Jonny Gould's Jewish State

Find more of Jonny's podcasts here. Support his podcast work here. Mark Birbeck’s civic life changed on October 7th.  Taken aback by the lack of widespread support for the victims from his fellow Britons, he set about being the change he wanted to see. He founded Our Fight UK to support the Jewish community and Israelis following the terrible events of that morning and the wars and plight of the hostages ever since. With other key figures, notably Kurpa Patel and Iranian dissident Niyak Ghorbani, Mark has fronted protests and counter-protests, challenged boycotts, arms embargoes, and curbs on talking and protesting freely on Israel and antisemitism. He was arrested for displaying a sign labelling Hamas as terrorists, which led to his ban from attending Palestinian-related protests for three months and even talking to Niyak under his bail conditions. But for all the street activism, his faith in British democracy, standards in civic life and policing hasn’t eroded one iota and he engages in dialogue with young Muslims countering him on the streets and seeks out common values with them. He says there are some. Listen for what they are.  And in the course of his extraordinary efforts, he’s re-engaged with a pride in our country.  Mark is an inspiration and comfort for those of us, including me, I confess - who fear that some of our nation's values have been eroded.  Share this episode far and wide, as you listen to Our Fight UK founder, Mark Birbeck. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthrophy. Find more of Jonny's podcasts here. Support his podcast work here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find more from Jonny here. This is Survivor, an animated film created by puppeteer and cartoonist, Zoom Rockman. It's the story of Auschwitz and Dachau survivor, Ivor Perl BEM, based upon his Holocaust memoir, Chicken Soup Under The Tree. The first screening in London took place in November 2024 and you'll hear Ivor and Zoom reflect on the movie and why it's so important. I’ve had the privilege of having a one-to-one conversation with Ivor at his London home, where he shared his harrowing experiences and reflected on the reawakening of antisemitism today. This is a Lemon Soul film, in loving memory of Jonny Zucker, an inspirational teacher, fantastic children's author, who celebrated reading among kids and envisioned educational ideas such as this movie. The stirring title music was composed and performed by Erran Baron Cohen, who produced musical accompaniment on the night. Listen to the story of Survivor. Find more from Jonny here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emily Damari, who's 28, is a joint UK and Israeli citizen and the only living remaining British national held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. On the morning of October 7th, 2023, Emily was in her home on Kibbutz Kfar Azza, 2 miles from the Gaza border, when terrorists entered her house. Her beloved golden cockapoo Choocha was shot dead, Emily was shot and left with severe injuries. She was then blindfolded and kidnapped in the back of her own car and driven into Gaza. Emily's captivity is now well over a year long. Emily's mother Mandy, 63, is a Brit, born in Surrey and grew up with her parents and three brothers in Beckenham, Kent. She visited Israel on holiday aged 20 where she met and fell in love with her husband. Emily is the youngest of four siblings and her mother Mandy says, "her unforgettable smile and cheeky and quick sense of humour light up every room she enters." Emily is a massive Spurs fan and would often plan trips to the UK around a concert or a Spurs game. Tottenham fans have recently initiated the #ShesOneOfOurOwn campaign in her honour. Mandy faced the UK media at a London news conference with an impassioned mesage,🎗️Bring Emily Home. Listen now. She's joined by Lord Stuart Pollak. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jotam Confino is one of Israel’s brightest young journalists. Both disciplined and intrepid, Jotam brings together old school standards with open source leads which surround us all on the socials today.  The key is to discern which video is real, which source reliable. That’s journalism.  Originally from Denmark, Jotam made Aliyah (the Jewish ideal of return) because he wanted to live and work in Israel as a journalist. His career only really began when he moved there in February 2018, when he was 27.  He holds an MA in Security and Diplomacy and a BA in International Studies.  You’ve seen him writing and broadcasting in The Telegraph, CBS News, BBC, USA Today, Haaretz, The Sun, Daily Mail, Good Morning Britain, Sunday Express - and now Jonny Gould’s Jewish State.  He doesn’t shirk the trolls on social media either. He’s Happy to debate online.  And we got together while he was here in London on a book tour.  “Netanyahu’s Israel: Rise of the Far Right” is a collection of interviews with key figures since 1996, and offers the reader a rare look behind the scenes of some of Israel’s most historic moments of recent decades. It’s on Amazon.  Let’s talk about being a Jewish and Zionist journalist. In the overwhelming anti-Israel tirade of mass media, has his commitment to objective reporting relented into defending Israel? Is there anything wrong with that?  What are the tunnels like?  And Netanyahu: can he survive to the end of his term, could he ever win without the right wing of his coalition?  Oh, and will the new Trump Administration turn the tide for Israel. Are the mullahs day’s numbered in Iran?  Let’s meet Jotam Confino. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices