Episodes

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 comp...

Should Israeli Reserve Soldiers Refuse to Serve as Protests? The protests against Judicial Reform have continued on a smaller scale over the past weeks. With Passover behind us, and the national holiday season underway, Israelis are gearing up for whatever is coming next. One aspect of the protests in particular has been hotly debated. Should reservist soldiers refuse to perform their duties (“miluim’ in Hebrew) as a form of protest? Over the course of the past few months, this has been a grow...

Nation State Law Israel's Nation-State Law, also known as the Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People, was passed by the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in July 2018. The law enshrines Israel as a Jewish state and makes Hebrew the country's official language, while downgrading Arabic from an official language to one with "special status." The debate over the Nation-State Law has been largely divided along political and ideological lines. Supporters of the law argue that it ...

Is Israeli Democracy in Existential Danger? Once again, we turned to Chat GPT and asked a simple question. “Does the current judicial reform crisis mean that Israeli democracy is coming to an end?” Here’s the essential parts of it's answer: As an AI language model, I strive to remain impartial and avoid making predictions about political developments. However, I can provide some background information on the ongoing judicial reform crisis in Israel and its potential implications for Israeli d...

Do we wish for an Exceptional or Normal state? What do we hope for when we consider the Jewish State? Let’s consider our National Anthem: “As long as deep in the heart, The soul of a Jew yearns, And forward to the East To Zion, an eye looks Our hope will not be lost, The hope of two thousand years, To be a free nation in our land, The land of Zion and Jerusalem.” Is that hope to become a free nation like all others, or to become an exceptional lofty nation? I suppose it depends who you...

Should the IDF end the draft? Polling over the last few years shows growing support among Israelis for a professional, rather than a conscripted army. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has had a mandatory conscription policy since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. All Israeli citizens, with few exceptions, are required to serve in the IDF for a period of 2-3 years for men, and 2 years for women, after reaching the age of 18. So why, in recent years, has there been a growing debate...

Is there still a chance for a two-state solution? For the last nine decades, whenever outsiders looked at the conflict between Jews and Arabs between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean Sea, they have come up with the same idea. Since both people have claims to the land, it will need to be split. A two-state solution refers to the idea of establishing two independent states for Israelis and Palestinians, respectively, living side by side within recognized borders. This usually means creatin...

Are Jews Indigenous to Israel? There are still some things you can Google, but now we also have Chat GPT. When we looked on google to define indigenous peoplehood, it said it means “inhabiting or existing in a land from the earliest times or from before the arrival of colonists.” Does this concept apply to Jews in Israel? There are two ways to address this question. One is simply to answer it. The other is to question its relevance. It feels like it's important and relevant to the Zionist ca...

The Israeli Judicial Reform Debate This is certainly the most divisive topic in current Israeli politics. While many thousands protest every week, supporters call those protesters anarchists. We recorded this episode before all of the plan’s specifics were announced, we certainly called the issues correctly. This debate has been ongoing for several years, but is now reaching a crisis point. The main issue at the center of the debate is the balance of power between the legislative and judicial ...

New episodes on the way! Our new season is coming before you know it. We've reformatted in light of a different podcast landscape then when we started, back in 2016. (There are more options now for Israeli headlines in english) As educators, we decided that working out various issues that affect Israeli life, culture and politics is our strength. We thought it would be fun to take turns debating these topics in an informal way. Issues like judicial reform, the Nation-State law and the viabilit...

There are thousands of Israelis who do not meet the definition of "Jew" by the standards of Orthodox Judaism. Imagine going to Jewish schools, serving in the IDF, and then being told that you can't marry a Jew! How should the Jewish State resolve this disturbing problem for so many of its citizens? Rabbi Chashi Freedman is the Educational Director of Nativ, the largest conversion preparation organization in Israel. He sat down with Mike and Rena to discuss the work he does. He shared moving sto...

There are thousands of Israelis who do not meet the definition of "Jew" by the standards of Orthodox Judaism. Imagine going to Jewish schools, serving in the IDF, and then being told that you can't marry a Jew! How should the Jewish State resolve this disturbing problem for so many of its citizens? Rabbi Chashi Freedman is the Educational Director of Nativ, the largest conversion preparation organization in Israel. He sat down with Mike and Rena to discuss the work he does. He shared moving sto...

