P4t: Goldberg 30/12/2020

this morning (wednesday 30th), 5.45-5.48am, on bbc radio 2

pause for thought by rabbi alex goldberg

“Our diverse team has found new ways of working together to create a home from home for all.” 

P4t: Young-Somers 29/12/2020

yesterday morning (tuesday 29th), on bbc radio 2

pause for thought by rabbi debbie young-somers

“Small things can make more difference than you know.” 

Nh: Pollard arrives

this afternoon (wednesday 30th), 2.55-2.59pm, on bbc world service radio 

newshour (presented by paul henley) concludes with …

“A former US Navy worker who spent thirty years in prison for spying for Israel has been given a hero’s welcome as he landed today on Israeli soil by the country’s prime minister. Jonathan Pollard was paroled in 2015, but wasn’t allowed to leave the US until recently.” 

including interview with …

• journalist noga tarnopolsky

(see also https://www.timesofisrael.com/jonathan-pollard-arrives-in-israel-35-years-after-his-imprisonment-for-spying/)

History of the Bible

today tomorrow and friday mornings (wednesday 30th to friday 1st), 9.45-10.00am (repeated 12.30am), on bbc radio 4 

a history of the bible (episodes 3 4 and 5 of 5) (presented by john barton)

“3. examines the genesis of the Old Testament, asking if we should call it rather ‘the Hebrew Bible’, and exploring the many languages it was written in and subsequently been translated into.

4. considers the Apocrypha and asks, did Dan Brown have a point in The Da Vinci Code? Is there any truth in the conspiracy theories that abound about which Books made it into the Bible and which Books were excluded?

5. takes the famous Nine Lessons and Carols Service as a starting point to explore the markedly different Christian and Jewish readings of the Scriptures, underscoring how the Bible offers a never-ending source of fascinating and fruitful investigation.

Bernstein & faith

yesterday afternoon (monday 28th), 4.00-4.30pm, on bbc radio 4 

leonard bernstein (presented by james macmillan) (in the faith in music series) 

“Catholic composer Sir James MacMillan considers Leonard Bernstein’s complex faith life and religious roots as a 20th-century composer living at a time of great change in the USA.

Conductor Marin Alsop, who was a student of Bernstein’s, once wrote: ‘The question of faith is woven through every Bernstein piece – even when there is no obvious religious component. For Bernstein, the crisis of the 20th century was a crisis of faith’.”

including interviews with …

• professor joshua jacobson 

• conductor marin alsop 

• biographer and broadcaster humphrey burton

WF: Beitar Jerusalem

last friday morning (18th december), 2.35-3.51am (repeated 9.35am and 11.35pm), on bbc world service radio 

a new era for beitar jerusalem? (presented by mani djazmi) (in the world football series) leads with …

“We look at the historic co-ownership of Beitar Jerusalem by an Arab and a Jew. Beitar have never had an Arab player but now they have an Arabic co-owner.

Moshe Hogeg, who signed a partnership with Sheikh Hamad of Abu Dhabi, tells us that he had to consult the most important religious and political figures in Israel first.”

including interviews with …

• co-owner moshe hogeg 

• journalist josh halickman 

P4t: Goldberg 22/12/2020

yesterday morning (tuesday 22nd), 5.45-5.48am, on bbc radio 2

pause for thought by rabbi alex goldberg

“What I Want This Christmas: Both faiths emphasise the need to love our neighbour.” 

6ocn/Nh: Coalition fails

this evening (tuesday 22nd), 6.23-6.24pm on bbc radio 4, and 9.24-9.29pm on bbc world service radio 

six o’clock news and newshour (presented by tim franks) include …

“Israel looks set to be plunged into its fourth election in two years, following failure in the efforts to hold together its governing coalition.”

including contributions from …

• bbc reporter alan johnston 

• political scientist gayil talshir 

P4t: Marks 21/12/2020

yesterday morning (monday 21st), 9.15-9.18am, on bbc radio 2

pause for thought by laura marks 

“Whilst running 5k is hardly a world changing task, it would help change my view of myself…” 

P4t: Young-Somers 21/12/2020

yesterday morning (monday 21st), on bbc radio 2

pause for thought by rabbi debbie young-somers 

“Chanukah, Divali and Christmas all arrive when they are most needed; in the darkest time of the year.”