For Heaven's Sake

What is liberal Zionism? Is there a language and vision that we can offer Israeli society that the political system seems incapable of delivering? And why is there such reticence, in both Israel and North America, to talk about values and Zionism? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss some fundamental questions about Zionism in 2022.

In a special end-of-year episode,  Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi,  and  Elana Stein Hain  respond to listener questions, covering topics from the one-state solution, wokeness, and Israel’s obligation to non-Jewish visitors during COVID to extreme rhetoric against Israeli-Arab coalition members. Tune into this roundtable episode and let us know if you think this discussion elevates us all a l...

What is the role of interfaith relations in modern Judaism and Jewish statehood? Are Jews ready for a new kind of relationship with Christians and Muslims, one rooted in psychological self-confidence and spiritual curiosity rather than historical trauma? What are the responsibilities that come with being the majority in a Jewish homeland with Christian and Muslim minorities? Join Donniel Hartman,...

What happens when an ancient holiday is rebranded for modern audiences? For Israelis, Hanukkah was reinvented as a celebration of Jewish heroism, of our ability to persevere against overwhelming threats, with the Maccabean warrior as the precursor to the IDF. In contrast, in North America Hanukkah has been rebranded as a universal battle against religious suppression, with the Hanukah lights as be...

As Israel passes its first state budget in 3½ years, we celebrate the stability brought about by its unusual and wondrous coalition. What can we learn from this moment about Jewish notions of normalcy, gratitude, and a collective psyche steeped in historic anxiety? Donniel Hartman , Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain examine the Jewish mindset around stability, what it says about our place in...

As Iran approaches the nuclear threshold, Israeli leaders are explicitly warning of an imminent preemptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. The IDF has begun training for precisely that possibility. The consequences of an Iranian-Israeli war would be devastating. Is a preemptive strike worth the price? Or is stopping what many Israelis perceive as a potential existential threat worth any...

Proposed by Hartman senior fellow Micah Goodman, the idea of “shrinking the conflict” is a new strategy for moving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict forward. What does it mean and what does it entail? Is it a step forward or a step backwards? In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain discuss the moral benefits and the moral pitfalls of this new strategy, and whether...

Last week, Congress voted overwhelmingly to approve a billion-dollar restock of Israel’s Iron Dome missile system. Is this dependency on American aid healthy for Israel? If not, is there an alternative? Is this the type of relationship Israel and American Jews want with one another? In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore these questions and the costs of...

As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 during the Days of Awe, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain take stock of how American and Israeli reality has been shaped by the tragedy and the wars that followed. Yom Kippur is a summons to examine our mistakes and begin anew. What were the missteps after 9/11 that all of us, regardless of our politics, need to examine togethe...

As we head into Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, our minds turn to thoughts of atonement and self-improvement, but usually only with regard to ourselves, our families, and our friends. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss what it might mean for a nation to repent and how it might consider its internal divisions and past behavior.

Disagreement is a cornerstone of the Jewish experience. But across the political spectrum, Jewish discourse around Israel has moved beyond the realm of disagreement into something much more toxic. In the second half of this two-part episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain share their hopes and fears for the future of Jewish peoplehood as they continue to confront the urg...

The criminalization of Israel is becoming a mainstay for growing parts of the progressive American Jewish discourse. Many liberal American Jews accuse Israel of apartheid, even ethnic cleansing and genocide, against Palestinians. For Jews on the right, there is an ever-growing sentiment that Israel has lost the democratic liberal camp and with it the next generation of American Jews. In the first...

What are we to make of Israel, a country that one moment finds itself caught in a war with Hamas and then just a week later forms a governing coalition with an Arab Islamist party? And what are we to make of Israel's law against Palestinian family reunification within the state of Israel—is this an act of discrimination, or a necessary self-protection against the Palestinian demand of a "righ...

Almost overlooked in the dramatic political changes of the last two weeks is an historic moment in Israeli history: Naftali Bennett is the first Orthodox prime minister of Israel. Not everyone in the religious Zionist community is thrilled. Some accuse Bennett of betraying religious Zionism through his preference for political pluralism over an exclusively right-wing coalition. In this episode, Do...

Unexpectedly, after one of the most traumatic periods in recent Israeli history, many Israelis are feeling hopeful. But beyond replacing a longstanding prime minister, what, exactly, can this strange and unwieldy "government of change" really change? In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain discuss whether and how the new coalition can begin healing Israel's polit...

Of all the concerns about the Jewish future, many of us took at least one aspect of Jewish life for granted: the safety and well-being of American Jewry. But now antisemitism is back at the center of the American Jewish agenda. The recent conflict in Gaza has been the pretext for physical assaults against Jews in New York and Los Angeles and elsewhere around the country. Synagogues have been vanda...

This is not Israel’s first war with Gaza, but this time it feels different. World opinion and American opinion have been more vocal in its criticism of Israel and support for Palestinians, and many Americans, especially on the left, have lost patience with Israel. In today’s special episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain talk about where we go from here, and whether it’...

Gaza, going for another round. Riots by Arab Israelis, the burning of synagogues, Jewish and Arab lynch mobs roaming the streets, and the seeming end of hope for a new era of coexistence between Israel's citizens. How did we get here? Where do we go next? In this special episode of the podcast, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain check in with each other and talk about how on...

The debate around the 2015 Iran nuclear deal was one of the most acrimonious in recent American Jewish history. Since then, much has changed in both America and the Middle East. The Trump administration suspended the deal and reinstituted massive sanctions against Iran; now, the Biden administration seems intent on returning to the deal. In this episode,  Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi,  and...

What is the connection between Yom Hashoah, Yom Hazikaron, and Yom Ha'atzmaut? Why do we mark these Israeli holidays in this order, and what does it feel like to move between them? In this very personal episode,  Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi,  and  Elana Stein Hain  discuss their own experiences of Israel’s “high holidays” and the annual national experience of moving, in the space of a few...

As the dust settles from Israel's fourth election in two years, the direction of the country's political movements has evolved and changed in ways worthy of reflection and evaluation. In the first part of this special, two-part election series, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi define and discuss Israel's political center and its right wing as two 'tribes' shaping the national discourse.

The decision by Israel’s Supreme Court recognizing Reform and Conservative conversions performed in Israel has reignited attention around issues of state and religion, especially in the eve of what has become a bi-annual national election.  In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain analyze this landmark decision - discussed in the Supreme court for over a decade -...

When does a joke stop being funny and become offensive and even dangerous? Many in the Jewish community are asking this question after Saturday Night Live comedian Michael Che chided Israel's claim to 50% vaccination success saying, “I’m going to guess it’s the Jewish half.” In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain discuss whether Jews are being overly sensitive, o...

Anger is growing among Israelis across the political spectrum over Haredi or ultra-Orthodox behavior in response to Corona, with massive disobedience to government health regulations despite soaring Haredi infection rates.  But why has Haredi society failed so badly to meet the Corona challenge? What are the conflicting values at the heart of the Haredi dilemma? And what does it mean for the comin...

The complex relations between Arab Israelis and Jewish Israelis are at a turning point. A convergence of events – Corona, the Abraham Accords and Israeli political gridlock – has created an unprecedented opportunity for opening the Israeli mainstream to 20 percent of Israeli citizens on the periphery. Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore the possibility of a new social...