Ask Haviv Anything Episode 53: Telling the Jewish story to the Arab world, with Elhanan Miller
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Oct 21, 2025 Rabbi Elhanan Miller, an Arabic-speaking educator and founder of the People of the Book project, engages in a compelling dialogue about bridging Jewish and Arab narratives. He shares his journey from journalism to rabbinic studies and the launch of his project, aimed at teaching Judaism in Arabic. Miller discusses the impact of social media on Jewish-Arab relations, his media presence during the Gaza war, and critiques Israeli policies to build credibility. He also explores political Islam, the need for new Palestinian strategies, and whether Hamas can be defeated.
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From Teen Arabic Student To 8200 Linguist
- Elhanan learned Arabic from age 13, served as an Arabic linguist in Unit 8200, and became deeply immersed in the language during military service.
- He later transitioned to journalism and then rabbinic training, which led him to start People of the Book teaching Judaism in Arabic.
Filling A Huge Informational Void
- People of the Book began as basic Judaism 101 for Palestinians and scaled because Arabs lacked Arabic-language exposure to Judaism online.
- The project's interviews and religious videos create cognitive dissonance and reach mainstream Sunni countries often closed to Israel.
Narrative Breakthrough Through Lived Stories
- Arab audiences often hold a single narrative that Israel is a Western colonial project and that Jews in the Middle East were always outsiders.
- Hearing Middle Eastern Jews' lived stories disrupts that narrative and fosters nostalgia mixed with cognitive dissonance.