Sign up to Jonny's substack. The Labour government has a super majority in Britain’s House of Commons, the sixth biggest of all time, similar to Tony Blair’s in 1997 - but that makes it prone to backbench rebellion. Even within its first year of government. As we’ve seen. And as Sir Keir Starmer failed to win support to get his original welfare bill over the line, with big U turns on an inquiry into grooming gangs and winter fuel payments to the elderly, there’s also that queasy feeling when it comes to his government and Israel. When Bob Vylan’s murderous chanting live on stage at Glastonbury was transmitted on the BBC, Wes Streeting’s shock reaction was that Israel’s embassy should get its house in order. And now the Prime Minister has declared that Britain will recognise a Palestinian State unless Israel ceases its war on terror in Gaza. That Starmer is trying to use recognition as a blackmail tool is not just monstrous - but from a parallel world to reality. Hamas are delighted, they describe it as the fruits of their October 7th pogrom, no less. So the PM's actions only serve to prolong the war, for generations, using Israel as a geopolitical football, just to head off a backbench rebellion and appease leading cabinet members who’d usurp him as leader if given the chance. How do you feel about Labour? Did you vote for them? Here are two Labour MPs who hold strong views which go against the prevailing winds. I met Sharon Hodgson and Joani Reid at The Actions Matter Summit held in Vienna in December 2024, working for ELNET UK, the European Leadership Network. Their European arm organised it in partnership with the Combat Antisemitism Movement. These interviews were recorded in the fraught weeks before British Israeli hostage Emily Damari was released from Gazan hell, a desperate crisis which really struck a deep chord with Sharon. And Joani is the ultimate conviction politician. Her consituency in East Kilbride has no Jewish community and she has no Jewish family. She's a former councillor in Lewisham, so why is she so vocal in support of Jewish people? Sign up to ⁠Jonny's substack⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonny's podcasts rely entirely on your generous support. Buy Jonny a coffee, so he can keep making them. Thank you. Today, we’re honoured to share the agonising recollections of Keith and Aviva Siegel, survivors of Hamas captivity in Gaza. They came to London and addressed the media at the Israeli Embassy in Kensington. Abducted from their Kibbutz Kfar Aza home on October 7, 2023, Aviva endured 51 days, Keith 484, facing starvation, abuse, and torture, even attempts to force conversion to Islam. Now reunited, they talk tirelessly for hostages still held. I won’t sugar coat or redact any of what they said. It’s most distressing in places. It brought me to tears when they talked about the Bibas family. But please don’t turn off, don’t look away. Share with as many as you can because as Aviva says, if Hamas are allowed to do this, a worldwide tyranny becomes allowed and tolerated. This is their mission to bring every hostage home. Jonny's podcasts rely entirely on your generous support.⁠ Buy Jonny a coffee⁠, so he can keep making them. Thank you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find all of Jonny's podcasts, recorded since 2018 and his writing by following his Substack. You can help support him with a coffee here! It's the third year of Jonny Gould's Jewish State Schools Podcaster of the Year, presented with Dangoor Education. Our winner from Year 6 is 10-year-old Meira Masher from Independent Jewish Day School in Hendon, London and she secured time for us with an international cricketer with an extraordinary story. Mandy Yachad wore tzitzit at the crease while batting for South Africa. They’re on display at Lords, the Home of Cricket, in a permanent exhibition. Of course he played at Lord’s - wearing them! And Mandy was no ordinary player. He was an opening batsman who scored 14 centuries and 32 fifties in his 16-year first class career, spanning 109 matches - mostly during the apartheid era. With much of his career falling during the international sporting boycott of South Africa in the 1980s and early 1990s, Mandy was denied the opportunity during the prime of his career. Mandy was named among the South African Cricket Annual five Players of the Year both in 1985 and 1991. He also played 21 times for his country at hockey too. He eventually quit because he became religious and found it too difficult to observe shabbat. Now at 64 with a lifetime of special memories, how does he reflect on his career? What's South Africa like these days and what was it like to grow up in an apartheid state? This is Mandy Yachad in conversation with our winner, Meira Masher. Find all of Jonny's podcasts, recorded since 2018 and his writing by following his ⁠Substack.