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On the Nose

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Jewish Currents

On the Nose is a biweekly podcast by Jewish Currents, a magazine of the Jewish left founded in 1946. The editorial staff discusses the politics, culture, and questions that animate today’s Jewish left.

#96

Scrutinizing the Gaza Ceasefire Deal

On Sunday, Israel and Hamas entered into the first phase of what could become a permanent ceasefire. Under the agreement that led to the pause, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinians, many held without charge or trial, from its prisons in exchange for the release of 98 Israeli hostages by Palestinian militants in Gaza. The deal also allows Palestinians forcibly displaced from the north of Gaza to return to that area, promises a surge in humanitarian aid to a Palestinian population that was starving as a result of Israel’s siege, and leaves open the door for further negotiations resulting in a permanent ceasefire. But significant questions remain about the deal—foremost of which is whether it will lead to the permanent end of Israel’s bombardment and hermetic siege of Gaza, an assault experts have termed a genocide. To discuss why Israel agreed to stop its bombing after 15 months, whether the ceasefire is likely to last, and the future of Gaza’s governance, Jewish Currents senior reporter Alex Kane spoke to analysts Yousef Munayyer and Zaha Hassan. Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).” Further Reading [“A long-awaited ceasefire has finally begun in Gaza. Here’s what we know,”] (https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/14/middleeast/israel-hamas-gaza-ceasefire-hostage-deal-explainer-intl/index.html) Sophie Tanno, Lauren Kent and Christian Edwards, CNN [“Jared Kushner says Gaza’s ‘waterfront property could be very valuable,’”] (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/19/jared-kushner-gaza-waterfront-property-israel-negev) Patrick Wintour, The Guardian [“Ben Gvir says he repeatedly foiled hostage deals, urges Smotrich to help him stop this one,”] (https://www.timesofisrael.com/ben-gvir-says-he-repeatedly-foiled-hostage-deals-urges-smotrich-to-help-him-stop-this-one/) Times of Israel staff, Times of Israel [“UNRWA said preparing to shutter Gaza, West Bank operations ahead of Israeli ban,”] (https://www.timesofisrael.com/unrwa-said-preparing-to-shutter-gaza-west-bank-operations-ahead-of-israeli-ban/) Times of Israel staff, Times of Israel [“Gangs looting Gaza aid operate in areas under Israeli control, aid groups say,”] (https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/11/18/gaza-looting-aid-convoys-israel-famine/) Claire Parker, Loveday Morris, Hajar Harb, Miriam Berger and Hazem Balousha, The Washington Post [“The Pro-Israel Donor With a $100 Million Plan to Elect Trump,”] (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/25/us/politics/miriam-adelson-trump-israel.html) Theodore Schleifer, The New York Times ... Read more

22 Jan 2025

31 MINS

31:54

22 Jan 2025

#95

Voices from Gaza

On this episode of On the Nose—a recording of an online event for Jewish Currents members, co-sponsored by the Beinart Notebook—editor-at-large Peter Beinart speaks with Mahmoud Muna, Matthew Teller, and Juliette Touma, three of the editors of the new anthology Daybreak in Gaza: Stories of Palestinian Lives and Culture. This volume includes nearly 100 stories from people in Gaza, recorded both before and amidst Israel’s ongoing assault. In this conversation, the editors discuss the collection and the process of compiling it, and read some of the powerful testimonies it contains. Thanks to Daniel Kaufman and Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed). Texts Mentioned and Further Reading: [Daybreak in Gaza: Stories of Palestinian Lives and Culture] (https://saqibooks.com/books/saqi/daybreak-in-gaza/) , ed. Mahmoud Muna and Matthew Teller with Juliette Touma and Jayyab Abusafia “ [Letter from Gaza] (https://www.marxists.org/archive/kanafani/1956/letterfromgaza.htm) ” by Ghassan Kanafani, Marxists Internet Archive “ [The Only Refuge I Could Offer] (https://jewishcurrents.org/the-only-refuge-i-could-offer) ” by Anonymous, Jewish Currents “ [Exile from Gaza] (https://jewishcurrents.org/exile-from-gaza) ” by Zak Hania, Safa Al-Majdalawi, Amal Al-Majdalawi, and Mohammed Ghalayni (as told to Jonathan Shamir), Jewish Currents “ [The Scenes in Rafah Are Straight From a Nightmare] (https://jewishcurrents.org/the-scenes-in-rafah-are-straight-from-a-nightmare) ” by Zak Hania, Ahmed Totah, and Sameera Wafi (as told to Jonathan Shamir), Jewish Currents “ [Even as We Are Trying to Help, We Are Being Attacked] (https://jewishcurrents.org/humanitarian-aid-workers-gaza-dispatches) ” by Jameel, Juliette Touma, and Mohammed Al Khatib (as told to Jonathan Shamir and Aparna Gopalan), Jewish Currents “ [We Have Lost the Ability to Provide True Care] (https://jewishcurrents.org/we-have-lost-the-ability-to-provide-true-care) ” by Hammam Alloh, Yousef Al-Akkad, and Reda Abu Assi (as told to Maya Rosen), Jewish Currents “ [Dispatches from Gaza] (https://jewishcurrents.org/dispatches-from-gaza) ” by Mohammed Zraiy, Khalil Abuy Yahia, and Rania Hussein (as told to Alain Alameddine, Maya Rosen, and Julia), Jewish Currents ... Read more

