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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Brian Epstein is one of the most significant cultural figures in Anglo Jewry’s 20th century. 

Midas Man is the fifth Beatle's story.

Also from Liverpool, Brian saw the fledgling Fab Four performing at the Cavern one lunchtime, was bedazzled by them and went about masterminding their rise to global fame.

He crafted their image, secured their first record deal, and so heralded the British cultural invasion of America.

Brigit Grant wrote the screenplay for "Midas Man” highlighting his journey from family department store heir to one of the most influential music managers of all time.

But behind the glitz and glamour was a man seeking acceptance and love, but not able to get it. 

Midas Man peels back the curtain on the swinging '60s, the triumphs, heartbreaks, and secrets of the man who changed the face of music forever.

Brigit popped round my house, we put the kettle on and had a good chat about Brian and the movie.

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What is “strategic drift” and why does it threaten Israel’s military progress in Gaza? 

How dismantled is Hamas? How can Israel’s borders be secured so that the people of Sderot, Ofakim and the kibbutzim return home? 

Is Israel going to have to build a wall?  

In the north, the IDF is capitalising on some remarkable early breakthroughs in the battle to break Hezbollah. What now? 

As Yoav Gallant is sacked by Benjamin Netanyahu - again, is that a signal of military progress?

And the return of President Trump to the Oval Office: what that will mean to Israel’s fight against Iran and its proxies. 

These are all questions for my friend, Andrew Fox.

Research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, Andrew served in the British Army for sixteen years, retiring as a Major in 2021 

As a senior lecturer in War Studies and Behavioural Science at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, He holds degrees in Law & Politics, Modern War Studies, and Psychology. 

It’s always good to speak to Andrew Fox.

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"An urgent ceasefire, get humanitarian aid in without further delay, release the hostages. Oh, and let's move towards a Two-State Solution". 

When we switch on the news, that's the agenda-setting drumbeat from politicians, aided and abetted by international institutions and their media lackies.

The unrepentant, unaccountable BBC and others don't care about the mess they leave.

Welcome back for the third time to Jonny Gould's Jewish State, Imshin, Jacqui Peleg.

Her sources are impeccable, transparent and open source and they tell the REAL story in Gaza.

Because they come from videos uploaded to social media by Gazans themselves. This is how they want us to see and hear them.

They’re all available now on her X account, Imshin.

Jonny Gould's Jewish State is supported by Dangoor Education.

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Israel is fighting an existential war on seven fronts but an eighth one always seems to be discounted from the reckoning. 

It’s the battle of narratives, played through media, both legacy and social.

Somewhere since October 7th 2023, the truth has been trampled down a long deep rabbit hole. 

What you’re about to listen to is totally irreconcilable with the shorthand, throwaway phrases you get from mainstream bulletins. 

Mosab Hassan Yousef, born in 1978 is a child of the Israel Gaza conflict. 

He’s "The Green Prince," son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, co-founder of Hamas. 

Raised in a family deeply entangled with Hamas, Mosab seemed destined for a life of terrorism.

But he defected to Israel in 1997 and worked as a spy for Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service for a decade until he moved to the United States. 

He helped them prevent numerous suicide bombings and other terror attacks leading to the capture of several Hamas operatives. 

His autobiography, "Son of Hamas," details his life, his disillusionment with Hamas and his espionage. He converted to Christianity too, distancing himself from his roots still further - adding a layer to his own transformation.

Not enough delegates turned up to the European Parliament in Brussels to listen to him and he declares his disappointment at the start of this speech - so let's gets his stark message out still further.

Share this episode to your friends.

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This is a rather different and special episode of Jonny Gould’s Jewish State. It's year 2 of our “Schools Podcaster of the Year” award, presented this year by Dangoor Education. 

It stars our winner, 11-year-old David Green from Year 6 at North West London Jewish Day School, who won the chance to make this episode with me. 

David has the open mind of a young man blessed with great intelligence and the capacity for profound uncluttered insights. 

And he secured time for us with Rabbi Dr. Raphael Zarum, a man of great learning. His latest book is "Questioning Belief: Torah and Tradition in an Age of Doubt”, reconciling Judaism with modernity, addressing profound questions that intersect faith, science, and contemporary life.

He’s Dean of the London School of Jewish Studies (LSJS) and holds the Rabbi Sacks Chair of Modern Jewish Thought, named in honour of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks of blessed memory, our late Chief Rabbi’s' legacy in contemporary Jewish philosophy and education.

With the Dangoor Education “Schools Podcaster of the Year”, I'm encouraging the next generation to think seriously about journalism and storytelling - not just to take in the TikTokers and YouTubers.

And the word is spreading, a second school is joining the title chase.

So if you’d like yours to have a separate competition, have a word with your head and put them in touch with me.

Here is Rabbi Zarum with competition winner, David Green.

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“After The Pogrom” - what now for Israel and the Jewish diaspora? And for western civilisation for that matter? 

The swirling dust of conflict has brought with it significant changes to our world and yet amid Israel’s fight on seven fronts, Brendan O’Neill’s coherent methodic analysis explains what we’re witness to. 

Brendan’s not on X, you’ll only find “burntoakboy” as he’s known on Instagram “because the rest of social media is far too rough and ugly” for him.

And it’s where since October 7th 2023, he’s been ever present with stout, sometimes uncensored defences of the State of Israel.

You’ve seen him writing for Spiked Online and on TV and radio. 

But he’s no Johnny Come Lately: he’s not jumped on the Israel bandwagon.

In our first interview here on Jonny Gould’s Jewish state in 2020, Brendan compared the Jewish and non-Jewish people’s takeaways from the Second World War. 

While Europeans declared that to end all wars, we needed “happy clappy borders”, Jews on the other hand recognised that secure borders were absolutely essential to our survival. 

How right he’s proved to be. Scroll back to episode 51 for a gripping interview during the Brexit and Covid years.

But right now, recorded on this most poignant date in our recent history, it’s always a pleasure to spend time with Brendan O’Neill. Buy “After The Pogrom” here.

And you can help support Jonny's efforts by following this link.

Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy.

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Amid the IDF's push into Lebanon to eliminate Hezbollah, the thwarting of terror attacks on Israel’s streets and the hail of rockets fired into them, we must always, always keep in our minds the plight of our hostages incarcerated by the savages of Hamas and their accomplices in Gaza. 

For it was on that fateful Shabbat and Simchat Torah morning of October 7th 2023, that the lives of Israeli and Jewish people around the world changed forever. 

Free the hostages. Bring them home now.

Let’s go back to where it all started. 

As chaos broke out all around her, our guest today relives the moments of sheer terror that morning, but her words are laced with a message of future hope and delivered with tremendous dignity.

This is Irit Lahav, survivor of the Kibbutz Nir Oz disaster as she revealed how she survived, while her dearest friends were murdered or taken hostage around her. Also, when and why she wants to go home and why it’s so important for the country as a whole that she does.

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Jonny Gould's Jewish State is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet, promoting philanthropy.

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