Call Me Back - with Dan Senor

Haviv Unplugged!

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Share on X: https://tinyurl.com/2s4x4j2h In recent days, there have been a lot of war-related developments that have taken place in Israel and outsid...

OPERATION ARNON - with Nadav Eyal

10 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Share on X: https://tinyurl.com/3pey4z3y We have just witnessed one of the most extraordinary 48-hour periods in Israel since October 7th, as we lea...

The Great Powers and the War in Gaza - with Walter Russell Mead

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Share on X: https://tinyurl.com/ytm9656f Over the past 8 months, we've focused most of our attention on Israel's perspective and the American perspe...

The last Israeli to negotiate with the Palestinians - with Tzipi Livni (Part 2)

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Share on Twitter/X: https://tinyurl.com/nvmznb7m Tzipi Livni has served as a minister of eight different cabinet ministries under three prime minist...

The last Israeli to negotiate with the Palestinians - with Tzipi Livni (Part 1)

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Share on Twitter/X: https://tinyurl.com/3jzjamfh Tzipi Livni has served as a minister of eight different cabinet ministries under three prime minist...

A proposal to end the war? — with Haviv Rettig Gur

03 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Share on Twitter/X: https://tinyurl.com/3h7ryskc Today during one of our regular check-ins with Haviv Rettig Gur, we had some big questions: I) How...

What we know about captivity in Gaza - with Glenn Cohen

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Share on Twitter/X: https://tinyurl.com/3rnj5dz7 Since October 7, there has been a debate inside Israel about what cost Israelis should pay as a soci...

Diplomatic Avalanche - with Nadav Eyal and Matt Waxman

24 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Share on X: https://tinyurl.com/7nwh3c8e Earlier this morning, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to immediately halt its military ope...

Rafah, Egypt & the "Day After" - with Amos Harel

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Share on X: https://tinyurl.com/2prj3ea7 In recent days, we have had three persistent questions: One, how is it that – in just a matter of approxi...

And then there was Gantz - with Haviv Rettig Gur

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Share Episode on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/327et39r Haviv Rettig Gur returns for a regular check-in, in which we analyze the emerging political s...

Bonus Episode: Will the Middle East Be Unrecognizable? - with Jared Cohen

19 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jared Cohen is Co-Head of the Office of Applied Innovation and President of Global Affairs at Goldman Sachs. He also serves on the Management Committ...

SPECIAL EPISODE: Gallant Strikes (Again) - with Nadav Eyal

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last night, Israel time, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant took the exceptional step of publicly declaring his view that the current war trajectory is lea...

Israeli Independence - with Dr. Tal Becker

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

HOUSEKEEPING NOTE: The first "Call Me Back" Live Event will take place on Monday June 3 at 6:00 pm at the Comedy Cellar in New York City. At the event...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

12 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At 8:00 pm tonight in Israel, the siren will sound across Israel to mark the commencement of Israel’s Memorial Day, Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day for ...

Screams Before Silence - with Sheryl Sandberg

10 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sheryl Sandberg is one of the most accomplished executives in the tech industry. After attending Harvard University for undergrad and for an MBA, Sher...

The Rise and Fall of a Hostage Deal - with Nadav Eyal

08 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What exactly unfolded in Israel over the past 72 hours? Details are still emerging, but at one point it appeared that all sides may have been close to...

The Age of Grievance - with Frank Bruni

06 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Frank Bruni is a long time journalist, including more than 25 years with the New York Times. He is the author of four New York Times bestsellers. He i...

Israel's Sophie's Choice - with Haviv Rettig Gur

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There are two major decisions Israel is contending with right now: I) proceed with the military operation in Rafah; or II) pause the fighting, perhaps...

Proof of Life - with Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Share on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/4ku8n3r3 After over 200 days, Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin saw proof of life of their son Hersh Goldberg-Polin...

Bonus Episode: Diary from Columbia’s ‘Liberated Zone’ - with Michael Powell

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Powell has been covering New York City life and politics for decades, as a long-time reporter for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and...

An Insider's Account of Columbia's Pro-Hamas Protests - with Shai Davidai

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Share on Twitter: tinyurl.com/5n6bswst Since 10/07, no faculty member at Columbia University (or any university for that matter) has been more outspo...

A lot is happening in the Middle East... and nothing at all - with Nadav Eyal

22 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Share on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/3wv3d77z As we try to make sense of the past two weeks, consider this: 1. IDF withdraws from most of the Gaza ...

How Israel Lost The Story - with Scott Galloway

17 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Special Episode: Did Iran Miscalculate? - with Nadav Eyal

14 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What it’s like to fight for your (captive) family - with Maya Roman

12 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There has been growing tension within Israeli society over where to prioritize a hostage deal – at what cost (in terms of how many and which Palesti...

