The Times of Israel
Day 832 - Trump wills Gaza plan forward, despite Hamas noncompliance
- Title
- Day 832 - Trump wills Gaza plan forward, despite Hamas noncompliance
- Runtime
- 25:14
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Zman Yisrael founding editor Biranit Goren and environmental reporter Sue Surkes join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Following the smothering of nationwide protests challenging Iran's theocracy, Goren discusses that US President Donald Trump appears to be backing down from his threats against Iran, possibly because the US hasn't made it a priority to topple the Iranian regime.
With the technocratic board members chosen for the second phase of the Gaza plan, Trump is determined to push forward to the second phase of the ceasefire, says Goren, despite the remaining issues of disarming Hamas and returning the final hostage body of Ran Gvili.
Kibbutz Be'eri is moving forward with its reconstruction, reports Surkes, with houses and several public buildings being rebuilt with primari...
- Title
- 'Holding Liat': Post-Oct. 7 anguish and inconvenient truths
- Runtime
- 1:01:33
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.
The "Schmoovie" of the week is "Holding Liat," a remarkable documentary that charts the struggle of one Israeli-American family to return its loved ones who were taken hostage to Gaza during the Hamas murderous onslaught on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Short-listed for an Oscar for Best Documentary, "Holding Liat" is now playing at art theaters, including in New York and Los Angeles.
Produced by Hollywood filmmaker Darren Aronofsky and created by brothers Brandon and Lance Kramer, we learn in the film that during the siege on Kibbutz Nir Oz, educator Liat Beinin Atzili and her husband, artist and mechanic Aviv Atzili, were separately captured by the Hamas gunmen.
The film follows American-born couple Yehuda and Chaya Beinin, kibbutznikim who immigrated t...
- Title
- Day 831 - Trump pledged to help Iranians. How?
- Runtime
- 21:45
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
US President Donald Trump told protesters in Iran on Tuesday that “help is on its way” and urged them to keep protesting and take control of the country’s institutions. As the death toll rises -- with Iranian officials putting the figures at 2,000 and other sources stating over 5,000 -- we parse what Trump may be planning, from diplomacy to military force.
A Hamas delegation led by senior official Khalil al-Hayya arrived in Cairo for talks with Egyptian mediators on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire. We hear about new efforts to create a board of Palestinian technocrats, as well as meetings held by former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov, who is expected to serve as a top official for the supervisory US‑b...
- Title
- Day 830 - Coalition's latest attempt to rescue the PM
- Runtime
- 23:05
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Political reporter Ariela Karmel and tech editor Sharon Wrobel join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
As the government coalition advances a bill aimed at scrapping some of the offenses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on trial for, Karmel reviews this latest step in a series of efforts by the coalition to protect him.
Karmel also discusses the crux of an ongoing conflict between the High Court and the coalition concerning an investigation into the supervision of the ultra-Orthodox school system and how the Finance Ministry is handling the transfer of funds to Haredi schools.
Following the central bank's recent decision to lower interest rates, Wrobel notes that it's a sign of support for the economy, given the lower inflation rate and strong shekel currency, despite the fragi...
- Title
- Day 829 - Qatargate suspect Einhorn labeled 'fugitive criminal'
- Runtime
- 28:09
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Legal and settlements reporter Jeremy Sharon joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Police declared Yisrael Einhorn to be a “fugitive criminal,” making the declaration about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ex-campaign adviser for the first time. The comment came during a hearing in Rishon Letzion over the alleged leak of classified documents. We learn about Einhorn's alleged role in the Qatargate scandal.
Israel is in an election year and the government is set to attempt to pass a series of bills as part of its long-standing judicial overhaul. These bills are designed to loosen legal restraints on government decisions, actions and policies, and weaken the strength of the High Court. We delve into what is on the table and how it could impact Israeli society.
A Jewish ...
- Title
- Day 828 - Iran threatens Israel as anti-regime protests hit 2-week mark
- Runtime
- 23:38
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Iran’s parliament speaker has threatened to attack Israel and US military and shipping targets, were the US to launch a strike on the country that is increasingly isolated from the world by the theocratic regime. As nationwide protests reached the two-week mark today, we discuss how Iran’s Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi is trying to position himself as a player in his country’s future and the nexus between the anti-regime protests and Israel.
The US military said on Saturday that it had carried out multiple strikes in Syria targeting the Islamic State terror group as part of an operation that Washington launched in December after an attack on American personnel on December 13. At the same time, after talks in ...
- Title
- Day 825 - US works to fill seats on Board of Peace for Gaza
- Runtime
- 20:01
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Magid reports that despite the difficulties, the Trump administration wants to unveil the various components of phase two of the fragile Gaza ceasefire. This includes the technocratic Board of Peace, which currently has six countries on board from Europe and the Middle East.
Magid notes that while senior aides to US President Donald Trump are sometimes frustrated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding Middle East policies, the American leader's strategy is to keep the relationship warm, usually siding with the Israeli prime minister to keep moving forward on the various issues.
After years of being stuck with third-generation cellphone service in the West Bank due to Israel's security control, Magid rep...
- Title
- Day 824 - Chaos and death at a Haredi anti-IDF protest
- Runtime
- 17:07
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Political reporter Sam Sokol joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
After a 14-year-old ultra-Orthodox teenager was killed and three others were injured by a bus ramming into protestors following a mass Haredi rally against IDF conscription, Sokol discusses the chaotic street scene and fires set in the middle of the busy road by young men and teens roaming around Jerusalem's Romema neighborhood on Tuesday night.
The rally, which was the initiative of a group of leading ultra-Orthodox rabbis, and connected to the Jerusalem Faction, an extremist ultra-Orthodox group, opened with fiery speeches, reports Sokol, as leading rabbis railed against the government’s draft exemption bill and the Haredi Shas party, which supports it.
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Ap...
- Title
- Day 823 -- NYC Jews await Mamdani's next steps on antisemitism front
- Runtime
- 18:53
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
US reporter Luke Tress joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Following New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's January 1 inauguration, Tress reviews his rocky start with Jewish groups, after Mamdani revoked the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, which had been a significant protection against antisemitic acts.
While Mamdani committed to keeping an office to combat anti-Semitism, a step applauded by the Jewish groups, says Tress, there is concern about the mayor's decision to revoke the IHRA antisemitism definition and anti-BDS measures.
Tress also discusses Mamdani's appointment of prominent lawyer Ramzi Kassem, who has supported anti-Israel protest groups and trained and provided legal guidance to a long list of anti-Zionist protesters, to h...
- Title
- Day 822 - Media decry digitally altered official photos of PM's wife
- Runtime
- 29:04
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Political reporter Ariela Karmel and religion and archaeology correspondent Rossella Tercatin join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
As the Prime Minister's Office comes under fire for releasing official photos in which images of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife, Sara Netanyahu, have been heavily retouched, Karmel discusses the distortion of the historical record and possible breach of important ethical guidelines, and the involvement of the Government Press Office, which is seeking to resolve the issue.
A new version of a bill whose purpose is to extend Israeli authority over antiquities and heritage sites in the West Bank, and aims to include Areas A and B — where the Palestinian Authority has civilian control — has the local archaeology world in an uproar, reports Tercatin. The ...
- Title
- Day 821 - Will Spain's Israel boycott set precedent for other countries?
- Runtime
- 22:59
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Diaspora affairs reporter Zev Stub and reporter Diana Bletter join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
As Spain implements the largest state-level boycott of Israel, Stub reviews elements of the embargo and whether it could set a precedent of similar gestures from other countries.
Bletter reports on a recent visit to the northern city of Kiryat Shmona, badly damaged during the year of Hezbollah strikes, and still struggling to revitalize itself.
A look at Israel's population numbers shows that more people exited the country in 2024 than entered it, reports Stub. This came even as statistics paint a nuanced picture of rising immigration to the country amid skyrocketing antisemitism globally.
Finally, Bletter reports on the resilience and diversity of Israeli science and ...
- Title
- Haviv Rettig Gur with 6 projections for Israel in 2026
- Runtime
- 1:07:50
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, catch diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
This week, while Berman was in Florida to cover the summit between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan invited senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur to sit in the hot seat and prepare five scenarios for Israel for 2026.
Rettig Gur came prepared -- plus one -- and the two spend the first half discussing the three main fronts of the war, Lebanon, Gaza and Iran.
In the second half, we learn about more domestic/political issues, including Rettig Gur's projection that Israel will begin to wean itself from US aid as the political winds shift in the States.
Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.
IMAGE: A man walks down to the Western Wall as the Dome of...
- Title
- Day 818 - Coalition, Haredim and judiciary on massive collision course
- Runtime
- 30:05
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Political reporters Ariela Karmel and Sam Sokol join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Following the High Court's Wednesday ruling temporarily halting a transfer of funds to ultra-Orthodox schools, Sokol and Karmel discuss the implications of the petition against the transfer, reactions from ultra-Orthodox leadership, and the broader context of judicial reform amid budget tensions and coalition politics.
After Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened High Court President Isaac Amit over a ruling regarding Army Radio, Karmel reports on the ostensible incitement and the willingness expressed by some members of the government to defy court rulings against the backdrop of the coalition's attempts to neuter the power of the courts.
As several Haredi parties battle over appointments...
- Title
- 'Marty Supreme' and the art of chutzpa
- Runtime
- 57:53
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.
The "Schmoovie" of the week is "Marty Supreme," starring Timothée Chalamet (who also co-produced), Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A'zion, Kevin O'Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara and Fran Drescher. It was produced and directed by Josh Safdie, who also co-wrote the script, alongside Ronald Bronstein.
Like the very Jewish film it is, it came out to the world on December 25 and so Borschel-Dan had to make a rare outing into a Jerusalem cinema. She brings back the unique impressions from an Israeli crowd watching this utterly Yiddishe story set in 1950s Lower East Side New York -- especially how they reacted to Holocaust references.
Hoffman, who recently interviewed director Safdie about the film for Vanity Fair, gives us the inside scoop on the crazy cast of characters that flesh o...
- Title
- Day 817 - Mamdani to become NYC mayor as apple drops in Times Square
- Runtime
- 23:51
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
NY correspondent Luke Tress joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is set to become the city's leader at midnight as the apple falls in Times Square. According to a report from the Anti-Defamation League, at least 20 percent of Mamdani’s 400 administrative appointees are connected to anti-Zionist US activist groups, such as Students for Justice in Palestine. Tress zooms into the case of Catherine Almonte Da Costa, who was initially named as his administration’s director of appointments.
Tress delves into which of Mamdani’s policies are particularly worrisome for NY Jews, including security, schools and the annual Israel parade.
In the second half, we focus on the new Movement Against Antizionism (MAAZ) and how it sees itself as ...
- Title
- Stand-up comedian Liz Glazer: 'Israel is the reason I exist'
- Runtime
- 31:55
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with stand-up comedian Liz Glazer, who is coming soon to Israel as part of the annual Comedy for Koby tour.
On stage and off, the former law prof -- a graduate of New York's stalwart Modern Orthodox Ramaz high school -- is loudly and proudly out about her life as the spouse of a female rabbi. Perhaps more unusually, since the October 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught on Israel, she's also made no secret of her support for the Jewish state
In our conversation, we hear which of Glazer's identities -- lesbian or Jew -- is trickier for her to navigate on stage. We learn how being the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors has shaped her personality -- and career choice.
And finally, we hear how becoming a mother two years ago has shifted Glazer's comedic sensibilities.
Comedy for Koby ...
- Title
- Day 816 - In Florida, a jovial Trump is hawkish on Gaza and Iran
- Runtime
- 24:57
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump held a meeting yesterday in Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. We start with the collegial atmosphere of the press conference and how it belied fears of US frustration with Israel.
Berman takes us through the stances expressed by the two leaders, starting with the possibility of a strike on Iran. Trump, standing next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, says he would back an Israeli attack on Iran when asked whether he’d support an Israeli attack if Iran resumes production of its missile and nuclear programs. Berman then takes us to the Lebanon front and discusses a looming disarmament deadline there before discussing the interesting comments...
- Title
- Day 815 - As Trump and Netanyahu meet today, what's on the table?
- Runtime
- 26:47
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Finally, some good news on The Daily Briefing: Former hostage Matan Zangauker and his girlfriend, former hostage Ilana Gritzewsky, have become engaged, according to a photo posted by Matan’s mother Einav.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Florida, where he is set to meet with US President Donald Trump for an unprecedented sixth time in less than a year. We hear what’s on the schedule for today, who else may be in the room and what's on the table.
Somaliland enjoys a strategic position on the Gulf of Aden and has its own money, passports and army. But it has been diplomatically isolated since its unilateral declaration of independence. On Friday, Netanyahu made headlines by announcing Israel's recognit...
- Title
- Day 814 - Will $35 billion gas deal with Egypt hike electricity costs?
- Runtime
- 22:16
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Tech editor Sharon Wrobel and archaeology reporter Rossella Tercatin join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
After Israel signed a $35 billion gas deal with Egypt this month, Wrobel discusses the geopolitical and business pressures that brought about the agreement, including pressure to lower domestic electricity prices during the upcoming election year, with the possibility that the deal will bring about a shortage of natural gas and eventually, higher prices within a decade.
Tercatin discusses an archaeological finding of a mold used to manufacture tiny flasks 1,500 years ago, the first time a mold of that kind has been found in Israel.
She also discusses scholarly research regarding whether there was an Israelite kingdom, combining archaeological discoveries with biblical scholar...
- Title
- Lazar Focus: Eran Ortal on where does the IDF go after October 7?
- Runtime
- 38:30
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, catch diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
This week, we’re joined by Eran Ortal, a brigadier-general (res.) in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and a leading military theorist. Ortal commanded The Dado Center for Interdisciplinary Military Studies, and wrote "The Battle Before the War: The Inside Story of the IDF's Transformation," which came in second place for the Institute for National Security Studies's 2025 Tshetshik Prize.
Months before the October 7 invasion of southern Israel by Hamas, Ortal warned in an interview with The Times of Israel that the country's "military situation is eroding, not improving," and that “time is not on our side."
Ortal explains what glaring problems he saw in the military in which he served for decades. He says that the IDF concept in its initial decades enabled it to win its famous vi...
- Title
- Day 811 - Initial Knesset vote on contentious Oct. 7 probe bill sparks anger
- Runtime
- 28:50
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Political reporters Ariela Karmel and Sam Sokol join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
After lawmakers on Wednesday voted in favor of a preliminary reading of a highly controversial bill to establish a politically appointed probe into the October 7, 2023, failures, rather than a state commission of inquiry, Sokol discusses the bill, created by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political allies to satisfy critics demanding an investigative commission but with membership that the governing coalition can control.
Another one of Netanyahu's allies, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, infuriated the ultra-Orthodox parties, former allies in the coalition, reports Karmel, when he voted in favor of a civil marriage bill.
Karmel also discusses statements made by Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli,...
- Title
- 'Anaconda' star Jack Black's mother was a rocket scientist?!
- Runtime
- 52:51
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.
This week, we hear amazing Jangles (entertainment news a Jew can use) from Hoffman, including the contentious NY launch of "Marty Supreme" and the inside scoop into actor Jack Black's superwoman of a mother.
We hear a full-throated recommendation from Borschel-Dan for a multi-media performance she caught that is touring Israel. Based on journalist and author Matti Friedman's "Who By Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai," the Beit Avichai production will announce its schedule of future shows in April.
The pair hunker down to review the Schmoovie of the week, "The Sure Thing," a 1985 film of teen love -- and lust. Rob Reiner's second directorial outing gets mixed reviews from our hosts.
Hear who gave "The Sure Thing" a middling "meh" and who gave it our top mark of...
- Title
- Day 810 - Why Israel charges UN's new famine report on Gaza is skewed
- Runtime
- 27:37
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Legal and settlements reporter Jeremy Sharon joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Defense Minister Israel Katz told settlements leaders on Tuesday that, “With God’s help when the time comes, we will also establish… pioneer groups in northern Gaza, in place of the settlements that were evacuated.” He later walked back his statements, but not before Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich doubled down on them and also pushed for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to convince US President Donald Trump to recognize annexation of the West Bank in his upcoming US trip. We dive into the issues of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and West Bank in the first half of the program.
The IPC famine monitoring organization stated on Friday that food security conditions in the entire Gaza Strip “r...
- Title
- Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib: Five likely scenarios for Gaza in 2026
- Runtime
- 53:50
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, the head of Realign For Palestine, an Atlantic Council project that challenges entrenched narratives in the Israel and Palestine discourse.
This week, we dive into the five likely scenarios that could play out in Gaza during 2026, which Alkhatib recently proposed on his social media channels.
According to Alkhatib, the five proposals all "undermine Hamas severely and massively change the calculus and geostrategic landscape following the Trump-sponsored ceasefire in October, which has temporarily halted the war."
The five proposals include: A mutiny from Hamas’s ranks within Gaza due to economic and cost-of-living pressures; a significant rise and empowerment of anti-Hamas militias in different areas of the Gaza Strip; mass protests and large-scale uprisin...
- Title
- Day 809 - Saudi prince tells ToI Israel needs to start being 'normal'
- Runtime
- 25:17
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Saudi Arabia’s former intelligence chief, Prince Turki bin Faisal, spoke with Magid on Sunday and said that Riyadh is currently not even entertaining the idea of normalizing relations with Israel and will only do so if Jerusalem begins acting like a “normal country.” We hear how Israel could behave more "normally" and what else the royal family member said.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee held a rare meeting with Palestinian Authority Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh in Ramallah last Wednesday to discuss ongoing tensions in the West Bank. We speak about the fraught US-PA ties and how this meeting comes on the heels of increased cooperation surrounding ceasefire efforts in the Gaza Strip.
And finally...
- Title
- Day 808 - Eyeing Iran, Israel rattles sabers ahead of PM's trip to US
- Runtime
- 19:41
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet in Jerusalem this afternoon with the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides. He will hold a bilateral meeting with each leader, then will host a trilateral summit, followed by statements to the press. We learn about the summit's goals.
Israel has warned the Trump administration that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps may be using an ongoing military exercise focusing on missiles as cover to launch an attack on Israel, according to a Sunday report, amid fears that Jerusalem and Tehran are readying for another confrontation. At the same time, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned Sunday that the military will st...
- Title
- Day 807 - Rescue of Israeli from Jericho highlights PA-IDF coordination
- Runtime
- 25:19
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
The Israel Defense Forces said Friday it was investigating a strike in Gaza City, which reportedly killed at least five people, including civilians. According to the military, during operations on the Israeli side of the ceasefire line in the Strip’s north, troops spotted several suspects in “dominant structures” on the western side of the Yellow Line — meaning not in IDF-held territory. Fabian discusses the idea of "dominant structures" and reports on the uptick of Gazans attempting to cross the Yellow Line into Israeli-controlled Gaza.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said yesterday that his country is close to completing the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River. This comes after Israel ...
- Title
- Lazar Focus: Danielle Pletka on what Trump wants in the Middle East
- Runtime
- 31:22
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, catch diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
This week, we’re joined by Danielle Pletka, distinguished senior fellow in Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where she focuses on US foreign policy, the Middle East, and terrorism.
Pletka, speaking to Beman from her native Australia, blasts the Albanese government for its failure to confront antisemitism and for its entirely insufficient response to the deadly shooting at a Hanukkah party in Sydney on Sunday.
Turning to US policy around the Gaza war, Pletka argues that then-US president Joe Biden was indeed a friend of Israel, but was already losing control over the White House to figures such as former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan when Hamas invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 and taking 251 hostage to Gaza, on Octo...
- Title
- Day 804 - Israel and Egypt clinch massive gas deal. What's behind it?
- Runtime
- 33:47
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in a video message that he has approved the largest energy deal in Israel’s history. The natural gas deal with Egypt is worth NIS 112 billion ($34.7 billion), of which NIS 58 billion ($18 billion) will go into public coffers. Magid gives insight into the slow rollout of this massive deal.
Magid reported yesterday that the US has secured commitments from Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany to have their leaders join US President Donald Trump on the Board of Peace that will oversee the postwar management of Gaza. We review the significance of the names that are currently not on the list and the ambiguous mandate of the International Securi...
- Title
- Day 803 - Inside the most complex Hamas tunnel network in Gaza
- Runtime
- 28:51
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Senior officials from the US, France and Saudi Arabia are set to meet in Paris today amid fears that Israel could embark on a new military operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon after a December 31 deadline to disarm the Iran-backed terror group passes, a diplomatic official told The Times of Israel on Tuesday. We have seen an uptick in tensions over the past few weeks. Fabian takes us back to early October to give context for what is currently happening on the ground.
In one of his first moves, new Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Itai Ofir decided today to close a criminal case against a senior reserves officer who was facing charges over his involvement in the circumstances that led to the deaths of a soldie...
- Title
- Art or propaganda? 'The Voice of Hind Rajab'
- Runtime
- 52:35
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.
This week, we hear reviews of two films: the 2019 "An Officer and a Spy," a film by controversial director Roman Polanski on the Dreyfus Affair, which is now playing in the United States, and the shattering documentary, "The Voice of Hind Rajab."
But the pair opens the program by honoring director-actor Rob Reiner, who was slain over the weekend alongside his wife, Michele. We learn about his early acting work and hear about many of his groundbreaking films that have become enduring classics.
Hoffman tells us about Polanski's cinematic childhood and early adult life -- he barely survived the Holocaust and his wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered by the Manson family. We then hear how Polanski skipped out on the sentencing after pleading guilty to engaging in unlawful sexual interc...
- Title
- Day 802 - Heroism amid horror at Hanukkah Bondi terror attack
- Runtime
- 25:29
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
On Sunday evening, a radicalized father and son targeted the annual “Chanukah by the Sea” event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach and killed at least 15, after firing some 50 shots at the 1,000-strong crowd. Another 38 people were wounded, including two police officers. This morning, Australian officials confirmed they believe it was “a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State.” Horovitz updates us on this confirmation and other newly uncovered information about the gunmen's plot.
Newly discovered dashcam footage shows one of the increasingly exposed examples of ordinary citizens willing to take on the attackers. Boris and Sofia Gurman confronted the father and son gunmen after the murderous pair parked their ISIS-flag-draped c...
- Title
- Day 801 - Anguish in Australia after bloody terror attack at Hanukkah event
- Runtime
- 26:01
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Diaspora reporter Zev Stub and religion and archaeology reporter Rossella Tercatin join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Two gunmen shot dead at least 15 people and wounded dozens of others on Sunday at a Hanukkah event being held at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach to mark the first night of the Jewish holiday. There were about 1,000 Jews in attendance. We learn about the timeline of the attack and the identities of the murdered that were released by recording time.
Stub reports on what is known so far about the father-son attackers' potential motives and a potential direction police are investigating. We learn how a bystander, filmed tackling and disarming a gunman during yesterday’s terror attack, was named as Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Muslim father of two who owns a local produce s...
- Title
- Adeena Sussman: Latke frying helps cooks cope with life's complexities
- Runtime
- 32:36
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Jessica Steinberg speaking with cookbook author Adeena Sussman.
In this conversation with the bestselling author of "Sababa" and "Shabbat," Sussman discusses the intersection of cooking, culture, and personal experiences as she continues melding her American Jewish background with her current Israeli life in her recipes.
She reviews aspects of her latest cookbook, "Zariz," which emphasizes quick, easy recipes with shorter lists of ingredients, and how working on it during the war offered a therapeutic outlet during troubling times.
Sussman talks about her various Hanukkah recipes, tips for frying potato pancakes and sufganiyot, and how to streamline the latke-making and doughnut frying processes, if one decides to make their own.
Adeena Sussman's Sheet Pan Latke Board
For the latkes:
1½ - 1¾ ...
- Title
- Day 800 - Ceasefire tensions escalate after top Hamas commander is killed
- Runtime
- 28:31
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman and environmental reporter Sue Surkes join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Following the IDF strike that killed top Hamas commander Raad Saad in Gaza City, Berman reviews the obstacles for Israel and Hamas in moving toward the second phase of the broader ceasefire. He discusses how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump will need to find a way to agree on the thorny and fundamental issue of how to get Hamas to disarm.
As the IDF postponed a planned airstrike on Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon, Berman reports on the ongoing issue of needing Hezbollah to disarm, the Lebanese Army's efforts to work to accomplish that, and Israel's dissatisfaction with Lebanon's progress.
After the Water Authority began channeling d...
- Title
- Lazar Focus: Jacob Magid on the day that never came - Blinken's vision for postwar Gaza
- Runtime
- 39:06
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, join host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
This week, US bureau chief Jacob Magid fills in for Berman and goes in-depth into an exclusive report he published on just how close the Saudis were to normalization with Israel ahead of the Hamas onslaught on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and the finer details of former Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s vision for post-war Gaza.
We learn that months ahead of Hamas’s attack on Israel, the US had been hard at work crafting a document with Saudi Arabia, laying out what Israel would need to do in exchange for Riyadh joining the Abraham Accords. We begin by discussing what steps were taken towards a pathway to a Palestinian state.
A few weeks following the Hamas massacre, Blinken presented his "Tokyo Principles," to G7 countries, es...
- Title
- Two 'mehs' for 'Jay Kelly,' now on Netflix
- Runtime
- 50:38
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.
This week, the pair speaks about two new movies, the feature film, "Jay Kelly," and the short documentary "Carol & Joy."
But first, we hear in this week’s “Jangle” segment, an update on a story from last week regarding one of the Holocaust survivors featured in the film, "Eleanor the Great," Sami Steigmann, who was asked not to speak at a Brooklyn middle school about antisemitism due to his pro-Israel views.
Our second Jangle involves the impending sale of Warner Bros Studio. Hoffman has some passionate thoughts.
We then speak about "Jay Kelly," a 2025 comedy-drama directed by Noah Baumbach and written by Baumbach and Emily Mortimer. For Borschel-Dan, it was a screening in two sleepy parts that ended with a "meh" rating. Hoffman was (slightly) kinder.
...
- Title
- Day 797 -- Final Columbia antisemitism report reveals classroom aggressions
- Runtime
- 24:44
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
US reporter Luke Tress joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
As the fourth and final report of the Columbia University antisemitism task force is released, it focuses on what happened in the college's classrooms, says Tress, addressing the discrimination against Jews and Israelis throughout the months of protests, and finding the balance between free speech and academic freedom.
Tress discusses two related situations at two California colleges, as a livestreamed class of a prominent academic and activist at Cal State showed her coaching students to oppose a state bill meant to combat antisemitism in local schools. He also mentions a legal settlement at the University of California at Berkeley regarding a visiting Israeli lecturer who sued the school after being disinvited to lecture due to...
- Title
- Day 796 - Knesset debate on Haredi draft bares PM's closed-door efforts to pass bill
- Runtime
- 20:01
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Political correspondent Ariela Karmel and diplomatic reporter Nava Freiberg join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
As the Prime Minister's Office announces Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump on December 29 in the US, Freiberg notes that the two leaders will discuss the next phases of the Gaza peace plan. She says the emerging security arrangements between Israel and Syria are also on the table and discusses media reports that Netanyahu was meant to sign a security agreement with Syria in September, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Karmel and Freiberg review different aspects of the 40-signature debate earlier this week in the Knesset, in which Netanyahu publicly supported the current Haredi draft bill for the first time....
- Title
- ADL's James Pasch: Taking on the Axis of Evil through lawfare
- Runtime
- 28:26
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with James Pasch, the Anti-Defamation League's vice president of litigation.
Pasch, is currently in Israel to meet with the plaintiffs in a massive lawsuit the ADL initiated against Iran, North Korea, Syria and Hamas, for their part in the October 7 massacre.
In a new strategy, the legacy Jewish organization's work in fighting antisemitism is moving to encompass lawfare and since the Hamas onslaught on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, the ADL has filed more lawsuits than in all the years of the existence of the organization.
In this podcast, we discuss how the ADL and other legal organizations are being creative in repurposing laws and redefining terms. We also hear about the struggle to remain firmly inside the Constitution and Bill of Rights when taking on the campus protests that test the bo...
- Title
- Day 795 - 22,000 IDF soldiers were wounded since Oct. 7 - in body and soul
- Runtime
- 32:19
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon, who served as the IDF’s point man on hostage negotiations since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught, says that Hamas has “objective” difficulties in finding the body of Ran Gvili, the last deceased hostage in Gaza. We learn what is happening in Gaza and the potential power vacuum left in the southern anti-Hamas militia following the death of its leader Yasser Abu Shabab.
The IDF confirmed carrying out a wave of airstrikes in southern Lebanon overnight, saying it targeted Hezbollah sites, including a training facility used by the terror group’s elite Radwan Force. Fabian describes how the IDF strikes generally come after the mechanism put in place following the November ...
- Title
- Day 794 - World fetes Syria's former terrorist leader, a year in power
- Runtime
- 25:33
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad fled Syria for Russia a year ago as rebels commanded by Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, seized the country. Initially greeted with some skepticism for his terrorist ties, al-Sharaa is now feted on world stages. Horovitz shares impressions from what he heard from Syrian officials during a recent Damascus trip and how their new leader, under the Trump administration's wing, is increasingly boldly criticizing Israel and its hold on the buffer zone between the two nations.
This morning, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz arrived in Israel for an official visit focused on advancing Washington’s peace plan for Gaza. Yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that th...
- Title
- Day 793 - Trump peace plan partners pile on Israel at Doha Forum
- Runtime
- 19:42
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Magid joins us from the Doha Forum, an annual gathering bringing together government officials, policymakers, civil society representatives and business leaders from around the world to discuss major global challenges.
Qatar’s Prime Minister said yesterday that Doha does not consider the current situation in Gaza to be a ceasefire, arguing that this would require an Israeli withdrawal from the entirety of the enclave. At the same time, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called for deploying the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza “as soon as possible,” claiming that Israel is using the absence of international monitors on the ground in Gaza to violate the ceasefire on a daily basis. We hear additiona...
- Title
- Lazar Focus: Did the Red Cross do all it could for hostages in Gaza?
- Runtime
- 42:31
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, join host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
This week, we're joined by Julien Lerisson, the head of delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Israel and Occupied Territories.
Berman reviews the organization's troubling history of failures regarding Jews, specifically during the Holocaust, but also moving forward in its rejection of Israel's national Magen David Adom chapter until two decades ago.
We learn about the ICRC's work in Gaza during the hostage releases and Lerisson shares the humanitarian group's frustrations with its inability to access those held by Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza.
Lerisson tells us about the group's core principle of neutrality and how a mission to serve humanity is at the center of its work in war-torn and disas...
- Title
- Scarlett Johansson's 'Eleanor the Great' lives up to its name
- Runtime
- 52:56
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.
This week, the pair speaks about two films, "Eleanor the Great," directed by Scarlett Johansson, and the documentary, "Son of a Seeker," by first-time filmmaker Kai Balin.
But first, we hear in this week's "Jangle" segment, Hoffman recounts the recent votes of the New York Film Critics Circle for their annual "best-ofs," which are also known as the “Elite Oscars.”
Next, we turn to two news items surrounding "Eleanor the Great." The first is that first-time director Scarlett Johansson said in an interview that she was asked by a would-be financial backer to change her film’s plot away from the Holocaust. And then we also heard this week that one of the Holocaust survivors featured in the film, Sami Steigmann, was asked not to speak at a Brooklyn middle school about anti...
- Title
- Day 790 - Israel and Lebanon hold rare direct talks as conflict heads toward brink
- Runtime
- 18:11
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
After Israel and Lebanon held direct talks on Wednesday in the presence of US envoy Morgan Ortagus, Magid remarks on the rare contact between the two countries. The US aims to prevent the expansion of Israeli operations in Lebanon during the ongoing ceasefire, while Israel wants to ensure that Hezbollah is not able to rearm.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly weighed in on Jewish settler violence against Palestinian villagers, and Magid notes the premier's insistence on redirecting the so-called hilltop youth's criminal tendencies via educational efforts rather than using security measures or imprisonment. Netanyahu also discussed legalizing certain West Bank outposts in light of their role in preventing Palesti...
- Title
- Day 789 - IDF cyber division using radio waves to take out Iranian attack drones
- Runtime
- 31:24
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Yesterday, two soldiers were lightly injured in a stabbing attack near the northern West Bank settlement of Ateret. The attack came hours after a soldier was lightly hurt in a car-ramming near the city of Hebron. Both attackers were killed. Are we seeing an uptick in attacks on soldiers in the West Bank?
At recording time, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, the Al Quds Brigades, said it was searching for the body of a hostage in northern Gaza with a team from the Red Cross. It has since been announced that remains will be handed over to Israel this evening.
These announcements came a day after Hamas handed over remains to Israel via the Red Cross, which Israel said today did not b...
- Title
- Dr. Gilad Malach: Haredi draft bill is a wedge issue for a divided nation
- Runtime
- 41:37
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with Dr. Gilad Malach, a research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute.
Malach's research focuses on public policy related to Israel's ultra-Orthodox community, including issues critical to its integration into Israel's economy and society.
This week, the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is debating a new bill aimed at regulating Haredi draft exemptions.
Starting with the foundation of the state in 1948, Malach takes us through the evolution of the ultra-Orthodox community's refusal to serve in the IDF. We hear of previous efforts to entice the population to join the army and how badly they failed.
Malach takes us through the unique make-up of the ultra-Orthodox household, in which women generally are more educated and go out to work, while men form a "community of le...
- Title
- Day 788 - PM invited to White House for unprecedented fifth time
- Runtime
- 15:46
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu receives his fifth invitation to visit US President Donald Trump at the White House, discusses Berman, an important opportunity given the Gaza ceasefire that is stuck in its first phase.
Berman notes that Trump wants to further Israel's security agreements with Syria, where there were clashes last week between IDF troops and Islamist Syrians. He says that conversation will be the centerpiece of the Trump-Netanyahu meetup, if it takes place.
After the US signed major agreements with Saudi Arabia during the recent White House meeting between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Berman notes that Trump's focus is on other conflicts right now, and not necessar...
- Title
- Day 787 - PM requests a presidential pardon. Is it in Israel's interest?
- Runtime
- 26:27
- Date posted
- 6 months ago
- Description
- Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
On Saturday, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman, Majed al-Ansari stated in a podcast that the issue of the two remaining bodies of hostages -- taken to Gaza on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas onslaught on southern Israel -- is allowing Israel to potentially delay the next phase of the Trump peace plan. Horovitz weighs in on the readiness of both sides to move forward.
Yesterday, six years after he was indicted on charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu submitted a 111-page formal pardon request to President Isaac Herzog, seeking an end to his long-running and unprecedented corruption trial. We remind listeners of the charges against the premier and the very public intervention by US Presid...
