People of the Pod

This week on "The View," co-host Whoopi Goldberg wrongly claimed that the Holocaust "isn't about race." Though she apologized, ABC suspended her for two weeks. Writer Daniella Greenbaum, an Emmy award-winning former producer for "The View," joins us to discuss how Goldberg's comments demonstrate a widespread failure to understand Judaism but also present an opportunity to discuss the diversity of Judaism and comprehend antisemitism in its many forms. Then, on Daniel Pearl's 20th yahrzeit (anniversary of his death), Manya Brachear Pashman pays moving tribute to the slain reporter. ____ Episode Lineup: (0:40) Daniella Greenbaum (21:43) Manya Brachear Pashman ____ Show notes: Whoopi Goldberg isn't the only one who doesn't understand antisemitism | Daniella Greenbaum | The Washington Post Are Jews a Race? | Yair Rosenberg | The Atlantic How Whoopi Became Today's Hot Topic On "The View" | The Late Show with Stephen Colbert | CBS/YouTube What America Taught the Nazis | Ira Katznelson | The Atlantic Violin Instrumental | Royalty Free Music | Lion Free Music | YouTube Listen to our most recent episode: Recovering a Town's Lost Sephardic Jewish Culture 77 Years After the Holocaust Don't forget to subscribe to People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org. If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, tag us on social media with #PeopleofthePod, and hop onto Apple Podcasts to rate us and write a review, to help more listeners find us.

What would it be like to return to the village your ancestors called home, to walk in their footsteps, and try to recover their stories and culture? Ladino singer and songwriter Sarah Aroeste did just that for her seventh album, which honors what was once the largest Jewish community in the country now known as North Macedonia. In the mountainous city of Bitola, formerly known as Monastir, 98% of the Jewish population that remained after the Balkan Wars was deported in 1943, and murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators. To mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Aroeste talks about her experiences in Monastir, explains why Sephardic culture is Jewish culture, and performs her song "Mi Monastir." Then, Manya Brachear Pashman talks about the challenge of confronting and processing the antisemitic attack on a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. ____ Episode Lineup: (0:40) Sarah Aroeste (27:53) Manya Brachear Pashman ____ Show notes: Episode photos, courtesy of Sarah Aroeste: Sarah Aroeste's cousin Rachel Nachmias (bottom left) and family, c. 1922. Nahmias family, c. 1922. Songs in this episode are from: Monastir. Listed in order of appearance: Espinelo Jovano, Jovanke (feat. Odelia Dahan Kehila and Gilan Shahaf) Mi Monastir Liner notes for Monastir, with lyrics and translations Listen to our most recent episodes: AJC CEO David Harris on the Deborah Lipstadt Holocaust Denial Trial and AJC's Critical Role in the Fight Inside the Colleyville, Texas Synagogue Hostage Crisis: Hear from 3 Local Jewish and Muslim Leaders on What It Was Like on the Ground Don't forget to subscribe to People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod Tune in next week for a tribute to slain Jewish reporter Daniel Pearl, 20 years after his death. You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, tag us on social media with #PeopleofthePod, and hop onto Apple Podcasts to rate us and write a review, to help more listeners find us.

In 2000, renowned Holocaust scholar Dr. Deborah Lipstadt was sued by David Irving for defamation, because she called Irving a Holocaust denier and falsifier of history in her 1994 book Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory. Expert witnesses combed through Irving's research since the 1980s and found that Lipstadt was correct - Irving had deliberately manipulated the historical record, to support his ludicrous claims that most of the evidence of the Holocaust had been invented after the war. Listen to AJC CEO David Harris discuss the impact of the trial, and the quiet, global, multi-year effort he led to generate support for Lipstadt's trial defense, making sure the world never forgets the murder of six million Jews – a historical fact. ___ Episode Lineup: (0:40) David Harris ___ Show Notes: Take action. Join AJC in calling for the White House to convene a taskforce that will develop a national action plan to fight anti-Jewish hate. Urge the Senate to confirm Deborah Lipstadt as the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. Listen to our most recent episode: Inside the Colleyville, Texas Synagogue Hostage Crisis: Hear from 3 Local Jewish and Muslim Leaders on What It Was Like on the Ground Don't forget to subscribe to People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod Keep an eye out for our next episode marking International Holocaust Remembrance, in which we learn about the lost Jewish community of Monastir from Ladino singer and songwriter Sarah Aroeste. You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, tag us on social media with #PeopleofthePod, and hop onto Apple Podcasts to rate us and write a review, to help more listeners find us.

