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Being Jewish with Jonah Platt

Being Jewish with Jonah Platt

By: Jonah Platt // Jewish Identity Culture and Current Events
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Being Jewish with Jonah Platt is the hit weekly podcast that illuminates the vast, beautiful, and often unexplored tapestry of Jewish identity, through deeply honest and personal conversations with notable Jews and non-Jewish allies alike. Hosted by actor & advocate Jonah Platt, a trusted expert in contemporary Jewish culture, identity, and politics, Being Jewish seeks to engage, educate, and empower listeners to take full ownership of their identities and live as their proudest, most authentic selves. https://beingjewishpodcast.com/joinJonah Platt Judaism Social Sciences Spirituality
Episodes
  • Special Episode! President of Israel Isaac Herzog, plus Jonah Answers Your Questions LIVE

    Special Episode! President of Israel Isaac Herzog, plus Jonah Answers Your Questions LIVE
    Jul 7 2026
    Is Israel at its turning point – or at its breaking point?Jonah interviews Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, who explains Israel’s non-executive presidency and his priority of unifying a debating war-time nation. President Herzog breaks down the challenging future of the Middle East, the pivotal bond between Israel and the Jewish diaspora, and his vision for healing deep political divisions ahead of pivotal Knesset elections – including the heated debate over Haredi military service and the IDF. President Herzog also reflects on the rising global antisemitism post 10/7, and why strengthening ties between Israelis and world Jewry has become one of his highest priorities. He lays out why he sees Israel as a frontline defender of the free world, and the role the Trump administration, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Ambassador Mike Huckabee have in reshaping Middle East diplomacy.President Herzog dives into Israel’s evolving diplomatic framework with Lebanon, the challenges of dismantling Hezbollah and Hamas – while insisting that Iran remains “the head of the snake,” and how his Voice of the People initiative can create positive change. He also shares his hopes for Israel’s 80th anniversary.MONOLOGUE: Jonah Phona is back! Jonah responds to listeners’ burning questions about the podcast, his favorite Jewish Broadway show, how to have constructive bridge-building conversations, and more!MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:00:01:49 – The Role of the President in Israeli PoliticsPresident Herzog breaks down his responsibilities as the President of Israel, primarily focusing on his role in unifying the Israeli body politics and nation.The institution of the Presidency00:03:43 – Haredi Draft DebatePresident Herzog explains the nuances of the newly passed Torah study bill granting exemption to Heredi Irealis from being drafted into the IDF.Contentious Basic Law on Torah study, aimed at shielding draft evaders, passes 1st reading00:10:14 – Elections and National StakesPresident Herzog tells us what he thinks the stakes of the upcoming Israeli elections are, and his role in making sure Israelis participate peacefully and respectfully. Trends and Key Developments Ahead of the 2026 Israeli Election00:14:13 – Diaspora and Jewish UnityPresident Herzog emphasizes the necessity of Jewish education in the Diaspora in order to maintain Israel’s vibrant democracy, and lauds the Jewish Federation’s new bill granting funds to Jewish day schools around the world.Israeli government, JFNA partner on $66.7 million plan to boost Jewish day schools00:16:36 – Voice of the People InitiativePresident Herzog tells us about his Voice of the People initiative, which aims to engage a diverse range of Jewish voices from 6 continents, working together to collectively identify, discuss and creatively address the most pressing immediate and long term challenges affecting the Jewish people.Voice of the People Initiative00:24:23 – War Front Lebanon and GazaPresident Herzog talks about the new Israel-Lebanon agreement, the challenges Iran poses to unity in the Middle East, and how the disarmament of Hezbollah and Hamas are essential for lasting peace.Landmark Israel-Lebanon Agreement Intersects the U.S.-Iran Conflict00:34:45 – The Past, Present, and Future of President Herzog in his Current RolePresident Herzog reflects on the first 5 years of his presidency, what his current priorities are, and his goals for the rest of his term.More Ways To Connect with Being Jewish:Support the podcast directly by becoming a member of the Kehillah.To contact us & all things BJJP:www.BeingJewishPodcast.comWatch Being Jewish on YouTube:www.youtube.com/@beingjewishpodcastSubscribe to the Being Jewish Newsletter:bit.ly/beingjewishnewsletterFor Sponsorships, please email:partnerships@jonahplatt.comMerchandisehttps://beingjewishpodcast.com/merchFollow Jonah on:Instagram - @JonahPlattX - @JonahPlattFollow Being Jewish on:Instagram - @BeingJewishPodcastTikTok - @BeingJewishLearn more about President Isaac Herzog:President Herzog’s InstagramPresident Herzog’s X AccountOffice of President of Israel X AccountWritten and Hosted by Jonah Platt, Executive Producers: Steve Hein, Jonah Platt, Chief Marketing Officer: Katya Chen, Production Manager/Executive Assistant: Josie Rothschild, Research Associate: Samantha Greenwald, Production Associates: Rachel Stern, Sasha Fiora, Production Intern: Emma Webb,Tatum Rosenblatt, Eden Waldman, YouTube Consultants: Jason Al-Samarrie & Zac Stein, Post Production by TIMEWEAVER, Creative Director: F. Brian Scofield, ACE, Lead Editor: Noam Klement, Editors: Gray Clevenger, Geoff McGee. Graphic Designer: Noah Bell, Theme Music by Gabriel Mann, Performed by Jonah Platt
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • ON LOCATION! Jonah visits Washington D.C.'s Abrahamic House with interfaith activist Mohammed Al Samawi

