For Heaven's Sake

For those who oppose Netanyahu's far-reaching plans to weaken the independence of the judiciary, this is an essential moment that has the potential to fracture the Israeli public beyond repair. But what will that fracturing look like, and will it turn into something more violent than we've seen in the past? In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain discuss what mot...

North American Jews have maintained a balancing act between their commitment to Israel and their commitment to liberal values. Members of the new Israeli government have been making provocative, anti-democratic statements as well as taking positions that aren’t just complicated – they’re simply wrong.  Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi , and  Elana Stein Hain  explore keeping one's love of Israe...

How can Israelis respond constructively to the threat to democracy posed by Netanyahu's new government including ultra-orthodox and ultra-nationalist coalition partners?  Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi , and  Elana Stein Hain  ask how Liberal Zionists can reorient themselves, their political alliances, and their conversations to protect Israel as a Jewish and Democratic state. We hope that Ha...

The Law of Return stipulates that any Jew can return to the Jewish homeland and claim immediate Israeli citizenship. Who qualifies as a Jew, under that law, has been a source of contention throughout the history of the state. Netanyahu's newly-formed coalition government may seek to change major aspects of the law, bringing the debate back into the public conversation. On this episode, Donniel Har...

In the fallout of Israel's election, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain navigate the strangeness of this moment for many in the liberal Jewish camp who are experiencing it as a moment of mourning. In this episode they ask: How do Jews who oppose the values of the coming governing Israeli coalition make themselves heard right now? Can Israel learn from Americans' experience u...

This is a recording of a live event held on November 1, 2022. In the minutes before the election results come in,  Donniel Hartman  and  Yossi Klein Halevi  discuss the campaign and then reflect on the right's electoral victory and what it portends for the State of Israel, the future of Zionism, and the Jewish people.

Only two years ago, Netanyahu declared that Itamar Ben Gvir, the most popular leader on the far-right with deep roots in the racist Kahanist movement, wasn’t fit to be a minister. Now, Netanyahu affirms that he would be a part of any future government. Will a coalition with Ben Gvir unravel the social fabric of Israel? Is the threat he represents exaggerated? How should Israeli liberals and modera...

Israeli voters have been stalwart in their political party loyalties and no amount of campaigning seems able to sway them. When voters define themselves by their party, what values are they actually expressing?  Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi  and  Elana Stein Hain  ask what are the meaningful divisions that we can discern within the parties themselves and is the political divide an expressio...

What can public and private observances of Rosh Hashana teach us about the relationship between Jewishness and Israeliness today?  Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi  and  Elana Stein Hain  explore how the High Holidays are experienced in Israel, what this tells us about the state of Judaism and Jewish identity in the country, and how Israeli observance is different from that of American Jews.

With Israeli elections less than two months away, polls are showing that the Religious Zionist party, a coalition of religious ultra-nationalists and followers of the late, racist Rabbi Meir Kahane, could win as many as 13 seats, making it an indomitable political force. After a summer hiatus, For Heaven's Sake is back with Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain to ask about the...

The ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av (Tisha B'Av) commemorates the destruction of the two Temples and the exile from the land of Israel. It is a day of national reckoning with our collective sins and failures asking us to mourn as a means of preventing future tragedy. How realistic is that expectation? And if Tisha B’Av isn’t working, how do we encourage a culture of collective introspection in...

When Haredi men recently attacked American Jews celebrating a Bar Mitzvah at the egalitarian section of the Western Wall, there was little outrage in Israel. When Jews are attacked anywhere in the world, we respond. Why does Israeli society tolerate this kind of antisemitism? Listen to Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain 's live recording from Jerusalem as they discuss the roo...

This week, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett dissolved the one-year-old government that he formed (in his words) “l’shem shamayim,” for the sake of heaven, to affirm the unity of the people of Israel. Bennett’s opponents on the right have insisted that they, too, were acting for the sake of Heaven by affirming their deeply held truths. Join Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain in...

Israel may have the most diverse government – not only in its history but anywhere in the democratic world. For its supporters, this government is a model of pluralism and dedication to the common good but that is not the feeling among a majority of the public. Why is there such a vast gap between those who see this coalition as a government of national salvation and those who see it as a governme...

Yom Yerushalayim, the final holiday of the “Israeli high holidays,” was intended to celebrate the Jewish people’s transition from destruction to rebirth, yet this holiday is deeply polarizing for many Israelis. Why has it failed to unify Israelis around the vision of a united Jerusalem? What does the rise of ultra-nationalism portend for the future of Jerusalem and of Israel? How might it be resto...

Just past Israel's 74th birthday, many North American Jews are increasingly questioning why they should have a relationship to Israel. On this 50th episode of For Heaven’s Sake, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi ask: Does Israel’s existence make American ambivalence irrelevant? Is the content, meaning and inspiration that Israel once provided to American Jews no longer important? Though answe...

Israel’s National Holidays, Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron, and Yom Ha’atmaut, commemorate the last century’s major upheavals of Jewish history. While these days are meant to unite Israelis around a proud, shared story, they also highlight divisions in Israeli society. Arab Israelis and Haredim generally don’t participate in the commemorations, excluding over a quarter of the country’s population. Tal...

Memory is at the core of the Jewish experience. At the Passover seder, there's one memory that we are individually obligated to embody-- the memory of having been freed from slavery in Egypt. What are the personal and collective memories that shape our lives? What significant moral challenges and opportunities face us on an ongoing basis? Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain s...

Once again, Israelis are struggling with the agonizing personal and political dilemmas of living with terrorism. How will this latest wave impact the delicate relationship between Israel’s Jewish and Arab citizens? Though fear and suspicion are contagious, so too are coexistence and hope. Join Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain as they struggle to make sense of this latest vi...

The crisis in Ukraine is impacting the way we think about the place of Israel in the world. There remain nagging questions at the heart of the state founded to protect the Jewish people. Is our only mission protecting the Jews? What are our responsibilities to the rest of humanity? Beyond providing safe refuge to Jews, do we have a moral responsibility to extend our energies and resources to other...

Why has the conflict and unfolding tragedy in Ukraine touched Jews so deeply? Is it because Ukraine's new national hero is Jewish? Perhaps it’s because of the many Ukraine Jews who have made aliyah and call Israel home? Yossi Klein Halevi, Donniel Hartman, and Elana Stein Hain explore the Jewish, moral and historical dimension of the war in Ukraine and how our personal and collective memories of t...

What does the War in Ukraine mean for Israel? While thousands of Israelis have demonstrated in support of Ukraine, the Israeli government's reaction has been muted and measured. Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss the Israeli government's response to the invasion, the fact that a proud self-identified Jew is leading one of the most heroic struggles in history, and the implications of th...

Sheikh Jarah, the predominantly Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem, has become the focal point for the conflict over Jewish sovereignty of Jerusalem. What is it about Sheikh Jarah that elicits such strong emotions on all sides? In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain wrestle to answer some unanswerable questions.

In this episode of For Heaven’s Sake, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi debate the appropriate response to the recent Amnesty International report declaring Israel an Apartheid state. What are the “right” responses after being likened to a Nazi state? Is this the time for a nuanced argument or a time to fight back? Can we acknowledge some legitimacy in the report without accepting the entire...

Apartheid. The word at the far end of critique of Israel. And when similar accusations of antisemitism are lodged at Israel’s critics, it too can shut down dialogue. Can meaningful discussion exist when the most extreme positions on each side increasingly define the conversation about Israel? This week, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain talk about polarization around Israel...