Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Bernard-Henri Lévy on why Israel stands alone

“Think Twice” with Jonathan Tobin and guest Bernard-Henri Lévy, Ep. 152

“No matter where they live, Jews know that their world changed forever on Oct. 7,” says JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin. Moreover, he added that, “any attempt to deny that or to pretend that the delusions about peace with the Palestinians that have long transfixed us must be consigned to the dust heap of history” must be rejected.

He is joined by French philosopher, filmmaker and author Bernard-Henri Lévy, who discusses his new book about the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7 and its aftermath, Israel Alone.

According to Lévy, who says he rushed to Israel the day after the massacre, “I promised to myself, I promised to the survivors, I promised to the witnesses who spoke to me. I promised to the families of the hostages that I will remember. The book stemmed out of this early very early experience.”

In characterizing the Palestinian attacks on Israel, the left-leaning Lévy did not shrink from saying that they embodied “the spirit of evil” and of “Amalek,” and all those from Haman to Hitler and now Iran’s Islamist tyrants, who seek the annihilation of the Jewish people. He insists that Hamas must be totally defeated if they are to be prevented from making good on their promises to repeat the atrocities of Oct. 7.

Moreover, he says he also wrote the book to try to help educate young people who have been indoctrinated into falsely believing that Israel is a “colonial/settler” state. He hopes that it emboldens those who are willing to stand up to the woke mobs.

Listen/Subscribe to weekly episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Watch new episodes every week by subscribing to the JNS YouTube Channel.

Jonathan S. Tobin is editor-in-chief of the Jewish News Syndicate, a senior contributor for The Federalist, a columnist for Newsweek and a contributor to many other publications. He covers the American political scene, foreign policy, the U.S.-Israel relationship, Middle East diplomacy, the Jewish world and the arts. He hosts the JNS “Think Twice” podcast, both the weekly video program and the “Jonathan Tobin Daily” program, which are available on all major audio platforms and YouTube. Previously, he was executive editor, then senior online editor and chief political blogger, for Commentary magazine. Before that, he was editor-in-chief of The Jewish Exponent in Philadelphia and editor of the Connecticut Jewish Ledger. He has won more than 60 awards for commentary, art criticism and other writing. He appears regularly on television, commenting on politics and foreign policy. Born in New York City, he studied history at Columbia University.
Federal prosecutors allege that Zaid Gitesatani punched a Jewish man outside Adas Torah Synagogue during an anti-Israel protest and later boasted about the attack on social media.
Nemanja Starović spoke with JNS during his visit to Washington, which included meetings about Jewish issues with AIPAC and State Department officials.
The U.N. special rapporteur, who has a history of spreading Jew-hatred, was properly served by two Christian charities, who allege that she defamed them, according to a district court in Colorado.
The GOP hopeful for the governor’s mansion called his Democratic opponents answers about whether Israel is guilty of committing genocide “shocking.”
Regavim-led visit points to sewage, dumping and construction encroaching on Area C, kilometers from Jewish state’s population centers.
The Lausanne Project aims to build a generation that is proud of its identity and deeply connected to Jewish values and Israel.