Let's Give A Damn

Munther Isaac is a Palestinian Christian pastor and theologian. He now pastors the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem and the Lutheran Church in Beit Sahour. He is also the academic dean of Bethlehem Bible College, and is the director of the highly acclaimed and influential Christ at the Checkpoint conferences. 

He speaks locally and internationally and has published numerous articles on issues related to the theology of the land, Palestinian Christians and Palestinian theology, holistic mission and reconciliation. He is the author of The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope and the forthcoming Christ in the Rubble: Faith, the Bible, and the Genocide in Gaza which will release in March of 2025.

Munther originally studied civil engineering in Birzeit University in Palestine. He then obtained a Master in Biblical Studies from Westminster Theological Seminary and then a PhD from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies.

During our conversation, we discuss his childhood and family, why he chose pastoring over engineering, how they get through each and every horrific day in Palestine, what Americans should be doing right now to continue fighting for a Free Palestine, and so much more.

✅ Follow Munther on Instagram and Twitter.

✅ Preorder his new book coming out in March.

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📱 Reach out anytime: [email protected].

​​❤️ Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all!

Jess Natale is the creator of the Instagram account @so.informed. Her background is in marketing, journalism, political volunteering, and activism. She’s dedicated the So page to educating millions of people around the world on topics ranging from politics and reproductive rights to criminal justice reform and more.

She is actively involved in political protests and organizing, focusing on efforts on the ground to effect change. She also works with nonprofits and groups focused on prison abolition and criminal justice reform.

During our conversation, we discuss what it was like growing up on the poor side of a Connecticut town, why she dropped out of high school, how she got involved in politics, why she started @so.informed, the genocide in Gaza, and so much more.

✅ Follow Jess on Instagram.

✅ Follow @so.informed on Instagram.

✅ Support her work by buying her a coffee (or two).

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✊🏽 Support Let’s Give A Damn on Patreon!

🔥 Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube.

✉️ Sign up for our weekly Substack.

📱 Reach out anytime: [email protected].

​​❤️ Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all!

It’s Daniel Maté & Aaron Maté day on the podcast! Let’s get this out of the way — yes, they are the sons of Dr. Gabor Maté. 

Daniel is a composer, lyricist, and playwright for musical theatre. He is also a mental chiropractor. And he is one of the hosts of Bad Hasbara - The World’s Most Moral Podcast. Lastly, he coauthored a book with his dad called The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture.

Aaron is a terrific writer and journalist. He hosts the show Pushback with Aaron Maté on The Grayzone and is a cohost on the Useful Idiots Podcast. Watch Aaron in action on Piers Morgan Uncensored. 

During our conversation, we discuss what it was like growing up with Gabor Maté as a father, going to Jewish summer camp, the genocide in Gaza, the fascinating work they do, and so much more. 

Listen to their podcasts! Buy their books! Listen to their music! Read their newsletters! Support these incredible folks!

✅ Follow Daniel on Instagram and Twitter.

✅ Follow Aaron on Instagram and Twitter.

✅ Donate to Qusi’s GoFundMe!

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✊🏽 ⁠⁠Support Let’s Give A Damn on Patreon⁠⁠!

🔥 Follow Let’s Give A Damn on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠.

✉️ ⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠ for our weekly email.

📱 Reach out anytime: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠.

❤️ Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all!

It’s Lily Greenberg Call day on the podcast! Remember a couple of months ago when we heard on social media that a Biden appointee had resigned over his atrocious handling of and his complicity in the genocide in Gaza? Lily is *that* staffer!

Lily is a former Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff at the Department of Interior. She has nearly a decade of experience in politics, movement organizing, and domestic and international human rights work. She worked on President Biden's 2020 campaign and served in the administration until May 15, 2024, when she became the first Jewish political appointee to resign in protest of US policy in Gaza. Lily grew up doing pro-Israel advocacy with AIPAC and other organizations throughout high school and college, and later became invested in Palestinian rights and Jewish anti-occupation movements. She has appeared as a guest on MSNBC, CNN, NBC, and given commentary for the Washington Post, Politico, and the Associated Press. Lily holds a B.A. in Political Science and Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley. 

During our conversation, we discuss her Jewish upbringing, her work as a young person doing pro-Israel work, changing her mind as a result of meeting Palestinians, working for Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, resigning on May 15, and so much more. 

✅ Follow Lily on Instagram and Twitter.

✅ Donate to Qusi’s GoFundMe!

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✊🏽 ⁠Support Let’s Give A Damn on Patreon⁠!

🔥 Follow Let’s Give A Damn on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, and ⁠YouTube⁠.

✉️ ⁠Sign up⁠ for our weekly email.

📱 Reach out anytime: ⁠[email protected]⁠.

❤️ Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all!

Genesis Be, a dynamic artist and activist, harnesses the power of music to amplify marginalized voices and advocate for social change. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, her music blends elements of hip-hop, soul, and spoken word, creating a powerful platform for storytelling and empowerment. 

With lyrics that confront systemic oppression and celebrate resilience, Be's artistry transcends entertainment, serving as a catalyst for dialogue and action. As an outspoken advocate for racial and gender equality, she was an outspoken creative who lobbied to have the Confederate flag removed from the design of the Mississippi state flag. Through her music and activism, Be continues to inspire and ignite conversations that resonate far beyond the stage.