10 Jan 2025

41 MINS

41:37

10 Jan 2025

#94

Preparing for Trump’s Repression

Since October 2023, Palestine solidarity activists have faced a climate of McCarthyist repression, and all signs point to the incoming Trump administration escalating that campaign to silence the anti-genocide movement. Trump’s cabinet appointees and supporters have embraced plans to revoke visas of pro-Palestine student organizers, sue colleges to ensure they crack down on protesters, subject anti-Zionist students to FBI questioning, and more—all in the name of fighting antisemitism. In this episode, associate editor Mari Cohen and senior reporter Alex Kane join Emma Saltzberg, US strategic campaigns director for Diaspora Alliance, and Dylan Saba, a staff attorney at Palestine Legal and a contributing writer at Jewish Currents, to discuss the possible shape of the Trump repression regime. We discuss the use of civil rights law to quash student protest, the Heritage Foundation’s unnerving “Project Esther” blueprint for suppressing the Palestine solidarity movement, and Congressional attempts to attack the nonprofit status of anti-Zionist groups. We also analyze the multiple right-wing approaches at play—including the distinct but sometimes overlapping “anti-discrimination” and “anti-terrorism” paradigms—and consider possibilities for mobilizing a broader liberal-left coalition to oppose these strategies. Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).” Texts Mentioned and Further Resources: “ [Trump DOJ civil rights pick blasted campus protests, opposed Antisemitism Awareness Act] (https://jewishinsider.com/2024/12/harmeet-dhillon-trump-pick-doj-civil-rights-campus-protests-aaa/) ,” Marc Rod, Jewish Insider [“The Biden-Harris administration has failed to combat campus antisemitism,”] (https://americafirstpolicy.com/issues/the-biden-harris-administration-has-failed-to-combat-campus-antisemitism) Jonathan Pidluzny, America First Policy Institute “ [Trump attorney general pick Pam Bondi: 5 things Jews should know] (https://forward.com/fast-forward/677437/pam-bondi-donald-trump-campus-protesters/) ,” Lauren Markoe, Forward “ [The civil rights law shutting down pro-Palestine speech] (https://jewishcurrents.org/civil-rights-law-pro-palestine-speech-israel-trump) ,” Alex Kane, Jewish Currents “ [Linda McMahon meets with Senators, addresses approach to fighting antisemitism] (https://jewishinsider.com/2024/12/trump-education-secretary-nominee-linda-mcmahon/) ,” Emily Jacobs, Jewish Insider “ [Project Esther] (https://www.heritage.org/progressivism/report/project-esther-national-strategy-combat-antisemitism) ,” The Heritage Foundation “ [Evangelical Christians are politicizing the Jewish story of Esther] (https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/03/15/purim-esther-christian-jewish/) ,” Jane Eisner, The Washington Post [“Congressional Republicans launch 'fishing expedition' against progressive, Jewish, and Palestinian nonprofits,”] (https://reason.com/2024/05/16/congressional-republicans-launch-fishing-expedition-against-progressive-jewish-and-palestinian-nonprofits/) Matthew Petti, Reason “ [Virginia judge denies pro-Palestinian group’s bid to limit attorney general’s demand for documents] (https://www.wric.com/news/virginia-news/virginia-judge-denies-pro-palestinian-groups-bid-to-limit-attorney-generals-demand-for-documents/) ,” Dean Mirshahi, WRIC ABC 8News ... Read more

19 Dec 2024

51 MINS

51:15

19 Dec 2024

#93

Jesse Eisenberg's Holocaust Road Trip

A Real Pain is a film starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Kulkin as two American Jewish cousins who take a trip to Poland to visit the childhood home of their grandmother. In this episode of On the Nose, editor-in-chief Arielle Angel, contributing editor Maia Ipp, and author Menachem Kaiser—all of whom are grandchildren of Holocaust survivors—dissect the movie’s depiction of millennial neuroses, its relationship to other Holocaust films, and its grappling with the question of how to make meaning out of inherited memory. Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).” Texts Mentioned and Further Resources: “ [Selling the Holocaust] (https://jewishcurrents.org/selling-the-holocaust) ,” Arielle Angel, Menachem Kaiser, and Maia Ipp, Jewish Currents “ [(Re)Writing Remembrance] (https://jewishcurrents.org/postscript-rewriting-rememberance) ,” Arielle Angel and Maia Ipp, Jewish Currents [Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure] (https://bookshop.org/p/books/plunder-a-memoir-of-family-property-and-nazi-treasure-menachem-kaiser/17211311) , Menachem Kaiser “ [If I were a Zionist, I'd be Z: How Generations of Jews have Abandoned their Children to Face the Reckoning Alone] (https://natashagill.substack.com/p/if-i-were-a-zionist-id-be-z-how-generations?r=8de7f&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true) ,” Natasha Gill, Substack [Between the Temples] (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27722375/) ... Read more

