
People of the Pod
People of the Pod is an award-winning weekly podcast analyzing global affairs through a Jewish lens, brought to you by American Jewish Committee. Host Manya Brachear Pashman examines current events, the people driving them, and what it all means for America, Israel, and the Jewish people.
Latest episodes

Apr 1, 2021 • 28min
What We Can All Learn from Rabbi Heschel on Confronting Injustice
This week we hear from Martin Doblmeier, the director of Spiritual Audacity: The Abraham Joshua Heschel Story on the history of one of the most inspiring and preeminent scholars of the 20th Century. Doblmeier discusses Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s profound impact on the civil rights movement, the relationship between Jews and the Roman Catholic Church, and the “evil of indifference.” Then, Natalia Mahmud, AJC’s Associate Director of U.S. Muslim-Jewish Relations, speaks about the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act, ahead of its reintroduction in Congress, and in honor of baseball’s Opening Day, we dip into AJC’s Oral History Library to hear directly from one of the greatest Jewish baseball players ever, Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg, also known as “The Hebrew Hammer.” Greenberg recounts what it was like to be a Jewish baseball player in the 1930s and 1940s and the level of antisemitism he had to endure. _____ Episode Lineup: (00:40) Martin Doblmeier (16:55) Natalia Mahmud (19:36) Manya Brachear Pashman (23:00) Seffi Kogen _____ Show Notes: Episode Transcript AJC’s William E. Wiener Oral History Library Learn more about the Jabara-Heyer NO Hate Act at AJC.org/TakeAction Music: Take Me Out to the Ballgame by Kevin MacLeod (Link; License)

Mar 26, 2021 • 27min
The Israeli Election: What Just Happened and What Comes Next
This week we’re joined by Allison Kaplan Sommer, Ha’aretz journalist and panelist for The Promised Podcast, to discuss some of the headliners from the Israeli election: potential kingmaker and Ra’am Party leader Mansour Abbas and Rabbi Gilad Kariv, who will be the first Reform rabbi to serve in the Knesset. Kaplan Sommer also discusses how democracy plays out in Israel and the United States and what it’s like to live in Israel, a complex, multicultural society. Then, AJC CEO David Harris shares a moving Passover message about his first-hand involvement in the Soviet Jewry movement and modern-day exoduses. _____ Episode Lineup: (00:40) Allison Kaplan Sommer (18:26) David Harris (20:27) Manya Brachear Pashman (23:34) Seffi Kogen ___ Episode Transcript

Mar 18, 2021 • 33min
This Is Why Israel is Having Its Fourth Election in Two Years
Ahead of the March 23rd elections in Israel, we’re joined by Haviv Rettig Gur, The Times of Israel's senior political analyst. Gur discusses the highly polarized sentiment around Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the conflict within the Haredi community over pandemic restrictions, and the gap between the positions of the political parties that represent Arab Israelis and the concerns of Arab Israelis themselves. Then, Dina Siegel Vann, Director of AJC's Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs, reflects on the anniversary of the 1992 suicide bombing attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which left 29 dead. _____ Episode Lineup: (00:40) Haviv Rettig Gur (23:16) Dina Siegel Vann (26:23) Manya Brachear Pashman (29:45) Seffi Kogen ___ Episode Transcript

Mar 12, 2021 • 30min
The Nazi Hunter: Eli Rosenbaum on Tracking Down the World’s Most Wanted Criminals
This week, we’re in conversation with Eli Rosenbaum, Director of Human Rights Enforcement Strategy and Policy at the Department of Justice. For 40 years, Rosenbaum has helped the department track down former Nazis and hold them accountable for their World War II crimes, a role that has earned him the moniker of “Nazi Hunter”. Then, Shira Loewenberg, Director of AJC's Asia Pacific Institute (API) speaks about the wide-scale democracy protests across Myanmar in the weeks since the local military’s February 1 coup d'état. _____ Episode Lineup: (00:40) Eli Rosenbaum (19:45) Shira Loewenberg (22:37) Manya Brachear Pashman (25:31) Seffi Kogen ___ Episode Transcript

Mar 5, 2021 • 26min
Non-Orthodox Conversion in Israel: Dividing or Uniting the Jewish World?
This week, the Israeli Supreme Court handed down a ruling on conversions conducted by non-Orthodox rabbis. We hear from AJC's Director of Contemporary Jewish Life Laura Shaw Frank, a leading thinker on this important issue, about how this decision will affect the Israel-Diaspora relationship. Then, in celebration of International Women’s Day, Director of AJC’s Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights Felice Gaer reflects on what it means to see the world and human rights through women’s eyes. _____ Episode Lineup: (00:40) Laura Shaw Frank (17:10) Felice Gaer (19:38) Manya Brachear Pashman (23:34) Seffi Kogen ___ Episode Transcription

