We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to [email protected] Former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel used a major speech in Israel to lay out what many see as the foreign policy vision of a potential 2028 presidential campaign and his message was blunt: the U.S.-Israel relationship is at a crossroads. In this episode, host Aviva Klompas is joined by Dr. Michael Oren to examine Emanuel's diagnosis of Israel's strategic position and the future of the alliance be...
Jul 15
21 min
We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to [email protected] or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas. Just when it seemed the conflict between the United States and Iran might be settling into an uneasy stalemate, the region lurched back toward escalation. In this episode, host Aviva Klompas is joined by Ambassador Dan Shapiro, former U.S. ambassador to Israel and a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council, to make sense of a fast-moving and often contradictory si...
Jul 8
22 min
For generations, American Jews were among the Democratic Party's most loyal supporters, seeing liberal politics as a natural extension of Jewish values. Today, that relationship is under increasing strain. Host Aviva Klompas sits down with columnist, television host, and author Batya Ungar-Sargon to discuss her new book, The Jews and the Left. Together, they examine how a century-long political alliance evolved—and why so many Jews now feel politically and culturally homeless. They explore ...
Jul 1
22 min
Empathy is usually considered one of humanity's greatest virtues. But what happens when empathy becomes untethered from reality? In this episode, host Aviva Klompas sits down with Dr. Gad Saad to discuss his new book, Suicidal Empathy. Drawing on evolutionary psychology, cultural analysis, and his own experiences growing up Jewish in Lebanon before fleeing civil war, Saad argues that many Western societies have become reluctant to judge ideas, behaviors, and ideologies on their merits—even w...
Jun 24
37 min
What does a 14th-century stained glass window in a Brussels cathedral have to do with a "Jew hunt" in the streets of Amsterdam in 2024 or the slogans appearing on American campuses after October 7? Professor Flora Cassen joins Dr. Rachel Fish to discuss her new book, Stained Glass: A Reflective History of Antisemitism, and to explore how antisemitism has taken shape across different places and historical periods. Drawing on both her scholarly work on European Jewish history and her pers...
Jun 22
43 min
We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to [email protected] or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas. Qatar is one of the smallest countries in the world. Yet according to a new report from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, it has invested more than $400 billion in the United States over the past fifteen years. Where has that money gone? And what does Qatar hope to gain in return? In this episode, Aviva Klompas speaks with Jonathan Schanzer, Executive Direct...
Jun 17
24 min
We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to [email protected] or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas. One year after the United States and Israel launched a war that devastated Iran's military leadership and nuclear infrastructure, Washington and Tehran say they have reached an agreement to formally end the conflict. But what exactly is in the deal? In this episode, Aviva Klompas speaks with Jonathan Schanzer, Executive Director of the Foundation for Defense of Democ...
Jun 15
21 min
We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to [email protected] or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas. For weeks, President Trump has insisted that Washington and Tehran are on the verge of a deal. But events over the last 24 hours tell a different story. Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel. Israel struck targets inside Iran. The Houthis launched a missile from Yemen. And once again, the region finds itself balancing between diplomacy and escalation. In this episod...
Jun 8
21 min
We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to [email protected] or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas. As the Trump administration weighs its next move on Iran, Israel faces a familiar but uncomfortable question: What happens if Washington reaches a deal that Jerusalem believes leaves the Iranian threat unresolved? In this episode, Aviva Klompas speaks with Dr. Michael Oren about the lessons of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, how Israel should navigate disagreements w...
Jun 3
21 min
After fighting publicly for the return of her son Hersh from Gaza, Rachel Goldberg-Polin joins the podcast to reflect on grief, uncertainty, love, and the challenge of continuing to live after profound loss. Drawing from her new book When We See You Again, Rachel speaks with her characteristic honesty about the experience of mourning, the pressure people feel to “get better,” and why she believes grief is not something to overcome, but an expression of enduring love. She reflects on the stor...
May 27
42 min
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