The Fire These Times
The Fire These Times is a podcast by Lebanese writer and researcher Elia Ayoub and friends connecting academics, writers, artists and activists from around the world to “build the new in the shell of the old.”
It is a part of the From The Periphery Media Collective. To support: https://www.patreon.com/fromtheperiphery
Latest episodes
May 23, 2025 • 42min
194/ Holocaust Studies and the Gaza Genocide w/ Amos Goldberg
For episode 194, Elia Ayoub is joined by Amos Goldberg, Professor of Holocaust History at the Department of Jewish History and Contemporary Jewry at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Goldberg is among the most vocal Israeli historians of the Holocaust to have called Israel’s actions in Gaza genocide. In 2024, he wrote a paper for the Journal of Genocide Research on the question of intent, which we explored in part 1. In this episode, the second part of their conversation, they get into the crisis within Holocaust and Genocide Studies since the start of the Gaza genocide. In the last segment, they spoke about “The Holocaust and the Nakba: A New Grammar of Trauma and History”, which Goldberg co-edited, and argue for the necessity of new horizons in our imaginaries. The full, uninterrupted episode is available for free on Patreon. Articles by Goldberg: Le Monde: 'What is happening in Gaza is a genocide because Gaza does not exist anymore'Led By Donkeys: Yes it’s a genocideHaaretz: There's No Auschwitz in Gaza. But It's Still Genocide. Books by Goldberg:The Holocaust and the Nakba: A New Grammar of Trauma and History (with Bashir Bashir)Trauma in First Person: Diary Writing During the HolocaustMarking Evil: Holocaust Memory in the Global AgeOther Links:Elia’s newsletter Hauntologies includes articles on “the Ghosts of Israel’s Futures” Lee Mordechai: Witnessing the Gaza War The Fire These Times: The Holocaust, the Nakba and Reparative Memory with Daniel Voskoboynik The Fire These Times: Remembering the Nakba, Imagining the Future w/ Dana El Kurd Read Abubaker Abed’s “The Unbearable Pain of Leaving Gaza”Follow Bisan Owda on Instagram For more:Elia Ayoub is on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram and blogs at Hauntologies.net The Fire These Times is on Bluesky, Instagram and has a website From The Periphery is on Patreon, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, and has a websiteCredits:Elia Ayoub (host, producer, sound editor, episode design), Rap and Revenge (Music), Wenyi Geng (TFTT theme design), Hisham Rifai (FTP theme design) and Molly Crabapple (FTP team profile pics).
May 19, 2025 • 44min
193/ Intent and the Gaza Genocide w/ Amos Goldberg
For episode 193, Elia Ayoub is joined by Amos Goldberg, Professor of Holocaust History at the Department of Jewish History and Contemporary Jewry at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Goldberg is among the most vocal Israeli historians of the Holocaust to have called Israel’s actions in Gaza genocide. In 2024, he wrote a paper for the Journal of Genocide Research exploring how the question of ‘intent’ is used in discussions around genocides, including the Gaza one. They also get into how genocide is often preceded by claims of self-defense. The combined two-parter episode is already available on our Patreon for free. Articles by Goldberg: Amos Goldberg: 'What is happening in Gaza is a genocide because Gaza does not exist anymore'Led By Donkeys: Yes it’s a genocideHaaretz: There's No Auschwitz in Gaza. But It's Still Genocide. Books by Goldberg:The Holocaust and the Nakba: A New Grammar of Trauma and History (with Bashir Bashir)Trauma in First Person: Diary Writing During the HolocaustMarking Evil: Holocaust Memory in the Global AgeOther Links:Elia’s newsletter Hauntologies includes articles on “the Ghosts of Israel’s Futures” Lee Mordechai: Witnessing the Gaza War The Fire These Times: The Holocaust, the Nakba and Reparative Memory with Daniel Voskoboynik The Fire These Times: Remembering the Nakba, Imagining the Future w/ Dana El Kurd Read Abubaker Abed’s “The Unbearable Pain of Leaving Gaza”Follow Bisan Owda on Instagram The Fire These Times is a proud member of From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution, From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast, Politically Depressed, Obscuristan, and Antidote Zine.To support our work and get access to all kinds of perks, please join our Patreon on Patreon.com/fromtheperipheryFor more:Elia Ayoub is on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram and blogs at Hauntologies.net The Fire These Times is on Bluesky, Instagram and has a website From The Periphery is on Patreon, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, and has a websiteCredits:Elia Ayoub (host, producer, sound editor, episode design), Rap and Revenge (Music), Wenyi Geng (TFTT theme design), Hisham Rifai (FTP theme design) and Molly Crabapple (FTP team profile pics).
