Call Me Back - with Dan Senor

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jerusalem fell after political and religious divisions among Jews spiraled into civil war. As Israel heads toward another election after years of political upheaval, October 7 and war, Dan speaks with filmmaker Gidi Dar and Rabbi David Stav, a leading voice in Israel’s religious Zionist community, about the history depicted in Dar’s film, Legend of Destruction, and its echoes in Israel today. Where does the comparison hold, where does it break down, and can Israelis learn from the past before their divisions become even harder to bridge?

This episode features extended scenes from Legend of Destruction. Watch the conversation and clips on our YouTube channel.

Watch the trailer for Legend of Destruction: https://youtu.be/DIvPLLijae0?si=O97Hx_3Xybo_Myuh 

Purchase or rent Legend of Destruction:

Amazon DVD: https://link.amazon/B0i5kHIIe 

Amazon US TVOD: https://link.amazon/B0dj4d5bL 

iTunes: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/legend-of-destruction/umc.cmc.1x03f8yd00dkhofvrmxouwc6j 

GooglePlay: https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Legend_of_Destruction?id=RRl6A4PyFKo.P&hl=en_US 

Amazon UK TVOD: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B0GXS755N5?ref_=atv_dp_share_cu_r 

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This episode is sponsored by the Jewish Communal Fund. Learn more about JCF’s donor advised funds atjcfny.org. 

Get your tickets to a live taping of Call me Back at the Streicker Center in NYC on October 22.

Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

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___

In this episode: 

- Why Gidi Dar made his film, Legend of Destruction

- The factions that divided ancient Jerusalem

- Why ordinary Jews joined the revolt against Rome

- How the revolt against Rome became a Jewish civil war

- The story of how Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai saved Torah traditions and transformed Jewish life after the Temple’s destruction

- The parallels between 70 AD and Israel today

- Can Israelis disagree without destroying their whole society?

- How diaspora Jews can support Israel in this fragile moment

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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Devan Schwartz, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

What happens when winning the war against terrorism leads us to forget why we were fighting it? 

Twenty-five years after the terror attacks of September 11, America has avoided another mass attack, but Manhattan Institute senior fellow and Free Press columnist Douglas Murray argues that success has come with different dangers: complacency, amnesia and turning many Americans against their own country. In a live conversation at the Manhattan Institute on September 8, Dan and Douglas look at what the West has forgotten about 9/11, why fringe conspiracy theories and anti-Western ideas have taken hold, and what Israel’s response to October 7 can teach us about a society’s willingness to defend itself.

Get your tickets to a live taping of Call me Back at the Streicker Center in NYC on October 22.

—-
This episode is sponsored by Birthright: Invest in the Jewish future today atonetripchangeseverything.com. 

Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

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In this episode: 

- What we’ve forgotten about the aftermath of 9/11

-  Has the West lost the will to fight?

- The miseducation that has led many Americans to degenerate and doubt the U.S.

- Did America’s post-9/11 success lead to complacency?

- October 7 and the West’s crisis of confidence

- Iran, Saudi Arabia and the fight against extremism

- How 9/11 conspiracy theories and other fringe ideas are reaching a new generation

-  The antidote to hate found in Israel and the heroes of 9/11

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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Devan Schwartz, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

Did Israel have enough warnings to prevent the devastation of the October 7th Hamas attacks?

A new Haaretz investigative report alleges that UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed personally called to warn Benjamin Netanyahu days before October 7 that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a major operation, a report Netanyahu’s office calls “an absolute lie.” Dan is joined by Amit Segal and Nadav Eyal who debate the credibility and significance of the story, whether another warning could have changed Israel’s response, and if it will impact Israeli elections.

Read the report in Haaretz.

Get your tickets to a live taping of Call me Back at the Streicker Center in NYC on October 22.

—-
This episode is sponsored by the Jewish Communal Fund. Learn more about JCF’s donor advised funds atjcfny.org.

Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

Become a Subscriber -  Inside Call me Back
___

In this episode: 

- The alleged phone call from Mohammed bin Zayed warning about a Hamas operation

- Amit and Nadav debate the report’s credibility

- What Israeli intelligence forces knew before October 7

- Could another warning have prevented the Hamas attack?

- Israel’s failed understanding of the goal and military power of Hamas

- Who bears responsibility for the October 7 failures?

- Why Israel didn’t eliminate Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar

– Will the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and response still be key issues in Israel’s election?

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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

What if Yom Kippur isn’t the peak of the Jewish holiday season, but the beginning of something more joyful?

The Jewish holidays of Tishrei take us on a journey from judgement and reflection to vulnerability, gratitude and ultimately joy. Dan and Rachel Goldberg-Polin continue their annual exploration of the Jewish calendar and look at what Sukkot and Simchat Torah teach us about what really matters. They also reflect on what it means to hold onto that joy when Simchat Torah is now forever intertwined with October 7.

Get your tickets to a live taping of Call me Back at the Streicker Center in NYC on October 22.

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For a brief video on American Friends of Israel Navy SEALs' (AFINS) Buddy Line program and to help struggling Israeli combat veterans find their way back, visithttps://www.AFINS.us/warriorcare. 

Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

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In this episode: 

- Rosh Hashanah and the call to reflection

- Yom Kippur and the work of teshuva

- Why do Sukkot and Simchat Torah get overlooked?

- What the sukkah teaches us about what really matters

- Why Sukkot is the “time of our happiness”

- From Shemini Atzeret to the joy of Simchat Torah

- Holding joy and grief together after October 7

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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

This is a sneak peek from the members-only edition of Inside Call Me Back. Today, Dan himself answers listener questions about whether extreme views about a One State solution in Israel will find adherents because moderates don’t have a concrete plan, what it would take to find consensus for creating a Palestinian entity, and why the upcoming Israeli elections are clouding the issue.

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Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

For the full episode, subscribe here to -  Inside Call me Back

____

You can access the full episode here, where Dan answers listener questions about:

- What Dan has changed his mind about since October 7

- The Haredi draft fight and Israel’s unequal burden

- Could Yoav Segalovich help an Eisenkot government even as a member of the Ra’am party?

- Why Pakistan advocates for Iran

- Would a Netanyahu defeat make it easier for American Democrats to defend Israel?

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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

Is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict really at the center of the Middle East?

In Part 2 of Dan’s conversation with historian Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The Cauldron, they trace how the balance of power in the Middle East shifted after 9/11, from Iran’s rise and its network of proxies to the emergence of Israel, Iran and Turkey as the region’s dominant military powers. They also ask whether the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has obscured a much larger struggle for power across the region, and what history can tell us about the possibility of peace.

Purchase a copy of Simon’s book The Cauldron here. 

Get your tickets to a live taping of Call me Back at the Streicker Center in NYC on October 22.

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This episode is sponsored by The Israel Democracy Institute: For resources on Israel's upcoming election and to learn more about IDI, visitelections.idi.org.il/2026. 

This episode is sponsored by Citizen Cafe:Scheduleyour free intro session with Citizen Cafe today.

Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

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___

In this episode: 

- How the Iraq War empowered Iran

- Iran’s proxy empire and October 7

- The rise of the Middle East’s non-Arab powers

- The surprising parallels between Turkey and Israel

- Why does the West focus so intensely on Israel?

- Beyond the one-state vs. two-state debate

- Is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a regional sideshow?

- Can the Middle East choose “honey” over blood?

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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

How much of the Middle East’s history was actually shaped by the West?

The story most of us learned about who created the modern Middle East is incomplete. Dan is joined by historian Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The Cauldron, who argues that we give Western powers too much credit and the people of the region too little agency. In Part I of their conversation, they trace the forces that shaped the region, from the Ottoman legacy and the rise of nationalism to the Iranian Revolution and Islamism.

Purchase a copy of Simon’s book The Cauldron here. 

Get your tickets to a live taping of Call me Back at the Streicker Center in NYC on October 22.

—-This episode is sponsored by RootOne. Help the Jewish teen in your life experience Israel for themselves. VisitRootOne.orgto learn more.

Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

Become a Subscriber - Inside Call me Back ___

In this episode: 

- Who really made the modern Middle East?

- The myth of empire as a Western phenomenon

- How the Middle East lost its diversity

- Did the nation-state fail the Middle East?

- Why Iran’s 1979 revolution changed everything

- How Khomeini turned Islamism into a regional force ___

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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

This is a sneak peek from the members-only edition of Inside Call Me Back. Dan is joined by Ark Media contributor Amit Segal to answer a listener question about the column he wrote calling Ben Gvir a disaster for Israel, why he holds Smotrich to a different standard, and why he argues that Israel pays an international price for a minister who sells publicity while delivering almost nothing on policy.

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Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

For the full episode, subscribe here to - Inside Call me Back

____

You can access the full episode here, where Dan and Amit answer listener questions about:

Why Amit turned on Ben Gvir, and why he judges Smotrich differently

When Amit’s own brother attacked him over settler violence

What Shas is really selling with its campaign ad about a soldier coming home

Ofer Winter, Hili Tropper, and the killing zone of the Israeli center

Why no Israeli leader will say “two-state solution” out loud

Would Netanyahu ever serve under Eisenkot in a unity government?

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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

With a weaker Iran, do Turkey’s regional ambitions put it on a collision course with Israel?

Dan and Nadav Eyal analyze the shifting dynamics in the Middle East, focusing on whether Turkey’s President Erdogan aspires to become a regional superpower given the vacuum left by a weaker Iran. They discuss whether Turkey’s military is trying to move further into Syria, crossing what Israel considers a “red line,” Israel’s recent response, and the emerging Sunni axis between Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.

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Get your tickets to a live taping of Call me Back at the Streicker Center in NYC on October 22. 

—- Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

Become a Subscriber - Inside Call me Back

This episode was sponsored by the Jewish Communal Fund. Learn more about JCF’s donor advised funds at jcfny.org. ___

In this episode: 

-Israel-Turkey relations and recent military friction

-President Erdogan’s strategic ambitions and desire to revive the Ottoman Empire

-Turkey's influence in Syria and the potential threat to Israel

-Implications for NATO of the new Sunni axis led by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan

-Syrian response to Israel's military strike on a Syrian airbase

-How internal politics in both countries are amplifying the tensions between Turkey and Israel 

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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

How will current issues or past discrimination against Mizrahi Israelis influence this election?

Dan and sociologist Mijal Bitton discuss the history, identity, and political narratives of Mizrahi Jews—whose families came to Israel from across the Middle East and North Africa—and how those narratives continue to shape Israeli politics. They unpack the factors of historical discrimination by an Ashkenazi elite, questions of economic opportunity, dignity and belonging of the Mizrahi community, and the Mizrahi devotion to maintaining the Jewish character of the state of Israel.

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Get your tickets to a live taping of Call me Back at the Streicker Center in NYC on October 22.  

—- Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

Become a Subscriber - Inside Call me Back

This episode is sponsored by The Shalom Hartman Institute. Register for The Road to the Israeli Elections webinar with the Shalom Hartman Institute's Tani Frank and Masua Sagiv.  ___

In this episode: 

-Historical roots of the Mizrahi and Ashkenazi divide

-Cultural and religious differences in their countries of origin

-Do Mizrahis still resent how they were treated by Ashkenazis during immigration?

-Israelis political realignment in 1977 and Mizrahi powerful support for Likud

-The rise of Mizrahi political movements like Shas

-How Mizrahi voters think about the “deep state” in Israel

-Contemporary Mizrahi identity and integration into Israeli society and politics

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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

This is a sneak peek from the members-only edition of Inside Call Me Back. Dan is joined by Jon Polin to answer questions from young Jewish adults and teenagers about how to reconcile personal Zionism with those who commit violence against Palestinians in the name of Zionism. They also discuss the pressures and  social costs faced by American young people who stand up for Israel and how to handle some of those tough conversations.

Learn more about Jon’s new project, Foundry 515 here.

Beyond Dispute by Daniel Taub

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl  ___

Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

For the full episode, subscribe here to - Inside Call me Back ____

You can access the full episode here, where Dan and Jon answer listener questions about:

- The social cost for American teens and young adults who stand up for Israel

- How to find Jewish joy outside of religious observance

- What the hostage crisis broke in Israeli society

- Did Hersh have an impact on his captors?

- How Jon, Rachel and others are finding a new “why” after Hersh’s tragic death

- Why Jon chose to make Aliyah

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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

Why have the classical liberal ideas that helped emancipate the Jews become so vulnerable?

Dan is joined by Jonah Goldberg of The Dispatch to ask why classical liberalism, which is the political tradition that embraces equality, individual rights and restraints on government, has become so vulnerable. They discuss how the terms liberal, progressive and socialist got confused, and why they think the DSA agenda will fail. Goldberg also explains the economic and cultural forces he sees fueling populism on the left and right, whether America’s liberal tradition is strong enough to withstand them, and what its erosion could mean for Jews.

Suicide of the West by Jonah Goldberg

The Remnant podcast

Capitalism and the Jews by Jerry Z Muller

Get your tickets to a live taping of Call me Back at the Streicker Center on October 22.

—- Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

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This episode is sponsored by HaYarkon 70. Bring your family together in the heart of Tel Aviv at this restored 1934 landmark, just steps from the promenade and the beach. Its eight luxury residences offer the space and privacy of a home, with full kitchens, spacious balconies, concierge service, and optional breakfast.

Reserve your stay atHaYarkon70.com/callmeback. Call Me Back listeners receive 10% off. ___

In this episode: 

- What is classical liberalism?

