Medicine Under Siege: Dr. Musallam Abukhalil on Gaza’s Silent Emergency

Jewish Trauma Is Not A Weapon: Julie Wolk on Reclaiming Ashkenazi Ancestry Beyond Zionism

Julie Wolk [https://juliewolk.me/] is a facilitator, strategist, and creator of Ashkenazi Ancestral Journeys [https://ashkenaziancestraljourneys.org/], a spiritual pilgrimage and heritage program that brings Ashkenazi Jews to Poland to reconnect with ancestral lands, Jewish memory, diasporic culture, grief, and political histories that Zionist narratives often teach us to bypass. In this conversation, Julie and Ezra discuss what it means to turn toward Eastern Europe not only as a site of Holocaust memory and “the dark place,” but as a place of Jewish life, culture, language, resistance, food, medicine, prayer, and song. They talk about March of the Living and the weaponization of Holocaust trauma, the Jewish Labor Bund and the concept of doikayt, the erasure of Ashkenazi culture through Zionism, and the possibility of building a Judaism rooted not in nationalism or fear, but in solidarity, memory, and accountability. At the heart of the conversation is a question Julie’s work asks with urgency: can Jewish historical trauma be metabolized rather than weaponized — softening us into empathy and “never again for anyone,” rather than hardening us into victimhood, nationalism, militarism, and the dispossession of Palestinians? Julie is also the Co-Founder, former Co-Director, and current Board President of Wilderness Torah, now Adamah-SF. Earlier in her career, she worked as an environmental and social justice organizer with USPIRG and Rainforest Action Network. More about Julie Wolk [https://juliewolk.me/] Julie on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/juliewolk] Learn about Ashkenazi Ancestral Journeys [https://ashkenaziancestraljourneys.org/] Additional Resources Mentioned Molly Crabapple -  Here Where We Live Is Our Country [https://bookshop.org/p/books/here-where-we-live-is-our-country-the-story-of-the-jewish-bund-molly-crabapple/2d1023a8b6a838ab?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=dsa_nonbrand&utm_content={adgroupname}&utm_term=aud-1885352274184:dsa-19959388920&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=12440232635&gbraid=0AAAAACfld41cVzS09ekjy_qYV7rywMm9Z&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_vnQBhCxARIsADcZyxItoEx4NsoT6hp4nCgkctxzVNp8LFJ-uQdHd64koDeemS4mZq0nhqEaAv9hEALw_wcB]: The Story of The Jewish Bund [https://bookshop.org/p/books/here-where-we-live-is-our-country-the-story-of-the-jewish-bund-molly-crabapple/2d1023a8b6a838ab?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=dsa_nonbrand&utm_content={adgroupname}&utm_term=aud-1885352274184:dsa-19959388920&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=12440232635&gbraid=0AAAAACfld41cVzS09ekjy_qYV7rywMm9Z&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_vnQBhCxARIsADcZyxItoEx4NsoT6hp4nCgkctxzVNp8LFJ-uQdHd64koDeemS4mZq0nhqEaAv9hEALw_wcB] Naomi Klein - How Israel Has Made Trauma a Weapon of War [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2024/oct/05/israel-gaza-october-7-memorials] 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]

Medicine Under Siege: Dr. Musallam Abukhalil on Gaza’s Silent Emergency

What does it mean to practice medicine in Gaza while hospitals collapse, chronic illness goes untreated, children carry water instead of going to school, and entire communities struggle simply to survive? In this episode of The Thin Veil, Ezra speaks with Dr. Musallam Abukhalil, a physician in Gaza and founder of United for Dignity Alliance, a Palestinian-led humanitarian organization providing emergency aid, medical care, psychosocial support, education, and storytelling initiatives in Gaza. Dr. Musallam joins from Nuseirat in central Gaza for a deeply moving firsthand conversation about practicing medicine amid catastrophe, the hidden “silent emergency” of chronic illness and untreated disease, trauma and mental health, community resilience, and why people directly affected by crisis should lead their own recovery. Support United for Dignity Alliance [https://www.unitedfordignity.org/] The Thin Veil / Ezra Lipp’s Patreon Support Ezra’s Work and The Show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/EzraLipp] The Mixtape for Palestine Concert benefiting United For Dignity Alliance Sunday 5/31/2026 Ivy Room, Albany CA Tickets on Sale now! [https://bit.ly/mixtape4palestine] 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]

Reclaiming Roots: Rhythm and Decolonization in the Diaspora with Rafa Sarria Bustamante