05 Dec 2024

39 MINS

39:27

05 Dec 2024

#92

Volatile Emotions

On this episode of On the Nose—recorded at an online event on October 30th—editor-in-chief Arielle Angel speaks with author Naomi Klein and writer and clinical psychologist Hala Alyan about the place of feelings and affect in the movement for Palestinian liberation. They discuss the role of grief and rage, how movements can accommodate affective diversity, and what it means to channel emotions politically. Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed). Texts Mentioned and Further Resources: “ [How Israel has made trauma a weapon of war] (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2024/oct/05/israel-gaza-october-7-memorials) ,” Naomi Klein, The Guardian [The Generation of Postmemory: Writing and Visual Culture After the Holocaust] (https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-generation-of-postmemory/9780231156523) by Marianne Hirsch [Prosthetic Memory: The Transformation of American Remembrance in the Age of Mass Culture] (https://cup.columbia.edu/book/prosthetic-memory/9780231129275) by Alison Landsberg “‘ [Chronic traumatic stress disorder’: the Palestinian psychiatrist challenging western definitions of trauma] (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/14/mental-health-palestine-children) ,” Bethan McKernan, The Guardian “ [Can the Palestinian Mourn?] (https://www.rustedradishes.com/can-the-palestinian-mourn/) ,” Abdaljawad Omar, Rusted Radishes “ [‘Resistance Through a Realist Lens,’] (https://jewishcurrents.org/resistance-through-a-realist-lens) ” Arielle Angel in conversation with Abdaljawad Omar, Jewish Currents [“Mourning and Melancholia] (https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~cavitch/pdf-library/Freud_MourningAndMelancholia.pdf) ,” Sigmund Freud [The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism] (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780312427993/theshockdoctrine) by Naomi Klein “ [One Year] (https://thenewinquiry.com/one-year/) ,” Palestinian Youth Movement, The New Inquiry (originally published in The New York War Crimes) [Recognizing the Stranger: On Palestine and Narrative] (https://groveatlantic.com/book/recognizing-the-stranger/) by Isabella Hammad “ [A Surge in American Jewish Left Organizing] (https://jewishcurrents.org/a-surge-in-american-jewish-left-organizing) ,” On the Nose, Jewish Currents “ [Gaza and the Coming Age of the ‘Warrior,’] (https://allegralaboratory.net/gaza-and-the-coming-age-of-the-warrior/) ” Ghassan Hage, Allegra “ [One Year] (https://jewishcurrents.org/newsletter/october-7-2024) ,” Arielle Angel, Jewish Currents newsletter [The Secret Life of Saeed: The Pessoptimist] (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Secret-Life-of-Saeed/Emile-Habiby/9781623717025) by Emile Habibi “ [Theses on the Philosophy of History] (https://www.sfu.ca/~andrewf/CONCEPT2.html) ,” Walter Benjamin [Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World] (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374610326/doppelganger) by Naomi Klein “ [Naomi Klein on Israel’s ‘Doppelganger Politics,’] (https://jewishcurrents.org/naomi-klein-on-israels-doppelganger-politics) ” On the Nose, Jewish Currents “ [Unpacking the Campus Antisemitism Narrative] (https://jewishcurrents.org/unpacking-the-campus-antisemitism-narrative) ,” On the Nose, Jewish Currents “ [The Power of Changing Your Mind] (https://time.com/6556113/curiosity-propaganda-hala-alyan-essay/) ,” Hala Alyan, Time ... Read more

14 Nov 2024

48 MINS

48:23

14 Nov 2024

#91

Bipartisan Empire: Foreign Policy, Regional War, and the 2024 Election

On this special episode of On the Nose—recorded live on November 4th at McNally Jackson Books in Manhattan—Jewish Currents senior reporter Alex Kane hosts a discussion about foreign policy and the 2024 presidential election. Historian Stephen Wertheim, Arab American Institute executive director Maya Berry, and national security reporter Spencer Ackerman discuss Donald Trump’s and Kamala Harris’s foreign policy visions, regional war in the Middle East, and the bipartisan consensus on upholding US empire. Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed). Further Reading: “ [Some Muslim Americans moving to Jill Stein in potential blow to Kamala Harris] (https://www.reuters.com/world/us/muslim-americans-moving-jill-stein-potential-blow-kamala-harris-2024-09-19/) ,” Andrea Shalal, Reuters “ [New Poll Finds Arab American Voters Evenly Divided in the 2024 Presidential Election] (https://www.aaiusa.org/library/press-release-new-poll-arab-american-voters-evenly-divided-in-race-for-white-house-f989m) ,” Arab American Institute [Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/622555/reign-of-terror-by-spencer-ackerman/) by Spencer Ackerman “ [How Kamala Harris Should Put America First — for Real] (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/21/opinion/harris-foreign-policy-america.html) ,” Stephen Werheim, The New York Times “ [America’s Foreign Policy Inertia] (https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/americas-foreign-policy-inertia) ,” Stephen Wertheim and Christopher S. Chivvis, Foreign Affairs ... Read more

