Sefer Maccabim 011: Yehonatan the Diplomat

The Vision movement often references the notion of "Hebrew Universalism" - but what does that actually mean? Rina bat Eliyahu interviews Yehuda HaKohen for a deep dive into the concept as a stage of Jewish liberation that comes after Zionism.

When makes Yom HaZikaron l’Shoah v’l’Gvura (a day for remembering the Holocaust & the Heroism) different from other days on the Hebrew calendar that commemorate the Holocaust? Yehuda HaKohen is joined by Rina bat Eliyahu to discuss the Christian roots of European Jew hatred, different ways for understanding Yom HaShoah and the lessons of the Holocaust for the Jewish people today.

How did the young fighters executed during Israel's struggle to free Palestine from British rule cure the Jewish people of its curse of fear? In commemoration of the date (8 Nisan) that Eliyahu Bet-Zuri and Eliyahu Ḥakim were executed in Cairo, Yehuda HaKohen shares a 2012 class he taught on the 'Olei HaGardom' (those who mounted the gallows) and the deeper spiritual value of martyrdom in Torah thought.

Since accomplishing its revolutionary historic role, has Zionism slid back towards an assimilationist impulse aimed at transforming the State of Israel into a "normal" state on the international stage? Yehuda HaKohen is joined by Israel Advocacy professional and journalist Samuel Hyde to discuss Zionism, the future status of the West Bank, the need for a national postcolonial conversation and rival visions for Israeli society.

Yehuda HaKohen is joined by Ryerson University student Rina bat Eliyahu to discuss systemic anti-Semitism, the Jewish relationship to whiteness and the exclusion of Jews from conversations about oppression.

Ysabella Elisheva Hazan joins Yehuda HaKohen to talk about her https://decolonizedjudean.com/ movement and the application of postcolonial tools to Jewish identity issues. The two also discuss Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation and how 'Sternism' differed from Zionism during the pre-state era.

As Oslo architect Yossi Beilin attempts to repackage his "two-state solution" as a "confederation" plan, Yoel Oz of the Abrahamic movement joins Yehuda HaKohen to discuss alternative models for Jewish-Palestinian reconciliation and potential opportunities for Israel and the Islamic world to partner in advancing the mission(s) of Avraham.

The concluding episode of Robert Goodman's series on the first Book of Maccabees. Illustration by Moshe Katz @art_ofthe_covenant_

The penultimate episode of Robert Goodman's series on the first Book of Maccabees. Illustration by Moshe Katz @art_ofthe_covenant_

On the 80th anniversary of Avraham 'Yair' Stern's assassination, Yehuda HaKohen is joined by Aryeh Shapiro for a discussion on 'Sternism' as a non-Zionist ideological tendency that applies revolutionary theory to Jewish liberation issues.