Joining Jason Solomons in studio this month are Ian Black, the Guardian's Middle East editor, and Mark Gardner, the director of communications for the Community Security Trust.
Even though many more Palestinians than Israelis, most of them civilians, lost their lives, the fear and anguish was intense on both sides. Sounds Jewish takes a look at how it felt for ordinary people in an Israel under threat – and speaks to Jessica Steinberg, the cultural editor of the Times of Israel, who witnessed life in the shelters.
The ceasefire has been called and, so far at least, heeded – against the backdrop of a UN vote on Palestinian statehood. Is the ceasefire just a brief respite or could it signal a new direction for Israeli-Palestinian relations?
And what's the impact on British Jews when conflict breaks out in Israel and Gaza? Mark Gardner explains why he took issue with Steve Bell's cartoon depicting Netanyahu, Blair and Hague and we hear from the chief executive of the Jewish Museum, Abigail Morris, who witnessed the anti-Israel protests outside Sadlers Wells, where dance company Batsheva were performing. She explains why culture is vital to keep dialogue open.
With Hanukah round the corner, we discuss a new compilation album celebrating both Chanukah and Christmas songs from postwar America. Its co-producer, Roger Bennett, tells us why folk legend Woodie Guthrie's rendition of Hanukah Dance is a classic.
• Sounds Jewish is produced with the Jewish Community Centre for London
• An earlier draft of this blogpost mistakenly accompanied this podcast on first publication. This was updated to the later version on 29 November 2012 at 14:17.
• Comments on the podcast will be open for 24 hours from time of publication but may be closed overnight
