The Israel Conversation

Haredi Draft

The debate over drafting the Haredim, or ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Israel, has been a contentious issue in the country for several decades. At its core, the debate revolves around the question of whether or not Haredi men should be subject to compulsory military service like the rest of the Israeli population. This issue stems from a historical exemption granted to the Haredi community, dating back to the founding of the state of Israel in 1948. The exemption was intended to encourage Haredi religious study, which is a central pillar of their way of life. However, over the years, this has sparked significant debate, with proponents arguing that it is necessary for a more equitable distribution of the burden of military service in Israel, while opponents claim that mandatory military service would undermine Haredi religious traditions and values.

This debate is complex and multifaceted, touching on issues of religion, state, and citizenship. It reflects the broader tension in Israeli society between maintaining a Jewish state and ensuring equal rights and responsibilities for all its citizens. As Israel continues to grapple with this issue, finding a balance that respects religious traditions while addressing concerns about national security and civic duty remains a significant challenge.

Our engineer Ben (!) hosts this debate between Matt who argues that Israel should not draft Haredim , and Mike who argues that they should be drafted.. 

Let us know what you think about the issue, and who you agree with. Enjoy! Please let us know what you think! 

This episode was recorded and edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!

Theme music by Akiva Y. Unterberg.

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Can Israel Have a Constitution? 

Israel’s Declaration of Independence calls for a “Constitution which shall be adopted by the Elected Constituent Assembly not later than the 1st October 1948...". It doesn’t look like we’re going to make the deadline. The current judicial reform crisis exists because of that. So too the current crisis over the role of the Attorney General. There simply aren’t agreed upon rules of the road for how governance and legislation should take place. 

Of course, not all countries have constitutions. Should Israel have one? Could Israel successfully create one even if we wanted to?

Matt hosts this debate between Calev that an Israeli constitution is unnecessary and unlikely, and Mike who argues that it is both needed and likely. 

Let us know what you think about the issue, and who you agree with. Enjoy! Please let us know what you think! 

This episode was recorded and edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!

Theme music by Akiva Y. Unterberg.

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Definition: A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.

Apartheid

Type the word “apartheid” into a google search bar and the second search that pops up is “apartheid Israel”. We’ve all heard the accusation. It is also a demonstrably false descriptor for the State of Israel. This ridiculous calumny may make a nasty sound-bite sized accusation. But for anyone genuinely trying to understand the conflict, it clearly fails to explain anything in an honest way. 

But this podcast has a debate format! So after explaining why the above paragraph is true, our team still finds something for Zionists to argue about. Is the term “apartheid” useful at all to describe life in the West Bank? After all, the approximately half a million Jews who live there as Israeli citizens under Israeli law, lead very different lives from the approximately two and half million Arabs who are citizens of nothing and live under the Palestinian Authority and Israeli military law. 

Liel hosts this debate between Calev who argues that in certain narrow contexts the term isn’t entirely unhelpful, and Mike who argues that the term is always useless at best. 

Let us know what you think about the issue, and who you agree with. Enjoy! Please let us know what you think! 

This episode was recorded and edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!

Theme music by Akiva Y. Unterberg.

Masa Website

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Definition: apartheid - noun

1: racial segregation

specifically : a former policy of segregation and political, social, and economic discrimination against the non-white majority in the Republic of South Africa

NOTE: The extreme racial segregation of apartheid lasted from 1948 to 1994 and included such restrictions as where people of certain races could live or own land, what jobs they could hold, and who could and couldn't participate in government.

2: SEPARATION, SEGREGATION

cultural apartheid

gender apartheid

Is There a Future for the Jewish Diaspora? 

Jews have been living outside of the land of Israel for thousands of years. It is a historical truth that this process started by enemies driving them into exile. But these diaspora communities settled in, expanded, and continued to migrate around the globe for over two millennia. 

In the 20th century, Jews chose two strategies for building a thriving Jewish future. 

One approach was to create and live in a Jewish State. The State of Israel was founded by people who believed that ultimately there would be no future for Jews in the Diaspora. The changes of modernity, they argued, meant that the exile must end for the Jews to survive into the future. Only by creating a State of Jews, by Jews and for Jews, could thriving Jewish life and communities be sustained. 

The other approach was to build Jewish communities in tolerant Western Democracies. This approach assumes that Diaspora Jewish life will be safe as long as minority rights and freedom of religion continue to function in the modern world. 

As time went on, Israeli Jews softened their language about the future of Diaspora Jewry. But are they right? Should we be taking the warnings of the early Zionists more seriously? 

Calev hosts this debate between Matt who defends an optimistic view towards the future of Jewish life in the Diaspora, and Mike argues the pessimistic view of classic Zionism. 

Let us know what you think about the issue, and who you agree with. Enjoy! Please let us know what you think! 

This episode was recorded and edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!

Theme music by Akiva Y. Unterberg.

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Definition; A diaspora is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin.The word is used in reference to people who identify with a specific geographic location, but currently reside elsewhere.

Notable diasporic populations include the Jewish diaspora formed after the Babylonian exile...

The term "diaspora" is derived from the Greek verb διασπείρω (diaspeirō), "I scatter", "I spread about" which in turn is composed of διά (dia), "between, through, across" and the verb σπείρω (speirō), "I sow, I scatter". In Ancient Greece the term διασπορά (diaspora) hence meant "scattering"

Herzl vs. Ahad Ha’am

There is an old saying that “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” We deeply believe that knowing the history of Zionist debate brings a richness of perspective and understanding to the issues that we face today. So we submit for your approval one of the first deep debates that divided the Zionist world. 

In past episodes when we’ve mentioned Ahad Ha’am in passing, listeners have contacted us to know who he was. But before Herzl, he was arguably the intellectual leader of the Zionist movement. Then Herzl published “The Jewish State” and began the Zionist Congress, becoming the undisputed center of all Zionist energy. Ahad Ha’am wasn’t shy about explaining what he considered to be Herzl’s wrongheadedness. 

What was the disagreement? How has history proven their positions to be right or wrong? How and why are they still so relevant to today’s Israel? 

Matt explains the Herzl position, and Mike presents Ahad Ha’am. Our special guest host this week is the young scholar Avigayil Unterberg Nuriel. 

Let us know what you think about the issue, and who you agree with. Enjoy! Please let us know what you think! 

This episode was recorded and edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!

Theme music by Akiva Y. Unterberg.

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Does Israel Need America? 

Everyone knows that Israel and America have a strong relationship. As allies their economic, political, military, and cultural ties are deeply rooted. It remains so across multiple administrations in each of the countries. 

But is America a necessary ally for Israel? What would happen if that relationship changed? Could Israel survive and thrive if for some reason it lost America as an ally? 

Matt hosts and frames the discussion, and Mike and Calev debate the issue. Calev argues that America is an indispensable ally, and Mike argues that it isn’t. 

Let us know what you think about the issue, and who you agree with. Enjoy! Please let us know what you think! 

This episode was recorded and edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!

Theme music by Akiva Y. Unterberg.

Masa Website

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Note: This is the beginning of season 9, which is season 2 of our new debate format! 

We decided to get this episode published in a timely fashion. Normally, our debates are meant to be “evergreen” educational discussions about Israel and Zionism. 

But we’re breaking the format because so many people are asking how to process the Knesset vote this week. What does the removal of the unreasonableness grounds mean for the Supreme Court? For Israeli law, Democracy and society? How should we understand where we are now? What should we expect for the future?

Calev hosts and frames the discussion, and Mike and Liel debate whether to be optimistic or pessimistic in this difficult time of division. 

Let us know what you think about the issue, and who you agree with. Enjoy! Please let us know what you think! 

This episode was recorded and edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!

Theme music by Akiva Y. Unterberg.

Masa Website

Please rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.

We are excited to announce the upcoming second season of our new debate format!

This episode was recorded and edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!

Theme music by Akiva Y. Unterberg.

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How Should Diaspora Jews Express their Ideas About Israeli Politics?

Note: This is the end of the season and our podcast will be on a brief hiatus. Keep subscribed for season 9! 

There are several factors that can make it complicated for diaspora Jews to express their opinions on Israeli politics. Here are a few:

• Lack of firsthand experience: Diaspora Jews may not have firsthand experience living in Israel or the Palestinian territories, which can make it difficult to fully understand the complexities of the political situation. They also don’t share the heaviest burdens or pay the heaviest costs of living in Israel.

• Fear of alienation: Expressing opinions that are contrary to the dominant narrative within the Jewish community can lead to feelings of alienation or ostracism.There may be pressure from within the Jewish community to conform to a particular political viewpoint on Israel, which can make it difficult for individuals to express their own opinion.

• Perceived lack of influence: Some diaspora Jews may feel that their opinions on Israeli politics carry little weight, given that they are not Israeli citizens and do not have a direct say in Israeli policy. 

Overall, these factors can create a challenging environment for diaspora Jews who wish to express their opinions on Israeli politics. However, it is important to remember that open and respectful dialogue is essential for building understanding and finding solutions to complex issues. How do we resolve this tension?

Matt moderated this debate between Calev who argues for Diaspora Jews to be reserved, and Mike who argues for robust expression of opinions.

Let us know what you think about the issue, and who you agree with. Enjoy! Please let us know what you think! 

This episode was recorded and edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!

Theme music by Akiva Y. Unterberg.

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Should Israeli Reserve Soldiers Refuse to Serve as Protests?

The protests against Judicial Reform have continued on a smaller scale over the past weeks. With Passover behind us, and the national holiday season underway, Israelis are gearing up for whatever is coming next. 

One aspect of the protests in particular has been hotly debated. Should reservist soldiers refuse to perform their duties (“miluim’ in Hebrew) as a form of protest? Over the course of the past few months, this has been a growing phenomenon. 

Historically, the military has been supposed to be entirely apolitical. This is partly because in a Democracy the military protects the people, it doesn’t rule them. But it is also because national security is an issue that is so existential that it is dangerous to allow the military to take sides in political debates of any kind.

What about the current debate has caused it to spill into withholding of service by the IDF’s most loyal soldiers? And more to the point, are they doing more harm or good with this drastic approach to protest? What are the arguments for and against this tactic? Join us to find out!

Calev moderated this debate between Matt who argues against soldiers refusing duty, and MIke who defends the position of those reservists.

Let us know what you think about the issue, and who you agree with. Enjoy! Please let us know what you think! 

This episode was recorded and edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!

Theme music by Akiva Y. Unterberg.

Masa Website

Facebook page

Please rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.