People of the Pod

In celebration of the enduring ties between America’s Black and Jewish communities, AJC and the National Urban League are partnering to designate the week of September 7th Black-Jewish Unity Week. To kick off #BlackJewishUnity week, we’re collaborating for an exciting crossover event with the National Urban League’s podcast, For the Movement. This week, we sit down with Clint Odom, the National Urban League’s Senior Vice President for Policy and Advocacy, Executive Director of the National Urban League’s Washington Bureau, and co-host of For The Movement, to talk about the connections between the Black and Jewish communities and how we can use #BlackJewishUnity week to strengthen those ties. Then, in our closing segment, Shabbat Table Talk, we hear from AJC Director of Black-Jewish Relations and AJC Atlanta Regional Director Dov Wilker and what he’ll be discussing at his Shabbat table this week. Show notes: Be sure to check out For the Movement’s episode with AJC Chief Advocacy Officer Dan Elbaum: http://bit.ly/3jMsb2JFTM_BlackJewishUnityWeek.

On the sidelines of the Republican National Convention, we speak with Matt Brooks, Executive Director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, about his takeaways from the week and what Jews should know about the Republican platform and ticket this year. Then, we’re joined by AJC Los Angeles Associate Director Saba Soomekh to hear about the ongoing battle over California’s ethnic studies curriculum.

On the heels of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, we sit down with Halie Soifer, Executive Director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, who previously served as National Security Advisor to Senator Kamala Harris. We talk about support for Israel within the Democratic Party and other issues of importance to the Jewish community ahead of the upcoming election. Then, AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson, who has long engaged with leaders throughout the Arab world, joins to discuss last week’s historic announcement of a peace treaty between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

This week, we’re joined by JTA Washington Bureau Chief Ron Kampeas to unpack former Vice President Joe Biden’s selection of Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) as his running mate. Then, in the wake of the fatal explosion in Beirut in last week, we speak to Matthew Levitt, Director of the Reinhard program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, about the dire need to reform Lebanon’s political system due to the pernicious role played by Iranian proxy Hezbollah. Show notes: https://www.AJC.org/TakeAction https://www.AJC.org/Conventions https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/lebanese-hezbollah-select-worldwide-activities-interactive-map-and-timeline https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/08/07/four-israeli-women-who-have-broken-new-political-ground/?arc404=true https://www.ajc.org/news/the-plight-of-the-uyghurs-in-china-a-conversation-with-nury-turkel-ajc-advocacy-anywhere

This week, we’re joined by Jewish Insider National Politics Reporter Jacob Kornbluh for a discussion of the choice facing former Vice President Joe Biden as he selects a running mate ahead of the November presidential election. Then AJC Asia Pacific Institute Japan Representative Jerry Rosenberg joins us to talk about the legacy of Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat who helped save the lives of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust.

First, we hear from Emily Tamkin, author of “The Influence of Soros: Politics, Power, and the Struggle for Open Society,” on why the Jewish billionaire philanthropist has become a political target and an easy mark for antisemitism. Then, in our closing segment, Shabbat Table Talk, we sit down with AJC Director of Contemporary Jewish Life Laura Shaw Frank to hear what she’ll be discussing at her Shabbat table this week.

This week, we sit down with Sherry Frank, who served as Director of AJC Atlanta for 26 years and was a close friend of civil rights icon and Congressman John Lewis, who passed away on July 17. Together, Frank and Congressman Lewis founded the Atlanta Black-Jewish Coalition in 1982. Frank joins us to share some of her memories of this American giant.

This week, we speak to Representative Ted Deutch (D-FL) about the letter he and fellow representatives wrote in opposition to unilateral annexation, and what the future holds for the U.S.-Israel relationship. Then, we’re joined by Daniel Gordis, Senior Vice President and Koret Distinguished Fellow at Shalem College, on why the two-state solution is still worth pursuing. We close out with Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur, France’s foremost female rabbi, speaking about how to have conversations about antisemitism, racism, and interfaith relations in a secular society. Show notes: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/end-the-jewish-state-lets-try-some-honesty-first/

This week, we hear from Holly Huffnagle, AJC’s U.S. Director for Combating Antisemitism, and Dave Rich, Director of Policy at the UK’s Community Security Trust, on the rise of antisemitic conspiracy theories amid the coronavirus pandemic and following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Then, we hear an update on the resurgence of the pandemic in Israel from Dr. Yonatan Freeman, an international relations expert and professor of political science at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

On this week’s episode of People of the Pod, we are joined by Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Senior Rabbi of Manhattan’s Central Synagogue and member of AJC’s Board of Governors, to discuss the Jewish community’s obligation toward Jews of color and to social justice. Then, in one of the most compelling sessions from AJC Virtual Global Forum, we hear a foreign policy debate between Antony Blinken, Deputy Secretary of State under President Barack Obama and now an adviser to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, and KT McFarland, past Deputy National Security Advisor under President Donald Trump.