Podcast Episodes

Elli Fischer: 'The Torah ideal is for Israel to be a religious state'

Season 1 Episode 37

The Torah wants Israel to be a religious state, Rabbi Elli Fischer says. Just, maybe, not right now. 
A historian, writer, translator, and educator, Elli Fischer extensively explores the relationship …

Published on 3 months ago

Yoav Heller: 'Israel will be in existential peril if society continues to fragment'

Season 1 Episode 36

Twice in its history, Jewish sovereignty collapsed in the last quarter of its first century. Yoav Heller believes Israel must heed this warning.
Chairman of the Wingate Institute and a Holocaust histo…

Published on 3 months, 1 week ago

Mikhael Manekin: 'This is a land of two peoples, and I don't view that as a problem'

Season 1 Episode 35

Wishing Arabs would disappear from Israel, Mikhael Manekin says, is a dangerous fantasy.
One of the leaders of Israel's Hasmol Haemuni (Faithful Left) movement, Mikhael is a vocal religious activist f…

Published on 3 months, 2 weeks ago

Einat Wilf: 'Jews are never allowed to win, and Arabs are never allowed to lose' (Re-Release)

We return next week with a new episode of 18 Questions, 40 Israeli Thinkers. In the meantime, enjoy this earlier interview with Einat Wilf, recorded Nov. 25, 2024. 

The true enemy in Israel's current …

Published on 3 months, 4 weeks ago

Anshel Pfeffer: 'The idea that you'll obliterate Hamas is as realistic as wanting to obliterate Chabad'

Season 1 Episode 34

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not surprise Anshel Pfeffer over the last 17 months of war—and that's the most disappointing part.
A British-born Israeli journalist, Anshel Pfeffer is the Israel…

Published on 4 months, 2 weeks ago

Mosheh Lichtenstein: 'Jewish values don't celebrate might'

Season 1 Episode 33

Judaism does not value power and might, Rav Mosheh Lichtenstein says—in fact, it abhors it.
Co-rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion, Rav Mosheh is a venerated leader in Israel's Religious Zionist world…

Published on 4 months, 3 weeks ago

Ruby Chen: My Son is Likely a Deceased Hostage. Don't Forget Him in Gaza.

Season 1 Episode 32

Sgt. Itay Chen was taken captive by Hamas on October 7. The IDF believes he is dead—but his family is still holding out hope.
Ever since Itay was declared Missing in Action, Ruby and Chagit Chen—and t…

Published on 5 months ago

Jonathan Dekel-Chen: My Son was a Hostage in Gaza for 43 Million Seconds. He Felt Every One.

Season 1 Episode 31

Sagui Dekel-Chen was held hostage in Gaza for 498 days—or 43 million seconds. He came home on Feb. 15.
An American-Israeli citizen who was living in Kibbutz Nir Oz, Sagui left behind a pregnant wife a…

Published on 5 months, 1 week ago

Yossi Klein Halevi: What’s Next: The Future of Liberal Zionism (18Forty Podcast Re-Release)

We don't have a new episode this week, but we invite you to revisit our 18Forty Podcast conversation with Yossi Klein Halevi, originally aired on Dec. 26, 2023. 

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast…

Published on 5 months, 3 weeks ago

Yishai Fleisher: ‘Israel is not meant to be equal for all — it’s a nation-state’

Season 1 Episode 30

Israel should prioritize its Jewish citizens, Yishai Fleisher says, because that's what a nation-state does.
Yishai is the international spokesman for the Jewish community of Hebron, a flashpoint in t…

Published on 6 months ago