What will happen after the war?When the dust settles, what will Gaza look like? What would be success for Israelis? What could make a better future for Gazans? While the war is far from over, the question is already relevant. Many are speaking about this issue in Israel and around the world. While we aren’t privy to the discussions behind the scenes where people in power are working the plans out, we can still try to figure out what the possibilities are. This is a difficult debate. All of...

What will winning the war look like?This episode was recorded before the deal to recover hostages was announced. Has Israel set realistic goals in its war with Hamas? What would victory look like? Is it possible to eliminate Hamas as an organization? As an idea? Can the hostages be rescued? Can Israel win the public relations battle? Should it? Join us as we dissect these complex events, aiming to provide insight and understanding. Our goal is to help listeners process these challenging...

How did we get here?In this gripping podcast episode, Calev, Alan, and Matt delve into the intricate factors that led to the October 7 massacre. Was it a result of tactical errors, intelligence failures, or misinterpretations of Hamas' intentions? Or does the root cause trace back to Israel's strategic decision to disengage from Gaza in 2005? Join us as we dissect these complex events, aiming to provide insight and understanding. Our goal is to help listeners process these challenging...

Special: Israel at War - Episode 3Crisis on CampusIn this third special current event episode, Calev, Liel and Mike, discuss what is happening outside of Israel in college campuses during Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza. How should students understand the anti-Israel protests? What should they do? We hope these special episodes help our listeners understand and process these difficult events in order to build up our own resilience. Together we will find the light at the end of the tunnel. Am...

Special: Israel at War - Episode 2What happens next? In this second of two special current event episodes, Mike, Alan, Mordechai and Jordana discuss what may come next in Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza. They share their feelings and observations in this difficult time. We hope these special episodes help our listeners understand and process these difficult events in order to build up our own resilience. Together we will find the light at the end of the tunnel. Am Yisrael Chai!

Special Israel at War - Episode 1Where are we now? In this first of two special current event episodes, Calev, Liel and Matt discuss where we are on day 4 of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza. They share their feelings and observations in this difficult time. We hope these special episodes help our listeners understand and process these difficult events in order to build up our own resilience. Together we will find the light at the end of the tunnel. Am Yisrael Chai!

Are there boundaries to Jewish caricatures? We didn’t even know that Ben was recording. But he was! He recorded our discussion of a political cartoon. (you can look at it on this link (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dBL6BcPKlyY1TEhZ3vwOMwipIkTPwqf5/view?usp=drive_link)) It made Matt particularly uncomfortable and we debate its appropriateness. The issue was that the government was defunding existing programs to transfer more money to Haredi causes and institutions. And so the cartoon showed...

Should Israel Do More to Support Ukraine?Israel faces a complex dilemma when it comes to supporting Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. On one hand, Israel maintains strong historical ties with Russia, particularly regarding the Russian-speaking Jewish community. Russia has also been a key player in regional stability, particularly in Syria, where Israel has concerns about Iranian influence. Israel has generally tried to maintain a delicate balancing act between the United States and Russia,...

Haredi DraftThe debate over drafting the Haredim, or ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Israel, has been a contentious issue in the country for several decades. At its core, the debate revolves around the question of whether or not Haredi men should be subject to compulsory military service like the rest of the Israeli population. This issue stems from a historical exemption granted to the Haredi community, dating back to the founding of the state of Israel in 1948. The exemption was intended...

Can Israel Have a Constitution? Israel’s Declaration of Independence calls for a “Constitution which shall be adopted by the Elected Constituent Assembly not later than the 1st October 1948...". It doesn’t look like we’re going to make the deadline. The current judicial reform crisis exists because of that. So too the current crisis over the role of the Attorney General (https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/attorney-generals-office/). There simply aren’t agreed upon rules of the road for how...

ApartheidType the word “apartheid (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid)” into a google search bar and the second search that pops up is “apartheid Israel”. We’ve all heard the accusation. It is also a demonstrably false descriptor for the State of Israel. This ridiculous calumny may make a nasty sound-bite sized accusation. But for anyone genuinely trying to understand the conflict, it clearly fails to explain anything in an honest way. But this podcast has a debate format! So after...

Is There a Future for the

Herzl vs. Ahad Ha’amThere is an old saying that “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” We deeply believe that knowing the history of Zionist debate brings a richness of perspective and understanding to the issues that we face today. So we submit for your approval one of the first deep debates that divided the Zionist world. In past episodes when we’ve mentioned Ahad Ha’am in passing, listeners have contacted us to know who he was. But before Herzl, he was arguably the...

Does Israel Need America? Everyone knows that Israel and America have a strong relationship. As allies their economic, political, military, and cultural ties are deeply rooted. It remains so across multiple administrations in each of the countries. But is America a necessary ally for Israel? What would happen if that relationship changed? Could Israel survive and thrive if for some reason it lost America as an ally? Matt hosts and frames the discussion, and Mike and Calev debate the issue....

Note: This is the beginning of season 9, which is season 2 of our new debate format! We decided to get this episode published in a timely fashion. Normally, our debates are meant to be “evergreen” educational discussions about Israel and Zionism. But we’re breaking the format because so many people are asking how to process the Knesset vote this week. What does the removal of the unreasonableness grounds mean for the Supreme Court? For Israeli law, Democracy and society? How should we...

We are excited to announce the upcoming second season of our new debate format! This episode was recorded and edited by the amazing (https://www.benwallick.com/)Ben Wallick Studios (https://www.benwallick.com/). Ben is awesome!Theme music by Akiva Y. Unterberg.Masa Website (https://www.masaisrael.org/)Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/TheIsraelConversation)Please rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.

How Should Diaspora Jews Express their Ideas About Israeli Politics?Note: This is the end of the season and our podcast will be on a brief hiatus. Keep subscribed for season 9! There are several factors that can make it complicated for diaspora Jews to express their opinions on Israeli politics. Here are a few:* Lack of firsthand experience: Diaspora Jews may not have firsthand experience living in Israel or the Palestinian territories, which can make it difficult to fully understand the...