The Israel Conversation

Middle East expert Calev Ben-Dor joined Liel and Mike for a news roundup. They covered regional diplomacy, the Whoopi Goldberg race weirdness and Amnesty International UK's declaration that Israel is an Apartheid state. Fun times? You be the judge! Join us! This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios . Ben is awesome! Facebook page Please rate, review, share and recommend our podcas...

Should non-Jews be cast to play Jews in movies? Is Jewface a thing? Matt and Sharon joined Liel and Mike to discuss this question. Spoiler alert: three out of four of the participants thought this raised interesting questions. Mike was the fourth, and went on a bunch of rants. Just so you know. Join us! Golda's grandson ok's Helen Mirren TOI article from last year This episode was edited by the am...

We were very confused by the angry protests over JNF tree planting in the Negev. What could be less controversial than planting trees? We invited Elianne Kremer of the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality to explain it to us. She gave us the background and discussed the difficulties facing Israel's Bedouin minority. She also sent us the information links below. Join us! TOI Article Hi all, M...

What is Gush Katif day? It occurs annually on the 22nd of Shevat, which falls on Monday, January 24th, this year. Leil and Mike invited Yoav Yaron, a fellow educator who was born and raised in Neve Dekalim in Gush-Katif. What was it like growing up there? Why is it so important for Israelis and Zionists to learn about their communities and the disengagement? What are the remaining relevant controv...

What is life like in Jewish communities in India? What is life like in Israel for Jews from India? This week, Masa Israel Teaching Fellow Maayan Shapurkar joined Liel and Mike to answer these questions and many more. Join us! This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios . Ben is awesome! Facebook page Please rate, review, share and recommend our podcast. If you have further questions...

Dear Listener, Always get as much Hillel Halkin content as you possibly can. If you want to know why, listen to our current episode. Alan rejoined Mike for this one. They discussed Ahad Ha'am's arguments with Herzl, but it's really about why the history of Zionism is so relevant to us today. Normally we discuss current events, but a scholar like Hillel reminds us that we need to be informed by our...

What level of threat does a nuclear Iran pose to Israel? What can the world do about it? What will Israel do about it? Liel & Mike turned to expert analyst, Miri Eisen (Col. Ret.) for the answers. Join us! The Israel Conversation by Masa Israel Journey  is a weekly podcast produced by Matt Lipman, and hosted by Michael Unterberg and Liel Zahavi-Asa. This episode was edited by the amazing Ben W...

How should Zionist students manage their campus life? How can they express their love for Israel in the current environment? What advice can Israel educators give them to help navigate these challenges? How do these time fit into Jewish history? Liel brought a student's story to Matt and Mike, and they hashed it out. Join us! The Israel Conversation by Masa Israel Journey  is a weekly podcast prod...

Recorded before the protests against travel bans , this episode explains what they were all about. Entrepreneur Josh Koonin joined us to explain the growing frustration policy. How accurately is the government assessing the dangers to public health? How much of their decisions are based on politics? How much is the tension between the current and former administrations fuling the chaos? How proble...

How should Diaspora Jews express their disagreement with Israeli government policies? Have Israeli and Zionist leadership confused our roles and relationship? Rabbi Haim Shalom has some pretty strong opinions on the issue. Possibly controversial and definitely provocative, you won't want to miss this episode. Join us! Haim Shalom The Israel Conversation by Masa Israel Journey  is a weekly podcast...

Andrew Getraer recently stepped down from his 20 year position. He was the director of one of the largest Hillels in America. How has Jewish life changed on campus? What are the challenges that lie ahead. Join us! JTA Article The Israel Conversation by Masa Israel Journey  is a weekly podcast produced by Matt Lipman, and hosted by Michael Unterberg and Liel Zahavi-Asa. This episode was edited by t...

How serious is the challenge of food insecurity in Israel? What is being done about it? How can we help? Joseph Gitler of Leket joined Liel and MIke to discuss the challenge in what turned out to be a fun, down to earth conversation. Join us! Leket In 2003, Joseph Gitler founded Leket Israel –The National Food Bank as a one-man volunteer operation to respond to the paradox of growing hunger and po...