Data Science Vs Hamas Math - with Abraham Wyner

10 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

30,000. You hear that number and you already know exactly what we are referring to. It’s 30,000 casualties. That’s the number of Palestinians that...

Is the war in Gaza over? With Nadav Eyal

08 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Is Israel Losing America's Jews? With Yossi Klein Halevi and Rabbi David Ingber

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past several weeks, especially the Biden administration’s statements Thursday, Israel has been subjected to a fresh round of harsh criticis...

Is Gantz headed for the exit? with Anshel Pfeffer

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On Wednesday, Benny Gantz announced he was calling for new elections to take place in September. What is the significance of this announcement? Is it ...

Lessons from Gaza for war against Hezbollah? - with Haviv Rettig Gur

01 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Biden’s two-pronged Israel strategy — with Bret Stephens

29 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since October 7, the United States has vetoed three resolutions put before the UN Security Council calling for a ceasefire. But suddenly, this past Mo...

Is Israel Alone? With Haviv Rettig Gur

25 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The new edition of The Economist Magazine features a photo of an Israeli flag, blowing in the wind…all alone. The cover title of this issue’s edit...

War Cabinet Member, Ron Dermer

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the days ahead, Minister Dermer will be flying to Washington with a small delegation to meet with the Biden administration about the IDF’s option...

Biden's Bibi Problem - with Nadav Eyal

18 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On October 6th of last year there was a long-standing ceasefire in place between Israel and Hamas. On October 7th, Hamas launched a massive war agains...

The Sobering of the Israeli Left - with Dr. Einat Wilf

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since October 7, we have heard from more and more friends in Israel who came of age -- politically -- in the 1990s. Some of these friends were key pol...

My 'Come to Jesus' Moment with Haviv

12 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Ramadan begins, many analysts are speculating on what this means for Israel’s coming military operation in Rafah. There is a threat from Hamas to...

Israel’s Near Death Experience - with Micah Goodman

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Micah Goodman is on the speed-dial of a number of Israeli political leaders – from right to left, but especially on the center-left and the center-r...

External pressures on Israel, and within - with Haviv Rettig Gur

04 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Will there be a negotiated pause in fighting in advance of Ramadan, or will the IDF move against the remaining Hamas battalions in Rafah? At the same...

1948 - with Benny Morris (Part 1)

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

PART 1 of 2 For more than 30 years of ‘on again-off again’ peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, many Israelis, and certainly most int...

1948 - with Benny Morris (Part 2)

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

PART 2 of 2 For more than 30 years of ‘on again-off again’ peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, many Israelis, and certainly most int...

The Anatomy of a Deal - with Nadav Eyal

26 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, Prime Minister Netanyahu released to his cabinet what could be interpreted as a first sketch, an early blueprint, or a statement of princip...

How Hamas fooled the world - with Matti Friedman

22 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Every day we see news accounts “reported” by reputable journalists. There is typically one frame in the post-10/07 War: ‘Gazan Palestinians are ...

Is a peaceful Palestinian State even possible? - with Haviv Rettig Gur

19 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On Sunday, Israel’s cabinet unanimously issued a statement rejecting efforts by the international community to force immediate recognition of a Pale...

The spirit of a nation at war — with Wendy Singer

17 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While there has been a lot of resentment inside Israel towards its political and security leadership, Israeli society has stepped up in ways sometimes...

Jerusalem - Rafah - Washington - with Nadav Eyal

13 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are we witnessing a dramatic change in the Biden administration’s approach to Israel’s defensive war against Hamas? Are these changes just rhetori...

The cost of starting a (losing) war - with Dr. Einat Wilf

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today we look back at the history of Palestinian violence against the Jews in Israel (and in the pre-state Yishuv) -- from the fall of the Ottoman Emp...

How to build a Palestinian state - with Haviv Rettig Gur

05 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Haviv Rettig Gur of the TIMES OF ISRAEL returns for his weekly check-in from Israel. There has been a recent flurry of statements coming out of Lond...

UNRWA & Hamas, the perfect affair - with Haviv Rettig Gur

29 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The UN has one central agency responsible for handling all refugees globally, but Palestinian refugees have their own UN agency, UNRWA. Why? The numb...

Can a Sunni-Israeli alliance win the war?

26 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Al Jazeera is constantly blasting a steady stream of stories and images to the Arab world about 'tens of thousands of Palestinians dead,' according to...

Israel’s escalating internal debates — with Haviv Rettig Gur

22 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In today’s weekly check-in with Haviv Rettig Gur from the Times of Israel, we discuss intensifying debates within Israel over the leadership of the ...

The End of a Jewish Golden Age — with John Podhoretz

20 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Will we look back at the past few decades in America as the Jewish ‘golden age’? And is this ‘golden age’ now over? Did October 7th mark the ...

