Jonny Gould's Jewish State

Only four Jewish prisoners ever escaped the vicious SS guards, their ferocious dogs, rows of tall electrified fences and men on watchtowers wielding automatic weapons of Auschwitz-Birkenau.But Walter Rosenberg, just 19-years-old used knowledge, cunning and patience to do what no Jew had done before.He and Alfred Wetzler, in his early twenties, escaped from Auschwitz. But Walter, later to become Rudolf Vrba, hasn't been legendized like others who emerged from what became known as the Holocaust.Until now. Because his audacious breakout with Fred saved the lives of 200,000 Jews, mostly from Budapest. They revealed Europe’s depraved undertaking to destroy its Jews - and warn those yet to be uprooted - Hungary’s Jews - of their inevitable destruction - if they got on trains bound for “new lives in the east” as they were told.Even if those in power had known about the mass extermination of the Jews for sometime, their vivid Auschwitz attracted mass media and exerted political pressure. And Rudi had something else which marked him out, being young and fit was one thing, but he also had an extraordinary capacity for memory: counting and record keeping in his head.It enabled him to write a comprehensive 32 page report with Fred to reveal the precise hell they’d come from. The media was alerted and it ended up in the hands of Churchill, Roosevelt and the Pope. This is the life story of Rudolf Vrba, The Escape Artist by Jonathan Freedland.This is a special interview as I've been friends with Jonny for 40 years and we talk about a few other parts of our friendship too. Jonny Gould's Jewish State podcast is supported by Dangoor Education.You can buy The Escape Artist right here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Escape-Artist-Broke-Auschwitz-World/dp/1529369045 Help support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State (including Gift Aid) at https://www.donorbox.org/jgpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest today is a Rabbi raised in Kharkiv, Ukraine from the age of 6 months, it’s pretty much all he’s known. Rabbi Mendel Moskovitz moved there as a baby with his parents, Moishe and Miriam as his family served as Chabad emissaries to rebuild Jewish life in Kharkiv, following the fall of Communism. Graduating as a rabbi in Sydney, Australia,Rabbi Moskovitz returned home with his wife, Chani. There he raised three children, and served as a Rabbi to Ukrainian youth for 7 years, until war changed everything.  Now he is ambassador to The Jewish Relief Network Ukraine.I’m making this appeal on behalf of the vital work of this charity completely voluntarily, without fee or personal gain.He highlights acute Jewish suffering to the world and raising funds for the incredible work being done by Chabad to provide vital humanitarian relief. JRNU is the umbrella organization for operations in Ukraine, providing food, medicine and medical care, housing and even security. Donate now at www.JRNU.org Through 48 regional coordinators and staff on the ground in 35 cities, JRNU is serving people too frail to flee, those who are otherwise unable to flee, and those who refuse to leave behind a husband, child, father or other loved one.Without a working economy, unemployment is at an astronomical rate and tens of thousands of people rely on JRNU each week for basic necessities. By donating at jrnu.org or by following the link in the podcast description, you can send desperately needed money to support ongoing work in Ukraine. If you run a community, please think about magnifying JRNU’s voice in the to reach more caring and concerned individuals who may support the work of Rabbi Moskovitz and the Chabad efforts in Ukraine, who could even come and talk in your community.Donate now www.JRNU.org Help support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State (including Gift Aid) at https://www.donorbox.org/jgpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest today is Douglas Murray, best-selling author of The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity and Islam and The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity - and now The War On The West, how to prevail in the age of unreason.All the narratives and assumptions which underpin our understanding of the western societies we grew up in are under attack - from within.Much of it is being fought through the prism of race. Douglas examines how Western civilisation and its achievements in culture, science medicine and free thought, not to mention how these were so hard fought for and won, are being challenged by universities, corporations, broadcasters and the church, in what looks like a wilful self-immolation.And these anti-Western attacks also go after Jews and Israel. But what’s the purpose of it? When will this debt be paid off by Western nations and their majority populations?What’s the end game - and what are the consequences? Is this how civilisations come to an end? And if some of these progressive arguments prevail, can we all continue to live together in tolerance? What do we do?Before you pack your bags, let Douglas present his arguments! Jonny Gould’s Jewish State is brought to you with UK Toremet, Promoting Philanthropy.Help support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State (including Gift Aid) at https://www.donorbox.org/jgpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ambassador Ron Dermer and Ed Husain addressed a live audience for StandWithUs UK, which I hosted in Central London.These two friends were instrumental in creating the pathway which led eventually to the Abraham Accords.This was no ordinary occasion and I won’t forget posing the questions, just as those in attendance will remember being there.We talk about Israel’s relationships with Russia, the Jews in Ukraine even Russian coordination in Syria over Israel’s security issues.Then there’s Iran and the JCPOA nuclear treaty, BDS and diaspora Jewry, Jeremy Corbyn and a growing theme of Jonny Gould‘s Jewish State: the relationship between Islam and Judaism and how it can bind people in a region where religion is so important.Sit back and enjoy a gripping conversation with two of the world’s most well-informed people on the biggest diplomatic breakthrough of our age.Help support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State (including Gift Aid) at https://www.donorbox.org/jgpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Len Khodorkovsky is an American story.The same one repeated throughout generations of Jewish history.And his comes from today’s Ukraine where in 1981, young Len and his refusenik parents and grandparents fled the Soviet Union for the USA. Because by 2017, Len took an oath of office in the US State Department.