Tel Aviv Diary Podcast

In this episode of Tel Aviv Diary , Marc speaks with Alon Ben-Noon, founder and CEO of NeuroSense Therapeutics (Nasdaq: NRSN), about Israel’s bid to change the prognosis for ALS. Ben-Noon traces his path from early years in Nahariya, studies in industrial engineering and an MBA, and work at Perrigo and Teva, to launching his own consultancy and eventually founding NeuroSense. He recounts how meeti...

In this episode of Tel Aviv Diaries , Marc Schulman looks back at a fraught week in Israel and beyond. He begins with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s highly controversial request to end his corruption trial and the unprecedented intervention by President Trump, probing what it means for Israel’s judiciary, international standing, and political stability. Marc then turns to the new ultra-Orthodox draft...

This week on Tel Aviv Diary , we step away from the familiar voices of seasoned officials and veteran diplomats to hear from a very different Israeli generation. Our guest, Adam Penkin , offers a candid and strikingly nuanced look at the country through the eyes of a young man shaped by a global upbringing, elite combat service, and ongoing reserve duty during Israel’s most turbulent years. Born i...

In this week’s Tel Aviv Diary , host Marc Schulman opens with a sobering look at the latest developments on Israel’s front lines. He reviews the near-final confrontation with the last Hamas operatives emerging from the Rafah tunnel system, and a problematic IDF raid inside Syria that, while achieving its primary objective, left six Israeli soldiers wounded and raised hard questions about planning,...

In this sweeping and intimate episode of Tel Aviv Diary , we sit down with Gershon Baskin—one of the most consequential and least understood figures in the Israeli–Palestinian arena. Baskin traces his path from a politically awakened teenager in 1960s America to a lifelong peacebuilder whose work has spanned Arab villages inside Israel, the first Intifada, the Oslo years, and nearly two decades of...

In this week’s Tel Aviv Diary, Marc Schulman opens with the tense standoff under Rafah, where a dwindling group of October 7th terrorists remain trapped in the tunnels as Israel methodically seals their exits and prepares for a final confrontation. From there, he shifts to Washington, tracing how the Saudi crown prince walked out of the White House with everything he wanted—F-35s, civilian nuclear...

In this episode of Tel Aviv Diary , host Marc Schulman speaks with Shmuel Rosner, senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) and author of the new book Why Am I a Jew? . Rosner walks us through JPPI’s November 11th survey on Israeli public opinion in the wake of the October 7th war and the Trump ceasefire plan: why a large majority of Israelis back accepting the plan even though mo...

In this wide-ranging episode of the Tel Aviv Diary , Marc Schulman opens with something rare in Israel these days—rain. From the welcome arrival of the year’s first storm to Israel’s long-term success in desalination and water planning, he traces how the country turned a national vulnerability into a strategic strength. From there, he pivots to a surge of investment in Israeli AI, including NVIDIA...

In this special episode of Tel Aviv Diary , host Marc Schulman sits down with Kerstin Müller , former member of the German Bundestag and ex–Minister of State in the Foreign Office, to discuss her years in Israel, her work fostering dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, and her reflections on rebuilding trust after a year of war and trauma. Speaking candidly, Müller recounts her time heading...

Today’s Tel Aviv Diary opens with a concise briefing from Tel Aviv on the fast-moving headlines: the latest in the IDF legal-officer saga, Israel’s strikes and messaging to Lebanon amid Hezbollah tensions, and where the UN Security Council effort for an international Gaza force currently stands. Then, we shift to a deeply moving interview with Liz Hirsh Naftali , author of Saving Abigail , whose f...

In this wide-ranging conversation, Marc Schulman sits down with Rabbi Kenneth Brander , President and Rosh HaYeshiva of Ohr Torah Stone (OTS) , to trace a remarkable journey from Kew Gardens Hills and Yeshiva University —including formative years living in the Rav’s NY apartment and serving at Lincoln Square Synagogue —to community-building in Boca Raton and, ultimately, Aliyah to lead OTS in Isra...

Marc opens with show housekeeping: moving to a steadier cadence— guest episodes every Tuesday and solo weekly wrap-ups every Friday —and a reminder that while the podcast remains free for now, paid subscribers help sustain the broader Tel Aviv Diary project (and get full Monday/Wednesday editions). He then dives into the day’s grim headline: two more hostage bodies returned , intelligence estimate...

