In light of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid recently announcing the launch of a unified party for the Knesset elections, we are re-releasing our episode Bennett 2026, recorded on January 6, 2026. Donniel and Yossi will be back with a new episode next week.

Is former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett a right-wing ideologue or Israel's great national healer?

Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi grapple with this paradox as they examine the only candidate currently ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in national polling. They explore Bennett's extraordinary transformation from an ideological conservative to national unifier, discuss his brief but transformative year as Prime Minister, and consider what his return might mean for Israel's future.

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Learn more about the Kogod Research Center, whose scholars develop the ideas of the Hartman Institute.

What do you wish for a country you love that is still learning to love itself?

In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi mark Israel's 78th Independence Day with a meditation on eulogies, blessings, and the distance between the two. They dissect the growing divide in world Jewry over Israel's future and the stranglehold of an "October 7 consciousness" on Israeli political imagination. Between the grief of Memorial Day and the joy of Independence Day, they articulate their wishes for a society desperate to heal, demanding a return to hope and the courage to envision a thriving Jewish future.

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Register to join Yossi Klein Halevi in Vancouver, Detroit, and Palo Alto and Yehuda Kurtzer in Toronto!

How do we observe national days of mourning when the nightmares of the past feel like the realities of the present?

In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi dissect Israel’s "10 Days of Awe," the intense period between Holocaust Memorial Day and Israel’s Independence Day, and how this year it demands a spiritual and moral readjustment for Jews everywhere. They consider the impact of October 7 on Jewish consciousness, confront the resurgence of modern blood libels, and contemplate the tension between mourning powerlessness and responsibly celebrating sovereignty.

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

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Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.

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When a word carries history, burden, and identity all at once, can the Jewish people afford to let it go?

In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi dissect the internal Jewish debate over the term Zionism, examining its classical promises of empowerment, the push to abandon it in the face of progressive critique, and why the term means something different in Israel and the Diaspora. Ultimately, they ask what it would take for Zionism to become not only defensible but inspiring again for world Jewry.

Read Nadine Epstein's article cited in the show, “The Word Zionism Is Dead” here.

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Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.

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How do you celebrate the holiday of liberation when the reality of war, grief, and political division feels heavier than ever?

In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi confront the growing exhaustion in Israel with the conflicts in Iran and Lebanon, the profound grief interrupting daily life, and the internal fractures exposed by new government legislation. As they navigate these challenges, they reflect on what liberation means today, and grapple with the moral and spiritual questions of how to hold onto hope when the Jewish state is tested from both within and without.

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Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.

For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.

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Is Israel destined to have its wars stopped by its closest ally just before the finish line?

In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi examine the rumors of a potential negotiation to end the current conflict with Iran and ask whether this moment reflects a recurring pattern in the U.S.-Israel relationship. They explore America’s role in pressing for de-escalation at pivotal moments in Israeli military campaigns and what that pressure means for Israel’s long-term security.

Watch the video version of our podcast on our YouTube channel.

Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.

For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.

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Register for our summer programs for lay leaders, rabbis, and educators!

Watch Masua Sagiv on Get Your Phil exploring the bonds between Israel and American Jewry.

What is the hidden cost of Israeli resilience?

In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi move beyond strategic analysis to examine how the war is reshaping daily life in Israel, why the polls haven't budged despite a popular and militarily successful war, and what the Lebanon ground operation reveals about Israel's most stubborn patterns. They also confront the growing divide in American Jewry over Israel's place in Jewish identity — a rift that goes far deeper than policy disagreement.

Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel.

Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.

For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.

Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.

Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week:

Register for our summer programs for lay leaders, rabbis, and educators!

Secure your spot at the Florida Leadership Conference this Sunday!

If this war with Iran is self-evident to Israelis, why does it feel so different to North American Jews?

Starting with that blunt question, in this special live episode of For Heaven’s Sake, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi assess endgames, regime change, public legitimacy, and the possibility that military success could come with growing political isolation -- the deep fear that Israel could win this war with Iran and still lose something essential in its relationship with North American Jewry.

Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel.

Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.

For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.

Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.