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A podcast that gives you a behind the headlines look at news about Israel, the Middle East, and media bias.
Every week, we challenge conventional wisdom and cause paradigm shifts. Learn about the Arab-Israeli conflict, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, war, and media coverage of the Middle East (the good, the bad and the ugly).
Join us as we embark on this journey together.
Subscribe for free to stay informed with breaking news and insider briefings: www.honestreporting.ca
Every week, we challenge conventional wisdom and cause paradigm shifts. Learn about the Arab-Israeli conflict, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, war, and media coverage of the Middle East (the good, the bad and the ugly).
Join us as we embark on this journey together.
Subscribe for free to stay informed with breaking news and insider briefings: www.honestreporting.ca
203 Episodes
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In 1897, the First Zionist Congress was held in a seaside resort in the city of Basel, Switzerland. Led by journalist Theodore Herzl, the conference helped kick off the Zionist Organization, and the Zionist movement in general.
Now, 125 years later, Herzl's dream has come true. The State of Israel is alive and well, and in fact thriving, though by no means is it without challenges, many of them serious.
So what would Herzl think of today's Israel? Surely he would be proud of the country, but what challenges would still be keeping him up at night, and what issues would he still be driven to address?
In this week's podcast, we sit down with Professor Gil Troy. Professor Troy is an author and noted historian who has written extensively about Theodore Herzl and the Zionist movement, from Herzl until today.
Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.
Across North American colleges and universities, anti-Israel activists spread disinformation about the Jewish State. Whether by professors in the classroom or via BDS (Boycott Divestment Sanctions) resolutions, or Israel Apartheid Week programs, Israel is a favourite target at institutions of higher learning.
But why is Israel uniquely targeted, and what can be done to ensure accuracy and truth beats out falsehoods?
In this week's podcast, we sit down with Richard Cravatts, President Emeritus, of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, for his insights and perspective.
Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.
Despite the barrage of pro-Palestinian propaganda being presented on social media - and in the traditional news media as well - there has never been a substitute for the unvarnished truth, and that means seeing the reality first-hand.Cory Morgan recently had a chance to do exactly that. The journalist and columnist for The Western Standard recently visited Israel with the Exigent Foundation, where he was able to get a picture that Canadians rarely see, read or hear from their news media.Cory joined us as a guest this week to discuss what he saw, the impact it had on him, and why so many news outlets fail - or refuse - to provide that same picture to Canadians.
Anyone not living under a rock in the last two years has seen the vicious pro-Hamas demonstrations in Western cities. But while they may look like spontaneous expressions of hostility to Israeli policy, they are carefully-constructed instances of astroturfing, where big money funds projects designed to look grassroots.In this podcast, we sit down with Warren Kinsella, journalist, lawyer, author and political strategist, to discuss his new book The Hidden Hand: The Information War and the Rise of Antisemitic Propaganda, which unmasks the money and organizers behind pro-Hamas efforts in Canada and beyond.
When a Toronto bookstore owned by Jewish philanthropist Heather Reisman was vandalized by anti-Israel extremists in late 2023, one of the perpetrators, a licensed immigration consultant named Mac Scott, received only a warning from his professional regulator, even after an admission of guilt. Lawyer and advocate Bryant Greenbaum says that’s not good enough. In this episode of The Honest Report, he explains why he’s taking the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants to federal court, arguing they ignored the harm done to the Jewish community. Greenbaum discusses the broader implications for professional accountability and antisemitism in Canada’s legal world, and how he's taking action.
One high-profile lawyer is taking the city of Montreal to court over its failure to uphold the rule of law amid two years of pro-Hamas rallies. Neil Oberman, a partner at the law firm of Spiegel Ryan, on behalf of private clients, is suing the city and its mayor, Valerie Plante, to make sure that they uphold their legal requirements to ensure public safety and order.In this episode of The Honest Report, Oberman joins us to explain the legal basis for his action, how he is compelling the city of Montreal to do its job, and the bigger message that his litigation is sending.
