100 episodes

Yonit Levi of Israel's Channel 12 News and Jonathan Freedland of The Guardian are two of the most prominent journalists in the world today. They are also Jews. Each week, join what MSNBC's Rachel Maddow calls "two great, smart smart smart hosts" as they dissect and debate current events shaping Israel, Jewish life - and the wider world.

Their blend of nuanced discussion and sparkling conversation, featuring a dazzling range of guests, is why New Yorker editor David Remnick calls himself a “proud, avid listener," why Ira Glass says he "completely enjoys this show" and why Malcolm Gladwell calls it an "incredibly fun podcast".

For a weekly fix of globally informed talk – including nominations for the greatest act of chutzpah and outstanding mensch of the previous seven days – there’s only one destination. Make every Friday morning Unholy. 

Unholy: Two Jews on the News Keshet

    • News
    • 4.8 • 176 Ratings

Yonit Levi of Israel's Channel 12 News and Jonathan Freedland of The Guardian are two of the most prominent journalists in the world today. They are also Jews. Each week, join what MSNBC's Rachel Maddow calls "two great, smart smart smart hosts" as they dissect and debate current events shaping Israel, Jewish life - and the wider world.

Their blend of nuanced discussion and sparkling conversation, featuring a dazzling range of guests, is why New Yorker editor David Remnick calls himself a “proud, avid listener," why Ira Glass says he "completely enjoys this show" and why Malcolm Gladwell calls it an "incredibly fun podcast".

For a weekly fix of globally informed talk – including nominations for the greatest act of chutzpah and outstanding mensch of the previous seven days – there’s only one destination. Make every Friday morning Unholy. 

    Normalize This: Saudi Breakthrough And Special Guest Lesley Stahl

    Normalize This: Saudi Breakthrough And Special Guest Lesley Stahl

    This week brought the strongest signal yet that a breakthrough in Saudi-Israeli relations is coming - with heavy hints from Benjamin Netanyahu, Mohammed bin Salman and Joe Biden. Yonit and Jonathan break it all down - and point to the man who’s likely to be the big winner. 

    Plus: a conversation with American TV royalty, veteran CBS News correspondent, Lesley Stahl on covering Israel, the challenge of social media and the rise of the octogenarian in US media - and politics. 

    And in this new year season, two very different styles of festive greeting win our chutzpah and mensch awards.

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    • 1 hr 4 min
    Days of Judgement - with special guest David Remnick

    Days of Judgement - with special guest David Remnick

    It's the Jewish New Year -- and Yonit and Jonathan are joined by New Yorker editor and longtime friend of the podcast, David Remnick, to reflect on the year just gone and look forward to the year ahead. They discuss the Israeli Supreme Court's marathon session debating the first step in Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial overhaul, the looming possibility of a second Donald Trump presidency - and the day David met the most Jewish artist of the last century. Plus some special awards, including for the biggest act of chutzpah of the entire year.

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    • 1 hr 11 min
    Deal Or No Deal - with special guest Prof. Jacob Hanna

    Deal Or No Deal - with special guest Prof. Jacob Hanna

    Yonit and Jonathan are back from the summer break - and there is A LOT to talk about. Word of a possible climbdown by Benjamin Netanyahu on the judicial overhaul, an attempt to force out the head of Israel’s Holocaust museum - and a massive scientific breakthrough from Israel's Weizmann Institute: senior researcher Prof Jacob (Yaqub) Hanna tells us how it happened and what it could mean for the human future. Plus: jaw dropping winners of our chutzpah and mensch awards and - of course - You’re So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzva.
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    • 54 min
    Conversations We Love: Ira Glass

    Conversations We Love: Ira Glass

    Only a week until Unholy returns to regular broadcasting - which means one more edition of Conversations We Love, a series in which we return to some of our prized talks. And what better way to end summer vacation than with pioneering radio host Ira Glass, creator of the 800-episode "This American Life". In this special interview, Glass reflects on his career - from a Pulitzer, through being dubbed 'the godfather of podcasting' and to the disappointment of his Jewish parents when he let them know he wasn't going to be a doctor. 
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    • 41 min
    Conversations We Love: Helen Mirren

    Conversations We Love: Helen Mirren

    It won't be long until we return to our regular broadcasting, but while we take advantage of the last days of summer break (as we hope you've been able to do, preferably with something refreshing in hand) - we've chosen to air one of our most special interviews to date. 

    This July, we were lucky enough to sit down with non other than Oscar winner Dame Helen Mirren, who visited Israel to promote her new film, Golda, in which she portrays the female Israeli prime minister during the Yom Kippur War. Listen to learn how Mirren got in character, how she deals with ageism in Hollywood, plus - why she'd join the protestors against the judicial overhaul. 

    “Golda” opens in theaters on August 25.
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    • 33 min
    Conversations We Love: Jonathan Freedland

    Conversations We Love: Jonathan Freedland

    We're still away on vacation mode, but that doesn't mean we can't serve up our weekly cocktail of Jews and news. That's why we've compiled a list of some of our favorite episodes, to listen to on a long ride up north or through earphones while taking off somewhere. 

    This week our guest is also one of our hosts, who doubles as a celebrated author! Since this episode was first uploaded, "The Escape Artist" by Jonathan Freedland has peaked bestseller lists and sold numerous copies. Catch up on Yonit interviewing him on the fascinating story of the man who escaped Auschwitz to tell the horrors to the world.
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    • 38 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
176 Ratings

176 Ratings

Bubbie Ru ,

Unholy: Two Jews on The News

Smart, sassy, heartfelt and sophisticated. Deep, and thought provoking, but sprinkled with humor. Israeli based TV journalist Yonit Levy, along with London based writer Jonathan Freedland from The Guardian, have a winning repartee, and each offers deep understanding and a unique perspective on complex topics. Guests are compelling, articulate and relevant. Overall, I appreciate the distillation of complicated Jewish ideas and politics into conversations we can learn from and enjoy.

Emil Eidin ,

Wonderful podcast

Yonit and Jonathan are wonderful interviewers however they are too polite in my opinion. Even as an Israeli I learn from them a lot, and it is always great the diaspora perspective from Jonathan. I love the Hutzpah Mench awards, absolutely brilliant.

fangrl73 ,

Too bad Yonit doesn’t actually stand for anything

I was a fan of the show, particularly of Jonathan’s thoughtful insights and intelligent interview style. However, after so many months in which the two hosts have reported on the subject of Israel’s self-destruction, otherwise called the judiciary overhaul, Yonit undid any integrity that this podcast retained with her utterly pathetic performance on her nightly show in which she allowed the racist pyromaniac Ben Gvir to spew dangerous, hateful, racists statements— unchecked by her, and culminating with thanking him for the interview. This choice of hers was so head-scratchingly stupid, journalistically lazy and just plain irresponsible that unfortunately I can no longer listen to this show. Unfollowing. Too bad.

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