

The Israel–Diaspora Divide - with Yossi Klein Halevi
Aug 14, 2025
Yossi Klein Halevi, a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, engages in a deep conversation about the widening rift between Israeli and American Jews. He reflects on the trauma following the October 7 events and the complexities of navigating identity and power. The discussion touches on the urgent need for political inclusivity in Israel and emphasizes the importance of interfaith dialogue. Halevi shares a poignant story about a young boy’s quest for identity, offering hope amid adversity and calling for nuanced conversations to bridge cultural divides.
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Child's Question Reveals Different Bonds
- Yossi recounts his 12-year-old son's puzzled question: "We're a cause?" during a U.S. synagogue visit.
- The moment reveals how Israelis live Israel as daily reality, not as an abstract cause for diaspora Jews.
Humanitarian Crisis Shifts Israeli Calculus
- Yossi argues imminent famine in Gaza changes moral and political calculations inside Israel.
- He says Israelis cannot emotionally tolerate the starvation of children and that urgency drives support for ending the war now.
What 'Toppling Hamas' Really Means
- "Toppling Hamas" for Israel means preventing it from governing, not erasing its ideology.
- Netanyahu's coalition dynamics block political solutions because the far-right resettlement agenda vetoes Palestinian Authority involvement.