⁠ You can help⁠ support him with a coffee⁠ here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Follow Jonny's writing and podcasts on his Substack. Buy him a coffee in support here. The United States struck three Iranian nuclear sites - with President Donald Trump hailing it a 'spectacular military success'. In this episode, listen to announcements by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a momentous night of aerial attacks over Iran. And coming up a fascinating listen in hindsight as Mr Trump speculated over the original two weeks he had given Tehran - with an abrupt and stinging dismissal of his European allies over the Iran crisis. Mr Trump says the facilities were 'totally obliterated' and warned Tehran it 'must now make peace’. Follow Jonny's writing and podcasts on his ⁠Substack⁠. Buy him a ⁠coffee in support here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find all of Jonny's podcasts and writing at his Substack, where you can also support his efforts. Iran's reckless retaliation against Israel's highly targeted attacks on military targets is throwing up new challenges for Israel, the US and other western countries who SHOULD be rallying around the Jewish State. In this episode, listen to the incredulous response of stranded British nationals Max Radford and Gabriella Somerville telling them to go to Egypt in order to fly home! And Colonel Richard Kemp becomes one of the first international voices to eyewitness the heroic work of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, set up to stop Hamas stealing western aid and selling it for a profit to their own people. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, supporting philanthropy. Find all of Jonny's podcasts and writing at his ⁠Substack⁠, where you can also ⁠support his efforts⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support Jonny's work and find all of his podcasts and writing here. A people that rises like a lioness and raises itself like a lion. כדהֶן־עָם֙ כְּלָבִ֣יא יָק֔וּם וְכַֽאֲרִ֖י יִתְנַשָּׂ֑א More than 200 fighter jets from the Israel Air Force, guided by Israeli Intelligence, struck over 100 targets across Iran, including hideouts of senior operatives in the Iran’s military leadership. The strikes eliminated the three most senior military commanders of the Iranian regime: Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Iranian regime, Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami and Commander of Khatam al-Anbiya (Emergency Command). Support Jonny's work and find all of his podcasts and writing ⁠here.⁠ 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

Support Jonny's work ⁠here⁠, find all his⁠ writing and podcasts here⁠ and follow his ⁠YouTube Channel⁠. Reform UK are gathering momentum if polls are anything to go by. The only one that matters is of course, the next General Election which isn’t until 2029 at the latest. Despite that, and a massive majority in the commons, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is treating Reform UK like the opposition, with the Tories in turmoil. Would you vote for Reform? Is it safe to vote for them? How do you feel about Nigel Farage? Can we trust Reform? Are our lives as Jewish people in Britain secure? So right here, let’s confront the challenging realities of the British media’s relentless antiIsrael barrage, and with it escalating security concerns. This is Richard Tice MP, Deputy Leader, Reform UK. Jonny Gould’s Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Support Jonny's work here and find all his writing and podcasts here. Follow his YouTube Channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Follow and find the rest of Jonny's Jewish and Israeli podcast and articles. From gospel stages to the Western Wall, Dumisani Washington’s journey is anything but ordinary. As the founder of the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel, Dumisani shares his extraordinary path - born and raised in the African American church and studying classical piano, to discovering his deep connection with Israel and founding a movement to bridge the gap between Black and Jewish communities. In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, Dumisani exposes the dangerous manipulation of Black identity by movements like BLM, reveals how Iran and anti-Zionist ideologies are infiltrating minority spaces, and explains the true historical bond between Africa and Israel — a bond rooted in Scripture, music, and justice. He shares what happened after his first visit to Israel, how antisemitism in America is being repackaged for a new generation, and why Black-Jewish unity is more urgent than ever post October 7th. This is what solidarity can really look like, a conversation which I hope will inspire you and cut through the more negative headlines we’re all exposed to. Follow and find the rest of Jonny's Jewish and Israeli podcast and articles here: http://jonnygould.substack.com