On Sexual violence and… Silence - with Shari Mendes

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Having recently passed the 100 day-mark of Hamas’s massacre against Israel, two events in recent weeks occurred that should have occurred some time ...

Haviv Rettig Gur (Part 2) - 100 Days into Israel's 'Forever War'

15 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This past weekend, Israelis marked 100 days since the Hamas massacre -- and 100 days that 136 hostages, of all ages, still remain captive in unimagina...

Haviv Rettig Gur (Part 1) - 100 Days into Israel's 'Forever War'

15 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This past weekend, Israelis marked 100 days since the Hamas massacre -- and 100 days that 136 hostages, of all ages, still remain captive in unimagina...

The Houthis and The Hague - with Nadav Eyal

13 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In recent days, two big stories have gotten a lot bigger. The U.S. and U.K. have launched air and missile strikes against Houthi targets in Houthi-c...

Growing tensions between Hamas Leaders — with Dr. Matt Levitt

09 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What do Israelis know about the political tensions within Hamas’s leadership? About their decision-makers, their motives, their processes, and Hamas...

Gaza’s “Operating System” - with Nadav Eyal

04 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Gaza runs like no sovereign entity. On the one hand, Hamas rules Gaza like any government does — it has a health system, an education system, a secu...

Haviv Rettig Gur on Palestinian radicalism - was 10/7 just another turn of the dial?

31 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In recent days, we have been shocked to read the details in the New York Times investigative piece titled: “Hamas weaponized sexual violence on Octo...

From Hamas to Hezbollah to the Houtis & beyond — with Bret Stephens

28 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bret Stephens, Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for The New York Times, returns for a conversation analyzing how the October 7 War is expanding beyond...

A Shift in the War - with Haviv Rettig Gur

24 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Hamas-Israel War, nearing its three month mark, is now the longest war in Israel’s history since Israel’s War of Independence (1948/49). The ...

An insider’s account of the Harvard Antisemitism Committee — with Rabbi David Wolpe

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Understanding where and how antisemitism has come to exist at an institution like Harvard is the focus of today’s conversation. We will hear the per...

The Two-State Solution - with Haviv Rettig Gur

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We are increasingly hearing from policymakers in the U.S. and around the world about re-starting the path to a two-state solution after the war. That ...

What starts with the Jews, rarely ends with just the Jews - with Yuval Levin

16 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On previous episodes of this podcast we’ve discussed the origins and history of antisemitism. But what does this antisemitic moment tell us about so...

The 'Day After' in Gaza - with Haviv Rettig Gur

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In today’s weekly check-in with Haviv Rettig Gur of The Times of Israel, we discuss Israel's current thinking about what a post-Hamas Gaza might loo...

Would Gazans rise up against Hamas? - with Amos Harel

07 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today we get an update on the IDF operation in South Gaza, what Israel is learning about the Gaza tunnel system, what Israelis are learning through fu...

Hamas’s psychological warfare — with Haviv Rettig Gur

04 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In today’s weekly check-in with Haviv Rettig Gur of The Times of Israel, we discuss the volatility in Israel, as Israelis pivoted from fighting the ...

Haley's path & Biden's only move - with Mike Murphy

03 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There are two storylines we have been following closely that are not necessarily shaped by the minute-to-minute developments in Israel, but their outc...

Douglas Murray debunks 5 lies about Israel

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Douglas Murray, a British writer and commentator, has been on the ground in Israel for about a month, covering the war as a reporter and analyst. He w...

Lessons learned from the hostage deal - with Haviv Rettig Gur

27 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today is our weekly check-in with Haviv Rettig Gur of The Times of Israel. We discuss early lessons that Haviv is identifying for Israeli leaders and ...

The hostage deal: a new phase in the war - with Amos Harel

23 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Amos Harel has been the military correspondent and defense analyst for Israel's Haaretz newspaper for 25 years. He is among the most well-sourced and ...

The Price of Israeli Hostages - with Haviv Rettig Gur

20 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Haviv Rettig Gur returns for our weekly conversation from Jerusalem to provide real-time reporting and analysis on the war, and invaluable historical ...

A conversation with Yonit Levi & Jonathan Freedland

18 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode -- which we recorded just after the historic rally in Washington, DC and as we approached the sixth Shabbat since October 7th -- I hav...

Anshel Pfeffer - Embedded in Gaza

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s 5:45 am on Thursday, November 16 in New York City. It’s 12:45 pm in Israel. Early this morning, I spoke with Anshel Pfeffer, who is just ba...

Flipping the Script -- with Haviv Rettig Gur

13 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Haviv Rettig Gur returns for our weekly conversation from Jerusalem to provide real-time reporting and analysis on the war, and invaluable historical ...

Israeli Resilience, Pre- & Post-10/07 - with Liel Leibovitz

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is a crossover episode with Liel Leibovitz in which we jointly release a conversation on the Call Me Back podcast feed and the Tablet Magazine's ...

American Jews on the Left, post-October 7th

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today we release the new book by Saul Singer and me: "The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World", which...

30 days, 3 pressure points - with Haviv Rettig Gur

06 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week we release the new book by Saul Singer and me: "The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World", w...

BIDEN: "Don't!" / NASRALLAH: "I hear you." - emergency episode with Dr. Matthew Levitt

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We just had a conversation with Dr. Matthew Levitt, an expert on Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbollah, getting his immediate reaction and analysis on Nasral...

Understanding Israel's battlefields (& U.S. involvement) - with Dr. Fred Kagan

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Next week we will release the new book by Saul Singer and me: "The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent Worl...

Antisemitism. Everywhere.

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Next week we will release the new book by Saul Singer and me: "The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent Worl...

A post-October 7th security doctrine for Israel - with Haviv Rettig Gur

30 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Haviv Rettig Gur returns for our weekly conversation from Israel to provide real-time reporting and analysis on the war, and invaluable historical con...

The Ground Operation Begins/End of hostage negotiations? — with Avi Issacharoff

28 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Avi Issacharoff returns for an urgent update on overnight developments and their implications. Avi has been an analyst and journalist for The Times o...

A brief history of Hezbollah - with Dr. Matthew Levitt

27 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Much like our earlier episode on the history of Hamas, today we look at the history of Hezbollah, an even greater threat to Israel than Hamas. Our gue...

The Oldest Hatred... Post-October 7 - with Ritchie Torres, Michal Cotler Wunsh & Ethan Missner

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Among the questions we've been getting since October 7 are those about antisemitism. Does this time feel different? Why? Or, another question, when is...

The Fog of Waiting - with Haviv Rettig Gur

23 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Haviv Rettig Gur returns for our weekly conversation from Israel to provide real-time reporting and analysis on the war, and invaluable historical con...

Forecasting the war’s path ahead - with Michael Oren

21 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode will be the first of a few conversations in which we touch on the range of directions this October 7th war could go (especially when cons...

The Laws of War — with Matt Waxman

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In President Biden’s address from the Oval Office, we continue to hear calls for Israel to respect the laws of war. In recent days, we have also hea...

Public sentiment on the eve of invasion - with Haviv Rettig Gur

17 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Haviv Rettig Gur returns to our podcast to provide real-time reporting and analysis on the war, and invaluable historical context. He will be a weekly...

The Gazan Battlefield — with Avi Issacharoff

15 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we consider to what to expect when the IDF enters Gaza. Avi Issacharoff has been an analyst and journalist for The Times of Israel, Walla, and ...

The October Massacre changes... Everything - with Elliott Abrams

14 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode with Elliott Abrams, we provide additional detail on the history of Israel-Gaza/Hamas — this time from a White House insider on U.S....

The world unites against Hamas... for now - with Yaakov Katz

12 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For analysis of the Israeli Government's formation of a (Netanyahu/Gantz) unity government and war cabinet, preparations for the invasion of Gaza, and...

The history of Hamas, and its likely grim future - with Jonathan Schanzer

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We have been getting a lot of questions about the history of Hamas, its ideological roots and objectives, its allies and rivalries, how it wound up in...

ISRAEL AT WAR: The multi-front probability - with Bret Stephens

09 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bret Stephens, Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for The New York Times, returns for a conversation immediately on Day III of this war. Bret came to ...

ISRAEL AT WAR: The Hostage Dilemma - with Haviv Rettig Gur

08 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Haviv Rettig Gur returns to our podcast to provide real-time reporting and analysis on the war, and invaluable historical context. His insights on how...

Karl Rove on our new (or not so new) political dysfunction

05 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One day we’re talking about the 2024 presidential election being a re-match of the 2020 election. The next day we’re watching the Speaker of the U...

Who will tell Biden? The dread of 2024 - with A.B. Stoddard

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many Democratic activists, strategists, donors, officeholders, and party leaders are privately discussing the weaknesses of President Biden's candidac...

What's with the GOP & these debates? - with Eliana Johnson

28 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What to make of the most recent presidential debates? What to make of what we're learning from these debates? What to make of the media's coverage of ...

What's with Republicans & Ukraine? - with Aaron MacLean

26 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why is U.S. assistance for Ukraine being held up in Congress? What is at stake for the U.S.? Aaron MacLean is a senior fellow at the Foundation for ...

Will Saudi Arabia's MBS save Israel from its political crack-up? With Micah Goodman

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are you pessimistic about Israel’s future? My new book – which I wrote with my "Start-Up Nation" co-author Saul Singer – should give you reason ...

Unprecedented polarization, or has Israel been here before? With Meir Soloveichik

18 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Items discussed in this episode:“The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent“ Worldwww.amazon.com/Genius-Is...