Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman reports in from Lviv, Ukraine, and Environment reporter Sue Surkes joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan from Jerusalem.

Berman begins by painting a picture of daily life on war-footing in Lviv. We hear about a conversation he had with military chaplains and anecdotes from Ukrainian refugees.

Surkes updates on the efforts and dedication of the Joint Distribution Committee's Hesed welfare network, noting that one worker even moved in with a bed-ridden elderly client.

Berman breaks down the controversies surrounding the hot-button issues, evacuation corridors and no-fly zones. We hear how both sides are using them as humanitarian efforts, as well as PR exercises.

And finally, time for some good news! Israel is inaugurating its first ever wetlands re-wilding project. Surkes fills us in.

Discussed articles include:

Live blog March 8, 2022

Risking life and limb, Hesed network continues caring for Ukraine’s neediest Jews

Russia offers evacuation corridors to Ukrainians, reviving Syrian civil war playbook

Ukraine leery of new Russian plan for refugee corridors as cities battered by bombs

Zelensky renews demand for no-fly zone: ‘If you don’t, you want us to be killed very slowly’

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This Times of Israel podcast is sponsored by Thirty-Six, in which host Justin Hayet scours Israel to find the 36 most wonderful, interesting people doing the most wonderful, interesting things. Subscribe to Thirty-Six on your favorite podcast platform.

IMAGE: A Christian worshiper prays in front of a memorial to fallen soldiers at the Saints Peter and Paul Garrison Church in Lviv, western Ukraine, March 6, 2022. The memorial is dedicated to Ukrainian soldiers who died after 2014. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Political correspondent Tal Schneider and religion and Diaspora affairs reporter Judah Ari Gross join host Jessica Steinberg.

Schneider fills us in on the latest diplomatic efforts being sallied by Israel, starting with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's last-minute trip on Shabbat to meet with Putin, and today's meeting for Foreign Minister Yair Lapid with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Latvia.

Gross speaks about the possible numbers of expected Ukrainian refugees expected by Israel in the coming weeks and months, and the efforts being made to welcome and acclimate them.

Schneider offers a tidbit from our sister Hebrew site Zman Yisrael, where a reporter broke a story about Ukrainian-born Housing Minister Ze'ev Elkin, who accompanied Bennett to Russia on Saturday, while his brother and family were fleeing Kharkov.

Gross offers some highlights from his interview last week with Yad Vashem director Dani Dayan, and the constant referencing of the Holocaust and Nazism in the current conflict.

Discussed articles include:

Bennett holds follow-up call with Putin after Moscow meeting

Bennett found Putin to be ‘rational’ during meeting — report

90 Jewish orphans who fled Ukraine greeted by Bennett, ministers at airport

Yad Vashem chief: Russia trivializing Holocaust with false ‘denazification’ claim

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IMAGE: Jewish immigrants fleeing the war in Ukraine, on a rescue flight sponosred by the IFCJ, arrive at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv on March 6, 2022. (Tomer Neuberg/FLASH90)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins us from Lviv, along with The Times of Israel Editor David Horovitz and host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

Berman, as a religiously observant journalist, shares his experiences attending services in Lviv for Rosh Hodesh (the new month) and Shabbat. He explains how the Jewish community is now a sanctuary for Jews and non-Jews seeking refuge.

Late last week, Berman visited Lviv's National Art Gallery, Ukraine’s leading art museum, which is now being used as a volunteer center for distributing medical supplies. We’ll hear a clip of a conversation he had with Mark Fetsych, head of oncology at a local hospital before the invasion.

Berman also spoke with the governor of the Lviv region, Maksym Kozytskyy. He is a civilian with no military experience but is now in charge of his region’s defenses. We hear about a very specific request he has for Israel.

Finally, Horovitz appraises our listeners of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's past few days of travel -- to Moscow and Berlin -- and other conversations he is having with world leaders including France's Emanuel Macron and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. Israel is now in the spotlight as a potential peacemaker, but is that actually a good spot for the Jewish state to be in?

Discussed articles include:

Live Blog March 6, 200

Ukraine’s leading art museum transforms into busy volunteer hub

We need air defenses from Israel, not goodwill statements, Lviv commander tells ToI

With trip to Kremlin, Bennett flies Israel into the eye of the Russia-Ukraine storm

Zelensky aide says purpose of Bennett’s trip to meet Putin is unclear to Kyiv

Bennett returns to Israel after whirlwind trip to meet Putin, Germany’s Scholz

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IMAGE: Tsori Gilod Synagogue (also known as Beis Aharon V'Israel Synagogue) in Lviv, Ukraine, March 4, 2022. (Lazar Berman/Times of Israel)

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Welcome to Times Will Tell, the weekly podcast from The Times of Israel.

This week we're marking International Women’s Day by speaking with the Director of Jerusalem’s Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital, Dr. Tamar Elram.

Born in England, Elram moved to Israel as a child with her family and lived in Jerusalem. A trained gynecologist, Elram has served in leadership positions at the Hadassah hospitals for the past decade. In November 2017 she became the director of Mount Scopus.

We discuss the powerful female history behind the Hadassah hospitals and Elram's own hard-won wisdom around what she calls “Awareness-Based Leadership.” We also have a frank conversation about important developments in women’s health perspectives and how the #metoo movement has affected the field of gynecology.

IMAGE: Dr. Tamar Elram, CEO of Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital (Arnon Bosani)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins from Lviv, along with Tech Israel host Ricky Ben David and host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

Berman reports on the mood on the ground in Lviv as the city prepares for war. He relates a brush he had with Ukrainian border police on the way into the country and the extra checkpoints throughout the city, on alert for Russian sleeper cells.

Berman highlights a clip of an interview he conducted with Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, who compared his country's plight to the biblical David.

We then turn to the economic aspects of the war with Ben David. What are the increasing sanctions on Russia and how are they affecting the country and its citizens.

And finally, Ben David gives insight into an increasingly prominent new frontline that we’re seeing in this war — cyber. She tells us about this parallel conflict online being waged by hacktivists.

Discussed articles include:

Ukrainians are like David fighting ‘idiotic’ Russian Goliath, Lviv mayor tells ToI

At Ukraine gun license sign-up, disappointment with Israel surfaces

Israeli tourists, cousins of Jews board rescue bus from Lviv to Poland

At Lviv university, defiant students weave their nation’s defense

Israeli trade with Ukraine, Russia continues but prices may jump — Economy Ministry

Russia’s war on Ukraine triggers ‘earthquake’ in global shipping, trade industry

Russian invasion of Ukraine sees online forces mobilize as cyberattacks mount

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IMAGE: A baby sits with his mother inside a train leaving the Lviv railway station, in Lviv, west Ukraine, March 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

US correspondent Jacob Magid and political reporter Carrie Keller Lynn join host Jessica Steinberg, with a special report from diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman on his way to Lviv.

Berman offers a brief account of his travels from the Polish border to Lviv, on a night train bringing Ukrainians to enlist as well as other travelers heading back to Ukraine to assist family members.

Keller-Lynn reports on former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's comments about the Russian invasion, and his concerns regarding the need to focus on the Iran nuclear deal.

Magid speaks about Israel's decision to vote in favor of the UN resolution condemning the Russian invasion, and how the Israeli position affects its current relationship with the US.

Keller-Lynn discusses comments made by the Ukrainian ambassador regarding his disappointment in Israel's handling of Ukrainian refuge-seekers who recently arrived in Israel.

She also comments on the ambassador's comment regarding Ukrainian assistance to Jews during the Holocaust, a comment that raised eyebrows during the press conference.

Magid closes up the podcast with an update about the talks with Iran, and how the Russian invasion into Ukraine may or may not affect the outcome.

Discussed articles include:

Netanyahu tells government to be quiet on Russia and focus on Iran

As government walks Ukraine tightrope, opposition waits for a slip-up

Lapid: Israel to back UN resolution condemning Russia, be ‘on right side of history’

Ukraine envoy ‘disappointed’ by Israel detaining refuge-seekers, wants defensive aid

100 tons of humanitarian aid en route from Israel to Ukraine

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IMAGE: A Polish border guard assists refugees from Ukraine as they arrive to Poland at the Korczowa border crossing, Feb. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur and environment reporter Sue Surkes join host Amanda Borschel-Dan. Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman reports in from Przemsyl, near the Poland-Ukraine border.

Berman updates on what he's seeing on the ground and where he's going from here. He speaks with Gzhegozh Sobol, a municipal employee running an absorption center in Krakow’s central train station.

Surkes has spent the week reporting on Ukraine’s Jews, focussing on heart-wrenching cases of fleeing orphans and a small community under fire. She updates on what she's heard from Ukraine's Jews, including US-born Chabad Rabbi Yisroel Silberstein who the leader of a very small community northeast of Kiev. What kind of picture is he painting?

Rettig Gur explains which countries are supportive of the Russian incursion their motivations. He also illustrates the rise of a newly united West.

Discussed articles include:

Live blog, March 1, 2022

Israel’s envoy to Ukraine describes a tense humanitarian crisis at border

In busy Krakow station, harried volunteers welcome Ukrainians refugees

Fleeing city near Belarus border, busloads of Ukraine Jewish orphans look to Israel

Ukraine rabbi sheltering 35 community members in synagogue basement pleads for help

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IMAGE: A group of Ukrainian people in Bali and supporters hold posters to protest against the invasion of Russia in front of the Ukraine consulate office in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia on March 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Zman Yisrael editor Biranit Goren and Health reporter Nathan Jeffay join host Amanda Borschel-Dan, while Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman reports in from Warsaw.

We hear from Berman, who is making his way from Warsaw to the Ukraine border. He met with Polish Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich and we hear a few minutes from that interview. Please check The Times of Israel website for more updates on the Ukraine crisis.

Goren discusses an article on The Times of Israel's sister Hebrew website Zman Yisrael by Ira Tolchin. In Israel, says Goren, the Russian and Ukrainian immigrant communities are exhibiting increasing solidarity during the armed conflict.

On March 1, the two-year emergency measures surrounding the coronavirus pandemic are being partially rescinded. Jeffay explains how Israel is faring now.

And finally, we hear about a fascinating new study in which Israeli scientists say they may be able to cut the risk of heart attack by rebalancing gut bacteria — using capsules containing germs collected from excrement.

Discussed articles include:

Live blog February 28

Israeli study mines donor poop for bacteria that could avert heart attacks

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IMAGE: A woman carries her child as she arrives at the Medyka border crossing after fleeing from the Ukraine, in Poland, February 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman join host Jessica Steinberg.

Berman discusses the diplomatic tightrope being walked by Israel with regard to its relations with both Ukraine and Russia. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid have been conducting a good cop-bad cop routine, offering aid but concerned about Israel's need to work with the Russian military presence in neighboring Syria.

Horovitz commented about his interview with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky two years ago and his conversation Saturday night with Zelensky's former press secretary, regarding the situation in Ukraine right now, and expectations for how and when the situation will end.

Berman also spoke about his plans to head to Poland Sunday, where some Israeli diplomats from Ukraine have temporarily relocated.

Horovitz brought up Israel's recent diplomatic crisis with Poland vis a vis Holocaust restitution, and moves to end the rift given the Russian invasion into Ukraine.

Discussed articles include:

PM talks with Ukraine’s Zelensky, again refrains from condemning Russia in statement

Hundreds of Israelis flee Ukraine by land, as Lapid orders to keep embassy in Lviv

Ex-Zelensky aide to ToI: Putin wants to own Ukraine; world must do more to deter him

A plea to the free world, US and Israel: Tell Putin that Zelensky must not be harmed

A serious man: Zelensky bids to address Ukraine’s dark past, brighten its future

Israel moves to end rift with Poland amid Ukraine fighting, sends envoy to Warsaw

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MAGE: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett poses for a picture at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, January 26, 2022; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the nation in Kyiv, Ukraine, February 24, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90; Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Diplomacy reporter Lazar Berman and Diaspora Affairs reporter Judah Ari Gross join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on this special extra episode focussed on the Ukraine crisis.

Berman explains what is happening with the thousands of Israelis left in the war-torn country and how they can still get out.

Gross tells us how listeners can help and what various Jewish organizations are doing now. He relates what he heard yesterday in conversations with Ukrainian Jews.

We speak about the nazi imagery being bantered about by both sides of the conflict. Where does this stem and why is it rearing its head now?

And finally, some 26 Ukrainian Birthrighters are stuck in Israel. The Jewish mother in all of us wants to know if they have a place for Shabbat.

Discussed articles include:

Some 500 Israelis fled Ukraine Thursday, thousands more remain – ministry

Live Blog February 25, 2022

Ukraine leader urges citizens to take up arms as Russia invades ‘like Nazi Germany’

How Putin distorts WWII, Holocaust to justify invasion of Ukraine

Ukraine tweets caricature showing Hitler giving his approval to Putin

26 young Ukrainian Jews visiting Israel stranded as Russia invades their country

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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