Always get as much Hillel Halkin content as you possibly can. If you want to know why, listen to our current episode. Alan rejoined Mike for this one. They discussed Ahad Ha'am's arguments with Herzl, but it's really about why the history of Zionism is so relevant to us today. Normally we discuss current events, but a scholar like Hillel reminds us that we need to be informed by our past. Don't miss this one! Hillel Halkin His Amazon Page Masa Website Facebook page Please rate, review, shar...

Always get as much Hillel Halkin content as you possibly can. If you want to know why, listen to our current episode. Alan rejoined Mike for this one. They discussed Ahad Ha'am's arguments with Herzl, but it's really about why the history of Zionism is so relevant to us today. Normally we discuss current events, but a scholar like Hillel reminds us that we need to be informed by our past. Don't miss this one! Hillel Halkin His Amazon Page Masa Website Facebook page Please rate, review, shar...

If you missed this classic episode, you'll want to catch it. And if you heard it back in the day, it's worth a refresher. Enjoy! Zionism's founders wanted to change Jewish character and culture. In 2019, the data is in, and we can now see that they succeeded. (although not necessarily in the ways they intended) In this important episode, Alan and Mike interview Shmuel Rosner. Shmuel Rosner's Webpage with many relevant links. This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is a...

If you missed this classic episode, you'll want to catch it. And if you heard it back in the day, it's worth a refresher. Enjoy! Zionism's founders wanted to change Jewish character and culture. In 2019, the data is in, and we can now see that they succeeded. (although not necessarily in the ways they intended) In this important episode, Alan and Mike interview Shmuel Rosner. Shmuel Rosner's Webpage with many relevant links. This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is a...

Well, there goes the government. It looks like we're headed to the 5th elections in under 4 years. How did this happen? Why did this happen? What happens next? Mike is joined by Calev Ben-Dor and new team member Mordechai Cohen. Join us! This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome! Masa Website Facebook page Please rate, review, share and recommend our podcast. If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.

Well, there goes the government. It looks like we're headed to the 5th elections in under 4 years. How did this happen? Why did this happen? What happens next? Mike is joined by Calev Ben-Dor and new team member Mordechai Cohen. Join us! This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome! Masa Website Facebook page Please rate, review, share and recommend our podcast. If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.

Ummm... WHAT?! What the heck is happening? Is the Israeli government about to change the status of West Bank settlements in a political fight? What does that mean for the almost half a million Jews who live there? Why are right wing parties endangering the settlement movement? Will this receive international attention? What is the plan here? How will all of this mess turn out. Mike and Liel try to figure out what's going on while explaining it to you... and themselves. Join us! This episode wa...

Ummm... WHAT?! What the heck is happening? Is the Israeli government about to change the status of West Bank settlements in a political fight? What does that mean for the almost half a million Jews who live there? Why are right wing parties endangering the settlement movement? Will this receive international attention? What is the plan here? How will all of this mess turn out. Mike and Liel try to figure out what's going on while explaining it to you... and themselves. Join us! This episode wa...

Why are posts about Israel on social media so distorted and strange? What can we do about it? How should Israel educators discuss these issues with their students? Social media and PR expert Emily Schrader joined Liel and Mike for a discussion filled with thought provoking insights and perspective. This episode is a must listen! Join us! Emily Schrader This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome! Masa Website Facebook page Please rate, review, share and recomm...

Why are posts about Israel on social media so distorted and strange? What can we do about it? How should Israel educators discuss these issues with their students? Social media and PR expert Emily Schrader joined Liel and Mike for a discussion filled with thought provoking insights and perspective. This episode is a must listen! Join us! Emily Schrader This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome! Masa Website Facebook page Please rate, review, share and recomm...

Why is the current government coalition in constant chaos? What does that mean for Israel's present and future? How do we follow these stories? Rajel Leghziel joined Matt and Mike to explain. Join us! This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome! Masa Website Facebook page Please rate, review, share and recommend our podcast. If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.

Why is the current government coalition in constant chaos? What does that mean for Israel's present and future? How do we follow these stories? Rajel Leghziel joined Matt and Mike to explain. Join us! This episode was edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome! Masa Website Facebook page Please rate, review, share and recommend our podcast. If you have further questions about Israel, please feel free to contact your Masa teacher.