People of the Pod

Ahead of the UN's upcoming 20th anniversary event commemorating the antisemitic and anti-Israel 2001 UN Durban Conference, we hear from Joelle Fiss, who, as a Jewish student 20 years ago, attended the Conference. While the 2001 UN Durban Conference was meant to offer the chance for the international community to address racism, it quickly devolved into a platform for antisemitic hate. Fighting racism is a noble cause, one American Jewish Committee (AJC) joins actively. But there can be no room for antisemitism in the fight against other forms of bigotry. So far, 18 nations have announced plans to skip the September 22 event. In this poignant conversation, Fiss shares her horrific experience from the event and details how it contributed to today's rapid spread of antisemitism. Episode Lineup: (0:40) Joelle Fiss ___ Show Notes: Learn more about AJC's efforts urging nations to skip the UN's 20th anniversary Durban event at AJC.org/Durban. The Durban Diaries: What really happened at the UN Conference against Racism in Durban (2001)

People of the Pod guest co-host Laura Shaw Frank, director of AJC's William Petschek Contemporary Jewish Life and the acting director of AJC New York, is a Jewish American. Saeed Khan, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Near East and Asian Studies at Wayne State University-Detroit, Michigan, and a Research Fellow at the Center for the Study of Citizenship, is a Muslim American. Twenty years after the September 11th terror attacks, the two sit down to discuss the profound implications that day had on themselves, their respective Jewish and Muslim communities, and the strides they have seen in interfaith relations over the last two decades. Episode Lineup: (0:40) Saeed Khan and Laura Shaw Frank (33:24) Manya Brachear Pashman and Laura Shaw Frank Show Notes: To register for the AJC Advocacy Anywhere program, "AJC Remembers: The Twentieth Anniversary of 9/11," visit: www.AJC.org/AdvocacyAnywhere

This week, guest host Dana Steiner, director of AJC ACCESS Global, American Jewish Committee's young professional division, sat down with Jake Cohen, food writer and author of New York Times bestseller Jew-ish: A Cookbook: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch, to discuss the convergence between food and Judaism, the antisemitism he has faced throughout his career, and how sharing recipes and their connected stories from across the Jewish world is his form of advocacy. Then, Manya Brachear Pashman, Dana Steiner, and Dan Pashman, host of The Sporkful podcast and who also spoke to Jake Cohen this week, dig into their Rosh Hashanah menus. _____ Episode Lineup: (0:40) Jake Cohen (20:21) Manya Brachear Pashman, Dana Steiner, and Dan Pashman ____ Show notes: The State of Jewish Life on College Campuses: last week's episode with University of Michigan's Tilly Shemer and American Jewish University's Dr. Jeffery Herbst The Rice Cooker That Changed Jake Cohen's Life: The Sporkful episode with Jake Cohen, hosted by Dan Pashman

As students head back to campus, Tilly Shemer, Executive Director of University of Michigan Hillel, joins guest host Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman, Director of AJC's Alexander Young Leadership Department, to discuss the difficult realities, as well as the wealth of opportunities, that are awaiting American Jews on campus. Then, Dr. Jeffrey Herbst, President of American Jewish University, shares his advice on how universities can combat antisemitism on campus. _____ Episode Lineup: (0:55) Tilly Shemer (24:15) Jeffrey Herbst (35:54) Manya Brachear Pashman and Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman _____ Show Notes: Fighting Campus Anti-Semitism Before It Explodes: Op-ed by Jeff Herbst

Following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, we are joined by Afghanistan-born Jack Abraham, the president of Congregation Anshei Shalom, a synagogue for Afghan Jews located in Queens, New York, to discuss the Jewish history and future of his native country. Afghanistan was once home to an estimated 40,000 Jews, centered in Herat, where they played an important role along the ancient Silk Road trading route. But starting in 1933, the community faced antisemitism, persecution and exile influenced by Nazi ideology, and Muslim solidarity with Palestinians and suspicion that Soviet Jews who sought refuge there were "Bolshevik agents." By the middle of the last century, there were fewer than 5,000. By the time the Taliban came to power in 1996, the country's Jewish population had dwindled to single digits, and today only one remains. Then, Manya Brachear Pashman shares what she will be talking about at her Shabbat table this week: the recently released study Beyond the Count: Perspectives and Lived Experiences of Jews of Color. ____ Episode Lineup: (0:40) Jack Abraham (15:04) Manya Brachear Pashman ____ Show notes: Visit our website for photos mentioned throughout the interview.