This episode is dedicated in loving memory to Levi Levin, may his music continue to uplift and provide inspiration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Help support Jonny's podcasts by buying him a coffee here. This is for every Jewish fan of the Beautiful Game! It's a hearty football discussion with the one and only David Pleat, featuring Paulo di Canio, chicken soup, Alex Ferguson, chopped liver, Brian Clough & Peter Taylor and Leslie Silver at Leeds. Oh, and throw in Chris Waddle and mum's meatballs for good measure. Tipped as “the next Tom Finney” as an England Schoolboy, David rejected the overtures of a host of clubs to stay at home, finish his ‘O’ Levels and enjoy his mum's home-cooking. David's autobiography, "Just One More Goal", available wherever books are sold, tells his story from an upbringing in Nottingham through a successful managerial career at Luton, Tottenham, Leicester and Sheffield Wednesday. He's still involved in the game as a scout for Scottish champions, Celtic. Nothing is off bounds as David also addresses the allegations of kerbcrawling made against him while at Luton, and whether he experienced antisemitism in the game. “Just One More Goal” has been nominated for sports autobiography of the year. Half the proceeds of the book sales is going also to the Motor Neuron disease charity. LISTEN now to David Pleat with Jonny Gould. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Help support Jonny's podcasts by ⁠buying him a coffee here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find the rest of Jonny's podcasts at http://jonnygould.substack.com Julia Haart doesn’t hold back in this raw and riveting conversation. From her early years in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community to building a billion-dollar global fashion powerhouse, she shares the gripping, often painful journey behind the headlines. This is the woman behind My Unorthodox Life—but what she reveals here goes far beyond reality TV. In this interview, Julia opens up about what really drove her to walk away from a life of religious constraints, how she built Elite World Group from the ground up, and why comfort and beauty don’t have to be opposites. She shares how a scene from Bridget Jones’s Diary sparked her revolutionary shapewear brand, why she believes God is closer to her now than ever before, and how she balances deep Jewish pride with fierce criticism of religious extremism. She also speaks openly about receiving death threats, witnessing the devastation of October 7 firsthand, and why unity among Jews—regardless of religious label—is now more crucial than ever. And in a surprising twist, Julia teases two groundbreaking inventions she’s working on—one that could change global communication, and another that might help end child labor. This is more than an interview. It’s a masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and unapologetic truth-telling. If you think you know Julia Haart, this conversation will make you rethink everything. Watch until the end—you won’t want to miss her vision for the future of Israel, Judaism, and humanity itself. With thanks to Amit at Migdal Ohr UK Find the rest of Jonny's podcasts at http://jonnygould.substack.com Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find all my podcasts and writing at jonnygould.substack.com Phase 2 of the Gaza War is underway, as strikes continue against Hezbollah in the north - even though their command has been decimated "upto 80% of it", according to our guest, Andrew Fox. In this Voices of Clarity series of live events at Chabad of Hampstead Garden Suburb, Andrew discusses the live issues affecting Israel as the conflict on seven fronts continues since October 7th. We talk about a newly rebooted Syrian enemy beyond Mount Hermon and Turkey's growing influence and how reliable a friend is President Donald Trump in the White House? With thanks to Rabbi Bentzi Sudak. Find all my podcasts and writing at jonnygould.substack.com and you can buymeacoffee (and find my work too here). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find the rest of Jonny’s podcasts and writing here. Agree or disagree, Joe Walsh’s counter-intuition on American politics, Donald Trump and the Middle East is hard to ignore.  With one and half million followers across his social media channels, Joe, who served Illinois's 8th district in the House of Representatives returns to Jonny Gould’s Jewish State for a second time.  Because having appeared on the show before Donald Trump’s second election victory, here’s why. A lifelong Republican with a penchant for throwing a Tea Party, Joe opposed Donald Trump so much, he voted Kamala for the White House - whatever their differences.  He said the two-party system needed a shakeup. Oh, and he also told me in his first ever response to my first ever question to him: "I want to retire and die in Israel".  