Episodes

  • 195: London's "piece of Palestine on British soil", Starmer's Embassy is inaugurated.

    195: London's "piece of Palestine on British soil", Starmer's Embassy is inaugurated.
    Jan 5 2026
    Help Jonny's worldwide coverage of Jewish and Israeli stories. Buy him a morale boosting coffee here. And so it’s happened. There’s now a piece of Palestine on British soil. In Galena Road, a back street of Hammersmith. An interesting name for a Palestinian address. It’s a Sephardi Jewish surname for one. And archaeologists discovered a prehistoric trench under the modern office building on which this embassy now stands - the remnants of a Roman road. The Romans,conquerors of Jerusalem, destroyers of the Second Temple, which forced most of the indigenous Jews into exile. You decide if G-d has a sense of humour. Keir Starmer’s ill-conceived declaration of Palestine, which has led to this embassy and described by former prime minister Boris Johnson as a “fart in a gale” amounts to a staging post in the Palestinian pursuit to destroy the Jewish State. Starmer’s unleashed a persistent stink on the British people rather than a momentary pong. As the continuing Hamas protests ruin London’s premier shopping and entertainment thoroughfares, Starmer’s only served to embolden the keffiyeh-wearing terror supporters into Palestining our city centres on days off and threatening the daily lives of Jewish people as they go about communal prayer or dropping kids off at school. In a stroke, Starmer’s turned an office block off King St’s one-way system from a self-proclaimed mission to a full-blown embassy, with a Palestinian flag hoisted outside. “Palestine” has no internationally agreed boundaries, no capital and no army. No army of course, but for terrorist militias Hamas, Islamic Jihad and others. But now Starmer has gifted them the diplomatic credentials and privileges of every other state represented in London - now with the cloak of diplomatic protection to plan what Palestine is best known for. Starmer’s proclaimed vision for Palestine included a governing militia he freely calls a terrorist group, whatever he now says since Donald Trump’s decisive action to bring all but one of the remaining Israel’s hostages home from Gaza hell. So if you’re wandering down King Street in your kippah or tzitzis unlucky enough to take the wrong short cut to Ravenscourt Park tube, think twice about the route you take. Because the Palestine Embassy isn’t a peaceful diplomatic entity and by promoting it, Starmer’s contributed to importing the intifada to Britain’s streets. Here’s Hassan Zomlot, Palestine’s first Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Listen very closely to his words. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Find all of Jonny's podcasts and writing on his Substack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    21 mins
  • 46: Eva Schloss: Anne Frank's stepsister, "I forgive the Nazis"

    46: Eva Schloss: Anne Frank's stepsister, "I forgive the Nazis"
    Sep 30 2020
    If you’ve listened and enjoyed a few episodes, help me by following this link to donate: https://ko-fi.com/jonnygould. Today’s guest is Anne Frank’s stepsister, Holocaust survivor and world renowned speaker, Eva Schloss. Eva Schloss, step-sister of Anne Frank, forgives the Nazis. Aged just 11, her happy family life in Vienna was cancelled as the Germans annexed Austria, turning the populous against the Jews in an instant. She describes this national mood change as “unbelievable”. Non-Jewish friends suddenly shunned her and her older brother was severely beaten by classmates. With her family, she fled for her life through Belgium and Holland, as the Nazis mercilessly hunted Europe’s Jews. Young Eva had to adapt to new schools, languages and countries and was bullied by fellow children and even teachers. Eventually, betrayed by a Dutch underground agent, she was captured and sent to Auschwitz. In 1945, barely alive, she was rescued with her mother by Soviet troops. Her father and brother were killed. But the 91-year-old survivor says, “Forgiving is most difficult because the human consciousness has a hard time living in the present”. She’s on a mission to talk for her family and the millions of others, senselessly slaughtered by the Nazis and their European accomplices during World War II. Eva is now a prolific speaker around the world on the horrors of the Holocaust and knows what true forgiveness means. Could you forgive like she has? With sincere thanks to my good friend Rabbi Yosef Vogel and his Centre for Jewish Life for this incredible interview opportunity and you’ll hear Yosef towards the end of the interview with his rabbinic insights. This is Eva Schloss🎧 Can you help keep this voluntary service going? If you’ve listened and enjoyed a few episodes, help me by following this link to donate: https://ko-fi.com/jonnygould Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    57 mins
  • 194: Bottling the Shock of Bondi as a Call for Action

    194: Bottling the Shock of Bondi as a Call for Action
    Dec 24 2025
    Find Jonny's articles and all of his podcasts here. Support Jonny's efforts by buying him a coffee or two! The world moves on fast. The headline ticker keeps rolling, attention shifts, and even the most brutal moments are softened by the relentless pace of the news cycle. But for those left to mourn — and for Jewish communities across the global diaspora — the shock of Bondi has not faded. It’s hardened into fear. Fear driven by the perceived lack of action by western leaders against creeping Islamist incursions into the West, attacks that target Jews and threaten the very foundations of open societies themselves. This episode is an attempt to bottle that shock. To take you back to the moment you first heard the news — whether you woke up to it, saw it break during your day, or learned of it whichever time zone you’re in. To remind you how it felt as you lit your own Chanukah lights on day one. You’ll hear from eyewitnesses there as it unfolded collected from Sky News Australia. From a doctor, speaking anonymously who treated the dead and injured. From an Australian police officer on the scene. From Rabbi Levi Wolff of Sydney’s Central Synagogue. And from the highest levels of leadership in Israel — President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Plus as Chanukah drew to a close Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns, on the government’s response to the tragedy. We’ve since seen an unimaginable terror plot foiled in the UK, by Britain’s secret services for what can best be described as a Bataclan style massacre on Manchester’s Jewish communities. This is not about letting the Bondi moment pass. It’s about remembering it — clearly, honestly, however uncomfortably. Action on this international persecution of Jews must start now. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education. Find Jonny's articles and all of his podcasts ⁠here⁠. Support Jonny's efforts by ⁠buying him a coffee⁠ or two! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    27 mins
  • 193: Kabylia's Declaration of Independence. As Jews around the world, we should care about this.

    193: Kabylia's Declaration of Independence. As Jews around the world, we should care about this.
    Dec 15 2025
    Find all of my podcasts, TV appearances and writing at my Substack. As westerners, as Jews, as supporters of Israel, we should know more about the Kabyle people, the largest of North Africa’s indigenous Amazigh groups, part of the Berber people. On December 14th 2025, Kabylia declared independence from Algeria. With their own language, culture, and a centuries-long tradition of autonomy, the Kabyle have maintained a distinct identity despite repeated periods of foreign rule and the oppression which always follows. Is there future at a turning point. Rogue state Algeria has sharply escalated its repression of the Kabyle people’s political, cultural, and religious life with churches forcibly closed and leaders in civil society facing escalating intimidation. Many detained without due process, and political expression increasingly criminalized. And now, in the midst of this pressure, Kabylia issued a Declaration of Independence. They believe in Britain’s moral authority and so a delegation came to our parliament in London. The delegation waited until the final hour to learn whether Paris-based President-in-Exile, Furhat Merhenni would receive his UK visa in time. But he didn’t get it. But the story moves forward. To understand what this moment means for Kabylia, for Algeria, and for the region, I spoke Murad Amellal, Chief of Staff to President Merhenni and his Special Envoy. In our conversation, he walks us through the stakes, the strategy, and the sentiment around the world as Kabylia approaches what he calls a defining chapter in its modern political journey. But there are big questions: * If the leadership isn’t physically there, what does a Declaration of Independence actually do in practice? * With the President-in-Exile, what happens next? * If the declaration were issued on Algerian soil, just how would Algeria move to suppress it? * How does President Merhenni’s role compare to leaders in Israel’s early statehood? Who is Ben-Gurion, Begin or Herzl? * And find out why the Kabyle people’s cultural, linguistic and religious background embrace western values not those of Islamic extremism. All that—and more—in my rangy conversation with Murad Amellal. Find all of my podcasts, TV appearances and writing at my ⁠Substack⁠. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    29 mins
  • 192: Centered: The Senator Joe Lieberman Story with former Chief of Staff, Rob Schwartz

