This episode goes straight into territory that most politicians, journalists and plenty of ordinary people would rather avoid.
I sit down with Hadas and Elik, two Jewish anti-Zionist voices with very different backgrounds but a shared willingness to challenge the stories they grew up with. We talk about Germany's relationship with guilt and memory, the use of antisemitism as a political weapon, the growing gap between public opinion and political elites, and why so many people are starting to question narratives that only a few years ago seemed untouchable.
We also discuss something that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: how even left-wing parties in countries like Germany and Sweden can find themselves smeared as "antisemitic" simply for expressing support for Palestinian rights and stating facts about the ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing. What happens to public debate when people become afraid to speak at all.
One of the most powerful parts of the conversation is hearing how fear is manufactured.
Hadas and Elik talk about growing up being afraid of Arabic and how learning the language became part of breaking that conditioning.
We discuss identity, propaganda, political myths, collective trauma, and what happens when people decide that truth matters more than belonging to the tribe.
We also get into the uncomfortable questions. Has criticism of Israel become easier? Is the accusation of antisemitism losing its power? Why are some of the strongest critics of Israeli policy Jewish themselves? What happens when people can no longer separate politics, religion, ethnicity and state power?
Hadas Emma Kedar is a Media Arts and Media Studies scholar, born in Haifa.
She used to volunteer as alternative news moderator in Tel Aviv. More recently, she coordinated the Jewish Anti Zionist Congress in Dublin (JAZIC).
She is a devoted activist in the Palestinian solidarity and liberation movement, publicly speaking, organising, and moderating.
She is working on an art-activism performance titled Together We Łose | Reflections amid Genocide, which is planned to premiere in Germany in May 2027.
SUPPORT HADAS HERE:
https://www.startnext.com/en/togetherwelose/
Find Hadas here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hadas.emma/
Elik Harpaz - Jewish Israeli musician, performance artist, podcaster, anti-Zionist activist music teacher, living in Occupied Palestine.
Find Elik here: https://www.instagram.com/elik_harpaz?stkn=MTFueXNrNnlrbXp4OA==
https://youtube.com/@elik_harpaz?si=Y9G_MGToAJfe2MAK
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4epi3kLnZpagAT5VX5ba1W?si=fgHboqcmS1683RHVZxbGdw
