For Heaven's Sake

What can Israel do when unpredictability becomes U.S. policy? In this episode of For Heaven’s Sake, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi reckon with what it means for Israel to live in “Trump’s world”—where unpredictability isn’t just a style, it’s a...

What can Israel do when unpredictability becomes U.S. policy? In this episode of For Heaven’s Sake , Donniel Hartman  and Yossi Klein Halevi reckon with what it means for Israel to live in “Trump’s world”—where unpredictability isn’t just a style, it’s a strategy that can have life-and-death consequences. They explore how Israel’s political drift and Netanyahu’s lack of a “day after” plan have lef...

Iran's regime is under pressure—and so are the assumptions that have shaped Western policy for decades. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi explore the "conceptia" behind the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Jewi...

Iran's regime is under pressure—and so are the assumptions that have shaped Western policy for decades.  In this episode,  Donniel Hartman  and  Yossi Klein Halevi  explore the "conceptia" behind the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Jewish theology of power, and the strange silence from progressives as Iran's uprising escalates. For Israelis, this isn't abstract: it's about onc...

Is former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett a right-wing ideologue or Israel's great national healer? Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi grapple with this paradox as they examine the only candidate currently ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ...

Is former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett a right-wing ideologue or Israel's great national healer?  Donniel Hartman  and Yossi Klein Halevi  grapple with this paradox as they examine the only candidate currently ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in national polling. They explore Bennett's extraordinary transformation from an ideological conservative to national unifier, discuss his brief...

Did we learn anything useful about the future of Israel from the Trump-Netanyahu Mar-a-Lago summit? In this episode, recorded just hours after the summit concluded, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi wrestle with the disconnect between Trump's opti...

Did we learn anything useful about the future of Israel from the Trump-Netanyahu Mar-a-Lago summit?   In this episode, recorded just hours after the summit concluded, Donniel Hartman  and Yossi Klein Halevi  wrestle with the disconnect between Trump's optimistic assurances—"everything's going to be fine"—and the hard realities facing Israel in 2026. They debate whether Iranian regime change is ach...

For 60 years, Israel has counted on the United States. Is the "special relationship" between the U.S. and Israel now in jeopardy—not from the left, but from the MAGA right? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi unpack Vice President J...

For 60 years, Israel has counted on the United States. Is the "special relationship" between the U.S. and Israel now in jeopardy—not from the left, but from the MAGA right?  In this episode,  Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi  unpack Vice President J.D. Vance's recent troubling statements, the rise of "America First" isolationism, why Israel may need to rethink its dependence on American aid,...

What does the horrific attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach mean for the future of Diaspora Jewish life? Australian Jews have built one of the most vibrant, cohesive, creative Jewish communities in the world. Shaped by Holocaust survivors and a deep sense of...

What does the horrific attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach mean for the future of Diaspora Jewish life? Australian Jews have built one of the most vibrant, cohesive, creative Jewish communities in the world. Shaped by Holocaust survivors and a deep sense of Zionism, it has become a model for Jewish life in the Diaspora. In this episode, Donniel Hartman  and Yossi Klein Halevi  explore whether small Dia...

With elections less than a year away, Israel's political center faces an existential test. What does it stand for—and can it beat Netanyahu? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi analyze the state of Israel's center and center-left. T...

With elections less than a year away, Israel's political center faces an existential test. What does it stand for—and can it beat Netanyahu? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi analyze the state of Israel's center and center-left. They trace the historical collapse of the left, the rise of centrist politics under Ariel Sharon, and the post-October 7 reality where moral discours...

Can Israel's right-wing reclaim its principles? Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi examine the mainstream Israeli right's evolution from Jabotinsky's ideals of security and dignity to today's personality-driven politics. They explore the critical d...

Can Israel's right-wing reclaim its principles? Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi examine the mainstream Israeli right's evolution from Jabotinsky's ideals of security and dignity to today's personality-driven politics.   They explore the critical divide between Prime Minister Netanyahu’s loyalists and principled conservatives, identifying three challenges facing the next right-wing governmen...

With Israeli politics deadlocked, could Arab parties provide the path to a new coalition? Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss the extraordinary political journey of Mansour Abbas, the complexities of Palestinian-Israeli identity, and the fut...

With Israeli politics deadlocked, could Arab parties provide the path to a new coalition? Donniel Hartman  and Yossi Klein Halevi  discuss the extraordinary political journey of Mansour Abbas, the complexities of Palestinian-Israeli identity, and the future of Israeli democracy.  Listen to the Shalom Hartman Institute's new Thoughts and Prayers podcast: https://go.hartman.org.il/Thoughts-and-Praye...

Who's afraid of a Palestinian state? According to Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi, the answer is: almost every Israeli. In this urgent conversation recorded after the UN Security Council backed President Trump's Gaza peace plan, Donniel and Yoss...

Who's afraid of a Palestinian state? According to Donniel Hartman  and Yossi Klein Halevi , the answer is: almost every Israeli.  In this urgent conversation recorded after the UN Security Council backed President Trump's Gaza peace plan, Donniel and Yossi explore why an entire generation of Israelis has stopped talking about Palestinian statehood—and why their silence may be unsustainable. Listen...

What happens when 30% of NYC Jews vote for a candidate others see as antisemitic? In this week’s episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi consider issues of betrayal, tolerance, red lines, and unity in a conversation about whether some positions...

What happens when 30% of NYC Jews vote for a candidate others see as antisemitic?  In this week’s episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi consider issues of betrayal, tolerance, red lines, and unity in a conversation about whether some positions cross from legitimate dissent into existential threat. From the episode: Rabbi Eliot Cosgrove, “On the Record” Identity/Crisis with Howard Wolfson...

What happens when everything becomes instantly politicized and no institution is safe from attack? Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi dissect how October 7 has transformed Israel's moral landscape, as the Netanyahu government shifts focus from defe...

What happens when everything becomes instantly politicized and no institution is safe from attack? Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi dissect how October 7 has transformed Israel's moral landscape, as the Netanyahu government shifts focus from defeating external enemies to waging war against internal opponents. Through the lens of the explosive scandal involving Israel's former top military la...

What does the possible election of Zohran Mamdani mean for Jewish identity, Diaspora-Israel relations, and the boundaries of Jewish community? As New Yorkers head to the polls in the coming week to elect their next mayor, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klei...