Understanding Israel: An Insider's Perspective on Israeli Society, Politics & One Democratic State | Einat Temkin

Understanding Israel: An Insider's Perspective on Israeli Society, Politics & One Democratic State | Einat Temkin

In this episode of The Thin Veil, Ezra speaks with Israeli writer and activist Einat Temkin—a former United Nations communications officer (2008–2025) and former IDF member—about her journey from growing up in Israel in a liberal Zionist family to becoming an outspoken anti-Zionist Jewish voice. Together, they discuss Israeli society, military indoctrination, Zionism, Hasbara, the decline of the Israeli left, current Israeli politics, and why Einat believes a single democratic state is the only just long-term solution for both Israelis and Palestinians. FOLLOW EINAT [https://www.facebook.com/einattemkin] EINAT'S ONE DEMOCRATIC STATE POST [https://www.facebook.com/einattemkin/posts/pfbid02yzPKA4YRqHbcnrV3xEgyivQUGStTQKHS77rm7dY9DUVyFjq3oYsJtR28GboN9R5Tl] ⭐️PLEASE LEAVE A RATING AND REVIEW OF THE SHOW ❤️ SUPPORT THE SHOW EZRA LIPP / THIN VEIL ON PATREON [https://www.patreon.com/c/EzraLipp]  🇵🇸GET INVOLVED  JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE [https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/] CONNECTING GAZA [https://www.connectinggaza.org/] 🎙 LISTEN / WATCH / FOLLOW THE THIN VEIL THE THIN VEIL ON ALL PODCAST PLATFORMS [https://www.ezralipp.com/the-thin-veil-links] THE THIN VEIL ON YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/@TheThinVeilWithEzraLipp] THE THIN VEIL ON INSTAGRAM [https://www.instagram.com/thethinveilwithezralipp/] ✍️REACH OUT / SEND FEEDBACK THETHINVEILPOD@GMAIL.COM 👋 FOLLOW EZRA EZRA ON INSTAGRAM [https://www.instagram.com/ezralipp] EZRA ON FACEBOOK [https://www.facebook.com/ezra.lipp] EZRA'S WEBSITE [https://www.ezralipp.com/] EZRA ON YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/@Ezralipp] 🎵 THEME MUSIC BY MAGIC IN THE OTHER MAGIC IN THE OTHER WEBSITE [https://www.magicintheother.com/] MAGIC IN THE OTHER ON INSTAGRAM [https://www.instagram.com/magicintheother] MAGIC IN THE OTHER ON YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/@magicintheother] * (00:00) - "The Israeli Left Has Disappeared" * (00:00) - Chapter 2 * (01:00) - Introduction * (00:00) - Chapter 4 * (02:35) - Growing Up Israeli * (00:00) - Chapter 6 * (05:35) - Indoctrination & Israeli Education * (00:00) - Chapter 8 * (09:45) - The IDF, Oslo & Rabin's Assassination * (00:00) - Chapter 10 * (12:45) - Leaving Israel & Working at the United Nations * (00:00) - Chapter 12 * (15:00) - Why I Became Anti-Zionist * (00:00) - Chapter 14 * (18:10) - Inside Israeli Politics Today * (00:00) - Chapter 16 * (20:00) - Has the Israeli Left Disappeared? * (00:00) - Chapter 18 * (25:40) - Dr. Abu Safiya & Gaza's Medical Crisis * (00:00) - Chapter 20 * (28:30) - Standing Together & Liberal Zionism * (00:00) - Chapter 22 * (38:25) - What Is Hasbara? * (00:00) - Chapter 24 * (41:45) - Debunking Common Zionist Arguments * (00:00) - Chapter 26 * (46:45) - Section 219: US–Israel Military Integration * (00:00) - Chapter 28 * (50:55) - Can Israelis Accept One Democratic State? * (00:00) - Chapter 30 * (54:20) - What Can Americans Do? * (00:00) - Chapter 32 * (55:45) - Closing Thoughts ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ [https://patreon.com/EzraLipp]

Communication Breakdown: Mo Husseini on Empathy, Identity & How We Talk About Israel and Palestine