This week marks the one-year anniversary of normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. This historic agreement, known as the Abraham Accords, would soon grow to include Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. In one fell swoop, the number of Arab countries Israel had formal relations with tripled from two (Egypt and Jordan) to six. With us to discuss this pivotal moment and the future of Israeli-Arab engagement is Ambassador Eitan Na'eh, head of mission at the Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi - formally dedicated just six weeks ago. Then, Manya Brachear Pashman and Avi Mayer discuss Jews in sports and the Jewish Olympic athletes that brought them pride and joy in the games that ended last week in Tokyo, including Linoy Ashram, Artem Dolgopyat, and Jessica Fox. ___ Episode Lineup: (0:40) Eitan Na'eh (19:10) Manya Brachear Pashman and Avi Mayer

Joining us for a second time on People of Pod is Nachman Shai, Israel's Minister of Diaspora Affairs, to discuss his new role and his critical work supporting Jews around the world, including a recent visit to Surfside, Florida, following the tragic collapse of Champlain Towers South. Then, stick around for a special tribute from colleagues and friends to our longtime co-host Seffi Kogen, including Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL) and AJC CEO David Harris, as Seffi ends his tenure at AJC. ____ Episode Lineup (0:40) Nachman Shai (24:00) Seffi Kogen (27:26) Manya Brachear Pashman (28:55) Special guests including Ted Deutch and David Harris ____ Fill out our audience survey here Check out Nachman Shai's first appearance on People of the Pod

President Joe Biden has appointed Deborah Lipstadt, one of America's preeminent Jewish historians and Holocaust scholars, to serve as the U.S. State Department's special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism. Listen to our conversation with Lipstadt, which is being re-aired for this special episode, about the troubling rise of contemporary antisemitism from multiple sources and what we can do to stop it. ____ Episode Lineup: (0:40) Deborah Lipstadt ____ Show Notes: Fill Out Our Audience Survey Here

In the wake of vicious attacks on American Jews, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators joined a chorus of organizations that condemned antisemitism then, after pushback, apologized for not condemning Islamophobia or other forms of hatred in the same statement. Jewish Insider Reporter Gabby Deutch joins us to discuss her discovery that the controversial apology underscored a wider and equally troubling challenge facing Jewish authors. Then, Manya Brachear Pashman weighs in on the controversy surrounding Ben & Jerry's decision to stop selling their ice cream in the territories captured by Israel in the 1967 war, and how Jewish advocates, including those at AJC, are urging state lawmakers to invoke their anti-BDS statutes. ______ Episode Lineup: (0:40) Gabby Deutch (19:09) Manya Brachear Pashman _____ Show notes: Fill out our podcast audience survey here!

In the wake of vicious attacks on American Jews, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators joined a chorus of organizations that condemned antisemitism then, after pushback, apologized for not condemning Islamophobia or other forms of hatred in the same statement. Jewish Insider Reporter Gabby Deutch joins us to discuss her discovery that the controversial apology underscored a wider and equally troubling challenge facing Jewish authors. Then, Manya Brachear Pashman weighs in on the controversy surrounding Ben & Jerry's decision to stop selling their ice cream in the territories captured by Israel in the 1967 war, and how Jewish advocates, including those at AJC, are urging state lawmakers to invoke their anti-BDS statutes. ______ Episode Lineup: (0:40) Gabby Deutch (19:09) Manya Brachear Pashman