For Heaven's Sake

By Shalom Hartman Institute

What's For Heaven's Sake about?

Thoughtful debate elevates us all. In For Heaven’s Sake, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain revive the Jewish art of constructive discussion on topics related to political and social trends in Israel, Israel-Diaspora relations, and the collective consciousness of being Jewish.

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For Heaven's Sake episodes:

04.17.2024
Israel at War – Iran
Before dawn on Sunday, April 14th, with the help of its allies, Israel staved off its first ever direct attack by Iran. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss this new reality for Israel and its neighbors, and...
04.10.2024
Israel at War – The Victory Debate
Hostage negotiations remain deadlocked as their families continue to pressure Israel’s government to reach a deal, while rightwing MPs are threatening to dissolve Netanyahu’s coalition if the IDF does not move into Rafah. In this landscape of stark public discord,...
04.04.2024
Israel at War – The Six-Month War
180 days since the tragedy of October 7th, war still wages in Gaza, hostages have yet to be returned, Israel’s allies are now pushing for a ceasefire, and the accidental bombing of seven aid workers on April 1st marks the...
03.27.2024
Israel at War – Netanyahu
Israelis are engaged in multiple layers of conflict, both external and internal. As the Israel-Hamas war continues into its 6th month, Israelis are simultaneously fighting a battle against their own government. This week, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss...
03.20.2024
Israel at War – Hope
From badmouthing the military to fumbling humanitarian aid in Gaza, punting on the Haredi draft, and taking a hard line on a hostage deal, Netanyahu’s coalition government seems more out-of-touch with the Israeli public than ever before. Could forthcoming elections...
03.14.2024
Israel at War – The Critics
From the Oval Office to the Oscars, the week of March 11, 2024, has seen more vocal public criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza than at any other time during the Israel-Hamas war. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi...
03.06.2024
Israel at War – The Food Crisis
On Thursday February 29, a tragedy unfolded in Gaza City during a food aid delivery. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss more than just the food crisis unfolding in Gaza as they consider Israel’s responsibility to Gazan...
02.28.2024
Israel at War – Rafah
The city of Rafah is the last bastion of Hamas’ power in the Gaza Strip and final stand for the IDF’s military campaign. But Israel’s closest allies have implored it not to invade, warning that this would only exacerbate the...
02.21.2024
Israel at War – The End of Victimhood?
As the IDF moves into a ground invasion in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and the toll on Palestinian lives continues to grow, Israel’s military actions are garnering greater criticism from world leaders. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi...
02.14.2024
Israel at War – The Haredi Dilemma
On Tuesday, February 13, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid demanded that Ultra-Orthodox Jews be drafted into the army, a long-debated move that if enacted would formally end the de-facto blanket exemption for roughly 15% of the country’s population. Donniel Hartman and Yossi...
02.08.2024
Israel at War – The Hostage Dilemma
On Tuesday, Hamas countered Israel’s ceasefire proposal with a sweeping offer to return all remaining captives from October 7 and beyond–those alive and the remains of those who perished–for what amounts to a near-total dismantling of the IDF’s military effort...
02.01.2024
Israel at War – The Politics of Fantasy
A staggering 38% of Israelis support post-war Jewish resettlement in the Gaza Strip, exemplified by a discordantly jubilant conference on Sunday, January 28 led by right-wing activists, ministers, and lawmakers including Itamar Ben Gvir and Betzalel Smotrich. Why do so...
01.29.2024
Israel at War – The Hague: Victory or Defeat?
On Friday, January 26, the International Court of Justice stopped short of calling for an immediate, unilateral ceasefire, and instead ordered Israel to take measures to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza and prevent and punish incitements to genocide. Is...
01.24.2024
Israel at War – The Grand Bargain
A month ago, the prospect of Palestinian statehood was a distant fantasy for most Israelis. Now, as hostages continue to languish in Hamas captivity and the IDF’s progress in Gaza tapers, the war-weary public has polled in favor of a...
01.17.2024
Israel at War – The Next Phase
After months of an intensive ground invasion, the IDF is entering “phase three” of the war with Hamas. Yet the original goal of eliminating the Hamas regime in Gaza remains distant and security for Israel seems elusive. Donniel Hartman and...
01.10.2024
Israel at War – The Hague
This week, shortly after the IDF suffered one of its heaviest losses of life in Gaza, the International Court of Justice in The Hague will hold hearings brought by South Africa accusing Israel of committing genocide. Is this antisemitic handwaving...
01.03.2024
Israel at War – Back to October 6th?
On Monday, the Israeli Supreme Court struck down the reasonableness clause, a key element in the highly disputed judicial overhaul by Netanyahu’s right-wing government. Will this landmark decision reignite pre-October 7th disputes in a country that was on the verge...
12.27.2023
Israel at War – Ceasefire?
Israel’s domestic support for the war remains strong despite growing global calls for a ceasefire. With mounting international pressure to end defensive action, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi explore why this conflicts with what many Israelis feel is the...
12.21.2023
Israel at War – When the Guns are Silenced
After the war is over and the guns are silenced, what kind of moral and political accounting will be needed? Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss the national discourse shaping and dividing Israeli civil society, their hopes for the...
12.18.2023
Israel at War – My Heart is Broken
On Friday, December 15 the IDF shot and killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza while they were raising their arms in surrender and waving white flags. The soldiers misidentified these Israelis as terrorists. Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi express...
12.14.2023
Israel at War – The Northern Front
With missiles being fired at Israel daily from Lebanon, Israelis are grappling with how to respond to the threat of Hezbollah in the North. Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss the threat of Hezbollah, the possibility and risks of...
12.11.2023
Israel at War – Gazan Civilians
As we enter the ninth week and a new, post-ceasefire phase of the Israel-Hamas War, the gap between Israeli and North American Jewish perspectives continue to widen. While Israelis count and mourn each Israeli casualty, North American Jews are increasingly...
12.07.2023
Israel at War – Genocide?
For Jews around the world, the nightmare of October 7th is compounded by the harsh and deafening condemnation of Israel’s military action. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi explore the dynamics of Jewish power and vulnerability, the...
12.04.2023
Israel at War – An Enemy Within
How does a country engaged in war grapple with moral issues? On Thursday, November 30, Yuval Kestelman, an Israeli civilian and good Samaritan, was shot and killed by an IDF soldier after shooting a terrorist at a Jerusalem bus stop....
11.30.2023
Israel at War – Unity Until Victory?
We are six days into a ceasefire, and the first wave of hostages have returned home. The national unity that emerged from the attack on October 7 and subsequent war is beginning to fray. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and...
11.27.2023
Israel at War – Hostage Nation
By the third day of the ceasefire, Hamas had released 58 hostages, 40 of them Israeli, in exchange for 78 Palestinian prisoners. While Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi celebrate the captives’ return to their families, they take note of...
11.23.2023
Israel at War – Burying Soldiers, Freeing Hostages
What does it mean to have resilience in the face of tremendous loss? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss how soldiers are processing their trauma from combat in Gaza and bear witness to Israel’s staggering civilian presence...
11.20.2023
Israel at War – The Mood
What does Gaza look like after this war is over? A recent poll showed thirty percent of Israelis favoring a renewal of Jewish settlements in the Gaza strip. While considering the popularity of this sentiment surprising and troubling, Donniel Hartman...
11.16.2023
Israel at War – Shifa
As the IDF takes control of Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital, the controversy around this hospital serves as a paradigm for the conflicting views about the broader war. For many Jews, Israelis, and allies of Israel, Shifa represents the evil nature of...
11.13.2023
Israel at War – A State of All Its Citizens
As the Israel-Hamas war continues into its sixth week, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss how Israel’s Arab-Palestinian minority have become scrutinized and even punished for mourning their kin in Gaza and how Jewish Israelis might have sympathy for the...
11.09.2023
Israel at War – The Morning After
As the Israeli military response to Hamas continues to escalate, Israelis have struggled to envision how Israel will rebuild and heal once the war is over and consider what an end to Hamas would mean for Palestinians.Donniel Hartman and Yossi...
11.06.2023
Israel at War – "From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free"
“From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free” can be heard at many Palestinian solidarity demonstrations today, and while it seems at face value to be a rallying cry for justice, its connotation is uncompromisingly hostile to the...
11.02.2023
Israel at War — The Sword of Damocles
As Israel’s war with Hamas rages on, and the anxiety in Israel continues to grow, the Sword of Damocles hangs over the head of every Israeli. Each day brings the threat of losing another friend, relative, or community member to...
10.30.2023
Israel at War — Our Leadership Void
In the middle of the night on Saturday, Benjamin Netanyahu posted a tweet blaming the heads of Israel’s military intelligence and Shin Bet security service for failing to anticipate the October 7th attack by Hamas. Though he later apologized, the...
10.26.2023
Israel at War — There is No Justification. But..?
On October 24th, United Nations Secretary-General Guterres delivered remarks on the war between Israel and Hamas. While he condemned the terror attacks, demanded immediate release of all hostages, and called for a ceasefire, he also contextualized the war within the...
10.23.2023
Israel at War — Into the Unknown
On day 16 of the war with Hamas, the IDF is poised for a ground invasion into Gaza, marching into the unknown. What awaits the troops when they enter? Will this embroil Hezbollah, Iran, and perhaps the US, into a...
10.19.2023
Israel at War — The Hospital
On October 17, a blast at Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza killed many Palestinians. Israelis and Palestinians were quick to blame each other for the blast, which has now been confirmed as a misfired rocket from the Islamic Jihad. Recorded...
10.16.2023
Israel at War — Moral Red Lines
As we enter into week two of this horrifying war, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi struggle with the question of if there are moral red lines when responding to absolute evil and if there are, how do we define them. Noting that Israelis...
10.12.2023
Israel at War — Day Five — Evil
The number of fatalities continues to rise. As Israel's new reality of unfathomable horror begins to set in, many took comfort in the latest speech by US President Biden, in which he called the Hamas attack "pure evil". From Jerusalem, Donniel...
10.09.2023
Israel at War — Day Three — How Did This Happen?
Israel is at War. This past Shabbat, Saturday morning, October 7, Israel faced an unprecedented, ruthless, and devastating attack by Hamas. Hundreds of Israelis have been killed, thousands injured, and many are in captivity. Israelis are fighting for their country, and Jews around...
09.27.2023
Could the Saudis be the Gamechangers?
Historically the Arab world, and Saudi Arabia in particular, has acted as a force in encouraging Palestinian rejection of Israel. With recent and unprecedented shifts in the geopolitical landscape, could a formal alliance with Saudi Arabia be a reality for...
09.13.2023
Farewell, 5783
The High Holidays are a time for reviewing our successes and failures, individually and collectively, but also a time for looking forward to future possibilities. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi reflect on what they describe as one of the most...
08.30.2023
The IDF's Crisis of Unity
For many Israelis, the IDF has long been considered the people's army, a beloved and trusted institution that represents the nation's Zionist ethos and serves as an expression of Jewish solidarity. Now, in the midst of one of Israel's most...
07.27.2023
Under the Shadow of Unreasonableness
Following major protests for the past 29 consecutive weeks and despite opposition from President Herzog, Defense Minister Gallant, the international community, and President Biden, this week the Knesset passed a bill ending the Supreme Court's ability to nullify government officials'...
07.19.2023
The Reasonableness Clause
For the 28th week in a row, protests against the proposed judicial overhaul continue in Israel. Saturday night's rallies drew tens of thousands of supporters, including our hosts, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain, who participated in...
07.05.2023
Who are Israel's Settlers?
Settlers in the West Bank now play a major role in both domestic and international Israeli affairs, and they are a powerful force in Israeli politics. In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain talk about...
06.21.2023
The No-Longer Silent Majority
After nearly six months of weekly demonstrations in Israel, the inevitable protest fatigue is starting to set in. Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore how to capitalize on the energy and commitment of the pro-democracy movement and...
06.07.2023
The Rise of Haredi Power
Over the past few decades, Israel's Haredi community has transitioned from the political periphery to a position of power and influence. Now at the center of Israeli public debate, longstanding resentments around the community's promotion of its own interests as...
05.24.2023
Can Zionists Speak about the Nakba?
The Nakba (catastrophe) and Israel's legitimacy are often seem as a zero-sum game: you can acknowledge one or the other, but not both. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's recent speech at the United Nations during the first ever formal commemoration of this day (May...
05.10.2023
Religious Zionism and Judicial Reform
The religious Zionist demographic makes up about 10% of the Israeli population, yet it has emerged as one of the most influential segments of society, both within the government and in the country at large. This demographic is undergoing significant...

What's For Heaven's Sake about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

For Heaven's Sake episodes:

Israel at War – Iran

Israel at War – The Victory Debate

Israel at War – The Six-Month War

Israel at War – Netanyahu

Israel at War – Hope

Israel at War – The Critics

Israel at War – The Food Crisis

Israel at War – Rafah

Israel at War – The End of Victimhood?

Israel at War – The Haredi Dilemma

Israel at War – The Hostage Dilemma

Israel at War – The Politics of Fantasy

Israel at War – The Hague: Victory or Defeat?

Israel at War – The Grand Bargain

Israel at War – The Next Phase

Israel at War – The Hague

Israel at War – Back to October 6th?

Israel at War – Ceasefire?

Israel at War – When the Guns are Silenced

Israel at War – My Heart is Broken

Israel at War – The Northern Front

Israel at War – Gazan Civilians

Israel at War – Genocide?

Israel at War – An Enemy Within

Israel at War – Unity Until Victory?

Israel at War – Hostage Nation

Israel at War – Burying Soldiers, Freeing Hostages

Israel at War – The Mood

Israel at War – Shifa

Israel at War – A State of All Its Citizens

Israel at War – The Morning After

Israel at War – "From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free"

Israel at War — The Sword of Damocles

Israel at War — Our Leadership Void

Israel at War — There is No Justification. But..?

Israel at War — Into the Unknown

Israel at War — The Hospital

Israel at War — Moral Red Lines

Israel at War — Day Five — Evil

Israel at War — Day Three — How Did This Happen?

Could the Saudis be the Gamechangers?

Farewell, 5783

The IDF's Crisis of Unity

Under the Shadow of Unreasonableness

The Reasonableness Clause

Who are Israel's Settlers?

The No-Longer Silent Majority

The Rise of Haredi Power

Can Zionists Speak about the Nakba?

Religious Zionism and Judicial Reform