For Heaven's Sake

Yom Yerushalayim, the final holiday of the “Israeli high holidays,” was intended to celebrate the Jewish people’s transition from destruction to rebirth, yet this holiday is deeply polarizing for many Israelis. Why has it failed to unify Israelis around the vision of a united Jerusalem? What does the rise of ultra-nationalism portend for the future of Jerusalem and of Israel? How might it be restored as a day of hope and blessing for Israel and our neighbors? Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain seek the answers.

Just past Israel's 74th birthday, many North American Jews are increasingly questioning why they should have a relationship to Israel. On this 50th episode of For Heaven’s Sake, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi ask: Does Israel’s existence make American ambivalence irrelevant? Is the content, meaning and inspiration that Israel once provided to American Jews no longer important? Though answers are not guaranteed, a lively discussion that leads to more questions is inevitable.

Israel’s National Holidays, Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron, and Yom Ha’atmaut, commemorate the last century’s major upheavals of Jewish history. While these days are meant to unite Israelis around a proud, shared story, they also highlight divisions in Israeli society. Arab Israelis and Haredim generally don’t participate in the commemorations, excluding over a quarter of the country’s population. Tal Becker joins Donniel Hartman, and Elana Stein Hain to better understand the intent, complexity, and evolution of Israel’s national holidays, and share their favorite ways to celebrate.

Memory is at the core of the Jewish experience. At the Passover seder, there's one memory that we are individually obligated to embody-- the memory of having been freed from slavery in Egypt. What are the personal and collective memories that shape our lives? What significant moral challenges and opportunities face us on an ongoing basis? Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain share some of their personal memories and explore the ways in which we carry the memories that shape us.

Once again, Israelis are struggling with the agonizing personal and political dilemmas of living with terrorism. How will this latest wave impact the delicate relationship between Israel’s Jewish and Arab citizens? Though fear and suspicion are contagious, so too are coexistence and hope. Join Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain as they struggle to make sense of this latest violence.

The crisis in Ukraine is impacting the way we think about the place of Israel in the world. There remain nagging questions at the heart of the state founded to protect the Jewish people. Is our only mission protecting the Jews? What are our responsibilities to the rest of humanity? Beyond providing safe refuge to Jews, do we have a moral responsibility to extend our energies and resources to others? Join Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain as they discuss the crisis in Ukraine and Israel’s place in the world.

Why has the conflict and unfolding tragedy in Ukraine touched Jews so deeply? Is it because Ukraine's new national hero is Jewish? Perhaps it’s because of the many Ukraine Jews who have made aliyah and call Israel home? Yossi Klein Halevi, Donniel Hartman, and Elana Stein Hain explore the Jewish, moral and historical dimension of the war in Ukraine and how our personal and collective memories of the Holocaust impact our present perspective.

What does the War in Ukraine mean for Israel? While thousands of Israelis have demonstrated in support of Ukraine, the Israeli government's reaction has been muted and measured. Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss the Israeli government's response to the invasion, the fact that a proud self-identified Jew is leading one of the most heroic struggles in history, and the implications of this crisis on a possible Israeli attack on Iran. Tune into this special episode of the For Heaven’s Sake podcast.

Sheikh Jarah, the predominantly Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem, has become the focal point for the conflict over Jewish sovereignty of Jerusalem. What is it about Sheikh Jarah that elicits such strong emotions on all sides? In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain wrestle to answer some unanswerable questions.

In this episode of For Heaven’s Sake, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi debate the appropriate response to the recent Amnesty International report declaring Israel an Apartheid state. What are the “right” responses after being likened to a Nazi state? Is this the time for a nuanced argument or a time to fight back? Can we acknowledge some legitimacy in the report without accepting the entire denouncement? Who will have to deal with the lingering effects and fallout from this report? Elana Stein Hain joins the discussion to contextualize this challenging moment through the lens and history of Torah, looking at the difference between rebuke and defamation.

Apartheid. The word at the far end of critique of Israel. And when similar accusations of antisemitism are lodged at Israel’s critics, it too can shut down dialogue. Can meaningful discussion exist when the most extreme positions on each side increasingly define the conversation about Israel? This week, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain talk about polarization around Israel, the diminishing of the Jewish conversation, and their hope for creating a new space for dialogue.

What is liberal Zionism? Is there a language and vision that we can offer Israeli society that the political system seems incapable of delivering? And why is there such reticence, in both Israel and North America, to talk about values and Zionism? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss some fundamental questions about Zionism in 2022.

In a special end-of-year episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain respond to listener questions, covering topics from the one-state solution, wokeness, and Israel’s obligation to non-Jewish visitors during COVID to extreme rhetoric against Israeli-Arab coalition members. Tune into this roundtable episode and let us know if you think this discussion elevates us all a little higher.

What is the role of interfaith relations in modern Judaism and Jewish statehood? Are Jews ready for a new kind of relationship with Christians and Muslims, one rooted in psychological self-confidence and spiritual curiosity rather than historical trauma? What are the responsibilities that come with being the majority in a Jewish homeland with Christian and Muslim minorities?Join Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain for a thoughtful conversation about bridging divides toward a more whole, pluralistic world.

What happens when an ancient holiday is rebranded for modern audiences?

For Israelis, Hanukkah was reinvented as a celebration of Jewish heroism, of our ability to persevere against overwhelming threats, with the Maccabean warrior as the precursor to the IDF. In contrast, in North America Hanukkah has been rebranded as a universal battle against religious suppression, with the Hanukah lights as beacons for interfaith ecumenism and religious tolerance. What does this dichotomy say about the two largest Jewish communities in the world?

As Israel passes its first state budget in 3½ years, we celebrate the stability brought about by its unusual and wondrous coalition. What can we learn from this moment about Jewish notions of normalcy, gratitude, and a collective psyche steeped in historic anxiety?

Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain examine the Jewish mindset around stability, what it says about our place in the world, and how it affects the Israel-Diaspora relationship.  

As Iran approaches the nuclear threshold, Israeli leaders are explicitly warning of an imminent preemptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. The IDF has begun training for precisely that possibility. The consequences of an Iranian-Israeli war would be devastating. Is a preemptive strike worth the price? Or is stopping what many Israelis perceive as a potential existential threat worth any risk? How does Jewish tradition define a legitimate act of self-defense? And as we approach the point of no return, how should Israelis and Diaspora Jews speak about this increasingly realistic scenario?

This week, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain begin the conversation many North American Jews have preferred to avoid.

Proposed by Hartman senior fellow Micah Goodman, the idea of “shrinking the conflict” is a new strategy for moving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict forward. What does it mean and what does it entail? Is it a step forward or a step backwards? In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain discuss the moral benefits and the moral pitfalls of this new strategy, and whether it is a permanent solution or a temporary one.

Last week, Congress voted overwhelmingly to approve a billion-dollar restock of Israel’s Iron Dome missile system. Is this dependency on American aid healthy for Israel? If not, is there an alternative? Is this the type of relationship Israel and American Jews want with one another? In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore these questions and the costs of such relationships.

As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 during the Days of Awe, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain take stock of how American and Israeli reality has been shaped by the tragedy and the wars that followed. Yom Kippur is a summons to examine our mistakes and begin anew. What were the missteps after 9/11 that all of us, regardless of our politics, need to examine together?

As we head into Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, our minds turn to thoughts of atonement and self-improvement, but usually only with regard to ourselves, our families, and our friends. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss what it might mean for a nation to repent and how it might consider its internal divisions and past behavior.

Disagreement is a cornerstone of the Jewish experience. But across the political spectrum, Jewish discourse around Israel has moved beyond the realm of disagreement into something much more toxic.

In the second half of this two-part episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain share their hopes and fears for the future of Jewish peoplehood as they continue to confront the urgent challenge of a moral, nuanced, and diverse Israel conversation, within and between Israel and North America.

The criminalization of Israel is becoming a mainstay for growing parts of the progressive American Jewish discourse. Many liberal American Jews accuse Israel of apartheid, even ethnic cleansing and genocide, against Palestinians. For Jews on the right, there is an ever-growing sentiment that Israel has lost the democratic liberal camp and with it the next generation of American Jews. In the first of two episodes on this topic, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore why the discourse has become so toxic and confront the urgent challenge of a moral, nuanced, and diverse Israel conversation, within and between Israel and North America.

What are we to make of Israel, a country that one moment finds itself caught in a war with Hamas and then just a week later forms a governing coalition with an Arab Islamist party? And what are we to make of Israel's law against Palestinian family reunification within the state of Israel—is this an act of discrimination, or a necessary self-protection against the Palestinian demand of a "right of return?" In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain discuss what it means to live in a country that contains these contradictions and the ways in which religion can help heal the wounds between Muslims and Jews. 

Almost overlooked in the dramatic political changes of the last two weeks is an historic moment in Israeli history: Naftali Bennett is the first Orthodox prime minister of Israel.

Not everyone in the religious Zionist community is thrilled. Some accuse Bennett of betraying religious Zionism through his preference for political pluralism over an exclusively right-wing coalition. In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore how Bennett's so-called betrayal opens up tantalizing questions about the direction of religious Zionism and for Israeli Jewish society as a whole.

Unexpectedly, after one of the most traumatic periods in recent Israeli history, many Israelis are feeling hopeful. But beyond replacing a longstanding prime minister, what, exactly, can this strange and unwieldy "government of change" really change? In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain discuss whether and how the new coalition can begin healing Israel's political and religious divisions, and they share their hopes for a new era of dialogue within Israel and between Israeli and Diaspora Jews.

Of all the concerns about the Jewish future, many of us took at least one aspect of Jewish life for granted: the safety and well-being of American Jewry. But now antisemitism is back at the center of the American Jewish agenda. The recent conflict in Gaza has been the pretext for physical assaults against Jews in New York and Los Angeles and elsewhere around the country. Synagogues have been vandalized. Some American Jews are afraid to display Jewish symbols publicly.In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain discuss a responsible Jewish approach toward contending with vulnerability and power.

This is not Israel’s first war with Gaza, but this time it feels different. World opinion and American opinion have been more vocal in its criticism of Israel and support for Palestinians, and many Americans, especially on the left, have lost patience with Israel. In today’s special episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain talk about where we go from here, and whether it’s possible for Israel to be a moral voice while it continues to fight asymmetrical wars.

Gaza, going for another round. Riots by Arab Israelis, the burning of synagogues, Jewish and Arab lynch mobs roaming the streets, and the seeming end of hope for a new era of coexistence between Israel's citizens. How did we get here? Where do we go next?

In this special episode of the podcast, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain check in with each other and talk about how one can respond to a moment like this.

The debate around the 2015 Iran nuclear deal was one of the most acrimonious in recent American Jewish history. Since then, much has changed in both America and the Middle East. The Trump administration suspended the deal and reinstituted massive sanctions against Iran; now, the Biden administration seems intent on returning to the deal.

In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain discuss how the Jewish community can reopen the debate with greater civility and mutual respect, and explore what Jewish tradition teaches us about navigating our most intractable disagreements.

What is the connection between Yom Hashoah, Yom Hazikaron, and Yom Ha'atzmaut? Why do we mark these Israeli holidays in this order, and what does it feel like to move between them?

In this very personal episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain discuss their own experiences of Israel’s “high holidays” and the annual national experience of moving, in the space of a few hours, from a day of mourning to a night of celebration.

As the dust settles from Israel's fourth election in two years, the direction of the country's political movements has evolved and changed in ways worthy of reflection and evaluation.

In the first part of this special, two-part election series, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi define and discuss Israel's political center and its right wing as two 'tribes' shaping the national discourse.