05 Nov 2024

1 HR 13 MINS

1:13:52

05 Nov 2024

#90

The Other ADLs

In 2003, a group of Indian Americans [deeply involved] (https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/sangh-parivars-us-funds-trail/article35117629.ece) in India'sHindu supremacist, or Hindutva, movementestablished the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), an organization [explicitly modeled] (https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/02/us/02hindu.html) on the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Just as the ADL has long insisted that fighting American antisemitism requires bolstering support for Israel, the HAF committed itself to [lobbying] (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/10/15/who-is-lobbying-for-indias-modi-government-on-capitol-hill) for Hindutva in the name of protecting Hindu Americans’ civil rights, an approach that helped the group'srightwing politics find a footholdinliberal, anti-racistcircles. The HAF is not the only organization that has drawn inspiration from the ADL. In 2021, the Asian American Foundation (TAAF) was [formed] (https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/the-asian-american-foundation/) in direct partnership with the ADL as a way to address growing anti-Asian racism. While lacking connection to a single ethnonationalist movement, TAAF nevertheless drew on the ADL’s and HAF’s approaches in positioning anti-Asian racism as a unique problem requiring carceral solutions instead of solidaristic organizing. As such, TAAF debuted with ADL head Jonathan Greenblatt as the only non-Asian person on its board, and [Hindu nationalist] (https://www.counterpunch.org/2008/11/07/obama-s-indian/) Sonal Shah as its founding president. The HAF and TAAF’s use of the ADL model has thus far helped them achieve support and legitimacy. However, as the ADL itself faces an [unprecedented crisis] (https://www.jta.org/2024/06/18/united-states/adl-faces-wikipedia-ban-over-reliability-concerns-on-israel-antisemitism) of legitimacy in the wake of October 7th, affiliation with it now risks becoming a liability. For instance, following members’ criticism over its ties to an increasingly repressive Greenblatt, TAAF removed him from his board this July (while still [affirming] (https://www.taaf.org/news/taaf-affirms-strategic-relationship-with-adl) its “strategic relationship” with the ADL). As dissent continues to grow in Asian and South Asian American communities—with reporters and activists questioning ties of anti-racist groups in the US to injustices abroad—it is not just ties to the ADL but the power of the ADL model of antiracism that stands to come into question. To discuss these developments, Jewish Currents news editor Aparna Gopalan spoke to associate editor Mari Cohen, New Yorker contributing writer E. Tammy Kim, and Savera coalition activist Prachi Patankar about the similarities and differences between the ADL, the HAF, and TAAF; their embrace of a “hate crimes” approach to anti-racism and what it leaves out; their ties to supremacist movements; and their shifting fortunes in the wake of the pressures over the past year. Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed). Texts Mentioned and Further Reading: “ [How the ADL’s Israel Advocacy Undermines Its Civil Rights Work] (https://jewishcurrents.org/how-the-adls-israel-advocacy-undermines-its-civil-rights-work) ,” Alex Kane and Jacob Hutt, Jewish Currents “ [ADL Staffers Dissented After CEO Compared Palestinian Rights Groups to Right-Wing Extremists, Leaked Audio Reveals] (https://jewishcurrents.org/adl-staffers-dissented-after-ceo-compared-palestinian-rights-groups-to-right-wing-extremists-leaked-audio-reveals) ,” Alex Kane and Mari Cohen, Jewish Currents “ [HAF Way to Supremacy: How the Hindu American Foundation Rebrands Bigotry As Minority Rights] (https://www.wearesavera.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/HAFWaytoSupremacy.pdf) ,” Savera Coalition “ [The Hindu Nationalists Using the Pro-Israel Playbook] (https://jewishcurrents.org/the-hindu-nationalists-using-the-pro-israel-playbook) ,” Aparna Gopalan, Jewish Currents “ [The ADL of Asian America] (https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/the-adl-of-asian-america) ,” E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker “ [The Asian American Foundation’s ADL partnership is a betrayal to Asian American communities] (https://mondoweiss.net/2024/06/the-asian-american-foundations-adl-partnership-is-a-betrayal-to-asian-american-communities/) ,” Sharmin Hossain, Mondoweiss ... Read more

31 Oct 2024

43 MINS

43:43

31 Oct 2024

#89

What Ta-Nehisi Coates Saw

Ta-Nehisi Coates, one of the most celebrated American political writers of our time, devotes much of his new book, The Message, to a withering and deeply personal critique of Israel’s oppression of Palestinians. On this bonus episode of On the Nose—a recording of an online event for Jewish Currents members, co-sponsored by the Beinart Notebook and the Foundation for Middle East Peace—editor-at-large Peter Beinart speaks with Coates about his time in Israel and the West Bank, the silencing of Palestinians in American media, and what it means when nationalism’s victims become its adherents. Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed). Texts Mentioned and Further Reading: [The Message] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/653438/the-message-by-ta-nehisi-coates/) by Ta-Nehisi Coates “ [Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence] (https://www2.hawaii.edu/~freeman/courses/phil100/17.%20MLK%20Beyond%20Vietnam.pdf) ,” Martin Luther King, Jr. [Our American Israel] (https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674737624) by Amy Kaplan [The Riot Report] (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/riot-report/) , directed by Michelle Ferrari “ [The Case for Reparations] (https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/) ,” Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic “ [One Year of War in the Middle East] (https://crooked.com/podcast/one-year-of-war-in-the-middle-east/) ,” Pod Save the World [The Yellow Wind] (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780312420987/theyellowwind) by David Grossman “ [Obama on his criticism of Israeli settlements: ‘I’m basically a liberal Jew] (https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/370947-obama-on-his-criticism-of-israeli-settlements-im-basically-a-liberal-jew/) ,’” Avery Anopol, The Hill “ [US media talks a lot about Palestinians—just without Palestinians] (https://www.972mag.com/us-media-palestinians/) ,” Maha Nassar, +972 Magazine [Ta-Nehisi Coates interview on CBS] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgWt-QcPYMo) [Black Panther graphic novels] (https://ta-nehisicoates.com/graphic-novels/black-panther-2016/) by Ta-Nehisi Coates [Makdisi Street podcast] (https://open.spotify.com/show/72L5auZu57P60T1NOeLOSV) “ [Ta-Nehisi Coates: I Was Told Palestine Was Complicated. Visiting Revealed a Simple, Brutal Truth] (https://www.democracynow.org/2024/10/8/ta_nehisi_the_message_2) ,” Democracy Now! ... Read more