May 16, 2025 • 1h 23min
192/ Cracks in the Walls: Global Perspectives on Migration (Part 2)
This is part 2 of the episode. Part 1 was released a few days ago, and you can also listen to the full version for free on our Patreon.Presented by guest hosts Michelle and Daniel, Cracks in the Walls: Global Perspectives on Migration brings together eight individuals active in migration struggles around the world (Mexico, Haiti, U.S., and Europe) for a discussion on root causes of migration, current and past repression, and, most importantly, impactful approaches to solidarity and resistance. Participants are:Michelle (she/her) - Filmmaker/writer, free clinic herbalist/nutritionist, teacher, and activist based in California. www.underexposedfilms.comDaniel (any pronouns) - A member of the solidarity movement at the Polish-Belarussian border.https://nobordersteam.noblogs.org/ Fundraising: https://zrzutka.pl/rab8e2Vivianne (she/her) - Activist and Social Work student. Community worker within the Haitian community in México. Haitian Bridge Alliance: https://haitianbridgealliance.orgDiana (she/her) - Mexican Psychologist and activist. Working at Refugee Health Alliance: https://www.instagram.com/alianza_para_la_saludEdin/Andrea (they/them): Independent artist and rebel. Collaborator with Enclave Rabia Caracol and its various projects. Enclave Caracol: https://www.instagram.com/enclavecaracolAlso: https://www.instagram.com/tijuanacomidanobombasMarie (she/her) - Activist from Germany within the noborder-movement and civil SAR (Search and Rescue). Links: https://resqship.org/ + https://alarmphone.org/ + https://captainsupport.netAnne (she/her) - Activist of the Seebrücke and the #FreeHomayoun campaign, based in Switzerland. https://www.freehomayoun.orgJuan Carlos (he/him) - (Translating for Vivianne.) Director of "Tijuana: Ciudad de Migrantes". https://youtu.be/kGjR8_ZVfnA?si=Uk3Aocc56FgJSmxQSome ways to act in solidarity with migrants in the U.S.(from an outside source): https://crimethinc.com/2025/02/11/eight-things-you-can-do-to-stop-iceThe Fire These Times is a proud member of From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast, Politically Depressed, Obscuristan, and Antidote Zine.To support our work and get access to all kinds of perks, please join our Patreon on Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery For more:Michelle is on InstagramThe Fire These Times is on Bluesky, Instagram and has a website From The Periphery is on Patreon, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, and has a websiteCredits:Michelle (host, producer, sound editor), Daniel (host, co-producer, co-editor), Elia Ayoub (episode design), Rap and Revenge (Music), Wenyi Geng (TFTT theme design), Hisham Rifai (FTP theme design) and Molly Crabapple (FTP team profile pics). Episode photo taken by Michelle.
May 14, 2025 • 57min
192/ Cracks in the Walls: Global Perspectives on Migration (Part 1)
This is part 1 of the episode. Part 2 will be released in a few days, but you can listen to the full version for free on our Patreon.Presented by guest hosts Michelle and Daniel, Cracks in the Walls: Global Perspectives on Migration brings together eight individuals active in migration struggles around the world (Mexico, Haiti, U.S., and Europe) for a discussion on root causes of migration, current and past repression, and, most importantly, impactful approaches to solidarity and resistance. Participants are:Michelle (she/her) - Filmmaker/writer, free clinic herbalist/nutritionist, teacher, and activist based in California. www.underexposedfilms.comDaniel (any pronouns) - A member of the solidarity movement at the Polish-Belarussian border.https://nobordersteam.noblogs.org/ Fundraising: https://zrzutka.pl/rab8e2Vivianne (she/her) - Activist and Social Work student. Community worker within the Haitian community in México. Haitian Bridge Alliance: https://haitianbridgealliance.orgDiana (she/her) - Mexican Psychologist and activist. Working at Refugee Health Alliance: https://www.instagram.com/alianza_para_la_saludEdin/Andrea (they/them): Independent artist and rebel. Collaborator with Enclave Rabia Caracol and its various projects. Enclave Caracol: https://www.instagram.com/enclavecaracolAlso: https://www.instagram.com/tijuanacomidanobombasMarie (she/her) - Activist from Germany within the noborder-movement and civil SAR (Search and Rescue). Links: https://resqship.org/ + https://alarmphone.org/ + https://captainsupport.netAnne (she/her) - Activist of the Seebrücke and the #FreeHomayoun campaign, based in Switzerland. https://www.freehomayoun.orgJuan Carlos (he/him) - (Translating for Vivianne.) Director of "Tijuana: Ciudad de Migrantes". https://youtu.be/kGjR8_ZVfnA?si=Uk3Aocc56FgJSmxQSome ways to act in solidarity with migrants in the U.S.(from an outside source): https://crimethinc.com/2025/02/11/eight-things-you-can-do-to-stop-iceThe Fire These Times is a proud member of From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast, Politically Depressed, Obscuristan, and Antidote Zine.To support our work and get access to all kinds of perks, please join our Patreon on Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery For more:Michelle is on InstagramThe Fire These Times is on Bluesky, Instagram and has a website From The Periphery is on Patreon, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, and has a websiteCredits:Michelle (host, producer, sound editor), Daniel (host, co-producer, co-editor), Elia Ayoub (episode design), Rap and Revenge (Music), Wenyi Geng (TFTT theme design), Hisham Rifai (FTP theme design) and Molly Crabapple (FTP team profile pics). Episode photo taken by Michelle.
