Transported

From Bevis Marks to Nelson Street

Bevis Marks Synagogue is the oldest in Great Britain, founded over 300 years ago, still in use, at the heart of the City of London. Most of the Spanish & Portuguese Community now live in north-west London, so the synagogue is sparsely attended compared to its heyday where one Benjamin Disraeli attended as a child. The East London Central Synagogue on Nelson Street will soon become the Ashaadibi Education & Cultural Centre [https://ashaadibi.co.uk/] - assuming the success of their “Synagogue to Masjid Fundraiser 2026”. This is a Somali Muslim community whose goal is to “build a permanent home for Islam” where there once was a home for British Jews. It is an unpleasant coincidence that the suspect in the Golders Green attack is a Somali with British citizenship. Golders Green has of course long taken over from the East End as the centre of London Jewish life. We all have our favourite stores, bakeries and restaurants, past and present - from the legendary and long-gone Solly’s and Blooms to the ever-present Carmelli’s and Grod’s. These demonstrations of Jews putting down roots have been taken for granted, and now we sense that once again we may be uprooted. I recently wrote an essay entitled The Road Back To Britain, which was published in the most recent edition of Prophecy [https://seekprophecy.substack.com/] - available now if you purchase the print or digital version. The full, unabridged essay will be here on Transported shortly for paid subscribers. It envisions two futures for the community, depending on choices we make at the fork in the road, presumed to be a few years further down the line as we neared the next elections. In this episode we contemplate the possibility that we are already there. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit transported.substack.com/subscribe [https://transported.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

23/04/26 - From Buenos Aires to Tel Aviv

Thoughts on marking these impactful days in Buenos Aires, as the governments of Israel and Argentina appear closer than ever. Meanwhile in London we’re having a wave of antisemitic arson attacks, with a feckless response from the Government. Is our identity in our host nations something temporary? Let’s get into it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit transported.substack.com/subscribe [https://transported.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

09/04/26 - From Guadeloupe to Tehran Part VIII

Trump’s threat may have been bluster - either way, the Iranians took the option to negotiate, at least for now. We try and discern the signal from the noise, in the final part of this story arc. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit transported.substack.com/subscribe [https://transported.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

07/04/26 - From Hydra to Hormuz

On the eve of the second Pesach yom tov, with Trump’s looming threats, and a world largely incapable of countenancing the use of force for any reason, let alone deploying it, we consider the words of Leonard Cohen’s last song as a message to us all. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit transported.substack.com/subscribe [https://transported.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

30/03/26 - From Guadeloupe to Tehran Part VII

As the second month of the Iran war begins, we hear of negotiations, but also of threats to energy infrastructure. The Houthis are rattling their sabers, but Israel’s nascent alliance with Somaliland could shift the calculus on any attempt to disrupt global trade in the choke point that is the Bab al-Mandab. Join us as we unpack the latest and look towards an uncertain future. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit transported.substack.com/subscribe [https://transported.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]