The Truth about Israeli Minorities with Lebanese Christian activist Jonathan Elkhoury

Being Jewish with Jonah Platt

Jonah Platt

Cultural Exploration, Judaism, Jewish Experience, Jewish Athletes, Society & Culture, Art And Judaism Sports, Diversity Of Judaism, Personal Journeys, Non-jewish Allies, Faith Conversations, Faith And Spirituality, Jewish Heritage, Religion & Spirituality, Jewish Identity, Jewish Food And Politics, Jewish Culture, Being Jewish, Celebrity Interviews, Jonah Platt

4.9 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 31 July 2025

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Watch Being Jewish on YouTube:

www.youtube.com/@beingjewishpodcast

Subscribe to the Being Jewish Newsletter:

bit.ly/beingjewishnewsletter

For Sponsorships, please email:

Jonah@JonahPlatt.com

To contact us & all things BJJP:

www.BeingJewishPodcast.com

Follow Jonah on:

Instagram - @JonahPlatt

X - @JonahPlatt

Follow Being Jewish on:

Instagram - @BeingJewishPodcast

TikTok - @BeingJewish

What’s it like to be a gay Lebanese Christian — and proudly Zionist?

In this powerful episode of Being Jewish with Jonah Platt: 30 Minute Mensches, Jonah sits down with international Jonathan Elkhoury, a proud Israeli citizen who is challenging false media narratives and misconceptions about Israel one campus conversation at a time. Born in Lebanon to a father who fought alongside the IDF during Israel’s 1982 intervention in the Lebanese civil war, Jonathan fled Hezbollah rule and found refuge in Israel at age 9. He shares the harrowing story of his family’s escape, his emotional reunion with his father, and how Israel not only gave him safety, but also the freedom to live openly as a gay man — the only Middle Eastern country where that’s possible.

Jonathan also speaks out about:

🏳️‍🌈 Israel’s track record on LGBTQ rights — and the lie of “pinkwashing”
🎓 How he confronts anti-Israel misinformation on college campuses — even after being spat on, kicked, and targeted for his views
🧱 How he combats "Israeli Apartheid Week" with the truth of his lived experiences
👤 What it means to be a “minority within a minority within a minority” — and why he still stands with Israel
📺 Why mainstream media — including the BBC — continues to fail on the Middle East
🔥 The real reasons Israel went into Lebanon in 1982 — and the Palestinian terrorism that sparked a civil war

Jonathan’s story is a living example of intersectionality — and how true human rights work means defending people, not slogans. He is the voice anti-Israel activists try to silence. Don’t miss hearing him on this week’s can’t miss episode.

Host & Production Team

Host: Jonah Platt; Produced by Rainbow Creative (Executive Producer: Matthew Jones; Story Producer: Sasha Nelson; Content Director: Alexandra Fugère; Associate Producer: Emma Webb); Editor: Rainbow Creative Team; Executive Assistant: Josie Rothschild; Graphic Designer: Noah Bell

Follow Jonathan on:

IG: @jon_elk

X: @Jonathan_Elk

MENTIONED IN EPISODE:

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

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,
0:38.7	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 mitzvah 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. According to the West's narrative of Israel, a person like
1:01.2	you doesn't even exist. Everyone wants to believe that there are human rights activists.
1:06.0	How much of that trauma do you still carry around with you? I mean how much is of that part of your
1:12.2	story is still present? Do you want my answer or my therapist answer?
1:17.1	Welcome back to our summer edition of being Jewish with Jonah Platt, 30 minute
1:23.9	mentions. Same vibe, same tribe, shorter episodes. My guest today, what a guy. We met on my
1:30.7	recent trip to Germany and Poland for March of the Living, which I spoke about in great detail
1:36.1	on a recent episode of the podcast that I suggest you check out so you can get caught up.
1:40.9	He is a proud Christian, gay, Lebanese-born Israeli, who uses his platform online and
1:47.3	IRL to educate folks about the real Middle East. He's got an incredible story, incredible positivity,
1:53.7	and he's doing incredibly important work, especially on American College campuses.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jonah Platt, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Jonah Platt and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.