The Commentary Magazine Podcast – "Terrorism on Yom Kippur" (October 3, 2025)
Host: John Podhoretz
Panelists: Abe Greenwald, Seth Mandel, Christine Rosen

Episode Overview

The October 3, 2025 episode of "The Commentary Magazine Podcast" deals with the terror attack targeting a synagogue in Manchester, UK, on Yom Kippur. The hosts examine the event's implications for Jews globally, the West’s responses to Islamic extremism, the contemporary surge of antisemitism, and the shifting social and political climate in the US and Europe. Trump administration actions, public discourse, and the intersection of populism and Jewish safety are recurring themes.

The discussion is impassioned and often draws on historical parallels and scriptural references, with the panelists voicing concern and frustration with both governmental and societal failures to address rising threats.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Yom Kippur Attack – Context & Reactions

• The Incident:
  While Jews observed Yom Kippur, a terror attack by an individual named "Jihad" took place at a synagogue in Manchester, UK. Details remain unclear, but troubling reports suggest potential mishandling by local police ([03:34]).
• Antisemitism vs. Anti-Zionism:
  John Podhoretz notes, "when you attack Jews on the holiest day of the year, that is antisemitism. It has nothing to do with Israel." He stresses that such attacks transcend political opposition to Israel ([03:34]).
• Historical Parallels:
  The attack is situated in a lineage of violent acts against Jews on Jewish holidays—the Yom Kippur War (1973), the October 7 attacks on Simchat Torah—underscoring the attacker's targeting of Judaism itself ([04:55]).

2. Media Framing and Political Evasion

• Failure to Name Perpetrators:
  Christine Rosen criticizes the reluctance of British authorities to name Islamic extremism as the driver behind such attacks:
  "Starmer... should be saying what is fueling this and who the people committing these acts [are]" ([08:47]).
• Media Bias:
  The panel notes mainstream outlets (e.g., NYT) that frame violence against Jews only in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, diminishing the specificity of antisemitic motives.

3. Celebration and Social Climate Post-Attack

• Public Reaction:
  Seth Mandel reads a timeline from The Telegraph highlighting that even before forensic teams had finished their work, "pro-Palestine demonstrations" were already underway in Manchester and "From the river to the sea" chants spread locally ([12:18]).
• Societal Deterioration:
  The spectacle of public celebration following attacks is described as borrowed from Middle Eastern street culture, utterly alien to traditional European conduct ([14:24]).

4. Climate of Fear & Policy Response

• Targeting Jews as a Signal:
  • John: "That's why Jews are uniquely threatened on this planet... the celebration is the point, because it's not just the killing, but the creation of an atmosphere that justifies and incentivizes more violence." ([14:24])
  • Christine: Islamic extremists seek to "create a climate of fear for Jews living outside of Israel... is Europe still a safe place for Jews to live in the 21st century?" ([18:12])
• Government Complicity:
  • Seth: "They [the mobs] are celebrated essentially by the government. When the government responds to hate marches by changing policy, these people... succeed in changing the policy of this government" ([19:26]).
  • Example: UK officials, like Keir Starmer, shift policy in response to anti-Jewish demonstrations, including restoring funding to controversial organizations ([19:26]).

5. Comparison to U.S. Trends

• American Parallels:
  John links mass protests and civil unrest since Ferguson (2014) and Occupy Wall Street to the tactics now being turned against Jews, notably on campuses ([24:57]).
• Terrorism’s Definition:
  Christine: "It is the textbook definition of terrorism. It forces the fear, forces people to change their behavior, to limit their own freedom. You don't need the government to limit their freedom because they'll do it themselves out of fear" ([29:29]).
• Institutional Abdication:
  The failure of urban officials to counter mobs, referencing historic policies and a reticence to enforce law during violent protests ([30:16]).

6. Campus Free Speech & Double Standards

• Censoring Dissent:
  Christine highlights incidents where campus events featuring Jewish speakers are canceled for "security reasons," which are really covers for not wanting those voices:
  "Whenever you hear someone say, we can't have this event on our campus because we can't ensure the security... that is whoever is in authority saying, I don't want this source, so the hell with it" ([38:55]).
• Contrast in Law Enforcement:
  Events with controversial left-wing speakers (Ta-Nehisi Coates, Angela Davis) are not canceled for security, exposing a double standard ([38:55]).

