Ajc Passport

Receive an in-depth look at the American Jewish Committee’s just-released State of Antisemitism in America 2021 report, which includes the largest-ever surveys of American Jews and the United States general public on antisemitism. Listen as Avi Mayer, AJC’s Managing Director of Public Affairs and Senior Spokesperson, and Holly Huffnagle, AJC’s U.S. Director for Combating Antisemitism, break down the report’s findings and discuss what Americans should do to confront the normalization of Jew-hatred. Then, we’re joined by the winner of our audience survey drawing for a guest spot on our closing segment, Shabbat Table Talk. Listener Jim Ramenofsky speaks with Manya Brachear Pashman about what the findings of the report mean to him, and reflecting on his close friend, Lori Gilbert Kaye, who was murdered in the attack on the Poway Chabad in 2019. ____ Episode Lineup: (0:40) Avi Mayer and Holly Huffnagle (22:45) Manya Brachear Pashman and Jim Ramenofsky ____ Show Notes: Read the results from the 2021 State of Antise

On Wednesday, October 27, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto will ask residents to observe a moment of silence and reflection at 9:54 a.m. That was the moment the shooting started at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood in 2018. The antisemitic attack left 11 worshippers dead, and wounded two other congregants and police officers. Listen to Mayor Peduto recount what it was like to comfort and protect not just the city he led, but his neighbors and friends, after America’s deadliest antisemitic attack three years ago. Then, for our closing segment, Shabbat Table Talk, Manya Brachear Pashman speaks with Liel Leibovitz of Tablet Magazine’s podcast Unorthodox, to discuss how the Pittsburgh community united following the tragedy. ____ Episode Lineup: (0:40): Mayor Bill Peduto  (20:46): Manya Brachear Pashman and Liel Leibovitz ____ Show Notes: Crossover with Tablet’s Unorthodox: How the Jews Went Right in Britain

This special podcast collaboration with Tablet’s Unorthodox unpacks the political shift of British Jews in the wake of Jeremy Corbyn’s antisemitic scandal-filled five-year tenure as Labour party leader. This live podcast is hosted by Liel Leibovitz of Tablet’s Unorthodox and Manya Brachear Pashman of AJC’s People of the Pod, and features comedian and author of Jews Don’t Count David Baddiel; Lecturer in Sociology at Goldsmiths University of London and author of Contemporary Left Antisemitism David Hirsh; Man Booker Prize novelist and journalist Howard Jacobson; and Research Fellow at International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and former Union of Jewish Students president Hannah Rose. Did the Corbynization of the Labour party move Jews to the right or leave them politically homeless? Has current party leader Keir Starmer been able to regain the confidence of the country’s Jewish population? Listen for answers to these pressing questions and more. Episode Lineup: (0:40) David Baddiel, David Hirsch, H

Dara Horn is angry. And the award-winning author of five novels wants you to know why. This week, she’s sitting down with guest co-host Laura Shaw Frank, AJC’s Director of William Petschek Contemporary Jewish Life, to discuss why People Love Dead Jews, which is the title of her first work of nonfiction, and what that obsession means for modern-day Jewry, Israel, and efforts to counter rising antisemitism. Episode Lineup: (0:40) Dara Horn (24:09) Manya Brachear Pashman and Laura Shaw Frank Show notes: Head to AJC.org/AdvocacyAnywhere to register for the first in a four-part series by Tablet Magazine and AJC titled “21st Century Europe and the Jews”, which aims to address timely issues related to Jewish life and the protection of democracies in Europe. The series will delve into the most pressing issues in the United Kingdom, Poland, France, and Germany. The first program on October 19th, 12-1pm ET, “How the Jews Went Right in Britain,” will start with the UK, and will be moderated by Manya Brachear Pashman and

Four years ago hundreds of torch-bearing far-right demonstrators marched through the University of Virginia campus. The Unite the Right rally/antisemitic hatefest in Charlottesville, Virginia featured chants of “Jews will not replace us” and Nazi flags. Self-identified white supremacist James Fields perpetrated the car ramming attack that killed Heather Heyer and injured countless others. While Fields was held accountable for his actions in court, what about those who meticulously organized the rally? Who will hold them accountable? Our guest for this week, Executive Director of Integrity First for America (IFA) Amy Spitalnick, previews the upcoming trial of Sines v. Kessler—IFA’s lawsuit against the rally’s organizers—and shares how she is working to push far-right extremists back into the shadows where they belong.  ___ Episode Lineup: (0:40) Amy Spitalnick (19:51) Manya Brachear Pashman and Melanie Maron Pell ___ Show notes: What All Jews Need to Know About the EU’s New Strategy to Combat Antisemitism

