The Rabbi, The Imam and The Power of Dialogue cover art

The Rabbi, The Imam and The Power of Dialogue

The Rabbi, The Imam and The Power of Dialogue

By: Mark Schweiger and Larchmont Productions
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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.

Mark Schweiger and Larchmont Productions
Islam Judaism Spirituality
Episodes
  • The Rabbi and The Imam Live at London's JW3
    May 22 2026

    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.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 13 mins
  • What does the Quran Actually Says About Jews? A Rabbi and an Imam Break It Down
    Mar 29 2026

    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.

    Show More Show Less
    28 mins
  • Can a Rabbi and an Imam Actually Be Friends?
    Mar 13 2026

    When a newspaper article about the Rabbi and the Imam's interfaith work and friendship went public, most of the response was positive.


    But buried in the Facebook comments was something darker: a stranger claiming that the Imam could not wait to take the Rabbi somewhere to be butchered, with the remark followed by a smiley face.​


    Rabbi Dovid shared the comment with his wife. She stopped what she was doing, looked up at him, and said:​


    "So you're now going to go and sit in a studio with this guy? With a man whose faith, honestly and theologically, believes you have a responsibility to kill him?"​


    That question sits at the heart of this episode.​


    Does one religion really mandate the death of the other?


    If so, what does it mean for their friendship?


    Rather than brushing the comment aside, the Rabbi and the Imam use it as a chance to examine one of the most misunderstood and weaponised narrations.​


    What We Get Into:


    The Comment Itself


    The exact words, the immediate emotional reaction, and why Dovid says: "It only takes one. And the person is still dead. It does not matter whether or not he was misrepresenting his faith."​


    The Hadith That Extremists Love to Quote


    Nasser traces the origin of the quote, its context as an end‑of‑times prophecy, and delivers a direct verdict on its relevance today.


    Al‑Wala Wal‑Bara, Allegiance & Disassociation


    Nasser clarifies the distinction between friendship and total allegiance, and why the two are not the same thing.


    Judaism's Red Lines


    Dovid explains which theological positions would constitute a genuine barrier in Jewish law.


    Politics Poisoning Religion


    They examine how the conflict in the Middle East does not just colour geopolitics; it colours how people read their own scripture, and how dangerous that is.​


    This podcast was filmed in a studio in south Manchester and is now available to watch here on our new Youtube channel



    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.

    Show More Show Less
    49 mins
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