The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.

This week, before diving into the nuts and bolts of the iconic epic Hollywood adventure, we learn how the 1960 film "Exodus" is part of Hoffman's genesis story.

Hoffman lays out the film's plot, which is based on a 1958 Leon Uris novel. We learn about director Otto Preminger, who was a very big deal in Tinsel Town during his era, which is how he managed to capture an all-star cast including a dashing Paul Newman, high-heeled Eva Marie Saint, Sal Mineo's fury and the "good Arab" John Derek, whom we recently saw in "The Ten Commandments."

We give a big shoutout to Ernest Gold's soundtrack -- as well as the many covers of it.

We then hear a sharp criticism from Borschel-Dan on the poor historical accuracy of the film: The real boat, the Exodus 1947, never weighed anchor in Cyprus, where the first third of the film takes place.

Hoffman notes that the film raises abiding issues, including ideology pitting brother against brother and the everlasting hope of coexistence in the land.

Stick around to see if "Exodus" got an "oy," "meh" or "not bad" in this week's The Reel Schmooze.

The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, join host diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.

The world, and most Israelis, were horrified this week as a photo of an IDF soldier smashing a statue of Jesus in Lebanon spread across social media. The act was roundly condemned by the army and by Israel's leaders.

Yet, it happened.

And it wasn't the first time Israeli soldiers had disrespected Christian sites in Lebanon, nor was it the only instance of Israel drawing the ire of Christians around the world.

Rabbi David Rosen is a leader in Israeli and Jewish ties with Christians, especially the Catholic Church. Drawing on decades of experience, including numerous meetings with popes, he lays out the moral reasons for investing in ties with the Christian world, and why it is in Israel's national interest to get these relations right.

He calls the modern Catholic Church a "loyal friend to the Jewish people," marking the "most dramatic transformation in the course of human history." The vast majority of the Christian world does not want to be seen as antisemitic, and sees itself as an ally of the Jewish people.

But there is much to be done. Israel still has not concluded its decades-long talks with the Vatican, despite promising to wrap them up in the 1990s.

Moreover, Israeli society doesn't understand the Christian world. Most religious Israelis have had no meaningful relationships with Christians, and see them through shallow stereotypes of historical antisemitism -- "almost a reverse image of some of the anti-Semitic cartoon images." Even worse, extremists continue to harass Christians in the Old City of Jerusalem and beyond.

Rosen points at urgent tasks Israel must complete undertake if it is to get ties with Christians right. It must fix the "fundamental and enormous educational flaw" in schools by creating curricula to familiarize Israeli students with contemporary Christians, including their communities inside of Israel.

Police must crack down on harassment of Christians in order to stamp out the phenomenon.

Finally, he says, a senior official position must be created to build Israel's strategy toward churches and the broader Christian world. "There is no strategic thinking, no strategic approach whatsoever on the part of sequential governments of government after government in Israel," he laments, "because basically there has not been an understanding that this needs to be a priority in any way."

Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and video edited by Ari Schlacht.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Lebanese and Israeli representatives are set to meet in Washington, DC, today. It was reported yesterday that Lebanon was hoping to extend the shaky ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel by a month. At the same time, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar openly considered the notion of peace between the two nations at an Independence Day speech on Wednesday. Horovitz weighs in.

Has the Iran conflict become a shipping war? According to reports on Wednesday, the US military has intercepted at least three Iranian-flagged tankers in Asian waters and is redirecting them away from their positions near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. At the same time, Iranian forces seized two container ships on Wednesday, according to global security monitors and the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Horovitz unravels the stalled negotiations even as the double US and Iranian blockades at the Strait of Hormuz may lead to a military escalation.

In the second half of the program, we turn to the observation of two national days this week and share a glimpse of Israel today. Horovitz notes the overt politicization of state ceremonies, a phenomenon that began in 2018 and reached a crescendo this week.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

From grief to trepidation: This year’s fateful transition from Memorial Day to Independence Day

Lebanon said to seek one-month truce extension; Hezbollah again targets troops with drone

US intercepts Iran oil tankers in Asian waters as demining of Hormuz expected to take months

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and edited by Yitzhak Ledee.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

US President Donald Trump unexpectedly announces an extension of the truce with Iran hours before the April 22 deadline, reports Magid, adding that the president's recent spate of muddled messaging hasn't helped matters. Magid notes that a divide within the Iranian leadership is slowing decision-making, as it continues to play hardball.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee heads to the US for a second round of Israel-Lebanon talks that appear to have some momentum, says Magid, but will require the ability of the Lebanese government to crack down on Hezbollah if any real progress is to be made.

Magid notes that the April 11 deadline set by the Board of Peace for Hamas to respond to the disarmament deal has passed. Hamas doesn't want to be blamed for the collapse of talks, says Magid, but the Board of Peace is still aiming for a phased disarmament.

Finally, Magid reports on another deadly incident in the central West Bank village in which two Palestinians were killed, allegedly shot by an IDF reservist from the Hagmar regional defense unit.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

In major about-face, Trump announces extension of Iran truce hours before deadline

Vance reportedly set to depart for Pakistan, but still unclear if Iran will join talks

New round of Israel-Lebanon talks set for Thursday as US said trying to extend truce

‘They’re not easy’: Board of Peace envoy admits Hamas disarmament talks stalled

2 Palestinians, one of them 14, killed in alleged settler attack in West Bank

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.

IMAGE: US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg on today's Daily Briefing (ToI)

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Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Jessica Steinberg speaking with author Rachel Goldberg-Polin.

Rachel Goldberg-Polin began writing her new book, "When We See You Again," as a way of finding some relief from her pain after she buried her son, 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was executed by his Hamas captors in August 2024, after being held captive for 330 days in a Gaza tunnel.