7. Trump, MAGA, and Jewish Safety

• Trump Administration’s Role:
  The hosts credit Trump’s aggressive interventions against antisemitism and enforcement of civil rights for Jews, suggesting Jews are "safer... than we would be had the election result gone the other way in November 2024" ([40:00]).
• Ambivalence Toward Trump:
  There is self-awareness of the irony that support for Jewish interests from Trump comes after much initial skepticism regarding his associations and priorities ([58:25]).
• Scriptural Parallel:
  John compares Trump to Balaam from the Bible: "there is something to the idea that Trump is Balaam, that it may not have been Trump's intention to... curse the Jewish people, but... now twice... what did he do?... he said to Balak in Gaza, I am here to praise the Jews..." ([60:09]).
• Broader Implications:
  The hosts debate whether this protection is Trump-specific or will persist with future MAGA leaders ([44:45]).

8. Jewish Community Self-Reliance

• Calls for Self-Defense:
  John: "...Jews need to take up their own self defense. Not only Rebuilding their synagogue buildings... but... money that could have been spent on other things... necessary to spend in order to prevent someone from ramming through the front door and killing us all" ([51:20]).
• Solidarity and Isolation:
  Seth observes: "The only people that I've ever seen stand outside a synagogue that I was a member of after something happened were Catholics..." ([53:25]).

9. Literary Recommendations

• Christine: Gabriel Garcia Marquez's view on three lives ("public, private, and secret") and how Margaret Millar explores the 'secret life' in her novels ([80:10]).
• John: Ross MacDonald's "The Moving Target," a classic California detective novel ([76:44]).
• Seth/Christine: Charles Willeford's "Pick-Up," lauded for its transformative ending ([81:00]).

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On the Intractability of Antisemitism:
  "When you attack Jews on the holiest day of the year, that is antisemitism. It has nothing to do with Israel." — John ([03:34])

• On Public Celebration of Terror:
  "The celebration is the point, because it's not just the killing in itself but the creation of the atmosphere that says that the murder is justifiable." — John ([14:24])

• On Government Response:
  "March against Jews, and you will succeed in changing the policy of this government..." — Seth ([19:26])

• On the Failure to Identify Threats:
  "The refusal... to name that threat... to do it with clarity and say, we are fighting an internal threat here of Islamic extremist terrorism in our own country that is actively attacking Jews." — Christine ([08:47])

• On Terrorism's Real-World Impact:
  "It is the textbook definition of terrorism. It forces the fear, forces people to change their behavior, to limit their own freedom..." — Christine ([29:29])

• On Trump and Balaam:
  "There is something to the idea that Trump is Balaam... the first sign that he's made a mistake... is that his donkey starts yelling at him..." — John ([60:09])

• On Jewish Self-Defense:
  "If I am not for myself, who will be for me?" — (Scriptural reference, quoted by John, [51:20])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:34] — Yom Kippur attack, antisemitism, separation from anti-Zionism
• [07:38] — Tucker Carlson’s conspiracy theories and antisemitism online
• [08:47] — Christine’s critique of UK authorities and framing in media
• [12:18] — Seth reads the Telegraph’s timeline of the Manchester attack
• [14:24] — Cultural analysis of celebration after terror; historical roots
• [18:12] — Climate of fear in the Jewish diaspora; Europe's safety for Jews
• [19:26] — Governments appeasing anti-Jewish protestors; policy changes
• [24:57] — Parallels with US protest tactics and societal shifts
• [29:29] — Terrorism as a tool for inducing self-censorship
• [36:35] — Self-censorship and threats to campus free speech
• [38:55] — Double standards in campus event cancellations
• [40:00] — Trump administration actions and protection for Jews
• [51:20] — Jewish communal self-defense and synagogue security
• [60:09] — The Balaam analogy and Trump’s unexpected defense of Jews
• [76:44] — Book recommendations

Conclusion

This episode confronts the persistent pattern of antisemitic violence and the Western refusal to address its real sources. The hosts contextualize these issues within the broader political and cultural landscape, expressing both gratitude for those who provide protection (notably the Trump administration) and concern for the Jewish community’s future. Through historical analogies, religious texts, and trenchant commentary, the panel offers both critique and calls for resilience, urging vigilance, solidarity, and the necessity of forceful response to hate.

For listeners seeking a deep dive into the intersection of Jewish safety, Western political culture, and the dangers of both external and internal complacency, this episode provides a brisk, unvarnished conversation with clear, forceful perspectives.