The Honest Report

October 7 was more than just a terrorist attack, or even the biggest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

It represented, perhaps more than any other event, the truest opportunity to see the real face of Hamas, not just its rhetoric, but its actions.

Not only the rapes, murders, tortures, and kidnappings, but the gleeful manner in which they were carried out, filming it all for posterity and out of pride.

But October 7, now more than five months ago, seems like ancient history, certainly to much of the news media, which now has widely lost interest, including in the Israeli hostages still in Gaza.

Seeing the sites of Hamas' massacres first-hand help to bring the reality home, not just of what happened that day, but of the moral necessity in fighting Hamas.

In late January, Toronto businessman Larry Maher brought a group of Canadian journalists to Israel for a short visit, where they bore witness to what Hamas carried out, and he joins us to discuss why he brought these individuals, and what he wants such a visit to achieve.

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Over the last five months, Rahim Mohamed has become one of Canada's most recognizable opinion columnists. The Calgary-based commentator, writing in The National Post, has also made a name for himself as a vocal advocate for Israel and a harsh critic of the moral turpitude that has allowed disinformation to fester.

While commentators are entitled to their own views, but not their own facts, that simple yet profound difference has been nevertheless been lost by so many reporters and columnists alike, regardless of the platform.

In this week's podcast, Rahim joins us to discuss his perspective on the state of the news media when it comes to covering the Hamas-Israel war, how he would rate their coverage, and what his predictions for the news media in the near future look like. 

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As the war rages in the Middle East between Hamas and Israel, following the simple narrative is easy.

And that narrative, that Israel is a murderous state hell-bent on genocide, may be a simpler message to understand, but it is an inversion of reality.

While some politicians take the easy path, others put facts before ideology.

In recent weeks, Kevin Vuong, an independent Member of Parliament for Spadina-Fort York, located in downtown Toronto, has become one of the country's most vocal supporters, both of Israel, and of Canada's Jewish community at large.

He joins us as our guest this week to discuss what prompted him to become such a stalwart ally, his message for other politicians, and what the feedback from his constituents has been like.

Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.

Egypt plays a towering role in the Middle East.

Not only is the country the most populous in the region, home to more than 100 million people, it is also the first Arab state to make peace with Israel, in 1979.

Egypt also plays a critical role in the current war between Israel and Hamas, bordering Gaza.

What is Cairo looking for in its relationship with Israel, with Hamas, and what role is it trying to play in the Middle East at large?

To share his expertise in the area, we are joined by Dr Ofir Winter. Dr. Winter is a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv, where he specializes in Arab-Israeli relations and contemporary Egypt.

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In the current Hamas-Israel war, things are very different than before.

In previous conflicts, Israel practiced what was called "mowing the lawn," which meant degrading Hamas' capabilities, but avoiding all-out war. That is no longer the case.

But in an asymmetric war, how does that look long-term, and what power vacuum will take hold if and when Hamas is no longer in charge in the Gaza Strip?

To provide insight, we interview Efraim Inbar, President of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security.

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For scores of Israelis, the horrors of Hamas' genocidal October 7 massacre didn't end four months ago; it continues every single day. Not just for the Israelis who continue to endure rocket fire, or who lost loved ones fighting the terror group in Gaza, but also for the families of the remaining 136 hostages in Gaza.

There are now negotiations for a possible release of this last group of hostages being coordinated by Qatar, the oil-rich Persian Gulf kingdom, which is playing a central role.

Qatar, while being home to senior Hamas leadership, is also working to secure the release of these kidnapped Israelis. This past Friday, at Qatar's Embassy in Ottawa, a gathering took place to show support for these efforts and to apply some pressure on Qatar to ensure the hostages are released.

Jodi Green, Communications and Advocacy Specialist at the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, who helped organize the gathering, joins us as our guest this week.

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Since October 7, posters showing the faces and names of the Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas have become ubiquitous around the world, reminding the public about the true nature of the terrorist group and showing the reality of Israel's suffering.

Grotesquely, these same posters are also being widely torn down by anti-Israel activists, who oppose the humanization of Israelis, and beyond publicly naming and shaming these vandals, there wasn't much that could be done.

One Canadian mayor thought otherwise. In early November, Mayor Jeremy Levi of Hampstead, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal, announced that his town would adopt a by-law penalizing the removal of the posters with a $1,000 fine. He also added that the monies raised would be donated to Israeli charities.

What exactly is the explanation for antisemitism? No matter what excuse is cited by those seeking to demonize Jews, it fails to explain the pervasiveness and intensity of Jew-hatred, both from the extreme right and the extreme left.

But despite the inherent illogic in antisemitism, there remains a tendency to attempt to explain it and categorize it.

Our guest this week is attempting to put all that to rest. Alex Ryvchin is co-Chief Executive Officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, and an author whose recent book, The 7 Deadly Myths: Antisemitism from the time of Christ to Kanye West, seeks to guide readers through the specific myths underlining antisemitism, and in turn, help offer Jews & their allies, the news media, and the public at large the tools to understand and combat it.

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Amongst Israel's enemies, there are many fronts in war: In

But there is yet another front, often unknown to the general

And while these threats are very real to Israel, the country

Freilich joins us on this week's podcast, and

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The social media platform X, formerly called Twitter, has often been criticized by Jewish leaders and human rights organizations for what critics say is its failure to act on addressing widespread antisemitism, particularly since coming under the ownership of Elon Musk in the fall of 2022.

But for some, simply speaking out against the social media giant isn't good enough.

In January 2023, the European Union of Jewish Students, alongside HateAid, a German non-profit organization, commenced legal action against Twitter for neglecting to remove reported hateful content from its platform, saying that its failure represents a violation of its own Terms and Conditions, as well as running afoul of German hate legislation.

Avital Grinberg, the former president of the European Union of Jewish Students who initiated the lawsuit, joined us as a guest to discuss the legal action, its chances of success, and what they are looking to achieve.

Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.