From embracing Zionism as a Holocaust survivor to becoming a vocal critic of Israeli policies, renowned author and doctor Gabor Maté reflects on the evolution in his thinking, on trauma as a driving force behind Zionism and Israel, and on how collective Jewish trauma has been exploited by Israel to justify its war in Gaza.

This is a story from the archives. This originally aired on January 17, 2025. None of the dates, titles or other references from that time have been changed.

In this episode:

Gabor Maté (@DrGaborMate), Physician and Author

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Tamara Khandaker and Sonia Bhagat, with Noor Wazwaz, Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Hagir Saleh, Melanie Marich, and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Alexandra Locke.

The Take production team is Marcos Bartolomé, Sonia Bhagat, Spencer Cline, Sarí el-Khalili, Diana Ferrero, Tracie Hunte, Tamara Khandaker, Kylene Kiang, Phillip Lanos, Chloe K. Li, Melanie Marich, Catherine Nouhan, Amy Walters, and Noor Wazwaz. Our editorial interns are Farhan Rafid, and Fatima Shafiq. Our host is Malika Bilal.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad Al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is the Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

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Breaking Zionism’s trauma loop with Dr. Gabor Mate

The Take

Breaking Zionism’s trauma loop with Dr. Gabor Mate