- How liberalism paved the way for Jewish emancipation starting in the 17th century

- How the terms socialism, capitalism, free market, liberal and progressive got jumbled

- Why young Americans are rejecting liberalism and the status quo

- How economic and technological change fuel discontent and dislocation

- What pop culture reveals about the rise of populism

- Can classical liberalism make a comeback?

- Could the proposals of Mamdani and the DSA actually damage American cities?

- Why Jews are caught between the illiberal left and right ___

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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

What will it take to confront antisemitism at America’s elite universities?

Dan is joined by Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, whose 2023 questioning of three Ivy League university presidents became a defining moment in the debate over antisemitism on college campuses. Drawing from her new book, Poisoned Ivies, Stefanik argues that the crisis reflects decades of systemic ideological bias, failed leadership and money from Arab countries buying academic influence. They discuss what it will take to confront antisemitism at America’s elite universities, and whether government intervention risks creating new problems of its own.

Purchase Congresswoman Elise Stefanik’s book here. 

Get your tickets to a live taping of Call me Back at the Streicker Center on October 22.

—- Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

Become a Subscriber - Inside Call me Back

This episode was sponsored by Birthright: Invest in the Jewish future today atonetripchangeseverything.com.  ___

In this episode: 

- The congressional hearing that changed everything

- Why did it take October 7 for Washington to act?

- Her proof that Students for Justice in Palestine organization is  tied to Hamas

- Could government intervention make universities worse?

- The universities that handled post October 7 protests right and how they did it

- Should Jewish students give up on attending Ivy League schools?

- Could federal funding cuts hurt American competitiveness?

- How can elite universities overcome campus antisemitism? ___

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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

This is a sneak peek from the members-only edition of Inside Call Me Back. Dan is joined by Ark Media contributor Nadav Eyal to answer listener questions about the growing number of highly educated Israelis leaving the country, why Nadav believes it's not just military conflicts driving them away, and the deeper issues facing Israeli society. ___

Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

For the full episode, subscribe here to - Inside Call me Back ____

You can access the full episode here, where Dan and Nadav answer listener questions about:

- Would a new Israeli government actually be able to create significant systemic change?

- How the past 3 years have dramatically changed attitudes and capabilities of the IDF

- Can Israel’s moderate right reshape the election?

- What do each of Israel’s Arab parties stand for and which might succeed?

- Why a popular Jewish Knesset member is joining an Arab party and why that’s significant

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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

Why has antisemitism endured and how can Jews effectively combat it?

Dan is joined by author Dara Horn to discuss her new book, The Final Solution to the Jewish Question: A Love Story for the Living. Five years after her book People Love Dead Jews diagnosed how society relates to Jewish suffering, Horn now addresses what can be done about it. She explains how AI is systematically targeting Jews, why traditional efforts to fight antisemitism are failing and outlines an approach to find a solution that could finally change everything. 

Explore Dara Horn’s new Tell Instituteto combat antisemitism.

Pre-order your copy of Dara’s book, The Final Solution to the Jewish Question: A Love Story for the Living.

Get your tickets to a live taping of Call me Back at the Streicker Center on October 22.

—- Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

Become a Subscriber - Inside Call me Back

This episode is sponsored by Citizen Cafe: Schedule your free intro session with Citizen Cafe today. ___

In this episode: 

- Why Horn chose the provocative title “The Final Solution to the Jewish Question?”

- Re-casting antisemitism not as bigotry but as “the big lie”

- What Holocaust education gets wrong

- How Nazism and Soviet anti-Zionism lives on

- How is anti-Jewish propaganda poisoning AI?

- The dangerous bargain behind America’s Jewish “Golden Age”

- What young disaffected Jews are missing and how that can change

- What is her solution to antisemitism? ___

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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

Did disagreements between Mossad and the IDF help lead to systematic failure to deploy Kurdish fighters and to topple the regime in Iran?

Dan is joined by Nadav Eyal who provides an in-depth analysis of Israel's covert plans to destabilize Iran, the role of Kurdish forces, and the internal decision-making failures that may have impacted the outcome of the war and regional security. This episode unpacks the complexities behind secret operations, disagreements between Mossad and the IDF, and the geopolitical implications for Israel and Iran. 

—- Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

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This episode is sponsored by The Shalom Hartman Institute. Register for The Road to the Israeli Elections webinar with the Shalom Hartman Institute's Tani Frank and Masua Sagiv. 

This episode is also sponsored by Hayarkon 70.  Stay in the heart of Tel Aviv at Hayarkon 70, a restored 1934 landmark just steps from the beach. Its eight guest residences combine the building's character and history with full kitchens, spacious living areas, and 24/7 guest service.

Call Me Back listeners receive 10% off their stay atHayarkon70.com/callmeback.

This is a sneak peek from the members-only edition of Inside Call Me Back. Dan and Tal Becker answer listener questions about why having an Arab party in Israel’s governing coalition is less acceptable now more than ever and what happened the last time it was tried. They also discuss how Israeli law addresses the separation of church and state and problems that creates..

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Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

For the full episode, subscribe here to - Inside Call me Back ____

You can access the full episode here, where Dan and Tal answer listener questions about:

What does the El-Sayed primary victory in Michigan mean for Democrats

Jewish identity and the deep connection between Jews and Israel

Barriers to including Arab parties in Israel’s governing coalition

Issues created by the lack of an Israeli constitution 

The surprisingly strong alliance between Israel and the UAE

What is the status of International Court of Justice and ICC charges against Israeli leaders?

Is there hope for progress to stabilize Israeli-Palestinian tension and violence?

Why Israel’s  center left policies and party are losing supporters 

____

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Why did an Israeli-U.S. plan that counted on Kurdish fighters to help topple the Iranian regime fall apart?  

Dan is joined by investigative journalist, documentary filmmaker Itai Anghel who risked his life to follow Kurdish fighters in Syria, Iraq and Iran to document their guerrilla warfare tactics, explore how Kurdish leaders viewed Israel, why that trust fractured, and how those experiences shaped their views of the Israeli-U.S. secret plan for Kurds to fight inside Iran. The conversation also examines why Kurdish women fighters are key, and the military, political, and regional obstacles that doomed the plot from the start.  On August 10th, Part 2 will examine the plan from Israel’s intelligence and military perspectives.

Watch Itai Anghel’s documentary The Women Most Wanted in Iran

___ Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

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This episode is sponsored by The Israel Democracy Institute: For resources on Israel's upcoming election and to learn more about IDI, visit elections.idi.org.il/2026.  ___

In this episode:

1. Who are the Kurds, and why they matter

2. The surprising Kurdish bond with Israel

3. A stateless nation with big aspirations

4. Women fighters now and in the war against ISIS

5. Why Kurdish trust in Israel and the U.S. has eroded

6. Inside the Iranian Kurdish underground

7. The Kurds’ view of the U.S.-Israeli plan for Kurdish boots on the ground in Iran

8. Why, when and how the plan for Kurdish fighters fell apart

___

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Why could the upcoming Michigan Democratic Senate primary signal a seismic shift about the Democratic party and U.S. policy on Israel?

As Michigan Democrats prepare to choose a nominee for the U.S. Senate, Dan Senor sits down with political journalist Mark Halperin to discuss why this race has become a flashpoint in the debate over Israel, progressive politics, and the future of the Democratic Party. They examine why progressives are demonizing Israel and AIPAC, the role of The New York Times and other media in shifting the debate, and why Abdul El‑Sayed’s campaign may have implications that extend to the 2028 presidential election. ______

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This episode is sponsored by Citizen Cafe: Schedule your free intro session with Citizen Cafe today. ___

In this episode: 

1. Why the Michigan Senate primary matters more than ever

2. How Israel became the defining issue in this race

3. Surprising changes inside the Democratic coalition

4. How The New York Times and social media impacts the narrative

5. Who is Abdul El‑Sayed and what’s behind his success

6. Why El-Sayed could be more influential than Mayor Mamdani

7. Implications of an El-Sayed victory for 2028 Democratic politics

Links mentioned in this episode:

-Mark Halperin’s recent article in the Free Press How Israel Became the Biggest Litmus Test in American Politics

-Halperin’s live video platform 2Way and  8 for 28 presidential picks

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What is next for America’s foreign policy, and what does it mean for Israel?

President Trump has reshaped America's relationships with allies and adversaries alike, favoring leverage, pressure, and dealmaking over traditional alliances. But does coercion create lasting influence, or does it push allies to look elsewhere? Dan is joined by Ian Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media, to debate whether Trump's foreign policy has reached its ceiling, what comes next for America's global alliances, and why Israel may be the ultimate test case.

Learn more about Eurasia Group and GZERO Media. ___ Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

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In this episode:

- Has Trump's foreign policy peaked?

- Where Trump's foreign policy succeeded and failed

- Can America still count on its allies?

- Has Trump lost leverage over Russia?

- Will the U.S. finish the job on Iran?

- Is Israel the exception to America's new foreign policy?

- Which parts of Trump's foreign policy will last?

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Is a 3rd round of war with Iran now inevitable?

After two wars, a failed agreement, and months of uneasy calm, the U.S. and Iran may once again be on the brink of direct conflict. Amit Segal and Nadav Eyal join Dan to assess why the US-Iran MOU has collapsed, would Israel’s military take part in it, what a 3rd round of fighting could look like, and how elections in both Israel and the United States could shape the decisions ahead. ___

This episode was sponsored by RootOne. Help the Jewish teen in your life experience Israel for themselves. Visit RootOne.org to learn more.

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Help shape what Ark Media builds next. Sign up to participate in listener interviews, focus groups, and product testing. Participation is voluntary, and space is limited. ___

In this episode:

- Why the US-Iran agreement collapsed

- What a third war with Iran could look like

- Would Netanyahu strike Iran again?

- How Iran is reading Trump

- Will elections change Trump's Iran strategy?

- Could the West Bank erupt next?

- Could another war reshape Israel's election?

- Why Israelis are watching New York politics

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In this conversation, Anne Neuberger, former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology, currently General Partner and Head of Global Affairs at venture capital powerhouse Andreessen Horowitz, joins What’s Your Number hosts Yael Wissner Levy and Yonatan Adiri to discuss how AI, cyber warfare, drones, and defense tech are reshaping geopolitics. As technology, commercial investment, and national security become increasingly intertwined, what will determine which countries, and which companies, thrive in this new era and how core values determine their use.

___

Subscribe here to: What’s Your Number?

___

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In this episode:

- The new ingredients of national power

- Why supply chains became a national security issue

- The AI debate between Washington and Silicon Valley

- What Israel and Ukraine teach the world about defense tech

- Is the U.S.-Israel alliance changing?

- Can Israel withstand growing divestment pressure?

- The next breakthroughs in AI and cyber

- Personal lessons learned from history from the Holocaust to Entebbe 

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Can historians win the fight against antisemitism and viral misinformation in the age of AI?

Historian Niall Ferguson joins Dan to warn that fact-based historians are losing the battle with social media algorithms that spread false and antisemitic content to increasingly receptive audiences on both the right and left. He argues the rules of the fight have changed. Drawing on a new essay co-authored with AI researcher John-Clark Levin, Ferguson offers data on how algorithms, non-human bots, and AI are transforming how antisemitic ideas go viral, making traditional methods of exposing lies increasingly ineffective. If facts alone are no longer enough, what comes next?

Read The Death of History by Niall Ferguson and John-Clark Levin.

Books by Niall Ferguson including The War of the World and The Square and the Tower.

___

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In this episode:

- Why Niall Ferguson says his life's work as a historian has failed

- How antisemitism was once pushed to the political fringes, but no longer

- How AI changed the fight against antisemitism

- Why antisemitism is thriving on both the left and the right

- The Nick Fuentes playbook: irony, memes, and virality

- Can liberal democracy survive the age of AI?

- The politics and concerns about a post-Trump generation

- If the old fight is over, what should historians do now?

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What does Tisha B'Av ask of us after October 7?

Tisha B'Av is the saddest date on the Jewish calendar, but Rachel Goldberg-Polin argues it also offers hope and opportunity. In a conversation shaped by the personal and collective trauma of October 7, she explains why Jewish tradition gathers centuries of loss onto a single day, why it compels us to look inward, and how mourning is meant to become the first step toward repair.

Rachel’s suggested reading:  This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation by Rabbi Alan Lew

___

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This episode was sponsored by Birthright:Invest in the Jewish future today at onetripchangeseverything.com. ____

In this episode:

- Why Tisha B'Av became Judaism's day of mourning

-  The original national failure: The spies and the Promised Land, 

- The centrality and importance of the Temples we can’t comprehend

- Sinat chinam and the danger of baseless hatred

- Why Jewish tradition looks inward after catastrophe

- How Tisha B'Av is observed and why the rituals matter

- Rav Kook's answer: from baseless hatred to baseless love

- Finding hope, repair, and "yet" after grief

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Can Israel break the paralysis over the Palestinian question without risking its own security?

Israelis and Palestinians have been stuck for years, with no practical or diplomatic progress and little confidence that anything can change. Tal Becker argues that while the obstacles are real, accepting paralysis carries its own costs for Israel's security, regional relationships, international standing, and  national moral identity. He lays out what he believes the next Israeli government can realistically do to start moving forward without ignoring the lessons and trauma of October 7.

___

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In this episode:

- Why Israelis and Palestinians are stuck in a cycle of paralysis

- What a Palestinian state is supposed to solve

- The urgent imperatives of why change must happen soon

- Can regional normalization still move forward?

- Five priorities for Israel's next government

- The role of Arab states regarding the Palestinians

- What concrete step should Israeli leaders take next?

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What will it take to save the U.S.-Israel alliance? 

Dan is joined by Rahm Emanuel, a Democratic party powerhouse who was a former Chicago mayor, White House Chief of Staff, and U.S. Ambassador to Japan. Dan challenges Emanuel on ideas from the speech he delivered in Tel Aviv that ignited debate across Israel and the United States. Emanuel argues that Israel's current course is putting the U.S.-Israel alliance at risk, while Dan presses him on whether October 7 fundamentally changed the assumptions behind his vision for Israel's future. They discuss Israel’s security, Palestinian statehood, the future of a more hostile Democratic Party, and whether Emanuel's message is ultimately an act of tough love or tough luck for Israel.

Watch Rahm Emanuel’s Tel Aviv speech HERE. ___

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In this episode:

- Rahm Emanuel remembers Senator Lindsey Graham

- How October 7 changed Israel’s security doctrine

- Rahm Emanuel’s 23-state solution for Israel and the Arab states

- Is its isolation becoming a security threat for Israel?

- How Emanuel would reshape the U.S.-Israel alliance

- Are calls for “From the River to the Sea” and Greater Israel equivalent?

- Emanuel’s response to fears antisemitism reshaping the Democratic Party

- Is Emanuel really advocating tough love or tough luck for Israel?

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Is the collapse of the U.S.-Iran deal the start of another war, or something messier in between?

Dan is joined by Ark Media contributor and senior analyst for Yedioth Ahronoth, Nadav Eyal, as Iran and the U.S. launch missile and verbal attacks. They discuss the apparent end to the ceasefire, why Israel believes the MoU was destined to fail and how Tehran is calculating its next move. They also explore why Turkey's growing military and political influence could be Israel's next strategic challenge.

____

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In this episode:

- Why the U.S.-Iran deal collapsed

- Iran's power play in Hormuz

- Who is really in charge in Iran?

- Israel's "we told you so" moment

- Why Turkey is becoming Israel's next big concern

- Netanyahu's public fight against the U.S. selling F-35s to Turkey

- Israel's long-term strategy toward Turkey

- Are we heading toward round three of war with Iran?

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As Americans mark Independence Day, we're revisiting one of the most popular episodes of What's Your Number?, a conversation that feels even more relevant today. Yonatan Adiri and Yael Wissner Levy are joined by Dan Senor, host of Call Me Back and co-author of Start-Up Nation which revolutionized the world’s respect for Israel and its entrepreneurial spirit and successes. Nearly two decades after the book's publication, Israel's tech sector is stronger than ever, yet the country's global brand faces unprecedented challenges. What does this mean for Israel’s reputation, innovation and its place in the world?

Dan also remembers his young friend, the late Israeli entrepreneur and investor Zaki Djemal, whose final essay on Israel's future and memorial service are linked below.

Read a tribute to Zaki Djemal  and his white paper here.

Watch Zaki Djemal’s memorial service here.  ____

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In this episode:

08:00 – How Start-Up Nation changed Israel's image

14:35 – Israel's brand crisis after October 7

19:10 – Why global investors keep doubling down on Israel

25:55 – Does Israel need a new audience?

32:15 – The rise of defense tech

37:35 – AI, brain drain, and Israel's next challenge

44:30 – Does the "Start-Up Nation" reputation still apply?

46:55 – How would Dan characterize Israel's brand now?

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Why have positions about Israel and Jews become a defining fault line in American politics?

In part two of their conversation, Dan is joined by Jonah Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Dispatch, and John Podhoretz, editor-in-chief of Commentary Magazine, to discuss what the victories of Zohran Mamdani and other Democratic Socialists reveal about the radicalization of politics of the American left. From the rise of anti-Zionist candidates to the weakening of political parties and norms, they explore why antisemitic or anti-Israel positions have become litmus tests in the transformation of American politics.

Read the open letter from American Rabbis to Zohran Mamdani here. ____

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In this episode:

- Why both political parties are losing control

- What Zohran Mamdani and DSA victories really represent

- Is anti-Zionism the primary driving force on the left?

- Are elected leaders more focused on culture wars than helping constituents?

- Why U.S.politicians turned against  Israel, which is now a political fault line

- How technology is reshaping America despite politics

- Have decades of crisis broken public trust?

- Can America's political institutions recover?

- Why Jonah and John have some hope about America's future

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____

Many supporters of the Iran War, both in the U.S. and in Israel, consider it a failure. Dan doesn't necessarily share that observation, at least not until the fate of the U.S.- Iran deal is clear. 

Jonah Goldberg and John Podhoretz, two thinkers that have been following every twist and turn of the Iran war and landed in that camp. So we wanted to conduct an autopsy of the Iran War, at least as where the war stands now.

Jonah Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch and the host of the Remnant podcast. He’s also a senior fellow at AEI and author of a number of books, including Suicide of the West.  and John Podhoretz, editor-in-chief of Commentary Magazine, host of the Commentary podcast and author of Hell of a Ride. 

Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

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In this episode:

What were the expectations vs reality?

Israel and Iran's position today Vs on February 27th.

The war's impact on US foreign policy

what would have been a better strategy in dealing with Iran’s nuclear program?

Did Trump and Netanyahu miscalculate? 

Where does the relationship between Netanyahu and Trump go from here?

This episode is sponsored by Israel on Campus Coalition. You can follow this link to support their work: http://israelcc.org/ 

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Can Israel stop Iran if America decides to move on?

As Washington pursues negotiations with Tehran, many Israelis are wondering what their country can still do to shape the outcome. Dan Senor is joined by Ark Media contributor and Channel 12 senior political analyst Amit Segal to discuss the state of the U.S.-Iran talks, why Israel is showing restraint in Lebanon, and what leverage Jerusalem still has as Washington pursues negotiations with Tehran. They also examine the growing debate inside Israel over President Trump and J.D. Vance, and whether Netanyahu can navigate a moment when many Israelis feel the military achievements against Iran have yet to translate into a lasting strategic gain. ____

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In this episode:

- Why the U.S.-Iran talks may be headed for failure

- Does Israel have any leverage left?

- Why Israel is showing restraint in Lebanon

- Why “no deal, no war” could still hurt Tehran

- Netanyahu, Trump, and the Vance problem

- Israel’s options if America steps back

- Could Trump shape Israel’s next election?

- Will Netanyahu really run for a seventh term?

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Did Israel and the U.S. win the battle but lose the war?

Israel and the United States achieved what many would consider a remarkable military success against Iran. But the agreement that followed has left many Israelis wondering whether battlefield gains translated into strategic victory. Dan Senor is joined by Wall Street Journal columnist and Hudson Institute senior fellow Walter Russell Mead to discuss the paradox at the heart of the new U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, what it reveals about President Trump's approach to power, and how leaders across the Middle East are recalculating their assumptions about America, Israel, and the future of the region. ____

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In this episode:

03:42 - The paradox: military success vs. political disappointment

05:03 - Why so many Israelis think Israel lost

07:27 - What was President Trump actually betting on?

21:30 - Does the 60-day deal mean anything?

22:30 - Why sanctions rarely deliver regime change

27:24 - What this war reveals about the future of warfare

35:27 - How Riyadh, Ankara, and Beijing are reading the moment

45:33 - Israel's growing dependence on President Trump

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What does the Iran deal mean for Israel, and for Netanyahu’s political future?

Dan is joined by Ark Media contributor and Channel 12 political analyst Amit Segal to assess the newly announced U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding and the political questions it has unleashed in Israel. As negotiations begin and the fighting pauses, they discuss whether the war should be seen as a success, a missed opportunity, or something whose consequences are still unfolding. They also discuss the growing tension between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, the fight over Lebanon, and what all of it could mean for Israel's next election.

This episode was sponsored by Birthright:Invest in the Jewish future today at onetripchangeseverything.com.

In this episode:

04:03 - What worries Israel most about the new Iran deal?

06:18 - Trump’s unpredictability and the limits of certainty

13:15 - Is this a pause button or a rewind button for Iran?

18:42 - Does anyone expect a final agreement within 60 days?

20:57 - Why Lebanon has become the real battleground

23:09 - The growing tension between Trump and Netanyahu

28:54 - How the deal is reshaping Israeli politics

39:12 - How will history judge the war with Iran?

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Why is Israel’s next election being driven more by fear than hope?

Dan is joined by For Heaven's Sake hosts Yossi Klein Halevi and Donniel Hartman to discuss the emotional forces shaping Israel's coming election. As Israelis prepare to vote, different communities are carrying different traumas, fears, and visions for the country's future, from tensions over Arab and Haredi political power to questions of national unity, leadership, and diminishing hope that life there can improve. They also consider whether Israelis can rediscover the unity of October 8th and what Israelis and diaspora Jews are each looking for in the country's next leader.

In this episode:

04:36 -  Why this is a fear-based election, not a hope-based election

10:30 - The fear of Arab parties in a post-October 7 Israel

16:21 - Can Arab parties become part of Israel's political mainstream?

18:09 - The role and concern over Haredi voters reshaping politics

27:09 - Is the unity of an "October 8th Israel" still possible?

30:30 - The forces that threaten to shut down Israel’s economy

32:21 - Can Israel's political center hold?

37:39 - Why Gadi Eisenkot appeals across ideological lines

43:33 - Israelis and diaspora Jews each want something different from Israel’s leader

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Can Gadi Eisenkot make the leap from one of Israel’s most trusted generals to its next prime minister?

Gadi Eisenkot’s popularity is seeing a meteoric rise. Dan is joined by Nadav Eyal to examine Eisenkot’s background, military record, decisions around October 7, and whether experience built on service and sacrifice can survive the rough-and-tumble of an election campaign. They also compare Eisenkot to previous generals who’ve tried this, and to his current viable political opponents.

In this episode:

03:54 – Is Gadi Eisenkot's rise in the polls real?

05:42 – The Appeal of Israel's "Quiet General"

14:33 – From Eilat to IDF Chief of Staff

16:51 – Eisenkot's military legacy and the "war between wars"

23:27 – How much responsibility does he bear for October 7?

27:00 – The personal tragedy that shaped his public image

30:45 – What the War Cabinet Revealed About Eisenkot

38:30 – Can Eisenkot Unite the Opposition?

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Did the Iran war solve the problem, postpone it or make it worse? 

That fundamental debate has emerged over the outcome of the war with Iran. The campaigns degraded Iran's military infrastructure, but it also ended with a new, possibly more dangerous Supreme Leader in power, Iran controlling the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran’s nuclear capability largely intact. 

Dan is joined by former Israeli Military Intelligence chief Tamir Hayman and FDD CEO Mark Dubowitz to discuss whether the war was a strategic success, a missed opportunity, or an unfinished chapter in a conflict that is far from over.

Listen to Mark’s podcast, The Iran Breakdown with Mark Dubowitz.

In this episode:

04:51 - What is the most likely outcome of the U.S.-Iran negotiations?

08:00 - What were the tactical achievements of the US and Israeli attacks?

10:03 - Was the war strategically worth it?

19:42 - Can and will Trump still finish the job?

24:44 - Was the plan to have Kurds help topple the Iranian regime credible?

32:30 - Was Ahmadinejad a realistic replacement candidate?

35:42 - How formidable a foe is Mojtaba Khamenei?

41:48 - Is Iran more dangerous today than before the war?

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Is President Trump saving Israel from a war it can’t win, or forcing it into a deal that leaves Hezbollah intact and Israeli soldiers and citizens vulnerable?

President Trump announced a ceasefire in Lebanon. Hezbollah agreed to stop firing rockets into Israel. Israel agreed to not strike Beirut. Yet the fighting in southern Lebanon continues, IDF soldiers are being killed and injured by Hezbollah rockets and drones, and the strategic problem remains unsolved.

Dan is joined by Nadav Eyal and Amit Segal to discuss Trump’s explosive phone call and pressures on Netanyahu, the link between Lebanon and the Iran negotiations, and whether this moment represents an off-ramp from an unwinnable conflict or a pause that leaves Israel’s hands tied and facing the same dangerous dilemma in southern Lebanon.

In this episode:

04:48 - Trump's expletive-laced confrontation with Netanyahu over Lebanon

06:42 - What the new Lebanon "ceasefire" actually means

10:09 - Why Hezbollah's drone campaign is hurting Netanyahu politically

13:21 - Is the “Lebanon Trap” also possibly an off-ramp for Israel?

21:09 - What is really driving Netanyahu's decision-making?

23:30 - How Lebanon became part of the Iran negotiations

26:39 - Does Hezbollah's fate ultimately depend on Iran?

28:36 - Is Hezbollah weaker today, or stronger by adapting for the next war?

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In a few months elections will be held in Israel, the first since Oct. 7th, and arguably one of the most consequential in Israel’s history. But how do the elections actually work in Israel?

As part of our Israel Votes series, Dan is joined by Amit Segal and Nadav Eyal for a practical guide to the mechanics behind Israeli democracy: the Knesset, coalition-building, electoral thresholds, and the structural realities that will shape the next election long before a single vote is counted.

In this episode:

03:33 - Why Israel Chose a Parliamentary System

07:06 - The Knesset, the Government, and the Courts

12:36 - How Votes Become Knesset Seats

14:57 - How Israel Actually Chooses a Prime Minister

18:45 - Coalition Negotiations and the Fight Over Ministries

22:09 - What Caused Israel's Five-Election Deadlock?

24:54 - What Election Night Looks Like in Israel

27:45 - Does Israel End Election Night With a Governing Majority?

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Why has the world become so fixated on Zionism, and what does that obsession actually reveal about the West?

Alana Newhouse joins Dan Senor to unpack her widely debated essay Zionism for Everyone. They explore how rapid technological change and cultural disorientation are colliding with an ancient idea of peoplehood and why that tension is showing up in the global conversation about Israel.

Newhouse argues that the fixation on Zionism is not really about Israel at its core, but about something missing in modern societies: identity, purpose, and self-determination. She lays out a provocative framework for what makes societies resilient, why some nations are struggling, and whether the model behind Zionism can be applied far beyond Israel.

Read Alana’s essay in The Free Press, Zionism for Everyone here. 

In this episode:

- The collision between rapid technological change and ancient identity debates

- Why Zionism has become a global fixation right now

- What “ethnos” really means and why it’s being misunderstood

- Zionism as a model: identity, vision, and hard work

- What went wrong in the West and the limits of globalization

- Is anti-Zionism driven by envy or a loss of self-determination?

- The four traits of resilient societies

- Can this model be applied beyond Israel, and by whom?

- The erosion of peoplehood in the modern West

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Can the Black-Jewish alliance be repaired, or is it irreparable?

Coleman Hughes, host of The Coleman Hughes Show at The Free Press and author of The End of Race Politics, joins Dan to trace the history of one of America’s most important political coalitions, and how it began to unravel. He looks at the forces behind that shift, from old neighborhood tensions and the Nation of Islam to campus politics and a worldview that treats America and the West as uniquely guilty. And - if the old alliance cannot simply be recreated, what would a healthier path forward actually require?

Coleman's essay on Sapir: https://sapirjournal.org/friends-and-foes/2024/black-radicalism/

Coleman's Book: https://www.amazon.com/End-Race-Politics-Arguments-Colorblind/dp/0593332458

Coleman's podcast: https://www.thefp.com/listen/conversations-with-coleman

In this episode:

- How Black and Jewish Americans became allies

- The tensions inside the civil rights alliance

- James Baldwin’s theory of Black antisemitism

- Why Baldwin’s explanation falls short

- Nation of Islam, Farrakhan, and hip-hop

- Jewish success and the resentment problem

- October 7th and the campus view of Israel

- BLM, allyship, and whether repair is possible

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If Trump signs an interim deal with Iran, what leverage is left to dismantle Iran's nuclear program?

As reports swirl around a possible U.S.-Iran agreement, Dan  sits down with Nadav Eyal and Mark Dubowitz to sort through what’s actually on the table — and what could unravel next. The conversation centers around the core dilemmas facing Washington, Jerusalem, and the Gulf: whether this moment represents strategic containment of Iran or the beginning of a slow retreat from the leverage created by the war.

They debate the risks of a “Hormuz for Hormuz” deal, the future of Iran’s nuclear stockpile, the limits of economic pressure, and whether the military gains can survive a prolonged diplomatic pause. Hovering over the entire conversation is a deeper question: after months of escalation, what would victory look like now?

In this episode:

- What’s Actually in the Emerging U.S.-Iran Deal

- The “Hormuz for Hormuz” Tradeoff

- Iran’s Uranium Stockpile

- Could Trump Sustain Military and Economic Pressure?

- The Gulf States’ Interests

- Hezbollah, Lebanon, and the Axis of Resistance

- What Israelis Think of The Deal

- Will This Be Remembered as a Turning Point — or the Moment the West Blinked?

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Did the U.S. and Israel plan to replace Iran’s regime with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?!

A new New York Times investigation has revealed an astonishing alleged U.S.-Israeli plan behind the war with Iran: not just strikes on nuclear sites and missile capabilities, but a broader attempt at regime change, together with none other than Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. 

Ronen Bergman joins Dan to explain how the plan was built, why Ahmadinejad became part of it, why it collapsed before it could fully begin, and what it means that the story is coming out while the war is still unresolved.

In this episode:

04:36 - Ronen’s first reaction to the Ahmadinejad story

05:54 - How Israel’s goal shifted from strikes to regime change

07:21 - Why the 12-day war left the core Iran problem unresolved

08:21 - What the Mossad plan was supposed to do in the first 100 hours

12:36 - Why Ahmadinejad was considered as an internal alternative

22:42 - The strike that was meant to free Ahmadinejad

28:24 - The plan for Kurdish forces to enter Iran, and why it never moved forward

30:48 - Who benefits from this story going public

This episode was sponsored by RootOne. Help the Jewish teen in your life experience Israel for themselves. Visit RootOne.org to learn more.

This episode was sponsored by Hadassah. Please go to Hadassah.org to make a gift that helps Hadassah continue its longstanding, life-changing support for the people in Israel.

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Was the Trump-Xi summit a win, a loss or neutral?

Trump’s summit with Xi Jinping ended with no major breakthrough, no dramatic concession, and no public rupture. But according to Carice Witte, Founder and Executive Director of SIGNAL Group, that may be the real story. China projected confidence, framed itself as America’s peer, and tried to turn the summit into proof of U.S. decline. Yet on Taiwan, Iran, and regional leverage, Beijing got far less than it wanted.

Carice joins Dan to unpack what really happened in Beijing, why China wants Iran weak but intact, how Israel’s military successes have changed Beijing’s view of Jerusalem, and what Israel should do differently as China watches the war from the other side of the world.

Learn more about SIGNAL Group. 

In this episode:

- Why Beijing wanted the summit to look like a win

- What Xi’s “Thucydides Trap” message signaled

- The Taiwan concession Trump did not give

- Why China wants Iran weak but still useful

- Keeping Hormuz open and Iran non-nuclear

- China’s support for Iran and the limits of plausible deniability

- How October 7th changed China’s view of Israel

- What Israel should do differently on China 

This episode was sponsored by Hadassah. Please go to Hadassah.org to make a gift that helps Hadassah continue its longstanding, life-changing support for the people in Israel.

Learn more about the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Community Leadership Program.

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Content warning: This episode includes discussion of sexual violence

How do unverified claims become a New York Times column?

On Monday, the New York Times published an opinion column by Nicholas Kristof titled "The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians" — an explicit attempt to draw a moral equivalence between Hamas and Israel by alleging that both equally engage in systematic sexual violence. The piece, based on interviews with 14 unnamed Palestinians, cited a Geneva-based NGO calling Israeli sexual abuse a "standard operating procedure" and described, among other things, trained dogs used to sexually assault prisoners. Kristof quoted former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appearing to validate the charges - but Olmert subsequently issued a statement clarifying that he did not, in fact, confirm the column's most serious claims, including that Israeli authorities directed the rape of children or that systematic sexual torture is state policy.

The morning after Kristof's column appeared, an Israeli civil commission released a 300-page report - built on more than 10,000 photographs, thousands of hours of video, and over 400 testimonies - concluding that Hamas's sexual violence on October 7th was systematic, widespread, and deliberate. The New York Times, which had been told the report was coming months in advance, published it nearly 24 hours after running Kristof's op-ed. 

Reporters who spent the day going through Kristof's column claim by claim found it largely unverifiable - no dates, no locations, no names - recycled from dubious sources and in many cases almost certainly false. The deeper question this episode asks is not simply whether the column is fair, but how something like it gets published in the paper of record at all: what is the pipeline, from NGO to press release to Pulitzer Prize winner's byline, that turns unverified claims into fact? And why does that pipeline flow so reliably in one direction? 

To answer that, Dan is joined by Matti Friedman, a former AP reporter and editor in Jerusalem, and author of the 2014 Atlantic essay "What the Media Gets Wrong About Israel" - who has spent years documenting the specific mechanisms by which NGOs hostile to Israel have shaped, and in some cases dictated, Western coverage of this conflict.

In this episode:

02:12 - What Kristof’s column alleged

09:39 - Which claims are documented, unverifiable, or implausible

14:21 - How NGO claims become mainstream coverage

17:21 - Euro-Med, activist sourcing, and the New York Times

23:47 - Matti Friedman’s warning about Western media

27:21 - The October 7th sexual violence report and the timing problem

This episode was sponsored by Birthright:Invest in the Jewish future today at onetripchangeseverything.com.

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Five months after the Bondi Beach attack, Australia’s Royal Commission on Antisemitism is hearing testimony about what Jewish life has become since October 7th.

Dan is joined by Alon Cassuto, CEO of the Zionist Federation of Australia, and Lisa Mittelman, Director of Public Affairs, to discuss what the hearings have revealed, why the government resisted the commission before finally giving in, and whether this process can lead to real change.

They also examine how anti-Zionism is being used to exclude Jews from progressive spaces, what real solidarity requires from non-Jewish Australians, and why young Australian Jews are asking whether they can still build their futures in Australia.

In this episode:

04:21 - Why Australia’s Royal Commission matters

04:39 - What the testimonies revealed about Jewish life after October 7th

07:27 - Antisemitism from neo-Nazis to progressive spaces

12:33 - Why Australia finally agreed to a Royal Commission

14:42 - Where anti-Israel rhetoric crosses into antisemitism

20:27 - What non-Jewish Australians are still failing to confront

23:48 - How Australian Jews are experiencing the commission

32:02 - Can young Australian Jews still see a future in Australia?

This episode was sponsored by Hadassah. Please go toHadassah.orgto make a gift that helps Hadassah continue its longstanding, life-changing support for the people in Israel.

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The Iran war is coming to an end. What leverage do Israel and the U.S. have for what comes next?

Dan Senor is joined by Ed Husain and Nadav Eyal to unpack the fragile aftermath of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. As Washington signals that the operation is over, Iran is still testing the Strait of Hormuz, its nuclear program remains unresolved, and the regime’s internal fractures may now matter as much as its military capabilities. They discuss what Iran thinks it has won, what the U.S. and Israel actually achieved, and whether the next front is no longer the battlefield, but inside Iran itself.

Read Ed’s article, Iran is Not a Monolith: The Case for Exploiting the Country’s Internal Fractures.

In this episode:

02:42 - What “the operation is over” actually means

06:09 - Iran’s strategy at the Strait of Hormuz

08:42 - Why Tehran may believe it won the war

13:21 - What remains of Iran’s nuclear program

20:15 - Why economic pressure may not be enough

20:54 - The IRGC’s grip on the regime

29:24 - Can Iran’s internal fractures bring down the regime?

34:18 - Israel’s return to a shadow-war strategy

34:51 - The regional alliance needed after the war

38:42 - What the U.S. must do to avoid a nuclear Iran and a closed strait

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What is happening to Jewish Canadians, and what it tells us about the country Canada thought it was?

In today’s episode, Dan is joined by Jesse Brown, founder, editor, and publisher of Canadaland, to discuss how Jewish life in Canada has changed since October 7. Drawing on months of reporting for his six-part investigative series What Is Happening Here, Jesse explains why antisemitism in Canada feels more targeted, more tolerated, and more systemic than many outsiders understand. They discuss attacks on Jewish schools and synagogues, the role of progressive institutions and campus culture, the collapse of old assumptions about diaspora belonging, and whether Canadian Jewish life can ever go back to what it was.

Listen to Jesse’s six-part investigative podcast series here. 

See Jesse at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan on May 21. More info here.

In this episode:

- Jesse Brown’s life as a Canadian Jew before October 7

- Why Jesse says his diaspora Jewish world is crumbling

- What Jewish life in Canada feels like now

- How Jewish schools, synagogues, and neighborhoods became targets

- Why antisemitism in Canada feels more systemic

- Canada’s postnational identity and the politics of settler colonialism

- The role of Islamist extremism and what Canada refuses to name

- Why anti-Zionist activism in Canada has become more explicit

- Zionism, anti-Zionism, and why Jesse says the labels matter less than the harm

- The fractures inside Canada’s Jewish community

- Why Jesse still wants to fight for diaspora Jewish life

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This is a news update from Ark News Daily. Subscribe here to Ark News Daily

In this episode:

A leaked report reveals Naftali Bennett privately disparaged his alliance with Yair Lapid as a “strategic mistake,” raising doubts about whether their new joint party can successfully unify the opposition against Netanyahu.

An Australian investigation into a deadly Sydney terror attack found authorities failed to act on prior warnings, highlighting a broader pattern of under-resourced prevention and potential Iran-linked threats across Western countries.

Israel’s interception of a Gaza-bound activist flotilla has sparked a global narrative battle, underscoring the widening gap between accusations against Israel and its efforts to counter them through public diplomacy.

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This episode was sponsored by Birthright: Invest in the Jewish future today at onetripchangeseverything.com. ____

Bennett and Lapid unite, but does it change anything?  

On Sunday, without any prior warning, Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid announced they’re joining forces, launching a new unified party called “Beyachad” — “together.” The move comes months ahead of Israel’s October elections, and it immediately raises more questions than answers.

What are they really trying to accomplish? Does this strengthen the anti-Netanyahu bloc — or unintentionally weaken it? And what does it mean for Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the other centrist party and is being pressured by Bennett to join him and Lapid?

This is already shaping up to be one of the most dramatic election cycles in Israel’s history — and one the Jewish diaspora will be watching more closely than ever.

In this episode:

6:30 – Bennett and Lapid's history

21:50 – Bennett's theory of the race

26:35 – The role of the war in the elections

31:00 – Structural strengths and weaknesses of both blocks

34:00 – Gadi Eisenkot's next move

42:25 – Avigdor Lieberman's strategy

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Is Israel heading toward another war with Hezbollah, or is it already in one?

Dan is joined by counterterrorism expert Matt Levitt to unpack the fragile reality between Israel, Lebanon, and Hezbollah. While Hezbollah was significantly degraded, the threat never disappeared. Even as diplomatic efforts try to stabilize the situation, Israel is now actively working to prevent the group from rebuilding. 

They discuss life in Israel’s north, Hezbollah’s status in Lebanon, the limits of the Lebanese Armed Forces, and the risks of escalation. The conversation also explores new U.S.-backed diplomacy, and whether there’s a real path to long-term stability, or just a managed conflict.

In this episode:

4:20 – What the 2024 ceasefire was supposed to accomplish

5:55 – How much of Hezbollah’s capabilities were actually degraded

6:55 – Why life in northern Israel still hasn’t returned to normal

11:20 – Inside the IDF’s ongoing campaign in southern Lebanon

17:10 – Why the Lebanese Armed Forces haven’t fully disarmed Hezbollah

21:50 – Hezbollah’s role inside Lebanese politics and society today

25:10 – The threat of Hezbollah’s Unit 121 and internal intimidation

27:10 – New U.S.-led diplomacy and whether it can change the equation

36:10 – Whether Israel may need a long-term presence in southern Lebanon

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Will the Iran War reshape American politics? How could it affect the future of U.S -Israel relations?

Dan is joined by New York Times columnist Ross Douthat to examine how the Iran War is influencing both parties. They unpack why support for the war tracks with support for President Trump, why protests have been surprisingly muted, and how the war is accelerating existing political trends.

Listen to Ross’ podcast Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

In this episode:

- Where American public opinion on the Iran War stands today

- Why there’s been little protest compared to past wars

- How the war is accelerating political trends, not transforming them

- The growing divide on Israel within the Democratic coalition

- The emerging fracture on the right over intervention and Israel

- The generational divide among younger conservatives

- Whether the far left and far right could align politically

- What “just war” theory is and why it matters now

- What this all means for the future of the Republican Party

This episode was sponsored by United Hatzalah. Donate today at IsraelRescue.org/CallMeBack. Add this number to your phone right now if you live in Israel – 1221, and for those visiting it’s 972-2-5-383838.

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What does grief actually look like, and what does it mean to live with it?

In this live conversation recorded at Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center on the eve of Yom HaZikaron, Rachel Goldberg-Polin joins Dan Senor to reflect on love, loss, faith, and the story behind her new book, about the loss of her son, Hersh, who was taken hostage on October 7 and later killed in captivity.

This conversation explores how Rachel understands suffering, why she rejects the idea that grief “gets better,” and how she holds onto faith, love, and what she calls “tragic optimism.” It is a raw and deeply human discussion about what remains when everything changes, and what it means to keep going.

Purchase Rachel’s book here: When We See You Again.

In this episode:

- Life before October 7 and the meaning of Shabbat in Rachel’s family

- The morning of October 7 and the moment everything changed

- What it was like to advocate for Hersh while he was in captivity

- The discovery that Hersh knew his family was fighting for him

- The night Rachel and her family learned he had been killed

- Why Rachel rejects the idea that grief fades over time

- “Toxic positivity” vs. “tragic optimism”

- What grief really is, and what it reveals about love

This episode is sponsored by American Friends of Israel Navy SEALs (AFINS). For a brief video on Buddy Line and to support the program, visit AFINS.us/warriorcare. 

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What do we owe the stories of people who sacrificed everything, even when they did not succeed?

As Israel approaches Yom Hazikaron after two and a half years of war, Dan speaks with author and journalist Matti Friedman about one of the most iconic and least understood stories in Israeli history: the parachutists of 1944. At the center is Hannah Senesh, whose name became synonymous with courage, even though the mission itself failed in military terms.

Purchase Matti’s book here. 

In this episode:

02:40 – The real story behind Hannah Senesh and the parachutists of 1944

06:20 – The 1944 parachutist mission

08:40 – How Israel turned this mission into a national myth

14:10 – Why the mission had no clear or achievable objective

17:00 – How the parachutists understood their role as shaping a future story

27:20 – What Hannah Senesh’s life and death reveal about sacrifice

29:00 – Why the parachutists chose to act despite knowing they would likely fail

32:10 – What this story offers Israelis after October 7

This episode is sponsored by the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization. Learn more and support their work at idfwo.org.

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If the shooting stops, is the war actually over?

Dan is joined by Ark Media contributor and VP of the Hartman Institute Dr. Tal Becker to explore whether the next phase will be driven less by military action and more by political pressure, economic leverage, and shifting regional alliances.

They unpack why there’s no clear definition of “victory,” what dynamics the war has set in motion, and whether Israel and its partners can turn short-term gains into long-term strategic advantage, all while the nuclear threat continues to loom.

In this episode:

- 03:42 – Why there’s no agreed definition of victory in this war

- 04:48 – How to measure success through objectives, cost, and long-term dynamics

- 06:45 – What comes after the ceasefire and the possible paths forward

- 02:00 – How war can continue through pressure without direct combat

- 09:06 – The case for a regional alliance against Iran

- 11:09 – How Gulf states are reassessing their strategy

- 26:00 – What happens if Iran races toward a nuclear weapon

- 33:15 – The legal debate over justification, self-defense, and imminence

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According to a recent CBS / YouGov poll, 41% of Americans think that the war with Iran is going well, while 59% believe it is going badly. 

Can a war be won when the country fighting it doesn’t agree on whether it’s going well?

As the U.S. moves to blockade the Strait of Hormuz following failed negotiations, the debate is no longer just about battlefield gains, it’s about strategy, legitimacy, and what success really means. Dan Senor brings together former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro and FDD CEO Mark Dubowitz for a good-faith debate on where the war stands and where it should go next. From military progress to political will, and from alliance dynamics to endgame scenarios, this conversation unpacks the fault lines shaping the American debate.

In this episode:

Where do things stand after the failed U.S–Iran talks and the Hormuz blockade?

How Dan and Mark define whether the war is “going well”

What the U.S. and Israel have actually achieved militarily

Can the war be won if the Iranian regime remains intact

What economic, political, and human costs should Americans expect from this war?

How is the war affecting U.S. alliances and global standing?

Is the best path forward to escalate, contain, or shift strategy?

What happens if the war ends before achieving its core objectives?

This episode was sponsored by United Hatzalah. Donate today at IsraelRescue.org/CallMeBack. Add this number to your phone right now if you live in Israel – 1221, and for those visiting it’s 972-2-5-383838.

Listen to Mark’s podcast The Iran Breakdown.

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Did Iran blink, or did the U.S. pull back too soon?

At the 11th hour, the U.S. and Iran agree to a two-week ceasefire, stepping back from a major escalation. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is set to resume under the ceasefire—but the core issues driving the war remain unresolved.

Dan is joined by Nadav Eyal and Mark Dubowitz to break down what was actually agreed to, why Israel’s security establishment is uneasy, and whether this pause reflects strategic success—or a missed opportunity.

Is this a real off-ramp…or just a temporary pause before the next phase?

In this episode:

03:15 - A Ceasefire at the Brink: What Was Actually Agreed

05:33 - The Strait of Hormuz: Reopening Under What Terms?

06:57 - The Missing Pieces: Nuclear Program and Missiles Still Unresolved

08:18 - Israel’s Alarm: Why the Security Establishment Is Worried

14:30 - Did Iran Blink—or Gain Leverage?

15:42 - Trump’s Red Lines: What Must a Final Deal Include?

21:21 - Political Risks: Israel, the U.S., and the Blame Game

35:24 - Endgames: Diplomacy, Regime Pressure, or Renewed War

This episode was sponsored by the Jewish Communal Fund. Learn more about JCF’s donor advised funds at jcfny.org.

Listen to Mark’s podcast The Iran Breakdown.

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Will Trump’s ultimatum trigger a decisive strike on Iran—or force a last-minute deal?

As the clock ticks toward a U.S. deadline, Dan is joined by Nadav Eyal and Amit Segal to break down what comes next: a widening war, a strategic endgame, or something in between. They unpack competing military options, the role of Iran’s energy sector, the risks of escalation across the region, and whether regime change is a realistic outcome—or a dangerous illusion.

In this episode:

02:45 - Trump’s Ultimatum: What It Actually Means

05:45 - Extend, Escalate, or Strike: The U.S. Decision Tree

06:42 - Targeting Iran’s Energy Sector: Pressure vs. Shock

11:03 - Ground Forces on the Table? Risks and Realities

17:00 - No Deal, No Deterrence: Can This War End Cleanly?

18:00 - Iran’s Leverage: Hormuz and Regional Retaliation

21:30 - Endgames: Regime Change, Containment, or End

This episode was sponsored by Hadassah. Please go to Hadassah.org to make a gift that helps Hadassah continue its longstanding, life-changing support for the people in Israel.

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Link to Javad Zarif article on Foreign Affairs: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/middle-east/how-iran-should-end-war-javad-zarif

Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

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Is the war heading towards a ground assault or a push for a deal? To explore the possibilities, Dan is joined by Ark Media contributor Nadav Eyal and Fred Kagan, director of the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute.

In this episode:

02:24 - Two Tracks, One War: Escalation vs. Diplomacy

03:33 - Inside the Air Campaign: What’s Been Degraded—and What Hasn’t

08:33 - Diplomacy During War: Contradiction or Strategy?

10:57 - Iran’s Mindset: Why Tehran Thinks It’s Winning

15:54 - The Strait of Hormuz: Leverage, Illusion, or Real Control?

17:15 - What a U.S. Ground Operation Could Look Like

20:06 - Energy, Escalation, and Regional Spillover Risks

24:24 - Endgames: Deal, Deterrence, or Something Bigger?

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What does freedom mean when pain is still present?

As Passover approaches, Dan Senor speaks with Rachel Goldberg-Polin about how this year’s Seder lands differently. In a moment shaped by war, loss, and uneasy relief, they explore how the rituals of Passover hold both joy and sorrow—and why that tension is the point.

From the Exodus story to the symbols on the Seder table, Rachel reflects on memory, meaning, gratitude, and the challenge of holding both relief and restraint. Less about retelling the past, this conversation asks what it means to be free right now.

In this episode:

02:24 – Why This Passover Feels Different

08:09 – Setting the Table: From Slavery to Nationhood

12:54 – What Actually Happens at the Seder

16:15 – The Power of Questions (and Why Answers Matter Less)

27:39 – Bitterness, Memory, and Eating Our Pain

37:06 – Relief vs. Glee: A Moral Distinction

39:06 – Dayenu and the Discipline of Gratitude

This episode was sponsored by the Jewish Communal Fund.Learn more about JCF’s donor advised funds at jcfny.org.

This episode was sponsored by Hadassah.Please go to Hadassah.org to make a gift that helps Hadassah continue its longstanding, life-changing support for the people in Israel.

Purchase tickets to see Dan in conversation with Rachel Goldberg-Polin at the Streicker Center on April 20.

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Are the stakes of the Iran war higher than Israelis understand?

Micah Goodman joins Dan to try and understand the different narratives that drive this war: Iran’s war against the West, the Iranian people’s war of liberation, the United States’ paradoxical relationship with Israel, and China’s hegemonic fantasies. While Israelis are primarily concerned with guaranteeing their own safety, Micah argues that the war puts all these narratives to the test, and that the stakes of winning (or losing) the war may define the future of the balance of power around the world.

In this episode:

- The “Great Convergence”: Why This War Is Different

- The U.S.-Israel Paradox

- America First and MAGA (Can Israel’s Military Beat Conspiracy Theories?)

- Trump’s War Doctrine: Strength Without Quagmire

- The Global Stakes: China, Iran, and Deterrence

- Zionism and the Bigger Meaning of This War

This episode was sponsored by Hadassah. Please go to Hadassah.org to make a gift that helps Hadassah continue its longstanding, life-changing support for the people in Israel.

Find Theodore Herzl's The Jewish State here.

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This is a news update from Ark News Daily. Subscribe here to Ark News Daily

In this episode:

-Iran hits Qatari gas hub

-Israel fights back on the energy war

-Trump and Netanyahu see light in the end of the tunnel

-Do Jews support the war?

Mentioned in the episode:

-Nadav Eyal onCall me Backabout the Strait of Hormuz blockade

-For Heaven's Sake on the Jewish world's response to the war

-NPR poll on Jewish support for the war

-Israel Democracy Institute poll on Israeli support for the war

-JPPI poll on Jewish support for the war

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Credits: 

Deborah Pardes, Andrew Tobin, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

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Can the world’s most powerful militaries reopen the Strait of Hormuz…or is Iran already winning the economic war?

Eighteen days into Operation Epic Fury, Iran is increasing its pressure on the world’s energy supply chain. With the Strait of Hormuz effectively under lockdown, oil flows have slowed to a trickle, prices are rising, and the risk of broader escalation is growing. Ark Media contributor Nadav Eyal joins Dan to break down why America and Israel’s military superiority hasn’t been enough to reopen the strait, what Israel’s latest strike on Iran’s energy infrastructure signals, and whether the current campaign is quietly setting the stage for regime change.

In this episode:

06:18 – 18 Days Into War: Where Things Stand

12:48 – The consequences of Iran's selective-blockade

14:48 – Can the US reopen the Strait of Hormuz?

20:24 – The World’s Tepid Response

23:24 – Decapitating Iran’s Leadership

26:54 – Is Regime Change the Endgame?

This episode was sponsored by the Jewish Communal Fund. Learn more about JCF’s donor advised funds atjcfny.org.

Purchase tickets to see Dan in conversation with Rachel Goldberg-Polin at the Streicker Center on April 20.

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This is a news update from Ark News Daily. Subscribe here to Ark News Daily

In this episode:

- Israel hits top regime figures 

- Iranian regime showing cracks 

- Iran keeps bombing neighbors

- Trump admin aide quits to protest war

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Credits: Andrew Tobin, Deborah Pardes, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

This is a news update from Ark News Daily. Subscribe here to Ark News Daily

In this episode:

- Trump shifts focus to Hormuz

- Israel plans to capture southern Lebanon

- Arab world losing patience with Iran

- Some Israeli schools open up

Listen to Nadav Eyal and Amit Segal on the latestCall me Back episode.

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Credits:  Deborah Pardes - Host  Andrew Tobin - News Writer

Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

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What happens if the U.S. and Israel win the war militarily, but Iran’s regime survives?

Dan Senor is joined by Nadav Eyal and Amit Segal to assess where the war stands as it enters its third week. While U.S. and Israeli forces continue grinding down Iranian military infrastructure, the bigger questions are now economic and strategic, especially after Iran effectively weaponized the Strait of Hormuz and global energy markets.

They debate whether Washington and Jerusalem share the same endgame, what success would actually look like, and whether removing Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile could become the decisive turning point.

Subscribe here to Inside Call me Back

In this episode:

09:12 — The Current Phase of the War: Grinding Through Iranian Targets

09:42 — Iran’s Energy Gambit and the Strait of Hormuz Crisis

11:03 — Oil Markets, Global Pressure, and Trump’s Political Timeline

25:18 — The Strategic Debate Inside Washington and Jerusalem

28:00 — Israel’s Ultimate Goal: Regime Change in Tehran

30:48 — Could the U.S. End the War Before Israel Is Finished?

35:18 — The Enriched Uranium Question and the “Strategic Surprise” Scenario

37:00 — If the Regime Survives: Did the War Actually Change the Region?

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Subscribe here to the What’s Your Number? podcast. -------

In a Call me Back bonus episode, we’re publishing this week’s episode of Ark Media podcast What’s Your Number, co-hosted by Yonatan Adiri and Yael Wissner-Levy. This week, despite recording between air-raid sirens and shelter runs, Yael and Yonatan break down Iran’s emerging strategy of economic warfare. Instead of matching Israel and the U.S. militarily, Iran appears to be targeting global pressure points—oil and gas infrastructure, fertilizer supply chains, financial hubs, AI data centers, and the Strait of Hormuz—to drive up global costs and force political pressure. The question: can this strategy actually move markets and reshape the conflict? 

In this episode:

00:00 - Numbers of the Week

05:00 - The WYNDEX

09:00 - Big Short #1: Lebanon signals a shift on Hezbollah

11:30 - Big Short #2: Israel’s budget politics and coalition stability

14:00 - Long Play: Iran’s economic warfare and the global energy stakes

38:40 - Words of the Week

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Is the Iran War actually heading toward an end, or just getting started? 

Almost two weeks into the conflict, the United States and Israel have laid waste to Iran’s external war capabilities. As the Pentagon signals the end of "Phase One," the focus shifts from destroying missile launchers to a much bigger question: can advanced technology and air superiority achieve what was once thought possible only with boots on the ground? Dan is joined by Rich Goldberg, senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, to unpack the military scorecard, the high-stakes messaging of the oil markets, and the "science fiction" reality of modern AI-driven warfare.

In this episode:

05:20 – Military Progress: Assessing the Damage to Iran’s Arsenal

09:25 – Economic Warfare: Using Presidential Messaging to Control Oil Prices

11:05 – Breaking the Siege: Ending Iran's Control of the Strait of Hormuz

14:05 – Intelligence Debates: Is the Iranian Regime Near a Tipping Point?

26:10 – The Ground War Debate: Why Air Superiority Might Be Enough

31:40 – The High-Stakes Mission to Extract Buried Nuclear Material

36:35 – Beyond Iraq: How AI and Technology Have Changed War-Fighting

42:45 – The Future of the US-Israel Defense Tech Partnership

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Could a buried stockpile of uranium decide the outcome of the war with Iran?

Dan is joined by Israeli journalist Amit Segal and military historian Fred Kagan to unpack reports that roughly 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% may still be recoverable from a bombed Iranian nuclear site. They discuss why that level of enrichment matters, what it would take for U.S. or Israeli forces to extract the material, and why the race to secure it could shape the next phase of the war. The conversation also explores the broader campaign against the Iranian regime, the possibility of regime change, renewed Hezbollah attacks in northern Israel, and what Iran might look like if the current leadership collapses.

In this episode:

01:50 – Hezbollah’s renewed attacks on northern Israel

04:05 – The broader military campaign against Iran’s regime infrastructure

08:20 – The race to secure Iran’s buried 60% enriched uranium

12:15 – Why 60% enrichment puts Iran close to nuclear weapons capability

16:40 – What it would take for U.S. or Israeli forces to extract the material

23:30 – Netanyahu’s “surprises” and the strategy to destabilize the regime

28:55 – The rise of Mojtaba Khamenei and what it means for the regime

35:10 – Could regime change in Iran trigger a civil war?

Learn more about AEI’s Critical Threats Project. 

Learn more about the Institute for the Study of War.

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How did the oppressive Ayatollah regime convince the Western left that they’re the victims?

Dan speaks with Iranian-American lawyer and activist Elica Le Bon about the ideological narratives that form (and distort) the West’s reaction to the Iran war. Le Bon explains the deep divide between the Iranian people and the Islamic regime, the cycles of protests and repression, the imperialist roots of the regime’s long-standing obsession with Israel, and the Marxist prism through which the Western left understands the conflict.

In this episode:

06:30 – Elica Le Bon’s family story and the legacy of the 1979 revolution

07:45 – Life under the Islamic regime and the experience of repression

11:05 – The gap between the Iranian people and the regime ruling them

14:42 – Why the Iranian regime sees Israel as central to its ideology

20:32 – How ideological narratives in the West shape perceptions of the war

23:42 – The “mind virus” of anti-Western and anti-Zionist thinking

26:46 – Protest movements inside Iran and the risks people face

31:04 – What a post-regime Iran could mean for the Middle East and the world

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Why would a president risk a war in the Middle East in an election year? 

Dan is joined by Walter Russell Mead to unpack the strategic and political gamble behind the U.S. conflict with Iran. They discuss why Trump may have chosen this moment to act, how generational attitudes toward war shape the debate, and what success (or failure) could look like. The conversation also explores Iran’s potential strategy, its impact on Russia and China, and how countries like India are viewing the unfolding conflict.

In this episode:

- 05:45 – Trump’s High-Stakes Bet on War

- 08:15 – Why the Case for the War Feels Unclear to Many Americans

- 10:25 – The Generational Divide on U.S. Military Power

- 15:40 – Why Trump Chose This Moment to Strike

- 23:20 – What “Winning” the War Could Actually Look Like

- 26:20 – Iran’s Endurance Strategy: Drag the U.S. Into a Quagmire

- 30:05 – What Russia and China Want to See Happen

- 32:10 – Why India Is Watching This War Closely

See Rachel Goldberg-Polin in conversation with Dan at The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Cultural Center on April 20 to discuss her upcoming book "When We See You Again.” Purchase tickets before they sell out.

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Was America dragged into the Iran war by Israel, as some commentators seem to suggest?

An out-of-context statement by State Secretary Marco Rubio seems to give credence to the conspiratorial accusation that America is fighting Israel's war in Iran. Dan is joined by Nadav Eyal and Mark Dubowitz to discuss the truth behind these claims, the delicate politics behind the decision to launch the war, and how it all plays out in American public discourse. They also cover the possible succession of Iran’s Supreme Leader, the campaign against Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities, and the broader strategy shaping the conflict—along with what outcomes Israel and the U.S. would ultimately consider a victory.

In this episode:

- 04:20 – The strike in Qom and the disruption of Iran’s leadership succession

- 06:05 – The possible rise of Mojtaba Khamenei

- 11:05 – What the past 72 hours reveal about the military campaign

- 13:25 – Why Qom is central to the Islamic Republic

- 15:05 – The emerging strategy to pressure the regime from within

- 20:05 – The debate in the U.S. over how the war began

- 37:35 – Iran’s strategy for surviving the conflict

- 40:05 – What Israel and the U.S. would consider a victory

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How did Israel manage to eliminate Supreme Leader Khamenei and his top lieutenants within the opening strike of Operation Roaring Lion? How was the Iranian regime infiltrated? What tactical abilities were necessary to deliver the final blow? And how much of it was luck?

Ronen Bergman, senior correspondent for Yedioth Ahronoth and The New York Times Magazine, takes Dan through the story of Khamenei’s killing from plan to execution, and through the many ways in which things could have gone differently.

In this episode:

3:00 – How did Israel know where Khamenei was hiding? 8:43 – Was Iran careless? 14:50 – How did the plan to strike Khamenei take shape? 15:34 – 6am on the morning when it happened 22:01 – Sponsor break: United Hatzalah 22:57 – Immediate aftermath: What happened after the decapitation strike? 23:37 – The second and third waves of the attack 28:33 – Iran's attack on Arab states: another miscalculation? 33:25 – What's the mood in Iran?

This episode was sponsored by United Hatzalah. Donate today at IsraelRescue.org/CallMeBack. Add this number to your phone right now if you live in Israel – 1221, and for those visiting it’s 972-2-5-383838.

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What's the state of play after the first day of operation Roaring Lion? What tactical resources have the United States and Israel deployed and what's their division of labor? What are the operation's risks and opportunities? General David Petraeus joins Dan to examine the strategic and tactical planning and goals of the war.

General Petraeus is a retired four-star U.S. Army general and former CIA Director who led coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and is widely recognized for shaping modern U.S. counterinsurgency strategy. He's also co-author of 'Conflict' with Andrew Roberts.

In this episode:

- 1:00 – Khamenei killed: The decapitation strike

- 3:00 – Day one of the war: Epic Fury and Roaring Lion

- 5:00 – How a strike like this gets built

- 8:00 – The daylight gamble

- 12:00 – U.S. forces in position

- 16:00 – Regime change or something else?

- 20:00 – U.S.–Israel coordination

- 28:00 – What comes next for Iran

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The United States and Israel have launched coordinated strikes against Iran, and the region is now at war.

In this emergency episode of Call Me Back, Dan is joined by Nadav Eyal and Mark Dubowitz to break down the opening operation, Iran’s retaliation across the region, and the high-stakes question at the center of it all: Is this about degrading nuclear and missile capabilities, or is this the beginning of regime change?

They discuss the decapitation strategy targeting Iran’s senior leadership, the possibility that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has been killed, the international response, and what comes next. As sirens sound in Israel and ballistic missiles fly across the Gulf, this is real-time analysis of a historic turning point in the Middle East.

In this episode:

- Operation Epic Fury and Roaring Lion: How the war began

- Iran’s regional retaliation and the widening battlefield

- Targeting the leadership: Decapitation and the Khamenei question

- Nuclear reconstitution, Pickaxe Mountain, and the missile threat

- Regime change or strategic degradation?

- International reaction and Gulf alignment

- The American message and what it signals

- How this ends and what comes next

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Rachel Goldberg-Polin joins Dan for a Purim special to explain why this is possibly the most misunderstood holiday in Jewish tradition. Rather than simply a fun masquerade for kids, Purim presents a profound meditation on hiddenness, courage, and stepping into one’s moment. Rachel walks Dan through the Book of Esther, unpacks its drama and philosophical depth, and explores why a story where God is never mentioned may be the most relevant text for a confusing, fractured age.

In this episode:

- The world of Persia and the backstory to Purim

- Vashti, Esther, and the making of a queen

- Haman, Amalek, and the logic of antisemitism

- “For such a time as this” and the Esther moment

- Where is God in a story without God?

- Masks, hiddenness, and the illusion of randomness

- Unity, generosity, and the mitzvot of Purim

- Discovering your purpose when no one summons you

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As American military assets flow into the Middle East and Tehran prepares its response to Washington’s demands, Dan is joined by Nadav Eyal and Mark Dubowitz to assess whether President Trump is leaning toward diplomacy or decisive military action. They break down what’s real, what’s signaling, what would be the goals and scope of an American attack, and whether Israel is preparing to take part in it.

In this episode:

3:00 - Is Trump leaning toward a strike or a deal?

3:30 - What “zero enrichment” really means and why it matters

9:30 - Pickaxe Mountain and Iran’s rebuilding nuclear infrastructure

11:00 - The scale of U.S. military deployments in the region

16:00 - Israel’s preparedness and the missile defense dilemma

22:30 - Hezbollah, Gulf states, and regional spillover risks

27:00 - Symbolic strike or regime-level operation?

39:00 - How politics, legacy, and red lines shape Trump’s decision

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Do most people misunderstand the true nature of Antizionism?

Dan sits down with renowned computer scientist and public intellectual Judea Pearl to understand why he coined the term “Zionophobia.” Pearl argues that Antizionism is not simply policy criticism but a rejection of Jewish collective sovereignty.

Pearl shares his personal story, that dates back to the founding of Israel, and explains how the murder of his son, Daniel Pearl, and the violence of the Second Intifada have reshaped his thinking about Israel, identity, and moral clarity. 

The conversation spans failed peace efforts, the politics of language, the meaning of indigeneity, and Pearl’s warning that Israel’s greatest long-term vulnerability may be the erosion of bipartisan American support.

Read Judea’s book Coexistence and Other Fighting Words

In this episode:

03:00 - From AI pioneer to Zionist advocate

24:00 - “Zionophobia,” not anti-Semitism

29:00 - Terrorism, moral asymmetry, and the Carter controversy

35:00 - Education as the true battlefield

38:00 - Why peace efforts failed and what was misunderstood

41:00 - Indigeneity, sovereignty, and competing narratives

44:00 - The bipartisan question and Israel’s strategic future

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For years, normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel was seen as the ultimate goal of the Abraham Accords and the final step towards unlocking regional stability. But a sharp rivalry is heating up between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed. Dan is joined by Yonatan Adiri and Yael Wissner-Levy to unpack the economic, political, and personal dynamics driving this feud, what it means for Israel, and why India and global energy corridors may matter more than most people realize.