On January 15th, the world watched in horror as an armed attacker, spewing antisemitic hatred and seeking the release of a convicted terrorist from prison, took a rabbi and three worshippers hostage at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas. As the situation unfolded, local Muslim, Jewish, and Christian clergy gathered with the families of the hostages inside a nearby church to pray for a safe resolution to the stand-off. Joining us today are Joel Schwitzer, Director of AJC Dallas, Mohamed Elibiary, former Adviser to the Department of Homeland Security and Co-Chair of the Dallas Fort Worth Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, and Rabbi Andrew Paley, a Dallas police chaplain, Senior Rabbi at Temple Shalom in Dallas. Hear from these three local leaders as they reflect on that day's events, the interfaith work they do in their communities, and the hope they have for moving forward. ___ Episode Lineup: (0:40) Joel Schwitzer, Mohamed Elibiary, and Rabbi Andrew Paley ___ Show Notes: Listen to our most recent episode: The Fight for Religious Equality at the Western Wall Just Got Tougher Don't forget to subscribe to People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, tag us on social media with #PeopleofthePod, and hop onto Apple Podcasts to rate us and write a review, to help more listeners find us.

When Israel's coalition government took shape last summer, all signs pointed to progress on an expanded egalitarian prayer site at Jerusalem's Western Wall. But now that plan appears to be stalled, due to tensions within that coalition. We are joined by Dr. Laura Shaw Frank, AJC's Director of William Petschek Contemporary Jewish Life, who shares the special connection she has to the Western Wall (Kotel), why its egalitarian prayer site has become a flashpoint within the Israeli government, and the deep meaning it has to diaspora Jews. Then, tune into our closing segment to hear Manya and Laura on how the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing border closures have impacted American Jewish-Israeli relations, particularly for young and unaffiliated Jews, whose ties to Israel may not be as strong as previous generations. ____ Episode Lineup: (0:40) Laura Shaw Frank (22:03) Manya Brachear Pashman and Laura Shaw Frank ____ Show Notes: Listen to our most recent episode: How Antisemitism Undermines Democracy Don't forget to subscribe to People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, tag us on social media with #PeopleofthePod, and hop onto Apple Podcasts to rate us and write a review, to help more listeners find us.

On January 6, 2021, a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, disrupting the joint session of Congress assembled to count electoral votes that would formalize President-elect Joe Biden's victory. Among the rioters were members of white supremacist groups, and symbols and signs of anti-Jewish hate. In a discussion guest hosted by Melanie Maron Pell, AJC's Chief Field Operations Officer, we are joined by Holly Huffnagle, AJC's U.S. Director for Combating Antisemitism, and Rebecca Klein, AJC's Director of National Outreach, to unpack how the forces that fuel antisemitism also endanger American democracy. ___ Episode Lineup: (0:40) Holly Huffnagle and Rebecca Klein (27:12) Manya Brachear Pashman and Melanie Maron Pell ___ Show Notes: Listen to our most recent episode: That Time Jewish Comedian Alex Edelman Went to a White Nationalist Gathering Don't forget to subscribe to People of the Pod and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, tag us on social media with #PeopleofthePod, and hop onto Apple Podcasts to rate us and write a review to help more listeners find us.

Hear from comedian and writer Alex Edelman about his new off-Broadway hit, "Just for Us," which explores his Jewish identity through the lens of a white nationalist meeting he attended in New York City. Edelman discusses the antisemitism he's faced as a performer and throughout his life, how to use humor to broach difficult topics, and the paradox of the present Jewish experience in America: embracing the joy but also reckoning with the world and outsiders that view Judaism as something very different. It's that time of year again when Jewish families make their traditional plans to indulge in Chinese food on Christmas. But if you think that's the most significant intersection of Asian and Jewish cultures, think again. For our closing segment, Shabbat Table Talk, we're joined by Hana Rudolph, Assistant Director of AJC's Asia Pacific Institute, to discuss how, throughout history, members of the Jewish diaspora have called parts of Asia their home and members of the Asian community have made Judaism their spiritual home. ____ Episode Lineup: (1:38) Alex Edelman (26:06) Manya Brachear Pashman and Hana Rudolph ____ Show Notes: Image credit: Monique Carboni Join us as we fight anti-Jewish hate and take on those who threaten Israel. Your gift to AJC before December 31 will be matched, dollar-for-dollar. To support our work, visit AJC.org/donate. Or, text AJC DONATE to 52886. "Just For Us" will take an unexpected hiatus due to the rising cases of COVID-19. Rather than ending its run on January 8th, the show will be dark beginning immediately and resume performances on January 24 for an extended run through February 19, 2022. For tickets, visit www.JustForUsShow.com Going Beyond Chinese Food on Christmas: Five New Books Celebrating Jewish-Asian Relations: https://www.ajc.org/news/going-beyond-chinese-food-on-christmas-five-new-books-celebrating-jewish-asian-relations