After two years of extremist anti-Israel demonstrations, often found in downtown cores, many pro-Israel events have come to avoid those areas altogether, effectively ceding them.Avi Attali was not prepared to make that happen. The Toronto resident, along with a group of volunteers, has planned and executed a number of rallies for Israel and to raise awareness for the hostages, primarily based in downtown Toronto, with some of these events attracting thousands of attendees.Avi joins us this week to tell us why he thinks such events are so critical, what motivates him to put them together, and what the lesson is for all supporters of Israel.
Since starting operations in late May, in large part because of the widespread theft of aid that was currently taking place by terrorist groups inside Gaza, the American-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has delivered nearly 200 million meals into the territory, using an innovative approach.But just as huge numbers of meals have been provided, there has been a widespread effort by the United Nations and other groups to delegitimize the GHF and portray it as the problem, rather than a solution.To help us understand the complexity on the ground, we are joined by Chapin Fay, spokesperson for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.Please note: This conversation took place before the current ceasefire agreement.
Tiferet Lapidot, a 23 year-old Canadian-Israeli, was known for her kindness and sensitivity, growing up in northern Israel.On October 7, 2023, she was at the Nova festival in southern Israel, where she was murdered by Hamas terrorists. But even on that day, she put her life on the line to help others and protect them.In this special podcast, we are joined by Tiferet's father Ohad, who tells us the story, both of who his daughter was, as well as what happened on that terrible day two years ago, but also the unexpected kindnesses that he experienced afterwards.Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.
Sergio Karas is an immigration lawyer and a vocal supporter of Israel. So when he was called a genocide supporter - by a fellow lawyer, no less - he refused to take it sitting down.Instead, he sued for defamation, and he won damages. Sergio joins us on our podcast this week to discuss his story, how and why he decided to litigate, and his advice for others, to help ensure that anti-Israel lies are not able to stand unchallenged.
News media outlets regularly claim that there is a famine or starvation in Gaza, and that Israel is refusing to allow food into the territory. But the actual evidence tells a very different story.In recent weeks, Eitan Fischberger, an Israel-based open-source intelligence investigator, visited Gaza, where he saw first-hand the incredible amount of aid that Israel had permitted into Gaza, but was not being delivered by supposedly humanitarian organizations.Eitan joins us this week to discuss what he saw, and what it says about the state of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
PART 2:Most news media outlets have long given up on pretending to explain the truth of the Hamas-Israel war, and instead are doing little more than regurgitating Hamas claims of "genocide" without even a second thought.But the truth is far different than sound bites.In this podcast, we sit down with Dr Brian Cox for an in-depth discussion of how international law debunks "genocide" claims and shows the legality of Israel's counter-terrorism operations against Hamas in Gaza.Dr. Cox is an adjunct professor of Law at Cornell University, where his expertise is international criminal law, the law involving armed conflict, comparative military justice and national security law. He spent 22 years as a military lawyer for the U.S. Army, and is currently enrolled as a graduate student at Carleton University's journalism school in Ottawa.
Most news media outlets have long given up on pretending to explain the truth of the Hamas-Israel war, and instead are doing little more than regurgitating Hamas claims of "genocide" without even a second thought.But the truth is far different than sound bites.In this podcast, we sit down with Dr Brian Cox for an in-depth discussion of how international law debunks "genocide" claims and shows the legality of Israel's counter-terrorism operations against Hamas in Gaza.Dr. Cox is an adjunct professor of Law at Cornell University, where his expertise is international criminal law, the law involving armed conflict, comparative military justice and national security law. He spent 22 years as a military lawyer for the U.S. Army, and is currently enrolled as a graduate student at Carleton University's journalism school in Ottawa.
