Jen Brister is someone who I admire not only for her fearless approach to comedy and life in general, but for her vocal stance on what’s happening in Palestine. She runs a non-profit to help families over there. We met at a Palestine Solidarity event and ever since then, I knew I wanted to have her on the pod.

We chatted about the crossover with comedy, politics and questioning authority and were lucky enough to be joined by the amazing Professor Nick Maynard, a leading surgeon, who had just got back from a trip to Gaza two days prior. We spoke to him about what it’s like on the ground over there and how it feels to now be back in the UK. Then my amazing mate, Tai Shani, who’s a Turner Prize winning artist, and daughter of Holocaust survivors, popped in to speak about why, as a Jewish woman, she feels so compelled to speak out against the horrors of what is happening in Palestine.

This is a really special episode for me and something I’ve wanted to make for a long time. I wanted to re-humanise a situation that all too often gets turned into stats on a news report. Thank you for listening.If you’d like to see or donate to any of the charities mentioned in the episode, they’re all here:….

The Sameer Project - https://chuffed.org/project/113222-te...
The Zaynab Project - https://thezaynabproject.org/
All Our Relations - https://allourrelations.co.uk/
Angie: https://www.instagram.com/angieq8?igs...
Inara: https://inara.org/
Medical Aid For Palestinians - https://www.map.org.uk/

00:00 Jen arrives
00:42 Introducing Jen Brister
01:50 Does questioning authority make a good comedian?
03:27 MAD
03:40 Shows about fury and HRT
04:20 The situation in Gaza
06:36 Realising that we are being failed by International Law
08:10 Our democracy is failing us
09:11 Introducing Professor Nick Maynard
09:50 The reality of the situation in Gaza
10:47 If people don’t want to learn, I don’t waste my time with them
11:20 SAD
11:35 You can’t prepare yourself for what you see in Gaza
12:45 Young Palestinians boys are being targeted at food distribution points
14:48 The families that Jen is helping
15:50 Aid distribution points are death traps
17:10 Speaking on Palestine as a Mum
18:47 Where has humanity gone?
19:30 Formula feed is being confiscated
20:40 Politicians turning a blind eye
21:35 Words without action
22:05 Spending four weeks in Palestine
24:42 BAD
25:02 Why questioning authority has always been important for Jen
26:50 Continually landing in school detention  
27:52 Is kindness being mistaken for weakness?
28:45 Being outspoken as a Lesbian
30:48 GLAD
31:30 Finding hope through people in the current situation  
33:10 In awe of Palestinian people
35:14 Saying bye to Jen
35:48 Introducing Tai Shani
36:50 A family history tied up with The Holocaust
38:40 Working with Israeli Doctors in the West Bank
40:00 The impact of years of dehumanisation
42:00 Speaking out on Palestine as a Jewish Person
42:30 The difference between Gaza 15 years ago and Gaza now
45:25 Can we hope for resolution?

#JENBRISTER #PALOMAFAITH #MADSADBAD
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Credits:
Producer: Jemima Rathbone
Assistant Producer: Magda Cassidy & Ceyda Uzun
Video: Grisha Nikolsky & Josh Bennett
Sound: Shane O'Bryne
Mix: Jay Beale
Original music: BUTCH PIXY
Social Media: Laura Coughlan
Exec Producer for JamPot: Jemima Rathbone
Exec Producers for Idle Industries: Dave Granger & Will Macdonald