Treyf Podcast

On this episode, we took a look at a new generation of leftist Jewish media projects. We spoke with Ben Ratskoff (editor of Protocols) and Jacob Plitman (editor of Jewish Currents) about what’s led to this upsurge in the Jewish left, generational divides, the role of secularism, and what’s different about this moment. Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2018/07/24/38-resurgence-leftist-jewish-media/

Our upcoming episode on The Great March of Return has taken longer than expected so we're sharing a behind-the-scenes update along with a condensed version of the Electronic Intifada Podcast's episode on the 70th anniversary of the Nakba.

On this episode, we marked three years since starting the show & read letters from listeners! Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2018/05/10/37-letters-from-listeners/

On this episode, we spoke with Leo Ferguson and Aurora Levins Morales about the new resource, ‘Understanding Antisemitism: An Offering to our Movement,’ released in November by Jews for Racial and Economic Justice. We talked about the several-year process behind the resource, the monopoly the Jewish Right has had on this conversation, and why it's taken the Jewish left so long to offer this analysis. Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2018/04/04/36-understanding-antisemitism/

On this episode, we took a look back at the First Intifada following its 30th anniversary. We spoke with Mezna Qato (Palestinian activist & academic) about the history of the First Intifada, it’s legacy, and how it can help us better understand our present moment. Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2018/02/23/first_intifada/

Why there's no episode this week & an update on some developments over at Treyf HQ.

We spoke with Tom Pessah, an activist & academic based in Tel Aviv. We talked about his work with Amram, a group working to expose the truth about Israel’s mass kidnapping of Yemenite, Mizrahi and Balkan children in the 1950s. We spoke about the racism that led to these kidnappings and his investigation into JIMENA, the largest group representing Mizrahi Jews in the US. Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2017/12/31/tom-pessah/

As we enter sci-fi blockbuster season, we reached out to Molly Swain and Chelsea Vowel, hosts of the Métis in Space podcast. We talked about the colonial politics of mainstream science fiction, how they're pushing back against it, and the importance of envisioning decolonial futures. [This episode was recorded on November 27th]

We spoke with Bernie Farber (former CEO of the Canadian Jewish Congress) about his recent role in helping uncover the truth about Ayman Elkasrawy, a Toronto Imam fired from his job due to false accusations of Anti-Semitism. We talked about the uneven relationship between Jewish and Muslim communities in Canada, the rise of the far-right, and how mainstream Jewish groups no longer understand what Anti-Semitism really means. Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2017/11/19/short-bernie-farber/

On this episode, we take a step back and give some context to the continuing rise of Islamophobia in Québec. We first spoke with Alex, a longtime activist & organizer who’s participated in movements against the far-right in Québec since the 1980s. We talked about the recent surge in far-right organizing, the relationship between these groups & the state, and how our current moment differs from the 1990s. We then spoke with Houda Asal, historian, sociologist, activist, and author of the recent book ‘Se Dire Arabe au Canada.' We talked about the history of Anti-Arab racism in Québec, how it relates to Islamophobia, and what we can learn from past migrant struggles against racism. For more on the recent history of Islamophobia in Québec, you can listen to the episode we did following the mass shooting at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Québec City: https://soundcloud.com/treyfpodcast/27-anti-muslim-violence-in-quebec Show notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2017/11/02/34_quebec/

We spoke with Eli Valley about his new book, Diaspora Boy: Comics on Crisis in America and Israel. We talked about why he left the Forward, what happens when you publicly criticize institutional Jewish leaders, and the fraught relationship between satire and activism.

We spoke with Laura Whitehorn, former political prisoner & tireless revolutionary activist and organizer, about her decades of participation in movements for justice. We spoke about organizing against white supremacists during the 1970s, how she relates to the newly radicalized Jewish left, how her work has changed over time, and what solidarity ought to look like in our current context. We packed a lot into the Show Notes this week! Check them out here: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2017/10/12/laura_whitehorn/

We spoke with musician Dan Blacksberg about his new podcast, Radiant Others, an extended interview show with Klezmer musicians. We spoke with Dan about his politicization via Jewish Voice for Peace, what it means to be a white Ashkenazi cultural worker, and what Klezmer has to offer young Ashkenazi Jews.

On this episode we introduce a new rolling segment, the Treyf Mailbag! We check in about how we're feeling about the show and then read several letter from listeners. We end the episode with a Shkoyach awarded to a cookbook and anti-Shkoyach awarded to the province of Quebec. *content warning: this episode contains a discussion about circumcision. if you don't want to hear this, just skip minutes 13-19.

We were in Toronto last week for the 84th anniversary of the Christie Pits Riot, a piece of Jewish anti-fascist history that felt more significant this year. We decided to share this series of short interviews, originally conducted by Radio 613, which includes a conversation with Lionel Mernick, a Jewish man who was at the riot in 1933.

We were on the road this week so we recorded this short in Toronto! We caught up with Ariana Katz and Jessica Rosenberg about the Years of Radical Dreaming Jewish calendar project and what it means to mark Jewish time while prioritizing radical leftist politics.

In this 2004 recording, Leslie Lutsky interviews Ella Shohat, internationally renowned Mizrahi academic, and Professor of Cultural Studies at NYU. They speak about what led Iraqi Jews to leave for Palestine, how asserting Arab-Jewish identity has become politicized, and what it was like growing up as a Mizrahi Jew in Israel.

On this episode, we spoke with Lesley Williams (member of JVP's Network Against Islamophobia) about the campaign to stop Chicago's Jewish United Fund from continuing to support anti-Muslim organizations. We then spoke with Sarah Tuttle (member of Kadima) about the effort to stop the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle from honouring Seattle's Police Chief after the police murder of Charleena Lyles. Show notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2017/07/28/32-the-jewish-federations-racism-problem/

On this short, we spoke with Rebecca Pierce - writer, filmmaker, editor of the Unruly blog, and core member of the Jews of Color, Sephardi, and Mizrahi (JOCSM) Caucus that organizes in partnership with Jewish Voice for Peace. We spoke about her recent article in the Forward, Unruly's plans for growth over the next year, and her recent film about a founding member of the Israeli Black Panthers. EDIT: At the end of the show, David mentioned that Rebecca conducted interviews for a documentary about the Bakr family, produced for the Nation magazine. While Rebecca wrote the film and helped edit it, Dan Cohen was the one who conducted the interviews. Show notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2017/07/21/short-rebecca-pierce/

We spoke with Dean Spade (trans activist, professor and author) about growing up Jewish in the rural south, resisting the cooptation of our identities, and how the US left seems to have moved away from talking about capitalism and poverty. Show Notes: https://www.treyfpodcast.com/2017/06/29/31-dean-spade/