17 Oct 2024

40 MINS

40:23

17 Oct 2024

#88

Palestinian Liberation After the Destruction of Gaza

On this episode of On the Nose—recorded live at Jewish Currents’s daylong [event] (https://jewishcurrents.org/live/program) on September 15th—editor-in-chief Arielle Angel speaks with a panel of authors, scholars, and activists about the movement for Palestinian freedom in the wake of Israel’s genocide. Noura Erakat, Fadi Quran, Dana El Kurd, Amjad Iraqi, and Ahmed Moor discuss the challenge of Palestinian unity under Israel’s program of fragmentation, the resurgence of the two-state solution and decline of the coexistence paradigm, American Jews’ role in organizing their communities against Zionism, and the task of imagining a liberated future. Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed). Texts Mentioned and Further Reading: [Polarized and Demobilized: Legacies of Authoritarianism in Palestine] (https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/polarized-and-demobilized/) by Dana El Kurd [Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine] (https://www.sup.org/books/law/justice-some) by Noura Erakat [After Zionism: One State for Israel and Palestine] (https://saqibooks.com/books/saqi/after-zionism/) , edited by Anthony Loewenstein and Ahmed Moor [Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance] (https://www.sup.org/books/middle-east-studies/hamas-contained) by Tareq Baconi [Polling by Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research] (https://www.pcpsr.org/en/node/154) “ [Zionism Killed the Jewish-Muslim World] (https://jacobin.com/2024/04/zionism-palestinian-jews-imperialism-history) ,” Ariella Aïsha Azoulay, Jacobin [Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions] (https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/atrocity-crimes/Doc.34_AP-I-EN.pdf) [1968 Palestinian National Charter] (https://avalon.law.yale.edu/21st_century/plocov.asp) “ [How Durham, North Carolina, became the first US city to ban police exchanges with Israel] (https://scalawagmagazine.org/2021/05/israel-palestine-durham-police/) ,” Zaina Alsous and Sammy Hanf, Scalawag ... Read more

10 Oct 2024

1 HR 01 MINS

1:01:35

10 Oct 2024

#87

"Between the Covers" Live: Dionne Brand and Adania Shibli

For this live taping of the literary podcast Between the Covers—recorded at Jewish Currents’s daylong [event] (https://jewishcurrents.org/live/program) on September 15th and presented in partnership with On the Nose—host David Naimon convened a conversation with renowned writers Dionne Brand and Adania Shibli about contesting colonial narratives. Rooted in their long-standing literary practice and in the demands of this moment of genocide, they discuss the vexed meanings of home, how to recover the everydayness of life erased by empire, and what it means to imagine togetherness beyond the nation-state. This episode was produced by David Naimon, with music by Alicia Jo Rabins. Thanks also to Jesse Brenneman for additional editing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed). Texts Mentioned and Additional Resources: [Minor Detail] (https://www.ndbooks.com/book/minor-detail/) by Adania Shibli [A Map to the Door of No Return: Notes to Belonging] (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250357908/amaptothedoorofnoreturn) by Dionne Brand [Civil Service] (https://www.graywolfpress.org/books/civil-service) by Claire Schwartz [The Blue Clerk] (https://www.dukeupress.edu/the-blue-clerk) by Dionne Brand [Adania Shibli in conversation with Hisham Matar at the 2024 Hay Festival] (https://www.hayfestival.com/p-21761-adania-shibli-talks-to-hisham-matar.aspx) [Adania Shibli in conversation with Madeleine Thien and Layli Long Soldier at the Barnard Center for Research on Women] (https://bcrw.barnard.edu/videos/minor-detail-the-helen-pond-mcintyre-48-salon-in-honor-of-adania-shibli/) “ [Writing Against Tyranny and Toward Liberation] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ychlzoeeIm0&feature=share&themeRefresh=1) ,” Dionne Brand “ [Dionne Brand: Nomenclature — New and Collected Poems] (https://tinhouse.com/podcast/dionne-brand-nomenclature-new-and-collected-poems/) ,” Between the Covers “ [Adania Shibli: Minor Detail] (https://tinhouse.com/podcast/adania-shibli-minor-detail/) ,” Between the Covers “ [prologue for now - Gaza] (https://jewishcurrents.org/prologue-for-now-gaza) ,” Dionne Brand, Jewish Currents “ [Duty] (https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2007/05/31/duty/) ,” Daniel Mendelsohn, New York Review of Books “ [A Lesson in Arabic Grammar by Toni Morrison] (https://jewishcurrents.org/a-lesson-in-arabic-grammar-by-toni-morrison) ,” Adania Shibli, Jewish Currents [Inventory] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/17468/inventory-by-dionne-brand/9780771016622) by Dionne Brand [Recognizing the Stranger: On Palestine and Narrative] (https://groveatlantic.com/book/recognizing-the-stranger/) by Isabella Hammad “ [Isabella Hammad: Recognizing the Stranger: On Palestine and Narrative] (https://tinhouse.com/podcast/isabella-hammad-recognizing-the-stranger-on-palestine-and-narrative/) ,” Between the Covers [Freud and the Non-European] (https://www.versobooks.com/products/1837-freud-and-the-non-european?srsltid=AfmBOoqxV2CFQV_Y0CtcvawgZ62hi9pDyvr5N30qx7WmddzKx08o4pJa) by Edward Said “ [The Horseman and the Lake of Constance] (http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/2981/the-horseman-and-the-lake-of-constance.html) ,” Gustav Schwab ... Read more

