Unholy: Two Jews on the News

A tempestuous week in Israel, as the fallout from Monday’s first move in what critics call the “judicial coup” continues. What will Benjamin Netanyahu and his ministers do, now that the Supreme Court has less power to restrain them? The first signs suggest the prime minister and his coalition allies have big ambitions - and plan to move fast. Yonit and Jonathan dive into it all, joined by Channel 12 diplomatic and political analyst Dana Weiss. Plus there’s chutzpah on display at Fox News (not a first) and a mensch to be found in the world’s oldest rock group. -- Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unholypodcast/and X: https://x.com/2jewsonthenewsJoin our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1150578065793142See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Israel's judicial overhaul has cleared its first parliamentary hurdle: one key measure is now the law of the land. Where does that leave the protesters who have filled the streets, the government of Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's relationship with a watching world? Yonit and Jonathan unpack an incendiary 24 hours. Follow on Instagram and Facebook: Unholy Podcast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The moment of truth has come: protesters on the streets and in the upper reaches of the Israeli military press their case against what they call Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial coup, days before a key legislation is set. Meanwhile, Joe Biden uses an interview with award-winning New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman to send a message to Netanyahu: stop. In a candid, sometimes emotional conversation, Tom tells Yonit and Jonathan why he believes the stakes could not be higher. Plus: a chutzpah award to the scion of America's most famous political dynasty, and a mensch to that of a journalism dynasty. -- Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unholypodcast/and X: https://x.com/2jewsonthenewsJoin our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1150578065793142See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Protests on the streets, disruption at the airport: it’s crunch time in the showdown between Benjamin Netanyahu and opponents of what they call his “judicial coup.” Yonit and Jonathan ask if Israel’s PM is so determined to strip the court of one of its key powers before a July 31 deadline, he’s ready to risk a revolt among the Israeli military elite.  Meanwhile the rift between Israel and its most powerful ally is widening — as Washington signals its alarm at the right wing thrust of the Netanyahu government. How serious is the latest wave of US-Israeli tension? Plus: an in-depth conversation with a true star of stage and screen. Dame Helen Mirren tells Jonathan and Yonit about the secret trials of Golda Meir, the challenge of playing an Israeli icon, why she stands with Israel - and with those protesting in the streets of Tel Aviv.  *The interview was conducted before the start of the strike by the Screen Actors Guild.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Two decades after the Battle of Jenin, this week saw a fresh – and very different – military offensive in the city, one that lasted just 48 hours and won much praise in Israel but a mixed response from the watching world. Yonit and Jonathan discuss all that, plus a kidnapping in Iraq and another eruption of spontaneous street protests – sparked by the sacking of a police chief – as the government of Benjamin Netanyahu presses ahead with its overhaul of the judicial system, denounced by its critics as a coup. And - we're joined by one of America’s most admired journalists, Face The Nation anchor and CBS News’ chief foreign affairs correspondent, Margaret Brennan, to talk Biden and Netanyahu, the US and China, Israel and Saudi Arabia – and the one interview that left Netanyahu speechless.  Plus: a Haredi win for mensch, and a chutzpah worth millions. -- Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unholypodcast/and X: https://x.com/2jewsonthenewsJoin our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1150578065793142See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What happens in Israel rarely stays in Israel. Settler violence in the West Bank spreads, bringing a dramatic condemnation from Israel's top military brass - and from a leading barometer of international opinion. Meanwhile, the courtroom drama of Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial comes to a new stage in Brighton, England - whilst the PM vows to continue his plan for an overhaul of the Israeli judiciary, even as he sends mixed signals via a US newspaper. Yonit and Jonathan unpack the week’s political drama -- and discuss a disturbing regional election result from eastern Germany, where the far-right AFD party won big, sending shivers old and new down the collective spine of Jews the world over. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook: Unholy Podcast.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A daytime gunfight in Jenin, a deadly terror attack that left four dead and an outbreak of settler violence - this week has put the spotlight back on the West Bank. As Israel considers further action to bring calm, domestic politics are never far away - including the government’s plan to transform the judiciary. Yonit and Jonathan discuss the security situation and Benjamin Netanyahu’s renewed pledge to move ahead with the reform. Plus: a special conversation with theater legend Sir Nicholas Hytner, the award-winning director behind some of the most successful shows in stage history. The Tony Award winner shares insights from a decades-long career - and explains why the Broadway musical is an intensely Jewish art form.  And we have a chutzpah award to make the jaw drop - along with a mensch award to a university that took its time.  -- Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unholypodcast/and X: https://x.com/2jewsonthenewsJoin our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1150578065793142See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A conversation with a seasoned watcher of Netanyahu - not of the prime minister of Israel, but of his son Yair: Yonit and Jonathan talk to Chaim Levinson of Haaretz, about the young prince with the ear of the king. Plus the latest on the judicial overhaul causing drama in Knesset, notes on the populist trio of Trump, Johnson and Berlusconi, and our traditional mensch and chutzpah awards - being shipped this week to both London and Christian County, Missouri. -- Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unholypodcast/and X: https://x.com/2jewsonthenewsJoin our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1150578065793142See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A conversation with Anne Applebaum, Pulitzer prize winning journalist and one of the world's sagest voices on Ukraine, Eastern Europe and the twilight of democracy: are there lessons for Israel from Poland and Hungary? Plus: how the Israeli military sits at the centre of the country's culture wars, after Israeli far right commentators suggested the deaths of three IDF soldiers are to be blamed on mixed-sex combat units. And there's chutzpah in cable news and a mensch (or 11) on the football pitch. -- Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unholypodcast/and X: https://x.com/2jewsonthenewsJoin our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1150578065793142See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Unfavorable polls, Biden administration woes and continued public protest are only a hint of the issues piled on the desk of the coalition. But with the deadline for forming the Judicial Selection Committee approaching, Netanyahu and his partners will really be put to the test on their intentions for Levin’s overhaul. Suleiman Maswadeh, diplomatic and political correspondent for the Israeli Public Broadcaster Kan News, weighs in with his thoughts on the government’s status, and the ongoing negotiations with the Saudis. Plus, Maswadeh shares his experiences as Palestinian journalist covering his childhood home of Eastern Jerusalem and discusses being targeted by both right-wing Jews and fellow Arabs.  And - impressions from a very special Shabbat dinner, the Israeli-Italian spy ordeal that’s been making headlines and a farewell from a beloved Jewish show.  -- Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unholypodcast/and X: https://x.com/2jewsonthenewsJoin our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1150578065793142See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.