Taking Back the Narrative

It was an honor to speak with Jewish activist Adela Cojab about the very deep history of Syrian Jews. A proud Diaspora community first emerged in Syria after the destruction of the First Temple. 

After the Crusaders first invaded Israel, one of every three residents of Damascus were Jews. The oldest synagogue in the world is located in Syria and was built in 244 AD. 

In follow-up waves, Jews fleeing from the Spanish Inquisition arrived to Syria. 

Adela explains the differences between the two major Jewish communities that existed in Syria, which traditions are unique to Syrian Jews, what keeps the community even today beautifully intact, and how the Syrian Jews adapted to the fluctuations of history. 

And in the context of Zionism and the Syrian Jews,  we touched upon the most famous Israeli spy, Eli Cohen, himself a Syrian Jew, who grew up in Egypt. 

Learn more in depth about all the above, plus some of Adela's favorite Syrian-Jewish Shabbat foods,  how Syrian Jews in both Israel and in the Diaspora keep their traditions alive, while modernizing in some aspects, and how venerated are rabbis within the Syrian Jewish community. 

Bukharian Jews have a fascinating history - from their journey to the Persian Empire from Israel, and all along the Silk Road, until ending up not just in Uzbekistan, but throughout other parts of Central Asia such as Tajikistan and Dagestan. 

Please join the guest of honor, David Milov, as he shares the rich history of his community,  the unique customs, delicious sounding dishes, and where the Bukharian Jews today see themselves, as part of the larger Jewish world. 

Additionally, we tackle Muslim-Jewish relations in Uzbekistan, the effects of Communism, and the importance of a strong Jewish identity through the ebbs and flows of history. 

I am thrilled to have on Barbara Krystal, Taking Back the Narrative's Director of Educational Outreach. Barbara poignantly shares her family's history of how they immigrated from Russia to Argentina. 

Members of my family ended up in Argentina due to the Czar's pogroms in the beginning of the 20th century, and thanks to Barbara, we learn about the multiple waves of Jewish immigration to that region. 

Barbara goes into great detail about the fabric of Jewish society in Argentina throughout the centuries (we even touch upon Jewish cowboys and pirates!), and the complex relationship between Israel and Argentina - trailing from the extraction of Adolf Eichmann to the bombing of the AMIA in 1994, including nefarious cover ups on the side of the Argentinian government. 

On the other side of the world, we also provide an overview of how some Jews ended up in China in the 20th century. How many people know that the city of Harbin was built by Jews? 

No matter where Jews ended up in the Diaspora, and the different sub-cultures and customs that emerged, one thing was a constant and that was Zionism. Barbara and I also discussed the importance of Zionism throughout the Diaspora, both past and present.

Take a deep-dive into the rich fabric of Jewish history in Morocco with special guest, Jonathan Karten, the CEO & Founder of the Iftach Group. The first Jews who arrived to Morocco were those who left Israel after the destruction of the First Temple. Then there were Amazigh Jews, which was a result of the very close bond the native population had with the newly arrived Jewish population, and the third wave of Jews in Morocco resulted from Sephardic Jews who were escaping the Inquisition after 1492. 

Join us, as Jonathan describes in detail his family history in Morocco, the Muslim-Jewish relationship - both from a governmental angle and a community perspective, life in Israel after leaving Morocco post 1948, and the path forward for Israel and Morocco now - in the age of the normalization deal, as part of the Abraham Accords. 

We also discuss the importance of amplifying the Mizrahi experience and contribution, as it relates to combating antisemitism. 

Indian Jews have a fascinating history, in that they are not one group, but several groups with different Diaspora stories. On this episode, I had the honor of speaking with Thapan Dubayehudi, a Professor of Foreign Languages, and also one of 15 members of the Cochin Indian Jewish community who  currently remain in India. 

Thapan delves deeply into the history of Cochin Jews and their actual origins, which unfortunately has been shared and re-shared inaccurately by Jews from outside their community. Thapan also dispels the myth that there had never been antisemitism in India; in fact, during a time period, a great number of Jews were massacred and only because the Jewish community held a Jewish woman's honor in high regard. 

While today, nearly all Cochin Jews live in Israel, as they had always been proud Zionists, it is important to share the history and contributions of an often-overlooked but significant community in the Jewish Diaspora. 

The most common type of antisemitism these days comes in the form of anti-Zionism. This particular type of Jew-hatred is not just manifested online, within certain political parties, during anti-Israel marches and protests, but most increasingly on college campuses. And it does not remain on college campuses; it then spirals out of hand when college kids enter post-college life. These lies then spread into the media, into the halls of Congress, in popular culture, and is passed down to the next generation. 

Are Jewish groups who claim they are pro-Israel equipped to handle the necessary education needed to push back against the antisemitic lies? Unfortunately, that is not the case. 

Join me as I have a very no holds barred conversation with Marlene Artov, a former Director of Young Professionals & Campus Coordinator at ZOA. Together we traverse the root issues, diagnose the stumbling blocks, and at the end, offer concrete solutions. 

In part II of the Why Zionism Education Needs an Overhaul episode, featuring Naya Lekht, a passionate and informative Zionist, and the Director of Education at Club Z, we tackle topics such as 'does politics belong in Zionism education,' and 'does religion?' 

We also emphasize what upcoming and established Zionism educators ought to be sharing, and look back on both the effective methodologies and mistakes we have made along our Zionism education journey. 

As pro-Israel organizations are multiplying, antisemitism is skyrocketing. Something is off. 

Tune in to a dynamic discussion between Naya Lekht, a passionate and informative Zionist, who is the Director of Education at Club Z, and myself. We delve deep into why the Zionism education space has largely been ineffective, what information is actually needed to be shared with both those who are Zionists and those who are not informed properly of the truth. 

When Zionists do not know history, proper historical-based terminology, and what the propagandists spew scarily effectively, it actually does more damage. 

Luckily, we are also seeing very positive trends in the space, which we address in this episode. 

What is the status of modern Christian Zionism? Does it come from an earnest place? 
Olga Meshoe Washington digs deep into this topic that is widely discussed among the Jewish community. 

Olga also lends her impressive background - both through  work efforts (Club Z, IBSI), and through strong family ties - to educate both myself and the audience on the very complex relationship which exists between many African nations and Israel. Olga provides an eye-opening description of history, politics, and how propaganda was able to seep into legislative and diplomatic decisions. 

Additionally, Olga and I delve critically into the tools needed for effective Zionism education - both for Jews and Christians. 

https://clubz.org/
https://www.ibsi.org/new-page

Taking Back the Narrative is honored to feature in this episode Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie, a TBTN Advisory Committee Member, who is currently the Senior Rabbi, Jewish Council of the Emirates - Sharei Mizrah, among other notable titles. 

Rabbi Abadie's fascinating family history weaves together the movement, including accomplishments and tribulations, of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewry. Today, he makes his home proudly in Dubai, completing the circle of Jewry in Arab lands - from Jews who were often treated as second class citizens and later expelled, to now proudly expanding Jewish communities in certain Gulf countries. 

Join us as we discuss the significance of the Abraham Accords, the current status of Jordan & Egypt as they relate to Israel, life for Jews in the UAE, and the importance of Muslim-Jewish relations today.