For Heaven's Sake

In a special end-of-year episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain respond to listener questions, covering topics from the one-state solution, wokeness, and Israel’s obligation to non-Jewish visitors during COVID to extreme rhetoric against Israeli-Arab coalition members. Tune into this roundtable episode and let us know if you think this discussion elevates us all a little higher.

What is the role of interfaith relations in modern Judaism and Jewish statehood? Are Jews ready for a new kind of relationship with Christians and Muslims, one rooted in psychological self-confidence and spiritual curiosity rather than historical trauma? What are the responsibilities that come with being the majority in a Jewish homeland with Christian and Muslim minorities?Join Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain for a thoughtful conversation about bridging divides toward a more whole, pluralistic world.

What happens when an ancient holiday is rebranded for modern audiences? For Israelis, Hanukkah was reinvented as a celebration of Jewish heroism, of our ability to persevere against overwhelming threats, with the Maccabean warrior as the precursor to the IDF. In contrast, in North America Hanukkah has been rebranded as a universal battle against religious suppression, with the Hanukah lights as beacons for interfaith ecumenism and religious tolerance. What does this dichotomy say about the two largest Jewish communities in the world?

As Israel passes its first state budget in 3½ years, we celebrate the stability brought about by its unusual and wondrous coalition. What can we learn from this moment about Jewish notions of normalcy, gratitude, and a collective psyche steeped in historic anxiety? Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain examine the Jewish mindset around stability, what it says about our place in the world, and how it affects the Israel-Diaspora relationship.  

As Iran approaches the nuclear threshold, Israeli leaders are explicitly warning of an imminent preemptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. The IDF has begun training for precisely that possibility. The consequences of an Iranian-Israeli war would be devastating. Is a preemptive strike worth the price? Or is stopping what many Israelis perceive as a potential existential threat worth any risk? How does Jewish tradition define a legitimate act of self-defense? And as we approach the point of no return, how should Israelis and Diaspora Jews speak about this increasingly realistic scenario?   This week, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain begin the conversation many North American Jews have preferred to avoid.

Proposed by Hartman senior fellow Micah Goodman, the idea of “shrinking the conflict” is a new strategy for moving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict forward. What does it mean and what does it entail? Is it a step forward or a step backwards? In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain discuss the moral benefits and the moral pitfalls of this new strategy, and whether it is a permanent solution or a temporary one.

Last week, Congress voted overwhelmingly to approve a billion-dollar restock of Israel’s Iron Dome missile system. Is this dependency on American aid healthy for Israel? If not, is there an alternative? Is this the type of relationship Israel and American Jews want with one another? In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore these questions and the costs of such relationships.

As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 during the Days of Awe, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain take stock of how American and Israeli reality has been shaped by the tragedy and the wars that followed. Yom Kippur is a summons to examine our mistakes and begin anew. What were the missteps after 9/11 that all of us, regardless of our politics, need to examine together?

As we head into Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, our minds turn to thoughts of atonement and self-improvement, but usually only with regard to ourselves, our families, and our friends. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss what it might mean for a nation to repent and how it might consider its internal divisions and past behavior.

Disagreement is a cornerstone of the Jewish experience. But across the political spectrum, Jewish discourse around Israel has moved beyond the realm of disagreement into something much more toxic. In the second half of this two-part episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain share their hopes and fears for the future of Jewish peoplehood as they continue to confront the urgent challenge of a moral, nuanced, and diverse Israel conversation, within and between Israel and North America.