Please follow this link to subscribe to SAPIR, a quarterly publication edited by Bret Stephens: sapirjournal.org/dansenor

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: https://arkmedia.org/

Dan on X: https://x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dansenor

Ark Media on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkmediaorg

Upcoming Event Notice: Dan Senor will be delivering this year’s State of World Jewry Address at the 92nd Street Y (92NY) on Tuesday May 13 at 7:30 pm. To register: https://www.92ny.org/event/the-state-of-world-jewry-address

It was a historic week in Gaza, as tens of thousands of Palestinians protested against Hamas in the largest demonstrations against Hamas in Gaza’s history. While the protests seem to have dissipated amidst a violent crackdown by Hamas and the killing of several protest leaders, these demonstrations could have a meaningful impact on Gaza’s future. To discuss the context behind these protests and where they might lead, we sat down with a native of Gaza who has been one of the most outspoken voices against Hamas in the Palestinian diaspora. 

Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib is a Gazan-American writer and analyst whose work has been published in The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. Ahmed grew up in Gaza and left in 2005 as an exchange student in the United States, where he later received asylum and citizenship. Ahmed is a Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, where he directs the Realign for Palestine project: https://realignforpalestine.org/

Follow Ahmed on X: https://x.com/afalkhatib

The Times of Israel article referenced in this episode: https://www.timesofisrael.com/gazan-man-murdered-by-hamas-after-joining-protests-against-terror-group/

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

YARDENA SCHWARTZ - Executive Editor, Ark Media

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: https://arkmedia.org/

Dan on X: https://x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dansenor

Ark Media on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkmediaorg

For this special episode of Call Me Back, we sat down with two long-time friends, Dina Powell McCormick and Senator Dave McCormick, to speak about their new book, Who Believed in You: How Purposeful Mentorship Changes the World. We also discussed Senator McCormick’s work on Israel/Middle East foreign policy. 

Dina Powell McCormick is a partner at BDT & MSD Partners and was formerly a partner and member of the management committee at Goldman Sachs. She has served in various roles in government, including Deputy National Security Advisor in the first Trump administration, and in a number of senior positions in the White House and State Department under the George W. Bush Administration. 

David McCormick is a US Senator of Pennsylvania and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, Counterterrorism. He is the former CEO of Bridgewater Associates and also served in high-ranking positions in the George W. Bush administration. 

Dina & David McCormick’s new book, Who Believed in You: How Purposeful Mentorship Changes the World: https://a.co/d/0uvZceY

OR

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/who-believed-in-you-david-mccormick/1144556623?ean=9781400235919

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

YARDENA SCHWARTZ - Executive Editor, Ark Media

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

ZIV GEDZELMAN - Additional Research

Upcoming Event Notice: Dan Senor will be delivering this year’s State of World Jewry Address at the 92nd Street Y (92NY) on Tuesday May 13 at 7:30 pm. To register: https://www.92ny.org/event/the-state-of-world-jewry-address

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: https://arkmedia.org/

Dan on X: https://x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dansenor

Ark Media on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkmediaorg

Israelis are bracing for a crisis between the Government and the Judiciary, after the Government took the unprecedented step of firing the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, prompting Israel’s Supreme Court to freeze his suspension. Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government have made clear their intent to move forward with Bar’s dismissal, and have already started the search for his replacement. 

While much of this is historic, tensions between the Shin Bet and Israel’s elected leaders are nothing new. In fact, this friction goes back to the founding of the State. 

Our guest is Amichai Cohen, who joins us from Israel. Amichai is an expert on Israel’s internal security agency, and the laws concerning Israel’s national security. He is a Senior Fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, where he leads the program on national security. Amichai is also the author of four books, and a professor of law at Ono Academic College. His latest article, about the firing of Ronen Bar, is available here: https://en.idi.org.il/articles/58760

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

YARDENA SCHWARTZ - Executive Editor, Ark Media

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Upcoming Event Notice: Dan Senor will be delivering this year’s State of World Jewry Address at the 92nd Street Y (92NY) on Tuesday May 13 at 7:30 pm. To register: https://www.92ny.org/event/the-state-of-world-jewry-address

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: https://arkmedia.org/

Dan on X: https://x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dansenor

Ark Media on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkmediaorg

Israel’s pre-October 7th and post-October 7th worlds are colliding, as the war in Gaza resumes, along with the internal strife that preceded it. 

Today we discuss Israel’s new and expanding military campaign in Gaza, its objectives, the difference in war-fighting strategy between the IDF’s former chief-of-staff and new chief-of-staff, and the kind of enemy the IDF is facing now in Gaza compared to what the IDF was facing before the ceasefire. All of this is against the backdrop of domestic political tensions reaching a boiling point over the Government’s efforts to remove the head of the Shin Bet and the Attorney General. 

Our guest is Seth Frantzman, who joins us from Jerusalem. Seth is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post. He is also an adjunct fellow at the Foundation For Defense of Democracies, and the author of three books. He received his PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Seth has served as a research associate at the IDC in Herzliya and a lecturer at Al-Quds University. His latest book is The October 7 War: Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza: https://lnk.to/XGEe6bx0.

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

YARDENA SCHWARTZ - Executive Editor, Ark Media

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: https://arkmedia.org/

Dan on X: https://x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dansenor

Ark Media on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkmediaorg

We recorded an emergency episode as fighting resumes against Hamas in Gaza, ending a cease-fire that lasted 57 days; as military operations escalate between the U.S. and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen; and as Prime Minister Netanyahu moves to fire Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet security agency. To discuss this rapidly-evolving escalation of events we are joined by two of Israel’s leading journalists and mainstays of this podcast. 

Amit Segal is a columnist for Yediot Ahronot, and chief political analyst for Israel’s Channel 12. 

Nadav Eyal is also a columnist at Yediot, and the recipient of Israel’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. He is also an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. 

Nadav’s article about Netanyahu’s decision to fire Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar: https://www.ynetnews.com/article/skykzau31e

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

YARDENA SCHWARTZ - Executive Editor of Ark Media

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Watch the conversation on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OrSnIuzd-Fc

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: https://arkmedia.org/

Dan on X: https://x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dansenor

Ark Media on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkmediaorg

In the immediate aftermath of October 7, 2023, many Israelis expected a political reckoning. Yet, no clear alternative to Netanyahu has emerged. While there is no shortage of politicians who oppose him, the power of those on the center and the left seems stymied at best. We invited the leader of the official opposition in Israel’s Knesset to the podcast to discuss what he and his party stand for, whether the center of gravity of Israel’s politics has shifted, and why Israel’s political opposition does not appear to be a major force today.

Yair Lapid is a former journalist and the founder and leader of Israel’s centrist Yesh Atid party. Since entering politics in 2013, Lapid has served as Israel’s Finance Minister, Foreign Minister, and for a brief time, Prime Minister. He is now Leader of the Opposition.  

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

YARDENA SCHWARTZ - Executive Editor, Ark Media

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Watch the conversation on YouTube: https://youtu.be/eRJo_4ajvjU

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: https://arkmedia.org/

Dan on X: https://x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dansenor

Ark Media on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkmediaorg

To sponsor Call me Back episodes: [email protected]

Over the last 17 months, we have watched in shock as Ivy League campuses became hotbeds of support for terrorists and their ideology. A powerful new documentary that the Academy Awards refused to consider illuminates how - and more importantly why - college campuses became a pivotal front in the war against Israel. 

“October 8” opens in theaters on Friday, March 14th, featuring a number of Call Me Back guests. The film is riveting, and revealing, examining the forces that enabled Islamist extremists to shape the minds of millions of well-meaning Americans. 

We sat down with the filmmaker and one of the experts in her film, to discuss Hamas’s infiltration of academia, the entertainment industry, and other progressive spaces.

Wendy Sachs is an author, documentary filmmaker and Director and Executive Producer of October 8. 

Lorenzo Vidino is Director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University. 

More about “October 8” here: https://www.october8film.com/

See if the film is playing in a theater near you: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Su6dhLxHGWuOKrDjXregnmgPd6SxJcAd4fRVa07yTvk/edit?tab=t.0

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

YARDENA SCHWARTZ - Executive Editor, Ark Media

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research 

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Watch the conversation on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5MQRA0gZlk

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: https://arkmedia.org/

Dan on X: https://x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dansenor

------------------------------------------------------>>

Please follow this link to subscribe to SAPIR, a quarterly publication edited by Bret Stephens: sapirjournal.org/CallMeBack

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Link to our previous interview with Yoav Gallant: https://youtu.be/aPEPztvsJGQ

Last month we published the first in a series of interviews with former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, telling the story of the October 7th War from his unique vantage point. Our first interview, “Four Days in October,” focused on the intense deliberations that took place behind closed doors regarding the possibility of Israel responding to its stronger adversary first, Hezbollah in Lebanon, rather than Hamas in the Gaza Strip. If you have not heard or seen that interview, you can find it here. 