Feb 25, 2021 • 31min
Soraya Nadia McDonald on Being Black and Jewish; NBC’s No Good, Very Bad Week
Journalist Soraya Nadia McDonald is the Culture Critic for The Undefeated, ESPN’s platform for exploring the intersection of sports, race, and culture. She is a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her essays on theater and film, including The Unbearable Whiteness of Oklahoma. Last year, when her fellow Howard University alumnus Nick Cannon made antisemitic remarks, Soraya wrote a more personal essay about being Black and Jewish. Soraya sat down with us for a conversation about confronting antisemitism as a Black Jewish woman. Then AJC Chief Advocacy Officer Dan Elbaum reflects on his 11 years at AJC, Manya Brachear Pashman discusses Michael Che’s antisemitic joke on Saturday Night Live, and Seffi Kogen on criticism of a Jewish storyline on the NBC show “Nurses”. _____ Episode Lineup: (00:40) Soraya Nadia McDonald (19:14) Dan Elbaum (22:28) Manya Brachear Pashman (25:40) Seffi Kogen _____ Show Notes: Tell NBC: Antisemitism Isn’t Funny - Petition Episode Transcription

Feb 19, 2021 • 25min
Israel and the International Criminal Court; The Power of Music
Last weekend, the International Criminal Court at The Hague determined that it has jurisdiction in the West Bank and Gaza, taking a major step toward prosecuting Israelis for alleged war crimes. To help us unpack what’s been happening and what it means for Israel, we’re joined by Barak Ravid, Contributing Correspondent for Axios and Diplomatic Correspondent for Walla News. Then we hear from AJC Chief Innovation Officer Belle Yoeli on the power of song during the pandemic, Manya Brachear Pashman on how Israel expects the unexpected, and Seffi Kogen on how snow is affecting both the United States and Israel. _____ Episode Lineup: (00:40) Barak Ravid (17:22) Belle Etra Yoeli (19:26) Manya Brachear Pashman (22:12) Seffi Kogen _____ Show Notes: Episode Transcript

Feb 11, 2021 • 28min
The Real Danger of QAnon; Telling the Jewish Story in Arabic
This week, we’re in conversation with Joel Finkelstein, cofounder and director of the Network Contagion Research Institute, a nonpartisan, multidisciplinary research group of experts who study online disinformation, and Pamela Paresky, a senior scholar at the Institute who focuses on the psychology of thriving in a liberal democracy. Both have been sounding the alarm about the dangers of the antisemitic conspiracy theory movement QAnon and they join us to discuss what we can expect next from the movement and how we can take steps to stop it. Then we hear from AJC Managing Director of Global Communications Avi Mayer on storytelling and AJC’s Arabic video series, Manya Brachear Pashman on President Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Seffi Kogen on the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. ____ Episode Lineup: (00:40) Pamela Paresky and Joel Finkelstein (19:05) Avi Mayer (21:18) Manya Brachear Pashman (24:15) Seffi Kogen _____ Show Notes: Arabic Video on Protocols of the Elders of Zion Episode Transcript

Feb 4, 2021 • 24min
The Problem with California’s Ethnic Studies; Mayors United Against Antisemitism
A controversial curriculum for teaching ethnic studies in California public schools will face a final vote in March. Since the first draft came out in 2019, a coalition of Jewish organizations has advocated for content that meaningfully includes Jews and other groups, discusses antisemitism, and avoids perpetuating stereotypes that put Jews in danger. We sit down with Director of AJC Northern California Rabbi Serena Eisenberg about the curriculum and why it should matter to all of us. Then, on Shabbat Table Talk, AJC’s Chief Field Operations Officer Melanie Maron Pell joins us to speak about AJC’s Mayors United Against Antisemitism initiative, Manya Brachear Pashman on why she isn’t laughing at the Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) jokes, and Seffi Kogen on antisemitism on college campuses. ____ Episode Lineup: (00:40) Rabbi Serena Eisenberg (13:24) Melanie Maron Pell (18:15) Manya Brachear Pashman (20:27) Seffi Kogen _____ Show Notes: We need your help before California’s Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum is finalized Mayors United Against Antisemitism AJC Arabic video - Protocols of the Elders of Zion Seffi Kogen’s Op-Ed in Inside Higher Ed Episode Transcript

Jan 29, 2021 • 50min
International Holocaust Remembrance Day with Mandy Gonzalez; Israel’s COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout and the Palestinians
In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Museum of Jewish Heritage held a special event, “18 Voices: A Liberation Day Reading Of Young Writers’ Diaries From The Holocaust.” We sit down with Broadway actress Mandy Gonzalez, who read diary excerpts during the virtual reading, and Alexandra Zapruder, curator of “18 Voices” and author of “Salvaged Pages.” Then, we speak to Lahav Harkov, Senior Contributing Editor and Diplomatic Correspondent for The Jerusalem Post, about Israel’s record-shattering vaccine rollout and the controversy over access for Palestinians. Finally, to close out the episode, past president of AJC Westchester/Fairfield Beverly Block Rosenbaum shares the story of her mother, a survivor of multiple concentration camps who was told by a Nazi officer that she was “too pretty to be a Jew,” to which she bravely replied: “I am a Jew and I’m proud of it.” ___________________ Episode Lineup (00:45) Mandy Gonzalez (11:28) Alexandra Zapruder (27:41) Lahav Harkov (38:15) Beverly Block Rosenbaum (43:32) Manya Brachear Pashman (46:48) Seffi Kogen ___________________ Show notes: Watch Museum of Jewish Heritage’s 18 Voices event Transcript of Interview with Lahav Harkov