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett made history this past week when he became the first Israeli premier to be officially welcomed to the United Arab Emirates. Retired U.S. Ambassador Marc Sievers, inaugural Director of AJC Abu Dhabi: The Sidney Lerner Center for Arab-Jewish Understanding, joins us to discuss the importance of this visit and what it holds for the future of the region. Then, AJC Chief Field Operations Officer Melanie Maron Pell joins us from her home state of Kentucky to share what's happening on the ground in the aftermath of deadly tornadoes that slammed six states, what Israel has done to bring aid, and how listeners can help those impacted. ___ Episode Lineup: (1:30) Ambassador Marc Sievers (19:42) Manya Brachear Pashman and Melanie Maron Pell ___ Show Notes: Join us as we fight anti-Jewish hate and take on those who threaten Israel. Your gift to AJC before December 31 will be matched, dollar-for-dollar. To support our work, visit AJC.org/donate. Or, text AJC DONATE to 52886. Kentucky Tornado Relief Funds: 1.Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund: https://secure.kentucky.gov/formservices/Finance/WKYRelief 2. Jewish Federation of Louisville Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund: https://jewishlouisville.abilafundraisingonline.com/ky-tornado-relief Stay tuned for next week's episode featuring Alex Edelman, on his new off-Broadway comedy show, "Just For Us". To purchase tickets, visit https://www.justforusshow.com/ and use the discount code ALEX. Photo credit: Israeli Government Press Office (GPO)

Dani Dayan, the newly appointed chairman of Yad Vashem – Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust – and former Consul General of Israel in New York, joins this week's People of the Pod with critical and timely messages for the world, including why remembering the Holocaust is more important than ever and the concerning trend of weaponizing the Holocaust for political purposes. Then, AJC Director of William Petschek Contemporary Jewish Life Laura Shaw Frank shares her inspiring experience at the Freedom Sunday for Soviet Jews rally 34 years ago and what a unifying moment it was to be in a crowd of over 250,000 people on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. _____ Episode Lineup: (0:40) Dani Dayan (16:50) Manya Brachear Pashman and Laura Shaw Frank

What can modern day advocates learn from the Hanukkah story to fight antisemitism and anti-Zionism? What can be done to make combating antisemitism a priority for elected officials? As part of an unprecedented Jewish community Hanukkah initiative called Shine a Light, hear from Holly Huffnagle, AJC U.S. Director for Combating Antisemitism, Melanie Maron Pell, AJC Chief Field Operations Officer, and Julie Fishman Rayman, AJC Senior Director, Policy and Political Affairs, on answers to these questions and more. We also speak with Nissim Black, Israeli-American musician and recording artist to discuss his spiritual journey and how the themes of Hanukkah, highlighted in his song "Eight Flames," inspire him year-round. ____ Episode Lineup: (0:40) Holly Huffnagle, Melanie Maron Pell, and Julie Fishman Rayman (32:49) Nissim Black ____ Show Notes: Full AJC Advocacy Anywhere program: Action Not Apathy: Shine a Light on Antisemitism Urge the Senate to Replenish Israel's Life-Saving Iron Dome System at https://www.ajc.org/FundIronDome 87 Ways to Fight Antisemitism: Inside the EU's New Plan to Combat Jew Hatred - with Katharina von Schnurbein Historic UN Report on Antisemitism, Behind the Excavation of the Pilgrims' Path - with Ahmed Shaheed Nissim Black's Hanukkah Song - Eight Flames THE DEAL podcast with Nissim Black