Shows
The QuadFighting Fearlessly: Vivian Bercovici’s Journey to IsraelFate has a way of bringing people to the place they are meant to be at the time they are needed there most. In this special interview, "The Quad" host Fleur Hassan-Nahoum sits down with former Canadian ambassador to Israel Vivian Bercovici to discuss her journey and recent move to Israel.They discuss some of the challenges Bercovici faced as a woman and a Jew and how she thinks the foreign service should be changed to reflect today’s realities.2024-08-1830 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E43. Hamas Hostage Romi Gonen: How Her Family CopesFor the four siblings and parents of 23-year-old Hamas hostage, Romi Gonen, life has been totally upended since October 7, 2023. . Her mother, Meirav Leshem Gonen, older sister Yarden and her father, Eitan, were on the phone with her for four hours that morning. From the very first moments of the Hamas attack she was in near constant contact with one of them. They heard everything. In separate podcasts in January (links are in the notes, below), I interviewed both Meirav and Eitan. They spoke in detail about those surreal hours when no one understood the scope of the attack. But...2024-07-0448 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E42. Sundays with Ya’akov: What is Too Old and When is it Too Much?This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.stateoftelaviv.comI’m back today with Ya’akov Katz to review the past week and try to make sense of it all. And we spend a lot of time discussing the performance last Thursday of President Joe Biden at the debate with Donald Trump. The way in which America is perceived - the putative leader of the free world - impacts everyone, everywhere. We discuss what the consequence…2024-06-3008 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E41. Sundays With Ya’akov: Bibi’s Video Blip. Hizballah Heats Up. Hostages.This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.stateoftelaviv.comThere’s this weird feeling in the air in Israel. A very tense lull in military action. The IDF continues its limited operation in Rafah, with the intention of routing out the last of the Hamas and PIJ weapons caches and fighting forces. Sometimes it feels like it will never end and there are many Israelis who fear that may be the government’s intention.…2024-06-2308 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E40. Weekdays with Ya’akov: Ultra-Orthodox Draft Evasion Fuels Rage and Riots in JerusalemThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.stateoftelaviv.comSo – our usual schedule got a little wonky this week. I was on a semi-holiday but became totally sick which was the first domino to fall. Anyway, we’re back. I caught up with Ya’kov on Tuesday afternoon in Israel and share the discussion today. We spend significant time on the ultra-orthodox refusal to serve in the IDF which is now a crisis. Israel simp…2024-06-2011 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E39. The Heat Soars and Isolation of Israel Intensifies: We Take the Temperature with Lt. Col. (Res.) Jonathan ConricusThe IDF took a heavy blow on the weekend with 10 soldiers killed and another who passed from severe injuries suffered earlier. With our regular itinerant guest, Lt. Col. (Res.) Jonathan Conricus, we discuss the circumstances in Gaza that caused the deaths of eight IDF soldiers in a single incident. As a former infantryman who was in active service in the area where the tragedy occurred, Conricus infuses the telling with immediacy and deep knowledge. We then touch on increased humanitarian aid to Gaza before moving on to France, briefly. In an unprecedented and very hostile move, President Emmanuel Macron...2024-06-1738 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E38. Sundays with Ya’akov: Israel Rises and RescuesThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.stateoftelaviv.comThe elite commando operation on Saturday that rescued four Israeli hostages who had been held by Hamas for eight months rocked the world…and gave Israelis a jolt of joy that was desperately needed. The country has been pummeled by this long war, tensions in the north and relentless diplomatic attacks. That more than 100 civilians remain in captivity alm…2024-06-0914 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E37. Full-Scale War in the North: A Matter of When, Not IfThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.stateoftelaviv.comIt has been a very intense week in northern Israel with a deeply concerning escalation of conflict with Hizballah. We spoke yesterday, Thursday, with Sarit Zehavi, Lt. Col. (Res.) who spent 15 years working in Military Intelligence and is among Israel’s foremost experts on security in the north. Founder and president of the Alma Center, which focuses on…2024-06-0705 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E36. Sundays with Ya’akov: Negotiate for Hostages or Continue the War?This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.stateoftelaviv.comRachel Goldberg-Polin, ever profound in her agony, stated in recent days that it is “an embarrassment to the human race that we haven’t been able to save” the hostages held by Hamas. Her 23-year-old son, Hersh, is among the 125 people still in Hamas Hell, having survived a grenade attack in which his left arm was blown off and his best friend murdered. …2024-06-0208 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E35. Special Update with Lt Col (Res.) Jonathan Conricus: Tunnels. Hostages. Hizballah. And more.It has been a grim two weeks in Israel, with an onslaught from the International Courts in The Hague, serious hostilities on three fronts – the north, West Bank and, of course, the Gaza Strip – with the added bonus of Egypt being less than friendly…. and the continued torture of what we now believe to be 128 hostages in Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad captivity. How many remain alive is unknown. Israelis are fatigued with this very long war effort and there is no end in sight. Also in recent weeks, as the Rafah operation intensifies, more information dribbles out about the ma...2024-05-3141 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E34. The International Criminal Court vs. Netanyahu and Gallant: How Did We Get Here?This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.stateoftelaviv.comKarim Khan, K.C., is the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, and in the last week he has become a household name, globally. Mr. Khan made a lengthy statement one week ago, announcing his intention to seek judicial approval to issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defence Yo…2024-05-2816 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E33. Sundays with Ya’akov: Hostages and Videos and the International Judicial System vs. IsraelThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.stateoftelaviv.comBack from a short trip to the U.S., Ya’akov Katz is fired up. Since October 7, Israelis have been pretty obliging regarding commands from leaders in government and the IDF to come together as a united front, but almost eight months later the rage is spilling out. And Ya’akov is no exception. Last week was surreal, even by Israeli standards. But what dom…2024-05-2616 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E32. Sunday with Jonathan Conricus: Rafah Tunnels. Egypt Threatens Israel. Aid. Famine. Hostages.This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.stateoftelaviv.comOur regular Sunday man, Ya’akov Katz, is travelling today and we are joined by Jonathan Conricus, Lt. Col. (Res) in the IDF and a familiar face to many around the world from his television commentary for the first few months of the war. He is currently a general consultant and also a senior fellow with D.C.-based think tank Foundation For Defence of Dem…2024-05-1912 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E31. Carmel Gat Turns 40 Today in Hamas Hell: The impossible story of one family’s unending ordeal to save who they canThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.stateoftelaviv.comOctober 7 was a huge blow to Israel, but some families were particularly hard hit. There is no rhyme or reason. Some homes were passed over while all the neighbours were burned alive, murdered or taken hostage. The Gat family of Kibbutz Be’eri is one of the unlucky ones. Wife, mother, grandmother and more, 68 Kinneret Gat was murdered outside her home a…2024-05-1608 min
