Hidah: Jewish Counter-Colonial Thoughts – Details, episodes & analysis

In the first episode of Hidah, we meet the three hosts Alexia Levy-Chekroun, Yonathan Busquila Listik and Daniel Macmillen Voskoboynik, and introduce the vision for this podcast.

Hidah is a new podcast aiming uplift counter-colonial conversations from within Jewish communities across the global diaspora. Interviewing activists, scholars, rabbis, trouble-makers, artists, and all kinds of people challenging colonial structures, and inspiring us towards worlds of liberation.

Producers: Hannah Dvora & Elia Ayoub (The Fire these Times, Hauntologies)

Music: Isaac Loeb and Slomo Souiri

This podcast is part of the From the Periphery media collective. To support: patreon.com/fromtheperiphery

In this episode, we talk with Gil Anidjar about mothering, the future, the Messiah, defining what is Jewish, and the questions that keep us up at night.

Gil Anidjar is Professor in the Departments of Religion and the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies (MESAAS) at Columbia University. He is the author of books such as The Jew, the Arab: A History of the Enemy (2003); Semites: Race, Religion, Literature (2008); and Blood: A Critique of Christianity (2014). His most recent book, published in 2024, is On the Sovereignty of Mothers: the Political as Maternal.

This episode was recorded early in 2024.

Hosts: ⁠Yonathan Busquila Listik⁠, Alexia Levy-Chekroun & ⁠Daniel Macmillen Voskoboynik⁠

Producers: Hannah Dvora & Elia Ayoub (⁠⁠The Fire these Times⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Hauntologies⁠⁠)

Music: ⁠⁠Isaac Loeb and Slomo Souiri⁠⁠

This podcast is part of the From the Periphery media collective. To support: ⁠⁠patreon.com/fromtheperiphery⁠⁠

In our first interview episode, we speak with Daniel Boyarin about the systematic life-extinguishing assault on Gaza, the moral responsibilities of Jews, and the future of Judaïté.

Daniel Boyarin is one of the most influential scholars of the Talmud and rabbinic culture. He is the author of books such as Judaism: The Genealogy of a Modern Notion and Unheroic Conduct: The Rise of Heterosexuality and the Invention of the Jewish Man , and is the co-editor of Queer Theory and the Jewish Question. His most recent book is The No-State Solution: A Jewish Manifesto 

This interview was recorded in December 2023.

Hosts: Yonathan Busquila Listik, Alexia Levy-Chekroun & Daniel Macmillen Voskoboynik

Producers: Hannah Dvora & Elia Ayoub (⁠The Fire these Times⁠, ⁠Hauntologies⁠)

Music: ⁠Isaac Loeb and Slomo Souiri⁠

This podcast is part of the From the Periphery media collective. To support: ⁠patreon.com/fromtheperiphery⁠

What does teshuvah - return, repentance, repair, redemption - look and feel like in our times? What is the relationship between teshuvah and decoloniality? An intimate and informal conversation between Yonathan, Alexia, and Daniel in preparation for the Yomim Noraim (Days of Awe).

Hosts: ⁠Yonathan Busquila Listik⁠, Alexia Levy-Chekroun & ⁠Daniel Macmillen Voskoboynik⁠

Producers: Maia Steinberg & Elia Ayoub (⁠⁠The Fire these Times⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Hauntologies⁠⁠)

Music: ⁠⁠Isaac Loeb and Slomo Souiri⁠⁠

This podcast is part of the From the Periphery media collective. To support: ⁠⁠patreon.com/fromtheperiphery⁠

Reflecting on antisemitism beyond simplicity and weaponization

In this conversation, we reflect on the nature of antisemitism and its relevance in todays' world. We ask how it manifests and its problematic ramifications. We talk about its convoluted manifestations, the dangers of its weaponization and the question of Jewish integration. This leads us to the issue of philosemitism. The challenge our conversation aims to hold is accepting that antisemitism is both real and being instrumentalized. That it is the instrumentalization that often trivializes it and therefore that one must take antisemitism seriously to challenge its weaponization.

Hosts: ⁠⁠Yonathan Busquila Listik⁠⁠, Alexia Levy-Chekroun & ⁠⁠Daniel Macmillen Voskoboynik⁠⁠

Producers: Maia Steinberg & Elia Ayoub (⁠⁠⁠The Fire these Times⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Hauntologies⁠⁠⁠)

Music: ⁠⁠⁠Isaac Loeb and Slomo Souiri⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is part of the From the Periphery media collective. To support: ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/fromtheperiphery⁠⁠

The possibilities and impossibilities of reclaiming an idea

In this conversation, Alexia and Yonathan discuss a text by  Gabriel Abensour and Noémie Issan-Benchimol titled "Mapping diasporisms: for a Judaism of continuity." We offer a critical engagement with their ideas and try to speculate what are the option they don't take into consideration but could prove interesting. By reflecting on their arguments, we try to frame a possible conceptualization of diasporism that does not stand between the two negative. This positive account of diasporism will be developed in the next episode as part II of this conversation.

Hosts: ⁠⁠Yonathan Busquila Listik⁠⁠, Alexia Levy-Chekroun & ⁠⁠Daniel Macmillen Voskoboynik⁠⁠

Producers: Maia Steinberg & Elia Ayoub (⁠⁠⁠The Fire these Times⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Hauntologies⁠⁠⁠)

Music: ⁠⁠⁠Isaac Loeb and Slomo Souiri⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is part of the From the Periphery media collective. To support: ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/fromtheperiphery⁠⁠

Another configuration is possible

In this conversation we go deeper into some of the questions addressed in the previous episode. Alexia, Daniel and Yonathan think of ways of organizing as Jews and organizing Jewish community in a different manner. We reflect on whether the best way to organize is to disorganize and if by disorganizing one can organize differently. We talk about some of the central categories in the Jewish vocabulary today to ask whether they still hold value today: whether they still help us navigate the world we live in or whether we need to find new meanings to them.

Hosts: ⁠⁠Yonathan Busquila Listik⁠⁠, Alexia Levy-Chekroun & ⁠⁠Daniel Macmillen Voskoboynik⁠⁠

Producers: Maia Steinberg & Elia Ayoub (⁠⁠⁠The Fire these Times⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Hauntologies⁠⁠⁠)

Music: ⁠⁠⁠Isaac Loeb and Slomo Souiri⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is part of the From the Periphery media collective. To support: ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/fromtheperiphery⁠⁠