In this episode:

00:18 - MBS’s Vision 2030 under pressure and the internal Saudi recalibration

10:40 - Mentor turned rival: How MBS and MBZ went from alignment to confrontation

18:45 - The Yemen flashpoint that ruptured the Saudi–UAE relationship

24:00 - Energy corridors, IMEC, and the India factor

28:30 - Is Israel collateral damage or strategically positioned?

34:50 - Why UAE’s “infrastructure diplomacy” may be winning quietly

38:45 - The future of normalization versus regional integration

This episode was sponsored by United Hatzalah. Donate today at IsraelRescue.org/CallMeBack. Add this number to your phone right now if you live in Israel – 1221, and for those visiting it’s 972-2-5-383838.

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Prime Minister Netanyahu’s meeting with President Trump ended without any clear declaration about simmering tensions with Iran, so Ark Media contributor Nadav Eyal joins Dan to try to read between the lines. What did Netanyahu hope to achieve? Does anyone know Trump’s plan? Is an attack on Iran still on the table and did Netanyahu move the needle? Could the talks with Iran be just a head fake?

In this episode:

- What Netanyahu asked for in Washington

- Why Israeli officials think the Iran talks may be “dead on arrival”

- U.S. military buildup and strike contingencies

- Why Trump’s Iran policy is not about Israel — and never has been

- The China factor: oil, energy, and Cold War II

-  Will Israel participate in a strike?

- The Board of Peace and a potential Marshall Plan for Gaza

- Why Hamas will only disarm under credible threat

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What will Israelis really be voting on in the first election since October 7?

Today we are launching Israel Votes, a new Call me Back and Ark Media series that will be your hub for unpacking the Israeli election. Ark Media contributors Amit Segal and Nadav Eyal join Dan to set the stage, exploring how October 7, the war, coalition politics, deep social divides, and the Netanyahu brand will all play a role in the upcoming vote, which many Israelis feel may determine the character and future of the Jewish state.

In this episode:

06:45 - Why this election feels different from every Israeli election before it

08:55 - Netanyahu’s coalition problem and the ultra-Orthodox question

11:55 - How October 7 changed the political map and voter psychology

16:40 - Is this election a referendum on the past or a vote about the future?

21:00 - What Israel’s demographic and political trends mean for the outcome

26:45 - The opposition’s strategy and the Bennett factor

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Is the right way to fight Antisemitism maybe to… stop fighting it?

In this special episode, we share The State of World Jewry address delivered by New York Times columnist Bret Stephens at the 92nd Street Y. Stephens, who is also the editor-in-chief of SAPIR Journal, offers a bracing diagnosis of modern antisemitism and argues that it cannot be educated away, apologized for, or solved through allyship. Instead, he calls for Jewish confidence, cultural seriousness, and moral clarity in the face of rising hostility.

In this episode:

- Why antisemitism is about resentment, not misunderstanding

- The false promise of fighting antisemitism head-on

- The danger of approval-seeking and respectability politics

- October 8th Jews and the identity reckoning

- Jewish values as inherently countercultural

- Building strength instead of chasing acceptance

This episode was sponsored by SAPIR: Sign up for the SAPIR journal at sapirjournal.org/CallMeBack

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Is there a deeper strategy underlying President Trump’s actions?

Dan is joined by historian, Free Press columnist, CBS contributor, and Senior Fellow at Hoover Institution Sir Niall Ferguson to connect the dots on how President Trump is using leverage, unpredictability, and selective force across Iran, Venezuela, Europe, and beyond. They discuss why a counter revolution in Iran has little chance without foreign intervention, what “regime alteration” means, whether we're still living through Cold War II, and why Europe keeps taking the bait.

In this episode…

- Iran strike timing, targets, and endgame

- “Regime alteration” vs. regime change

- Why Iran’s protests failed and fear works

- Turkey’s mediation and Erdoğan’s ambitions

- Saudi pressure and regional deterrence logic

- Cold War II and the authoritarian axis

- Davos, Europe’s weakness, and the Greenland distraction

- MAGA tensions, Israel, deterrence, and Taiwan

This episode was sponsored by United Hatzalah. Donate today at IsraelRescue.org/CallMeBack. Add this number to your phone right now if you live in Israel – 1221, and for those visiting it’s 972-2-5-383838.

From the episode:

- Niall Ferguson’s essay in the Free Press, “The Myth of Revolution in Iran”

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Is Antizionism a Soviet invention for persecuting Jews?

Dan is joined by Shaul Kelner, professor of Jewish studies and sociology at Vanderbilt University, to examine the rarely-told history of Antizionism. Kelner explains how a framework designed to deny Jewish life under Soviet rule has resurfaced in the West long before October 7 and why many American Jews were unprepared for its scale and intensity.

In this episode...

08:00: The Soviet roots of Antizionism

15:00: How Antizionism entered the West

21:00 Marxism and ideological monoculture in American universities

28:00 Why American Jews are seduced by Antizionism

32:00: Stop debating semantics

This episode was sponsored by SAPIR: Sign up for the SAPIR journal at sapirjournal.org/CallMeBack

From the episode:

- Shaul Kelner’s book, A Cold War Exodus: How Americans Activists Mobilized to Free Soviet Jews

- Read Shaul’s article on American Antizionism in the Shalom Hartman Institute's Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas

- Attend The State of World Jewry Address at the 92nd Street Y

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Is a U.S. strike on Iran back on the table? How could it reshape the Middle East? And what role could the Middle East play in the new world order taking shape these days? 

Dan Senor speaks with Mark Dubowitz and Yonatan Adiri about the rising likelihood of U.S. military action against the Islamic Republic, which targets are being considered, and how Iran could retaliate. They also unpack Israel’s internal debates on how to respond, the Saudi UAE rift and what it means for normalization, Turkey’s expanding footprint, and why India is becoming a more important regional player.

In this episode...

- Is a U.S. strike on Iran coming and what would actually be hit

- How Iran might retaliate and the debates inside Israel over next steps

- Whether military action is meant to pressure the regime or help bring it down

- Why Trump paused an attack and the regional forces shaping that call

- Saudi Arabia’s recalculation, its rift with the UAE, and the impact on normalization

- Turkey’s rise and why India is becoming a quiet power broker in the region

This episode was sponsored by SAPIR: Sign up for the SAPIR journal at sapirjournal.org/CallMeBack

From the episode:

- Listen to Yonatan’s podcast What’s Your Number?

- Listen to Mark’s podcast The Iran Breakdown

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What will Phase II of Trump's plan for Gaza look like on the ground? Who’s  in charge of Gaza now, and who’s paying the bills? Dan is joined by Ark Media contributors Nadav Eyal and Amit Segal to cut through the fog around “phase two” of the Gaza plan. They break down the new governing structure — Trump’s “Board of Peace,” the Gaza Executive Committee, a Palestinian technocrat government, and an International Stability Force — and explain what will actually matter on the ground: money, security control, and whether Hamas truly disarms. They also assess Israel–U.S. friction, the odds of renewed fighting, what daily life in Gaza looks like right now, and how all of this collides with Israeli election politics.

In this episode...

- Understanding the Governance of Gaza

- Who Holds Power in Gaza? Money, Security, and Accountability

- Hamas After the War

- Phase Two, the Yellow Line, and Israeli Withdrawal

- The International Stability Force Explained

- Life in Gaza Right Now

- Gaza Meets Israeli Politics

- The Bigger Regional Picture

From the episode:

This episode was sponsored by The Shalom Hartman Institute: Learn more about the Community Leadership Program at https://go.hartman.org.il/CLP-CMB

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In part two of Dan’s conversation with political scientist Yascha Mounk, the two discuss identity politics, its growing influence on the American left, and the danger this trend poses to pluralistic societies.

They examine why identity politics is so seductive, how it reshapes government, schools, and civic  institutions, and why Mounk believes it ultimately undermines both individuality and democratic cohesion. The conversation also turns inward, exploring Jewish identity: where it strengthens pluralism, where it becomes politicized, and why Jews, in particular, should be cautious about abandoning universal principles for group-based power.

In this episode...

- Why liberalism today feels unrecognizable

- What identity politics is and why it’s so appealing

- How universalism gave way to group-based politics

- When inclusion turns into segregation

- Jewish identity and the limits of identity-based politics

- Why free speech remains essential for a pluralistic democracy

From the episode:

- Listen to Yascha’s podcast The Good Fight

- Subscribe to Persuasion

- Purchase Yascha’s book, The Identity Trap

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Is Antizionism the new common denominator of the left? Political scientist Yascha Mounk, founder of Persuasion and author of The Identity Trap, joins Dan to discuss whether the rise of Zohran Mamdani is indicative of a growing connection between socialist causes and hostility towards Jews. Drawing on his personal history, Mounk explains the different iterations of Antisemitism on the left and discusses with Dan whether it is categorically different from what we’re increasingly seeing on the American right.

The conversation went longer than normal, so stay tuned for part 2 in which Dan and Yascha discuss how identity politics consumed America and Jews should be wary of falling into the same trap.

In this episode...

- Yascha’s political upbringing

- The history of Antizionism on the left 

- What would Mamdani compromise on?

- Is the IHRA’s definition of Antisemitism dangerous to free speech? 

- The Western left’s silence on repression in Iran

This episode was sponsored by SAPIR: Sign up for the SAPIR journal at sapirjournal.org/CallMeBack

From the episode:

- Listen to Yascha’s podcast The Good Fight

- Subscribe to Persuasion

- Purchase Yascha’s book, The Identity Trap

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While President Trump has made multiple threats against the Islamic Republic’s regime due to its violent crackdown against protesters, the world still waits to see whether the United States will indeed follow through. Karim Sadjadpour, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Ark Media contributor Nadav Eyal join Dan to discuss what shape might an American attack take, whether it has in fact already started, how Iran might retaliate, and whether this could be the end of the Ayatollah regime.

In this episode...

- Under the communications shutdown, can we know what’s happening in Iran?

- Israel expects an American action… But of what kind?

- Is the Ayatollah regime crumbling? 

- Is the United States already operating within Iran?

- Getting into the mind of the Supreme Leader

- How is Israel preparing? 

- What should the West do?

- Understanding Reza Pahlavi’s role

This episode was sponsored by Birthright: Invest in the Jewish future today at onetripchangeseverything.com.

From the episode:

- Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings.

- Nadav’s latest newsletter on Iran

- Read Karim’s latest piece in Foreign Affairs

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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Pattricio Spadaveccia, Yuval Semo 

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Today’s Episode: 

As Iran enters another week of unrest, protests have continued to spread across the country, with demonstrations reported in multiple major cities. The regime has responded by sharply restricting internet and cellular access, making it difficult to assess the full scale of the crackdown as regional tensions rise and President Trump warns that the United States could intervene if protesters are killed.

To discuss what this moment could mean for Iran’s future, Dan was joined by Karim Sadjadpour, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a recurring guest on the podcast. Karim examines whether Iran may be nearing a tipping point, how the regime is attempting to suppress dissent, and what the fall of the Islamic Republic could look like, including the risks and challenges of political transition.

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

ADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive Producer

BRITTANY COHEN - Production Manager

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS AND PATRICIO SPADAVECCHIA - Additional Editing

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

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For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: callmeback@arkmedia.org

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/

Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorg

Dan on X: x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenor

To order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdn

Today’s Episode: 

In a Call me Back bonus episode, we’re publishing this week’s episode of Ark Media podcast What’s Your Number, co-hosted by Yonatan Adiri and Yael Wissner-Levy. This week, Yonatan and Yael were joined by Daniel Schreiber, co-founder and CEO of Lemonade, and Founder and Chairman of the Mosaic Institute for AI Policy. Daniel, Yael, and Yonatan discuss how a future Israel economy might fare in an automated world between the risks of massive workforce displacement and the potential of turbocharged productivity.

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

ADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive Producer

BRITTANY COHEN - Production Manager

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS AND PATRICIO SPADAVECCHIA - Additional Editing

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Community Management

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Subscribe to InsideCall me Back inside.arkmedia.org

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Sapir Journal: https://sapirjournal.org/

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Subscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’: arkmedia.org/amitsegal/

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

Check out Ark Media’s other podcasts: 

For Heaven's Sake: https://lnk.to/rfGlrA

‘What’s Your Number?’: https://lnk.to/rfGlrA

For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: callmeback@arkmedia.org

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/

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To order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdn

Today’s Episode: 

Few people expected to start 2026 with images of Nicolas Maduro in a New York prison. In the days since Madouro’s capture, many have argued that the Trump administration’s operation in Venezuela is another signal that the global system we’ve known for the better part of a century has dramatically changed. From the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, to Israel’s two-year multifront battle, to a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, geopolitical power dynamics are rapidly shifting. But to what end? Are we witnessing the emergence of a new world order?

To discuss the historical context and implications of the geopolitical moment we find ourselves in, Dan was joined by Call me Back veteran Brett Stephens. Brett is an opinion columnist for the New York Times, a senior contributor to NBC News, and the inaugural editor in chief of the Sapir journal. Bret previously worked as a foreign affairs columnist for the Wall Street Journal, and from 2002-2004 served as the editor in chief of the Jerusalem Post. 

(00:00) Introduction

(05:32) Unpacking the “old world order”

(13:43) Where does Europe stand?

(16:55) What Europe could learn from Israel

(19:11) The Middle East and Turkey’s growing influence

(22:32) What to make of the mass protests in Iran

(25:12) The illusion of a rules-based global order?

(27:16) Trump: what he gets right and what he gets wrong

(32:28) Are we heading toward a great power war?

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

ADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive Producer

BRITTANY COHEN - Production Manager

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS AND PATRICIO SPADAVECCHIA - Additional Editing

MAYA RACKOFF - Associate Producer

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Community Management

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

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Subscribe to Nadav Eyal’s Substack: https://nadave.substack.com/

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

Check out Ark Media’s other podcasts: 

For Heaven's Sake: https://lnk.to/rfGlrA

‘What’s Your Number?’: https://lnk.to/rfGlrA

For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: callmeback@arkmedia.org

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/

Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorg

Dan on X: x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenor

To order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdn

Today’s Episode: 

For more than a week, hordes of Iranians have taken to the streets and risked their lives to protest the Islamic regime. The regime’s attempts to suppress the protests are failing; instead, the unrest has spread from the capital city of Tehran to other cities and provinces. On Friday, President Trump warned that the U.S. would intervene if the Iranian state kills anti-regime protestors. 

Against this backdrop, on Saturday, in a shocking military escalation, U.S. special forces captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife while carrying out strikes on the capital city Caracas. Under Maduro, Venezuela has fostered warm ties with the Islamic Regime of Iran as well as Russia and China. Many see Trump’s action in Venezuela as an indication that he is willing to heighten American aggression against its enemies, including the Islamic Republic of Iran. 

To discuss what to make of the societal upheaval in Iran – and how the historic events in Venezuela play a role here – Dan was joined by Karim Sadjadpour. Karim is an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a recurring guest on this podcast on all things Iran.

Karim's piece on Foreign Affairs: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/iran/autumn-ayatollahs

(00:00) Introduction

(05:20) What’s happening on the ground in Iran?

(07:41) The conditions needed for regime collapse

(15:26) The character of Iranian protestors

(18:40) How did Israel’s attacks in June affect this moment?

(22:47) Understanding the regime’s strategy to stay in power

(25:03) How does the Venezuela operation impact the situation in Iran?

(30:39) The fragility of the Islamic regime

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

ADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive Producer

BRITTANY COHEN - Production Manager

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS AND PATRICIO SPADAVECCHIA - Additional Editing

MAYA RACKOFF - Associate Producer

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Community Management

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Subscribe to InsideCall me Back inside.arkmedia.org

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Listen to What’s Your Number: lnk.to/GsOESP

Subscribe to Nadav Eyal’s Substack: https://nadave.substack.com/

Subscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’: arkmedia.org/amitsegal/

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

Check out Ark Media’s other podcasts: 

For Heaven's Sake: https://lnk.to/rfGlrA

‘What’s Your Number?’: https://lnk.to/rfGlrA

For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: callmeback@arkmedia.org

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/

Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorg

Dan on X: x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenor

To order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdn

Today’s Episode: 

As we enter a new year, news unfolds rapidly when it comes to Israel and the Middle East. Over the past few days, Iran has witnessed the country’s largest anti-regime protests in the past three years, with crowds taking to the streets in several cities and clashing with security forces. On Monday, Prime Minister Netanyahu met President Trump at Mar-a-Lago, for the leaders sixth meeting over the course of Trump’s second term. President Trump made several bold statements to the press, including warning that if Iran continues building its missile programs, the U.S. will take swift and severe action. President Trump also remarked on the Gaza ceasefire, saying he intends to move to phase two of his peace plan, but also threatening “hell to pay” if Hamas does not disarm quickly. 

To unpack the dramatic events unfolding in Iran, and to analyze yet another meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu, Dan was joined by Ark Media contributors Nadav Eyal and Amit Segal.

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

ADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive Producer

BRITTANY COHEN - Production Manager

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS AND PATRICIO SPADAVECCHIA - Additional Editing

MAYA RACKOFF - Associate Producer

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Community Management

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

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Subscribe to InsideCall me Back inside.arkmedia.org

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Subscribe to Nadav Eyal’s Substack: https://nadave.substack.com/

Subscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’: arkmedia.org/amitsegal/

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

Check out Ark Media’s other podcasts: 

For Heaven's Sake: https://lnk.to/rfGlrA

‘What’s Your Number?’: https://lnk.to/rfGlrA

For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: callmeback@arkmedia.org

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/

Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorg

Dan on X: x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenor

To order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdn

(00:00) Introduction

(04:49) Dissecting the “settler” umbrella

(10:11) The origins and evolution of the settler movement

(14:32) 50 shades of ideology: the various segments of settlers

(20:12) A hot potato: the reluctance to address Israeli extremist violence

(29:40) The ideology that underlies this violence

(37:18) How the Israeli government has changed its approach to extremist violence

(44:55) Closing thoughts and Nadav’s new substack

Today’s Episode: 

Critics of Israel often emphasize the phenomenon of extremist settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Yet it can be difficult to understand the scope of the problem from afar, given the anti-Israel bias and false reporting demonstrated by many media outlets, especially following October 7. To get to the bottom of this controversial issue — and to filter signal from noise — Dan sat down with Ark Media contributor Nadav Eyal and Rabbi David Stav. Rabbi Stav is the co-founder and chairman of the Tzohar rabbinic organization and serves as Chief Rabbi of the city of Shoham in central Israel.

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

ADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive Producer

BRITTANY COHEN - Production Manager

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS AND PATRICIO SPADAVECCHIA - Additional Editing

MAYA RACKOFF - Associate Producer

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Community Management

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Support Birthright Israel: https://birthrightisrael.foundation/callmeback

Subscribe to InsideCall me Back inside.arkmedia.org

Follow Benjamin Birely on Instagram: HolyLandSpeaks

Gift a subscription of InsideCall me Back: inside.arkmedia.org/gifts

Benjamin’s previous episode on Call me Back: lnk.to/1kxj5B

Listen to What’s Your Number: lnk.to/GsOESP

Subscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’: arkmedia.org/amitsegal/

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

Check out Ark Media’s other podcasts: 

For Heaven's Sake: https://lnk.to/rfGlrA

‘What’s Your Number?’: https://lnk.to/rfGlrA

For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: callmeback@arkmedia.org

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/

Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorg

Dan on X: x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenor

To order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdn

Today’s Episode: 

Returning to the podcast for a special Christmas episode is Benjamin Birely, an American-Israeli Phd candidate and researcher in ancient historical texts at L’Orientale University in Naples, Italy. 

Today, as the world celebrates Christmas, Benjamin takes us back more than 2,000 years to a land very familiar, to guide listeners through the Jewish environment that defined Jerusalem in 1 A.D and the world of Jesus Christ. The story of that period is one of factionalism, religious and political tensions, civil war, and geopolitical drama – and therefore one that will resonate with listeners today.

(00:00) Introduction(03:58) the Jewish world of Jesus Christ(07:15) Jewish factionalism in 1 A.D. Jerusalem(15:13) Hellenization in Hasmonean Judaea(21:30) King Alexander, Queen Shlomtzion, and Judean Civil War(32:26) King Herod and the public mood(39:04) The environment that bred Jesus Christ(45:15) After Herod: rise of the Zealots

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

ADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive Producer

BRITTANY COHEN - Production Manager

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS AND PATRICIO SPADAVECCHIA - Additional Editing

MAYA RACKOFF - Associate Producer

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Community Management

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

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To order Walter Russell Mead's book: https://tinyurl.com/yc6vta9r

To read Walter Russell Mead’s column: https://tinyurl.com/4cbhve36 

Listen to What’s Your Number: lnk.to/GsOESP

Subscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’: arkmedia.org/amitsegal/

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

Check out Ark Media’s other podcasts: 

For Heaven's Sake: https://lnk.to/rfGlrA

‘What’s Your Number?’: https://lnk.to/rfGlrA

For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: callmeback@arkmedia.org

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/

Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorg

Dan on X: x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenor

To order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdn

Today’s Episode: 

Our guest today is Walter Russell Mead, an author, academic, and foreign policy expert. Walter is a Professor of Strategy and Statesmanship at the University of Florida’s Hamilton Center, a Fellow at the Hudson Institute, and a columnist for the Wall Street Journal. He and Dan unpacked the Trump administration’s approach to several foreign policy issues, from Russia-Ukraine, to China, to the Middle East. They also discussed Israel’s strategic position in the region following October 7th and its two year, multi-front war.

(00:00) Introduction(04:48) Unpacking Trump’s National Security Strategy(15:06) Where does Trump’s NSS leave the Middle East?(20:57) How important is Middle Eastern oil to Trump?(23:45) How Trump sees America’s role in the world(26:57) Today’s antisemitism in a historic context(31:36) Demographic shifts: Muslim migrants in the West(37:09) The geopolitical trends to track

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

ADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive Producer

BRITTANY COHEN - Production Manager

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS AND PATRICIO SPADAVECCHIA - Additional Editing

MAYA RACKOFF - Associate Producer

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Community Management

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Subscribe to For Heaven's Sake: https://lnk.to/rfGlrA

Support the Jewish Communal Fund: jcfny.org/

Subscribe to InsideCall me Back: inside.arkmedia.org/?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=inside

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Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

This morning I listened to the latest episode of For Heaven’s Sake—another Ark Media podcast co-hosted by Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi—and it immediately struck me as a must-listen for the Call me Back audience. 

In this episode, Donniel and Yossi offer a thoughtful reflection on the uncertain future of Diaspora Jewry at this moment. I found myself returning to this conversion, wrestling with the difficult questions it raised. I leave the rest to Yossi and Donniel, and please don’t forget to subscribe to For Heaven’s Sake at - https://lnk.to/rfGlrA

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

ADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive Producer

BRITTANY COHEN - Production Manager

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS AND PATRICIO SPADAVECCHIA - Additional Editing

MAYA RACKOFF - Associate Producer

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Community Management

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Support the Foundation of Jewish Camp: www.jewishcamp.org/callmeback

Support American Friends of the Israeli Navy SEALs: AFINS.us/warriorcare 

Subscribe to InsideCall me Back: inside.arkmedia.org/?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=inside

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Listen to What’s Your Number: lnk.to/GsOESP

Subscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’:arkmedia.org/amitsegal/

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

Check out Ark Media’s other podcasts: 

For Heaven's Sake: https://lnk.to/rfGlrA

‘What’s Your Number?’: https://lnk.to/rfGlrA

For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: callmeback@arkmedia.org

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/

Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorg

Dan on X: x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenor

To order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdn

Today’s Episode: 

On Sunday, two gunmen opened fire on a crowd of Jews gathered to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. As of now, there are 16 confirmed deaths, and roughly 40 wounded, with the victims ranging from ages 10 to 87. It’s one of the deadliest attacks on Jews in the diaspora over the past few decades. The perpetrators are believed to be a father and son of Muslim, Pakestani origin. One was neutralized on scene and the other was shot and is in critical condition. 

To discuss the antisemitic horror that unfolded in Sydney, Dan was joined by  two members of the local Jewish community – Jeremy Leibler, President of the Zionist Federation of Australia, and Nomi Kaltmann, Australian lawyer and journalist for various Jewish and Israeli outlets, as well as Ark Media contributor Nadav Eyal. 

(00:00) Introduction

(05:35) What we know about the Sydney massacre

(10:18) Is antisemitic violence being fostered by hostile countries?

(16:57) The character of Australian Jewry

(22:59) What should Israel do to respond?

(31:35) Has the Australian government failed its Jewish community?

(43:19) Will we see a wave of Australian Jews making Aliyah?

(47:17) How do Australian Jews feel toward their country?

(52:05) The importance of Jewish diaspora communities

(55:46) Qatar’s response to the massacre

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

ADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive Producer

BRITTANY COHEN - Production Manager

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS AND PATTRICIO SPADAVECCIA - Additional Editing

MAYA RACKOFF - Associate Producer

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Community Management

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Support the Jewish Communal Fund: jcfny.org/

Subscribe to InsideCall me Back: inside.arkmedia.org/?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=inside

Gift a subscription of InsideCall me Back: inside.arkmedia.org/gifts

Listen to What’s Your Number: lnk.to/GsOESP

Subscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’:arkmedia.org/amitsegal/

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

Check out Ark Media’s other podcasts: 

For Heaven's Sake: https://lnk.to/rfGlrA

‘What’s Your Number?’: https://lnk.to/rfGlrA

For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: callmeback@arkmedia.org

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/

Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorg

Dan on X: x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenor

To order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdn

Today’s Episode: 

On today’s episode, Dan was joined by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who has served in office since 2021, and has overseen various national crises. They discussed the meaning of the Israeli presidency and how Herzog has navigated his leadership through the October 7th massacre and Israel’s following multi-front war. They also spoke about Prime Minister Netanyahu’s request of President Herzog for a pardon in his years-long corruption trial, touching on precedents in Israeli history of presidential pardons. 

(00:00) Introduction

(04:55) The role of the Israeli president

(10:04) Netanyahu’s request for a pardon, and precedents in Israeli history

(14:27) Israel’s position in the Middle East

(16:49) Addressing Mamdani and global antisemitism

(20:26) The attempt to rename Herzog park in Ireland

(22:03) How President Herzog wants to be remembered

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

ADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive Producer

BRITTANY COHEN - Production Manager

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS AND PATTRICIO SPADAVECCIA - Additional Editing

MAYA RACKOFF - Associate Producer

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Community Management

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer