Shows
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"What I do now as a commander is to make sure that the soldiers don't kill themselves."Someone wrote me from the States yesterday and asked me, “What’s the mood?” Truth is, there is no mood. Gaza might erupt as Trump pushes to Phase II, but then again, he might not, and Gaza might not. The IDF is insisting that Hezbollah never really disarmed, and that if the Lebanese Army won’t do it, we will. But we might not. The revolution in Iran is heating up, Trump is saber rattling (and after Venezuela, that might not be meaningless), but Iran has said that it will respond to any US milit...
2026-01-1202 min
What Matters NowWhat Matters Now to Daniel Gordis: The lonely man of ZionismWelcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with Daniel Gordis. Gordis, an author, scholar, rabbi, activist and sometime Times of Israel blogger, is the creator of the popular Substack blog and podcast, "Israel from the Inside." He recounts how he began the blog in 2021 to pull the curtain back on the Jewish state for those living abroad. In this episode, we discuss the evolution Gordis's decision to be a pro-Israel, yet critical voice in a tricky global...
2025-09-1635 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisThe story of a village and a bakery that remind us of the Israel we love, the Israel that brings us pride.Just yesterday, I drove north for conversation with a psychiatrist whose military unit does psychiatric PTSD interventions on the battlefield, just behind the front lines. We’ll post that interview about the treatment center of which he is a part soon. But he said something to me yesterday that put into words why I so wanted to have today’s conversation with Ilana Saks.This doctor said to me that though he spends all his days working with people who are terribly broken, some of whom will get better and some of whom may not, this young, woun...
2025-08-0649 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"How's the wifi on the boat?" ◼️ The chasm separating American Jews and Israelis, the morality or immorality of Israeli society, and a host of other topics ...Some time ago, I had the privilege of hosting Rabbi Meir Azari of the Daniel Centers for Progressive Judaism on my podcast here on Israel from the Inside. The occasion for that conversation was the publication in Hebrew, of Rabbi Azari’s newest book, on Jewish leadership in this era. Our conversation, which you’re welcome to listen to in full, was called "From Zion Shall Go Forth Torah" — but of what sort? You’re invited to listen to it here. More recently, Rabbi Azari invited me to join him on his podcast for the Daniel C...
2025-07-2107 min
The NarrativeInside Israel and Iran with Daniel GordisIn the rubble of war, Israel is rebuilding—and Christians need to pay attention. This week on The Narrative, CCV President Aaron Baer, his wife Maria, and CCV Communications Director Mike Andrews sit down with Daniel Gordis—a leading voice on Israeli affairs—to unpack what life looks in the country today. From the aftermath of October 7 to the spiritual and societal resilience of the Jewish people, this is a timely and powerful conversation every Christian should hear. Before they speak with Daniel, CCV Policy Director David Mahan joins Aaron and Mike to run th...
2025-07-111h 19
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"We know that something is broken in Israeli society and Israeli religiosity, but salvation can come in the blink of an eye."I’ve mentioned this a few times in recent months, but beyond hostages (always my primary concern), war and politics, one of the questions that has lodged itself in my mind is that of what I would call “Jewish religiosity with moderation at its heart.” By that I don’t mean this movement or that movement, or this way of Jewish life or that way of Jewish life, this mode of practice or that mode of practice. Rather, the question that I've been thinking about quite a bit is “What would it take for the fundamental pulse of traditional Judaism in...
2025-05-2056 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"From Zion Shall Go Forth Torah" — but of what sort?A while back, I saw the opening to a book review in Haaretz with the following question in large black letters:Reform Rabbi Meir Azari: “When Jews go into an Arab Village and burn homes on Shabbat, that’s Judaism?” To a certain ilk of Jews in this country, of course, the answer is “yes.” They won’t quite say that explicitly, but their actions leave no doubt as to what they think. Their rabbis don’t condemn it, while some of those rabbis obviously encourage it. The army does virtually nothing to sto...
2025-04-2849 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisWhy everyone who cares about Israel should who know who MK Gilad Kariv isToday’s post is a clip from the Knesset channel of a speech given last week by MK Gilad Kariv, to which we have added subtitles for our readers. Gilad Kariv is currently a member of the Knesset for the Democrats and previously for the Labor Party, in the 25th Knesset. He gave a speech at the Knesset during Hanukkah which, I think, ought to be heard and admired by everyone who cares about Israel’s moral fiber. Before we get to MK Kariv, though, a correction and an apology. Last week...
2025-01-0504 min
18 Questions, 40 MysticsDaniel Gordis: ‘The great failure of the hostages is enormous’With over 100 hostages still trapped in Gaza, Daniel Gordis says, that is Israel's greatest failure to date—even if it's unclear that any deals would have gotten them back.An acclaimed writer and author, Daniel Gordis is a Koret Distinguished Fellow at the Israeli liberal arts institution Shalem College and writes for his 41,000 subscribers on his Substack, Israel From the Inside. From Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn to Impossible Takes Longer, Daniel's award-winning books probe the inner logic and history of Israel, Zionism, and the Jewish People—and are considered must-haves on bo...
2024-12-231h 30
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"This isn't your father's Ulpan anymore" ... a quiet revolution in how people are teaching—and learning—HebrewIt’s getting dark here, and I don’t mean because the days are getting shorter. At least in my crowd, the WhatsApp flow is just sad. I was looking for a message earlier today when I found myself staring at an exchange I’d had earlier this morning with a dear friend. Still hadn’t found the message I was looking for, though, and more or less not focusing, came across this one, that I’d not noticed before Yom Kippur. It had been sent to our synagogue community:Hi, friends. I...
2024-10-1438 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"Morning has broken" — but we dare not forget the nightMy mom used to tell me that she always remembered where she was when she heard that FDR had died. She was only ten, she would remind us, but she remembered. And she always would. Depending on our age, most of us remember where we were, and maybe whom we were with, when we heard that war had broken out in 1973, or that the World Trade Center had been hit by two planes, or that the Challenger had exploded. I can still picture the bedspread on my parents’ bed where I was sitting as we were watching th...
2024-09-2900 min
EylON the RecordAmerican Jews at a Crossroads | Daniel Gordis on the political and cultural crisis facing US JewrySend a textIn this thought-provoking episode of "State of the Nation," Dr. Daniel Gordis delves into the strategic dilemmas facing the Jewish diaspora, particularly American Jews, in light of recent geopolitical events and the upcoming U.S. presidential election. Dr. Gordis explores the internal conflicts within the American Jewish community, the shifting political allegiances post-October 7th, and the broader implications for Jewish identity and safety. Tune in for an in-depth discussion on the intersection of Jewish history, politics, and the complex relationship between American Jews and Israel.Support the showABOUT THE...
2024-07-081h 05
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"Kiryat Shemona was named for the eight defenders of Tel Hai, but will be known for the eight houses that remained standing"We begin with this chalkboard image, the origins of which I don’t know, as someone sent it to me. It’s a pithy way of capturing what many Israelis feel about this still-shrinking country:My great-grandfather told us that once, we could go traveling in Syria.
