For Heaven's Sake

In the wake of the Holocaust, the Jewish people defied history. We restored sovereignty in our homeland and established the State of Israel, vowing that such victimization would never befall us again. Then came the massacre on October 7. Though Israel has successfully fought back against Hamas and its allies, the war is still being waged, hostages remain in captivity, and the evil that motivated the attack grows. As we approach Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi reflect on what this moment of remembrance means to them this year in an Israel still shaken and hardened by tragedy.   JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEASSponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.

The podcast dives deep into the emotional complexities surrounding this year's Passover celebrations amidst ongoing conflict and captivity. It discusses the challenges to democracy posed by recent political developments in Israel, including court rulings and government accountability. The hosts share insights on how personal narratives can enrich the Seder experience, blending tradition with modern interpretations. Listeners are encouraged to reflect on freedom, compassion, and the significance of liberation during this precarious moment.

The Shin Bet, IDF, and Israel’s judiciary should serve the nation regardless of the government’s political leanings. But Prime Minister Netanyahu seems determined to bend these institutions to serve his will and that of his right-wing coalition. Despite his visibly corrupt behavior, he may already be succeeding at instilling autocracy into Israel’s highest public institutions. This week, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi unpack the unbelievable recent absurdities and tragedies—from Netanyahu’s whiplash dismissal of his new Shin Bet chief and his response to Qatargate, to IDF arrests in the West Bank village of Jinba—and the choice Israelis face in allowing the current leadership to remain in power. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEASSponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.

The podcast dives into the complexities of Ultra-Orthodox draft refusal amid the ongoing war in Gaza. It uncovers the tensions between the Haredi community and Israeli society, questioning their reliance on military exemptions while benefiting from taxpayer funds. Historical obligations versus modern expectations create internal contradictions within the Haredi identity. As the community navigates its evolving role, the discussion emphasizes the need for dialogue and cultural transformation to bridge gaps in understanding and responsibility.

In the early hours of Tuesday, March 18, the IDF resumed airstrikes on Gaza, breaking the two-month ceasefire with Hamas. Israel’s decision to return to war can be debated, but what is harder to understand is why Netanyahu, after promising to fire the chief of the Shin Bet—Israel’s counter-terrorism agency—and with a new Haredi draft exemption in the works, has chosen this moment to thrust Israel back into the fray. This week, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss Hamas’s resurgence, the impasse in ceasefire negotiations, and the fate of the hostages as the Prime Minister continues to erode Israel’s democratic institutions and divide the Israeli people. This episode is sponsored by Wayne Robbins in honor of his grandson, Charlie Jacob Robbins’ first birthday. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEASSponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.

As pressure mounts to move forward with further ceasefire negotiations, Israel finds itself beset with national scandals and crises, including a new Haredi draft exemption bill, threats to fire the Attorney General and Shin Bet Chief, and allegations that Netanyahu’s office took money from Qatar, while a looming budget deadline threatens to topple the government. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi unpack the growing set of threats on Israel’s domestic front and ask how Israelis can heal their divisions under a government that thrives off schism.JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEASSponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.

Over the past year, Israel has shared a certain kinship with Ukraine; both countries are locked in existential wars started by their neighbors and backed by the U.S. administration. But in a shocking foreign policy turnaround, the Trump administration is stonewalling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, demanding mineral wealth from his country in exchange for further military support. In a world where Trump wields the weight of American power as he sees fit, what does this mean for Israel, a nation even more dependent on the support and protection of the United States? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi ask what sort of relationship their country is prepared to have with the U.S. to ensure its own survival. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEASSponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.

Hamas has released each round of hostages amid increasingly cruel and theatrical public displays, going as far as returning a stranger’s body in place of Shiri Bibas, who was abducted with her two young children and killed in captivity. With stage two of ceasefire negotiations due to begin, Netanyahu, and many Israelis, are instead gearing up for a return to war. Is this the response Hamas is aiming to provoke? In this episode of For Heaven’s Sake, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss Israel’s power to deter Hamas, the “cultural threat” that is radicalizing Gazans, and what kind of war Israelis are ready to wage next in Gaza. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEASSponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.

Today, Thursday, February 20, Hamas is returning to Israel the bodies of Oded Lifshitz, Shiri Bibas, and her young children Kfir and Ariel, all slain in captivity. A fresh outcry of rage is expected from the Israeli public, not just over Hamas’s brutality, but against the government’s failure to gain release of these and other hostages sooner.In a conversation recorded yesterday, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi express their nation’s deep anguish, and ask what a second stage of the ceasefire deal might look like when Netanyahu’s two stated goals—full hostage return and removal of Hamas—stand directly at odds. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEASSponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.

It seems that every country around the world has condemned Trump’s plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, and understandably so. The permanent relocation of Gazans would amount to an act of ethnic cleansing. Why, then, is Israel the only nation other than the U.S. to take Trump’s morally questionable proposal seriously? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi consider the fact that eight in ten Israelis are polling in favor of the Trump plan and how the Holocaust, the promise of Zionism, and the images of the three recently released hostages, have shaped current Israeli public opinion. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEASSponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.