Unholy: Two Jews on the News Middle East Past and Present: A deep dive into history with Tom Holland
12 snips
Apr 1, 2026 
Tom Holland, writer and historian known for books on Rome, Persia and Western origins, joins to trace ancient Middle Eastern threads. He contrasts Judean life before 70 CE with later Judaism. He explores Cyrus and Persian memory, how empires shape modern states, the Roman mirror for America, and why secularism carries religious roots.
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Pesach Persists Beyond Religious Observance
- Pesach functions as a foundational national myth that persists across secular Jewish communities, with high participation even among non-observant Jews.
- Jonathan cites UK data showing 84% of British Jews attended a Seder, illustrating the holiday's durable cultural pull.
Pesach Under Missile Threats
- Yonit Levi reflects on celebrating Pesach amid war, noting this is the first Passover since October 7th without Hamas hostages and many Israelis face missile threats and shelter decisions.
- She details travel disruptions, people leaving via Egypt or Jordan, and the emotional strain of a holiday in shelters.
Why Rome Misjudged The Judeans
- Romans viewed Judeans as just another peculiar subject within empire rather than inherently oppositional because Rome treated all non-Romans as ‘weird’.
- Tom Holland says Judeans were habituated to imperial rule and only later became historically exceptional after Jerusalem's destruction created a new, scripture-centered identity.