For the second interview in our series with General Gallant, we focused on the most difficult aspect of this war - the hostages in Gaza and the efforts to bring them home.

Yoav Gallant served as Israel’s Defense Minister from 2022 until 2024. He was fired by Benjamin Netanyahu twice in those two years, first in 2023, when massive protests in Israel led Netanyahu to reverse his decision, then again in November of 2024. Gallant is a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party. His military career spans five decades, beginning in 1977 as a naval commando in Shayetet 13, and serving as chief of the IDF’s Southern Command during Operation Cast Lead, an early war with Hamas that lasted from late 2008 to early 2009. 

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

YARDENA SCHWARTZ - Executive Editor of Ark Media

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research Intern 

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

AMIEL SHAPIRO - Voice Actor

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: https://arkmedia.org/

Dan on X: https://x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dansenor

Last week, three federal agencies — including the Department of Education — announced a comprehensive review of the funding relationships between the federal government and Columbia University in regards to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Like most universities, Columbia receives a great deal of federal funding. 

The Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, created by the Trump Administration, announced that it will visit 10 university campuses that have  seen a shocking rise in antisemitism since October 7, 2023.

According to Education Secretary Linda McMahon, “Americans have watched in horror for more than a year now, as Jewish students have been assaulted and harassed on elite university campuses. Unlawful encampments and demonstrations have completely paralyzed day-to-day campus operations, depriving Jewish students of learning opportunities to which they are entitled. Institutions that receive federal funds have a responsibility to protect all students from discrimination. Columbia’s apparent failure to uphold their end of this basic agreement raises very serious questions about the institution’s fitness to continue doing business with the United States government.”

According to Maya Sulkin in the Free Press, “even though Columbia formed a Task Force on Antisemitism weeks after Hamas’s invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, and issued two reports that revealed shocking instances of Jew hate on campus—not just among students but professors and administrators—the college has done little to root out the problem.”As a result, on Friday the Trump Administration announced the cancellation of $400 million in federal grants to  and contracts with Columbia. 

Following these developments, one could be left with the impression that higher education is doomed. Yetwe were struck by the reaction from the Call Me Back community to a conversation we had with the Chancellor of Vanderbilt University, Daniel Diermeier, last November, in an episode titled “How Vanderbilt University is getting it right.” It reminded us that some universities have impressively navigated the past 16 months.

Vanderbilt is one of them. Another is Washington University. The Chancellors of both universities (Washington University Chancellor Andrew Martin and Vanderbilt’s Diermeier) recently issued a set of principles that every university should be able to adopt. They summarized these principles in a piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education, titled: “Universities Must Reject Creeping Politicization.” You can read it here: 

There have been other universities, like the University of Michigan, which in the months after October 7, 2023 experienced massive disruptions. Yet according to conversations we have had with current Jewish students, the university administration has been doing much better than others. University of Michigan President Santa Ono has taken promising steps on a number of fronts, including the University’s relationship with Israel, that could also serve as  a model.

So, against the backdrop of chaos at Columbia and Barnard this past week, we sat down with WashU’s Andrew Martin and Michigan’s Santa Ono at the ADL’s “Never is Now” Summit in New York City, for a candid conversation about what has happened at each of their universities, lessons learned, and charting a path forward. 

Additional items:

ADL’s Campus Antisemitism Report Card: https://www.adl.org/campus-antisemitism-report-card

-Free Press reporting on Columbia University:

https://www.thefp.com/p/exclusive-trump-administration-cancels

-https://www.thefp.com/p/trump-columbia-antisemitism-federal-funding

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Editor

YARDENA SCHWARTZ - Executive Editor of Ark Media

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research Intern 

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Watch the conversation on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pSSh03tpRII

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: https://arkmedia.org/

Dan on X: https://x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dansenor

The Two-State Solution had been on life support long before October 7. While Hamas’s massacre shattered Israelis from all walks of life, those from the kibbutzim near the Gaza border — many of whom lifelong advocates for a Palestinian State — were among the hardest hit. 

Though stark divisions in Israeli society remain, there now seems to be a broad consensus among the people of Israel and their political parties on one conclusion: the two-state solution is all but dead. Yet one Israeli leader - one of the very few who battled terrorists in Southern Israel and rescued Israelis on October 7 - continues to hold out hope. 

Yair Golan is a decorated general, former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff  and head of the The Israeli Democrats Party. We sat down with General Golan to discuss Israel’s future, the misconceptions that led to October 7, and the unique role he played on that darkest of days. 

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Editor

YARDENA SCHWARTZ - Executive Editor of Ark Media

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research Intern 

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer