In this episode, I’m joined by Frank Sobchak (PhD), a retired Colonel with 26 years of military service that included leading Special Forces teams and companies, including in Iraq. 
Frank is an alumnus of The MirYam Institute Israel Law & Policy tour (I-LAP) for graduate and doctoral students and was The MirYam Institute visiting professor to Reichman University in Israel this spring. 
In this conversation, we talk about the open-source intelligence that Hamas collected and used to plan and execute the October 7th massacre, what the place of military service is in the lives of the men who do serve, his reflections of his recent teaching period in Israel during wartime and the potential implications of Israel’s targeted killings in Gaza, Lebanon and Tehran.

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Every year, The MirYam Institute brings delegations of current and future military officers to Poland and then directly on to Israel for a 12 day tour of the country through the I-SAP tour initiative (Israel Strategy & Policy).
This summer, The MirYam Institute created a delegation for future officers of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air-Force and Marine Corps to Poland, to visit the Nazi death camps, as well as the damage and destruction carried out against the Jews of Europe. 
This year, due to Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas, the I-SAP tour could not travel to Israel from Poland, so we brought the delegation for an extended tour of Poland and brought several Israeli speakers to the delegation, including the son of a hostage being held by Hamas and a civilian whose rapid response unit fought off an attack by eighty Hamas terrorists on October 7th.
Here, Colonel Dave (Ret.), explains why the I-SAP tour is of such value to the education and understanding of the delegates, as they prepare to become leaders and officers within the U.S. Armed Forces. 
To learn more about I-SAP visit the link below. 

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In this episode, I'm joined by Yaakov Lappin to take a candid look at PM Netanyahu's address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress, with a particular emphasis on the question of the PM's vision of the "day after" in Gaza. 
We also then delve into the declining support for Israel within the U.S. Congress, The New State Solution, a policy position once presented to the negotiating team of the Trump administration, and then top off the conversation by discussing the IDF's recovery of five Israelis who were killed on October 7th and abducted into the Gaza Strip and the events that took place in the aftermath of that operation. 

To watch the video I referenced about the New State Solution, you can click on the link here.

Additionally, this is Benjamin's interview about the New State Solution on the first ever episode of Jonny Gould's Jewish State podcast.

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In this episode, Benjamin and Yaakov discuss the attempted assassinations of Muhammad Deif and - in a completely different scenario - Republican nominee, President Donald Trump.
We also outline some of the red-lines surrounding the hostage release negotiations and talk about the dismal and dangerous state of public discourse, particularly as it pertains to the media.

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In this episode, recorded on July 11th 2024, I'm joined by Yaakov Lappin, In-House Analyst at The MirYam Institute. 
He and I discuss the just released findings of the IDF's probe into the catastrophic events that took place in Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7th, the public spats between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant, and when and how the IDF will deal with the threat of Hezbollah. 
I also discuss recent statements about the possibility of the Palestinian Authority taking control of the Gaza Strip and Yaakov and I assess media reports that the IDF could withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor. 
Enjoy - and please remember to SUBSCRIBE!!

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In this episode, I interview Oren Shalom, a retired Sgt. in the IDF who used his background in the elite counter-terror force Duvdevan to establish civilian, rapid response units in Israel in order to react to security emergencies in the area between Gaza and Egypt.
Here, in Poland, in front of a live audience of US military cadets brought to Poland and Israel by the MirYam Institute I-SAP program from current and future officers of the US Armed Forces, Oren talks about his encounter, taking his task force of nine men to face down an invading terror force of 80 terrorists. 
To learn more about - and to donate to - I-SAP visit: https://www.miryaminstitute.org/isap

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In this episode of the podcast, Yaakov Lappin and Benjamin discuss the implications of the IDF approval of operational plans to combat Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and whether or not now is the time to combat Iran’s proxy. 

They then discuss the pitfalls of the demand for a hostage deal and the intertwining of that with the call for new elections in Israel, before we finish off with the alarming rise of PTSD among the ranks of the IDF.

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In this episode, I’m joined by in-house analyst Yaakov Lappin to discuss the dangerous and steep escalation of fire from Hezbollah in Lebanon into northern Israel. 
Yaakov and I discuss whether or not the US is likely to come to Israel’s aid in the event of a direct conflict with Iran and we pay tribute to the heroic hostage rescue mission that freed four of our hostages from Gaza. 
We finish by highlighting the bravery and courage of the mother of Almog Meir-Jan as she battled to maintain public awareness about her son’s plight as he was held hostage by Hamas inside Gaza.

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This interview of Izhar Lifshitz took place in front of a live audience of US military cadets, in Poland. The delegates had traveled to Poland as part of the annual Israel Strategy & Policy (I-SAP) tour, 2024, a flagship initiative of The MirYam Institute. All of the delegates will serve as officers in the U.S army, navy, air-force and marine corps. 
Izhar Lifshitz is the son of the oldest Israeli hostage in Gaza - still presumed to be alive - Oded Lifshitz (83). 
On October 7th, both Izhar's parents, Oded and Yocheved (85), were kidnapped by Hamas. Yocheved was released shortly thereafter and returned to Israel, where she gave an impromptu press conference describing the conditions of her captivity, the tunnels in which she was kept and the brutality of the way in which Hamas transported her from her home in Israel into the Gaza Strip. 
Since October 7th, Yocheved has lived on without her husband and Izhar has lived on without his father. All that is known about Oded Lifshitz is that he was injured when kidnapped, that he suffers from high blood pressure, and that he is in poor physical condition. 
In this incredibly candid discussion, Izhar outlines his motivations for keeping going, his assessment of the fate of his father and - somehow - he still manages to maintain his optimism, sense of humor and resolve. 
To learn more about the annual I-SAP tour visit: https://www.miryaminstitute.org/isap

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In this episode, I'm joined by in-house analyst, Yaakov Lappin. 
We discuss the recent MirYam Institute delegation to the Polish death camps with the cadets of the U.S. military as part of the annual Israel Strategy & Policy tour (I-SAP), the latest in the hostage release negotiations, the viability of the war cabinet and the need for Israel's Prime Minister to communicate with the Israeli public.

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