May 12, 2025 • 12min
Introducing "Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution"
We got a new podcast! We're happy to announce that Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution (STIR) is now out on Patreon and wherever you listen to podcasts. In this episode, Leila Al-Shami (Burning Country) and Elia Ayoub (The Fire These Times, Hauntologies) introduce themselves and the podcast.What is STIR about? From the Assad regime to the Arab Spring and beyond, we will dive into questions of reconstruction, prisoners, the forcibly disappeared, transitional justice, minority rights, women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights, environmental politics, culture and more.STIR is part of the From The Periphery Media Collective. To support all of our projects please head out to Patreon.com/fromtheperipherySTIR is also on Bluesky!Credits and More:Leila Al Shami (Host, Lead Researcher). More: Bluesky, Mastodon and her BlogElia Ayoub (Host, Producer). More: Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram and his NewsletterHisham Rifai (Illustration)Omar Offendum and Sami Matar (Music)
May 5, 2025 • 38min
191/ We Are the Children of the Children of War
Elia Ayoub and Lebanese journalist Justin Salhani have one thing in common: their parents lived through the Lebanon wars (1975-1990). Claude Salhani was a well-known photojournalist United Press International and Reuters. The photo featured in this episode shows him in the middle, injured after an Israeli strike on Beirut in 1982. We also talked about a recent gallery of Claude’s photographs published by Al Jazeera.For this episode of The Fire These Times, and to close off our discussions on the Lebanon wars - check our the recent episode Elia did with Ayman Makarem on our sister podcast ‘From The Periphery Podcast’ - we thought it meaningful to add one more layer: if the wars aren’t really over, where does that leave us, the ‘children of the children of war’? The Fire These Times is a proud member of From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast, Politically Depressed, Obscuristan, and Antidote Zine.To support our work and get access to all kinds of perks, please join our Patreon on Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery Announcement: Justin Salhani is joining the FTP fam! He will be mostly contributing to the From The Periphery Podcast as our Beirut-based correspondent focusing on regional affairs. For more:Elia Ayoub is on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram and blogs at Hauntologies.net Justin Salhani is on Bluesky and InstagramThe Fire These Times is on Bluesky, Instagram and has a website From The Periphery is on Patreon, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, and has a websiteTranscriptions: Transcriptions are done by Antidote Zine and will be published on The Fire These Times' transcript archive.Credits:Elia Ayoub (host, producer, sound editor, episode design), Rap and Revenge (Music), Wenyi Geng (TFTT theme design), Hisham Rifai (FTP theme design) and Molly Crabapple (FTP team profile pics).
Apr 25, 2025 • 43min
190/ What Trump Sees in Bukele w/ Michael Paarlberg
For episode 190 of The Fire These Times, Dr. Michael Paarlberg talks to Dana El Kurd about El Salvador’s ‘state of exception’ under Nayib Bukele, how Trump sees that as a model, the conditions of Salvadorian prisons and what happens to the Venezuelan and other refugees and migrants deported from the USA by Trump and the unaccountable state actors doing his bidding.Paarlberg is associate professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and non-resident fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. He was previously on TFTT in August of 2024 (episode 164) to talk about how Bukele created a ‘Gang State’ in El Salvador. As that was before Trump’s election, it is a good primer into what is it about El Salvador today that makes it so appealing to the maga movement.The Fire These Times is a proud member of From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast, Politically Depressed, Obscuristan, and Antidote Zine.To get early access to our episodes as well as other perks (monthly hangout, movie club, exclusive content and so on) you can join our patreon at Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery For more:Dana El Kurd is on BlueskyMichael Paarlberg is on BlueskyThe Fire These Times is on Bluesky, IG and YouTube and has a website From The Periphery is on Patreon, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, and has a websiteTranscriptions: Transcriptions are done by Antidote Zine and will be published on The Fire These Times' transcript archive.Credits: Dana El Kurd (host), Elia Ayoub (producer, episode designer), Rap and Revenge (Music), Wenyi Geng (TFTT theme design), Hisham Rifai (FTP theme design) and Molly Crabapple (FTP team profile pics).