    ON LOCATION! Jonah visits Washington D.C.'s Abrahamic House with interfaith activist Mohammed Al Samawi
    Jul 1 2026
    What happens when a boy raised on antisemitic propaganda becomes a Muslim bridge-builder whose life is saved by Jewish friends?Mohammed Al Samawi, Yemeni refugee and author of The Fox Hunt, joins Jonah on location at Abrahamic House in Washington, D.C., for a conversation about the painstaking work of learning another person’s story. Al Samawi founded the multi-faith co-living and community space, where Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Bahá’í fellows share meals, host Shabbat and Ramadan gatherings, and create a safer way for people to ask hard questions. In this episode, Al Samawi describes growing up in Sanaa, where slogans like “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” were used to redirect anger away from corrupt leaders and toward Jews. As a teenager, he internalized violent antisemitic ideas, but learning English through movies, reading the Bible in secret, and asking forbidden questions began to unravel what he had been taught.The conversation follows Al Samawi, from reading Torah and messaging Israelis on Facebook to attending his first Muslim-Jewish conference. Later, as the Houthis and Al-Qaeda closed in, three Jewish friends and one Christian friend helped coordinate his evacuation from Yemen. Those experiences became the foundation for Abrahamic House. After October 7, Al Samawi says the house became even more necessary: a place where grief did not have to become separation, and where hospitality could make room for truth.Ultimately, Mohammed’s story makes the case that interfaith work is not abstract idealism; it can be the difference between inherited hatred and real human connection.MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:00:01:22 — Inside Abrahamic House, Where Shabbat Meets RamadanMohammed shows Jonah the dining room where fellows host Shabbats, Ramadan celebrations, Eid gatherings, and family-style meals for the community.Abrahamic House00:08:15 — From Antisemitic Indoctrination to Questioning Jewish HateMohammed recalls the violent anti-Jewish ideas he absorbed as a teenager and how religious curiosity eventually pushed him to investigate for himself.The Against the Odds Escape of Mohammed Al Samawi | AJC00:23:30 — How Facebook Became a Window Past PropagandaMohammed explains how social media helped him meet Jews and Israelis, ask forbidden questions, and discover shared values outside state-controlled narratives.Mohammed Al Samawi: How Interfaith Activism Became, and Saved, His Life00:34:00 — The 13 Days Hiding from Houthis and Al-QaedaMohammed describes hiding in Aden with no safe way out, praying for help, and posting on Facebook in hopes someone could evacuate him.How Facebook friends saved one man from execution00:42:45 — Why Mohammed Created Abrahamic House in Washington, D.C.Mohammed explains how loneliness as a refugee, his love of friendship, and the model of Friends inspired a real-life interfaith home.00:51:00 — How to Meet Muslims Beyond Fear and StereotypesMohammed urges listeners to investigate Islam the way he investigated Judaism: by meeting people, asking human questions, and resisting extremist narratives.More Ways To Connect with Being Jewish:Support the podcast directly by becoming a member of the Kehillah.To contact us & all things BJJP:www.BeingJewishPodcast.comWatch Being Jewish on YouTube:www.youtube.com/@beingjewishpodcastSubscribe to the Being Jewish Newsletter:bit.ly/beingjewishnewsletterFor Sponsorships, please email:partnerships@jonahplatt.comMerchandisehttps://beingjewishpodcast.com/merchFollow Jonah on:Instagram - @JonahPlattX - @JonahPlattFollow Being Jewish on:Instagram - @BeingJewishPodcastTikTok - @BeingJewishLearn more about Mohammed Al Samawi:Mohammed Al Samawi - Abrahamic HouseThe Fox Hunt: A Memoir of Yemen and My Odyssey to America – A True Story of Courage and Escape Through Social MediaMohammed Al Samawi InstagramWritten and Hosted by Jonah Platt, Executive Producers: Steve Hein, Jonah Platt, Chief Marketing Officer: Katya Chen, Production Manager/Executive Assistant: Josie Rothschild, Research Associate: Samantha Greenwald, Production Associates: Rachel Stern, Sasha Fiora, Production Intern: Emma Webb,Tatum Rosenblatt, Eden Waldman, YouTube Consultants: Jason Al-Samarrie & Zac Stein, Post Production by TIMEWEAVER, Creative Director: F. Brian Scofield, ACE, Lead Editor: Noam Klement, Editors: Gray Clevenger, Geoff McGee. Graphic Designer: Noah Bell, Theme Music by Gabriel Mann, Performed by Jonah Platt
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • YouTube’s Most Popular (Hasidic!) Rabbi Manis Friedman & How Engaged a Jew are You?

    YouTube’s Most Popular (Hasidic!) Rabbi Manis Friedman & How Engaged a Jew are You?
    Jun 23 2026
    How did an 80-year-old Chabad rabbi become a global social media phenomenon, and why is his message resonating from Los Angeles to New Guinea?Rabbi Manis Friedman, author, longtime educator, and one of the world’s most-followed rabbis on YouTube, joins Jonah to ask a deceptively simple question: why are we here? Friedman argues that creation has a direction and that modern anxiety grows from meaninglessness, not deprivation. People are safer and more comfortable than ever, he says, but without knowing what life is for, comfort becomes a treadmill. From tikkun olam to the follower in New Guinea who walked eight hours for internet access and later built a Torah center, Friedman shows how a clear sense of purpose can cross cultures and transform lives.Friedman reframes Torah not as a list of commandments, but as God explaining Himself and inviting humanity into a relationship. For him, that is Chabad’s mission: making God knowable so that love can be real. He explains Shabbat as resting alongside God, modesty as protecting intimacy from the distraction of appearances, and ordinary work as service when it improves the world. When Jonah asks how a parent should respond to a child who says, “I didn’t ask to be born,” Friedman turns the question into the episode’s central claim: stop thinking of yourself as needy. You are needed. His message is bracing but hopeful: meaning begins when life stops being about what we can get and becomes about what we are here to give.THIS WEEK’S MONOLOGUE: Are you a “bad Jew”—or simply disengaged? Jonah replaces guilt with a sharper test: where are your time and energy actually going?MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:00:01:43 — Why Judaism Says Creation Has a Purpose and DirectionRabbi Manis Friedman explains tikkun olam, humanity’s role in perfecting creation, and why the question of purpose has become urgently modern.What Is Tikkun Olam? - Chabad.org00:16:10 — The Man Who Walked Eight Hours to Learn TorahFriedman shares how a follower in New Guinea walked eight hours to access internet, then built a Torah center for villagers arriving by canoe.00:22:45 — The Torah Is God Explaining Why He Needs UsFriedman reframes the Torah and Ten Commandments as God revealing Himself and asking humanity to choose relationship rather than programmed obedience.The Ten Commandments | My Jewish Learning00:29:13 — How Chabad Makes God Knowable Through Torah and RelationshipsFriedman explains Chabad as the work of making God knowable, arguing that genuine love—of God or a spouse—depends on understanding.What Is Chabad?00:35:21 — You Are Not Needy—You Are Needed by GodFriedman argues that humanity’s existence matters because God has “skin in the game,” transforming life from a burden into a divine necessity.00:46:56 — Why Rabbi Manis Friedman Says Seeing Kills IntimacyFriedman connects modesty to intimacy, arguing that appearances can distract us from loving the person rather than merely their visible qualities.Why Doesn't Anyone Blush Anymore? - Reclaiming Intimacy, Modesty, and Sexuality - Chabad.orgMore Ways To Connect with Being Jewish:Support the podcast directly by becoming a member of the Kehillah.To contact us & all things BJJP:www.BeingJewishPodcast.comWatch Being Jewish on YouTube:www.youtube.com/@beingjewishpodcastSubscribe to the Being Jewish Newsletter:bit.ly/beingjewishnewsletterFor Sponsorships, please email:partnerships@jonahplatt.comMerchandisehttps://beingjewishpodcast.com/merchFollow Jonah on:Instagram - @JonahPlattX - @JonahPlattFollow Being Jewish on:Instagram - @BeingJewishPodcastTikTok - @BeingJewishLearn more about Rabbi Manis Friedman:Rabbi Manis Friedman - YouTubeIt’s Good to Know - Rabbi Manis Friedman Rabbi Manis Friedman - InstagramWritten and Hosted by Jonah Platt, Executive Producers: Steve Hein, Jonah Platt, Chief Marketing Officer: Katya Chen, Production Manager/Executive Assistant: Josie Rothschild, Research Associate: Samantha Greenwald, Production Associates: Rachel Stern, Sasha Fiora, Production Intern: Emma Webb,Tatum Rosenblatt, Eden Waldman, YouTube Consultants: Jason Al-Samarrie & Zac Stein, Post Production by TIMEWEAVER, Creative Director: F. Brian Scofield, ACE, Lead Editor: Noam Klement, Editors: Gray Clevenger, Geoff McGee. Graphic Designer: Noah Bell, Theme Music by Gabriel Mann, Performed by Jonah Platt
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    54 mins
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