People of the Pod

Last weekend, the International Criminal Court at The Hague determined that it has jurisdiction in the West Bank and Gaza, taking a major step toward prosecuting Israelis for alleged war crimes. To help us unpack what's been happening and what it means for Israel, we're joined by Barak Ravid, Contributing Correspondent for Axios and Diplomatic Correspondent for Walla News. Then we hear from AJC Ch...

This week, we're in conversation with Joel Finkelstein, cofounder and director of the Network Contagion Research Institute, a nonpartisan, multidisciplinary research group of experts who study online disinformation, and Pamela Paresky, a senior scholar at the Institute who focuses on the psychology of thriving in a liberal democracy. Both have been sounding the alarm about the dangers of the antis...

A controversial curriculum for teaching ethnic studies in California public schools will face a final vote in March. Since the first draft came out in 2019, a coalition of Jewish organizations has advocated for content that meaningfully includes Jews and other groups, discusses antisemitism, and avoids perpetuating stereotypes that put Jews in danger. We sit down with Director of AJC Northern Cali...

In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Museum of Jewish Heritage held a special event, "18 Voices: A Liberation Day Reading Of Young Writers' Diaries From The Holocaust ." We sit down with Broadway actress Mandy Gonzalez, who read diary excerpts during the virtual reading, and Alexandra Zapruder, curator of " 18 Voices" and author of " Salvaged Pages." Then, we speak to Lahav Har...

One day after inauguration, we sit down with AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson to discuss President Joe Biden's inaugural address and what to expect from the new administration. Then, we hear from AJC Senior Director of Policy and Political Affairs Julie Fishman Rayman on how to engage with those with whom we disagree, Manya Brachear Pashman on President Biden's call fo...

This week, we sit down with Daniel Lombroso, director of The Atlantic 's first feature documentary, White Noise, an inside story of the far right in America. Lombroso, who spent four years with the leaders of white supremacist and antisemitic movements, joins us to discuss how that period informs his perspective on the horrific events of January 6 at the United States Capitol and the ensuing fallo...

Tune in for an exclusive conversation with freshman Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY) about the horrific events of January 6 at the United States Capitol. Listen as he shares his reflections on the antisemitism, racism, and white supremacy he witnessed that day; impeachment proceedings in Congress; and how the nation can move forward.  _____ Show notes: We must not ignore the presence of antisemit...

Earlier this week, we spoke to former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro, who served alongside President-elect Joe Biden in the Obama administration and was an advisor to his presidential campaign. Ambassador Shapiro broke down what we can expect from the Biden administration when it comes to Israel, Iran, the Palestinians, and the Abraham Accords. Then, as our nation reels from Wednesday's...

This week, Atlanta Journal-Constitution political reporter Greg Bluestein joins us to break down the January 5 runoff elections in Georgia that will decide which party controls the United States Senate. Next, we hear from Melanie Maron Pell, AJC's Managing Director of Regional Offices, on an antisemitic attack over this Hanukkah at the University of Kentucky and the importance of passing the NO HA...

As United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov works to stave off escalations, speak up against violence, and promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Before he leaves his posting, Mladenov joins us on People of the Pod to reflect on his vital work. Then, AJC's Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations Rabbi Noam Marans shares his tho...

This week, Tal Schneider, political correspondent at the Times of Israel, joins us to unpack the latest in Israeli politics as Israel hurtles toward its fourth election in two years. Then, Rabbi David Levy, regional director of AJC New Jersey, reflects on the one-year anniversary of the attack at the JC Kosher Supermarket in Jersey City, Manya Brachear Pashman shares her thoughts on what Hanukkah...

Sima Shine, former head of the Mossad's research division and current senior researcher at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), joins us to discuss recent developments related to Iran, including the recent death of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who headed the country's nuclear weapons program. Then, AJC Los Angeles Associate Director Saba Soomekh talks about the importance of telling the...

In this special Thanksgiving throwback episode, we revisit two important conversations from this past summer. First up is Eric Ward, Executive Director of the Western States Center, who discusses his experience as a leader in the Black community committed to fighting antisemitism and how the Black and Jewish communities can work together to combat hate. Then, we hear from Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Se...

