{"podcast":{"title":"Being Jewish with Jonah Platt","slug":"being-jewish-with-jonah-platt-7011021","podcast_index_feed_id":7011021,"rss_url":"https://feeds.cohostpodcasting.com/c2vDgCoR","website_url":"https://www.beingjewishpodcast.com/","image_url":"https://files.cohostpodcasting.com/quill-file-prod/bca27f23-4549-40db-a506-7962f8289f14/shows/528af385-a8e1-40a3-bbe8-b49a8155dd79/cover-art/original_da40b835d7fae3908488f84ddfb6033a.jpeg","author":"Jonah Platt","episode_count":101,"summary":"Being Jewish with Jonah Platt is the hit weekly podcast that illuminates the vast, beautiful, and often unexplored tapestry of Jewish identity, through deeply honest and personal conversations with notable Jews and non-Jewish allies alike. Hosted by actor & advocate Jonah Platt, a trusted expert in contemporary Jewish culture, identity, and politics, Being Jewish seeks to engage, educate, and empower listeners to take full ownership of their identities and live as their proudest, most authentic selves. https://beingjewishpodcast.com/join","last_synced_at":"2026-06-09T18:18:11.216124+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/being-jewish-with-jonah-platt-7011021"},"episode":{"title":"On Location with Ethiopian-Jewish Chef and Restaurateur Beejhy Barhany","slug":"on-location-with-ethiopian-jewish-chef-and-restaurateur-beejhy-barhany","published_at":"2026-03-10T08:03:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/being-jewish-with-jonah-platt-7011021/on-location-with-ethiopian-jewish-chef-and-restaurateur-beejhy-barhany","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/being-jewish-with-jonah-platt-7011021","url":"https://being-jewish-with-jonah-platt.cohostpodcasting.com/episodes/on-location-with-ethiopian-jewish-chef-and-restaurateur-beejhy-barhany","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/audio-delivery.cohostpodcasting.com/audio/bca27f23-4549-40db-a506-7962f8289f14/episodes/d5c7d813-386b-4618-939c-3f6bc4407b3c/episode.mp3?v=cc38278a49","summary":"In this delectable episode of Being Jewish with Jonah Platt, Jonah records on location in Harlem, New York, at Tsion Café, America’s only Ethiopian-Israeli restaurant, for a conversation with owner and chef Beejhy Barhany about Ethiopian Jewish (Beta Israel) culture, food, and identity. Beejhy explains Tsion Café’s mission of bridge-building through vegan kosher cuisine and storytelling, and why she recently closed daily dining and now hosts only private events, due to years of anti-Zionist harassment, threats, and vandalism that intensified after October 7 and after becoming fully kosher. She discusses Harlem’s support, her meaning of “Zion,” and her belief that food can break barriers. Beejhy discusses Beta Israel’s unique history, questions of legitimacy, her family’s 1980–83 trek from Ethiopia to Israel, and experiences of discrimination and “conversion” pressures in Israel.  Walking through the café, Beejhy shares the venue's legacy and culinary inspirations with Jonah. The two head into the kitchen to make samosas, discuss injera, dabo, spices, and her NY Times bestselling cookbook (Gursha). During the discussion, she describes founding the BINA (Beta Israel of North America) Cultural Foundation and raising her children with multifaceted identities. TOPICS INCLUDE: The story of the Beta Israel Jewish community of Ethiopia and their ancient connection to Judaism. Beejhy recounts her family’s escape from Ethiopia and years spent in Sudan before immigrating to Israel. Discussion of major Ethiopian Jewish airlifts, including Operation Moses and Operation Solomon. Life in immigrant absorption centers in Israel alongside newcomers from Ukraine and Russia. The role of Tsion Cafe as a cultural hub for Ethiopian Jews and the wider Jewish diaspora. Why Beejhy founded…","meta_description":"In this delectable episode of Being Jewish with Jonah Platt, Jonah records on location in Harlem, New York, at Tsion Café, America’s only Ethiopian-Israel…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3715,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/being-jewish-with-jonah-platt-7011021/episodes/on-location-with-ethiopian-jewish-chef-and-restaurateur-beejhy-barhany/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/being-jewish-with-jonah-platt-7011021/on-location-with-ethiopian-jewish-chef-and-restaurateur-beejhy-barhany.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}