Shalom lappin fears that American Jewry is facing dangers ahead. Liel and Mike invited him to the podcast to discuss his insightful article in the Fathom Journal . Is American Democracy under threat from radicals on the left and the right? What does that mean for American Jews? What are the relevant precedents from Jewish History? This extra long episode is challenging and thought provoking. Join...

There was a recent dust up in the headlines over Israel designating 6 Palestinian NGOs as terror organizations. Mike and Matt asked NGO Monitor's Director of Communications, Itai Reuveni, to explain the story. What are NGOs? Who is funding them? If defending human rights is a good thing, why are these organizations problematic? What should be done about this problem? Join us for the enlightening b...

Dr. Daniel Rose is the Director Of Education at The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust. Around the anniversary of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks' passing, Daniel joined Leil and Mike for a moving and wide ranging conversation. What role did Israel play in Rabbi Sacks' life? What is the difference between being a Zionist who is religious and a religious Zionist? How did Rabbi Sacks differ in his understandin...

We all know individual aliya stories. But returning guest Marc Rosenberg, of Nefesh B'Nefesh, helped Liel and Mike get a sense of the big picture. How has Covid affected aliya? How has aliya changed over time and history? Do more Jews move into or out of Israel? Join us for this engaging and insightful discussion of these and so many more questions! Profile of Marc Re-listen to our 2017 interview...

The Israeli government is turning it attention to the high crime rate in Arab cities. Why is the violent crime rate so high? How does it affect broader Israeli societies? How do journalists uncover the facts within these stories? Liel and Mike spoke to Times of Israel's Emanuel Fabian to get a better understanding of this ongoing Israeli problem. Join us! Emanuel Fabian Recent stories on the topic...

United States funding for Israel's Iron Dome program was called into question by some Democrats. What do these complications mean for the relationship between the two countries? What does it mean for American politics? What are the Zionist implications? And why is twitter so full of bad takes? Benji joined Liel and Mike to hash out these questions in a surprisingly wide ranging conversation. Join...

Calev Ben Dor joined Liel and Mike to forecast the new Jewish year 5782. What stories should we be watching for? What might surprise us? What are leaders worried about, and what should we look forward to? Join us!

This week, Liel and Mike spoke to Lazar Berman, the Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter, about his unexpected Shabbat in Washington D.C. with Prime Minister Bennet's entourage. What was the experience like? Is it hard for a journalist to become part of the story? What did Prime Minister Bennet accomplish? What did they hear off the record? (also, what does "off the record" really mean?) To hear...

The unfolding chaos of America's withdrawal from Afghanistan is painful to watch. What does it mean to the region? What does it mean to Israel? When we have questions about the region, we turn to Geo-politics expert and master educator Miri Eisen. Mike and Liel asked her for context, perspective, and any possible reasons for optimism. Join us!  (audio repaired) Miri Eisen (Col. Ret.) The Israel Co...

This summer, Israel's largest Olympic team brought back two gold medals! (for an all time total of 4!) What does it mean for such a young country? How is the heterogeneous nature of our society at play here? What were the political and cultural conflicts caused by joining this international event? For a run through and analysis of what the Israelis were talking about, Mike and Liel discuss the soc...

In this extra long episode, listener favorite Haviv Rettig Gur joins Mike and new co-host Liel Zahavi-Asa to discuss his recent article about antisemitism. Why do Israelis struggle to understand antisemitism? What role does antisemitism play in Israeli politics? What did Zionists get right or wrong about antisemitism? Is optimism unrealistic? For this and so much more, join us! Haviv's article Mak...

The new government is planning to change religion and state rules in Israel. Kashrut certification is the first item on that agenda . Benji and Matt invited Wendy Barrish and Yochi Rappeport from Women of the Wall to discuss their work, and what they think is possible given the new political horizon. Join us! Women of the Wall Makom Israel Teachers Lounge is a weekly podcast produced by Matt Lipma...

The recent conflict in Gaza led to difficult conversations. Not least for liberal American Jews. Mike and Benji invited Rabbi Bradley Artson to discuss his open letter to Rabbinical students about framing those conversations with empathy. Where are liberal American Jews today when it comes to Israeli current events? How can we communicate productively when we disagree passionately? How can our dif...