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Unholy: Two Jews on the News

Unholy: Two Jews on the News

Unholy Media 310 Episodes Sep 17, 2026

Yonit Levi of Israel's Channel 12 News and Jonathan Freedland of The Guardian, two prominent journalists who are also Jewish, host this weekly podcast. They dissect and debate current events shaping Israel, Jewish life, and the wider world, featuring a range of guests. The show is praised by figures like Rachel Maddow, David Remnick, Ira Glass, and Malcolm Gladwell for its nuanced discussion and sparkling conversation. Each episode includes nominations for the greatest act of chutzpah and outstanding mensch of the week.

Episodes

Polls, Naza, Macklemore
Polls, Naza, Macklemore Sep 17, 2026 00:37:12 With Yonit feeling a little under the weather, Jonathan is joined by friend of the podcast, Haaretz military affairs analyst Amos Harel (also, author of 6:29). They discuss a new poll showing Benjamin Netanyahu gaining ground in his contest against former general Gady Eisenkot - with nearly six weeks to go till Israelis vote, is this a blip or did Eisenkot peak too early? Plus: the Israeli right d
Ilana Dayan on Israel's Most Crucial Choice
Ilana Dayan on Israel's Most Crucial Choice Sep 15, 2026 01:04:07 As Israel heads into what may be the most consequential election of its history, the country is still arguing less about where it's going than about how it got here. This week, Yonit and Jonathan sit down with a titan of Israeli broadcasting — Ilana Dayan, anchor of the investigative program Uvda for three decades — who returns to Unholy to make sense of it all. She traces how Netnayahu survived a
The Lists, the Sanctions, and six weeks to go
The Lists, the Sanctions, and six weeks to go Sep 10, 2026 00:28:25 September 8th was the deadline for Israeli parties to file their lists — and Netanyahu reached it less organised than he'd have liked, with a rival on the right running alone, a reserved slot for his own Channel 14 broadcaster, and barely a handful of women anywhere near the top.Then Britain, joined by France, Canada and nine others, sanctioned settlement goods, and used the words "ethnic cleansin
Rabbi Angela Buchdahl on forgiveness, Zionism and Mamdani
Rabbi Angela Buchdahl on forgiveness, Zionism and Mamdani Sep 8, 2026 00:46:50 The Jewish new year arrives with the word ‘Zionist’ deemed an insult and a technology that never forgets anything that anyone has ever said or done. Following Unholy tradition, Yonit and Jonathan usher in the season of awe and the High Holydays with Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, who leads New York’s Central Synagogue and whose congregation was rushed by an intruder during a packed Friday night service we
Rock Bottom Politics and the Art of the If-Pology
Rock Bottom Politics and the Art of the If-Pology Sep 3, 2026 00:43:09   Seven weeks out from an election that in many ways is a referendum on culpability for October 7th, Benjamin Netanyahu tells Channel 14 that if only they had woken him earlier that fateful day, everything would have been different — and his wife goes considerably further about Yair Golan, a man who drove towards the gunfire that morning and saved lives. Yonit and Jonathan take Mrs Netan
Gordon Brown on Nationalist Populism, Israel and Hope
Gordon Brown on Nationalist Populism, Israel and Hope Sep 1, 2026 00:36:54 The former UK Prime Minister and Chancellor joins Yonit and Jonathan for the latest of our Unholy Conversations — on the void populist nationalists have moved into, on the difference between hope and optimism, on the father whose projector slides taught him the kings of Israel before the kings of England, and on the Middle East peace deal he watched come apart in 2009. Chapters: 00:06 Introduction
The 60-Day Countdown, Sledgehammer Politics -- and Dolly Parton
The 60-Day Countdown, Sledgehammer Politics -- and Dolly Parton Aug 27, 2026 00:43:01 Join as Friend of the pod: https://www.patreon.com/cw/Unholypod   With sixty days to go until the Israeli elections, the political jockeying enters into overdrive. Yonit and Jonathan break down the high-stakes coalition arithmetic facing both Benjamin Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot, from the crowded field of small right-wing parties—including the entrance of retired general Ofer Winter—to the ba
Andy Nyman on saying "F-You" to Hitler on stage
Andy Nyman on saying "F-You" to Hitler on stage Aug 25, 2026 00:44:52 It's the end of summer, and Yonit and Jonathan are taking a break from the news with a nugget of pure Jewish joy. Andy Nyman — the West End actor, writer, director and magician currently starring as Max Bialystock in The Producers, and previously as an acclaimed Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof — joins the show for an Unholy Conversation. Why does Mel Brooks' nearly-60-year-old joke about Hitler still
Bibi's Primary Battles, Gaza Deadlines, and the Plus-sign "Plot"
Bibi's Primary Battles, Gaza Deadlines, and the Plus-sign "Plot" Aug 20, 2026 00:44:08 Send us your questions at: https://www.speakpipe.com/Unholy Visit our website to learn more about Unholy and become a friend of the pod: www.unholy-podcast.com   Sixty-eight days from the election, the hardest problems on Benjamin Netanyahu's desk are arriving from Washington. Jared Kushner is meeting Hamas directly, and the Gaza withdrawal deadlines he is carrying — thirty, sixty and ninety days
The Middle East Cauldron - with Simon Sebag Montefiore
The Middle East Cauldron - with Simon Sebag Montefiore Aug 18, 2026 00:36:40 Acclaimed historian Simon Sebag Montefiore returns to Unholy to discuss his sweeping new book, The Cauldron: A History of the Middle East between 1900 and 2026. He tells Yonit and Jonathan that understanding the region today requires starting at the dawn of the 20th century — thanks to the long shadow still cast by the Ottoman Empire and its collapse. They talk of the often underestimated signific
Clash with the White House, clash on the West Bank
Clash with the White House, clash on the West Bank Aug 13, 2026 00:52:00 Benjamin Netanyahu has said no to Donald Trump's 15-point Gaza plan, and the refusal is flat rather than fudged. In the West Bank, extremist settlers have besieged two Palestinian families in the village of Qusra, apparently hoping to take their homes. The IDF went in but came away with mission very much unaccomplished. With Yonit away, Jonathan is joined by Hadley Freeman, columnist for London’s
The mediaeval image of the Jew - and why it’s lasted. With Miri Rubin
The mediaeval image of the Jew - and why it’s lasted. With Miri Rubin Aug 11, 2026 00:36:05 Three of the oldest myths about Jews — relating to money, blood and the way they look — were forged in medieval Christian Europe, mostly in places where there were almost no Jews to observe. Miri Rubin, professor of medieval and early modern history at Queen Mary University of London, tells Jonathan how each one of those myths was built — and explains how that medieval way of seeing Jews often rem

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