02 Oct 2024

1 HR 08 MINS

1:08:22

02 Oct 2024

#86

"The Dig" Live: Internationalism After Third Worldism

In this live taping of Jacobin’s podcast The Dig—recorded at Jewish Currents’s recent daylong [event] (https://jewishcurrents.org/live/program) and presented in partnership with On the Nose—host Daniel Denvir convened a conversation with scholars Aslı Bâli and Aziz Rana on the past and present of left internationalism. Placing the current eruption of solidarity with Palestine in the context of the rise and fall of Third Worldism, they discuss the history and legacy of that project, the lasting structures of neocolonialism, and the challenge of contesting empire from the heart of empire. This episode was produced by Alex Lewis and Jackson Roach, with music by Jeffrey Brodsky. Thanks also to Jesse Brenneman for additional editing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed). Texts Mentioned and Further Reading: “ [Left Internationalism in the Heart of Empire] (https://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/left-internationalism-in-the-heart-of-empire/) ,” Aziz Rana, Dissent “ [Reviving the Language of Empire] (https://jewishcurrents.org/reviving-the-language-of-empire) ,” Aziz Rana in conversation with Nora Caplan-Bricker, Jewish Currents “ [The Disastrous Relationship Among Israel, Palestinians and the U.N.] (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/17/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-asli-bali.html?) ,” Aslı Bâli on The Ezra Klein Show, The New York Times [Neo-Colonialism, the Last Stage of Imperialism] (https://www.marxists.org/ebooks/nkrumah/nkrumah-neocolonialism.pdf) by Kwame Nkrumah “ [What We Did: How the Jewish Communist Left Failed the Palestinian Cause] (https://jewishcurrents.org/what-we-did-how-the-jewish-communist-left-failed-the-palestinian-cause) ,” Dorothy M. Zellner, Jewish Currents [Empire As a Way of Life] (https://www.igpub.com/empire-as-a-way-of-life/) by William Appleman Williams [Discourse on Colonialism] (https://monthlyreview.org/product/discourse_on_colonialism/) by Aimé Césaire “ [From Minneapolis to Jerusalem] (https://jewishcurrents.org/from-minneapolis-to-jerusalem) ,” Hannah Black, Jewish Currents “ [Charging Israel with Genocide] (https://jewishcurrents.org/charging-israel-with-genocide) ,” On the Nose, Jewish Currents ... Read more

26 Sep 2024

1 HR 31 MINS

1:31:09

26 Sep 2024

#85

Talking About Antisemitism

Recently, far-right figures like Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson have hitched their anti-Israel politics to [blatant antisemitism] (https://jewishcurrents.org/the-rights-anti-israel-insurgents) , platforming Holocaust denial and using decontextualized passages from religious texts like the Talmud to argue for the fundamental immorality of Judaism; in some cases their rhetoric has migrated beyond the right-wing echo chamber. Meanwhile, following a cheeky tweet by conspiracy-minded Grayzone editor Max Blumenthal that attributed the congressional losses of Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush to the “Zionist occupied government,” or “ZOG,” debates raged online about the supposed accuracy or usefulness of the term, which has clear origins in the neo-Nazi movement. In this episode of On the Nose, editor-in-chief Arielle Angel interviews Shane Burley and Ben Lorber, authors of the new book Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism, about these trends and how we confront them. They examine the real difficulties of talking about antisemitism—and assessing actual risk—in an alarmist environment where antisemitism is frequently weaponized against Palestinians and their allies, and discuss what it means to build principled movements rooted in mutual self-interest and collective liberation. Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).” Texts Mentioned and Further Reading: [Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741043/safety-through-solidarity-by-shane-burley/) by Shane Burley and Ben Lorber “ [The Right’s Anti-Israel Insurgents] (https://jewishcurrents.org/the-rights-anti-israel-insurgents) ,” Ben Lorber, Jewish Currents “ [Examining the ADL’s Antisemitism Audit] (https://jewishcurrents.org/examining-the-adls-antisemitism-audit) ,” Shane Burley and Jonah ben Avraham, Jewish Currents [The Necessity of Exile: Essays from a Distance] (https://ayinpress.org/the-necessity-of-exile/) by Shaul Magid [Zioness event about campus antisemitism] (https://zioness.org/resource/antisemitism-in-the-academy-a-deep-dive-on-free-speech-academic-freedom-and-campus-climate/) “ [Jewish settlers stole my house. It’s not my fault they’re Jewish] (https://mondoweiss.net/2023/09/jewish-settlers-stole-my-house-its-not-my-fault-theyre-jewish/) ,” Mohammed El Kurd, Mondoweiss [Rafael Shimunov’s thread about talking about antisemitism on the left] (https://x.com/rafaelshimunov/status/1825297090588578202) “ [What Comes Next for the Palestinian Youth Movement] (https://hammerandhope.org/article/palestinian-youth-movement) ,” Mohammed Nabulsi, Hammer & Hope [Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World] (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374610326/doppelganger) by Naomi Klein [Study on the correlation between antisemitism and Israeli violence against Palestinians] (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/politics-and-religion/article/homeland-violence-and-diaspora-insecurity-an-analysis-of-israel-and-american-jewry/2F7D87C36A37A0D0EB9600C7D58B2510) " [Are neo-Nazi terms really the only way to criticize U.S. support for Israel?] (https://forward.com/culture/643491/zog-zionist-occupied-government-antisemitism/) ," Mira Fox, The Forward " [Efforts to sell 'Anglo neighborhoods in Israel' at LA synagogue erupt in protests] (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/26/los-angeles-west-bank-protest) ," Lois Beckett, The Guardian “ [At Hunter’s ‘Israelism’ screening, the rabbi was rude, not the audience] (https://forward.com/opinion/574160/israelism-hunter-college-moderator/) ,” The Forward “ [Brooklyn bookstore parts ways with worker who canceled event over pro-Israel rabbi as moderator] (https://forward.com/fast-forward/646443/powerhouse-bookstore-cancellation-zionism-andy-bachman-joshua-leifer/) ,” Beth Harpaz and Louis Keene, The Forward “ [Do American Jews Really Know What 'Zionist' Means?] (https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2022-10-26/ty-article-opinion/.highlight/do-american-jews-really-know-what-zionist-means/00000184-0f30-d1a0-a1ee-cf7e0e120000) ,” Mira Sucharov, Haaretz ... Read more

05 Sep 2024

1 HR 00 MINS

1:00:55

05 Sep 2024

#84

The Killing of Ismail Haniyeh

On July 31st, Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’s top political leader, was killed in Iran. Haniyeh came to the capital city of Tehran for the presidential inauguration; an explosive device went off in the guest house where he was staying. Just hours before, Haniyeh had met with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Israel hasn’t taken responsibility for the attack, but they’re widely believed to be responsible—especially given their history of targeted political assassinations. Indeed, Haniyeh’s killing followed Israel assassination of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Lebanon one day earlier. Haniyeh was killed in the middle of ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel. With the death toll in Gaza nearing 40,000, and the family members of Israeli hostages desperately calling for a prisoner exchange, the pressure to come to an agreement has been mounting. But Haniyeh was a chief negotiator in those talks, and now, the chances of arriving at a deal seem further than ever. Meanwhile, Iran has vowed to retaliate against Israel for the attack on their soil. As of Thursday, August 8th, that hasn’t happened yet, but many now fear that tensions could lead to a wider regional war. In this collaboration between Unsettled Podcast and On the Nose, Unsettled producer Ilana Levinson interviews Tareq Baconi, author of Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance, to make sense of these developments and what Haniyeh’s assassination means for the future of the region. This episode was produced by Ilana Levinson with Emily Bell. Music in this episode from Blue Dot Sessions. Thanks to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).” Further Reading: “ [Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance] (https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=26309) ,” Tareq Baconi “ [Hamas: Gaza (Ep 3)] (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hamas-gaza-ep-3/id1253624935?i=1000430580676) ,” Unsettled Podcast “ [Tareq Baconi: ‘There’s no going back] (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tareq-baconi-theres-no-going-back/id1253624935?i=1000631256788) ,’” Unsettled Podcast “ [Regional War: An Explainer] (https://jewishcurrents.org/regional-war-an-explainer) ,” Alex Kane and Jonathan Shamir, Jewish Currents ... Read more

09 Aug 2024

31 MINS

31:51

09 Aug 2024

#83

The Escalating Regional War

Since October 7th, a low-grade regional war has played out across the Middle East, pitting Israel and its Western allies against various Iran-backed forces. The Yemeni Houthi faction has targeted ships in the Red Sea in response to Israel’s war on Gaza, prompting a wave of US and British airstrikes on Yemen. Meanwhile, Iraqi militias have repeatedly fired rockets at US forces in their country. Hezbollah and Israel have also traded deadly fire on the Lebanon–Israel border, leading to mass displacement on both sides. Now, with Israel’s recent assassinations of a senior Hezbollah commander in a Beirut suburb, and of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, these relatively-limited conflicts threaten to turn into a far-bloodier conflagration. On this episode of On the Nose, senior reporter Alex Kane interviews regional expert Trita Parsi and scholar Karim Makdisi about these assassinations, the strategies and interests of Iran and Hezbollah, and the Biden administration’s response to the prospect of a full-scale regional war. Thanks to guest producer Will Smith and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).” ARTICLES MENTIONED AND FURTHER READING “ [Regional War: An Explainer] (https://jewishcurrents.org/regional-war-an-explainer) ,” Alex Kane and Jonathan Shamir, Jewish Currents “ [The Middle East Is Inching Toward Another War] (https://time.com/7006500/israel-iran-us-netanyahu-haniyeh/) ,” Trita Parsi, TIME “ [Biden Warns Netanyahu Against Escalation As Risk Of Regional War Grows] (https://www.axios.com/2024/08/02/biden-netanyahu-call-israel-iran-hezbollah) ,” Barak Ravid, Axios “ [Bomb Smuggled Into Tehran Guesthouse Months Ago Killed Hamas Leader] (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/01/world/middleeast/how-hamas-leader-haniyeh-killed-iran-bomb.html) ,” Ronen Bergman, Mark Mazzetti, and Farnaz Fassihi, The New York Times ... Read more