Today, a new strategy for combating antisemitism was announced by the European Union. Does it have a chance to help Jews in Europe? What are the plan’s implications for diaspora Jewish communities outside of the continent? Two of AJC’s leaders in Europe who have worked closely with the EU and member state governments in the effort to counter rising Jew-hatred, Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, Managing Director of AJC Europe, and Daniel Schwammenthal, Director of AJC’s Transatlantic Institute, answer these questions and more in this special bonus episode of AJC’s People of the Pod.  Throughout the month of October, AJC’s People of the Pod will focus on the rise of antisemitism around the world and what it means for all diaspora Jewish communities and Israel. ___ Episode Lineup: (0:40) Simone Rodan-Benzaquen and Daniel Schwammenthal  ___ Show Notes: To learn more about the antisemitism in Europe that led to this report, go to AJC.org/antisemitismineurope. Tune in on Thursday for our conversation with Amy Spitalnick, Exe

When the U.S. House of Representatives voted last week 420-9-2 to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome defense system, it ended debate about America’s short-term support for the program and simultaneously sparked a conversation about the future of bipartisan support for the U.S.-Israel relationship.  Mark Mellman, President and CEO of Democratic Majority for Israel, joins us to address that topic and more, including whether Democratic support for Israel is shifting and trends in attitudes towards Israel on both sides of the aisle. Julie Rayman, AJC’s Senior Director of Policy and Political Affairs, guest hosts this week’s episode. AJC is a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. As such, AJC does not endorse or oppose political parties or candidates. ____ Episode Lineup: (0:40) Mark Mellman (20:58) Manya Brachear Pashman and Julie Rayman ____ Show notes: Integrity First for America’s  “Unite Against Nazis”: A Virtual Rally in Support of IFA’s Groundbreaking Charlottesville Lawsuit - September 30, 7:30pm ET

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

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

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 Experience

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!

Earlier this week, four Iranian operatives were charged in the attempted kidnapping of the U.S.-based Iranian exile Masih Alinejad, a human rights activist and journalist. Alinejad was kicked out of her native country nearly a decade ago for her anti-veiling advocacy. This week on the podcast, we’re joined by AJC Europe Managing Director Simone Rodan Benzaquen, who recently interviewed Alinejad about her activism and the harrowing experiences she faced in Iran.  Then, Juan Dircie, Associate Director of AJC's Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs, shares his personal reflections on the upcoming anniversary of the bombing at the AMIA Jewish Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and why we must never stop fighting for justice.  ______ Lineup: (0:40) Masih Alinejad, Simone Rodan Benzaquen (16:47) Juan Dircie (20:15) Manya Brachear Pashman ______ Show Notes: Win a guest spot on the podcast by filling out our Audience Survey! “Le Sursaut : 3 Questions” featuring AJC Europe Managing Director Simone Ro

This week, we bring you highlights from an important announcement made at AJC Virtual Global Forum 2021. Three U.S. Senators, Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Tim Scott (R-SC), announced the launch of the Senate Caucus on Black-Jewish Relations. This bipartisan caucus, the first of its kind in the United States Senate, will bring together elected leaders from the Black and Jewish communities, and both sides of the aisle, to strengthen Black-Jewish relations, bolster mutual understanding, and work to combat antisemitism and racism. Then, in the decade-plus since Israel was branded the Start-Up Nation, we have seen still more dazzling successes come out of the Jewish state, like Google's billion-dollar acquisition of the navigation company Waze, Intel's $15 billion acquisition of the self driving car technology company Mobileye, and the NASDAQ initial public offering last month of team management software company Monday.com, which now has a market cap of $10 billion. Joining us this week to talk abou

In 2017, the Chicago Dyke March ejected Jewish marchers carrying rainbow flags emblazoned with Stars of David. This year, it promoted its upcoming event with a cartoon image showing the burning of Israeli and American flags. To discuss why the Chicago Dyke March has been exhibiting such hostility towards supporters of Israel, we sit down with Ethan Felson, a progressive activist for more than thirty years and Executive Director of A Wider Bridge, a nonprofit that connects American and Israeli LGBTQ communities and works to strengthen LGBTQ inclusion in Israel.  Then, AJC Miami/Broward County Director Brian Siegal shares his personal reflections on the collapse of the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside, Florida, and how the community has come together in the wake of this immense tragedy. ______ Episode Lineup: (0:40) Ethan Felson (16:32) Brian Siegal (19:19) Manya Brachear Pashman (22:22) Seffi Kogen ______ Show Notes: Fill out our audience survey for a chance to win a spot on the show! www.AJC.org/Po

Last week, Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline cleric known as “the Butcher of Tehran” for having overseen thousands of executions, was chosen to succeed Hassan Rouhani as Iran’s president. Daniel Schwammenthal, Director of AJC’s Brussels-based Transatlantic Institute, joins us to discuss what Raisi’s selection means for the future of Iran and ongoing nuclear talks. Over in Israel, the country’s new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, has reportedly met several times in recent months with leading public Israeli intellectual Micah Goodman, who previously sat down with us on the podcast. Listen as Goodman discusses his book Catch-67, which focuses on “decreasing the conflict” until a permanent deal can be reached.  Please note that this episode contains depictions of violence that some people may find disturbing.  ____ Episode Lineup: (0:41) Daniel Schwammenthal (Please note that this segment contains depictions of violence that some people may find disturbing.) (14:53) Micah Goodman (30:46) Manya Brachear Pashman (33:42) S