IsraelCast

Molly Livingstone, Alternative Thinking Consultant

Among everything else, Israel’s startup sector was heavily impacted by the October 7 terrorist attacks. Between inflation and Israeli protests, the attacks and subsequent war have been another setback in a series of extreme challenges for Israel’s entrepreneurs. Yet, the...

Ambassador Ido Aharoni, Israeli diplomat, writer, lecturer, and consultant

Israel’s war with Hamas in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre has reverberated throughout the world, resulting in a dynamic shift in the world. From Arab Israelis to Israel’s neighbors in the Middle East, from U.S. college campuses to...

Ran Bar-Yoshafat, Deputy Director of the Kohelet Policy Forum

Ran Bar-Yehoshafat was set to speak at Berkeley about his experience as an IDF soldier and reservist, as well as his legal expertise as a former Knesset Legal Department member and the current deputy director of the Kohelet Policy Forum,...

Michael Lucas, Founder of Lucas Entertainment & Israel Advocate

Michael Lucas wears many hats. Rising through the adult entertainment industry to become one of the top performers and producers, Lucas is also a passionate documentarian and lifelong activist. He has also, despite growing up in the antisemitic Soviet Union,...

Amotz Eyal, Founder and CEO of TPS

It is more important than ever to find reliable news sources who can report the facts accurately. Since 2010, Tazpit Press Service (TPS) has been the only Israeli newswire agencies, now reaching over 10 million people worldwide and distributing over...

Rami Gold, Kibbutz Be'eri Resident

On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists launched an unprecedented wave of attacks on Israel Envelope communities, murdering men, women, and children with no remorse, taking hostages, and destroying the land that Israeli pioneers worked so hard to develop. Four months...

Judge Elyakim Rubinstein, Former Attorney General of Israel, Supreme Court Judge, and President of the Society for Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites (SPIHS)

One of Jewish National Fund-USA’s valued affiliates, the Society for Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites (SPIHS) works tirelessly to preserve Israel’s history. In its 40-year existence, SPIHS has helped preserve over 180 sites around Israel, operating several directly as museums...

Jonathan Elkhoury, Israeli-Lebanese Christian speaker, LGBTQ+ activist, public diplomacy adviser, commentator and advocate for Israel

Originally from a small Christian community in Lebanon, Jonathan El Khoury is now a prominent Israeli activist, working tirelessly to promote ties between Israel and the minority communities in them. His Reservists on Duty project has defended Israel from its...

Gidi Grinstein, President and Founder, Reut Institute

For over 2,000 years, Jews have survived and often thrived under extremely difficult circumstances. Author Gidi Grinstein believes the heart of Jewish continuity lies in our ability to adapt to our environments, as well as constant balance our community manages...

Erel N. Margalit, PhD Founder and Executive Chairman, Jerusalem Venture Partners

Founded in 1993, Jerusalem Venture Partners has created and invested in over 165 companies in Israel, Europe, and the United States and now manages over $1.6B from some of the world’s leading international sovereign funds. Its success led to the...

Ambassador Michael Oren, Statesman, Historian, Soldier, and Author

In “2048: The Rejuvenated State”, Ambassador Michael Oren sets out his vision for Israel in honor of Israel's 75th Independence Day 25 years in the future. Host Steven Shalowitz sits down with Ambassador Michael Oren live from JNF-USA’s Global Conference...

Luke Moon, Deputy Director, Philos Project

Started in 2014 in the wake of ISIS’ rise to power, the Philos Project seeks to promote positive Christian engagement in the Near East by creating leaders, building community, and taking action in the spirit of the Hebraic Tradition. Primarily...

Ruth Wasserman Lande, Former member of Knesset and founder and co-chair of the Knesset Caucus for the promotion of the Abraham Accords

As Israel enters the ground invasion phase of its war with Gaza, public perception of Israel has fallen in the eyes of many, especially younger people who don’t have all the facts. In addition, international bodies like the United Nations...

Olga Meshoe Washington, COO, Club Z

While Western leaders have near-universally backed Israel in the wake of Hamas’ horrific attacks, a shocking number of people have expressed support for Hamas, levelling the same false accusations against Israel they usually do. One thing often said is that...

Yahya Mahamid, Arab Israeli Zionist, educator, and Israel advocate

With so many voices speaking out against the Jewish State, it’s gratifying to meet an unexpected ally. Yahya Mahamid was raised by his Arab community to hate Israel and everything it stands for, but through meeting other Israelis, he learned...

Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, Deputy Mayor, Jerusalem

Hamas’ recent brutal and unprovoked attack has primarily been focused on Israel’s Gaza Envelope region. But how has this attack affected the rest of the country? Host Steven Shalowitz sits down with Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum to discuss the...

Dr. Jonathan Schanzer, Senior Vice president for research at Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD)

In the wake of the unprecedented, unprovoked, and horrific attacks by Hamas from Gaza on civilian communities in Israel, Host Steven Shalowitz sits down with Middle East expert Jonathan Schanzer, author of Gaza Conflict 2021: Hamas, Israel, and Eleven Days...

Matti Friedman, Journalist & Author

At the height of the Yom Kippur War, when Israel was at its lowest, famed poet and singer Leonard Cohen visited the country and did a series of performances that raised the spirits of a nation. Almost 50 years later,...

Daniella Gilboa, Co-founder and CEO of fertility treatment center AIVF

As artificial intelligence continues to increase in popularity, everyone is figuring out how to use AI to improve lives. And Israel is no exception. For Israeli embryologist Daniella Gilboa, co-founder and CEO of fertility treatment center AIVF, AI has been...

Colonel Richard Kemp CBE

Colonel Richard Kemp is no stranger to conflict. For over 30 years, Colonel Kemp has commanded troops in hostile territory and been at the forefront of the battle against terrorism. Now, Kemp also advocates for Israel, often in places where...

Dr. Shelley-Anne Peleg, Expert in archeology and conservation in Israel

Ben M. Freeman, Founder of the modern Jewish Pride movement. Leader, Thinker, Educator

For Ben M. Freeman, Jewish Pride is a movement long overdue. In his first book, Freeman discussed the need for a Jewish Pride movement similar to ones other minority groups have had. His latest book, Reclaiming our Story: The Pursuit...

Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) Sarit Zehavi, Founder and President of the Alma Research and Education Center

Positively singular in its goal of making complex information about the Middle East digestible and accessible, the Alma Research and Education Center has been educating people around the world on the in-depth geo-political situations Israel faces every day, offering field...

Jody Holland, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Public Policy Leadership at the University of Mississippi

One of Jewish National Fund-USA’s most important bridge-building projects, the Faculty Fellowship Program in Israel, is a competitive academic fellowship that invites full-time university and college faculty members to apply to participate in an all-expenses-paid academic trip to Israel. The...

Nisan Zeevi, VP Margalit Startup City Galil & Impact Director at JVP

On the forefront of economic innovation, Margalit Startup City has transformed cities from Jerusalem to Haifa into thematic international innovation centers that generate thousands of new jobs, bring young people back to the city centers, and establish a startup ecosystem....

Alex Ryvchin, Co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and Author

From blood libels in the Middle Ages to internet conspiracies about Israel, antisemitism has adapted and shifted, taking many forms throughout the course of history. Whether in Europe, Russia, or modern-day America, wherever Jews go, antisemitism and conspiracy theories follow....

Masha Merkolova, Founder of Club Z

When it comes to Zionist leadership, education is crucial. We need leaders who are not only knowledgeable about the importance of Israel, but capable of showing others why it matters. One of the national leaders in Zionist education for High...

Ofer Gutman, CEO of Masa Israel Journey

While diaspora and Israeli Jews are inextricably connected, there often seems to be a disconnect between the two groups. Masa Israel is looking to fix that. For over 15 years, Masa Israel Journey has been building bridges between diaspora and...

Shahar Azani, Founder and Principal at Fourth Dimension Strategies and Senior Vice President at Jewish Broadcasting Services

Shahar Azani serves as Founder and Principal at Fourth Dimension Strategies and as Senior Vice President at Jewish Broadcasting Services.

Mayor Gabriel Groisman - Fmr. Mayor of Bal Harbour, Florida, Partner at LSN Partners, LLC

Gabriel Groisman has always been a friend to Israel. The Mayor of Bel Harbour, FL from 2016-2022, he quickly established his reputation as a staunch supporter of Israel and the Jewish People through his anti-BDS legislation and outspoken criticism of...

Dr. Rachel Fish - Co-Founder of Boundless & Scholar Warrior

Dr. Rachel Fish is a celebrated academic with 20 years of experience in Israeli history, Zionist thought, and Middle Eastern Studies. She is the Founding Executive Director of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism and previously served as Senior Advisor and...

Rabbi Ed Rosenthal Founder and CEO of Repair the Sea | Tikkun HaYam

Amotz Eyal, Founder and CEO of Tazpit Press Service (TPS)

Until 2010, Israel did not have any newswires, so most media coverage of Israel came from foreign sources, from AP and Reuters to incredibly biased Palestinian news outlets. This changed with the founding of Tazpit Press Service (TPS), which today remains...