This week, The Atlantic's Emma Green joins us to discuss the intersection of religion and politics in the 2020 election. Then, AJC Atlanta Regional Director Dov Wilker weighs in on the importance of the January runoff election in his home state of Georgia. _____ Episode Lineup: [0:39] Emma Green [21:19] Shabbat Table Talk with Dov Wilker _____ Show Notes: America's Table - A Program of AJC's Commu...

This week, we take a deep dive into the results of the 2020 election. First, we're joined by writer and commentator Bethany Mandel to discuss what pre-election polls got wrong and why. Then, we hear from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency's Washington Bureau Chief, Ron Kampeas, to break down the results of the congressional election and hear what the 117th Congress will look like. _____ Episode Lineup:...

This week, Ira Sheskin, a professor at the University of Miami and editor of the American Jewish Year Book, joins us to break down what we know so far about the results of the 2020 election, with a focus on the Jewish vote in Florida. Then, we hear from Senator Norm Coleman, National Chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition, and Mark Mellman, President and CEO of the Democratic Majority for Isr...

This week's episode features a conversation with actress and philanthropist Debra Messing about her new podcast, The Dissenters, and how her experiences with antisemitism shaped her identity. Then, in a live podcast recording with the Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center in New York earlier this week, we break down the results from AJC's groundbreaking report, The State of Antisemitism in America 2020...

This week we're joined by Jewish Insider National Politics Reporter Jacob Kornbluh, who has spent months reporting on the state of COVID-19 in New York's ultra-Orthodox communities. On October 7, Kornbluh, a resident of Borough Park, was attacked while reporting on anti-lockdown protests in his neighborhood. We'll hear a portion of this special live podcast recording, on why the ultra-Orthodox com...

This week, Facebook announced that it would ban Holocaust denial content from the platform. We're joined this week by Jordana Cutler, Facebook's Head of Policy for Israel and the Jewish Diaspora, to discuss this important decision and the role AJC played in making it happen. Be sure to tune into a special live podcast recording, "COVID-19 in New York's Ultra-Orthodox Community: A Conversation with...

This week, we speak to Josh Kraft, a community leader, a seasoned nonprofit executive, and through his family, a six-time Super Bowl champion. He recently took the helm of the Kraft family's philanthropic efforts, and he joins us to discuss "[tbh]," or "together beat hate," an initiative of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, an organization focused on creating replicable models for fighting an...

White supremacy has featured prominently in the public discourse in recent years and during the current election cycle. In this week's episode, we sit down with the creators of two podcasts to explore the history of white supremacy in the United States in order to better understand the state of this hateful ideology today. First, Odette Yousef, host of WBEZ Chicago's 'Motive,' speaks to us about t...

This week, we sit down with Abbe Gluck, a former clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed away last week, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah. A professor of law and founding faculty director of the Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy at Yale Law School, she and fellow former clerk Gillian Metzger penned an op-ed in The New York Times just days after Justice Ginsburg's passing, recalling her...

Following Tuesday's historic signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates at the White House, we sit down with Israeli Acting Consul General Israel Nitzan to help us break down this exciting development and what it means for Israel. Then, in our closing segment, Shabbat Table Talk, AJC Associate Director for Policy and Middle East Initiatives Benjy Rogers sh...

AJC, which for more than 25 years has advanced understanding and fostered cooperation between Arab states and the Jewish people, last week announced its plans to open an office in the United Arab Emirates – the organization's first permanent presence in the Arab world. The move comes in the wake of the historic announcement last month by U.S. President Donald Trump, His Highness Crown Prince Moham...

In celebration of the enduring ties between America's Black and Jewish communities, AJC and the National Urban League are partnering to designate the week of September 7th Black-Jewish Unity Week. To kick off #BlackJewishUnity week, we're collaborating for an exciting crossover event with the National Urban League's podcast, For the Movement. This week, we sit down with Clint Odom, the National Ur...