07 Aug 2024

48 MINS

48:18

07 Aug 2024

#82

Chevruta: Voting

Should leftists vote for the Democratic nominee in the 2024 presidential election? Many have balked at supporting an administration that has funded and armed Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza: Some are refusing to vote outright, while others are conditioning their vote on a dramatic shift in policy. Although President Joe Biden has now dropped out of the race, and will almost certainly be replaced by his vice president, Kamala Harris, this question remains live for many. American leftists have long debated our relationship to electoral politics, and to the Democratic Party in particular. Do we choose the lesser of two evils, hold our nose, and “vote blue no matter who” in order to avert the catastrophes that would result from a Republican presidency? Or are there acts that are too morally outrageous to permit such a utilitarian calculus? And regardless of what we choose, are there ways to think about the meaning of voting that go beyond the pieties of mainstream liberal discourse? In this episode, Jewish Currents contributing writer Raphael Magarik explores these questions with Rania Batrice, a first-generation Palestinian American and political strategist who has devoted her career to electoral work, including as Bernie Sanders’s 2016 deputy campaign manager. The conversation—recorded while Biden was still running—examines a legal responsum by Rabbi Menashe Klein, the spiritual leader of the Ungvar Hasidic community in Brooklyn, about whether one is responsible for the actions of a candidate one votes for. Through engagement with Klein’s responsum, Magarik and Batrice turn over their own ambivalences, grappling with competing ways of thinking about voting. This podcast is part of our chevruta column, named for the traditional method of Jewish study, in which a pair of students analyzes a religious text together. In each installment, Jewish Currents matches leftist thinkers and organizers with a rabbi or Torah scholar. The activists bring an urgent question that arises in their own work; the Torah scholar leads them in exploring their question through Jewish text. By routing contemporary political questions through traditional religious sources, we aim to address the most urgent ethical and spiritual problems confronting the left. Each column includes a written conversation, podcast, and study guide. You can find the column based on this conversation and a study guide [here] (http://jewishcurrents.org/voting-chevruta) . Thanks to Ilana Levinson for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).” ... Read more

01 Aug 2024

33 MINS

33:56

01 Aug 2024

#81

J.D. Vance’s Foreign Policy Vision

Donald Trump’s decision to tap Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate marks the culmination of a Republican foreign policy transformation. While some aspects of Trump’s foreign policy choices in his first term alienated neoconservatives, other elements aligned with their views—and his previous vice presidential pick, Mike Pence, hailed from the interventionist wing of the party. By contrast, Vance has stridently denounced the Iraq War and criticized US funding for Ukraine. His selection suggests that a second Trump term could represent a sharper break from GOP orthodoxy on foreign policy and heralds the rise of a realist nationalist vision for how the US should conduct itself around the world. On this episode of On the Nose, senior reporter Alex Kane speaks with historian Suzanne Schneider and political analyst Matt Duss about the ideology driving Vance’s agenda, his argument that “America First” foreign policy must include US support for Israel, and how a second Trump administration would differ from the Biden administration on international affairs. Thanks to guest producer Will Smith and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).” Articles Mentioned and Further Reading: “ [Light Among The Nations] (https://jewishcurrents.org/light-among-the-nations) ,” Suzanne Schneider, Jewish Currents “ [Vance on Iran: ‘If You’re Going to Punch the Iranians, You Punch Them Hard] (https://jewishinsider.com/2024/07/vance-on-iran-if-youre-going-to-punch-the-iranians-you-punch-them-hard/) ,’” Matthew Kassel, Jewish Insider [Vance’s Keynote Speech at Quincy Institute/The American Conservative Conference] (https://quincyinst.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/28124444/TRANSCRIPT-5.23-QI-Conference.docx.pdf) “ [Trump taps Vance as Running Mate, Anointing Ideological Successor] (https://jewishinsider.com/2024/07/trump-taps-vance-as-running-mate-anointing-ideological-successor/) ,” Matthew Kassel, Jewish Insider " [Leaked Memo Shows J.D. Vance's Anti-Woke Ideology on Foreign Affairs] (https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2024/07/19/jd-vance-leaked-memo-state-department/) ," John Hudson, The Washington Post “ [Harris Candidacy Gives Democrats a Chance to Pivot on Gaza] (https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/07/24/kamala-harris-gaza-israel-democrats-united-states-presidential-race/) ,” Matt Duss, Foreign Policy ... Read more

25 Jul 2024

40 MINS

40:12

25 Jul 2024

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#96