Sophia Tupolev-Luz, Co-founder of The Reboot Startup Nation

When the Russia invasion of Ukraine resulted in the displacement of Jews from the region, Sophia Tupolev-Luz was just looking to help a few of her friends. That initial assistance has snowballed into serving over 15,000 people through co-founding The...

Olga Deutsch, Vice President, NGO Monitor

Started after the 2001 United Nations World Conference Against Racism in Durban, NGO Monitor is a globally recognized research institute promoting democratic values and good governance, working to ensure that decision makers and civil society operate in accordance with the...

Ami Moyal, President, Akefa College

As global needs shift and a greater importance has been placed on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), the global workforce has not yet caught up to meet these needs. Even in Israel, the startup nation, there is a shortage...

Matthew Nouriel, The Empress Mizrahi

Matthew Nouriel has always worn many hats. A drag queen who goes by the stage name “The Empress Mizrahi,” the nonbinary activist is also the Community Engagement Director at JIMENA - Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa,...

Tania Pons Allon, Director, Joint Institute for Food, Water, and Energy Security

One of Jewish National Fund-USA’s most groundbreaking initiatives, the Kasser Joint Institute for Global Food, Water, and Energy Security is a collaboration with the University of Arizona, the Arava regional councils, and Jewish National Fund-USA, that seeks to find applicable...

Yuval David, Jewish LGBTQ activist

Actor and filmmaker Yuval David knows the power of advocacy. Encouraged to change his name because it was “too foreign,” David stayed true to who he was, and rose through the industry to win multiple Emmys, as well as become...

Prof. Ruben Michael Ceballos, Phd., Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas

The Faculty Fellowship Program in Israel is a crucial education initiative that invites full-time university and college faculty members to participate in an academic trip to Israel. Supported and funded by Jewish National Fund-USA, the program enables participants to meet...

Eric Rubin, President and CEO, Uncommon Charitable Impact

Sports have always been an incredible unifier. From pickup games on the street to professional athletes competing, sports are a way for otherwise disparate individuals to come together and work with each other to reach a common goal. For years,...

Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed, Executive Director, Arava Institute

Based in Kibbutz Ketura in the Negev, The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies is an academic and research institute working to advance cooperation between Israel and its neighbors on pressing environmental concerns. A valued Jewish National Fund-USA affiliate, the Institute...

Retired Colonel Miri Eisin, Intelligence, Security and Diplomacy Expert

One of the most important units of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is military intelligence. All of Israel’s military strategy is based on the information gathered by the IDF’s intelligence officers, and Israel has been saved countless times due to...

Rafael Medoff, Founding Director, The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies

As one of the leading experts on the Holocaust, Dr. Rafael Medoff has been an outspoken critic of western countries and their reticence to support European Jews before and during WWII. According to Medoff, at every turn where America could...

Rt. Hon. Joan Ryan, Executive Director, ELNET UK

As Jeremy Corbyn rose to power in Britain’s Labour Party, the party grew increasingly antisemitic, isolating both Jews and those allies. Those allies include Rt. Hon Joan Ryan, a longtime member of Labour Friends of Israel who grew increasingly disillusioned...

Tamir Goodman, "The Jewish Jordan" Dribbling Toward Peace

When it comes to creating cultural understanding and tolerance, few things are more unifying than sports, which brings people of all backgrounds together for one common goal. Dubbed “the Jewish Jordan” for his religious heritage and professional basketball background, Tamir...

David Matlow, Herzl Memorabilia Collector

As one of the most prominent Zionist leaders ever, as well as the founder of Jewish National Fund, Theodore Herzl’s influence has reverberated throughout modern Jewish history. And as the largest owner of Herzl memorabilia with over 5,000 items, David...

Ari Mittleman, Author & Dad

Our past is filled with countless stories about Jewish leaders who changed the course of history. There are also the stories of the Jewish People’s friends beyond the Jewish faith -- individuals who have dedicated their life’s work to supporting...

Zack Bodner, President and CEO, Oshman Family JCC

Zack Bodner is a bridge-builder. The CEO of the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center, Bodner has been creating dialogue and understanding between diaspora and Israeli Jews through his Z3 project. As a former AIPAC regional director who has worked on...

Advocate Ory Slonim, Special Advisor to 7 Defense Ministers of Israel

Advocate Ory Slonim’s life has always revolved around Israel. From his family’s heritage in pre-state Israel to his military service to his many charity operations, Slonim has dedicated himself to helping others. He has also worked closely with POWs and...