The Israel Conversation

Once again, hundreds of rockets are launched at Israel by Islamic Jihad in Gaza. After reviewing and explaining this particular round of the conflict, Alan and Mike interview Eli Goldman. Eli recently finished his IDF army service, and explains what its like to serve on the Gaza border during rocket attacks and mass "protests". Who was Baha Abu al-Ata? What's the difference between Islamic Jihad a...

Coalition negotiations for control of the government seem to be going nowhere. What does it mean that Gantz controls them? What are the possible ways to break the deadlock? How are Israelis viewing this process? Is there light at the end of this tunnel? Alan, Mike and our political expert Rajel hash it out. Join us! This episode was recorded at the amazing Ben Wallick Studios . Ben is the best! Ma...

Zionism's founders wanted to change Jewish character and culture. In 2019, the data is in, and we can now see that they succeeded. (although not necessarily in the ways they intended)  In this important episode, Alan and Mike interview Shmuel Rosner . Shmuel Rosner's Webpage with many relevant links This episode was recorded at the amazing Ben Wallick Studios . Ben is the best! Makom Israel Teache...

Who leads the Boycott Divest and Sanction against Israel movement? What are their goals? What are their methods? Do they really care about human rights, or do they just hate Israel? What have they accomplished? Where are they failing? How do we engage to defeat them without raising their profile and status? Join Alan and Mike as they go through the basics of this disturbing fad. This episode was r...

The news is moving quickly, and there's a lot to digest. What is happening to the Kurds in Syria? Who are they? How is this new attack from Turkey going to affect the region? What are Israelis saying about all this? Why is this relevant to us? After discussing the Sukkot holiday season in Israel, Alan and Mike explain the story behind the headlines and why this story matters. Join us! This episode...

After Rosh HaShana, Israeli media focused on several stories. These included a domestic murder, Arab Israeli protests and several fluid scenarios in the Middle East. What does the murder of Michal Sela tell us about Israeli society? What do Arab protests over insufficient policing tell us about minorities in Israel? What do the shifting diplomatic sands in the region mean for Iran and Israel? How...

If coalition building wasn't consuming the headlines, the possible torture of an alleged terrorist ringleader would be getting more attention. Alan, Mike and Benji discuss the case of Samer Arbid, the man accused of being responsible for the murder of 17 year old Rina Shnerb last August. What happened in this case? What is a "ticking time-bomb" case, and why is it treated differently by Israeli se...

Dr. Steve Klein joins us to help explain the fascinating but complicated role that Arab parties play in Israel politics. Often minorities get overlooked, but in this unusual week, Israelis are talking about an ever evolving demographic. What about this past week was so unusual? Why don't Arab parties usually want to join government coalitions? How do social and cultural issues complicate the polit...

Welcome new team member Rajel Leghziel to help us figure out what just happened. The results are (mostly) in, so what will happen now? What do we find our students asking the most? Why shouldn't we ask "who won"? Also, did Liberman just win? What might happen in the next several weeks? Was this a good outcome for Israeli democracy? Rajel is a great new addition to the podcast, with a new voice and...

Knesset elections are this coming Tuesday! Alan and Mike gained wisdom and insight from Haviv Rettig Gur, Senior Political Analyst at Times of Israel. After explaining what that job is, and why he does it, we challenged him to make sense out of the pre-election chaos. Why has politics become all about shenanigans, instead of policy discussions? How is that shaping our culture? What are the parties...

After debating Israel's new tactic of faking out Hizbullah with staged casualties, Alan, Mike and Benji weight the value of gap year Israel study. What role should it play in Israel education? Why are the number of gap year students so small outside of the Orthodox community? Are the Orthodox using the experience wisely? How has the experience changed over the last 30 years? What can we expect in...

Israeli's are hardly focusing on the upcoming elections, but are watching the news from the Northern front very carefully. What was the Israeli attack in Syria about? Why are the public statements from Lebanon so belligerent? Why is Iran always at the center of this, and why is Bibi so focused on them? What role does religion play in this conflict? Alan and Mike lay out the facts and share their p...

Are you as exhausted as we are? Between Omar and Tlaib's bad faith Israel trip, Israel barring congressional representatives and Trump questioning Jewish loyalty, its been a pretty crazy week. Alan, Mike and Matt try to find the teachable moments in the current political bruhaha. Welcome back, Matt! Thanks for bringing us a load of news from the States. Makom Israel Teachers Lounge is a weekly pod...

After this summer's protests, the Ethiopian Israeli community was a major topic of discussion. How did those clashes with police come to be? How far has the Israeli Ethiopian community come in their decades of aliya? How are they treated by their fellow Israelis? What is it like to be a minority among other Jews? What is yet to be accomplished? Pnina Agenyahu sat with Alan and Mike to discuss poli...

What's happening with the American Peace plan? Why is UNRWA losing money? Why is Israel permitting building 700 Arab homes in the West Bank but demolishing others in Jerusalem? Alan and Mike join guest contributor Calev Ben Dor of the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre to get you up to date. Join us! Calev Ben Dor at BICOM Makom Israel Teachers Lounge is a weekly podcast produced by...

Ready or not, the September Knesset elections are coming! Alan and Mike are here to catch you up on the new parties that have formed, how things look in the polls, and what to expect this time around. Join us! JU Israel Teachers Lounge is a weekly podcast produced by Matt Lipman, and hosted by Michael Unterberg and Alan Goldman. Please subscribe, listen to more episodes, and let us know what you t...

Sometimes, feedback to our podcast takes us by surprise. Several listeners couldn't understand why we listed problems with Israel's schools as something that troubled voters. Well, People of the Book have waited a long time to get our state back, and we need to get our national school system working right. So we decided to devote an episode to explaining the evolution, successes and challenges of...

Russia, Iran, Hezbollah and Bashar al-Assad oversee a toxic brew in the country that used to be called Syria. What does that mean for Israel? How did it become this mess? Why is it keeping Israeli generals up at night? What has Israel been doing about it? What will Israel do about it? What does the Israeli military slang, "Mabam" mean? How does citizen morale on the homefront affect the strategy?...

In response to a listener request, Alan and Mike review the basics regarding the Palestinian refugee problem. Why is this an issue that's entering its eight decade? How did the problem begin, what has been done to address it? his episode was recorded at the amazing  Ben Wallick Studios . Ben is the best! JU Israel Teachers Lounge is a weekly podcast produced by Matt Lipman, and hosted by Michael U...

Israel is a major exporter of military resources, including weapons and training. But should countries have to reach at least a basic level of ethical policy before Israel sells them implements of destruction? Rabbi Avidan Freedman thinks so, and he explains why to Alan and Mike. They discuss the issue with him, and what can possibly be done about it. Join us! This episode was recorded at the amaz...

Was the Bahrain peace conference a meaningful attempt to break the status quo of the Israeli Palestinian conflict? Or a cynical attempt to bribe Middle Easterners into acquiescence? Alan and Mike debate the pros and cons of the initiative, and what a sensible response should be from the Palestinian leadership. Join us! This episode was recorded at the amazing  Ben Wallick Studios . Ben is the best...

Is there a culture war brewing in Israel over religion in the public sphere? If so, is it being driven by politicians and the media? Or is it much ado about nothing? Join Alan and Mike as they separate reality from hype. This episode was recorded at the amazing  Ben Wallick Studios . Ben is the best! JU Israel Teachers Lounge is a weekly podcast produced by Matt Lipman, and hosted by Michael Unter...

The New York Times tried to make a big story out of a passing statement by US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman. Alan and Mike make sense out of it, and explain what is (and isn't) going on in the West Bank. Join us! Saeb Erekat explains why he gives up . This episode was recorded at the amazing  Ben Wallick Studios . Ben is the best! JU Israel Teachers Lounge is a weekly podcast produced by Ma...

It caused quite a hubbub around Israel when MK Bezalel Smotrich claimed that he wanted the Israeli legal system to go back to Torah law, like in the days of King David. Alan, Mike and Matt sort out the backlash, backtrack and vitriol. What sort of legal system should Israel follow? What are the options? Join us! Time of Israel Article Let us know what you think on our  Facebook Page ! This episode...

Two Knesset elections in 2019?! What is going on? Clearly, this is a mess. We put the main actors in this bizarre and unprecedented Israeli political event "on trial." Liberman, Bibi and Litzman each get prosecuted and defended by Alan, Mike and Matt. Are there good guys and bad guys? Is this messiness part of global governmental dysfunction? Join us as we decipher the bizarre aftermath of the fai...