UNSCRIPTED With Jonathan Harounoff

Episode 2: Israeli-American fashion designer Elie Tahari joins Jonathan Harounoff on UNscripted to share his extraordinary journey, from a Jerusalem orphanage to sleeping on a Central Park bench to a multi-billion dollar fashion empire.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction 

0:59 Elie’s humble beginnings 

4:00 The American connection early on and the state of New York today 

6:10 First fashion encounter 

6:35 Inventing the Tube Top 

8:30 Staying grounded in the glamorous world of fashion 

10:50 Keys to building a successful business 

12:15 Balancing business success with family 

13:20 Failures aren’t failures if you learn from them 

14:00 CEO succession 

15:20 Charitable proceeds from Elie Tahari’s online business 

16:00 What Elie would want his legacy to be 100 years from now

17:00 If Elie could style anyone from history, who would it be 

17:40 Why Elie is only focused on womenswear, not menswear   

18:20 Closing remarks 

***Produced in collaboration with the Center for Jewish History, American Sephardi Federation, Noff Media and Odd One Out Studios. Enjoying the show? Follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and on social media: Follow “UNscripted with Jonathan Harounoff” on Instagram: @harounoffunscripted Follow host Jonathan Harounoff on Instagram: @jharounoff Follow host Jonathan Harounoff on X: https://x.com/JonathanHaroun1

Episode 1: Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore joins Jonathan Harounoff on UNscripted to discuss his new book, "The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East."

In this hour-long conversation, they explore:

• How the modern Middle East emerged from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire

• Whether there is a better term than "the Middle East" to describe the region

• Why Montefiore believes Iran's Islamic Republic will fall

• Why the West fixates on Israel-Palestine while ignoring Yemen, Syria and Sudan

• Russia’s forgotten history in the Middle East

• Whether lasting peace in the region is possible

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

0:56 Can the Middle East ever cool down?

2:56 What is the Middle East, and is there a better term to describe the region?

6:41 Inside Montefiore's "chaotic" and “insane” process of writing sweeping histories

10:35 Why the West is obsessed with Israel-Palestine but ignores Yemen, Syria and Sudan

16:24 The myth of Israel as a "new nation" among ancient ones

24:00 The biggest roads not taken in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

31:17 Russia's forgotten role in the Middle East

40:09 Why the Islamic Republic of Iran will fall

47:20 What history can teach us, and what we keep failing to learn

56:40 Which figure from "The Cauldron" Montefiore would be reincarnated as

59:10 Closing remarks

***

With thanks to our partners at the Center for Jewish History, American Sephardi Federation, Noff Media and Odd One Out Studios.

Enjoying the show? Follow us on social media:

Follow “UNscripted with Jonathan Harounoff” on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harounoffunscripted/

Follow host Jonathan Harounoff on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jharounoff/

Follow host Jonathan Harounoff on X: https://x.com/JonathanHaroun1