FDD Events PodcastFDD Morning Brief | feat. FDD Sr. Fellow Jonathan Conricus and Vivian Bercovici (May 13)Former IDF Spokesperson and FDD Senior Fellow Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus delivers timely situational updates and analysis on headlines out of the Middle East, followed by a conversation with former Canadian ambassador to Israel, Vivian Bercovici.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/2024-05-1323 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E30. Sundays with Ya’akov: Rafah. Is America Turning on Israel? And. Dr. Phil.This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.stateoftelaviv.comNever a slow week in these parts. This week the focus was, yet again, on Rafah, the city in the southern Gaza Strip that PM Netanyahu is adamant must be attacked in order to destroy Hamas as a military force and power that can ever dream of repeating October 7th. The Biden administration is vigorously opposed to this operation, to the point that it has …2024-05-1212 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E29. Sundays with Ya’akov: Hostages. Will Hamas Release Them?The only thing that Israelis are focused on is ending this agony. From October 8th I have been a broken record. Until the fate of the hostages is settled, for better or worse, israel is stuck on October 7th. This country cannot move ahead without closure, which is, agonizingly, always just a wee bit out of reach. We know that hostages are dying in captivity. They are kept in horrific conditions. Will Hamas release the hostages? We discuss the only thing that matters to most Israelis.State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive ne...2024-05-0524 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E28. The Passover Seder of Carmel Gat: a Hamas HostageCarmel Gat, 39 and held in Hamas captivity since October 7th, is part of a big, loving family with deep roots on Kibbutz Be’eri. Her younger cousin, Shay Dickmann, spoke with State of Tel Aviv one week ago, on the morning after the Passover seder. Her extended family has suffered terribly for almost seven months and they continue to grieve. For her murdered grandmother and for Carmel. Imprisoned. Shay tells us about the Kibbutz Be’eri seder in Hostage Square, Tel Aviv, which her family attended this year. So many empty chairs. So much despair and, still, so much hope...2024-05-0120 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E27. Sundays with Ya’akov: Hostage Homecoming Soon?In my weekly chat with Ya’akov Katz we focus on the hostages. That’s pretty much the main and only thing on everyone’s mind. This focus was heightened and manipulated masterfully by Hamas during the Passover holiday by the release of two separate videos of Israeli men still in captivity. Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Keith Siegel and Omri Miran, all appeared to be in reasonable physical condition. But, who knows. Hersh lifted the stump of his left arm, having had his dominant hand blown off by a grenade below the elbow. They spoke about how much they missed their loved...2024-04-2831 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E26. Part 2 - Professor Shai Davidai: The Reluctant Activist Waking Up AmericaIn Part II of this podcast of my interview with Columbia University Professor Shai Davidai on April 5th, we discuss the similarities between the reluctance of German and Austrian Jews to see the looming crisis almost one hundred years ago and the same tendencies among American and Canadian Jews today. Davidai discusses the ongoing investigation into his conduct that has been launched by the Columbia University administration. He sees it as being little more than an effort to intimidate him into silence. Meanwhile, Columbia has literally become a battleground in recent days. The crisis shows no signs of subsiding...2024-04-2639 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E26. Part 1 - Professor Shai Davidai: The Reluctant Activist Waking Up AmericaOn April 5th State of Tel Aviv spoke at length with Columbia University Professor Shai Davidai about his overnight evolution from low-key academic to high profile activist. The catalyst? The October 7th Hamas massacre in southern Israel which galvanized extreme Islamist sympathizers and hard left “progressives.” Literally overnight, Jews and Israel were vilified on campuses, in media, in massive street protests throughout North America and Europe. Davidai was horrified by what he saw happening on the Columbia University campus and began to speak out and speak up. In this episode we go back to October 7th and get into the...2024-04-2536 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E25. Passover 2024: How One Hostage Family Will Mark the “Holiday”“We face the abyss and we stand tall. I don’t know how I will sit at the Passover table this year.”Sharone Lifschitz made those comments when we met last Friday at the Hostage Family Forum HQ in central Tel Aviv. Her 83-year old father, Oded, remains in Hamas captivity. His wife and Sharone’s mother, 85-year-old Yocheved, was released from a Hamas dungeon on Monday, October 23. Sharone talks about the horror she has inhabited since October 7th, when she learned of the Hamas attack while driving with her family in the UK, where she resides, to bring...2024-04-2240 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E24. Sundays with Ya’akov: USA Slapping Sanctions on the IDF? Iran’s Retreat. Passover with Hostages.Believe me, our heads are spinning. Each week becomes more intense than the last. And there is a general feeling in Israel that rage is on a collision course with despair. Israel remains mired in conflict in Gaza with no apparent resolution in sight. Hostages remain in captivity six months on and the nation is absolutely dumbstruck. There is very little, if any, trust or confidence in the government or IDF leadership. We stand behind our soldiers and civil society leaders but those in positions of actual authority continue to amaze Israelis with their incompetence and arrogance. It seems...2024-04-2131 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2. E23. We Are Not OK: Five for Fighting in Israel.Five for Fighting, the stage name of singer/singwriter John Ondrasik, has some crazy timing. He popped over to Israel for a five day immersion in the reality and the pain of our post-October 7th reality. And he was in Tel Aviv on the night that the Islamic Republic of Iran launched more than 300 attack drones and ballistic missiles at us. As we now know, 99% of the offensive weapons were intercepted. Beyond miraculously. But within minutes of Ondrasik performing his amazing new song – “OK” – about October 7th and this seriously messed up world we live in – the Home Front Command is...2024-04-1743 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E22. Sundays with Ya’akov Katz: Iran Attacks IsraelSaturday night and Sunday morning were harrowing. For almost two weeks Israelis have been waiting for Iran to attack. A few days ago, the Supreme Leader made clear that the Islamic Republic of Iran would attack Israel directly. Not through a proxy. And, seemingly, Iran would not target a Jewish or Israeli site abroad. For now. Dire warnings of an attack within 24-48 hours were issued on Friday night. Saturday passed. At 9pm Saturday night the Israeli Home Front Command issued directives to follow in light of an imminent attack. A short time later we watched on our TVs...2024-04-1442 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E21. Sundays with Ya’akov: Six Months On. Still at War. 133 Hostages Still in CaptivityIt was great to have Ya’akov Katz back for our regular Sunday riff and we had a lot on our plates today. We spoke about how Israel seemed stuck in Gaza, not really doing anything dramatic and finding itself in quicksand. But last week the main action was elsewhere: Damascus, DC, Doha. Israel bombed a residence in Damascus that served as a base for IRGC officials when in town and a top General was killed as well as numerous other high ranking military officials. This was followed by the tragic attack on a World Central Kitchen convoy in wh...2024-04-0744 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E20. Sunday Special with Jonathan Conricus: Bringing Hostages Home, Winning, RebuildingLate-breaking circumstances made it impossible for Ya’akov to do his weekly gig with State of Tel Aviv today but we were fortunate to find the amazing Lt. Col. (res) Jonathan Conricus in Israel and available. Conricus is just back from yet another whirlwind speaking tour in the U.S. and his commentary is always appreciated by our listeners – and major media around the world. Always clear, measured and articulate, he has a way of stripping the most complicated issues down to their essence. Today, we discuss the ongoing war in Gaza, the ongoing captivity of the hostages, and the...2024-04-0149 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E19.Batya Ungar-Sargon on October 7th Denialism and Debunking Woke AntisemitismOne of the most interesting thinkers and writers out there, Batya Ungar-Sargon gets into the moral fecklessness of the “progressive” woke left. What’s so interesting is that Batya was once one of them… and her personal intellectual journey and unfettered candor make for a fascinating discussion. “I’m a leftist” she says. But she rejects the toxic antisemitism that seems to permeate the Left in the U.S. and elsewhere these days. I had thought and intended that we would discuss the growing chorus of October 7th denialism out there… and we did… but we meandered a bit before arriving at...2024-03-2927 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E18. Sundays with Ya’akov: Hostages. Rafah. Shifa Hospital. Aid. Drafting the Ultra-Orthodox.It’s a pretty gloomy Purim in Israel; a holiday usually all buzzy and fun. On Purim we celebrate yet another close call with annihilation, which invites yet another miracle that saves us in the nick of time, followed by food, festivities and happy stuff. But not this year. Ya’akov and I get into the details of the top stories and issues preoccupying Israelis: the never-ending crisis with the hostages, Rafah and whether or not an assault on the city is necessary and imminent, allegations by the UN and various countries of Israeli interference with the provision of huma...2024-03-2441 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E17. Sundays With Ya’akov: Senator Schumer, Hostages and A Moment of LevityEveryone’s hopping mad today, including Ya’akov Katz. He can be excitable but today he was downright livid about the irresponsible comments of Senator Chuck Schumer late last week, backed up by President Biden. Schumer – the most senior Democratic US Senator – basically said that it’s time for Israel to have elections so that PM Netanyahu will be thrown out of the top job. It was disrespectful. Stupid. And put Israel in heightened danger vis a vis its enemies in the region by broadcasting that the critical alliance between America and Israel is imperiled. Whatever he thought he was accomp...2024-03-1728 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E16. What Happened to MK Simcha Rothman?One year ago, Simcha Rothman was a household name in Israel and beyond. As Chair of the Knesset Committee on Constitutional, Law and Justice Issues, Rothman was the man in a scorching hot seat, taking the lead in shepherding through the legislature the controversial judicial reform package. Working closely with Minister of Justice, Yariv levin, Rothman bore the brunt of public anger and became a convenient target for political mudslinging. For much of 2023 Israel was roiled by unprecedent civil disobedience and dissent set off by the judicial reform legislative package. And then, October 7th happened. Since then Rothman has...2024-03-1429 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E15. Sundays with Ya’akov: Biden, Bibi and Qatar Having a Come to Jesus MomentFollowing his State of the Union address on Thursday night, President Biden was caught on a hot mike saying that he’s due for a “come to Jesus” meeting with PM Netanyahu, expressing his exasperation with the man. Both men are trying to find a way through this war and their impossible political conundrums but the status quo is not going to hold much longer. Biden feels enormous pressure to expand the humanitarian aid corridor and flow of supplies to the Gaza Strip. He also makes it clear to Bibi that an assault on Rafah, which would result in furthe...2024-03-1029 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E14. Being Michael Levy: Brother of a Hamas HostageFor five months, Michael Levy has inhabited a life that still feels foreign, but he is possessed by a mission to bring home his younger brother, Or, taken hostage by Hamas monsters, as he calls them, on October 7th. The youngest of three brothers, Or left for the Nova Music Festival early on the morning of October 7th with his wife, Eynav, to enjoy a carefree day in the sun. Their two-year-old son, Almog, was asleep. When the extended family awoke that day they entered a surreal Hell that never ends. Eynav was murdered and Or taken hostage. Almog...2024-03-0642 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E13. Sundays with Ya’akov Katz: Aid Convoy Chaos and Hostage AnguishThis week Ya’akov and I delve into two issues. First, we discuss the tragedy that resulted in the deaths of approximately 100 Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday as civilians desperate for food and provisions swarmed an aid convoy. Israel says that the chaos resulted from panic and, quite possibly, Hamas fire in addition to IDF shots. Fact is, what this disaster made clear is that Israel really has to work out a more secure way to get aid into the Gaza Strip. And we also need to find a way to get our hostages out. It is...2024-03-0325 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E12. Sundays with Ya'akov Katz: Hostages and National UnityOn Friday, as I planned ahead to record with Ya’akov on Sunday (today), I was certain that we would discuss “the day after”, which was much talked about last week, internationally. But, this being Israel, that issue was overtaken by events on Saturday: reports of a breakthrough in talks in Paris to bring home some (sadly, not all) of the hostages and a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Saturday night that turned violent very quickly. A group of several thousand gathered in front of IDF Headquarters and called for everything possible: elections, hostage release, ultra-orthodox draft, you name it. It’...2024-02-2532 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E11. The Real Eylon Levy. Unplugged.Incredibly, superstar spokesman for the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel, Eylon Levy, actually has a life off-air. Speaking with State of Tel Aviv earlier this week, Eylon shared a bittersweet vignette from a friend's wedding he attended recently. Turns out all the guys doing shots at the bar were on the team that rescued two Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity recently in an insanely daring commando operation. We talk about UNRWA, antisemitism globally, and how he keeps his cool in what may be the toughest job in crisis communications in the world at the moment. This guy...2024-02-2225 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E10. Sundays With Ya’akov Katz: Unity, Hostages, and Haredim and the Army.Just back from a quick trip to Canada and the U.S., Ya’akov tells us he was struck by the insecurity and anxiety he encountered among Jewish groups he met with in Toronto, Detroit, New York, Chicago and Florida. (He sure covers a lot of ground in less than a week.) Their concerns are not much different from those that preoccupy Israelis: Hostages. Civilian casualties and humanitarian suffering in the Gaza Strip. Israel’s disunity, which is becoming more apparent as the immediate shock factor of October 7th recedes. And the escalating tension in Israel over the...2024-02-1820 min
The Roy Green ShowFeb 17: Amb Vivian Bercovici, op ed: Rafah must be invaded in order to destroy Hamas.Prime Minister Trudeau and the PM's of New Zealand and Australia posted a statement to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netenyahu warning against an Israeli military full incursion into Rafah.Canada's former Ambassador to Israel, Vivian Bercovici wrote an op ed for the National Post headlined: Rafah must be invaded in order to destroy Hamas.Bercovici then posted to 'X': "In December, just before the infamous Canadian vote at the UN by Canada's Ambassador Bob Rae, PM Trudeau and Melanie Joly had hosted the foreign ministers of Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian Authority for afternoon te...2024-02-1807 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E9. Superbowl Sunday with Ya'akov Katz: UNRWA, Rafah and the HostagesYa’akov Katz is in Detroit today so we recorded a little later than usual, meaning we drop later. But. You’re probably distracted by the Super Bowl and all that goes with it. Among the ads running on TV is one sponsored by the government of Israel and it’s brilliant. Reminding all those dads watching the game of the Israeli fathers held hostage for almost 130 days. As always, we discuss the hostages, the snowballing UNRWA fiasco, heightened by Israel’s disclosure Saturday night of its recent discovery of a massive Hamas server farm located right underneath the UNRWA HQ...2024-02-1127 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E8. Sundays with Ya’akov Katz: Hostages and the Slo-Mo Implosion of UNRWAIn our weekly chat Ya’akov and I get into the hostage dilemma that continues to tear apart the nation. It corrodes everything and Hamas understands this fully and leverages Israel’s psychic suffering brilliantly. But it feels like we are getting to a point where no victory is more important than bringing them home. Now. We then look at the spectacle of UNRWA imploding. Multiple exposures of UNRWA employees taking active roles in the murder and violence of October 7th and celebrating it since, have been made public and sparked outrage among many large donor countries. The weird part...2024-02-0421 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E7. Why Everyone Should Know About MK Sharren HaskelBecause she represents the future of Israel. Now sitting with the New Hope party (merged with Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party several years ago). Haskel entered the Knesset in 2015, young, bright and firmly in the back bench. In the years since she has distinguished herself for being principled, focused and whip smart. A mother of three very young daughters, she is consistently a top performer and strong voice for democracy, women and ethical government. We get into the tough stuff in this conversation: that horrible Black Shabbat of October 7th; the persistent nightmare ever since; the abandonment of...2024-02-0339 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E6. Sundays with Ya’akov Katz: Genocide, UNRWA and HostagesYa’akov Katz is back from his brief trip to London where he lunched with the Prime Minister and then some. But, now it's back to reality and the constant crisis in Israel. Last Friday Israel was on tenterhooks as the International Court of Justice read its preliminary ruling at 2 pm local time. This pertains to the case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. As we say in Hebrew, the Court “walked between the teacups”; delicately avoiding any hard findings but also not foreclosing that possibility down the road. We then touch on the...2024-01-2825 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E5. Visegrad24 Touches Down in Israel: Who are They?Four years ago Visegrad24 started out as a Twitter account intending to provide a version of current events in Poland and the region that offered a different perspective; one that did not parrot what its founders considered to be an overly left-wing point of view that they felt was pervasive in news coverage. The initial focus of these two young brothers – repatriated Polish lads from an émigré family that had settled in London post WWII – was central and eastern Europe. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine they attracted significant online attention, which has continued since. But the real surge in the...2024-01-2527 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E4. Hostages. Genocide Charges. West Bank Violence: Weekly Review with Ya'akov KatzYa’akov and I discuss a few of the hot issues that dominated the last week in Israel. Today marks 100 days since the 139 hostages still in Hamas captivity were taken. Their survival is so imperiled, having been held in horrific conditions, denied medical care, starved and subjected to all manner of abuse and torture. The crisis is absolutely gutting Israel and leadership seems resistant to understand how dire this is. For the hostages themselves and the health of the nation. We then move on to the hearing that began on Thursday at the International Court of Justice in The Ha...2024-01-1422 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E3. A Father’s Hell: Waiting For His Daughter’s Release from Hamas CaptivityFor 96 days now, Eitan Gonen has been in constant agony as he waits, and waits, for his beautiful, effervescent, 23-year-old daughter, Romi, to be freed from Hamas captivity. Last Saturday, we dropped a podcast episode focusing on our conversation with Romi’s mother, Meirav Leshem Gonen. Previously married to Eitan, the couple has five children together, ranging in age from 16 to 30. Romi, her father likes to say, is the sandwich. Right in the middle. Like Meirav, Eitan was on the phone with Romi for much of the time – four and a half interminable hours – when she and her best friend...2024-01-1146 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E2. Sunday Feature: Week in Review with Ya’akov KatzWe cover a lot of ground in our chat today with Ya’akov Katz. Starting in Gaza, we discuss the change in military strategy that the IDF is using there. Meanwhile, the northern front heats up and concern is rising that war could erupt there any moment. And we finally get into the extreme societal fissures that have been left to fester in the name of “unity.” But the lid is blowing off the pot. And the politicking is getting very ugly. Very quickly. A tour de force with Yaakov’s always brilliant insights. State of...2024-01-0726 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastS2 E1. A Mother’s Fortitude: Waiting for Her Daughter’s Release from Hamas CaptivityWe speak at length today with Meirav Leshem Gonen, whose 23-year-old daughter, Romi, has been held hostage by Hamas for three months. Romi’s four siblings and parents know little of her condition or treatment and have had no sign of life for almost 40 days. They do know that when captured she was badly injured. Reports from hostages released at Day 57 confirmed that her condition had deteriorated and that she was not receiving medical care. Until then, Romi had been kept deep underground, in the dark, dank, airless tunnel system and her family is deeply worried that time is runni...2024-01-0649 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE50. New Year’s Eve Special: Week in Review with Ya’akov Katz in our final Podcast of 2023Earlier today, I spoke with Ya’akov Katz, former editor of The Jerusalem Post for our regular Sunday morning check in and review of highlights of the previous week. We touch on the possibility of renewed negotiations for the release of the hostages, for whom time is running out. They have been kept in dreadful conditions, received very little food, water and no medical care or hygienic supplies. The hostage plight continues to gut the nation and try the families, unbearably. We then look at the northern front, where Hizballah has been attacking Israel more aggressively in recent days an...2023-12-3117 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE49. "Twofer" With IDF Spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus and Ya'akov Katz: The Gaza Campaign, Hostages, International Red Cross and Escalating Hostilities with HizballahIn this episode, our Christmas Special, State of Tel Aviv brings you a “twofer”; interviews with two of this podcast’s favorite voices. IDF Spokesperson, Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus and Ya’akov Katz, former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, security political analyst, share their thoughts on the challenges of urban warfare in the Gaza Strip and the continuing toll that the hostage crisis takes on all of Israel. We also get into the extreme tension and constant hostilities on the northern front with Hizballah. More than 100,000 Israeli civilians have been evacuated from the north and have no idea as to if or...2023-12-2538 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE48. Sunday Feature: Hostages. Hostages. And Hostages.This is the second instalment of our new Sunday feature: a quick, sharp focus on what went down in the past week and what's coming. Now clocking 72 days in captivity, the hostage crisis dominated the national psyche. The inadvertent killing by the IDF of three hostages who had escaped and were waving a white flag sent Israel reeling with intense shock, grief and disbelief. Their capture is why the war started and the nation is united about this and only this: Bring Them Home. NOW. I discuss this development with regular co-host, Ya'akov Katz. Former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem...2023-12-1718 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE47. Hostages and Chanukah: Darkness in the Festival of Light and MiraclesOn Thursday evening, I spoke with Aviva Klompas, an extraordinary Jewish activist, educator and writer who has distinguished herself on social media since October 7. From the moment the horror began to unfold, Aviva posted constantly with information and updates on the incomprehensible evil that befell Israel; the savage Hamas attacks and the grief left in their wake, that we are just beginning to comprehend. An accomplished writer with a keen eye for detail. Aviva crafts vignettes and stories, distiling them to their essence. Each one is important testimony for the future. Aviva has developed an important historical record, piece b...2023-12-1517 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE46. Sunday Feature: A Look Back and Ahead at What's Going on in IsraelBeginning today, State of Tel Aviv brings you a weekly podcast feature: a look at the week past and what may be coming. Each Sunday, host Vivian Bercovici will speak with Ya’akov Katz, fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, former editor in chief of The Jerusalem Post, military