18 Questions, 40 Mystics

Two weeks ago, Israel struck Iran's nuclear facilities, military sites, and leaders. Iran launched a barrage of missiles into Israel. Now, the war has only intensified. Today's episode features eight Israeli thinkers discussing the Iranian threat from weeks and months ago. We hear from: Efraim Inbar Lahav Harkov Yossi Klein Halevi Gadi Taub Uri Zaki Einat Wilf Haviv Rettig-Gur Moshe Koppel Who got...

Zionism asked the Jewish People if they could wield power properly, Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger says. The answer, according to him, is now clear: They cannot. Before co-founding the Palestinian-Israeli dialogue center Roots/Shorashim/Judur, Hanan had never met a Palestinian before. 2013 changed that. Inspired by his interfaith experience decades prior, Hanan threw himself into peace work and is now Ro...

Hamas has isolated Israel diplomatically. Fleur Hassan-Nahoum is scared that, in 20 years, it might be completely isolated. Fleur is a British-born Israeli politician who served as Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem from 2018 until 2024, and she recently joined the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy as a senior fellow and sits on the international advisory council.  A seasoned poli...

While we await next week's new episode, we invite you to revisit our (third) 18Forty Podcast conversation with Malka Simkovich, originally aired on November 19, 2024.  18Forty is celebrating its fifth year LIVE in NYC on June 9. Reserve your seats today! In this episode of the  18Forty Podcast , we talk to Malka Simkovich—a scholar of Jewish history, the editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication S...

The Torah wants Israel to be a religious state, Rabbi Elli Fischer says. Just, maybe, not right now.  A historian, writer, translator, and educator, Elli Fischer extensively explores the relationship between Jewish law and the Jewish state, in the past, present, and future. Elli was a previous guest on 18Forty's Zionism series and a 3-Month Book Journey Leader.  A founding editor of  The Lehrhaus...

Twice in its history, Jewish sovereignty collapsed in the last quarter of its first century. Yoav Heller believes Israel must heed this warning. Chairman of the Wingate Institute and a Holocaust historian, Yoav Heller is also chairman of the Fourth Quarter movement—a grassroots movement seeking to repair Israel's civil divides and secure the Jewish state's future. Yoav has been immersed in Israeli...

Wishing Arabs would disappear from Israel, Mikhael Manekin says, is a dangerous fantasy. One of the leaders of Israel's Hasmol Haemuni (Faithful Left) movement, Mikhael is a vocal religious activist for equality and peace. He is the director of the Alliance Fellowship program, an Arab-Jewish political network in Israel, and has authored two books, End of Days Ethics, Tradition, and Power in Israel...

We return next week with a new episode of 18 Questions, 40 Israeli Thinkers . In the meantime, enjoy this earlier interview with Einat Wilf, recorded Nov. 25, 2024.  The true enemy in Israel's current war, Einat Wilf says, is what she calls "Palestinianism." Once part of the Israeli left, Einat Wilf is a popular political thinker on Israel, Zionism, and foreign policy. Her 2020 co-authored book, "...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not surprise Anshel Pfeffer over the last 17 months of war—and that's the most disappointing part. A British-born Israeli journalist, Anshel Pfeffer is the Israel correspondent for  The Economist and was a longtime senior correspondent and columnist for Haaretz.   Pfeffer's 2018 book, Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu , earned widespread...

Judaism does not value power and might, Rav Mosheh Lichtenstein says—in fact, it abhors it. Co-rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion, Rav Mosheh is a venerated leader in Israel's Religious Zionist world who is unafraid to call out his community's shortfalls. His statements on Israel's religious-political affairs draw ire and praise—a fact-of-life that does not discourage him. Rav Mosheh has been a r...

Sgt. Itay Chen was taken captive by Hamas on October 7. The IDF believes he is dead—but his family is still holding out hope. Ever since Itay was declared Missing in Action, Ruby and Chagit Chen—and the Chen family—have tirelessly fought to bring him home. Ruby and Itay are American citizens, so they hoped that would play to their advantage. In March of 2024, the IDF declared that Itay was killed...

Sagui Dekel-Chen was held hostage in Gaza for 498 days—or 43 million seconds. He came home on Feb. 15. An American-Israeli citizen who was living in Kibbutz Nir Oz, Sagui left behind a pregnant wife and two daughters when Hamas took him captive in Gaza. Sagui had no idea of their fate—until two days before his release. Jonathan Dekel-Chen, Sagui's father, joins Sruli Fruchter to speak about his ti...

We don't have a new episode this week, but we invite you to revisit our 18Forty Podcast conversation with Yossi Klein Halevi, originally aired on Dec. 26, 2023.  In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Yossi Klein Halevi, a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, about what it means to be a Zionist and a Jew post-October 7. Since Simchas Torah, we’ve spent lots of time airing ou...

Israel should prioritize its Jewish citizens, Yishai Fleisher says, because that's what a nation-state does. Yishai is the international spokesman for the Jewish community of Hebron, a flashpoint in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and a councilman for the Efrat community. His words reach audiences across the world via CNN , Piers Morgan's Uncensored , the New York Times , his own YouTube and pod...

Gaza can be leveled down or built up, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner says, and she wants Trump's plan to do the latter. An Israeli international lawyer and activist who has represented hundreds of terror victims in legal actions against terror organizations and their supporters, Nitsana is the head of Shurat HaDin—Israel Law Center, which combats terrorism, promotes civil rights, and actively pursues pro...

Israel is opening a Pandora's box by releasing Palestinian prisoners and terrorists, Shani Taragin says — but she still has not given up hope. A prominent religious leader and educator in Israel, Rabbanit Shani Taragin is impassioned by the State of Israel's future as the homeland for the Jewish People, despite what she sees as its pitfalls. She is sought out for her convictions, faith, and inspir...

Hamas is already beginning to rebuild, Chuck Freilich says, because Israel lacks a post-war vision for Gaza. An Israeli national security expert, Chuck is a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies and has taught at elite American universities like Harvard, NYU, and Columbia. He has spent extensive time in Israel's national security establishment. The author of three books on I...

Take our annual survey . Until the Israeli government sets a plan for Gaza after the war, Rula Daood says, they are choosing to end up with Hamas.  A speech pathologist by trade, Rula Daood is now the national co-director of Standing Together, a progressive grassroots movement of Israeli Jews and Palestinians fighting for "full equality for everyone in this land."  A Christian Palestinian who is a...

Antisemitism and assimilation are threatening the Jewish People, says Natan Sharansky, but to both Israel offers a solution. Born in the Soviet Union and imprisoned by the authorities when trying to immigrate to Israel, Sharansky experienced brutal interrogations, forced feedings, and torture — sparking international campaigns to fight for his freedom in 1986.  Today, Natan is Chairman for the Ins...

We don't have a new episode this week, but we invite you to revisit David Bashevkin's conversation with Shayna Goldberg about the unique features of Israel’s Religious Zionist community, originally aired Nov. 26, 2024. This episode is sponsored by Eden Beit Shemesh. Contact Rina Weinberg at  info@edenbeitshemesh.com for more details. In this episode of the  18Forty Podcast , we talk to Shayna Gold...

We don't have a new episode this week, but we invite you to revisit David Bashevkin's conversation with Jonathan Gribetz teaching about Israel in the Ivy League, originally aired Jan. 12, 2024. In this episode of the  18Forty Podcast , we talk to Jonathan Gribetz, a Princeton professor and scholar of Near Eastern and Judaic studies, about the history of Israel and Palestine. At a time in which we...

There is a time to wage wars, Rabbi Michael Melchior says, and there is a time to make peace. An internationally renowned Jewish leader, thinker, and activist, he has long dedicated his life to fighting for human rights and peace—whether for Soviet Jews in the 1960s or Palestinians and Israelis in 2024.  In the past, he was a representative of the Meimad Knesset Party, International Director of th...

With over 100 hostages still trapped in Gaza, Daniel Gordis says, that is Israel's greatest failure to date—even if it's unclear that any deals would have gotten them back. An acclaimed writer and author, Daniel Gordis is a Koret Distinguished Fellow at the Israeli liberal arts institution Shalem College and writes for his 41,000 subscribers on his Substack, Israel From the Inside .  From Israel:...

Violence is never the answer for Khitam Abu Bader. That's why she tries to fight for peace. Khitam is helping to build Ma'oz Darom South by promoting regional development in the Negev, collaborating with local leaders, and empowering communities. She has extensive experience in leadership and youth development, previously directing the Raidat Leadership Program for Women at Desert Stars and the Ar...

Israel has pretty much destroyed its enemies, Moshe Koppel says. That's (partly) why he believes Israel has won the war in Gaza. Founding chairman of the Kohelet Policy Forum—called “the most successful initiative of the right in the past decade" by Haaretz —Moshe is a political thinker and computer scientist deeply involved in Israel's political affairs. He and his think tank propelled the Knesse...