Beyond the Matrix

The Coronavirus Pandemic has disrupted but not stopped Iran’s proxy war machine. More than 14,000 have been infected and over 1,000 fatalities caused by the spread of the novel virus in Iran. Among those infected and fatalities were several IRGC senior officers, a Senior Ayatollah and a key adviser to Ayatollah Khamenei.

Rod Bryant and Jerry Gordon interviewed Dr. Harold Rhode while he was in Macedonia lecturing on the Iraqi Jewish archives and the importance of Jewish identity.

These attacks spawned outcries in the Muslim ummah of “blasphemy” – criticism of Islamic doctrine and defamation of the image of the Prophet Mohammed - - and calls for boycotts of French goods and services by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and the “massacres of millions of French” by aging Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed. In New York, the French consulate was the site of protests by local Imams of the actions of French President Macron to preserve the secular principles of free speech of the Republic.

To understand what is happening in Europe during the coronavirus Pandemic, Rod Reuven Dovid Bryant and Jerry Gordon reached out to long term American ex-pat in Paris, writer, translator, journalist and author, Nidra Poller.

The Coronavirus Pandemic has upset normal life, isolating and unnerving literally hundreds of millions in more than 192 countries. More than 378,342 cases of the COVID-19 virus have occurred with more than 16,872 fatalities. The epicenter has moved from Italy, Spain, France and the UK to the US. The latter with more than 52,215 cases of coronavirus confirmed by lab tests and 675 deaths.

Rod Reuven Dovid Bryant and Jerry Gordon bring back a frequent guest, Dan Diker, Director of the Political Warfare Program at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA). They Diker's new book on "Israelophobia and the West" published by the JCPA that has caught a wave of attention in Washington and Jerusalem.

Rod Reuven Dovid Bryant and Jerry Gordon bring back a frequent guest, Dan Diker, Director of the Political Warfare Program at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA). They discuss with Diker the apparent Netanyahu victory in the third election in a year in Israe

The recent commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz - Birkenau death camp by Russian Forces on January 20, 1945 and the gathering of 50 world leaders at the World Holocaust Forum at Yad Va Shem in Jerusalem brought new focus on the question of why didn’t the allies Bomb Auschwitz? A BBC/PBS documentary, “Bombing Auschwitz” was accused of being a “whitewash” of FDR’s betrayal of the six million European Jewish men, woman and children murdered in unspeakable ways during the Holocaust. Those accusations and more were the comments of a frequent guest on Israel News Talk Radio – Beyond the Matrix, Dr. Rafael Medoff, executive director of the David S. Wyman, Institute of Holocaust Studies. Rod Bryant and Jerry Gordon discussed these issues with Dr. Medoff.

Rod Reuven Dovid Bryant and Jerry Gordon interview Dan Diker, Director of the Program to Counter Political Warfare at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. The occasion was the stunning policy ruling by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Israeli settlements in the disputed territories of Judea and Samaria,

What was behind Iran's attack on Saudi Arabian oil processing facilities?

Rod Reuven Dovid Bryant and Jerry Gordon interview Dexter Van Zile who reveals “stone cold Jew haters” - purveyors of vile anti-Zionist, Anti-Israel messaging that also targets the Jewish nation’s Christian Evangelical Zionist supporters. Van Zile is the Christian Media Analyst for CAMERA – the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA).

Rod Reuven Dovid Bryant and Jerry Gordon bring back Gil Hoffman, pollical analyst and columnist of the Jerusalem Post to assess the political dynamics of the first historic Israeli do-over election on September 17th. The April 9th election failed to result in Bibi forming a ruling coalition because he couldn’t get Avigdor Liberman of Yisrael Beiteinu to join or even Labor party leader Gabbay to join. Hoffman’s bottom line is that it will be hard for Netanyahu to reach the required 61 Knesset seats to form a ruling coalition. There is the reforming of the United Arab -Balad party list with currently 9 seats in the polls to foil a possible ruling coalition.

Rod Reuven Dovid Bryant and Jerry Gordon interview Rabbi Jonathan, spiritual leader of Congregation Ahavath Torah in Stoughton, Massachusetts, a stalwart in the international free speech movement. We discuss kashrut traditions both Ashkenazic and Sephardi and the scriptural, Kabbalistic contexts of Tikkun Olam versus social justice interpretations by liberal Jewish denominations in the US.

Rod Reuven Dovid Bryant and Jerry Gordon bring back Gil Hoffman, Jerusalem Post, Political Columnist during Gaza missile attacks that showed the limits of deterrence by the Iron Dome Systems. Hoffman said the elections are suddenly about war in the Middle East. It is now a question of who is better able to handle the situation, Prime Minister Netanyahu or his Blue White opponent, former IDF Chief of Staff Gantz. His response to the impact of Trump’s Golan proclamation was nuanced, it had a long build up culminating with Secretary Pompeo presence in Israel to deliver this election gift. It was a matter of Netanyahu being politically the most qualified Israeli international leader. Hoffman pointed out that President Trump is very popular in Israel. That was reflected in results of a recent poll that showed 73% of Israelis approved of the President.

Rod Reuven Dovid Bryant and Jerry Gordon bring back Dilliman Abdulbaker, Kurdistan Project Director of Washington, DC-based Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET) for an update on the looming fall of the last slice of the self-declared Caliphate held by diehard ISIS fighters in Baghouz, Syria. Abdulbaker presented a cautiously optimistic picture of US Congressional awareness of the problems faced by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Force (SDF) as upwards of 30,000 ISIS fighters have fled Syria for Iraq. Others have inserted themselves in the streams of 50,000 refugees fleeing to the Al-Hol UN High Commission Refuge Camp in northeastern Syria placing an additional burden on SDF and remaining US forces in Syria screening for possible sleeper cells.

Listen to Rod Reuven Dovid Bryant and Jerry Gordon as they interview Dr. Sherkoh Abbas President of the Kurdish National Assembly as they delve into the dynamics of the Syrian conflict pitting Russia, Turkey and Iran against the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State and Kurdish allies who have valiantly defeated ISIS, Al Qaeda and jihadist terrorists, freeing and safeguarding minorities.

What might the Biblical prophecies about those from the nations who are of Jewish descent mean for the State of Israel? Listen in.

Rabbi ”J”, Jonathan Hausman of Ahavath Torah Congregation of Stoughton, Massachusetts in a compelling interview with Rod Bryant and Jerry Gordon. He is a classic independent liberal in orientation, now considered Conservative, fighting against what he deems “the religion of leftism”. . .

The Knesset passing the Historic Stern Act ending the Palestinian ‘pay for slay’ program is what Rod and Jerry discuss with Dan Diker on this Israel News Talk Radio broadcast, "Beyond the Matrix".

Did FDR abandon the Jews during the Holocaust?

Why do people in the nations want to observe Sukkot?

The power of the Hebrew name!

How this Rabbi today, found his way out of Christianity.

Two men and their 'spiritual' Passover preparations.

An encouraging update on bringing faith to communities in North & South America.

Russia and Trump’s pick for Cabinet and Staff

It is election day in the U.S. and with hours before the polls close, Ira and Rod discuss who really calls the shots in this world.

Ira and Rod discuss the good and bad of social media.

Ira touches on his new job with the Emunah Project and bringing universal Torah wisdom to all nations.

With Rod still away, Ira is joined by his wife Lori (Leah) Michaelson, and they share a little bit about their return to Judaism, and how they are moving forward in their journey.