator and activist for Jewish and indigenous rights. He holds a degree in Political Science, Homeland Security, and Public Diplomacy. Yirmiyahu will tell us how his own family background led to him inherently feeling and thinking more intersectional and realizing that there is a need for soci...

My guest today is Matan Peretz, who makes a living as a comedian in Israel, and as an Israeli citizen he also serves in the IDF, the Israel Defense Forces, when called up for reserve duty. Matan has been using his platform to advocate for Israel, and against terrorism and will be sharing some important points of his activism and the social media information war. Based on his own experience, Matan...

Cécile Nebbot is back for a deep dive into history. We are talking about ancient to recent historical events, covering the Jewish people, as well as some important events throughout Christian and Islamic history that would be crucial for people to know to be able to have a fact-based conversation about the war Israel is forced to fight on multiple fronts. Cécile and I are trying to find a logical...

Cécile Nebbot was born in Marseille, France in 1967 to liberal Jewish parents whose recent ancestors had been expelled from Spain, and then eventually from Tunisia and Algeria. She is an economist and communication expert with a background in brand content and strategic consulting. For two decades she has worked for leading consulting firms based in London, New York, and Paris. Cécile has a deep e...

Have you ever wondered how 6 million Jews could be murdered by the Nazis in cold blood in the Holocaust while the world was silently watching? Let me tell you... On the morning of October 7, 2023, during the holiday of Simchat Torah, hundreds of Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel by land, sea, and air, to commit the most vile, heinous, vicious, and brutal attacks on innocent Israeli civilians, an...

My guest today is Raul Krauthausen. He lives in Berlin, Germany, and is a well-known activist and author who advocates for the inclusion of disabled people, basing his work on his own life and experience because Raul was born with Osteogenesis imperfecta and is therefore using a wheelchair. Raul is a published author of several books about inclusion, disability, and activism, with his latest book...

Ainhoa Martinelli is from Switzerland and is 19 years old. She works in a Montessori school and will begin to study geography in the fall. Ainhoa started her activist work in her early teenage years with Fridays for Future. She is now an active part of various international climate movements such as the Global Climate Strike, Debt4Climate, and the Global Youth Biodiversity Network, making her the...

Stephanie Horwitz from the “What Should I Do With My Life” podcast is joining us today from Tel Aviv, Israel. Steph will tell us how we might have been misled since many people are figuring out that a career might not follow a one-and-done recipe. Steph and I will be discussing how different people have mastered their careers, what you can do to get recognition on the job, and how you can advocate...

My guest today is Alejandro Salas, the head of global movement at the global anti-corruption organization Transparency International. Alejandro is originally from Mexico and has studied political science. He now lives in Berlin, Germany. Alejandro will tell us about the dangers of corrupt politicians, what makes for an ethical society, and how impunity plays a crucial role. We are also talking abo...

My guest today is Jolanda Spiess Hegglin, a journalist and former Swiss politician. One harrowing night, everything changed for her. In the aftermath, her name was extensively used in Swiss tabloid media in attempts to ruin her reputation and to victim blame, while Jolanda was trying to come to terms with what had happened to her and to seek legal accountability. Now, Jolanda is an activist agains...

My guest today is Rabbi Akiva Weingarten, born and raised in the Jewish ultraorthodox “Satmar” community in New York. He decided to leave the community, lived abroad for many years, then studied “Jewish Studies” in Germany and eventually became the Rabbi for two liberal Jewish communities in Switzerland and Germany. His own book by the title “Ultraorthodox,” has recently been published. We are tal...

For the final episode of the year, I am saying goodbye for now until we meet again in the new year! Send a text Support the show Join the conversation and leave us your comments, remarks, and opinions on our Instagram , Youtube , Facebook or via E-Mail to theupfrontpodcast@gmail.com . Please share, subscribe and leave a review to help The Upfront Podcast reach more people.

On February 24th, 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine and launched a full-scale war on the sovereign nation. My guest today is Victoria Vlasenko, who is coming to us directly from Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. We will be speaking about her own experience living through the war in Ukraine, with her job still demanding that she regularly works as if nothing out of the ordinary is happening, about her person...

Naftali Aklum is a public speaker and lecturer from the Beta Israel, the community of Ethiopian Jews. He tells us of his family’s harrowing journey to Israel and what Ethiopian Jews are facing, the split between forced assimilation and respecting one’s own identity, whilst dealing with systemic discrimination and racism. Find Naftali at the following links: Instagram , Facebook or Twitter The Yeru...

Feminism does have a few different principles, but what they all share is the plea for gender equality. Liz from Episode 3 is back, and we are discussing different stances on feminism and how this comes into play in our dating life when trying to determine people's compatibility and whether we should lower our standards to accommodate others. Send a text Support the show Join the conversation...

Patrick Jones is a journalist, originally from New York, now living in South Carolina, and host of the "That Gives Me Anxiety Podcast". Patrick and Nina discuss dealing with expectations of hosting a podcast, mental health, conspiracy theories, death, politics, and other fun stuff. You can find the “That Gives Me Anxiety Podcast” at the following links and wherever you get your podcasts....

Today’s guest Katharina Höftmann was born in Rostock in East Germany. She studied Psychology and German-Jewish History at Humboldt University in Berlin while working as a journalist for various newspapers. Due to receiving a scholarship for Ben Gurion University in Israel, she first stayed in the land that would later become her home base of choice. Katharina converted to Judaism and later wrote a...

My guest on this episode is Juliet Taylor, who grew up in a Jewish modern orthodox family in London, England. Juliet moved to Israel 9 years ago and worked as the educational director for a school. In the midst of her daily life, a mental health crisis slowly crept in and altered her life. Juliet was able to change her perspective on life and focus on what she values most, which eventually brought...

Maysa Resende is originally from Brazil, and she moved to Israel in 2016 to do her Ph. D. in Biotechnology Engineering at Ben Gurion University (BGU). She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Tel Aviv University (TAU), and during the pandemic, she founded a brand of natural and sustainable cosmetic bars called "Bars from Mars". We are talking about consumer behavior, greenwashing, the i...

Tomer Yair Zemel was born and raised in Jerusalem, Israel. He is a social activist for causes that he is most passionate about. Tomer works in the high-tech industry and has been living close to Tel Aviv in Israel for the past several years. We are speaking about his coming out, what he would recommend for other people to focus on when coming out themselves, what pride month and the pride parade a...

Nina is giving an update on what is happening with The Upfront Podcast, how it will go on, and what the true, important essence of this podcast is. Send in your comments, remarks, and opinions in writing or as an audio recording through one of these channels and while you're at it, give us a follow. Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theupfrontpodcast/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/theup...