What happens when a Palestinian writer and an anti-Zionist Jew agree on the destination—but disagree about some of the language and tactics we use to get there? In this conversation, I sit down with Palestinian American filmmaker, writer, and speaker Mo Husseini for a thoughtful and challenging discussion, filled with agreement, but also some respectful tension. We explore Palestinian identity, Zionism, Jewish historical trauma, empathy, antisemitism, the weaponization of antisemitism, as well as "the weaponization of the weaponization of antisemitism" (you read that right), power, language, and what genuine liberation might look like for both Palestinians and Israelis. This isn't a debate. It's an honest conversation between two people committed to justice who occasionally disagree about strategy, framing, and communication. Mo's Website [https://www.mohusseini.com/] The Path Forward - 2024 Film on Israel and Palestine Directed by Julie Cohen and Mo Husseini [https://watch.grasshopperfilm.com/films/the-path-forward] Mo's Substack [https://substack.com/@mohusseini] ⭐️PLEASE LEAVE A RATING AND REVIEW OF THE SHOW ❤️ SUPPORT THE SHOW EZRA LIPP / THIN VEIL ON PATREON [https://www.patreon.com/c/EzraLipp]  🇵🇸GET INVOLVED  JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE [https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/] CONNECTING GAZA [https://www.connectinggaza.org/] 🎙 LISTEN / WATCH / FOLLOW THE THIN VEIL THE THIN VEIL ON ALL PODCAST PLATFORMS [https://www.ezralipp.com/the-thin-veil-links] THE THIN VEIL ON YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/@TheThinVeilWithEzraLipp] THE THIN VEIL ON INSTAGRAM [https://www.instagram.com/thethinveilwithezralipp/] ✍️REACH OUT / SEND FEEDBACK THETHINVEILPOD@GMAIL.COM 👋 FOLLOW EZRA EZRA ON INSTAGRAM [https://www.instagram.com/ezralipp] EZRA ON FACEBOOK [https://www.facebook.com/ezra.lipp] EZRA'S WEBSITE [https://www.ezralipp.com/] EZRA ON YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/@Ezralipp] 🎵 THEME MUSIC BY MAGIC IN THE OTHER MAGIC IN THE OTHER WEBSITE [https://www.magicintheother.com/] MAGIC IN THE OTHER ON INSTAGRAM [https://www.instagram.com/magicintheother] MAGIC IN THE OTHER ON YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/@magicintheother] ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ [https://patreon.com/EzraLipp]

Untangling Judaism from Zionism: Rabbi Cat Zavis on Jewish Moral Courage

Rabbi Cat Zavis is a spiritual leader, activist, attorney, and rabbi at Beyt Tikkun — an anti-Zionist Jewish congregation in the Bay Area. In this episode, we explore the process of untangling Judaism from Zionism — and what it means to reconstruct Jewish moral and spiritual life in the aftermath of deep political and theological rupture. We discuss her personal journey through social justice work, Jewish education, Palestinian solidarity organizing, and rabbinic leadership, as well as the broader tensions inside contemporary Jewish life. Topics include: - childhood moral formation and empathy - confronting Palestine within Jewish institutions - "liberal Zionism" and its limits - fear, propaganda, and institutional pressure - Jewish identity, empire, and political theology - moral courage, repair, and spiritual reconstruction BEYT TIKKUN SYNAGOGUE https://beyttikkun.org/ ⭐️PLEASE LEAVE A RATING AND REVIEW OF THE SHOW ❤️ SUPPORT THE SHOW EZRA LIPP / THIN VEIL ON PATREON [https://www.patreon.com/c/EzraLipp]  🇵🇸GET INVOLVED  JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE [https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/] CONNECTING GAZA [https://www.connectinggaza.org/] 🎙 LISTEN / WATCH / FOLLOW THE THIN VEIL THE THIN VEIL ON ALL PODCAST PLATFORMS [https://www.ezralipp.com/the-thin-veil-links] THE THIN VEIL ON YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/@TheThinVeilWithEzraLipp] THE THIN VEIL ON INSTAGRAM [https://www.instagram.com/thethinveilwithezralipp/] ✍️REACH OUT / SEND FEEDBACK THETHINVEILPOD@GMAIL.COM 👋 FOLLOW EZRA EZRA ON INSTAGRAM [https://www.instagram.com/ezralipp] EZRA ON FACEBOOK [https://www.facebook.com/ezra.lipp] EZRA'S WEBSITE [https://www.ezralipp.com/] EZRA ON YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/@Ezralipp] 🎵 THEME MUSIC BY MAGIC IN THE OTHER MAGIC IN THE OTHER WEBSITE [https://www.magicintheother.com/] MAGIC IN THE OTHER ON INSTAGRAM [https://www.instagram.com/magicintheother] MAGIC IN THE OTHER ON YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/@magicintheother] ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ [https://patreon.com/EzraLipp]