Apr 23, 2025 • 58min
189/ Doikayt ('Hereness') Now! w/ Molly Crabapple
For episode 189 of The Fire These Times, Elia Ayoub is joined by friend of the pod Molly Crabapple to talk about the Jewish Labor Bund and how their concept of Doikayt (‘Hereness’) can help us build a better world than the hellscape being proposed by techno-dystopianism and end-time fascism. Molly’s upcoming book is called “here where we live is our country: the story of the jewish labor bund.” Speaking of end-time fascism, Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor will be joining Elia and Dana El Kurd on TFTT to talk about their essay “The rise of end times fascism.” To get early access to that episode as well as other perks (monthly hangout, movie club, exclusive content and so on) you can join our patreon on Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery The Fire These Times is a proud member of From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast, Politically Depressed, Obscuristan, and Antidote Zine.For more:Elia Ayoub is on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram and blogs at Hauntologies.net Molly has a website and newsletterThe Fire These Times is on Bluesky, IG and YouTube and has a website From The Periphery is on Patreon, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, and has a websiteTranscriptions: Transcriptions are done by Antidote Zine and will be published on The Fire These Times' transcript archive.Credits:Elia Ayoub (host, producer, sound editor, episode design), Rap and Revenge (Music), Wenyi Geng (TFTT theme design), Hisham Rifai (FTP theme design) and Molly Crabapple (FTP team profile pics). Molly’s portrait on the cover photo is also done by her.
Apr 21, 2025 • 50min
188/ Revolutionary Aid in Sudan w/ Eiad Husham
How did Sudanese revolutionaries organize neighborhood and resistance committees to resist state and non-state violence? What are some of the principles underpinning their worldview? What can we learn from them?For episode 188 of The Fire These Times, Elia Ayoub is joined by Sudanese journalist Eiad Husham to talk about his piece "revolutionary aid in Sudan" for The New Internationalist and try and answer those questions.The Fire These Times is a proud member of From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective. This episode was first released on the FTP Patreon page. Please consider supporting us directly there and you'll get early access to all of the FTP podcasts, exclusive content, an invitation to join our monthly hangout as well as our ongoing movie club on Lebanese cinema - and more! You can also help by leaving us a review wherever you listen to podcasts and telling your friends and enemies about us.Other FTP projects: From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast, Politically Depressed, Obscuristan, and Antidote Zine.For more:Elia Ayoub is on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram and blogs at Hauntologies.net Eiad is on X and writes for The Internationalist, The New Humanitarian, Geeska and 3ayin among others.The Fire These Times is on Bluesky, IG and YouTube and has a website From The Periphery is on Patreon, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, and has a websiteTranscriptions: Transcriptions are done by Antidote Zine and will be published on The Fire These Times' transcript archive.Credits:Elia Ayoub (host, producer, sound editor, episode design), Rap and Revenge (Music), Wenyi Geng (TFTT theme design), Hisham Rifai (FTP theme design) and Molly Crabapple (FTP team profile pics). Original photo by Ela Yokes for The New Internationalist.
Apr 18, 2025 • 25min
Announcement - Lebanese Films Screenings
This is a special announcement episode broadcast on all FTP channels. We at FTP are hosting a series of weekly film screenings and discussions on the Lebanese wars starting this Sunday April 20. In this short episode, Elia and Ayman go through the list of films they selected, what you can expect from the screenings, and how you can participate. To sign up and join the watch parties head over to our Patreon where you'll find this post with the invitation link.Invites are immediately available to all Patreon members. If you don't want to become a member, you can buy the link with a one-time purchase.--All the films (except the last) are already publicly available on this playlist on our Youtube Channel.The films we'll watch are: A Feeling Greater than Love (2017) dir. Mary Jirmanus Saba - A feature-length documentary about the class struggle and labour movements in the lead up to the outbreak of the war in 1975.Lebanon's War - Part 3: Explosion (2001) - A 42 minute episode of a documentary series by Al-Jazeera on the Lebanon Wars that covers in great depth the 1975 outbreak of the civil war with incredible, rare interviews.Beirut, My City (1983) dir. Jocelyne Saab - A 38 minute film by a legendary Lebanese filmmaker filmed in Beirut amidst the Israeli siege that serves as a timeless intimate meditation on a city tortured by war and occupation.Souha, Surviving Hell (2001) dir. Randa Chahal Sabagh - A 57 minute documentary following communist resistance fighter South Bechara as she returns to the south of Lebanon after its liberation from Israeli occupation in 2000.Last Days of the Man of Tomorrow (2017) dir. Fadz - A short film that serves as a brilliant, illuminating, and humorous retrospective on the war by the post-war generation.-- -- Hope to see you at the film screenings! Here again is the link to sign up.
