Sep 20, 2026 · 43 min · 10 segments
Can Judaism exist without Zionism? Rabbi Haim Sofer traces Jewish identity through exile and persecution to centuries of life alongside Muslims, from al-Andalus to Morocco and Iraq. How did the dream…
Haim SoferGuestMohamed HassanHostHow do you define your identity over 3,000 years, when your group belongs not to a single country or a language or even a shared understanding of God, but a story? The Jewish story is one of exile, an ongoing cycle of persecution and displacement.
Diaspora is a story that has defined the Jewish people, as well as their understanding of their own faith.
But over the last century, a new idea emerged that would change the course of Jewish history.
What if diaspora is no longer the story we tell our children? For many, it was an intoxicating project, born from the trauma of pogroms and persecution.
Today, some of the loudest opponents of the state of Israel are Jews themselves.
My guest today is Rabbi Chaim Sofer, a religious teacher and a scholar belonging to the Neturi Karta, a Jewish sect founded in 1938 in staunch opposition to Zionism.
Today, their members are visible on the forefront of almost every pro-Palestinian rally around the world.
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How do you define your identity over 3,000 years, when your group belongs not to a single country or a language or even a shared understanding of God, but a story? The Jewish story is one of exile, an ongoing cycle of persecution and displacement.
Diaspora is a story that has defined the Jewish people, as well as their understanding of their own faith.
But over the last century, a new idea emerged that would change the course of Jewish history.
What if diaspora is no longer the story we tell our children? For many, it was an intoxicating project, born from the trauma of pogroms and persecution.
Today, some of the loudest opponents of the state of Israel are Jews themselves.
My guest today is Rabbi Chaim Sofer, a religious teacher and a scholar belonging to the Neturi Karta, a Jewish sect founded in 1938 in staunch opposition to Zionism.
Today, their members are visible on the forefront of almost every pro-Palestinian rally around the world.