✅ Order Genesis Be’s latest book, People Not Things: Love Poems and Paintings for Humanity.

✅ Read more about The Philosophy and Practice of People Not Things.

✅ Visit Genesis Be’s website to learn about all the things.

✅ Support Genesis Be on Patreon.

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✊🏽 Support Let’s Give A Damn on Patreon!

🔥 Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

✉️ Sign up for our weekly email.

📱 Reach out anytime: [email protected].

❤️ Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all!

Born and raised in the Bronx, Joél Leon is a performer, author, storyteller, and damn-giver extraordinaire. 

“Joél’s words are where I go when I need some inspiration. And he never lets me down.” — Lin-Manuel Miranda

“In each generation, there are only a few authors who are gifted with the ability to fully capture the best parts of the human condition. Joél is one of those authors.” — Frederick Joseph

I’m so glad we get to be alive at the same time as Joél Leon.

Preorder his brand new book—Everything and Nothing At Once: A Black Man’s Reimagined Soundtrack for the Future—right now from bookshop.org or buy it from your local bookstore. And make sure to ask your local library to buy a few copies, as well! 

Subscribe to Joél’s Subtack, The Politics of Love.

And visit Joél’s Linktree for links to all the rest of the good stuff!

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✊🏽 Support Let’s Give A Damn on Patreon!

🔥 Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

✉️ Sign up for our weekly email.

📱 Reach out anytime: [email protected].

❤️ Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all!

It’s been a few weeks but we’re back! My guest this week is the brilliant Katie Bogen. In her own words, Katie is a clinical psychology PhD student, a trauma therapist, a sex researcher, a rad Jewess, a queer activist, and a cottagecore rabble-rouser.

Katie is truly a wonderful soul. Over the past few months, ever since this horrific genocide began, she has been one of the most helpful voices on social media. She has made loads of content to share the truth about Zionism at its goals, to give a clear headed picture about what’s actually going on in Gaza, to debunk bullshit lies floating around on the internet, and so much more. And she does it with such clarity, intelligence, passion, and grace! If this is your first time encountering Katie and her work, I hope you’ll begin following her on Instagram and TikTok immediately.

Also, if you want to read more about her professional work and to read her dozens of published papers, click here. Katie is a certified badass. 

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🔥 Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

✉️ Sign up for our weekly email.

✊🏽 Support Let’s Give A Damn on Patreon!

📱 Reach out anytime: [email protected].

❤️ Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all!

I know it’s a bit late—hello 2024!—but I wanted you to experience some of my favorite moments and some of your favorite moments in 2023. I spoke with some incredible folks last year and I learned so much from them. Here’s to many more incredible conversations in 2024!

If you want to skip around this episode, here are the timestamps for each highlight:

Simran Jeet Singh - 8:07 

Rachelle Lefevre - 16:54

Megha Desai - 24:18

Rainn Wilson - 31:16

Patricia Velázquez - 38:09

Noor Tagouri - 47:45

Listen to my full conversations with Simran Jeet Singh, Rachelle Lefevre, Megha Desai, Rainn Wilson, Patricia Velásquez, and Noor Tagouri. And if you’ve already listened to all of these conversations, check out the more than 250 other conversations on the pod!

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📱 Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

✉️ Sign up for our weekly email.

✊🏽 Reach out anytime: [email protected].

❤️ Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all!

Noor Tagouri’s name literally  means “Guiding Light.” And a guiding light she is! Noor is back for a second time. Her first appearance was for episode 19 of the podcast in the summer of 2017! 

At 29, Noor is an award-winning journalist and producer, a touring speaker for over 15 years, and has told stories in every medium from radio and print, to documentaries and brand campaigns.

In 2019 Noor founded At Your Service Media, a consulting and production company telling representative stories as a form of service.

In 2022 Noor launched her investigative series “REP”, in partnership with iHeartMedia. The series explores the concepts of representation and objectivity in media, and received a Webby Award Nomination: Best Limited Series.

With a finger on the pulse of people’s concerns, Noor’s storytelling is recognized for her innovative approach to fostering relationships across lines of difference.

Visit Noor’s website to learn more about her work. 

Listen to the REP investigative series. It’s so good!

Follow Noor on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

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📱 Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube.

✉️ Sign up for our weekly email.

✊🏽 Reach out anytime: [email protected].

❤️ Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all!

Meike Ziervogel is a German-British novelist with five novels to her name. She is the founder of an award-winning publishing company in the UK and a fluent Arabic speaker. Since 2018 she has lived in Lebanon. From 2018 to 2019 she transformed a failing needle art workshop in the Shatila refugee camp into a sustainable independent business, providing a monthly income to 100 refugee women. In January 2020 she set up Alsama Project with Kadria Hussien, a Syrian refugee living in Shatila. Meike is now the CEO of Alsama Project and has shaped it into one of the most innovative and successful NGOs serving Syrian refugees in the Middle East.

Follow Meike on Twitter!

Make a donation to Alsama Project!

Follow Alsama on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!

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📱 Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube.

✉️ Sign up for our weekly email.

✊🏽 Reach out anytime: [email protected].

❤️ Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all!