The Bus Back to Haifa: Yassar Dahbour on Exile, Memory & Return

Yassar Dahbour is a Palestinian refugee from Haifa, a Sacramento-based political organizer, president of the Palestine American League [https://www.instagram.com/palestineamericanleague/], and co-founder of the Sacramento Regional Coalition for Palestinian Rights [https://www.instagram.com/srcpalestine/]. Born in a refugee camp in Syria after his family was expelled from Haifa during the Nakba, Yassar grew up surrounded by Palestinian political life, refugee memory, and the dream of return. His father, Ahmad Dahbour, was a renowned Palestinian poet whose work was shaped by exile, revolution, and the longing for Palestine. In this episode of The Thin Veil, Yassar shares his family’s story of displacement from Haifa, his childhood in a refugee camp, his father’s poetry and role in the Palestinian movement, and what it felt like to finally visit Palestine using an American passport. We also discuss why Oslo did not offer return for Palestinians from Haifa, the experience of being detained at Ben-Gurion Airport, the destruction of his family’s apartment and archive in Gaza, the collapse of Western media narratives, and what a free Palestine means to him. At the center of the conversation is a story from Yassar’s grandmother: when the children cried in the refugee camp, she would tell them that tomorrow, a bus would come and take them back to Haifa. YASSAR'S ORGANIZATIONS PALESTINIAN AMERICAN LEAGUE [https://www.instagram.com/palestineamericanleague/] SACRAMENTO REGIONAL COALITION FOR PALESTINIAN RIGHTS [https://www.instagram.com/srcpalestine/] ⭐️PLEASE LEAVE A RATING AND REVIEW OF THE SHOW ❤️ SUPPORT THE SHOW EZRA LIPP / THIN VEIL ON PATREON [https://www.patreon.com/c/EzraLipp]  🇵🇸GET INVOLVED  JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE [https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/] CONNECTING GAZA [https://www.connectinggaza.org/] 🎙 LISTEN / WATCH / FOLLOW THE THIN VEIL THE THIN VEIL ON ALL PODCAST PLATFORMS [https://www.ezralipp.com/the-thin-veil-links] THE THIN VEIL ON YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/@TheThinVeilWithEzraLipp] THE THIN VEIL ON INSTAGRAM [https://www.instagram.com/thethinveilwithezralipp/] ✍️REACH OUT / SEND FEEDBACK THETHINVEILPOD@GMAIL.COM 👋 FOLLOW EZRA EZRA ON INSTAGRAM [https://www.instagram.com/ezralipp] EZRA ON FACEBOOK [https://www.facebook.com/ezra.lipp] EZRA'S WEBSITE [https://www.ezralipp.com/] EZRA ON YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/@Ezralipp] 🎵 THEME MUSIC BY MAGIC IN THE OTHER MAGIC IN THE OTHER WEBSITE [https://www.magicintheother.com/] MAGIC IN THE OTHER ON INSTAGRAM [https://www.instagram.com/magicintheother] MAGIC IN THE OTHER ON YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/@magicintheother] ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ [https://patreon.com/EzraLipp]

Liberation Through Solidarity: Matthew Solomon on Palestine, Abolition and Interconnected Struggles

Filmmaker, musician, writer, and abolitionist Matthew Solomon joins Ezra to discuss his new documentary Seeds for Liberation, a film that centers Palestine while tracing the connections between Zionism, U.S. imperialism, policing, Black liberation, the Chicano movement, Indigenous resistance, and broader anti-colonial struggle. Matthew’s previous documentary, Reimagining Safety, explored abolitionist approaches to policing, prisons, crisis response, and community care. In this conversation, we talk about how that work shaped his understanding of Palestine, what he had to unlearn as an anti-Zionist Jew, and why the fight for Palestinian liberation is inseparable from other struggles against empire, racial capitalism, militarism, and colonial violence. We also discuss Jewish deprogramming after October 7th, the limits of conditional solidarity, the question of who Seeds for Liberation is for, and what real safety might look like beyond police, prisons, punishment, and fear. Seeds for Liberation Film [https://www.seedsforliberationmovie.com/] Reimagining Safety Film [https://www.reimaginingsafetymovie.com/] Matthew Solomon on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mattytheglue] The Thin Veil / Ezra Lipp’s Patreon Support Ezra’s Work and The Show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/EzraLipp] The Thin Veil with Ezra Lipp The Thin Veil on all Podcast Platforms [https://www.ezralipp.com/the-thin-veil-links] The Thin Veil on Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheThinVeilWithEzraLipp] Ezra Lipp’s Sites https://www.instagram.com/ezralipp [https://www.instagram.com/ezralipp] https://www.ezralipp.com [https://www.ezralipp.com] https://www.youtube.com/@Ezralipp [https://www.youtube.com/@Ezralipp] Thin Veil Theme Music by Magic In The Other  https://www.instagram.com/magicintheother [https://www.instagram.com/magicintheother] https://www.magicintheother.com [https://www.magicintheother.com] https://www.youtube.com/@magicintheother [https://www.youtube.com/@magicintheother] ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ [https://patreon.com/EzraLipp]