    192: Centered: The Senator Joe Lieberman Story with former Chief of Staff, Rob Schwartz
    Nov 23 2025
    Follow all of Jonny's podcasts and latest writing in his Substack. Today we explore the legacy of Joe Lieberman and the documentary movie Centered about his life. He remains to this day the only orthodox Jew to stand for vice president of the United States, on the ticket with fellow Democrat Al Gore, losing by the narrowest and most controversial of margins to George W. Bush. And how he may have stood again as a Republican candidate alongside John McCain later in his career. Centered, directed by Jonathan Gruber, who also made the brilliant Upheaval, the story of Menachem Begin, captures Joe Lieberman’s lifelong devotion to public service, moral conviction, and pragmatic leadership. I was delighted to meet Rob Schwartz in London as the movie was screened here for the first time, a close friend of Joe Lieberman and a trusted partner through decades of public life. Rob’s insider’s perspective as Senator Lieberman’s chief of staff, bring depth, warmth, and intimate understanding to his legacy celebrated in Centered. Follow all of Jonny's podcasts and latest writing in his ⁠Substack⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    50 mins
  • 191: The BBC's built-in bias "always believes the worst about Israel"

    191: The BBC's built-in bias "always believes the worst about Israel"
    Nov 13 2025
    Help support Jonny's independent journalism by supporting him on Substack. The BBC's top brass have lost their jobs over the institutionalised bias of their news coverage. But their news output which made them so famous and trusted around the world has let the rest of the corporation down for a very long time. Director-General Tim Davie and CEO of News, Deborah Turness resigned over a series of scandals exposed by a memo written by Michael Prescott and leaked to the Daily Telegraph. As a supporter of Israel, you'll have known for a long, long time how their news produced hostile output about the Jewish State - and today we meet a man who has dedicated his career to listening, watching and reading BBC Arabic's astonishingly antisemitic output. He's CAMERA's Senior Arabic Researcher and he goes by an alias, "David Grom". CAMERA is The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis. I have bleeped out his real name both for his own protection and for the sad reality that we live in an incessant time of cancellation. "David" talks about his editorial achievements, what he's found, particularly since October 7th and how "artwashing" is a growing part of anti-Israel sentiment in the growing arena of the podcast. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by you, Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    30 mins
  • 190: Maccabi Tel Aviv's sorrowful ban from Aston Villa plunges football into darkness

    190: Maccabi Tel Aviv's sorrowful ban from Aston Villa plunges football into darkness
    Oct 23 2025
    Find Jonny's writing and other podcasts on his Substack. Buy him a coffee here. A chunk of my background, both personal and professional, has been washed away. I didn’t think football was supposed to hurt like this. Banning a mere thousand or less Israeli football fans from Villa Park for a Europa League tie is a cause for deep sorrow. But not just for me, an Aston Villa fan through my Holocaust-surviving grandfather who setup his typewriter shop bang next to Aston Station on the Lichfield Road, but for this generation of Villa fans and those to come. Because football is supposed to be a thrilling, entertaining source of pride. Not a dispensary for anger and shame, of imported hate and community breakdown. Is the Beautiful Game still beautiful? My generation and those that came before had the best of it. We enjoyed league title wins, European glory and trips to Wembley. But it would have meant nothing without the communal joy and camaraderie it spawned. And for this Jewish kid, it was a high voltage plug-in to the prevailing, sometimes overwhelming culture of my city beyond my upbringing. So accepting they were of me, that by the age of 21, I was reporting my beloved team from the press box for the radio station covering the West Midlands and Shropshire. When I returned as a national reporter to the old Trinity Road box years later, the stewards, dear old men, bowled me over with their effusive welcome back. Like that beautiful Archibald Leitch-designed stand, their unvarnished spirit is gone. So this is my own very personal sadness about what football and the city that helped shape me has become. The English game shunned politics, now it’s buried by it. Snarling Islamist boycotters - an elected MP is trashing what was good here. For what? They think it’s all over. It is now. Find Jonny's writing and other podcasts on his ⁠Substack⁠. Buy him a ⁠coffee here.⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    39 mins
  • BONUS EPISODE: Yom Kippur tragedy in Manchester

    BONUS EPISODE: Yom Kippur tragedy in Manchester
    Oct 3 2025
    Find my writing and podcasts on Substack. The anger we feel as British Jews has reached a head as we mourn the two congregants from Heaton Park, who were killed on Yom Kippur inside the synagogue. This episode also includes the regrettable appearance of David Lammy, the deputy prime minister in front of a furious community in north Manchester. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education, the Rosemarie Nathanson Charitable Trust and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    19 mins