IsraelCast

Host Steven Shalowitz speaks with former hostage Tal Shoham, who was abducted from Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7 and held in Gaza for 505 days. Tal recalls the terrifying moments of barricading with his family and ultimately surrendering to prevent a deadly attack—an instinct he later learned likely saved their lives. After an initial period of solitary confinement and transfers between apartments,...

On this episode of IsraelCast, host Steven Shalowitz sits down with Catherine Perez-Shakdam for a candid conversation on extremism, antisemitism, and the forces shaping the Middle East and the West. Drawing from her firsthand experiences, Catherine discusses the influence of Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Qatar, as well as the role propaganda can play in shaping attitudes toward Israel and the...

On this episode of IsraelCast, host Steven Shalowitz and Professor Roberta Rosenthal Kwall explore the growing polarization within American Jewry and the political, religious, and ideological divides shaping the Jewish community today. From debates over Israel, Zionism, and antisemitism to the impact of labels and ideological "teams," Professor Kwall examines what is driving Jews further apart and...

In this episode of  IsraelCast , host Steven Shalowitz sits down with Captain (Res.) Bar Reuven for an inside look at Unit 669, the Israeli Air Force's elite combat search and rescue unit. Bar reveals what it takes to earn a place in one of the IDF's most selective units, where thousands compete for only a handful of spots and training prepares soldiers for everything from battlefield evacuations...

What compels a young man from Long Island to leave behind the comforts of home and enlist in the Israel Defense Forces as a Lone Soldier? In this powerful episode of IsraelCast, Ira Kohler shares the extraordinary journey that took him from studying economics at the University of Delaware to serving in the IDF's elite 890th Paratroopers Battalion after making Aliyah in 2022. When Hamas launched it...

In this episode of IsraelCast, Steven Shalowitz sits down with author, policy advisor, and Israel advocate Aryeh Green to discuss his new book,  Finding Peace in the Promised Land . Drawing on decades of experience in public diplomacy, policy, and regional engagement, Green presents a new approach to resolving the Arab Israel conflict through five transformative principles: humility, acceptance, g...

In this episode of  IsraelCast , Steven Shalowitz speaks with Rawan Osman about her extraordinary personal journey and the experiences that transformed her understanding of Israel, Judaism, and the Middle East. Growing up in Lebanon and Syria, Rawan was taught to view Israel and the Jewish people as enemies. She shares how an unexpected encounter with members of the Jewish community led her to que...

In this engaging episode of  IsraelCast , Steven Shalowitz sits down with Judge Roy K. Altman to discuss his new book,  Israel on Trial: Examining the History, the Evidence, and the Law . Drawing on history, archaeology, and international law, Altman addresses some of the most common accusations leveled against Israel, including claims of colonialism, apartheid, occupation, and genocide. He also s...

In this episode of  IsraelCast , host Steven Shalowitz welcomes independent writer and researcher Melissa Brodsky, author of  The Lioness Writes  on Substack. Known for her meticulous use of primary sources and documented evidence, Melissa explores the historical blind spots, propaganda networks, and modern-day narratives shaping how Israel and the Jewish people are discussed today. This episode d...

In this deeply moving episode of  IsraelCast , Steven Shalowitz sits down with Sarri Singer to discuss survival, trauma, and the lifelong journey of healing after terror. Sarri recounts the events of June 11, 2003, when she survived the bombing of Jerusalem's No. 14 bus, sharing the split-second decisions that saved her life and the emotional aftermath that followed. She reflects on the impact of...

In this episode of  IsraelCast , Yaakov Katz joins Steven Shalowitz for an in-depth conversation about the intelligence failures, political assumptions, and regional dynamics that shaped the October 7 attacks and continue to impact Israel today. Drawing from his bestselling book  While Israel Slept , Katz explains how Israel underestimated Hamas, the breakdowns within the intelligence community, a...

Speaking with host Steven Shalowitz, Shahar Azani returns to IsraelCast for a timely conversation on Israel at 78, the resilience of Israeli society, and the global challenges facing the Jewish people. Azani reflects on Israel's enduring optimism after October 7, the strength of Jewish identity on college campuses, and the importance of educating others amid rising misinformation and antisemitism....

In this episode of  IsraelCast , Steven Shalowitz welcomes back Hussain Abdul-Hussain to discuss his new book,  The Arab Case for Israel . Drawing on history, geopolitics, and his own personal journey from Iraq and Lebanon to Washington, D.C., Hussain argues that normalization with Israel is not only possible, but in the strategic interest of Arab states and societies. He explores how Iran's aggre...

IsraelCast host Steven Shalowitz speaks with Elie Klein, North American Director of Advancement and JNF-USA liaison for ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran, a groundbreaking rehabilitation village in Israel's South. Located near the Gaza border, this one-of-a-kind community provides residential care, education, and advanced medical rehabilitation for individuals with severe disabilities while fostering a model...

In this episode of  IsraelCast , host Steven Shalowitz sits down with journalist and commentator Rolene Marks for a wide-ranging and timely conversation on Israel, South Africa, media, and modern antisemitism. Drawing on her background as a South African-born Israeli journalist, Marks offers sharp insight into the deteriorating relationship between South Africa and Israel, the political motivation...

In this timely episode of  IsraelCast , host Steven Shalowitz speaks with Iran expert Beni Sabti for a timely and deeply personal conversation recorded from near Tel Aviv in the midst of missile sirens and shelter runs. Sabti, born in Iran and now a leading researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, brings a rare lens shaped by lived experience under the Islamic Revolution and deca...

IsraelCast host Steven Shalowitz welcomes Amit Meir, CEO & Founder of Adam V'Adama, a Jewish National Fund-USA high school network launched with Hashomer HaChadash, another of the organization's affiliates, to strengthen Israeli agriculture and deepen young Israelis' connection to the land. Speaking from one of their campuses in Israel's South, Meir traces his journey from a farming family and an...

IsraelCast host Steven Shalowitz speaks with Jonathan Schanzer, executive director of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, about what FDD calls the "axis of aggressors" — China, Russia, and Iran — and how Iran's internal turmoil could reshape the Middle East. Schanzer describes Iran's long-running protest cycle, severe economic collapse, and the regime's vulnerability after major Israeli...

Author Izabella Tabarovsky—a scholar of Soviet antizionism and contemporary antisemitism, writer, journalist, and the author of  Be a Refusenik: A Jewish Student's Survival Guide —joins host Steven Shalowitz from her home in Jerusalem to explore the Soviet origins of modern anti-Zionism and why those ideas echo so loudly on campuses today. Born in 1970 and raised in the USSR, Tabarovsky recounts w...

In this episode of  IsraelCast , host Steven Shalowitz sits down with acclaimed author and historian Uri Kaufman to unpack the ideas behind his powerful new book,  American Intifada: Israel, the Gaza War and the New Antisemitism . Kaufman, whose previous work on the Yom Kippur War was named one of the  Financial Times' best history books of the year, offers a sharp and thought-provoking analysis o...

In this must listen episode of IsraelCast, host Steven Shalowitz sits down with Pastor Dumisani Washington—founder of the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel—for a wide-ranging and deeply thoughtful conversation about faith, history, and moral clarity in turbulent times. Drawing on his personal journey, scholarship, and leadership, Pastor Washington explores the enduring bonds between the B...

In this powerful episode of IsraelCast, host Steven Shalowitz sits down with Dr. Naya Lekht, a leading scholar, educator, and writer who is reshaping how we understand Zionism, Jewish identity, and today's wave of antizionism. Drawing on her background as a Soviet-born Jew and her PhD research on how the USSR erased Holocaust memory and reshaped Jewish identity, Naya explains why antizionism is no...

In this powerful IsraelCast episode, host Steven Shalowitz speaks with Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi live from the Jewish National Fund-USA Conference in Hollywood, Florida. Davidi paints a vivid picture of Sderot—a resilient, diverse community just 700 meters from the Gaza border, long celebrated for its music and warmth but also burdened by decades of rocket fire. He shares the personal toll of life...

At the Jewish National Fund-USA 2025 Global Conference, IsraelCast host Steven Shalowitz interviewed Australian journalist Erin Molan, who shared her transformation from sports anchor to global advocate for Israel and Western values. Deeply influenced by her late father, Major General Andrew Molan, Erin described how the reaction to Hamas's October 7 attacks compelled her to speak out against terr...

Host Steven Shalowitz sits down with journalist and author Yaakov Katz to unpack  While Israel Slept: How Hamas Surprised the Most Powerful Military in the Middle East . Katz argues that October 7 wasn't a "mystery failure," but the result of a long-running "policy of containment" (the  concepcia ): believing Hamas could be deterred, managed economically, and fenced in with tech like Iron Dome and...