Boundless Insights - with Aviva Klompas

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas. As the Trump administration weighs its next move on Iran, Israel faces a familiar but uncomfortable question: What happens if Washington reaches a deal that Jerusalem believes leaves the Iranian threat unresolved? In this episode, Aviva Klompas speaks with Dr. Michael Oren a...

After fighting publicly for the return of her son Hersh from Gaza, Rachel Goldberg-Polin joins the podcast to reflect on grief, uncertainty, love, and the challenge of continuing to live after profound loss. Drawing from her new book When We See You Again , Rachel speaks with her characteristic honesty about the experience of mourning, the pressure people feel to “get better,” and why she believes...

Hussain Abubakr Mansour joins Dr. Rachel Fish to examine antisemitism, antizionism, and the ideological currents shaping American public life after October 7. Mansour reflects on growing up in a society where Jews were largely absent but antisemitic ideas were culturally omnipresent, and how his study of Jewish history, Zionism, and Hebrew led him to radically different conclusions. The conversati...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas. Hannah Senesh is one of the most iconic figures of Israel’s pre-state history - a young poet and parachutist whose story has become part of national memory. But who was she beyond the symbol, and what can her story still teach us today? Host Aviva Klompas speaks with Matti F...

In the two and a half years since the Gaza war began, a new body of writing has taken hold, one that claims to explain not just the conflict, but the world itself. In this episode, host Aviva Klompas speaks with Matti Friedman about his essay Introduction to Gazology . He argues that this emerging genre isn’t really about Gaza as a place, but uses it as a framework to interpret global politics, mo...

After months of tension along Israel’s northern border, a fragile ceasefire has opened the door to renewed diplomacy between Israel and Lebanon. But with Hezbollah rejecting the agreement and the Lebanese government constrained in its ability to act, the path forward is anything but clear. Aviva Klompas speaks with Ambassador Yechiel Leiter about the latest round of U.S.-brokered talks in Washingt...

After weeks of heavy headlines - from multiple conflicts to rising antisemitism and political tension - we’re switching things up.  Host Aviva Klompas is joined by actor and comedian Michael Rapaport to talk about everything from Jewish holidays to pop culture, life hacks, random obsessions, the unexpected things bringing joy right now, and the kind of advice that sticks. They also check in on Rap...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas. On Israel’s 78th Independence Day, we reflect on what the Jewish state means today, and why it still matters. Aviva Klompas sits down with Dr. Einat Wilf to explore the enduring idea of Zionism - how it is being challenged, misunderstood, and defended in a rapidly shifting g...

As Israel marks Yom HaZikaron - the country’s day of remembrance for fallen soldiers and victims of terror - this year carries added weight, unfolding in the shadow of an ongoing war and fresh loss still felt across the country. In this episode, Aviva Klompas speaks with Rabbi Doron Perez, whose son, Captain Daniel Perez, was killed on October 7 while defending Israel’s border. Taken hostage after...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas. After the collapse of U.S.–Iran talks, Washington has turned to a new approach - imposing a naval blockade aimed at cutting off Iran’s ability to leverage the Strait of Hormuz. The goal is to apply economic pressure without escalating into a broader military campaign. But wh...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas. U.S.–Iran talks in Islamabad ended without a deal, leaving the ceasefire on shaky ground and major questions unanswered. In this episode, host Aviva Klompas speaks with Dr. Michael Oren about what the breakdown means and where things may be headed. They examine whether the d...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas. After five weeks of fighting, the United States and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire, halting strikes and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. But while the immediate crisis may be paused, the bigger questions are far from resolved. In this episode, host Aviva Klompas spe...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas. Global attention is focused on the war with Iran, but another issue is unfolding that raises urgent moral and political questions – the spike in attacks by Jewish extremists against Palestinians in the West Bank, or Judea and Samaria. In this episode of Boundless Insights ,...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas. Iran has taken significant hits to its leadership and infrastructure, yet the regime remains in place, continues to project power across the region, and retains the ability to disrupt global energy markets. So where does that leave us? In this episode, host Aviva Klompas sit...

Professor Pamela Nadell joins Dr. Rachel Fish to examine the long history of antisemitism in the United States and how it has evolved from the colonial era to the present. They begin with the arrival of Jews in New Amsterdam in 1654 and trace how anti-Jewish tropes rooted in Christian theology and European prejudice were carried into American life from the very beginning.  The conversation explore...

Host Aviva Klompas is joined by Ambassador Dennis Ross to assess where the war with Iran stands several weeks in and whether the current trajectory is leading toward a meaningful outcome or a prolonged stalemate. While Iran’s military capabilities have been significantly degraded and key infrastructure has been damaged, the broader strategic picture remains unsettled. The regime is still intact, c...

In this milestone 150th episode of Boundless Insights , host Aviva Klompas speaks with Jonathan Conricus for a clear-eyed look at where the war with Iran stands as it enters its fourth week. Despite official messaging pointing to steady progress - degraded missile and drone capabilities, targeted strikes on senior figures, and significant damage to Iran’s military infrastructure - the picture on t...

Host Aviva Klompas speaks with Natan Sharansky about one of the defining challenges facing democratic societies today: why the West often struggles to recognize and confront evil. Drawing on his experience as a Soviet dissident who spent nine years in prison, Sharansky reflects on how authoritarian regimes operate and why democratic societies frequently misunderstand them. The conversation explore...

As the war with Iran continues, the conflict is raising fundamental questions about how the United States uses military power and how President Trump’s foreign-policy doctrine may be evolving. For years, Trump was closely associated with an “America First” approach that emphasized avoiding prolonged wars and limiting U.S. military involvement abroad. But the current campaign against Iran suggests...

As the war in the Middle East unfolds, its consequences are being felt far beyond the battlefield. The conflict has triggered fierce debate about American involvement, Israel’s role in U.S. foreign policy, and the future of one of Washington’s most important alliances. In this episode, host Aviva Klompas speaks with historian and former Israeli ambassador to the United States Dr. Michael Oren abou...

As the war with Iran enters its second week, the military campaign has already shown successes. Key leaders have been eliminated, missile and drone attacks have sharply declined, and critical parts of Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure have been damaged. But in the public discourse, a very different battle is unfolding. Across media and politics, fierce arguments have erupted about the leg...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas. Following coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, accusations that the operation was “illegal” and a violation of international law spread rapidly from social media to Congress to global institutions, often with great certainty and little explanation. In this episode o...

The United States and Israel launched a joint military campaign against Iran, signaling a decisive escalation after years of mounting confrontation. The operation appears aimed not only at degrading Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities, but at fundamentally altering the regime’s trajectory, with President Trump openly calling on the Iranian people to challenge their rulers. As strikes hit senio...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas. As U.S. forces surge into the Middle East and diplomacy with Iran appears increasingly strained, questions are mounting about whether Washington is headed toward military action or using force to extract last-ditch concessions. Host Aviva Klompas is joined by Jonathan Schanz...

Extremism expert and political scientist Dr. Lorenzo Vidino joins Dr. Rachel Fish to explore the history and spread of radical Islamism and how it has taken root in Western democracies. They trace the movement’s origins to the founding of the Muslim Brotherhood, explain the difference between Islam as a religion and Islamism as a political ideology, and discuss how Islamist groups have adapted the...