The Overlook

Armenia has made the news in a cultural debate over Israel and the West.

Armenia sits in a complex geo-political dynamic in the East that puts it at odds with Israel. Yet the Jews and Armenians of the region have parallel stories that make them natural friends rather than enemies, such as the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide, global anti-Zionism and antisemitism, and the ongoing plight of Armenian Christians ethnically cleansed from their indigenous homeland of Artsakh.

Dominique is joined by her colleague Simone Rizkallah, an Egyptian-Armenian Catholic, to discuss how Christians in the West can support both Israel and Armenia in this tension. They also highlight that in the Middle East, Christians and Jews share a common enemy in Islamism, and Westerners must wake up to the reality threatening Christians and Jews everywhere.

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(Correction at timestamp 21:15: there is a wave of advocacy to restrict Israel's sale of arms to Azerbaijan, not Israel)

Candace Owens, once a darling of the conservative Right, says she is "just asking questions" about Israel and the Jewish people. But her positions have fallen into age-old antisemitic tropes.

In today's episode, Dominique is joined by Isaac Woodward, Director of the Philos Leadership Institute, to discuss Candace's outspoken anti-Israel messaging and its influence on Republican politics.

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Since Israel began its retaliation in Gaza after October 7th, the international community has condemned Israel's actions as a "disproportionate" response.

But what is proportionality in Just War Theory, the Western tradition of ethical warfare as outlined by Saint Augustine? And does Israel have a moral imperative to both destroy and delegitimize Hamas?

Dominique is joined by Just War scholar Dr. Marc LiVecche, McDonald Distinguished Scholar of Ethics, War, and Public Life at Providence: A Journal of Christianity & American Foreign Policy, and a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College.

Marc sheds light on how Christians should think of war and hold the suffering of civilians in tension with the realities of war.

What conditions are needed for post-conflict reconciliation, and is it even possible in a no-trust environment? On October 7th, Hamas carried out a brutal attack, systematically killing their neighboring Jews, shattering the trust many in Israel's southern kibbutzim had been working to establish through years of peace advocacy.

Luke Moon joins Dominique to discuss the challenges to reconciliation in the Israel-Palestinian context, including vastly different religious interpretations of what justice and peace mean for all parties involved. Psalm 85:10 highlights four pillars essential to reconciliation: truth, mercy, righteousness, and peace. The concept of reconciliation is a Christian principle. Many historical examples demonstrate that achieving reconciliation outside a Christian context is possible, but the barriers to achieving it are high.

Is reconciliation in this historic and long-lasting conflict even attainable in our current moment?

On Sunday, May 19, news broke that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were killed along with other Iranian officials in a helicopter crash near the Iranian-Azerbaijan border. Raisi, known as the 'Butcher of Tehran' for his egregious human rights abuses, was honored this week at the United Nations Security Council in a minute of silence. The representatives who stood for a moment of silence included United States Deputy Ambassador to the U.N., Robert Wood.

Dominique is joined by her college and Iranian expert, Dr. Farhad Rezaei, to discuss the implications of President Raisi's demise for the regime and the Iranian people. Farhad sheds light on the critical role Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian played in exporting the Revolution through Iran's proxies across the region, including his influential role in Hamas' terrorism and armed resistance. He also reacts to the moment of silence in remembrance of Raisi at the U.N. and how it points to the Biden administration's policy of appeasement with the regime.

Join Dominique and Farhad to understand the implications of these events and what they mean for the Iranian people, region, and international community.

In this episode of the Philos Project Podcast, Dominique speaks with Hussein Mansour, an Egyptian political analyst, to discuss the ideological roots of the neo-Marxist and antisemitic protests sweeping across American universities.

Listen as Hussein explains the legacy of post-Enlightenment German political philosophy that paved the way for Karl Marx and the modern neo-Marxist revolution, which is dominating the cultural debate surrounding patriarchy, gender, climate justice, racial justice, and the Free Palestine movement.

Do American college students understand the implications of Islamism and supporting Hamas? And is Islamism compatible with the neo-Marxist cultural revolution in the West?

Join Dominique in this week's conversation with Hunter College student and journalist Gideon Ashowitz. Recent pro-Hamas and neo-Marxist protests, some turning into riots on university campuses across the United States, have left Jewish students in fear for their safety. Gideon is the grandson of Holocaust survivors, and he speaks to his lived experience as a Jewish college student living in New York City amidst the rise of antisemitism. Gideon was recently featured on Fox News and Business. You can read his recent op-Ed at the Daily Wire, entitled "The Day Christians And Jews Stood Together Outside Of Columbia's Campus."

Join Dominique as she speaks with people she met on the ground in Israel during the recent Philos Leadership Institute's solidarity trip to the Holy Land. In the third episode of this miniseries, Dominique is joined by Yaron and Jacqui Vital, who testify to their family's experience and grief after the murder of their daughter Adi Vital-Kaploun, 33, on October 7th at Kibbutz Holit.

Adi lived with her husband, Anani, in Kibbutz Holit, where the couple raised their two young boys. Her father, Yaron, was visiting Adi on the morning of October 7th. His testimony speaks to the betrayal felt by the peace-loving community in Israel's Gaza envelope as households of the Kibbutz were systematically targeted for execution by Hamas terrorists as they moved tactfully from house to house. Adi saved both her boy's and her father's lives; her story is one of heroism and motherhood.

The Vital-Kaploun family speaks to the pain of love and loss in the wake of October 7th. Today, Adi's husband and two baby boys are grieving and building a new life while honoring her memory. This is their story.

To support Adi's family as they rebuild their lives, donate here: https://www.jgive.com/new/en/ils/donation-targets/123673//

To support Adi's family by buying a t-shirt or sweatshirt with symbolic custom artwork designed in memory of Adi, click here: https://irvingrivers.com/products/adi-vital-kaploun-fundraiser

Join Dominique as she speaks with people on the ground during the recent Philos Leadership Institute's solidarity trip to the Holy Land.

In the second episode of this miniseries, Dominique is joined by Ronen Gurievsky. Ronen has led the Philos Leadership Institute in Israel since 2017.

Not only does he have a vast knowledge of the three Abrahamic faiths, regional history, and geopolitics but his service in the IDF provides our audience with context to complex regional actors and a region on the brink of large-scale conflict.