“That’s quite a trajectory”, he says with considerable understatement.The poignancy is there’s bound to be another Len, barely a teenager trying to escape Ukraine (and even Russia) as we listen - destination unknown - just heading west. Len served at the US State Department as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Global Public Affairs.He was also a Senior Advisor to the US Special Representative for Iran and the Chief Marketing Officer of America’s economic diplomacy.It was his two decades as an advertising executive which led to this extraordinary period. And it’s this creative approach which he says gave the Trump administration a greater dynamic to problem-solve than the more conservative, risk averse diplomatic column.Len holds up the Abraham Accords as a prime example of that dynamism.Our conversation is rich in life experience, anecdotes and takeaways.LISTEN to how he’s returning to media to produce a lasting legacy for the Accords with a new TV channel called Yalla.Help support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State (including Gift Aid) at https://www.donorbox.org/jgpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The National Jewish Assembly's held its inaugural reception for brand new members and interested parties at London's Jewish Museum in Camden Town.CEO James Marlow and Chairman and founder Gary Mond were joined by members of the new advisory board to outline their plans and directions.So why has this all come about?What’s wrong with Anglo-Jewish leadership which they think needs to be addressed? Is it just a column of disaffected right wingers as certain media have insinuated?I caught up with both James and Gary, who set the record straight, outline their hopes and ambitions for the group and explain the three foundational pillars on which it's based.Jonny Gould’s Jewish State is supported by UK Toremet. Jonny produces these podcasts for free. You can help support the show with Gift Aid at https://www.donorbox.org/jgpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest today is Israel Bonds executive director of sales and operations in Europe and Latin America, Arnon Perlman.It’s never been easier or more accessible to invest in the State of Israel. This episode explains how (and you can follow the link to do so). www.online.israelbondsintl.comArnon’s led a life of public service in Israel. Before joining Israel Bonds, he served as prime minister Ariel Sharon’s head of communications for four years, on duty and on call at every waking (and sleeping hour) and he pays a touching tribute of deep respect and love for his former boss. Arnon gives us his personal recollections of one of Israel’s most important figures in history.He was also consul general of Israel’s Consulate in Shanghai, China. Stay tuned for his experiences and takeaways from living in China, their place in the world and how they view themselves.Jonny Gould’s Jewish State is brought to you with Israel Bonds, Invest in Israel, Invest in Israel Bonds. Invest now: 💵 Buy online at www.online.israelbondsintl.comTerms and conditions apply. See the Israel Bonds website for details. Your capital is at risk. Development Company for Israel International Limited is Authorised and regulated by the financial conduct authority. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Malcolm Green, filmmaker, innovator and storyteller who targets new audiences with new medium. “Finding Abraham” is his movie on how the most important diplomatic breakthrough of our age is filtering down to ground level across the Middle East.It follows a trip through Israel with the “Leaders of Tomorrow, a group from Israel, Bahrain, the UAE, Egypt and Morocco recording their reaction to what they see - and to each other.Our conversation is twice as long as the movie because we delve deeper into its themes, discussing the characters, the region, Malcolm’s own background and how his views have changed while making his many films across the world. “Finding Abraham” has won a multitude of film awards across the world and is available to watch now on YouTube and Vimeo.Jonny Gould’s Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education.Help support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State (including Gift Aid) at https://www.donorbox.org/jgpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"If you erase the Jewish connection with the Holy Land, where does it leave us? Islam just floats in the air". Our guest today has an unequivocal message of peace between Muslims and Jews and his solution comes from faith and identity - from religion, not secularity.His name is Imam Mohammad Tawhidi, also known as the Imam of Peace. He has an extraordinary outreach in the world, with over 900,000 Twitter followers plugged into his worldview. In the secular west and its historical colonies with national borders, is it possible to unite them through faith? The Abraham Accords suggest this is a key to a lasting peace. But what about the Palestinians? Where do they fit in? Is it true the gulf Arabs don’t even regard them as Arabs, let alone a Muslim cause?And is antisemitism behind the world’s support for them? Get your head around this fascinating theological conversation with Imam Mohammad Tawhidi.Help support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State (including Gift Aid) at https://www.donorbox.org/jgpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to Israel, there’s no more powerful a journalistic voice across the Arab world than Edy Cohen.This is his one-man story.You likely won’t have heard of Edy, but note the name, because he tweets mostly in Arabic. Edy has half a million X followers, almost exclusively in the Middle East and North Africa.Educating, informing, entertaining, even mocking Arabs in the colloquial language of the street - his mother tongue.He was born in Beirut in Lebanon, as were his parents and grandparents. fluent in Arabic, French and fine in English as you’ll hear, his engaging style gets him loads of airtime across MENA.The Israeli Ministry of Exterior find his outreach powers annoying and exclude him from their work. Perhaps his less than diplomatic approach to reportage is the key reason. But the truth is he exists in this social media era and he cuts through into Arab eyes and ears.Listen now to this serious BUT unofficial Hasbara giant. Help support Jonny Gould’s Jewish State (including Gift Aid) at https://www.donorbox.org/jgpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices