Boundless Insights - with Aviva Klompas

On October 7, 2023, Tamir Nimrodi was kidnapped from his army base near the Gaza border. He was barefoot, in his pajamas, and unarmed. Since that day, his mother, Herut Nimrodi, has received no sign of life. Herut joins host Aviva Klompas to talk about who Tamir is, what she’s learned about his abduction, and what it’s like to live in a constant state of limbo. Herut opens up about the emotional t...

Turkey is a longtime NATO ally, yet it increasingly aligns itself with anti-Western forces—from cozying up to Iran to providing political support for Hamas. Under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has become an unpredictable and assertive player in the Middle East, raising urgent questions about its strategic direction and alliances. In this episode, Aviva Klompas speaks with Dr. Jonathan Sch...

As Israel faces mounting international accusations — genocide, ethnic cleansing, and the use of starvation as a weapon of war — we turn to one of the world’s leading experts in urban combat to break down what’s actually happening on the battlefield, and what international law really says. John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point, joins Aviva Klompas to explain the military and le...

In this episode of Boundless Insights , Dr. Rachel Fish is joined by Rabbi David Wolpe, Rabbi Emeritus of Sinai Temple and former visiting professor at Harvard Divinity School. Rabbi Wolpe shares his firsthand experiences with antisemitism on Harvard’s campus, his involvement and subsequent resignation from an advisory group tasked with addressing antisemitism, and his broader reflections on the c...

Host Aviva Klompas is joined by historian and former Israeli ambassador to the United States, Dr. Michael Oren, to mark the 600th day since the October 7 attacks. They delve into the profound challenges Israel faces both internationally and domestically. Internationally, Israel finds itself increasingly isolated, with strained relations even with its closest ally, the United States. Domestically,...

Host Aviva Klompas sits down with Brianna Wu—a progressive activist and tech trailblazer who’s made a name for herself by standing up to harassment and extremism in every form. Today, that includes speaking out for Israel. Brianna is part of a small group of progressive voices willing to challenge the dominant narrative on Israel. While many on the left rush to condemn Israel and remain silent abo...

Two young Israeli embassy staffers - Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim - were murdered outside an AJC event in Washington, D.C. Their alleged killer reportedly declared, “I did it for Gaza.” This was not senseless violence - it was targeted, ideological, and part of a rising tide of antisemitism in America. Aviva Klompas speaks with Ted Deutch, CEO of AJC, about who Yaron and Sarah were, how this...

Power dynamics in the Middle East are shifting fast. From renewed nuclear diplomacy with Iran to a possible expansion of the Abraham Accords, the Trump administration seems to be betting on a strategy of regional realignment. But are we witnessing real strategic transformation, or just another cycle of regional maneuvering? In this episode, host Aviva Klompas is joined by Lt. Col. (Res.) Jonathan...

In early May, Israel approved a sweeping new operational plan known as “Gideon’s Chariots.” The IDF has been given the green light for a major campaign in Gaza aimed at dismantling Hamas once and for all. The plan outlines a full-scale incursion, the establishment of a humanitarian zone under Israeli control, and the controversial proposal to encourage voluntary emigration for Palestinians who wis...

In recent weeks, U.S. foreign policy decisions have raised alarms in Israel. A ceasefire with the Houthis came with no demand they stop attacking Israel. Four rounds of nuclear talks with Iran have excluded Jerusalem entirely. The release of Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American hostage, caught even his family off guard. And now, the U.S. has dropped its demand that Saudi Arabia normalize ties with...

Host Aviva Klompas sits down with Izabella Tabarovsky to unpack how foreign funding and Soviet-era propaganda have shaped the crisis unfolding on American campuses. Universities once seen as bastions of free thought are now flooded with billions of dollars from authoritarian regimes like Qatar and China — and the effects are plain to see. Students rally in support of terrorist groups. Jewish stude...

Dr. Rachel Fish sits down with two leading voices in higher education - Dr. Jessica Liebowitz and Dr. Ron Liebowitz - to discuss the big questions facing the academy today. How can universities reclaim their commitment to truth-seeking, intellectual integrity, and academic rigor—especially in a time of rising antisemitism and growing public distrust? Jessica introduces an innovative AI-driven proj...

We’re diving into an issue that sits at the core of Israel’s security and its enduring relationship with the United States: foreign aid. U.S. assistance has been a critical force in strengthening Israel’s defense capabilities. But as Dr. Michael Oren explains, it hasn’t come without costs. While aid has helped build Israel’s military strength, it has also created strategic dependencies and, at tim...

As Israel marks its 77th Independence Day, we step back from the headlines to reflect on the extraordinary, improbable story of its survival and triumph. Aviva Klompas opens with a moment from November 1947: just hours after the UN vote to establish a Jewish state, Golda Meir warned a jubilant crowd that the dream would not come easily. It would have to be fought for—and it would come at a cost. I...

Israel is facing a domestic crisis with sweeping implications for its democracy, national security, and political leadership. In a sworn affidavit to Israel’s Supreme Court, Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of demanding personal loyalty above the rule of law. Among the explosive allegations: that Netanyahu urged him to spy on Israeli citizens, interfere with the premier...

Since October 7, antisemitism has surged across American college campuses—setting off one of the fiercest debates in higher education today. In response, the Trump administration has launched an aggressive crackdown: threatening to pull federal funding, investigating elite universities, and detaining foreign students accused of supporting terror groups. Supporters see this as long-overdue protecti...

As nuclear talks between the United States and Iran get underway, Israel is watching with unease. What’s being billed as technical negotiations over uranium levels and verification protocols is, in truth, a high-stakes diplomatic gamble with enormous implications for the Middle East. Iran is dragging its feet, playing for time. Former President Donald Trump, eager for a foreign policy win ahead of...

Since October 7, Israel has been fighting a war unlike any in modern history — against a terror group that hides in hospitals, stores weapons in schools, and holds hostages underground. The IDF is operating under intense pressure, with international demands for zero civilian casualties, blocked operations in key Hamas strongholds, and constant pauses driven more by perception than fact. Urban warf...

Why doesn’t Israel have a constitution and what would it mean to finally write one Aviva Klompas sits down with Dr. Michael Oren to discuss one of the most foundational—and contentious—questions about Israeli democracy: the absence of a formal constitution. Despite a promise made at the country’s founding in 1948, Israel continues to operate under a framework of Basic Laws and judicial precedents,...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an unplanned stop at the White House after a visit to Hungary, aiming to persuade Donald Trump to reverse a looming 17% tariff on Israeli goods. But the real story was playing out just beneath the surface. Trump dropped a surprise announcement: senior U.S. officials would be holding direct talks with Iran — a shift that appeared to blindside the Israeli leade...

In this longform edition of Boundless Insights , Dr. Rachel Fish sits down with Michal Cotler-Wunsh — Israel’s Special Envoy for Combatting Antisemitism and a former Member of Knesset — for a wide-ranging conversation about the evolution of antisemitism, the weaponization of international law, and the global implications of October 7. Michal argues that the misuse of human rights language, includi...

As the Houthis escalate their attacks on international shipping and threaten both Israeli and Western vessels, the Trump administration has responded with a sweeping military campaign against the Iran-backed group in Yemen. With Red Sea shipping traffic plummeting and global trade at risk, the U.S. is signaling that enough is enough. So what’s different this time? Can the Houthis actually be stopp...

Videos have surfaced showing Palestinians in Gaza rising up against Hamas. How significant are these protests? Do they mark a genuine turning point in public sentiment, or are they a fleeting moment of frustration? And what would it take for this unrest to evolve into a broader political shift or a change in leadership? A recent Gallup poll found that more than half of Gazans would leave if given...

Nearly 18 months after Hamas’s October 7 massacre, the war in Gaza has reignited. Israeli airstrikes are once again targeting senior Hamas leaders, and IDF troops have taken up new positions inside the Strip. Predictably, international condemnation has resumed, calling Israel’s actions a “step backward,” while rocket fire from Gaza and the Houthis intensifies. But this time, one thing is different...

Israel’s security leadership is in turmoil. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has moved to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, citing a breakdown of trust after the October 7 Hamas massacre. But Bar is pushing back—warning that his removal is tied to what’s being called Qatargate . He claims the government is trying to obstruct an ongoing investigation into Qatar’s covert influence at the highest le...