Not Jewish. An American Catholic. So does he believe in Israel’s society more than America's? So much to catchup on. Hold tight, here’s Joe Walsh. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, supporting philanthropy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I can’t align with Palestinian protests and they say I’m less Irish because of it”. Rachel Moiselle is a young woman born and bred in Dublin, a PhD. student who calls herself a city girl. She loves the place she grew up in - but the feeling among her people isn’t much reciprocated. Raised a Roman Catholic, her father’s family were Jewish - and in standing up for Ireland’s community of around 3,000, Rachel’s found out the hard way about antisemitism since October 7th. She’s been shunned, cancelled and lost friends. But she wouldn’t change a thing - oh, except one, that is, she’s fully converting to Judaism. Rachel gives her first ever interview to Jonny Gould about the life she's been thrust into since October 7th. 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

You can help me with a coffee here. "There are two million Palestinians in Gaza!", they cry. All the time. It's repeated as fact. "Bringing Judea and Samaria into Israel would create an Arab majority". Is that right? Quite apart from being untrue, the problem with these statements is that Israel creates policy based on them. So is it time to establish real facts about population and childbirth? Where is the population momentum? Does it lie with Jewish Israelis or their Arab neighbours? Our guest today is Yoram Ettinger, who challenges conventional narratives about population trends in Israel and the Palestinian territories.  His extensive experience diverges from most assumptions. Support me with a coffee here. Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The podcast which prides itself in introducing new voices to the world on the issues we all care about. This is Shannon Seban, a young standout politician from Paris. She’s a conviction politician who believes if you behave otherwise, eventually you’ll lose trust and votes. Shannon currently serves as a municipal councilor in Rosny-sous-Bois and president of Macron’s Renaissance party in Seine-Saint-Denis, it’s where she was born and raised, a diverse and socio-economically challenged area.  Her upbringing there has significantly shaped her politics, she challenges stereotypes about youth from underprivileged neighborhoods. But it comes at quite cost. From Algerian Jewish background, She filed complaints about antisemitic abuse she received during her campaign in 2023 and 2024. She refuses to kowtow to any party line, so where does she stand on President Macron since October 7th. Is Macron becoming a liability? Is she being courted by other parties? How far can she go in French politics? This is Shannon Seban. 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

Jonny's podcast is helped along by your generous support. Buy me a coffee here. How many acts of heroism never come to public attention because of the modesty of the heroes themselves? This is a first-ever audio interview in English with one such man. His name is "Dani', the Mossad commander in charge of “Operation Brothers” for five drama-filled years from 1978. Without doubt, this is one of Israel's finest hours; a Mossad mission to emancipate thousands of Ethiopian Jews from the dangers of revolution and persecution. But this is also about partnership and brotherhood. Mossad would never have achieved this lethally dangerous, giant humanitarian mission without the equal determination of the Ethiopian Jews themselves, to realise a generational longing to return to Israel, the land of their forefathers. "Dani" only agreed to this interview on condition that his full identity wouldn't be revealed. And while he's partially emerged out of the shadows, I'm told many of his Mossad colleagues remain completely anonymous. “Operation Brothers” was a mission to spirit thousands of Ethiopian Jews out of their remote highland villages to walk hundreds of miles to the hell of a Sudanese refugee camp, whereupon they would begin a perilous exodus to Israel. Some Jews were given passports and papers and flown out of Khartoum Airport, a difficult and dangerous process in itself. But thousands of others were transported hundreds more miles to the Sudanese coast under cover of a plain-sight Red Sea diving resort which Dani and his Mossad agents ran as a fully functioning hotel while conducting their covert operations each night. 10% of the Jews didn’t make it, dying on the exhausting journey. Mossad is famous for spying missions and counterespionage - but this was nothing to do with that. This was a world first for such an organisation: purely humanitarian, 700 kilometres behind enemy lines in Sudan, which was extremely hostile to Israel back then. Dani's Mossad command of this covert mission is faithfully chronicled in Raffi Berg’s brilliant book, "Red Sea Spies". I am so grateful to Raffi for organising the interview and truly honoured to talk to Dani. This episode is dedicated to Kasei and Kidan Cohen. Let me inform, educate and entertain you! I’d appreciate your help. If you’ve listened to a few episodes and eagerly anticipate the next one, follow this link to donate. Buy me as little as a cup of coffee at https://ko-fi.com/jonnygould Recorded in May 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you enjoy Jonny's podcasts? Help support him with a coffee here or join his Substack. There’s a higher consciousness and awareness about Tal Hartuv.  She's grounded but spiritual, realistic but also optimistic.  Because Tal’s very existence since 2010 is an improbable miracle. She makes one imagine the dead returning to recount the experience of their murder.  In December of that year, she was brutally attacked by Hamas terrorists while hiking the hills around Jerusalem alongside her friend, Kristine Luken, an American Christian.  Kristine was murdered next to her, but Tal survived by playing dead despite severe injuries, including 18 machete wounds and numerous broken bones. Tal describes in disturbing detail the attack itself (don’t look away) and then reflects on how its changed her, what she was like before and after it, what she thinks of the current 🎗️deal and being labelled a victim when she’s anything but. The attackers who harmed her and killed Kristine are supposed to serve long sentences, but one of the murderers is released in a terrorist-for-hostage-swap agreement. But how does she manage her survivor's guilt when her friend didn’t make it?  Her multiple wounds cause pain when she moves and is a constant visceral reminder of what happened.  How does that impact her life, physically and emotionally?  And after October 7th, she unpacks what peace actually means! This is a truly captivating interview and I hope you appreciate it listening to it as much I did making it. Do you enjoy Jonny's podcasts? Help support him with a coffee here or join his Substack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find more Jonny and buy him a supportive coffee here and he's got a Substack too. Dr. Dan Diker of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs spelt it out for me a couple of episodes back. You've got to address the neighbours in Arabic! So I took his words to heart and did something about it. And where better to start than with President Trump's astounding news conference alongside Prime Minister Netanyahu when he said, "we'll own Gaza". The man to deliver truths to the Arab world is Dr. Edy Cohen, who drills down into the Arab world like no other Israeli. How? With an extraordinary X following of over 850,000. Listen to Edy here, firstly in Arabic and if you want to hear it in English, scroll forward a couple of minutes to find it. Find more Jonny and buy him a supportive coffee here and he's got a Substack too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find more Jonny and buy him a supportive coffee here and he's got a Substack too. Tell your friends and become a regular listener and part of the community of Jonny Gould's Jewish State listeners and YouTube viewers! And become a member with a small monthly donation which helps Jonny make the shows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Find the rest of Jonny's podcasts here and support him with a well-earned coffee here. I was in Brussels as the European Jewish Association gathered experts together from all backgrounds to discuss Middle East post October 7th. In between sessions in the hotel conference centre, I found myself outside the entrance with Ghaith al-Omari, taking in the fresh air and we started talking.  Sporting a blue pinstripe suit, Bohemian ponytail and smoking what looked like a Gitanes, Ghaith and I drummed up a chat that moved onto the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which he was involved in.  As part of the Palestinian Authority, he advised the negotiating team during the permanent-status negotiations for two years from 1999, including the Camp David summit and the Taba talks. It broke down, as we know, but then he helped draft the Geneva Initiative, an unofficial model aimed at a modified resolution. He’s now a Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute, where he continues to provide insights on Palestinian politics, Middle East diplomacy, and the U.S.-Israel Strategic Relationship. With his easygoing manner, I felt I could ask Ghaith any question, which I did, as I wondered how big will the peace industry grow while we wait for the world’s most intractable war to finish? Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy. Find the rest of Jonny's podcasts here and support him with a coffee here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices