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In this episode, Jonah sits down with legendary commentator, activist and community ally Van Jones to dive into the historical power and current necessity of the Black & Jewish relationship. Together, Jonah and Van discuss the historic ties between their communities, the forces that try to divide them, and how both must work together to safeguard democracy and each other. Additionally, they discuss the pending Presidential election, the power of activism, and the origin of Van’s name! An eye-opening episode full of insight, truth, and personal stories not to be missed.

Mentioned in this episode

• Article: The Message by Ta-Nehesi Coates
• The Green Collar Economy by Van Jones

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Host & Production Team

Host: Jonah Platt; Produced by Rainbow Creative (Executive Producer: Matthew Jones; Story Producer: Sean Leviashvili; Editor: Patrick Edwards);, Social Media Manager: Yuval Yosha; Designer Noah Bell Research Associate: Samantha Greenwald, and Consulting Producers: Shield Communications (Ariella Noveck & Bethany Mandel).

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00:00 Introduction and Context

00:16 Exploring Jewish Identity

01:05 Challenging Jewish Validity

02:23 Solidarity and Unification

06:05 Introducing Van Jones

08:00 Van Jones' Early Life and Influences

13:29 Experiences with Racism and Activism

23:20 Media Integrity and Bias

27:08 Addressing Anti-Semitism and Advocacy

34:20 The Palestinian Cause and Hamas

35:23 Personal Impact and Progressive Identity

36:18 Social Media and Public Perception

37:06 Standing Up for All Communities

37:29 Facing Fear and Speaking Out

40:46 Complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

45:15 Black and Jewish Community Relations