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
Tarlan Rabizadeh Instagram
Matthew Nouriel Instagram
Mandana Dayani Instagram
Brandolini’s Law
Availability Heuristic
Inattention Blindness
Dhimmi Under Muslim Rule
Israel is not an Apartheid State
Are Jews White?
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
Miller Intro to Judaism
The Battle for Sheikh Jarrah
Why Iranian women are burning their hijabs after the death of Mahsa Amini
“Women, Life, Freedom” a new revolutionary era in Iran
LGBT Rights 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
Iranian Diaspora Collective
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
American Jewish University
Report Shows Foreign-Born Citizens Are More Socially Conservative Than Their Native-Born Counterparts and Are Less Likely to Identify with Either Political Party
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
Iran-Iraq War
HIAS
United States Holocaust Memorial Council (Board of Trustees)
Steven Wise Temple
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
Jay Sanderson BJJP
Persian Gondi on Fridays
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Written and Hosted by Jonah Platt, Executive Producers: Steve Hein, Jonah Platt, Chief Business Officer: Kenyon Laing, Chief Marketing Officer: Katya Nayman, Production Manager/Executive Assistant: Josie Rothschild, Research Associate: Samantha Greenwald, Production Associates: Rachel Stern, Charlie Zuker, Production Interns: Sasha Nelson, Emma Webb, YouTube Consultants: Jason Al-Samarrie & Zac Stein, Post Production by TIMEWEAVER, Creative Director: F. Brian Scofield, ACE, Lead Editor: Noam Klement, Editor: Gray Clevenger, Joe King. Graphic Designer: Noah Bell, Theme Music by Gabriel Mann, Performed by Jonah Platt
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