Ep. 146 Commemorating October 7th: Part 1 with Phil Rosenberg

This timely episode was recorded before the horrors of the Manchester Yom Kippur Synagogue terrorist attack of 2 October and the potential optimism of the Trump deal to end the Gaza War, which is currently in limbo. This episode deals extensively with issues of antisemitism, humanitarian suffering in Gaza, and the potentialities of Middle East peace. As we mark two years since the horrific October 7th massacre in Israel - and the disastrous regional wars and tragic humanitarian crisis in Gaza that have ensued in its wake - we here at Disorder are producing a two-episode series dealing with the legacy of that fateful day: one from a British-Jewish perspective and one from a Palestinian-American perspective.

To start with, we're joined by Phil Rosenberg, President of The Board of Deputies of British Jews. Phil is the highest-ranking communal official representing the Jewish community to the UK government and media. Jason and Phil discuss the ongoing ramifications of the attacks on Jewish life in the UK, the rise of global antisemitism, and the role played by misinformation and conspiracy theories in manipulating public perception of Jews. Plus: is the UK's position on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict a help or a hinderance? And did the mass of Western states recognising a Palestinian state actually move the needle towards a two-state solution or has it just further entrenched the conflict?

Part 2 will be with Sam Bahour, who will give the perspective from Ramallah.

Producer: George McDonagh

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Read a report from Phil’s organisation on the Response to 7th October – how the UK Jewish community was impacted. https://www.jpr.org.uk/reports/year-after-october-7-british-jewish-views-israel-antisemitism-and-jewish-life 

For more on Trump’s Gaza peace initiative: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/05/world/middleeast/trump-netanyahu-gaza-deal.html 

For more on The Board of Deputies of British Jews work to tackle antisemitism visit https://bod.org.uk/bod-news/commission-on-antisemitism/ 

For a legal and structural argument for why recognition of a Palestinian State will  not help make piece listen to this Call Me Back episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/call-me-back-with-dan-senor/id1539292794?i=1000727804529 

Listen to our previous episode with Joseph Uscinski on Conspiracy Theories and their hidden logic: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2nvlI3hR1VFyMbgKaZddyi 

Listen to our previous episode on extremism and Conspiracy Theories with Julia Ebner: https://pod.link/1706818264/episode/MjJkNjlmZDItMDExZi0xMWYwLTg4MWUtZGZjZDhiYzFhNTEz