Israel’s war on three fronts intensifies, with a preemptive strike on Hezbollah in the north, escalated operations in the West Bank, and a rescue operation of an Israeli hostage from the tunnels in Gaza. As headlines focus once again on the chances of a hostage deal, we felt it essential to re-air the deeply moving stories of two mothers caught in this harrowing reality. In their interviews on Unholy, Ayelet Levy Shachar and Rachel Goldberg-Polin share what it means to fight relentlessly for the return of their children from captivity.

You can watch the interviews with Ayelet and Rachel on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGlvtS7As7WHh7YtmU5SMUQ

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Unholy is going live in London!

Join Yonit Levi and Jonathan Freedland for a special night of news and surprises—live on stage, June 8th 2025. If you’ve ever wanted to see the podcast come to life, now’s your chance. Reserve your seat now via the link—space is limited, and we’d love to see you there! https://bit.ly/UnholyLondonLive

This week, we’re stepping away from the immediate headlines to do something a little different. Instead of our usual deep dive into the news of the hour, we’re dedicating this episode to you—our listeners. Your questions have been piling up in our inbox, and it’s finally time to tackle them. From the personal to the political, and everything in between, we’re here to explore the topics that matter most to you.

Read Yonit's book recommendations here: https://unholypodcast.substack.com/p/yonits-literary-escapes-essential

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Unholy is going live in London!

Join Yonit Levi and Jonathan Freedland for a special night of news and surprises—live on stage, June 8th 2025. If you’ve ever wanted to see the podcast come to life, now’s your chance. Reserve your seat now via the link—space is limited, and we’d love to see you there! https://bit.ly/UnholyLondonLive

As the high-stakes summit in Doha is framed as the final chance to secure a hostage release, tensions over a possible response from Iran and Hezbollah are mounting. This week, alongside our deep dive into those unfolding events, we’re putting our listeners in the spotlight, addressing the pressing questions you’ve sent in. From global conflicts to personal perspectives, we’re tackling the issues that matter most to you.

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Unholy is going live in London!

Join Yonit Levi and Jonathan Freedland for a special night of news and surprises—live on stage, June 8th 2025. If you’ve ever wanted to see the podcast come to life, now’s your chance. Reserve your seat now via the link—space is limited, and we’d love to see you there! https://bit.ly/UnholyLondonLive

After a week in which Israelis held their breath, waiting for a potentially lethal response from both Hezbollah and Tehran to last week's assassinations, Yonit and Jonathan talk to Suzanne Maloney, one of America's foremost analysts of Iran: how do the country's leaders see their confrontation with Israel playing out now and in the future? Plus, as the war in Gaza enters its 11th month, the wait for a hostage release grows ever more desperate; how the Jewish factor might have played a role in Kamala Harris's choice of running mate - and riots in the UK stir thousand year old memories. 

Read highlights from our interview with Suzanne Maloney on our blog.

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Unholy is going live in London!

Join Yonit Levi and Jonathan Freedland for a special night of news and surprises—live on stage, June 8th 2025. If you’ve ever wanted to see the podcast come to life, now’s your chance. Reserve your seat now via the link—space is limited, and we’d love to see you there! https://bit.ly/UnholyLondonLive

Israel braces itself for what feels like an inevitable, lethal response from Iran and its proxies, following not one but two assassinations – one of them in Tehran itself. Meanwhile, Israelis are shaken by a moment some describe as the country’s January 6. Yonit and Jonathan discuss it all with author and journalist Matti Friedman, one of the sharpest observers of Israeli society and history. Plus: a chutzpah award for the Americans weighing into the Veepstakes with an effort to block one potential running mate for Kamala Harris in particular.

Send in your listener questions at: https://www.speakpipe.com/Unholy or via our social media.

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Unholy is going live in London!

Join Yonit Levi and Jonathan Freedland for a special night of news and surprises—live on stage, June 8th 2025. If you’ve ever wanted to see the podcast come to life, now’s your chance. Reserve your seat now via the link—space is limited, and we’d love to see you there! https://bit.ly/UnholyLondonLive

This week- New Yorker editor David Remnick partners up with Yonit as guest co-host.