and political expert, serial book writer and one of the liveliest story tellers around. Viv and Ya’akov will do their best to make sense of the heightened intensity that has seized Israel since October 7. They bring humor, as appropriate, and deep knowledge not only of Israel but the foreign...2023-12-1025 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE45. How the Hostage Trauma Has Stoked Israeli Fortitude: In Conversation with Haviv Rettig GurSpeaking with journalist and political analyst Haviv Rettig Gur is always a journey. He begins by sharing his family's personal experience with supporting a family in which many members were taken hostage. Some have been released. Some remain. Some were murdered on Oct. 7. Haviv explains the impossible, how this trauma is at once uplifting and devastating. Nothing in life is familiar. But Rettig Gur is a pragmatic optimist. He lauds the way in which the IDF has earned back so much trust from the Israeli population, in spite of its appalling dereliction of duty on October 7. He sees an u...2023-12-0134 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE44. Focus on Gaza: What Will Israel Do With Shifa Hospital, Doubling as Hamas HQ?We speak with Ya’akov Katz - military analyst, author and former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post - for his signature trenchant analysis of the impossible dilemma that the IDF faces in the Gaza Strip. How will It deal with al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City; the largest in the Gaza Strip which also sits atop Hamas’ main subterranean HQ and operational hub? And those humanitarian pauses? Is it an endless game of moving civilians from one place to another in order to flush out the terrorist infrastructure entrenched underground? And. The hostages. Since speaking with Katz yesterday IDF has confi...2023-11-1425 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE43. First Responder to the Oct 7 Massacre One Month On: In conversation with Eli Beer, CEO of United HatzalahFor Eli Beer, October 7 never ends. Eli personifies courage and power and principle and drive. Yet he looks and sounds broken. Listen to his voice; a whisper of what it was a month ago. His NGO, United Hatzalah, is a Jerusalem-based organization with more than 15,000 volunteers including trained medics, of all religions and ethnicities, who value human life. On Saturday, October 7, only United Hatzalah volunteers travelled deep into the heart of darkness, the area in southern Israel where thousands of Hamas terrorists went on a savage spree, torturing, raping, sodomizing, decapitating, dismembering, burning to death – any civilian or soldier wh...2023-11-0830 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE42. New Hamas Video Released and Spectacular IDF Rescue of HostageThe day began with the release of a Hamas video featuring three female Israeli hostages, calculated to torment the Israeli public. Psychological warfare. Then. As the nation waited for a press conference to be held by the families of hostages, incredible news broke. Live. Of the IDF rescue of a female soldier the night before. A glimmer of light in a very dark time. IDF spokesperson (res) Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus gives us the full report and analysis on that and more. State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my...2023-10-3115 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE41. Why Hamas Loves Taking Hostages (And how things aren't working out quite as planned)Prof. Uzi Rabi, Director of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Tel Aviv University is one of the top global experts on middle east geopolitics and Arab culture, in every sense. Rabi is constantly on international and Israeli TV these days, explaining the phenomenon of “progressives” in the west embracing the savage Hamas terrorist movement and all it stands for. And make no mistake, Hamas is an anti-zionist and deeply anti-semitic movement. It is also anti-western; particularly hostile to the “woke” values and ideas promoted by its western supporters. After Hamas has made swift business of Israel a...2023-10-3023 minThe Roy Green ShowRoy Green Show Podcast Oct 29: Vivian Bercovici, Canada's Fmr Ambassador to Israel, Yaakov Katz, Fmr editor-in-chief, Jerusalem Post, Brothers Steve & Jeff Paikin on Jeff’s Friend Matthew Perry Bill Brioux, on the Death Friends star Matthew Perry,Vivian Bercovici is a former Canadian Ambassador to Israel (2014-2016). Writes regular op. ed. pieces on Israel and now the war with Hamas. "Mother of Canadian murdered by Hamas given cold shoulder by Trudeau government." "Israel braces for what may come next."Guest: Vivian Bercovici. Israel (IDF) ramps up its ground operation against Hamas in Gaza.Guest: Yaakov Katz. Former editor-in-chief, The Jerusalem Post. Also served as the JP's military reporter and defence analyst for a decade. Author of Shadow Strike: Inside Israel's Secret Mission to Eliminate Syrian Nuclear Power. Co-author of Is...2023-10-291h 02The Roy Green ShowOct 29: Vivian Bercovici, Canada's Former Ambassador to IsraelVivian Bercovici is a former Canadian Ambassador to Israel (2014-2016). Writes regular op. ed. pieces on Israel and now the war with Hamas. "Mother of Canadian murdered by Hamas given cold shoulder by Trudeau government." "Israel braces for what may come next."Guest; Vivian Bercovici. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices2023-10-2916 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE40. Canadian Israeli family Ravaged by Hamas Murder and Ignored by the Canadian GovernmentJacqui Rivers Vital was in Ottawa visiting her family when she learned of the carnage unfolding in Israel on October 7. Her daughter, Adi Vital-Kaploun lived on a kibbutz on the border with Gaza with her husband and two young children. A second daughter lived on another kibbutz in the area. Her husband was visiting with Adi. Jacqui tells STLV in detail about the nightmare she faced to unravel the barbarism that befell her family, in real time; the murder of Adi and the Hamas exploitation of her 3-year-old grandson in a propaganda video. And more. And then there is...2023-10-2643 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE39. Hamas’ Barbarism and Psychological Warfare: IDF Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus Explains the TacticsIn this episode we speak with Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, IDF spokesperson, discussing the ongoing conflict in Gaza. We talk about the recent release of two elderly female Israeli hostages by Hamas and the need to understand the psychological manipulation employed by Hamas regarding hostages. Hamas had meticulously planned and executed the hostage-taking operation to gain political leverage. Hamas' strategic aim was to delay Israel's ground maneuver in Gaza. Future releases and video executions as tactics employed by Hamas are still on the table. Israel's commitments are twofold: to dismantle Hamas militarily and administratively and to bring all its...2023-10-2527 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE38. From Investment Banker to Fruit Picker: The Indomitable Spirit that Keeps Israel GoingWhen war broke out in Israel on October 7th, Moti Jungreis wasted no time in getting on a plane so that he could assist in the massive civilian relief and support effort. A former investment banker based in Toronto, Jungreis has split his time between Israel and Canada in recent years.He spent today, Monday, harvesting fruit in farmer's fields just outside the closed military zone in southern Israel, adjacent to the Gaza Strip. And he has been doing so much more over the last two weeks. In the midst of the carnage and horror, it is...2023-10-2312 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE37. Hamas is a Death Cult: Hussain Abdul-Hussain on What the West Needs to KnowIraqi Lebanese American, journalist and foreign policy specialist at DC-based think tank Federation for Defense of Democracies, Hussain spent his first 20+ years living in Saddam Hussein's Iraq and Lebanon. He explains the different "camps" in the very diverse Arab world and exposes Hamas. Hizballah. Iran. For the death cults they are. We discuss this war on the west, on Israel, on Jews and the dangerously uninformed activists demonstrating in support of Hamas in western countries. We need unity. Clarity. And fortitude. These extremists neither fear death nor do they value life. Not even Palestinian life. Or hostages. Hussain is...2023-10-2230 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE36. The story of an IDF Reservist and his friend held hostage by HamasRuben is a 25 year-old-university student who woke up on Saturday, October 7 and by late afternoon had reported to a makeshift base set up in a school in southern Israel. Since then, this reservist serving in the IDF Home Front Command, has been providing civilian relief and rescue after missiles strike, assisting people trapped in rubble, ensuring funerals may proceed safely. He also talks about his friend, Noa Argamani, who was abducted and taken hostage by Hamas terrorists as she screamed. Ruben talks about her and his support of her family. The story of another quiet hero....2023-10-2016 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE35. Rambam Hospital: A Nuke Proof Fortified Lifeline in IsraelIn today's episode of State of Tel Aviv and Beyond, our guest is Dr. Michael Halbertal, the CEO of Rambam Hospital in Haifa. We discuss the challenging circumstances in Israel over the past 11 days, marked by a surge in casualties and horrific incidents, including the injuries and death of infants and children. Dr. Halbert reflects on the emotional toll and the close-knit community in Israel that makes these events deeply personal. He describes the remarkable and innovative transformation of Rambam Hospital into a fortified underground facility, highlighting the hospital’s commitment to providing medical care to citizens in any sc...2023-10-1810 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE34. Israel at War: Day 11. Col (res) Miri Eisin Briefs STLV on what is Happening and What Tomorrow May BringState of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe2023-10-1714 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE33. Israel at War: Day 9. October 15War in Israel, Day 9, Sunday, October 15th, 2023. We speak today with Hadar Green, 25 years old, woke up on Saturday, October 7th, early in the morning to a massive attack and bombardment of Israeli civilians. Hadar was to be married the following day. Listen to his harrowing story of that day and the week that has followed.State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other...2023-10-1527 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE32. Israel at War: Day 7. October 13, 2023We’re doing our best to deliver timely reports and with a candor that you will not hear on MSM. We are also scrambling as our team is working under very trying circumstances. So please excuse any editing that isn’t up to our usual studio standard. This is war.We have Ya’akov Katz back today to brief us on the military situation on the ground in Israel and fill us in as to how civilians there are managing. Most touching moment was when he shared with me that his daughter – who serves in a combat unit and...2023-10-1327 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE28. Israel at War. Day 2. Sunday, October 8, 2023“There’s a feeling in the air that the country is on the line.”Today we speak with Ya’akov Katz, military affairs and political expert, author, and former editor of The Jerusalem Post. He is brilliant and distills the last day and a half of indescribable horror in Israel for us: morale, terror, intelligence and military failures and the incomprehensible savagery of Hamas terrorists. This first pod is without a paywall. Going forward the podcast – which will be very frequent as this complex and ongoing situation develops – will be accessible to paying subscribers only. We’re not sleeping a...2023-10-0816 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE27. Israeli Master Photojournalist Ziv Koren: Behind the scenes and Back Stories with Prime Ministers, Terror Attacks, World Events and LifeZiv Koren Is a peerless photojournalist in Israel and a global brand and name. Over the past 30-plus years he has cultivated unparalleled access into the private lives of prime ministers and been allowed to photograph some of Israel’s most highly trained and secretive counter-terrorism units in training. He covers global events – most recently the early Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians in that brutal and ongoing war. Koren has a brilliant eye as well as a detective’s instinct – sensing where that special angle may be – metaphorically and literally. In this episode we discuss some of his more memorable...2023-10-0548 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE26. Queens. Harvard. Med School: Why One Woman Walked Away From Her Life to Reimagine Everything in an Ultra Orthodox WorldIn the summer of 1978, Bracha Goetz – a Harvard graduate who had just completed her first year of medical school – flew to Israel for a six week working stint at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. After two weeks, she had left medicine and was studying orthodox Judaism full-time in a women’s seminary. I met Bracha in the summer of ’85, living in a trailer in a West Bank settlement, managing four young children and already a prolific author of children’s books. Having had no contact for close to 40 years, we spoke recently; about her views on spirituality, Judaism, the ethics of West Ban...2023-09-2143 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE25. September 12 Showdown in Supreme Court of Israel: How Did We Get Here and What's at Stake?Tomorrow morning, the Israeli Supreme Court will convene to hear what may be its most important case ever. The coalition government led by PM Benjamin Netanyahu passed a law on July 24 that eviscerates the power of the Court to review a broad class of government decisions. Many Israelis believe that this unprecedented government action will erode democracy, as there are no other checks or balances on the actions of the Knesset. The government takes the position that it can act as it sees appropriate in light of the fact that it controls a majority of the Knesset. This constitutional...2023-09-1255 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE24. Jason Greenblatt Unplugged: Special Adviser to President Trump on Negotiating the Historic Abraham Accords and the AfterlifeJason Greenblatt is one of those people who found himself in the right place at the right time and seized the moment. Having worked closely with Donald Trump as his in-house commercial real estate lawyer, he jumped at the opportunity to serve President Trump in the White House as a special adviser. Along with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner and long-time lawyer, David Friedman, Greenblatt was engaged intensively in negotiating the breakthrough Abraham Accords; the Agreements that demonstrated that middle east peace was multi-faceted and did not require a final resolution of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. With a front row se...2023-09-071h 01
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE23. An Unlikely Activist Reflects on the Past Year – and What Lies AheadFather of three daughters, husband, former elite combat reservist and top tier employment law lawyer, Yaron Kramer has also taken on the role of near full-time activist since January, 2023. He was among the founders of the grassroots protest organization – Brothers and Sisters in Arms – who recognized early on that the judicial reform agenda of the coalition government in Israel was an assault on liberal democracy.I have been meeting and speaking with Kramer – as everyone calls him – since the early days. In fact, he was among the organizers of the very controversial and attention-grabbing barricade of the Jerusale...2023-08-2537 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE22. Why Judicial Reform Exposes Israeli Security Officials To International Criminal ProsecutionAmong the many consequences being discussed relating to the coalition government’s judicial reform initiative is the fact that this significant policy shift exposes many senior Israeli defense, security and political leaders to criminal prosecution at the International Criminal Court. Expert Israeli international lawyer, Daniel Reisner, explains why the concern is real and even gets into one case where such an arrest was imminent but thwarted at the last minute. “The intention is out there and the potential for catastrophe is there…But anyone saying that there is no legal risk is just plainly wrong.” To date, the robustness of the I...2023-08-2019 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE21. Israel’s Security Establishment vs. PM Netanyahu: A High-Stakes ShowdownToday we get into the the coming showdown between the IDF and the extremist coalition government led by PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Last Friday, 169 senior, former defense and security professionals, placed a full page ad in a major Israeli newspaper, calling on the government to halt the judicial reform in order to further damage Israel’s preparedness for war or any form of regional conflict. They are not blowing smoke. Repeated assessments indicate that Israel’s security situation is dire. The instability caused by the judicial reform initiative is exacerbating matters to the point that the country’s security may be in...2023-08-1627 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE20. The Morning After: Professor Karnit Flug Discusses the Economic Fallout from the Knesset’s Passage of the First Judicial Reform BillIn this second part of our discussion with Professor Karnit Flug, former Governor of the Bank of Israel (2013-18) and currently Vice President of Research at Israel Democracy Institute and a professor at Hebrew University, we discuss the reaction of Wall Street and others to the passage in the Knesset of the Reasonableness Law on July 24. I spoke with Professor Flug on August 6, after she had an opportunity to assess the initial reactions and speculate as to what may follow. She is hoping that the coalition government not only pauses this very damaging judicial reform but that it totally...2023-08-1118 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE19. Deep Dive with Prof. Karnit Flug, former Governor of Bank of Israel, on the Economic Impact of Israel’s Judicial Reform LawsIn this first part of a series, Professor Karnit Flug, Governor of the Bank of Israel from 2013-18, takes us on a tour de force, analyzing the impact of the judicial reform overhaul program on the economy in Israel. She is currently VP Research at Israel Democracy Institute and Professor at Hebrew University. Flug has a unique perspective, having worked at the Bank of Israel for close to 30 years. Throughout her career she worked closely with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and shares her candid insights as to how the man has changed over the decades. She no longer recognizes th...2023-08-0954 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE18. Quick Hit on Chaos in Israel: A Conflict Between the Israelis and the JewsWednesday evening marked the onset of one of the most solemn days in the Jewish calendar; the destruction of the First and Second Temples, which ended two brief periods of Jewish sovereignty in the land of Israel millenia ago. Many Israelis fear that we are on the verge of witnessing the fall of what we call the Third Temple Era, the 75 years since the state of Israel came to exist. The timing of this national crisis is mind-blowing.Professor Gideon Rahat explains the present chaos in Israel as a conflict between Israelis and Jews. Israel was created o...2023-07-2830 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE17. The Reasonableness Bill: What Separates Democratic Israel from the AbyssOn Monday or Tuesday the coalition government led by PM Benjamin Netanyahu seems determined to pass into law the Reasonableness Bill, which will mark the first concrete change to the judicial system which many fear is just the beginning. Key ministers in the government have been unwavering in their commitment to push the whole reform package through in stages, introducing change that many are convinced heralds the end of liberal democracy in the country. Vivian Bercovici speaks with Professor Shany on the various issues of concern and why so many Israelis are deeply alarmed.For more on...2023-07-2324 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE16. STLV QUICK HIT: Israel's Day of Disruption and Chaos Nation WideWe speak with Carrie Keller-Lynn, political reporter with Times of Israel who was at the major protests – at Ben Gurion airport and in central Tel Aviv. Cops are getting tougher and Israelis angrier. President Biden even jumped into the fray. And PM Netanyahu? He’s AWOL.State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com...2023-07-1320 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE15. STLV QUICK HIT: Explaining the Background of the Major IDF Operation in Jenin Last WeekA week ago, a major IDF operation began in the northern West Bank Town of Jenin, which has long been a hub of terror operations. In recent years both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad – both proxies of Iran – have become entrenched in the densely packed urban warrens of the refugee camp in the city of approximately 50,000. IDF special forces uncovered huge weapons caches being warehoused in underground caverns and arrested many. Twelve terrorists were killed in the two day operation. As always, international condemnation was swift and unequivocal, hammering Israel. Nothing new there. What the Jenin operation really accomplished was...2023-07-1018 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE14. How One Man may be the Catalyst for Getting Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox Men to WorkApproximately 1.3-million of Israel’s 9-million citizens are ultra orthodox, or, haredim. They have large families and the men overwhelmingly choose to study religious texts full time rather than work. The state provides them with living and other stipends that perpetuate entrenched cycles of poverty, which the haredim seem to embrace. Problem is, the tax-paying, general population is not growing as quickly, meaning that such state largesse is not sustainable. A severe economic crisis is imminent but haredi political and rabbinic leaders and their communities seem oblivious. Their calling, they think, is a higher one; to protect the Jewish pe...2023-07-0742 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE13. In Conversation with Yakov Katz: Jerusalem Post Editor-in-Chief, Author, Political Aide, Raconteur par Excellence!After 7 years as Editor-in-Chief of the Jerusalem Post newspaper, Yakov Katz put out his final edition at the end of March. And before that, he served for two years as a senior aide to then Minister Naftali Bennett. Katz discusses his “awakening” and experience after seeing the backrooms of Israeli politics at the top, and the moment when PM Bennett called to tell him that he finally saw the “real” Benjamin Netanyahu. He shares his insights into the challenges of dragging legacy media into the digital age, the extreme nature of political discourse in Israel and the quite dangerous precipic...2023-06-1340 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE12. All About Bibi, Benny and Democracy: A Conversation with Top Israeli Journalist Attila SomfalviI sat down with top Israeli journalist Attila Somfalvi last week to catch up on his big picture thoughts. Where are we headed in Israel with all this political dysfunction, security urgencies? Social division? This guy never flags, but he was very candid in saying, off the top, that after 20 years of covering politics in Israel he is worried and anxious. He is also, however, optimistic, because even though the more liberal slice of Israeli society is smaller in number, as he explains it, the much larger and less liberal population – which tends to be religious – cannot survive, literally, with...2023-05-1140 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE11. Israel’s New Normal: A Snapshot Report of Protests, Arrests and Jail One Weekend in AprilToday we get into the weeds of what goes down on a typical night of protest in the State of Tel Aviv, and Beyond. Our host, Vivian Bercovici, takes us with her with sound, street interviews and narrative – to the streets where 150,000 protest every Saturday night in the heart of Israel. Tel Aviv. Vivian speaks with quiet religious protesters who hold signs every week saying – “we’re brothers” – a bromide that most demonstrators do not embrace. And we hear a lot from one of them. She takes us with her to a police station in south Tel Aviv late that night w...2023-05-0425 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE10. Israel at 75: A conversation about the political intrigue leading to David Ben Gurion Declaring IndependenceTonight, at sundown, Israel makes the jarring transition from a day of mourning the 24,213 soldiers who have fallen in action and 4,255 civilians killed in terror attacks. It is a deeply sombre day. Every single person in this country has lost someone close. War and loss are not abstract concepts from a previous century. They are raw and very real. As the mourning ends the celebrations begin. The miracle of Jewish nationhood is a fact that no one takes for granted, especially not this year. STLV speaks with two very feisty guys – Dov Zigler and Prof. Neil Rogachevsky – authors of an i...2023-04-2541 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE9. Holocaust Memorial Day: How Romanian Fascists Inadvertently Saved Hundreds of Thousands of Jews From Mass Murder in BelzecLast night and today, Israel marks Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Throughout the country, there are small ceremonies where survivors, or their children, speak of their experiences. People gather in neighborhood parks, at schools. There are also grand state ceremonies, reinforcing the importance of this singular mass murder to the Israeli identity and nation.In this episode, I speak with Dr. Gali Mir Tibon, a former educator cum historian and writer who has written extensively on the unique and little known exceptionalism of how the Holocaust unfolded so differently in Romania from all other European countries. The...2023-04-1847 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE8. 