Goldberg-Polin speaks about the process of writing the book, urged by her husband, Jon Polin, and how the book became a kind of answer to people asking her how she was.

The bulk of the book takes place after the Goldberg-Polins buried Hersh on August 31, 2024, and is an accounting of their lives in what Goldberg-Polin terms the Before and After.

What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.

IMAGE: Author Rachel Goldberg-Polin joins host Jessica Steinberg for an episode of What Matters Now

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Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Tech editor Sharon Wrobel joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

As the shekel crossed the below-3-to-the-dollar threshold, its strongest level in 30 years, Wrobel notes that the shekel's strength against the dollar shows its resilience and the market's belief in the currency following the war with Iran, although it does create problems for Israeli exporters.

With Israeli airspace reopened following the ceasefire with Iran, Wrobel reports on how Israeli airlines are responding to passengers as they work at getting back to full speed.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Shekel breaks below 3 to the dollar in first since 1995; exporters warn of economy risk

Israeli airlines accused of reselling stranded customers’ seats for wartime windfall

Comptroller pans government for failing to plan for air travel turbulence during war

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.

IMAGE: Tech editor Sharon Wrobel joins host Jessica Steinberg on today's Daily Briefing. (ToI)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

On Sunday, for the first time since hostilities with Hezbollah escalated last month during the Iran war — when the terror group resumed rocket and drone attacks on Israel — Israeli reporters were allowed by the Israel Defense Forces to enter southern Lebanon, in an escorted visit to the newly established security zone. Fabian was there and reports back on the experience of entering Lebanon and the new road infrastructure that has been laid there.

We discuss how the Israeli military is, in essence, reestablishing a security zone that it left some 26 years ago. Fabian explains why commanders say that this time around, it will not carry with it the same dangers that troops faced during the 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon in 1982-2000.

In the second half of the program, we turn to a briefing Fabian attended on Friday. The IDF said that it remains on high alert and ready to return to fighting in both Iran and Lebanon if the fragile ceasefires in both countries collapse or expire without an extension in the coming weeks. We also learn about the IDF's somewhat pessimistic assessment of the truces announced by US President Donald Trump.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

26 years later, IDF restores its south Lebanon security zone — with key changes

IDF on high alert amid fragile, temporary ceasefires in Iran and Lebanon

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and edited by Ari Schlacht.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

A damning Wall Street Journal report depicts US President Donald Trump as making key decisions about the war in Iran in a slapdash manner without input from his advisers, stating he was eager for a ceasefire to address rising fuel prices.

As the ostensible end of the two-week ceasefire with Iran looms, Berman assesses five points of apparent failure on the part of the joint US and Israel conflict with Iran, including the focus on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's new position there; the percentage of missiles still available to Iran; the current strength of Iran's proxies; the uptick of Iranian-linked terror abroad and the status of the Iranian nuclear program.

We then turn our gaze to the Lebanon front, where Hezbollah was granted a reprieve from the conflict with Trump's imposed ceasefire. What are Israel's concerns -- even as this could be an opportunity for direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli leadership?

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

IDF reservist killed, nine wounded by explosive in southern Lebanon amid truce

IDF reservist killed by Hezbollah explosive in Lebanon amid truce, 3 troops hurt

Iran parliament speaker touts ‘progress’ in US talks, but Strait of Hormuz still shut

Iran reimposes Hormuz closure after US maintains blockade; IRGC gunboats fire at ships

Trump: Iran ‘got a little cute’ by blocking Hormuz again, but talks going ‘really well’

Netanyahu: ‘Road to peace’ with Lebanon begins; Trump: Israel ‘PROHIBITED’ from bombing there

Amid truce with Israel, Aoun says Lebanon to now seek ‘permanent agreements’

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Yitzhak Ledee filmed and edited this episode.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.

We start the program with a "Jangle" -- a Jewish angle -- on this week's entertainment news. Hoffman brings a tale of our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, who defends three Israelis in Times Square who are being attacked by a would-be social media influencer. Hear what transpires.

Our main feature this week is Israeli director Nadav Lapid newest film, "Yes!" The film has raised eyebrows -- and not a little amount of ire -- in Israel for its messaging, with the Minister of Culture Miki Zohar weighing in. 

Now screening in the United States, the film premiered in 2025 at the Cannes Film Festival. The film focuses on an artistic couple that is willing to do almost anything to succeed in their art, including sex work and writing a horrific anthem calling for the complete destruction of Gaza.

Stick around to see if "Yes!" got an "oy," "meh" or "not bad" in this week's The Reel Schmooze.

The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, join host diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.

The shorthand term "Gulf states" doesn't describe a monolith. The Arab states along the Persian Gulf -- Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain -- all have unique internal dynamics, and approach their relationships with both Israel and Iran in different ways.

Yet they do share a common threat -- the Shiite regional heavyweight just across the water, Iran.

Placing a priority on stability and prosperity, the Gulf states have sought to prevent a war between the US and Iran. And if that war did break out, they hoped to secure immunity from Iranian attacks by maintaining diplomatic channels with the Islamic Republic and by showing that they were working for a ceasefire.

That effort failed spectacularly. All the Gulf states were targeted by Iran, and the UAE was the country hardest hit by Iran in the war that began on February 28.

The war made the countries look weak, as none of them hit back, nor were they able to put together a unified diplomatic initiative to end the war.

Moran Zaga, expert on the Gulf states at the University of Haifa and at MIND Israel, explains how each of the countries is rethinking its approach to the Iran threat, and whether they are open to deeper ties with Israel.

For now, she says, they are facing new and pressing challenges that threaten their economic well-being -- the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the possibility that the Houthis will shut down the approaches to the Red Sea, and Iran's insistence that it should decide who gets to enter the Persian Gulf.

Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and video edited by Ari Schlacht.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.