The recent spike in violence including the terrorist attack last Friday in Neve Yaakov, which was the worst terrorist attack in over a decade, left seven dead at a neighborhood synagogue. This happened against the political backdrop of Netanyahu's government openly opposing a two-state solution, with parts of the coalition pushing for massive settlement expansion and eventual annexation. Meanwhile the Palestinian Authority has suspended security cooperation with Israel, which has been crucial in preventing terror attacks against Israel from Hamas – as well as protecting the Palestinian Authority itself from Hamas. How do we speak realistically about our aspirations for a path forward for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore why mainstream Israeli society has become disinterested in discussing the conflict and the importance of maintaining hope.

For those who oppose Netanyahu's far-reaching plans to weaken the independence of the judiciary, this is an essential moment that has the potential to fracture the Israeli public beyond repair. But what will that fracturing look like, and will it turn into something more violent than we've seen in the past? In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain discuss what motivated hundreds of thousands to protest in Tel Aviv (including our co-hosts), the growing schism in Israeli society, and what a civil war would mean for Israel.

North American Jews have maintained a balancing act between their commitment to Israel and their commitment to liberal values. Members of the new Israeli government have been making provocative, anti-democratic statements as well as taking positions that aren’t just complicated – they’re simply wrong. Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore keeping one's love of Israel at the forefront, whether Jewish Israeli or part of the Jewish Diaspora, while responding to the new government's problematic policies.

How can Israelis respond constructively to the threat to democracy posed by Netanyahu's new government including ultra-orthodox and ultra-nationalist coalition partners? Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain ask how Liberal Zionists can reorient themselves, their political alliances, and their conversations to protect Israel as a Jewish and Democratic state.

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The Law of Return stipulates that any Jew can return to the Jewish homeland and claim immediate Israeli citizenship. Who qualifies as a Jew, under that law, has been a source of contention throughout the history of the state. Netanyahu's newly-formed coalition government may seek to change major aspects of the law, bringing the debate back into the public conversation. On this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain maneuver through thought-provoking questions about belonging to the Jewish people. Is Israel the state of the Jewish people or is it the state of Judaism? Who should be defined as Jews? Is Jewishness an ethnicity, a set of religious observances, or both?

In the fallout of Israel's election, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain navigate the strangeness of this moment for many in the liberal Jewish camp who are experiencing it as a moment of mourning. In this episode they ask: How do Jews who oppose the values of the coming governing Israeli coalition make themselves heard right now? Can Israel learn from Americans' experience under Trump? Is it possible to build bridges with extremists, and is it possible to separate peoples' ideologies from the candidates they support?

This is a recording of a live event held on November 1, 2022. In the minutes before the election results come in, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss the campaign and then reflect on the right's electoral victory and what it portends for the State of Israel, the future of Zionism, and the Jewish people.

Only two years ago, Netanyahu declared that Itamar Ben Gvir, the most popular leader on the far-right with deep roots in the racist Kahanist movement, wasn’t fit to be a minister. Now, Netanyahu affirms that he would be a part of any future government. Will a coalition with Ben Gvir unravel the social fabric of Israel? Is the threat he represents exaggerated? How should Israeli liberals and moderates respond? Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss Israel's upcoming fateful and potentially dangerous election.

Register here for Donniel and Yossi's Election Day livestream on Tuesday, Nov 1, 10:30pm Israel / 3:30pm Eastern.

Israeli voters have been stalwart in their political party loyalties and no amount of campaigning seems able to sway them. When voters define themselves by their party, what values are they actually expressing? Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain ask what are the meaningful divisions that we can discern within the parties themselves and is the political divide an expression of ideological, tribal, or cultural divides?

What can public and private observances of Rosh Hashana teach us about the relationship between Jewishness and Israeliness today? Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain explore how the High Holidays are experienced in Israel, what this tells us about the state of Judaism and Jewish identity in the country, and how Israeli observance is different from that of American Jews.