Bad Jews Podcast

Anthony and Caitlin sit down with Leslie London – retired UCT professor, public health physician, human rights activist, and fellow Bad Jew. Leslie talks about his personal experiences growing up in the Jewish community in Cape Town and attending Herzlia school, the way in which his Jewish values have shaped him, and his decision to apply for religious objector status after being conscripted to th...

In this episode, Anthony and Caitlin discuss the ABC's of BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions). The phrase "BDS" has become something of a swear word in the South African Jewish community, which has meant that BDS, both as a strategy and as a movement, is rarely discussed (and therefore frequently misunderstood). This episode hopes to provide a starting point for that discussion. Support the p...

On 28 April 2026, Professor Adam Mendelsohn delivered an inaugural lecture at the University of Cape Town titled "Where to for the Jews?". In this episode, Anthony and Caitlin critically engage with some of the arguments made by Mendelsohn in that lecture and the evidence he puts forward in support of his claims. Support the podcast on Patreon: http://patreon.com/BadJewsPodcast *Useful links menti...

What does the Talmud say about protesting injustices and what does this have to do with a rabbi’s cow? Anthony and Caitlin are joined by local service leader and librarian Mitchel Joffe Hunter to explain. Links to articles and sources mentioned in the episode: *The Rabbi's Cow: A Source Sheet on the Responsibility to Protest* https://voices.sefaria.org/sheets/715737?lang=bi *Isaiah Is this the fas...

Caitlin and Anthony discuss their experiences at their local Jewish, Zionist School, Herzlia, focusing especially on the highly curated experience their education offered them on Israel and Zionism. Did you go to such a school? What was it like for you?

In this episode, Anthony and Caitlin discuss the problems that arise when determining whether opposition to Zionism is being mischaracterised as antisemitism, or conversely, being used to disguise it. They explore how they go about assessing particular situations to see if there is good evidence of antisemitism, or whether accusers are jumping the gun (intentionally or not). They focus especially...