My grandma told that once, we used to be able to travel in Lebanon.
Mom tells me that once we could travel in the Galilee.While it’s always true that it’s impossible to capture the mood of a country from only official news sites, that fee...
2024-06-0400 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisTo light the torch, or to extinguish? Israeli TV carried two competing, simultaneous Independence Day ceremonies. Why?With the recovery over the weekend of the bodies of four of our hostages, including one who was not known to have been killed, the kidnapped captives are back in the center of Israel’s news. That is obviously what the hostages’ families and many others want, and what they sought to accomplish with the alternate Yom Ha-Atzma’ut ceremony that they ran, a ceremony that national TV ran alongside the traditional, official one. We’ll soon get to the video at the very top of this post, which is a clip from the traditional national Yom Ha-Atzma...
2024-05-1904 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"They argue, while we die." Echoes of Peter, Paul & Mary, Joan Baez, and Pete Seeger in today's IsraelEven in the brief clip above, taken from a song that has appeared all over Twitter and Facebook in the past day or two (my thanks to Daniel G. for being the first one to bring it to my attention), you get a sense that this isn’t the Israeli music you’ve come to know. It sounds a lot more like Joan Baez or Pete Seeger protesting the Vietnam war. But, obviously, it is as Israeli as Israeli can be. I have often quoted in these posts the insightful observation of my good friend, Yossi Klein Hale...
2024-05-0900 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"Believe me, the army doesn't care if your son gets killed."Almost since the war began, people have been writing me to ask, “Is it true that the army is actually not giving the soldiers the equipment they need? We hear of lots of people in the US helping to buy equipment, but we also hear the army reassuring everyone that there’s no shortage. What’s the story here?”Truth was, I didn’t know. Several very serious, strategic philanthropists I know have been raising money, bringing over equipment in dozens of duffle bags, and in some cases, chartering planes to get stuff here. But I also hear, on t...
2024-05-0837 min
Townhall Review | Full Interviews & MonologuesFrom Abraham Accords to War: Exploring Israel's Evolving Landscape | Hugh Hewitt with Daniel GordisIn this episode, Hugh Hewitt is joined by Daniel Gordis, author of Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn. They discuss the impact of the ongoing war in Israel, emphasizing the transformation it has brought to the country. Gordis highlights the need for a comprehensive investigation, likely led by a former Supreme Court justice, to address the failures and reshape Israel's future, indicating that the repercussions will extend for decades. 👉Follow Hugh on X 👉Follow Daniel Gordis on X See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2023-12-1925 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"Maybe this war will be called the Second War of Independence"Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, IDF International Spokesman, has been seen all over international television in recent weeks, earning kudos for his expert and frank representation of Israel during this war against Hamas. I sat with Lt. Col. Hecht in his office on an army base in the center of the country yesterday, and had a far reaching conversation with him about the various reasons for Israel’s providing humanitarian aid to Gazans, what America's unprecedented support for Israel, including two carrier groups in the Mediterranean sea, does but also does not mean, the 47 atrocity-movie which ha...
2023-11-1338 min
In These Times with Rabbi Ammi HirschDaniel GordisThe civil unrest in Israel — centering around the judicial overhaul — is an unprecedented existential crisis that threatens to tear the country apart. Daniel Gordis has been one of Israel's most unabashed advocates. But today, he's calling on diaspora Jews to get involved in ways he never has before...Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/in-these-times-with-rabbi-ammi-hirsch/donations
2023-10-0542 min
The Jewish ExperienceFAITH & FRACTURE: Conflicts Within Modern Day Judaism | Featuring: Dr. Daniel GordisIn this thought-provoking podcast episode with Rabbi Wildes, we dive deep into the complexities of Israel's ongoing conflicts, featuring the esteemed Dr. Daniel Gordis as our guest. Dr. Gordis provides a comprehensive analysis of the multifaceted issues plaguing Israel, from the judicial reform protests shaking the nation to the intricacies of the two-state solution. We explore the delicate balance between security and peace in the region and examine the impact of these political struggles on everyday life for Israelis. Moreover, Dr. Gordis sheds light on the evolving landscape of Judaism in the modern world and its effects on the Jewish...
2023-09-2755 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"What are the most realistic but pessimistic and optimistic scenarios you can see for the coming year?"Shortly before Rosh Hashanah, my friend and colleague, Rabbi Danny Schiff, invited me to have a Zoom conversation with him, for the leadership of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, about the year that has passed in Israel, and what may lie ahead. Conversations with Danny are always illuminating, so I readily agreed. Towards the end of our conversation, Danny asked me what I thought might be the most “realistic but pessimistic” scenarios for the coming year, but at the same time, also the most “realistic but optimistic” ways things could unfold as well. Optimi...
2023-09-2612 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisUnlike other Supreme Courts, Israel's highest bench invites foreigners to serve as ClerksOur daughter, our son and our daughter-in-law all clerked at Israel’s Supreme Court at various times over the past decade. We would hear lots of “court talk” in those days—not about specific cases, of course, but the culture of the court and the like. And periodically, one of them would mention a non-Israeli working at the court, a comment that perplexed me but to which I didn’t pay much attention. Turns out, I learned this summer, Israel is the only (to my knowledge, but certainly among a very few) country that invites law studen...
2023-09-2136 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisNot long ago, American Jewish communities were inviting Israelis in the US to join them. Now it's the Israeli Americans who are doing the inviting.When he moved to Palo Alto, Offir Gutelzon did not imagine himself with a bullhorn, wearing a T-shirt that reads “Saving Israeli Democracy.” Nor did he imagine that he would be part of the founding group of UnXeptable, a grassroots movement launched by Israeli expats to support a democratic Israel. He and his wife also didn’t imagine that it would be a crisis in Israel, halfway across the world, the would get their teenage sons invested not only in Israel, but in Jewish life writ large. The earthquake in Israel is being felt i...
2023-09-0434 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisIn Memoriam - Dalia Fadila (1973-2023)Israel tragically lost a brave, creative Israeli-Arab educator on Friday, when Dr. Dalia Fadila drowned off the Herzliya beach. When we ran our podcast with Dalia almost two years ago, listeners were deeply moved. Many readers and listeners have joined us since then, so today, we are re-running that interview, providing access to everyone.This is the text that accompanied our interview with Dr. Fadila almost two years ago: To be in a conversation with Dr. Dalia Fadila is to be challenged, inspired and moved. Fadila, an Israeli Arab educator, sat...
2023-08-1043 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisDrinking away our sorrows at this Jerusalem- based distilleryHere is this week’s schedule (subject to changes as the new cycle requires): * Sunday: the music video, “I don’t hate,” which more or less shows how much people do hate, even if they are trying not to. * Monday : the numerous suggestions that it’s time for Israel to split into two countries (available in full to paid subscribers). * Tuesday: a podcast (available to everyone) with the founder of Jeremy’s Circle, an organization that provides support to the children of families who have a family member struggling with a critical dis...
2023-08-0929 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"The best way to take care of Jeremy was to take care of our kids."Here is what we have planned for this week (subject to changes as the new cycle requires): * Sunday: the music video, “I don’t hate,” which more or less shows how much people do hate, even if they are trying not to. * Monday : the numerous suggestions that it’s time for Israel to split into two countries (available in full to paid subscribers). * Tuesday (today): a podcast (available to everyone) with the founder of Jeremy’s Circle, an organization that provides support to the children of families who have a family member str...
2023-08-0830 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"There is, indeed, a marginalized Israel. But it is not Mizrahi."As grave as Israel’s present crisis is, I’m still optimistic—which does not mean certain—that democracy will survive and even remain largely liberal. Yet if we are to avoid a similar crisis in the future, it will be critical that we eventually understand how we got where we are, and what were and are the underlying causes of this deep, painful national rift. Some of that we will only know with the passage of time. It will take decades to fully understand this, but even now, it’s impossible not to wonder. In almost...
2023-08-0246 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"Safeguarding Our Shared Home"—How the Jerusalem protests got startedIt will surprise no one that there’s an entire network of volunteers behind the protests throughout the country. Many of us who live here get constant WhatsApps — if you’ve been arrested, we’re here to help. Contact this number for lawyers who are volunteering to help you. Shaken up after being arrested or harassed by the police? This number will lead you to professionals donating their time to help you through the trauma. And so it goes. But, it turns out, there’s lots more behind the scenes. I recently began to ask myself how...
2023-07-2055 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisWhat will happen in Israel "is, and should be, of great concern for democracies across the globe"Judge Barbara M. Lynn has many “firsts” to her credit— she was the first woman member of the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society at the University of Virginia, where she did her undergraduate studies. She was the first woman associate and later the first female partner at her firm, Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal LLP, a position she held after graduating from SMU’s Dedman School of Law in Dallas in 1976 (and finishing first in her class). Judge Lynn also served as the first female chief judge in Texas when she served as chief judge of the U.S. District Court fo...
2023-07-1838 min
The Honest ReportThe True Story Of Zionism, The National Liberation Movement Of The Jewish People: A Fireside Chat With Daniel Gordis, Internationally Renowned Scholar, Author & CommentatorThere are few terms in the English language which have been as widely misunderstood and misrepresented as Zionism. While anti-Israel detractors claim that Zionism is synonymous with racism, settler-colonialism, and oppression, in reality, it refers to the national liberation movement of the Jewish People.
But what exactly does that mean, and in particular, what does Zionism mean for Israel today, a country that gained its independence 75 years ago and despite challenges, is likely as stable and secure as it has ever been?
The success of anti-Israel activists in falsely redefining Zionism has not only contributed...
2023-07-1219 min
BookstackEpisode 111: Daniel Gordis on Israel at 75The State of Israel engenders a wide range of emotions among onlookers, running the gamut from admiration to revulsion. In his new book Impossible Takes Longer (https://www.harpercollins.com/products/impossible-takes-longer-daniel-gordis), Daniel Gordis uses a wide lens to assess where the country is today in light of the goals of those who founded it. He joins host Richard Aldous for a broad look at Israel’s successes—and its failures. This interview was recorded before the Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with...
2023-07-0634 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisThe World's Largest Collection of Herzl MemorabiliaMy wife and I have close friends in Toronto, so (pre-Covid), a combination of Shalem College work and visits to friends used to get me to Canada pretty regularly. And over the years, I’d come to know David Matlow, a respected attorney at Goodmans LLP, who, I was told, owed the world’s largest collection of Herzl memorabilia. But somehow, I’d never gotten around to seeing the collection. Until one Shabbat after, while taking a talk with another friend named David, David said to me, “that’s Matlow’s house. Do you want to...
2023-06-2849 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"Israel is in the best position it has ever known. And Israel is at its most dangerous moment ever."Here’s the question I get asked these days more than any other:Let’s assume that the protest movement succeeds, and Bibi somehow manages to put the proposed judicial reforms in the drawer, lock the drawer and throw away the key. Eventually, with Israel’s demographics shifting to the right, to the Mizrahim, to the Haredim—the liberal values at the heart of the country simply have to give way one day, don’t they? Wouldn’t this be, at best, a temporary win for the protesters?It’s a very fair question and a...
2023-06-1224 min
SAPIR ConversationsS9E2: A Conversation with Daniel Gordis and Editor-in-Chief Bret StephensSAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Daniel Gordis, author of "Israel Is Less Fragile Than We Feared, More Fragile Than We Imagine"
2023-05-2259 min
New Books in Jewish StudiesDaniel Gordis, "Impossible Takes Longer: 75 Years After Its Creation, Has Israel Fulfilled Its Founders' Dreams?" (Ecco Press, 2023)In 1948, Israel’s founders had much more in mind than the creation of a state. They sought not mere sovereignty but also a “national home for the Jewish people,” where Jewish life would be transformed. Did they succeed? The state they made, says Daniel Gordis, is a place of extraordinary success and maddening disappointment, a story of both unprecedented human triumph and great suffering.Now, as the country marks its seventy-fifth anniversary, Gordis asks: Has Israel fulfilled the dreams of its founders? Using Israel's Declaration of Independence as his measure, Gordis provides a thorough, balanced perspective on how th...
2023-05-1740 min
Van Leer Institute Series on IdeasDaniel Gordis, "Impossible Takes Longer: 75 Years After Its Creation, Has Israel Fulfilled Its Founders' Dreams?" (Ecco Press, 2023)In 1948, Israel’s founders had much more in mind than the creation of a state. They sought not mere sovereignty but also a “national home for the Jewish people,” where Jewish life would be transformed. Did they succeed? The state they made, says Daniel Gordis, is a place of extraordinary success and maddening disappointment, a story of both unprecedented human triumph and great suffering.Now, as the country marks its seventy-fifth anniversary, Gordis asks: Has Israel fulfilled the dreams of its founders? Using Israel's Declaration of Independence as his measure, Gordis provides a thorough, balanced perspective on how th...
2023-05-1740 min
New Books in Middle Eastern StudiesDaniel Gordis, "Impossible Takes Longer: 75 Years After Its Creation, Has Israel Fulfilled Its Founders' Dreams?" (Ecco Press, 2023)In 1948, Israel’s founders had much more in mind than the creation of a state. They sought not mere sovereignty but also a “national home for the Jewish people,” where Jewish life would be transformed. Did they succeed? The state they made, says Daniel Gordis, is a place of extraordinary success and maddening disappointment, a story of both unprecedented human triumph and great suffering.Now, as the country marks its seventy-fifth anniversary, Gordis asks: Has Israel fulfilled the dreams of its founders? Using Israel's Declaration of Independence as his measure, Gordis provides a thorough, balanced perspective on how th...
2023-05-1740 min
New Books in Israel StudiesDaniel Gordis, "Impossible Takes Longer: 75 Years After Its Creation, Has Israel Fulfilled Its Founders' Dreams?" (Ecco Press, 2023)In 1948, Israel’s founders had much more in mind than the creation of a state. They sought not mere sovereignty but also a “national home for the Jewish people,” where Jewish life would be transformed. Did they succeed? The state they made, says Daniel Gordis, is a place of extraordinary success and maddening disappointment, a story of both unprecedented human triumph and great suffering.Now, as the country marks its seventy-fifth anniversary, Gordis asks: Has Israel fulfilled the dreams of its founders? Using Israel's Declaration of Independence as his measure, Gordis provides a thorough, balanced perspective on how th...
2023-05-1737 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisHow do you get Israeli tech to spread beyond Tel Aviv?A long, long time ago, in a land before judicial reform, we used to speak about other things, too. Several months ago, in January, we interviewed Tomer Swisa, a graduate of Shalem College, about a fascinating new project in which he is involved. Alas, judicial reform took over the airwaves, and our conversation with Tomer has been waiting for a respite in the news for us to share it with you. Tomer’s story is a fascinating one. A former commando in Sayeret Matkal (Israel’s foremost commando unit), Tomer was finishing up his degree at S...
2023-05-1638 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisA life filled with purpose — My conversation with Professor Russ Roberts on EconTalkEconTalk, a podcast with Russel Roberts, is one of the most popular podcasts out there, and not long ago, Russ invited me to record a conversation with him on my new book, Impossible Takes Longer, for EconTalk. Russ, as you will quickly discover if you listen to the episode, is a fabulous interlocutor. Professor Russ Roberts is the President of Shalem College. He is an economist, writer and teacher, as well as the John and Jean De Nault Research Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. As noted above, he is also the founder of Ec...
2023-05-021h 27
Call Me Back - with Dan SenorHow do we know if a country is a success? Israel at 75, with Daniel GordisItems discussed in this episode"Impossible Takes Longer":https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/impossible-takes-longer-daniel-gordis/1141759170 "Netanyahu: The Figures Who Formed Him, and the Duties of Jewish Leadership":https://mosaicmagazine.com/observation/israel-zionism/2021/12/netanyahu-the-figures-who-formed-him-and-the-duties-of-jewish-leadership/ "Israel From The Inside":https://danielgordis.substack.com/
2023-05-0156 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisHow to celebrate Yom HaAtzmaut outside of IsraelWith Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) now behind us, Israel will move next week into the second and third of what are commonly called the National Holidays, or by some, the National High Holidays. Next week, Israel will mark Yom HaZikaron (Remembrance Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror) and then Yom HaAtzmaut (Independence Day). How might one take in the full power of these days when not in Israel? After all, the highways are not going to come to a full stop during an air raid siren, there will be no national ceremonies...
2023-04-1914 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisFor Yom HaShoah: "From Holocaust to Independence, From Destruction to Rebirth"This past Sunday, I shared with two congregations in the Northeast some thoughts about the situation in Israel, with today’s commemoration of Yom HaShoah very much in mind. One of the themes I focused on was the notion of me-churban le-binyan (“from destruction to rebuilding”), which has become a central theme of the story of the Jewish people that many of us tell ourselves and each other, in the aftermath of the Holocaust and the State of Israel. I sought to explain how the events transpiring in Israel threaten that narrative, and therefore, are as potentially existe...
2023-04-1829 min
Power-Up With This Inspiring Full Audiobook — Perfect This Weekend.Impossible Takes Longer by Daniel GordisPlease visithttps://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/2/audible/28658to listen full audiobooks.
Title: Impossible Takes Longer
Author: Daniel Gordis
Narrator: Rob Shapiro
Format: mp3
Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
Release date: 04-11-23
Ratings: 4.5 out of 5 stars, 40 ratings
Genres: Religious
Publisher's Summary:
In 1948, Israel’s founders sought a “national home for the Jewish people,” where Jewish life would be transformed. The state they ultimately made, says Daniel Gordis, is a place of extraordinary success and maddening disappointment, a story of both unprecedented human triumph and great suffering.
2023-04-1111h 59Absorb A Full Audiobook That Is Simply Critically-Acclaimed.Impossible Takes Longer by Daniel GordisPlease visithttps://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/2/audible/27638to listen full audiobooks.
Title: Impossible Takes Longer
Author: Daniel Gordis
Narrator: Rob Shapiro
Format: mp3
Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
Release date: 04-11-23
Ratings: 4.5 out of 5 stars, 40 ratings
Genres: Middle East
Publisher's Summary:
In 1948, Israel’s founders sought a “national home for the Jewish people,” where Jewish life would be transformed. The state they ultimately made, says Daniel Gordis, is a place of extraordinary success and maddening disappointment, a story of both unprecedented human triumph and great suffering.
2023-04-1111h 59
EconTalkDaniel Gordis on Israel and Impossible Takes LongerAs Israel turns 75, has it fulfilled the promise of its founders? Daniel Gordis of Shalem College talks about his book, Impossible Takes Longer, with EconTalk's Russ Roberts looking at the successes and failures of Israel. Topics discussed include the history of Zionism, the plight of the Palestinians, the Jewishness of the Jewish state, and the current debate in Israel over judicial reform.
2023-04-101h 27
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisONE TEAM: Using sports to build bridges between Jewish and Bedouin teenage girlsA few months ago I had the pleasure of speaking with Danny Hakim, a passionate philanthropist who doesn’t just talk the talk, but actually walks the walk.Danny moved to Israel more than 20 years ago and has since devoted his life to bettering Israeli society. Danny is the founder of Budo for Peace, a non-profit which uses sports to foster meaningful encounters between all members of Israeli society and the region and promote co-existence. Additionally, Danny is a board member of The Azrieli foundation, Maccabi World Union, the Alliance of Middle East peace, and Kids Kicking Ca...
2023-03-1332 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"If the judicial review passes in this form, couldn't the Knesset, by a vote of 61, close mosques, Reform synagogues?"This week, we continue our conversation with Professor Moshe Koppel, Chairman of the Kohelet Policy Forum, which has been one of the primary forces shaping the proposed judicial overhaul legislation and pushing for its passage. A number of weeks ago, we hosted Professor Yaniv Roznai of Reichman University, who explained in great detail why he believes that the proposed Judicial Reform will end Israel’s democracy. This week and last are our opportunity to hear the opposing viewpoint. As part of our conversation, I asked Professor Koppel if, were the currently proposed legislation to pass, it would be...
2023-03-0826 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"At the end of the day, someone has the power—either the Court or the Knesset. Why do you trust the Court more?" (Part I of II)We have already had the pleasure of hearing Professor Moshe Koppel, the Chairman of the Kohelet Policy Forum, on our podcast about a year and a half ago when he discussed the Nation-State Law, which he helped write. The Kohelet Policy Forum is widely seen—consider Haaretz on the left and JNS on the right—as one of the primary forces advocating the Judicial Reform (or Judicial Revolution depending on who you ask). Most recently, a column by Gil Troy in the Jerusalem Post wonders whether / hopes that Koppel and Kohelet can mastermind a compromise and save the Jewish stat...
2023-03-0146 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"It's going to get more physically dangerous"About a month ago, I had the privilege of speaking with Rabbi Arik Ascherman, a man so devoted to human rights that he’s prepared to put his safety on the line. Rabbi Ascherman has been assaulted, beaten, attacked by a knife-wielding man, and nearly crashed his car after the wheels had been intentionally unbolted. What is this rabbi doing to be on the receiving end of such brutal hatred? As you will hear, he argues that he is protecting Palestinian farmers and their lands.Though most of the news about Israel concerns judicial reform an...
2023-02-2748 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisAcross the street from the Knesset, there's a building going up that has no fences—intentionallyIt is difficult, in these turbulent times, to focus on almost anything Israel-related that is not somehow connected to the current explosive political situation. But we have to. After all, preserving Israel is not about preserving a Jewish state for its own sake, but because a Jewish state makes certain kinds of Jewish life, certain forms of Jewish richness, possible. If it didn’t do that, it would not matter very much. In Monday’s column, we turned our attention to a notable Israeli annual photography exhibition. Today we turn to a library. “A libr...
2023-02-2240 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisWhy Israeli kids needs a more robust Jewish education and how the Diaspora, ironically, can helpA couple months ago, I had the privilege to sit with Michal Cotler-Wunsh, a jurist and former member of Knesset. We split our conversation into two parts. Part one we already ran and you can listen to it here, and the second part we’re running today. In the meantime, a lot has changed on the ground. Among other things, Yossi Klein Halevi, Matti Friedman and I wrote a piece asking American Jews to speak up in the face of Israel’s current crisis. Michal did not entirely agree with us and she published her piece soon afte...
2023-02-1740 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisThe Israel milestone we risk overshadowingWith the political / constitutional / judicial tensions in Israel still running high, we will naturally continue to cover the proposed judicial reform as the issue unfolds. But in recent weeks, it has struck me that one of the saddest dimensions of the timing of this crisis is that it could well overshadow what should be a full-throated celebration of a truly miraculous moment in Jewish history—the 75th anniversary of the creation of the Jewish state. We won’t be able to pivot on a dime—focus exclusively on the crisis for the next month...
2023-02-1327 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"Am I Jewish or Israeli?"—One of Israel's most respected religious authorities believes Israelis increasingly feel they have to chooseThe current tumult in Israeli life is largely political, focused to a degree on the coalition that Prime Minister Netanyahu has assembled, and to a much greater degree, the judicial reform being pushed by Justice Minister Yariv Levin. But just underneath the surface, there are also seismic shifts taking place with religious identity in Israel, and those are our subject today. In today’s episode, we speak with Rabbi David Stav, one of Israel’s foremost religious personalities. A nominee several years ago for the position of Chief Rabbi of Israel (but blocked by the ultra-Orthodox because of t...
2023-02-1241 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"We'd be Hungary, not a liberal democracy"In the first part of our conversation with Professor Yaniv Roznai, we discussed two of the four components of the proposed Judicial Reform: (1) the selection of judges in all of Israel’s courts, not just the Supreme Court, and (2) the “override clause,” or Judicial Review. This part of our conversation was posted on Monday and made available to all subscribers. In Israel, even the names that one uses for events and ideas can be controversial. Is it “Judea and Samaria” or “the West Bank?”? Are the lands “liberated” or “occupied”? Was 1948 a “War of Independence” or “the Nakba”? The same is true...
2023-02-0122 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisWhat's this "Judicial Reform" crisis really all about?Ordinarily, we try to ensure that Israel from the Inside covers many different dimensions of the mosaic known as Israeli life. We do politics and security, but art and literature, poetry and music, NGOs begun by fascinating and devoted people. And much more. We’ll continue doing that. These days, though, with Israel in one of its greatest internally divisive moments in history, and without a doubt in the throes of its most profound “constitutional” crisis ever, we are focusing a good deal on the government’s proposed Judicial Reform. In Hebrew and in Engli...
2023-01-3040 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"It's not that we'd have no government; we'd have no country"Israel is embroiled in a political upheaval, perhaps the most profound in its history (though there have been others that at least came close), a seismic tremor that is shaking the country to its very foundations. There are many issues, some of which we have covered in recent weeks. Beyond the Cabinet and the Judicial Reform issues (among others), though, what is being shaken is Israel’s soul. Something either wonderful or terrible is happening in Israel (perhaps both?), and to learn more about what is happening to Israel beyond politics and jurisprudence, we...
2023-01-2335 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"I believe in the Israeli public very, very deeply"With Netanyahu’s government finally formed and protestors taking to the streets in Tel Aviv, we turn this week to a conversation I had with Michal Cotler-Wunsh, a jurist and former member of Knesset, and hear her take on Israeli society, the judiciary and Israeli democracy.Our conversation turned to the opening words of Israel’s Declaration of Independence and the responsibility of the Israeli public to continue the work that started nearly 75 years ago. The work is not to build infrastructure, but to build on the values and morals and mission that started with the...
2023-01-1246 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"The Chief Rabbinate’s policies have no precedent in Jewish law"According to a report issued this week by the Israeli Democracy Institute, by 2030, the ultra-Orthodox community in Israel will comprise 16% of the population. Add to that the likely continuing 20% who are Israeli Arabs, and we quickly see that more than a third of Israel’s population will be agnostic, at best, and more likely opposed to the idea of a Jewish state. How long is that sustainable? And what about the impact of the ultra-Orthodox on the Jewish lives of the Jews who live here? The IDI report, coupled with fundamentalist changes being advocated by ce...
2023-01-0543 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis“No one has the privilege to act or talk as if ‘the country is doomed’"The audio link above is to a brief excerpt of our conversation with Rabbi Seth Farber, a visionary, courageous Orthodox rabbi who has taken on the Chief Rabbinate in myriad ways. Listen to Rabbi Farber for a vision of what Judaism in the Jewish state could look like, about why the Chief Rabbis are not Zionists, and much more. This week’s written column follows below. On a wind-swept, mostly barren hilltop overlooking Beit Shemesh on one side and tree-covered hills on the other, we buried my mom a fe...
2023-01-0306 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisNot bad decisions, but no decisions at allIn several columns since Israel’s election, we’ve pointed to the chaos and lawlessness that has overtaken the Negev and the ways in which that contributed to some of the election results. In this week’s episode, we speak with Naomi Linder Kahn, Director of the International Division at an NGO called Regavim, which “acts to prevent illegal seizure of state land, and to protect the rule of law and clean government in matters pertaining to land-use policy in the State of Israel.” The link above will take you to our conversation, being made...
2022-12-2849 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisIn moments like these, are conversations about Israel really possible?Abi Dauber Sterne is a Jewish educator, organizational leader and the co-author, with Robbie Gringras, of Stories for the Sake of Argument. Their new book is a compilation of 24 short stories that are designed to get people arguing, but also engaging with, the tough issues that face Israel and the Jewish world. In the words of the book’s website, “Stories for the Sake of Argument is designed to spark disagreements about key issues facing Israel and the Jewish world. From religious freedom to identity politics, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to COVID-19, gender equality to Israel-Diaspora rela...