'Fauda' Co-creator Avi Issacharoff Speaks Out: On PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Protests in Israel, Hamas, Hizballah and MoreAvi Issacharoff has a lot to say these days. The co-creator of the Netflix hit series Fauda has been focused in recent years on his hugely successful career in television drama. On May 19, he debuts a new docu-drama on Showtime – a four part series about the notorious terrorist Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed in 2008 in a joint CIA-Mossad operation in Damascus. And then there’s the here and now. Like so many Israelis, in recent months Avi has become deeply involved in the protest movement against the proposed legal reforms of the country’s hard – some say extreme – right wing governme...2023-04-1442 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastBackground to E7. A Brief Overview of the Proposed Judicial Reforms in IsraelIf you missed Episode 7, you can find it below.State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe2023-04-1112 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE7. Why Likud Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, Fleur Hassan, Supports Israel’s Judicial ReformsFleur Hassan-Nahum, loyal Likud member and Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem explains how she reconciles her identity as a liberal democratic Israeli with the current focus of her party – and the coalition government – on what many consider to be legislatives reforms that will destroy Israel’s independent judiciary – and liberal democracy. A self-described consensus builder and pragmatist, she quite openly discusses the shortcomings of the rollout of the proposed reforms but is adamant that they are necessary. It is a position that I can neither understand nor accept; but our exchange is a polite reflection of what takes place constantly, these da...2023-04-1134 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE6. Showdown in Israel: Total Paralysis as the nation unites against dictatorshipOn Sunday March 26, 2023, at 9 pm, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his Minister of Defence, General Yoav Gallant, for daring to warn the nation that we are in a dire security predicament. Gallant urged the Prime Minister to pause the controversial judicial “reform” legislation that most Israelis believe will be the death knell of liberal democracy in the country. Netanyahu’s impulsive dismissal of Gallant sparked massive protests throughout Israel within minutes. Whatsapp mobilized the nation. Everything came to a standstill. The last 24 hours in Israel have been as dramatic as any in its 75 year history. The country is paralyzed by prot...2023-03-2743 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE5. Kohelet Forum Fiasco in IsraelToday’s podcast takes a close look at the Kohelet Policy Forum – a Jerusalem-based think tank financed by two Philadelphia billionaires. Kohelet has been working hard for many years on developing policy proposals and legislation to overhaul the Israeli justice system and with the election of the hard right, ultra-orthodox governing coalition they struck gold. Kohelet policy proposals were embraced by the coalition but enraged the general public – even many who had voted for coalition parties in the last election. For 12 weeks now demonstrations and protests have become larger, more disruptive and social order is rapidly breaking down. Kohelet is pro...2023-03-2332 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE4. Anatomy of Anarchy in Israel - On the Street and in the Homes of the ProtestersIsrael has been in a state of chaos for months now, with much of the country protesting a package of laws reforming the justice system that many think goes much further – and will be the end of liberal democracy in Israel. We dig deep into the issues and talk to the people organizing these protests: elite combat reserve soldiers, air force pilots, professionals, regular folks. These are the people PM Netanyahu brands as leftists, anarchists, and terrorists. They call him a dictator and say this is the most important war that Israel has ever fought since its founding in 1948....2023-03-1643 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE3. Life in Odesa One Year On - How a Master Sculptor Finds Inspiration in WarOn the first anniversary of the war with Russia, Ukrainian sculptor Mikhaïl Reva speaks with Vivian Bercovici about deriving meaning from from the horror of the senseless destruction, and discusses his complex ancestry. Mourning the recent loss of his mother, who was Jewish, Reva- who does not identify with any particular organized religion, surprises even himself as he shares the origins his family’s deep ties to Ukraine. So much traces back to a vicious pogrom in 1903) in which his great grandparents were murdered, leaving their young son an orphan. That was Misha’s grandfather, raised in Soviet orpha...2023-03-1022 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastE2. Israel on the Brink of Anarchy - Vivian Bercovici in conversation with Haviv Rettig GurIsrael is descending quickly into a crisis that, if unchecked, may well lead to civil war. These are the words of President Isaac Herzog. The words and fears of MK Benny Gantz, former IDF Chief of Staff and Minister of Defence. For months now, the country has been cleaved by sharp divisions that go to the core of Israel’s identity as a liberal democracy. The hard right-wing government coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has brought together some very extreme interests and they are bulldozing their judicial “reforms” through the legislative process at breakneck speed. There is no pro...2023-03-0231 min
State of Tel Aviv, Israel PodcastState of Tel Aviv, And Beyond Podcast Episode 1: Israel’s Justice Reform is Tearing the Country ApartTo finally launch this podcast is so huge. I realize a personal dream and expect and hope our stories will resonate. Our first episode is kind of surreal; an impassioned plea from two prominent Israelis – one on the right, the other center left – explaining how dire a moment this is: in Jewish history and the short life of the modern State of Israel. The crisis in Israel is about so much more than justice reform. It is about whether the country has a future as a liberal democracy. Doesn’t get closer to the bone than that. Please tune in and...2023-02-2339 min
The CJN Daily with Ellin BessnerFormer ambassador Vivian Bercovici gives top marks to Israel's new governmentLast week, Israel's prime minister, Naftali Bennett, made his debut on the world stage at the United Nations General Assembly. Bennett has just passed the 100-day mark of his administration, after his coalition came together in June.
How has Bennett's government fared in those hundred-odd days? Canada's former ambassador to Israel, Vivian Bercovici, would give the new team an A if she were writing their report card.
Bercovici was a lawyer in Toronto when Stephen Harper appointed her as Canada's ambassador to Tel Aviv in 2014. She was let go just over two years later, after...2021-10-0616 min
And Another Thing PodcastS02E11 - Episode 64 w/ Vivian Bercovici
On this weeks episode, the guys start off giving an update on the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario including the Amber Alert that came with it. After that, the guys welcome Vivian Bercovici to the show. Vivian is a former adjunct professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and was a member of the CBC's board of directors. Vivian is also a former Ambassador of Canada to Israel. They discuss life in Israel, vaccine deployment, mask mandates, communications in Israel, and President Trump and the consequences of censorship online. All of this plus much more.
Follow...2021-01-1934 min
Empire Club of CanadaHer Excellency Vivian Bercovici, Canadian Ambassador to Israel | March 24, 2016The Empire Club of Canada Presents:
Her Excellency Vivian Bercovici, Canadian Ambassador to Israel With Israel: The Global Tech Innovation Hub. Why Canadian Business Should Be There
Since January, 2014, Ambassador Bercovici has served as Canada's Ambassador to the State of Israel. She has maintained a strong interest in Israel for decades, professionally and personally. In addition to having studied at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem from 1981 to 1982, Ambassador Bercovici wrote a monthly column for the Toronto Star on Israel and Mid East issues prior to her appointment. From 1990 until January, 2014, Ambassador Bercovici practiced law in To...2016-03-2453 min