Adam Hummel is a Toronto immigration and estate lawyer by day, and opinion-maker by night, founding a substack called Catch, offering thoughtful commentary on issues related to Israel and Jewish causes.In a recent manifesto, he laid out what he characterized as a much-needed overhaul in advocacy and activism. Less reactive, more proactive. Less apologetic, more demanding. Less meek, more vocal.Adam is our guest this week where he discusses his vision for the future, and why he says so many obvious ideas are still yet to take root.
In the aftermath of Gaza's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Paul FInlayson, a non-Jewish professor at the University of Guelph-Humber, took to social media with a fiery defence of Jerusalem and rhetorical attack on Palestinian terrorism.That didn't sit well with others, who soon launched a coordinated effort that resulted in Finlayson's suspension, and in recent days, the formal termination of his employment.Critics have said what happened to Finlayson is an assault both on free expression and academic freedoms, but beyond selective coverage in a handful of outlets, Canadians would be hard-pressed to see any mention of his saga in major newspapers and broadcasters.
Scenes where self-described progressives marching with anti-Israel placards and Palestinian flags might be a source of endless mockery and derision, but they represent a real effort by hardline anti-Israel activists to hijack the progressive cause, all under the guise of the religion of 'Palestinianism.'How did this movement allow itself to be taken over so quickly, and is there hope for it to find its way out of this morass? To help us understand this situation, we are joined by Pat Johnson. He is a commentator and ally to the Jewish community, a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a progressive who has become vocal in the last two years, decrying the obscenity of progressive leaders embracing a hateful and decidedly non-progressive movement.
In October, 2024, the Law Union of Ontario held their 50th anniversary conference, titled "Revolutionary Advocacy." Its keynote speaker was Harsha Walia, who is alleged to have led "Death to Canada" chants at an anti-Israel protest hosted by Samidoun, the designated terrorist organization.If an Ontario lawyer participated in that conference, they would have received credit from the Law Society of Ontario, and that infuriated Ontario human rights lawyer Bryant Greenbaum, who soon filed a complaint against the society for recognizing the validity of such an event and its speaker.But the LSO did not apologize or backtrack, which forced Greenbaum to take both them and the host, the Law Union of Ontario, to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal.
Public schools aren't just one front in the extremists' war against Israel and Jews in the Western world, it is one of the biggest opportunities. This is where anti-Israel activists have attempted to twist reality and demonize anyone who challenges their revisionist take on history, and where hateful students have taken out their anger at Israel on Jewish students.But now one lawyer is fighting back. After one Jewish girl in Mississauga, Ontario, was allegedly bullied by her peers - and while authorities allegedly did little to stop it - local lawyer Jamie Spotswood stepped in, and is suing the girl's teacher, principal and superintendent, as well as the Peel District School Board. He is working with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs’ Legal Task Force on the case.Jamie joins us on our podcast this week to discuss the case, and why it may open the door for more litigation elsewhere.
While it is anyone's guess whether the Iranian regime will survive the war with Israel, one thing is clear: that the Islamic Republic of Iran's control over its people is weaker now than it was in recent memory, and that means a lot of senior officials will be looking to make their exit.That deeply concerns people like Mojdeh Shahriari, an Iranian-Canadian lawyer in Vancouver and co-founder of StopIRGC, a group aimed at preventing members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the regime's military and security arm, from entering Canada.Mojdeh joined us to discuss the widespread presence that IRGC officials already have in Canada, the hands-off approach from political leaders that has allowed them to come and stay, and why a lot more of them will be attempting to make that move soon.Welcome to the Honest Report podcast.
Before October 7, 2023, and the Palestinian terrorist invasion of Israel that day, Jon Fraser was a technology executive, executive coach and keynote speaker in Toronto. He still is, but since then, living and working in downtown Toronto, he has become a vocal opponent of the regular hate rallies which have plagued the area over the last 20 months.Since then, under the permissive eye of law enforcement, politicians and with the silent approval of most news media outlets, these pro-Hamas rallies have been scenes of utter lawlessness. But Fraser, who has been a witness to it firsthand, has since become a prominent voice on social media, where he castigates authorities who have done nothing in the face of these hate rallies.
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