2022-12-2031 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"Woke Anti-Semitism" in the US -- should Israel also be worried?According to the Reut Institute, in addition to all the challenges to Jewish life represented by the radical left (or “woke” world, as some call it), there is also a nexus between radical progressive groups and Islamist organizations, which have been ‘migrating’ from Europe to the US. In light of the rise of identity politics in the United States, the collaboration between these two streams creates a powerful social and political axis that has an increasing influence on American foreign policy in the Middle East, as well as on the status of both Israel and the Jewish community in the US. ...
2022-11-2839 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisMeir Kahane's "love and hate of his fellow Jews"“I'm listening to the discourse around these elections, and there are those who are saying, like Tom Friedman, ‘the sky is falling in. Israel is finished. The Israel that we knew is certainly finished. Maybe Israel itself is finished.’ And then I hear others saying, ‘we've just had a democratic election. This just proves how democratic we are.’ And I don't buy either response. Something significant has happened. It's not the end, God forbid, but we've just crossed as a society, we've just crossed the red line.”Those are the words of Yossi Klein Halevi, my partner i...
2022-11-2131 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisHow Yair Lapid (accidentally) campaigned for Itamar Ben-GvirAt this writing, Tuesday afternoon on Election Day, Israeli news is not yet allowed to publish exit polls, and what sort of coalition may emerge is anyone’s guess. One thing is clear, though—no matter what happens, no incoming government is going to make a breakthrough in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to be done. This week when much is in question, but progress on that front is not an option, we are airing our conversation with Jason Silverman, who works with a non-profit dedicated to “shrinking the conflict.” That’s...
2022-11-0208 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisDark Days of OctoberOne week from tomorrow, Israelis will head to the polls for the fifth time in about two and a half years. Why Israel ends up going to the polls so often, and how this rate makes Israel one of the least stable governments in the world, are subjects for a different conversation. For now, as we are in the final days of October, we turn to a specific disappointment of these upcoming elections, no matter what the result. This Haaretz headline sums it up: it is expected that Israeli Arabs will vote in...
2022-10-2403 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisHas Judaism now become synonymous with Zionism?That Israel plays a looming role in Jewish life — both among admirers and among critics — is obvious. Still, though, Judaism and Zionism are not the same thing, right? Gol Kalev, in his new book, argues “no,” insisting that Judaism has now morphed into Zionism. If Judaism 1.0 was Judaism of the Bible, and Judaism 2.0 was Judaism of the rabbis that preserved Jewish life from around 70 CE until the Enlightenment in Europe, then Judaism 3.0, he argues, the new version of Judaism that has a shot at survival, is “Zionism.”It’s a provocative thesis, one that’s been getting a lot of attenti...
2022-09-2841 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"Let’s get physical"Many of the columns and podcast episodes in Israel from the Inside have touched on the notion of the “new Jew,” Zionism’s drive not only to create a sovereign Jewish state, but its goal of fashioning a Jew very different from the (in early Zionists’ eyes) weak, passive, often victimized Jew of Europe. Most people (myself included) argue that in creating the “new Jew,” Zionism has been extraordinarily successful. But “not so fast,” argued Professor Zeev Maghen, of Bar Ilan University, in a provocative, intentionally humorous, and entirely not PC blog in The Times of Israel. Entit...
2022-09-1935 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisWhy does Iran Really Hate Israel?With a new “Iran deal” in the works (though whether it will come to be is impossible to say), we turned for this week’s podcast to my colleague at Shalem College, Colonel Dr. Eran Lerman, to ask a basic question that most of us can’t answer: “Why does Iran hate Israel with such intensity?” It’s not borders—we don’t share one. It’s not oil. It’s not water. It’s not being a Muslim country—look at the UAE, Bahrain and others.So what is it? Why is Iran so committed to Israel’s destruction?
2022-09-0737 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisWhy so many elections? Because Israelis agree on too much. And why you shouldn't worry about a Kahanist running for KnessetDr. Einat Wilf is a leading thinker on Israel, Zionism, foreign policy and education. She was a member of the Israeli Parliament from 2010 to 2013, where she served as Chair of the Education Committee and Member of the influential Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.Born and raised in Israel, Dr. Wilf served as an Intelligence Officer in the Israel Defense Forces, Foreign Policy Advisor to Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres and a strategic consultant with McKinsey & Company.Dr. Wilf has a BA from Harvard, an MBA from INSEAD in France, and a PhD in...
2022-09-0516 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"If I had a sermon ...."Before getting to today’s topic below, a quick word about this Wednesday’s podcast on the subject of Iran, with Colonel Dr. Eran Lerman. With a new “Iran deal” in the works (though whether it will come to be is impossible to say), we turned for this week’s podcast to my colleague at Shalem College, Colonel Dr. Eran Lerman, to ask a basic question that most of us can’t answer: “Why does Iran hate Israel with such intensity?” It’s not borders—we don’t share one. It’s not oil. It’s not water. It’...
2022-08-2906 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"We'll have what they're having" - Israeli parents insist that they, too, want to attend a MechinahThe Mechinah movement in Israel, which we’ve mentioned several times, has existed for decades, but really took off after the assassination of Prime Minster Yitzchak Rabin in 1995. There was a desperate need, leading Israeli educators recognized, to develop programs for kids who had graduated high school but not yet begun the army, to think about Jewish tradition, democracy, civil society and the purpose of the country they are about to serve. What emerged was a series of Mechinah programs, one year opportunities after twelfth grade and before the army, for young Israelis to spend a year thinking, learning an...
2022-08-2238 min
הפודקאסט של אם תרצוIsrael from the Inside with Daniel Gordis, a conversation with Douglas Altabef, Chairman of the Board, Im TirzuA special episode from :Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis
Are Israeli campuses vulnerable to what has happened at American universities?
A conversation with Douglas Altabef, of "Im Tirtzu," on what he believes can, and should, be done.
2022-07-2539 min
The Jewish StoryThe Jewish Story Season 5: An Interview with Daniel GordisThe Jewish Story Season 5
Interlude: An Interview with Daniel Gordis
Menachem Begin has been part of our exploration of the Jewish Story since the uprising against the British back in 1944, and the Lebanon War was the last chapter in which he took an active role. In order to give a fitting wrap-up to such an important character, here is an interview with Dr. Daniel Gordis, author of the biography Menachem Begin: the battle for Israel's soul.
Help continue making Jewish history a relevant story with Rav Mike by supporting him on Patreon. For more...
2022-07-2447 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisAre Israeli campuses vulnerable to what has happened at American universities?Yes, President Biden has visited, and yes, there are elections coming up. Yes, relations with Saudi Arabia may be warming up. Turkey, too. But it’s so far been a relatively quiet summer in Israel, and we’re going to use that gift of quiet as a time to reflect broadly and to focus on a series of fascinating educational projects being conducted across Israel, all of them committed to deepening the Jewishness of Israel and Israelis’ commitment to the Jewish State.Given how toxic American and European campuses have become for those openly committed to Israel’s securi...
2022-07-2139 min
The Tikvah PodcastDaniel Gordis and Asael Abelman on the Personality of the New JewBefore the state of Israel was founded, some early Zionists argued not only for the recovery of Jewish political sovereignty, but also for the emergence of a new type of Jew. This "New Jew," as they called it, would be free of Judaism's bookish habits and the weight of diaspora Jewish history and be able to take the reigns of the newly independent Jewish polity. Three-quarters of a century after Israel's founding, what is the state of the New Jew? Last month, the Mosaic columnist Eli Spitzer contended that Israel's 21st-century success made it outmoded. Look...
2022-07-151h 10
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisDo Israelis really want an end to aliyah?On this week of July 4th, a conversation with an American Jew who, as ambassador, had to give up his American citizenship in order to serve his country. For American Independence Day, his thoughts about his generation of American immigrants to Israel, those who followed, and those who still might …It’s hard to think of anyone else in the Jewish world who has distinguished himself or herself in as many ways as has Michael Oren. A world-class historian with New York Times bestsellers to his credit, a professor at leading American and Israeli universities, former Israel Amba...
2022-07-0433 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisAbortion Law in Israel ... in light of Roe v WadeWith all eyes in the U.S. focused on the forthcoming Supreme Court decision which might upend Roe v. Wade after fifty years of abortion rights for American women, we thought it would be interesting for the Israel from the Inside community to learn more about abortion law and reality in Israel.We spoke with Dina Shalev, Director of Lada’at (“Choose Well”), a reproductive rights organization based in Jerusalem, to learn more. In Israel, abortions are illegal unless a woman meets particular criteria and receives approval by a special committee. Sound like America’s future? Well, yes and...
2022-06-2141 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisWhy was Israel Created?Now that we’ve celebrated Israel’s 74th anniversary, we’re officially into the 75th year of Israel’s life. Is that young? Old? Truth is, it’s somewhere in the middle. When Israel was admitted to the UN in 1949, it was the 59th state to join. Now that there are 193 countries in the UN, it’s clear that Israel is older than two-third of the world’s countries. The facts that Israel is no longer so relatively young and that we are into the 75th year of Israel’s life afford us an opportunity to assess how Is...
2022-05-3033 min
Jewish Heroism ProjectTJS S5 Interlude Interview with Daniel GordisMenachem Begin has been part of our exploration of the Jewish Story since the uprising against the British back in 1944, and the Lebanon War was the last chapter in which he took an active role. In order to give a fitting wrap up to such an important character, here is an interview with Dr. Daniel Gordis, author of the biography Menachem Begin: the battle for Israel's soul.
picture credit: Yoram Reshef studios
2022-05-2247 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"The state will not come on a silver platter"This Wednesday, late afternoon, thousands of Israelis will take part in a ceremony that’s almost unheard of outside of Israel. It’s called a tekes ma’avar, a “ceremony of transition,” and comes in the waning hours of Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers — Tuesday night/Wednesday), just before Yom HaAtzma’ut (Independence Day — Wednesday night/Thursday).The ceremony was born of the emotionally impossible shift between the horror of Memorial Day and the unbridled celebration of Independence Day. Memorial Day in Israel is nothing like Memorial Day in any other country of which I’m aware...
2022-05-0235 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis"The Enemy Within" — A terror attack in the Negev ignites a long simmering issueThis cover from the magazine section of Makor Rishon, an Israeli newspaper, captured a long-brewing sentiment. The headline reads “The Enemy Within.”The smaller headline, in black, reads: “The murderous rampage in Be’er Sheva, which ended in the deaths of four Israelis, heightens the sense of insecurity and lawlessness felt by residents of the Negev. In order to deal with terror on the part of those who have Israeli citizenship, the security forces need to start learning some lessons.” PLEASE NOTE: THIS POST WAS PREPARED PRIOR TO NEWS OF THE MOST RECENT TERROR ATTACK IN HADERA...
2022-03-2840 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisThere is only one American-born and raised member of KnessetIt’s been almost a year since we launched Israel from the Inside, an attempt to create a different kind of Israel-dialogue— not left or right, religious or secular, native or immigrant, but rather, a mosaic of the many viewpoints that make up the richness of Israeli society. We’ve covered conflict and war, politics, music, art, literature, history and more. In the weekly podcast, we’ve interviewed dozens of Israelis (and some non-Israelis) from all walks of life. Some of the subjects we have covered in these conversations have been controversial, like an interview with one of the f...
2022-03-2134 min
Jewish Ideas to Change the WorldWhat Would Isaiah Say? Israeli Arms Sales and the Challenge of Jewish Sovereignty – Former MK Tehila Friedman, Rabbi Dr. Daniel Gordis, & Rabbi Avidan FreedmanA virtual event presentation by Former MK Tehila Friedman, Rabbi Dr. Daniel Gordis and Rabbi Avidan Freedman EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: BMH-BJ Congregation ABOUT THE EVENT: The establishment of a Jewish state reintroduced the Jewish people to moral dilemmas of sovereignty and power with which they did not have to grapple for 2000 years. Even 70 years in, some of these challenges have not enjoyed sufficient attention or focus. Former MK Tehila Friedman, Rabbi Daniel Gordis, and Rabbi Avidan Freedman will share political, ideological, historical, and religious perspectives on one of the least well known, and on of the most morally pressing...
2022-03-1757 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisIsrael's Ukrainian Refugee Policy—Smart Strategy or Moral Failure?Since the beginning of the unfolding humanitarian disaster in Ukraine more than two weeks ago, much attention has been focused on Israel, both from within and from without. There has been discussion of Israel’s careful dance expressing support for Ukraine without enraging Putin, Naftali Bennett’s risky decision to play some sort of mediating role, Israel’s rebuffing Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s request to address the Knesset (yesterday), what Russia’s astonishingly underperforming air force might mean for Israel on its northern border and much more. Key among the issues, however, has been Israel’s still changi...
2022-03-1025 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisEscape from Afghanistan—The role individual Israelis played in saving Afghan livesIn this week, when our focus is once again on rescue, and particular the Jewish world’s gearing up for a massive rescue, we share a conversation with Danna Harman, an Israeli journalist who, along with a few other Israelis, did extraordinary things to save Afghans who were left behind after the sudden American exit. Hers is a story of determination, grit, collaboration and true Israeli imaginativeness—all for the purpose of saving lives. Danna Harman has lived in and reported stories from around the globe including Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, Myanmar and the jung...
2022-03-1040 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisWhat motivates a tiny country to offer assistance after disasters across the globe?Welcome to Israel from the Inside. Israel from the Inside is for people who want to understand Israel and Israelis, away from all the toxicity of the headlines. It’s for people who believe that Israel is neither hopelessly flawed nor beyond critique, but rather, a fascinating stage on which the Jewish people is working to recreate itself.For a taste of the variety of podcasts we’ve posted over the past year, check out our archive. In this week’s episode, we’re in conversation with Yotam Polizer, the CEO of IsraAid. Founded...
2022-01-1738 min
Israel from the Inside with Daniel GordisPartnership Through Education: Daniel Gordis in conversation with two leaders of "Hand in Hand"Israel faces numerous problems; that much, we all know. What we sometimes aren’t as aware of is all the extraordinary people, in both the Jewish and Arab communities, who are working to make things not just better, but much better. In this week’s podcast, I speak with Dani Elazar and Reem Younis, who work together in an organization called Hand in Hand — a network of Jewish-Arab schools that’s also anchor to a larger social network of parents, graduates and more.Dani Elazar, formerly of the tech world, is the CEO; Reem Youni...
2021-08-2050 minThe Tikvah PodcastDaniel Gordis on the Rift Between American and Israeli Jews (Rebroadcast)It's sometimes asserted, particularly in elite circles, that liberal American Jews have grown distant from Israel because of Israel's actions, including those undertaken by longtime and now former prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. With the ascension this year of a new prime minister and a new government in Israel, the time has come to reassess that argument and consider it anew. The American-Israeli writer Daniel Gordis disagrees with this idea, that Israel's actions determined American Jewish attitudes. To him, the growing divide between Israeli and American Jews is decidedly not about what Israel does. It is, rather, about w...
2021-07-1545 min
Jewanced#26 - Daniel Gordis, Senior VP of Shalem College, Author, Writer & SpeakerDr. Daniel Gordis is Senior Vice President, Koret Distinguished Fellow, and Chair of the Core Curriculum at Shalem College. Previously the vice president of the Mandel Foundation in Israel and director of its Leadership Institute, Gordis was also the founding dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles. Author of numerous books, a regular columnist for Bloomberg View and The Jerusalem Post, and a frequent contributor to the New York Times, The Times of Israel, and other leading news outlets, Gordis lectures throughout the world on Israeli society, American-Israeli relations, and the c...
2021-01-012h 04
Jewish Ideas to Change the WorldDaniel Gordis - The Seismic Shift in American Jewish Life – Where Are We Headed?Valley Beit Midrash is proud to present our Annual Hammerman Lecture featuring Dr. Daniel Gordis (https://danielgordis.org/). Dr. Gordis presented his virtual lecture "The Seismic Shift in American Jewish Life – Where Are We Headed?"
The Hammerman Family Lecture is a special opportunity for the Greater Phoenix Jewish Community to hear from world-class speakers. Stan & Cheryl Hammerman are pillars of the VBM community and we are fortunate for their continued support.
Valley Beit Midrash is proud to present our Annual Hammerman Lecture featuring Dr. Daniel Gordis (https://danielgordis.org/). Dr. Gordis presented his virtual lecture "The Seismic Shift in American Je...
2020-08-281h 30
People of the PodRep. Deutch on Annexation; Daniel Gordis on Two-State Solution; Rabbi Horvilleur on AntisemitismThis week, we speak to Representative Ted Deutch (D-FL) about the letter he and fellow representatives wrote in opposition to unilateral annexation, and what the future holds for the U.S.-Israel relationship. Then, we're joined by Daniel Gordis, Senior Vice President and Koret Distinguished Fellow at Shalem College, on why the two-state solution is still worth pursuing. We close out with Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur, France's foremost female rabbi, speaking about how to have conversations about antisemitism, racism, and interfaith relations in a secular society. Show notes: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/end-the-jewish-state-lets-try-some-honesty-first/
2020-07-1647 min
Building the Impossible Dream: The History of ZionismForming the Jewish State - Daniel Gordis Check out our high school offerings at www.tikvahfund.org/hs The establishment of the State of Israel is one of the most remarkable achievements of the modern era. Never before had a people dispersed throughout the world, deprived of sovereignty for millennia, returned to its ancient homeland to build a thriving country. Who were the leaders and thinkers that helped craft a modern Jewish nationalism for a people so long deprived of self-determination? What moved them? What were their political teachings and key disagreements? In this episode, Ari discusses with Daniel Gordis his four-part e...
2020-04-2700 min
Jewish People & Ideas: Conversations with Jewish Thought LeadersDaniel Gordis, The Rift Between American Jews and IsraelDaniel Gordis is Senior Vice President and the Koret Distinguished Fellow at Shalem College. The author of more than ten books, Gordis is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion and writes regularly for the Jerusalem Post. Gordis’ history of the State of Israel, entitled Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn, received the 2016 National Jewish Book Award as “Book of the Year.”
Gordis’ writing has appeared in magazines and newspapers including the New York Times, The New Republic, the New York Times Magazine, Azure, Commentary Magazine and Foreign Affairs, and his books have received numerous awards.
Professor Alan Dershowitz has called G...
2020-01-231h 03
Jewish Ideas to Change the WorldDaniel Gordis - The Rift Between American Jews & IsraelRabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz, President & Dean of Valley Beit Midrash interviews Dr. Daniel Gordis, Senior Vice President and Koret Distinguished Fellow at Shalem College (https://shalem.ac.il/en/) on the topic of "The Rift Between American Jews & Israel." Dr. Gordis is also the author of the new book "We Stand Divided: The Rift Between American Jews & Israel."
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2019-09-0922 minThe Tikvah PodcastDaniel Gordis on the Rift Between American and Israeli JewsThe occupation. The Western Wall. The nation-state Law. The warm bonhomie between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu. The rift between American and Israeli Jews grows daily. How did this happen? Wasn't Israel an issue of consensus in the American Jewish community until just recently? Wasn't Israel the rare cause that could unite Jews across the political and denominational spectrum? Against the conventional wisdom, Daniel Gordis of Shalem College believes that this growing divide is decidedly not about what Israel does. It is, rather, about what Israel is. In a series of insightful articles as well as...
2019-04-0344 min
CBS News Weekend Roundup-PodcastsDaniel Gordis, on His New Book, "Israel: A Concise History..."Interviewed by Dan Raviv, a CBS News correspondent who himself has co-authored books about Israel, Daniel Gordis discusses his new book, "Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn." This is a 4-minute excerpt of the CBS News Weekend Roundup.
2016-11-2304 min
Find Best-Selling Free Audiobooks in Biography & Memoir, Law & PoliticsMenachem Begin: The Battle for Israel's Soul by Daniel GordisPlease visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/208546 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Menachem Begin: The Battle for Israel's Soul Author: Daniel Gordis Narrator: Walter Dixon Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 7 hours 21 minutes Release date: April 1, 2014 Ratings: Ratings of Book: 4 of Total 2 Genres: Law & Politics Publisher's Summary: Reviled as a fascist by his great rival Ben-Gurion, venerated by Israel’s underclass, the first Israeli to win the Nobel Peace Prize, a proud Jew but not a conventionally religious one, Menachem Begin was both complex and controversial. Born in Poland in 1913, Begin was a youthful admirer of the Revisionist Zionist Ze’ev Jabotinsky and...
2014-04-0103 min