In this episode of The Thin Veil, Ezra sits down with musician, activist, and La Gente SF frontman Rafa Sarria Bustamante for a wide-ranging conversation on identity, decolonization, Palestine, diaspora, anti-fascism, and political awakening. Rafa reflects on growing up Colombian-Nicaraguan in San Francisco’s Mission District, navigating mixed cultural identity, confronting racism and colorism, and how those experiences shaped his activism. The conversation explores connections between Indigenous struggles across the Americas, Palestinian liberation, Zionism, diaspora identity, and the ongoing work of decolonizing inherited narratives. They also discuss activism, music as resistance, solidarity movements, electoral politics, direct action, and what it means to find your place in liberation work. The Thin Veil / Ezra Lipp’s Patreon Support Ezra’s Work and The Show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/EzraLipp] The Mixtape for Palestine Concert benefiting United For Dignity Alliance [https://www.unitedfordignity.org/] Tickets on Sale now! [https://bit.ly/mixtape4palestine] Sunday 5/31/2026 Ivy Room, Albany CA 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] * (00:00) - Intro * (02:45) - Meet Rafa * (03:20) - Growing Up Colombian-Nicaraguan in San Francisco * (05:35) - Colorism, Colonialism & Identity * (09:35) - Palestine, Arab Diaspora & Political Awakening * (13:35) - Ashkenazi Jewish Identity & Decolonization * (16:45) - Music as Activism * (20:10) - Cultural Tokenism & Political Pushback * (22:45) - Grief, Gaza & Radicalization * (24:40) - Speaking Across Communities * (27:45) - Land Back & Indigenous Liberation * (29:45) - Armed Resistance vs Pacifism * (32:20) - How to Start Organizing * (34:10) - Outro

Resisting Erasure: Tarik Kazaleh on Diaspora Grief, Revolutionary Music and Generational Change

In this episode of The Thin Veil, Ezra Lipp speaks with Palestinian artist, musician, producer, and organizer MC Tarik "Excentrik" Kazaleh about diaspora grief, sumud, burnout, and what solidarity asks of people in the West. Tarik reflects on his family’s roots in Palestine, the emotional toll of watching the genocide in Gaza from the diaspora, and why performative empathy is not enough. He also shares the story of co-founding Prosthetics for Palestine with his wife, a project focused on building long-term care infrastructure for Palestinian amputees. The conversation moves through Tarik’s life in revolutionary music, from Arab Summit and Palestinian hip-hop to his new album Watani 77, a 77-minute improvised album on 77 years of Nakba, memory, culture, and resistance. Ezra and Tarik discuss Palestinian cultural continuity, the often forgotten history of Palestine’s Moroccan Quarter, October 7th, anti-Zionist Jewish responsibility, and Tarik’s complicated but deeply felt hope for a free Palestine — one rooted in liberation, memory, and resistance to erasure. Tarik’s Music [https://www.badpalestinian.com/] Prosthetics for Palestine [https://pfpal.org/our-programs/prosthetics-for-palestine/] The Thin Veil / Ezra Lipp’s Patreon Support Ezra’s Work and The Show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/EzraLipp] The Mixtape for Palestine Concert benefiting United For Dignity Alliance [https://www.unitedfordignity.org/] Tickets on Sale now! [https://bit.ly/mixtape4palestine] Sunday 5/31/2026 Ivy Room, Albany CA 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]

Repairing The Soul: Dottie Lux on Palestinian Solidarity and Protective Presence

In this episode of The Thin Veil, Ezra sits down with artist and organizer Dottie Lux [https://www.instagram.com/dottielux/?hl=en]. Dottie shares her journey from a Zionist upbringing to anti-Zionist activism, and how that shift reshaped her identity, her relationships, and her work. She speaks about her time in Palestine doing protective presence in the West Bank with the International Solidarity Movement, and her involvement founding Artists Unite for Palestine [https://www.instagram.com/artistsunitepalestine/], a collective of Bay Area artists doing work to provide mutual aid for Palestinians in Gaza. Dottie is a deep and soulful person and this conversation is dynamic and passionate. We think you'll like it. Check out Dottie's Podcast A Woman for Watermelons [https://www.patreon.com/c/AWomanForWatermelons/home] The Mixtape for Palestine Concert benefiting United For Dignity Alliance [https://www.unitedfordignity.org/] Tickets on Sale now! [https://bit.ly/mixtape4palestine] Sunday 5/31/2026 Ivy Room, Albany CA 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] Patreon Support Ezra’s Work and The Show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/EzraLipp] Ezra Lipp 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] Magic In The Other Sites 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]