Ben Judah

London

Freelance Writer at Freelance

Special Adviser to the Foreign Secretary at GOV.UK

Special Adviser to @DavidLammy Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom @FCDOGovUK.

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Articles

"Cazafortunas", "hueca", "atrapada en un matrimonio sin amor": ¿Nos hemos equivocado con Melania Trump?

Nov 4, 2024 | cosas.pe | Ben Judah

Por Ben Judah Es como una película: una joven que sueña con convertirse en supermodelo llega a Nueva York procedente de una antigua república comunista tan pequeña y nueva que ni siquiera la mayoría de los europeos han oído hablar de ella. Unos años más tarde, esta joven eslovena la mira desde una valla publicitaria en Times Square. Se casa con un magnate carismático en una boda llena de estrellas y políticos. Y luego se convierte en la Primera Dama de los Estados Unidos.
Books to Help You Understand British Politics in 2024

Jul 3, 2024 | fivebooks.com | Caroline Knowles |Ben Judah |Peter Foster |Georgina Sturge

You left your job at The Economist to open Backstory, an independent bookshop in Balham, London. Much of our understanding of election cycles comes, necessarily, from short-form articles. How can nonfiction books help us understand British politics in 2024? In the UK, our election campaigns are very short. Six or seven weeks vs. a couple of years in the United States. This means that our election coverage is very focused on personality and on polling.
How to Dictator-Proof Your Money

Apr 25, 2024 | journalofdemocracy.org | Alex Gladstein |Garry Kasparov |Charles Davidson |Ben Judah

Cash is king, even if you are an activist leading a democratic movement against some of the world’s worst dictators. That’s why Bitcoin has quickly become the currency of choice for dissidents working everywhere. By Alex GladsteinApril 2024Human-rights activists around the world have a new tool: unstoppable electronic cash.
The online hate and conspiracies driving a new wave of antisemitism | Ben Judah

Feb 14, 2024 | independent.co.uk | Ben Judah

My grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, never liked talking about antisemitism. But I was an inquisitive grandson, perhaps uncaringly so, and when I pressed her to tell me a little of her memories about life in Nazi Germany, or occupied France, her answers always seemed to drift away from what it felt like for the Jews, towards what it said about society at large. The sights of mass marches, of humans given numbers, of modernity itself perverted, were what seemed to have shocked her.
Don’t forget the people who are standing with us

Jan 4, 2024 | thejc.com | Ben Judah

These are dark times but we are not alone. So focused have we become on calling out the prejudice thrown our way that we have failed, I feel, to take stock and to fully appreciate those standing shoulder to shoulder with us against this. First, the politicians. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz could not have been clearer or louder standing against antisemitism. “Zero tolerance,” were his words and Scholz is not alone. German politicians across the political spectrum have stood by him.
Israel's strike against Hamas in Lebanon poses big questions for the West

Jan 4, 2024 | standard.co.uk | Ben Judah

Across the Middle East, Dahiya, in south Beirut, is seen as not just a suburb. It is a synonym for Hezbollah. This is not only the movement’s stronghold, it is the headquarters of what is in Lebanon a state within a state. That an Israeli drone strike could kill the deputy head of Hamas, Saleh al-Arouri, and several aides at a meeting in the heart of Dahiya has shocked the region and left it asking one question. Is war about to break out between Hezbollah, Iran’s highly-armed proxy, and Israel?
OPINION - Israel's Strike Against Hamas In Lebanon Poses Big Questions For The West - Evening Standard

Jan 3, 2024 | everand.com | Ben Judah

Across the Middle East, Dahiya, in south Beirut, is seen as not just a suburb. It is a synonym for Hezbollah. This is not only the movement’s stronghold, it is the headquarters of what is in Lebanon a state within a state. That an Israeli drone strike could kill the deputy, and several aides at a meeting in the heart of Dahiya has shocked the region and left it asking one question. Is war about to break out between Hezbollah, ’s highly-armed proxy, and ?
Does the rest of the 2020s belong to the far right?

Dec 28, 2023 | independent.co.uk | Ben Judah

Sadly nobody would dispute that Britain, since the Brexit referendum, has become a more inward-looking place. European politics has become a place apart. But this doesn’t just apply to Conservatives. The shock and befuddlement of British liberals at the election results in the Netherlands in November – which saw the far right led by Geert Wilders score a historic win – is part of this. Consumed by culture wars that started in 2016, the UK as a whole has missed the EU’s own anti-migrant turn.
Jerusalem is Israel's future

Dec 20, 2023 | unherd.com | Ben Judah

For a brief moment, when I was younger, I found myself in Jerusalem. By day I studied the Talmud with my teacher, and by night I wandered its streets. I would veer into the dark alleyways of the Old City, find myself at the Western Wall, flooded with light, then turn into the tunnel-like paths of the Muslim Quarter. Here, I met with some of the more committed boys from the tougher, stricter yeshivas. We would clamber onto roofs, to find new places to see the Temple Mount.
Jerusalem is Israel's future

Dec 20, 2023 | staging.unherd.com | Ben Judah

HistoryIsraelJerusalemJudaismMiddle EastReligion For a brief moment, when I was younger, I found myself in Jerusalem. By day I studied the Talmud with my teacher, and by night I wandered its streets.