Antizionist Libels & Iranian-Jewish Activists Mandana Dayani, Matthew Nouriel & Rabbi Tarlan Rabizadeh
Being Jewish with Jonah Platt
Jonah Platt
4.9 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 10 February 2026
⏱️ 85 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this powerful episode of Being Jewish with Jonah Platt, Jonah speaks with Jewish Iranian advocates, Rabbi Tarlan Rabizadeh of American Jewish University, Mandana Dayani of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, and Matthew Nouriel of JIMENA - Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa, whose families fled persecution by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), offering an urgent and deeply personal look at life under the Iranian regime. The conversation exposes how the IRGC functions not just as a military force, but as an ideological and economic power structure responsible for widespread human rights abuses, political repression, and global terrorism. The guests share personal stories about living under the threat and surveillance of the IRGC.
The episode explores the Iranian regime’s hostility toward Israel, the Jewish community, and the West, while drawing clear distinctions between the Iranian people and their government. Jonah and his guests discuss how the IRGC funds proxy groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, destabilizing the Middle East and exporting violence far beyond Iran’s borders. The conversation also highlights the challenges refugees face when seeking asylum in the United States, Canada, and Europe, and the importance of educating Western audiences about Iran’s internal resistance movements. Ultimately, the episode is a call to awareness, urging listeners to recognize the human cost of extremism and stand with those fighting for freedom, and truth.
Topics Include:
- Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its role in Iran
- Political repression and surveillance in Iran
- Iranian refugees seeking asylum in the United States and Canada
- IRGC funding of Hamas and Hezbollah
- Iran’s anti-Israel ideology and antisemitism
- Distinguishing the Iranian people from the Iranian regime
- Iranian opposition movements and internal resistance
- Terrorism exported by Iran across the Middle East
- The impact of October 7 on Iranian dissidents worldwide
- Western media narratives about Iran and the IRGC
- Jewish solidarity with persecuted communities under authoritarian regimes
Mentioned In The Episode:
Part 1:The ONLY 3 Facts You Need to Know About Israel, Palestine, and the Jews
Part 2: The ONLY 3 Facts You Need to Know About Israel, Palestine, and the Jews
Part 3: The ONLY 3 Facts You Need to Know About Israel, Palestine, and the Jews
Israel is not an Apartheid State
Infant Death During the Hamas Attack on Israel
'They just kept killing': Eyewitnesses describe deadly crackdown in Iran
What Led to the 1979 Iranian Revolution?
Over 36,500 killed in Iran's deadliest massacre, documents reveal
The expulsion of Jews from Arab countries and Iran – an untold history
First Persian Female Rabbi Finds Her Voice
Why Iranian women are burning their hijabs after the death of Mahsa Amini
“Women, Life, Freedom” a new revolutionary era in Iran
Speaking Up - United Nations Special Session on Oct. 7th: Mandana Dayani
ADL and JLens Urge Accountability Regarding Huda Kattan's Antisemitic Remarks
Huda Beauty faces boycott campaign over founder’s Iran protest video
Rediscovering the Lost Tribes and God’s Faithfulness: The Jewish Diaspora and Aliyah
How Ancient Persians Essentially Saved Judaism As We Know It Today
Why Are We So Silent About the Uprising in Iran?
Leading Change: How Persian and Jewish Diasporas Can Unite against Antisemitism
I came to Israel for Pride. It got canceled.
Matthew Nouriel, The Empress Mizrahi
Matthew Nouriel, Community Engagement Director JIMENA
Sephardim, Mizrachim in NY more conservative, less likely to intermarry than peers, per UJA study
Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran
The Ironies of History: The Ukraine Crisis through the Lens of Jewish History
Jimmy Carter, blamed by many Iranians for the revolution, dies at 100
The Fascinating History and Political Lives of Jews in Iran
Jewish students assaulted, threatened and harassed at UCLA campus
Education Department opens second investigation into Yale antisemitism
United States Holocaust Memorial Council (Board of Trustees)
German Jews' Passports Declared Invalid
Expulsion to cultural integration: 500 years of Sephardic Jews in Türkiye
Did Ezra Reconstruct the Torah or Just Change the Script?
Rabbi Tarlan Rabizadeh Named American Jewish University’s VP for Jewish Engagement
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Shalom, Kavarim, Banot, and welcome to another very special episode of the world's number one Jewish podcast. |
| 0:08.1 | I have to ask for a small favor. |
| 0:10.4 | As an independent show, we don't have a massive marketing machine behind us. |
| 0:14.6 | Our growth is purely organic, fueled by dedicated viewers and listeners like you. |
| 0:19.5 | So if you would be so kind, please take 30 seconds, |
| 0:24.0 | head over to Apple Podcasts and Spotify, find this show, and leave me a five-star rating and a short |
| 0:30.0 | written review. I love seeing all of your thoughtful and generous feedback. Some of it has even |
| 0:35.0 | made it onto the show and may again. And as of this recording, |
| 0:38.5 | we are just eight ratings away from hitting 500 on Apple. Crossing that threshold would be a huge |
| 0:44.3 | milestone for us. It's a small mitzv on your part, but it really is the fuel that allows us to |
| 0:50.0 | keep these amazing conversations going. So thank you in advance. Unless you don't leave a rating, |
| 0:56.0 | in which case you're a butt head. Last week, I finished my three-part series constructing your |
| 1:01.1 | mental iron dome to protect your moral clarity from moral confusion. In part two, we deconstructed |
| 1:07.4 | anti-Zionism, the modern-day anti-Jew hate movement masquerading a social justice. |
| 1:12.8 | This hate movement is built entirely on libels. |
| 1:16.3 | A handful of BS buzzwords built on pseudo-social science, the fudging of details, |
| 1:21.8 | and the purposeful flattening of complex realities into oversimplified, incorrect, and easily debunked lies. |
| 1:29.3 | Today, I'll prove it to you, as I deconstruct some of the most common libels folks |
| 1:34.3 | use to justify their hatred of Israel, and by extension, the Jewish people. |
| 1:38.3 | Let's get you on the right side of history, shall we? |
| 1:41.3 | First, we need to understand how libels work. Liables succeed in part because they are |
| 1:45.9 | based on bits and pieces of truth that are then distorted, misrepresented, and mashed together |
... |
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