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Artwork for The Rabbi, The Imam and The Power of Dialogue
Religion & Spirituality

The Rabbi, The Imam and The Power of Dialogue

Mark Schweiger and Larchmont Productions

Since October 7th many Muslims and Jews the world over have stopped talking and in some cases turned on each other.


Amid this turmoil a Rabbi and an Imam managed to keep their friendship alive and have launched this podcast to show the power of dialogue in bridging divides between the two communities.

This bi-weekly podcast will explore how Imam Nasser Kurdy and Rabbi Dovid Lewis have, despite their many disagreements, managed to stay friends while war rages thousands of miles away.


They are two men of faith who speak to each other in 'good faith.'


Imam Nasser Kurdy, originally from Jordan, is a Manchester-based surgeon and lay Imam.

Rabbi Dovid Lewis, is a native Mancunion and has led the south Manchester Jewish Community since 2011.


They’ve been friends since 2012, but became closer after Nasser was stabbed in his neck outside his mosque (as reported in The Guardian) in South Manchester in 2017. 


Together, they’ve championed dozens of interfaith initiatives across schools and premiership football clubs in the north west of England since October 7th. For example, they recently co-led an assembly for teenagers on navigating difficult conversations about Israel-Palestine.


Imam Nasser Kurdy: "The Israeli-Palestinian conflict affects relationships within our local communities. Jews and Muslims are having great difficulty speaking to each other. There's no dialogue. Hence this podcast, it's about dialogue."


Rabbi Dovid Lewis: "In our own communities, we might like to think we are influential: Nasser leads the mosque, I lead the synagogue. However, neither of us are able to make a direct difference to what's happening in Israel, Palestine, Gaza, the West Bank. But what is our responsibility? It is to make sure that it doesn't spill over into our communities, into the friendships that we have made with one another."


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This is a Mark Schweiger and Larchmont Productions co-production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  • 14 episodes
  • Updated July 31

Episodes14

Newest first
  • May 22 · 1 hr 13 min

    The Rabbi and The Imam Live at London's JW3

    In this special live recording from JW3 in London, Rabbi Dovid Lewis and Imam Nasser Kurdy sit down for a raw, honest, and deeply moving conversation about what it actually takes to build a bridge across a historical divide, with Q&A session with the audience at the end. The event took place 26 April 2026, just three days before the knife attacks a couple of miles away in Golders Green, which have shaken so many who live or have friends there, and the much wider community. Listening back now, there is something very moving about hearing a rabbi and an imam on stage together, in a room full of people, choosing to sit with difference rather than walk away from it. You can also watch this conversation on our YouTube channel - https://youtu.be/KKaunN7a47M This is a Mark Schweiger and Larchmont Productions co-production. If you have any comments or suggestions about the podcast please email: mark@schweigers.uk or philip@larchmontfilms.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • March 29 · 28 min

    What does the Quran Actually Says About Jews? A Rabbi and an Imam Break It Down

    In the last episode Imam Nasser Kurdy and Rabbi Dovid Lewis discussed a specific ‘Hadith,’ a narration cited by extremists that suggests Muslims and Jews are destined to be enemies. The response from listeners raised more questions than it answered. So in this episode, they go deeper and examine what mainstream Islam actually teaches about how Muslims should relate to non-Muslims - particularly Jews - in times of both peace and conflict, and the answers may surprise you. This is a Mark Schweiger and Larchmont Productions co-production. If you have any comments or suggestions about the podcast please email: mark@schweigers.uk or philip@larchmontfilms.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Dec 16, 2025 · 34 min

    The Bondi Beach Attack: Finding Light in the Darkness

    Recorded on Monday 15th December - 1st day of Chanukah Rabbi Dovid Lewis and Imam Nasser Kurdy respond to the anti-semitic terrorist attack on Bondi Beach in Australia on Sunday 14th December, which claimed the life of Dovid’s second cousin, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, and fourteen others attending the menorah-lighting celebration on the first night of Chanukah, including another rabbi and a Holocaust survivor. Dovid and Nasser talk about: how their Sundays unfolded; the ‘stranger’ who reached out to console Dovid; Nasser’s reflections on the extraordinary bravery of Ahmed Al Ahmed, the Muslim man who ran towards the gunman in Bondi and saved many lives; and, together, they try to find hope and inspiration in the story and message of Chanukah – known as the 'Festival of Lights'. This is a Mark Schweiger and Larchmont Productions co-production. If you have any comments or suggestions about the podcast please email: mark@schweigers.uk or philip@larchmontfilms.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • May 21, 2025 · 34 min

    Whose side are you on?

    The Rabbi and The Imam explain their different journeys towards being 'Pro-Israel' and 'Pro-Palestine.'

  • May 7, 2025 · 30 min

    Who are we? And how October 7th changed everything

    In this first episode we get to know Imam Nasser Kurdy and Rabbi Dovid Lewis; how they met, whether Kosher food is also Halal, how Nasser’s stabbing changed their relationship and why October 7th changed everything in their lives. Background to podcast In the very best of times, it’s rare for an Orthodox Rabbi and Imam to become such good friends - but how much more so since October 7th? Since that day, Muslims and Jews the world over have stopped talking to each other, and in some cases turned on each other - leaving communities worldwide heartbroken. Yet Nasser and Dovid, religious neighbours in south Manchester, England, not only choose to keep their friendship alive but are trying to use it as a force for good. This is how our podcast came about. This bi-weekly series (every two weeks) will explore how a 'pro-Palestine' Muslim and a 'pro-Israel' Jew, have maintained a friendship through open and honest dialogue, even as war rages thousands of miles away and is affecting relationships within their local communities. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about the podcast please email mark@schweigers.uk or philip@larchmontfilms.com This is a Mark Schweiger and Larchmont Productions co-production. If you have any comments or suggestions about the podcast please email: mark@schweigers.uk or philip@larchmontfilms.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.