Beyond Israelism with Simone Zimmerman

On the latest episode of 'Beyond Israelism', Simone Zimmerman sits down with Twitch streamer and political commentator Hasan Piker – arguably one of the most influential left-wing voices in American media today. Seven days a week, eight to 10 hours a day, Piker talks to millions of young people about income inequality, capitalism, imperialism, and Palestine. Yet, rather than being celebrated by Democrats desperate to reach young voters (didn't they want a "Joe Rogan of the left?"), he has become their most convenient target. Hasan has been smeared as an antisemite, allegedly subpoenaed by the Trump administration (he denies actually receiving a subpoena), and attacked relentlessly by the hasbara industry. Most recently, he was even barred from entering the UK for allegedly criticizing Israel. What makes this conversation striking is Hasan's refusal to let the smears do what they're designed to do. Despite being called an antisemite on a near-daily basis, he remains one of the most consistent voices against antisemitism, tracing its roots in right-wing ideology with precision most commentators don't bother with. His position is simple, and he states it plainly: no group is a monolith, and the fact that a multimillion-dollar industry exists to conflate Jewish identity with the State of Israel is proof enough of that. As Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens gain massive followings by filling the vacuum left by mainstream media's suppression of pro-Palestine voices, Hasan represents a different path: the same urgency, the same anti-establishment energy, but rooted in solidarity rather than fear. The establishment's campaign against him follows the same well-worn playbook deployed against Bernie Sanders and the Squad, yet it has never worked. This is a conversation about independent media, political courage, and why the left cannot afford to silence its own. 'Beyond Israelism with Simone Zimmerman' is a provocative new video podcast series from Tikkun Olam Productions, the team behind the viral and award-winning 2023 film Israelism. In this series, Simone will host bold and inspiring conversations that face, head on, the growing global reckoning with Zionism, the debates over Jewish identity, and the urgent struggle for Palestinian freedom. The episodes will unpack the myths of Zionism; dive deep into the meaning of Palestinian liberation, and through raw and fearless discussions examine the Jewish relationship with Israel. Subscribe to Zeteo to support independent and unfiltered journalism: https://zeteo.com/subscribe Watch 'Beyond Israelism' on Substack: https://zeteo.com/s/beyond-israelism Find Zeteo:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonews TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/zeteo.com To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/network/Zeteo

For the first-ever 'Beyond Israelism' LIVE event, host Simone Zimmerman sat down with Emmy award-winning actor and comedian Hannah Einbinder, British-Palestinian novelist Isabella Hammad, and Columbia University graduate and former ICE detainee Mahmoud Khalil at New York City's famous Riverside Church. Filmed in front of an audience of over 700 people in a historic space that has long been home to movements for justice and liberation, Simone and guests unpacked the meaning and material impact of Zionism, increased political repression in the US, the importance of solidarity, the changing landscape of public opinion on Israel-Palestine, and took an array of questions from the audience. Together, Hannah, Isabella, Mahmoud, and Simone wrestled with questions of identity, power, empire, and collective liberation, and what it means to imagine a future beyond violence and supremacy. This event was produced and presented by Zeteo, Project 48, Tikkun Olam Productions, Palestine Circle of The Riverside Church. Special thanks to everyone who helped us organize this event: Ibrahim Zubairi, Miriam Yousaf, Lucas Brooks, Sekar Paramitta, Carly Shaffer, Columbia SJP, and Columbia/Barnard JVP. 'Beyond Israelism with Simone Zimmerman' is a provocative new video podcast series from Tikkun Olam Productions, the team behind the viral and award-winning 2023 film Israelism. In this series, Simone will host bold and inspiring conversations that face, head on, the growing global reckoning with Zionism, the debates over Jewish identity, and the urgent struggle for Palestinian freedom. The episodes will unpack the myths of Zionism; dive deep into the meaning of Palestinian liberation, and through raw and fearless discussions examine the Jewish relationship with Israel. Subscribe to Zeteo to support independent and unfiltered journalism: https://zeteo.com/subscribe Watch 'Beyond Israelism' on Substack: https://zeteo.com/s/beyond-israelism Find Zeteo:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonews TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/zeteo.com To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/network/Zeteo

In her new book Here Where We Live Is Our Country, Molly Crabapple does something both radical and disarmingly simple: she tells a story that was never supposed to be remembered. Through years of research and her signature visual storytelling, Molly resurrects the world of the Bund – a once mass movement of Jewish socialist revolutionaries who were unabashedly anti-nationalist and insisted that liberation could only come through struggle and solidarity, wherever Jews already lived. They called it "doykait," or "hereness." It meant fighting antisemitism not by fleeing, or by building a state elsewhere, but by linking arms with neighbors and refusing to abandon their homes and communities across Eastern Europe. In this new episode of 'Beyond Israelism', Molly and Simone Zimmerman revive the Bund's lost history and political tradition. Bundists organized workers, built schools and summer camps, created art and literature, and fought against the competing forces of European fascism and the Zionist movement who were both urging Jews to flee Europe. While most Bundists were murdered in the Nazi gas chambers and Soviet gulags, some, like Marek Edelman – a leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising – carried that commitment forward long after the Holocaust, insisting that Jewish identity demanded standing with the oppressed, including with Palestinians. It is for this reason — the Bund's principled anti-Zionism — that they have been mostly excluded from history. Molly's vivid communing with the past offers a powerful companion to our present. She insists that history is not foreclosed, and that the traditions we inherit are, in part, a matter of choice. In a time of genocide and fascism, the Bund's ideas could not feel more prescient, and their stories and lessons more urgent to learn from. 'Beyond Israelism with Simone Zimmerman' is a provocative new video podcast series from Tikkun Olam Productions, the team behind the viral and award-winning 2023 film Israelism. In this series, Simone will host bold and inspiring conversations that face, head on, the growing global reckoning with Zionism, the debates over Jewish identity, and the urgent struggle for Palestinian freedom. The episodes will unpack the myths of Zionism; dive deep into the meaning of Palestinian liberation, and through raw and fearless discussions examine the Jewish relationship with Israel. Subscribe to Zeteo to support independent and unfiltered journalism: https://zeteo.com/subscribe Watch 'Beyond Israelism' on Substack: https://zeteo.com/s/beyond-israelism Find Zeteo:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonews TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/zeteo.com To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/network/Zeteo

NOTE: This episode was recorded prior to the US-Israel attack on Iran. In the latest episode of 'Beyond Israelism', Simone Zimmerman engages in a powerful and timely conversation with Palestinian scholar and author Tareq Baconi, author of 'Hamas Contained' and his newly released memoir 'Fire in Every Direction'. Tareq is regarded as one of the sharpest analysts when it comes to Gaza and Hamas, but this conversation moves beyond headlines into something more intimate. In his memoir, he weaves together his journey of coming out as a queer Palestinian with his family's history of dispossession. He tells the story of finding his grandmother's home in Haifa that she had fled during 1948 — a reminder that history is not abstract, but rather lived and carried across generations. "Even before the genocide began, Gaza felt to me like the most truthful place of what the Palestinian experience is." Tareq explores the legacy of the Nakba as an ongoing structure rather than a closed chapter. He reflects on what it means to tell family stories in the midst of mass violence, and why publishing a personal memoir during a genocide has felt both unbearable and necessary. Tareq recently wrote in '+972 Magazine' that "even if Hamas were dismantled tomorrow, the siege of Gaza, apartheid, and the denial of return would persist. At the same time, resistance would reconstitute itself in new forms because the condition that gives rise to it — colonial domination — remains." Tareq offers historical depth and clarity in a moment saturated with distortion and political theater. This episode also lands at a critical political moment: Donald Trump unveiling his so-called "Board of Peace," promoting glossy redevelopment schemes for Gaza while sidelining Palestinians. Against this backdrop, Tareq's emphasis on the enduring realities of colonialism and apartheid feels clarifying and urgent. For anyone trying to make sense of this moment, this conversation offers something rare: moral seriousness, historical grounding, and a refusal to look away. This is a conversation that doesn't just inform — it grounds us in our humanity, and invites us into a deeper understanding of what's at stake. 'Beyond Israelism with Simone Zimmerman' is a provocative new video podcast series from Tikkun Olam Productions, the team behind the viral and award-winning 2023 film Israelism. In this series, Simone will host bold and inspiring conversations that face, head on, the growing global reckoning with Zionism, the debates over Jewish identity, and the urgent struggle for Palestinian freedom. The episodes will unpack the myths of Zionism; dive deep into the meaning of Palestinian liberation, and through raw and fearless discussions examine the Jewish relationship with Israel. Subscribe to Zeteo to support independent and unfiltered journalism: https://zeteo.com/subscribe Watch 'Beyond Israelism' on Substack: https://zeteo.com/s/beyond-israelism Find Zeteo:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonews TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/zeteo.com To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/network/Zeteo

In this latest episode of Beyond Israelism, Simone Zimmerman sits down with Yuli Novak, Executive Director of B'Tselem and one of the most uncompromising dissident voices within Israel. It's a deeply honest and impactful conversation about political rupture, moral clarity, and the cost of telling the truth from inside a society that has become, in Yuli's words, "completely genocidal." Yuli reflects on her journey from an upbringing shaped by patriotism and belief in Israeli democracy to a painful reckoning with what she now calls an apartheid regime — and with the conditions that enabled mass complicity with genocide. Yuli revisits her years leading Breaking the Silence — a group of former Israeli soldiers that documented abuses under occupation — which became the target of an all-out smear campaign involving government officials, mainstream media, legal harassment, and infiltration by right-wing groups. That experience, chronicled in her memoir Who Do You Think You Are?, marked a turning point: the moment she realized she had become a dissident against the regime. Today, as head of B'Tselem, Yuli explains why the organization chose to name Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide in its report 'Our Genocide'. Subscribe to Zeteo to support independent and unfiltered journalism: https://zeteo.com/subscribe Watch 'Beyond Israelism' on Substack: https://zeteo.com/s/beyond-israelism Find Zeteo:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonews TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/zeteo.com To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/network/Zeteo

In this interview filmed right before the tenuous ceasefire was announced in Gaza, Simone sits down with a man whose name has become synonymous with the pro-Palestinian movement around the world: Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate who was targeted by the Trump administration earlier this year. After months in ICE detention and even missing the birth of his first child, he emerged with his commitment to justice even stronger than before. "I don't identify as an activist…Being Palestinian, by definition, you have to be an advocate for your rights," he tells Simone. "The fact that you're Palestinian, you have to prove that you're not a threat, you have to prove that you're not an extremist, you have to prove that you're just a human." Simone also traces her own connection to the Columbia organizers in their conversation, beginning with her invitation to speak at a screening of Israelism amid months of efforts to silence student voices. And Mahmoud shares new stories about his harrowing experience in ICE detention, the people he met there, the poignant letters he wrote to his family, and how the dreams of many marginalized communities are the same. "In my case, immigration laws were weaponized to suppress dissent… and how to feed the white supremacy agenda in this country," he says. "It's not about one person, it's about creating this new environment of division, of hate, in this country so you can divide and conquer." Simone and Mahmoud also speak about Mahmoud's solidarity with anti-Zionist Jewish students at Columbia, the political journeys he saw them undertake, and how they worked together to demand divestment and speak out against a genocide. It's a powerful, grounding episode, and one that offers both an inside view of a pivotal student movement and a reminder of the human beings who continue to bear the weight of speaking out. Subscribe to Zeteo to support independent and unfiltered journalism: https://zeteo.com/subscribe Watch 'Beyond Israelism' on Substack: https://zeteo.com/s/beyond-israelism Find Zeteo:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonews TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/zeteo.com To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/network/Zeteo

In a fiery acceptance speech after winning an Emmy for her role on HBO's hit show Hacks, actress and comedian Hannah Einbinder ended with a statement that has since gone viral on social media…and t-shirts: "Go Birds, F*ck ICE, and Free Palestine." In her first major interview since that moment, Hannah joins Simone as the first guest of Zeteo's exclusive new show. Hannah Einbeinder has become one of the most visible, outspoken anti-Zionist Jews in Hollywood over the last year. In this episode, she opens up about how she decided to become more outspoken — about how October 7 prompted a journey of reckoning with her Zionism, how friends supported her on that journey, how she has decided to use the responsibility of her visibility as the genocide in Gaza has worsened. "My Zionism was connected to a sense of denial, but it also…demanded that I keep a distance between myself and the very tangible, real world pain of Palestinians," says Hannah. Beyond Israelism with Simone Zimmerman is a provocative new video podcast series from Tikkun Olam Productions, the team behind the viral and award-winning 2023 film Israelism. In this series, Simone will host bold and inspiring conversations that face, head on, the growing global reckoning with Zionism, the debates over Jewish identity, and the urgent struggle for Palestinian freedom. The episodes will unpack the myths of Zionism; dive deep into the meaning of Palestinian liberation, and through raw and fearless discussions examine the Jewish relationship with Israel. Hannah and Simone discuss the pain of letting go of old stories and myths, unpack how to navigate disagreement and even rupture with loved ones, and their shared visions for a different kind of Jewish life. Don't miss Hannah's reading list for unlearning Zionism as well as films she recommends!  If you enjoyed this conversation, here are some additional resources: Donate to Pal Humanity — a cause close to Hannah's heart: https://palhumanity.com/ Subscribe to Zeteo to support independent and unfiltered journalism: https://zeteo.com/subscribe Watch 'Beyond Israelism' on Substack: https://zeteo.com/s/beyond-israelism Find Zeteo:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonews TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/zeteo.com To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/network/Zeteo

Zeteo is proud to announce the launch of a new and provocative video podcast series from the team behind the viral and award-winning 2023 film Israelism. Hosted by Jewish-American activist Simone Zimmerman, whose personal story is chronicled in that film, 'Beyond Israelism' is a show you won't want to miss. Simone will host bold and inspiring conversations that face, head on, the growing global reckoning with Zionism, the debates over Jewish identity, and the urgent struggle for Palestinian freedom. The episodes will unpack the myths of Zionism; dive deep into the meaning of Palestinian liberation, and through raw and fearless discussions examine the Jewish relationship with Israel. Where else in our media can you find something like this? Subscribe to Zeteo to support independent and unfiltered journalism: https://zeteo.com/subscribe Watch 'Beyond Israelism' on Substack: https://zeteo.com/s/beyond-israelism Find Zeteo:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonews TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/zeteo.com To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/network/Zeteo