They discuss President Biden's decision to drop out of the race, Democrats’ newfound affection for Vice President Harris, and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech in front of Congress. Plus - a conversation with Haaretz military analyst Amos Harel, on what’s next in the war in Gaza and why the hostage negotiations have yet to produce a deal.

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Unholy is going live in London!

Join Yonit Levi and Jonathan Freedland for a special night of news and surprises—live on stage, June 8th 2025. If you’ve ever wanted to see the podcast come to life, now’s your chance. Reserve your seat now via the link—space is limited, and we’d love to see you there! https://bit.ly/UnholyLondonLive

This week - CNN’s Bianna Golodryga joins Yonit as guest co-host.

In the US - mere days after shots were fired towards him in a failed assassination attempt, former President Donald Trump took the stage at the Republican National Convention - and introduced a running mate. Former Trump administration official now turned critic of the 45th president, Alyssa Farah Griffin, weighs in on J.D. Vance and on Trump’s potential new inner circle – and on why she feels politically “homeless”. 

Meanwhile, in Israel, mounting pressure on Netanyahu, ahead of his speech to Congress, as a hostage deal appears yet again within reach. Yonit and Bianna speak to Ayelet Levy Shachar, mother of kidnapped soldier Naama Levy, about the decision to publish harrowing images of her daughter in captivity - and her nine months-long fight to bring Naama home.  

*This episode was recorded before the drone attack in Tel Aviv early Friday morning.

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Unholy is going live in London!

Join Yonit Levi and Jonathan Freedland for a special night of news and surprises—live on stage, June 8th 2025. If you’ve ever wanted to see the podcast come to life, now’s your chance. Reserve your seat now via the link—space is limited, and we’d love to see you there! https://bit.ly/UnholyLondonLive

Two attempted killings, 14 hours - and a world - apart. In this emergency episode, Yonit and Jonathan discuss the implications of both the assassination attempt on Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania and the Israeli air strike on Gaza aimed at killing Mohammed Deif, one of the masterminds behind October 7. With uncertainty still swirling about both events, what could be their lasting impact?

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Unholy is going live in London!

Join Yonit Levi and Jonathan Freedland for a special night of news and surprises—live on stage, June 8th 2025. If you’ve ever wanted to see the podcast come to life, now’s your chance. Reserve your seat now via the link—space is limited, and we’d love to see you there! https://bit.ly/UnholyLondonLive

As Democrats weigh up what to do about Joe Biden, Yonit and Jonathan talk to New York Times columnist and podcaster Ezra Klein, who back in February became the most prominent US journalist to argue that Biden was too old to seek re-election. They discuss what Democrats should do now, as well as Klein’s recent reporting from Israel: how do liberal Jewish Americans like him now see the country – and themselves? Plus: the latest on the UK’s new government, Israel’s current government and France’s struggle to form a government. Plus: a bumper crop of mensch and chutzpah award nominees.

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Unholy is going live in London!

Join Yonit Levi and Jonathan Freedland for a special night of news and surprises—live on stage, June 8th 2025. If you’ve ever wanted to see the podcast come to life, now’s your chance. Reserve your seat now via the link—space is limited, and we’d love to see you there! https://bit.ly/UnholyLondonLive

They’ve voted in Britain, are about to vote in France and come November they’ll be voting in America - even if they’re not exactly sure who’s going to be on the ballot. Yonit and Jonathan break down the unfolding situations in both the UK and US and talk to one of France’s best known TV journalists, Ruth Elkrief about the dilemma Sunday’s vote poses for French Jews - and why she herself ‘came out’ as a Jew after October 7.

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Unholy is going live in London!

Join Yonit Levi and Jonathan Freedland for a special night of news and surprises—live on stage, June 8th 2025. If you’ve ever wanted to see the podcast come to life, now’s your chance. Reserve your seat now via the link—space is limited, and we’d love to see you there! https://bit.ly/UnholyLondonLive