Unholy: Two Jews on the News

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Naomi Alderman on Substack: look at me. I’m here. I’m the ultimate product of Hitler’s defeat: https://naomialderman.substack.com/p/look-at-me-im-here-im-the-ultimate

Day 13 of the war with Iran — and the conflict just got bigger. Overnight, 200 rockets were fired at Israel from Lebanon. Hezbollah, which many believed had been neutered, is back. 

This week, Yonit and Jonathan take stock of a war that is growing, not winding down. They're joined by General David Petraeus — former CIA Director, commander of coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and one of the most clear-eyed voices on American military strategy. Petraeus breaks down what the US and Israel have actually achieved so far: missile launches are down over 90%, air defenses have been dismantled, and over 6,000 targets hit. But the new Khamenei? "We wanted a Delcy Rodriguez," he says. "We got a young Kim Jong-un." And he's blunt about what comes next: Iran's a million men under arms, and nobody has a clean exit.

Then: a very different conversation. Jonathan talks to novelist and broadcaster Naomi Alderman about why she thinks Marty Supreme is the most intensely Jewish movie she's ever seen. 

Plus: the Mensch and Chutzpah awards return. The Academy of Hebrew Language gets hacked by Iranians. Their response? Perfect.

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As the war between Israel and Iran enters its second week, daily life in Israel has settled into a strange and exhausting rhythm.

Yonit describe what it means to live under constant missile alerts: sleepless nights, families moving between shelters, and a country running on collective exhaustion. They also unpack two major developments shaping the conflict. First, the mixed and sometimes contradictory signals coming from Donald Trump about how long the war will last. And second, the sudden leadership change in Iran, with Mojtaba Khamenei emerging as the successor to his father.

To make sense of it all, they speak with Professor Ali Ansari of the University of St Andrews, one of the world’s leading historians of Iran. Ansari challenges much of the conventional analysis around the war and the future of the Iranian regime.

Could the Islamic Republic actually be weaker than many assume? Is regime change truly impossible—or simply unpredictable? And if change does come, what might it look like?

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Recent update episodes:

War with Iran day 4 - Living under fire (March 3)

Khamenei Is Dead. What Now for Iran? - with Dr. Suzanne Maloney (March 1)

US and Israel strike Iran; Khamenei reported dead - with Amos Harel (Feb 28)

America and Israel are at war with Iran. non-stop sirens in Tel Aviv, the Gulf states are under fire, and the Trump administration is hit by a barrage of tough questions in Washington.

This week, Yonit and Jonathan take stock of a historic and disorienting first week. Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs commentator for the Financial Times, joins to assess the war from the outside: Trump shifting justifications for war, Israel's military logic-- and who will fill the regional power vacuum if Iran is weakened.

And: Jonathan reports from Sydney, where he visited Bondi Beach and spoke to a Jewish community still shaken by the shooting in December — and Yonit, running on five nights of no sleep, describes what it's actually like to stop your car on the side of a highway when the sirens go off. Also: a wedding in a shelter, four floors underground.

0:00.000 Chapter: US & Israel war against Iran - day 6

22:31.671 Chapter: Shifting Justifications for War

25:22.534 Chapter: Israel's Strategic Calculus

28:27.274 Chapter: Changing Dynamics in American Support

31:12.981Chapter: The Role of Allies in a New World Order

34:19.257 Chapter: Future of Regional Powers in the Middle East

37:16.299 Chapter: The Complexity of Regime Change

40:07.423 Chapter: Responses from Gulf States and the Path Forward

42:47.830 Chapter: Understanding the Iranian Threat

42:56.867 Chapter: Current Events in the Middle East

43:59.964 Chapter: Reflections on the Conversation and Future Outlook

 

 

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Recent update episodes:

Khamenei Is Dead. What Now for Iran? - with Dr. Suzanne Maloney (March 1)

US and Israel strike Iran; Khamenei reported dead - with Amos Harel (Feb 28)

 

Day 4 of the Israel–Iran war: What does life look like inside Israel right now?

Yonit and Jonathan reconnect for the first time since the beginning of the war with Iran.

What does war feel like minute-by-minute?

What does it mean when sirens sound every hour and a half — day and night?

What happens to a society when workplaces close, schools shut, airports empty, and families move between safe rooms and bomb shelters as routine?

Yonit describes the exhausting rhythm of preliminary alerts, the psychological strain of constant disruption, and the quiet resilience of Israeli civilians navigating a conflict that feels both immediate and existential.

They discuss:

▶︎ The difference between June’s confrontation and this new phase

▶︎ The strategy behind Iran’s high-frequency missile fire

▶︎ The role of deterrence — and whether this is the beginning of the end for the Iranian regime

▶︎ The balance between exhaustion and resolve inside Israel

▶︎ And ultimately: who decides when this ends?

 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Context of the Conflict

00:43 Living Under Fire: Daily Life in Israel

04:10 The Psychological Impact of Constant Alerts

10:29 Public Sentiment and Resilience Amidst Conflict

15:28 The Role of Leadership and External Influences

22:29 Looking Ahead: The Future of the Conflict

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As reports confirm that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead, Yonit is joined by Dr. Suzanne Maloney for a searching conversation about what this moment means for Iran and the wider Middle East. They examine Khamenei’s worldview in the years leading up to his death, the ideological roots of the regime’s hostility toward the West, and the deep divisions within Iranian society. The discussion turns to the question now confronting Tehran — who can succeed a figure so central to the system — and to the profound uncertainty facing Iran as it enters a post-Khamenei era with no clear path forward.

 

Chapters

00:00 The Legacy of Khamenei

02:54 Post-Khamenei Iran: What Lies Ahead?

05:42 The Future of the Islamic Republic

08:23 Regional Implications of Khamenei's Assassination

10:59 The Divided Iranian Society

13:58 Transitioning to a New Era

 

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