The decision by Israel’s Supreme Court recognizing Reform and Conservative conversions performed in Israel has reignited attention around issues of state and religion, especially in the eve of what has become a bi-annual national election. 

In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain analyze this landmark decision - discussed in the Supreme court for over a decade - which recognizes that perpetuating Orthodox authority over issues of personal status violates Israel's legal commitment to human freedom and dignity for all of its citizens, regardless of nationality, religion, ethnic, or sexual identities.

When does a joke stop being funny and become offensive and even dangerous? Many in the Jewish community are asking this question after Saturday Night Live comedian Michael Che chided Israel's claim to 50% vaccination success saying, “I’m going to guess it’s the Jewish half.” In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain discuss whether Jews are being overly sensitive, or whether we need to recognize that with attention will come criticism, and possibly jokes.

Anger is growing among Israelis across the political spectrum over Haredi or ultra-Orthodox behavior in response to Corona, with massive disobedience to government health regulations despite soaring Haredi infection rates. 

But why has Haredi society failed so badly to meet the Corona challenge? What are the conflicting values at the heart of the Haredi dilemma? And what does it mean for the coming elections and, more profoundly, for the future of Israel?

In the latest episode of “For Heaven’s Sake,” Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain unpack one of the most vexing challenges facing Israel. 

The complex relations between Arab Israelis and Jewish Israelis are at a turning point. A convergence of events – Corona, the Abraham Accords and Israeli political gridlock – has created an unprecedented opportunity for opening the Israeli mainstream to 20 percent of Israeli citizens on the periphery.

Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore the possibility of a new social compact between Israeli Jews and Arabs and what that means for Israel's future. 

Israel is on track to become one of the first immunized countries, and its public health system is among the best in the world. It has also entered its third lockdown amidst skyrocketing Covid rates. Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore how the pandemic is bringing out the best and worst of Israel and discuss the cultural shifts required to establish a sustainable social contract. 

For millennia, the threat of antisemitic persecution has made an acute sense of vulnerability one of the defining features of the Jewish experience. More recently, the stability and belonging--the "at homeness"--that the American Jewish community enjoys has largely supplanted this crisis narrative. Today, rising antisemitism in the United States has North American Jews increasingly defining their existence through a lens of crisis. Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain discuss the impetus and ramifications of this perceptual shift on Jewish identity and Zionism in North America. 

Why and how do we, as Jews, remember the Holocaust today? Is "never again" a universal rallying cry against dehumanization, or is it an affirmation of Israel's Jewish sovereignty? In this week's episode, Netanyahu's controversial nomination of Brigadier General Effi Eitam as chairman of Yad Vashem sparks a passionate discussion between Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain about the core lessons of the Holocaust and Judaism's ancient emphasis on remembering evil.

Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain examine the political divisions between American and Israeli Jews and discuss whether and how we can move beyond our respective ideological echo chambers towards productive dialogue. 

How does one begin to heal a deeply divided society, and is it even possible? Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore bridging political polarization as a civic and Jewish value.  

Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain compare and discuss their understandings of pro-Israel political leadership. 

Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore what Israel's recent peace treaties with the UAE and Bahrain could mean for peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. 

Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain examine the Haredi response to rising Covid-19 cases in Israel and what it reveals about the nature of, and dynamics between, community and peoplehood.

Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore the meaning of national atonement and discuss how they would like to see Israel approach collective repentance on this special Yom Kippur episode.

Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain discuss the necessity of yearning for peace and and the courage to imagine the Israel we want to see in the world on this special Rosh Hashanah episode. 

In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain discuss the thousands of gap-year students who are this week travelling to Israel to learn, at a time when many American schools have cancelled all in-person classes.

Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain discuss the normalization of Israel's relationship to the United Arab Emirates and how it informs Bibi's legacy and the ways in which peace can be achieved.

Sources for this episode: https://static.hartman.org.il/dev/uploads/2020/07/Elana-Stein-Hain_For-Heavens-Sake-Ep-1_Summer-2020.pdf