In this episode of The Tel Aviv Diary , host Marc Schulman speaks with Don Futterman , Executive Director of the Israel Center for Educational Innovation (ICEI) , about his life journey from Queens to Kfar Saba and his mission to transform struggling Israeli schools. Futterman shares how ICEI’s literacy-based model is helping close Israel’s deep educational and socioeconomic gaps—especially among...

This week’s Tel Aviv Diary reflects on a turbulent moment for Israel’s leadership and diplomacy. Host Marc Schulman opens with a deeply personal vignette from Hostage Square — a reminder of families still waiting to bring their loved ones home — before turning to the political missteps that defined the week. Vice President J.D. Vance’s visit, meant to strengthen ties, was overshadowed by a soverei...

In this Tel Aviv Diary episode, Marc speaks with Ari Hoffnung—finance veteran, former NYC Deputy Comptroller, and now a leader at JLens under the ADL—about fighting antisemitism where today’s power concentrates: on platforms and in boardrooms. Hoffnung explains how shareholder activism works in practice (including JLens’ high-profile Meta proposal), why algorithms matter more than one-off takedown...

On the first Friday after the ceasefire, with hostages back but the bodies of the deceased still withheld, Marc talks with returning guest Ehud Haik about where Israel truly stands—and where it could go next. They unpack the reshaping of the region (a weakened Iran-led Shiite axis and a re-energized Sunni coalition), the Sharm el-Sheikh moment and Donald Trump’s outsized role, and why Israel risks...

Today’s Tel Aviv Diary captures a rare mood: joy. In the wake of the ceasefire announcement between Israel and Hamas, the city is still buzzing—cafés full, streets alive, and Hostage Square overflowing with songs, flags, and relief. I walk you through the moment Israelis let themselves say “good morning” and mean it, as the 72-hour clock begins for the return of all 20 living hostages and efforts...

Yesterday’s discussion between Marc Schulman and Dan Perry on where we stand as we reach the two-year mark of the war. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcschulman.substack.com/subscribe

In this special Tel Aviv Diary episode, I share my first full reaction to President Trump’s new Gaza plan—which brings home the hostages, and why, despite the politics around it, I think it’s a good plan for Israel and for ending the war. I walk through the core idea: finally having a credible “day after” framework that rejects occupation and annexation, revives a reformed Palestinian Authority, a...

Marc brings back intelligence veteran Ehud Haik to unpack a tumultuous week: from the Prime Minister’s plan to blast his UN speech over loudspeakers in Gaza to the deeper vacuum of public diplomacy and strategy. They trace how Israel’s foreign messaging misfires in an era shaped by social media, why allies struggle to counter the “genocide” narrative, and how rising antisemitism in the West is gai...

On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, I walk listeners through Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square—between the art museum, the courts, and the Kirya—where grief, resolve, and a growing sense of helplessness converge. I reflect on nearly two years of protests, a war that shows no clear path to “victory,” and a country wrestling with the choice between becoming a besieged “Sparta” or returning to a more open, democrat...

In this episode of Tel Aviv Diary , Marc Schulman sits down with longtime friend Noah Efron —professor of Science, Technology and Society at Bar-Ilan University, Tel Aviv City Council member, and host of The Promised Podcast . They discuss Tel Aviv as the “first Hebrew city” and its unique role in shaping Jewish culture, Noah’s work on pluralism, sustainability, and urban life, and the complex rel...

In this episode of Tel Aviv Diary, Marc Schulman speaks with Jeremy Saltan—longtime Knesset advisor, reservist captain, and founder of KnessetJeremy.com. Saltan shares his unique perspective from both inside Israel’s legislative committees and on the battlefield, reflecting on the pressures of serving over 300 days in reserve duty, the strains on Israeli society, and the deep questions facing sold...

Recorded early last week—before the latest difficult events—this unusually hopeful Tel Aviv Diary dives into the long arc of Israeli high-tech and where it can go next. Marc sits down with his longtime “dog-park friend” Itzik, a born-and-bred Tel Avivi whose path runs from physics and Air Force intelligence to law, a stint at AOL/ICQ-era business development, and now managing a venture fund that b...

Its mostly about larger societal issues such as social media and related tech questions, but we also talk current events at least where we were on Sunday. ∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞ Our Next ZOOM BRIEFING will take place on Sunday, March 9th 6 PM Israel Time • 4 PM GB • 11AM EST • 8AM PST Invitations will go out on Sunday morning ∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞––...