As the war in Gaza drags on, Netanyahu has dramatically lost popular support yet until now he has managed to retain his government coalition. But with the Ultra-Orthodox, the IDF, world Jewry, and foreign leaders all pulling in different directions, the Prime Minister may be facing defeat in the imminent emergency election.

This week, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss the widening cracks in Israel’s unity and the moral abyss opening below, as Netanyahu races against many clocks to retain his seat of power.

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Israel is at War. This past Shabbat, Saturday morning, October 7, Israel faced an unprecedented, ruthless, and devastating attack by Hamas. Hundreds of Israelis have been killed, thousands injured, and many are in captivity. Israelis are fighting for their country, and Jews around the world are supporting these efforts from afar with prayers, messages, and resources. In an effort to keep our listeners connected and updated during this painful and difficult time, For Heaven's Sake will be releasing episodes every few days to address what's happening in Israel and unpack the complex and distressing events of this war. This is For Heaven's Sake: Israel at War.

Recorded on October 9, in this first episode of this series on our For Heaven's Sake feed, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss their emotional response of sadness and outrage to the attack and to Israel's nascent war. They reflect on the burning question of how did this attack and the IDF's delayed response even happen given Israelis' confidence in their army.

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Historically the Arab world, and Saudi Arabia in particular, has acted as a force in encouraging Palestinian rejection of Israel. With recent and unprecedented shifts in the geopolitical landscape, could a formal alliance with Saudi Arabia be a reality for Israel? Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore the security implications of a deal with Saudi Arabia, how the Israeli public might respond, and whether Prime Minister Netanyahu, for whom peace with Arab neighbors was always a strategic goal, will consider forming a new coalition.

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The High Holidays are a time for reviewing our successes and failures, individually and collectively, but also a time for looking forward to future possibilities. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi reflect on what they describe as one of the most traumatic years in Israeli history, the "pathologies" of Jewish theology and psyche that brought us here, and what it might take for 5784 to be a turning point in restoring a sense of cohesiveness and shared purpose to Israeli society.

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For many Israelis, the IDF has long been considered the people's army, a beloved and trusted institution that represents the nation's Zionist ethos and serves as an expression of Jewish solidarity. Now, in the midst of one of Israel's most violent period's since the second Intifada, and with significant opposition by thousands of voluntary reservists to the government's judicial overhaul plans, that trust threatens to dissolve and leaves in its wake a security threat. Complicating matters further is a pending bill that would grant Haredi Jews an exemption from military service. Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore what this moment means for Israel's solidarity, its ability to defend itself, and where to begin to repair this fracturing.

Following major protests for the past 29 consecutive weeks and despite opposition from President Herzog, Defense Minister Gallant, the international community, and President Biden, this week the Knesset passed a bill ending the Supreme Court's ability to nullify government officials' decisions on the basis of their reasonability just three days before Tisha B'Av. In this episode Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore the significance of this moment, the importance and challenge of resisting zealotry, and the long-term vision for Israeli democracy.

For the 28th week in a row, protests against the proposed judicial overhaul continue in Israel. Saturday night's rallies drew tens of thousands of supporters, including our hosts, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain, who participated in Jerusalem. In this episode, they discuss the reasonableness standard, a judicial doctrine that, if amended, will have far-reaching implications for the future of Israeli democracy. Should any attempts at reform by the current government be treated as illegitimate? And how should protesters know when to put their foot down over the government's actions?

Settlers in the West Bank now play a major role in both domestic and international Israeli affairs, and they are a powerful force in Israeli politics. In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain talk about the various reasons that people live in the West Bank, explore in depth the commitments and values of those who live over the green line for ideological reasons, consider why some settlers have recently become more violent, and discuss how the various motivations for living there have shifted over time.

After nearly six months of weekly demonstrations in Israel, the inevitable protest fatigue is starting to set in. Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore how to capitalize on the energy and commitment of the pro-democracy movement and ask: Has liberal Israel finally awakened, and is it ready for the long, hard work of transforming Israeli society?

Over the past few decades, Israel's Haredi community has transitioned from the political periphery to a position of power and influence. Now at the center of Israeli public debate, longstanding resentments around the community's promotion of its own interests as well as its self-proclaimed role as "guardian of Jewishness" are resurfacing. Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain ask: are there any compromises that will contain Haredi power or will the rise of the Haredim necessarily come at the expense of mainstream Israel? Will the Haredi community's surging population mean the inevitable end of liberal Israel?

The Nakba (catastrophe) and Israel's legitimacy are often seem as a zero-sum game: you can acknowledge one or the other, but not both. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's recent speech at the United Nations during the first ever formal commemoration of this day (May 15th) did little to assuage this polarization. But many who live in Israel encounter fellow Israeli citizens for whom the Nakba is a central part of their identity. Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore these tensions and complexities as Zionists. They ask: can we acknowledge Palestinian suffering, especially in relationship to Palestinians who are citizens of Israel? Can we hear their stories without endorsing their political conclusions, and is there room for a cautious Zionist exploration of the Palestinian narrative of Nakba?

A shadow lingers over Passover this year: 59 hostages still languish in Hamas captivity, Netanyahu continues his efforts to mold Israel into an authoritarian state, and Gazans once again live with the dangers of war. How can we celebrate freedom when so many in and around Israel are figuratively—and literally—not free?

This week, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi reflect on the Pesach seder as they explore how our oldest holiday can liberate us from despair and inspire us in this precarious moment.

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The religious Zionist demographic makes up about 10% of the Israeli population, yet it has emerged as one of the most influential segments of society, both within the government and in the country at large. This demographic is undergoing significant change, from being primarily focused on issues of security, territory and settlement, to being at the forefront of the government's judicial revolution. Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain dive into the complexities of the religious Zionist community's evolution and its relationship to Netanyahu's governing coalition.

Elana Stein Hain new book, Circumventing the Law, is available for pre-order: https://www.pennpress.org/9781512824407/circumventing-the-law/

Netta Barak-Corren's English paper on the Judicial Reform:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_r-5u_lT6TIc27SjireMrlNux1roM72C/view

A large segment of Israeli society is approaching the country's 75th anniversary with a sense of anxiety. Will a democratic Israel withstand judicial reform and be changed forever? Will defending the vision of Israel as both a Jewish and a democratic state help unify a largely divided Jewish population in Israel? In this Yom Ha'atzmaut episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi, reflect on the resilience that the ruling coalition's recent attacks on Israeli democracy have exposed and evoked across many groups within Israeli society, as well as their own evolution and commitments to Jewish and pluralistic values.

Is funding from Jews in the Diaspora problematic? If so, when and in what context? Should there be limits on financial support and what they should be? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi talk through the role of money and the culture of support in Israel-Diaspora relations.

This week, the largest protests in Israeli history forced Netanyahu's governing coalition to put a pause on its judicial reform. Can the government that brought the country to the brink of civil war be trusted to advance a needed judicial reform process? What needs to happen to build a civil society and create a coalition that could lead Israel through the next phase? Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain discuss the internal mechanics that are motivating Netanyahu's coalition government, the key aspects of this reform that make it so problematic, and the constraints of politics on the human conscience.

Last week, President Herzog publicly called for the Netanyahu-led government to rescind its current judicial overhaul plan and resume talks with the opposition. Unheeded, the government's legislative blitz continued as protests against the government gather momentum. Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore the complexity of the coalition government, the line between civil disobedience and conscientious objection, and how much longer Israel can continue to defy the odds as a fractured society.

Avi Sagi Article (in Hebrew) https://heb.hartman.org.il/resisting-commands-civil-disobedience/

This week a gunman shot and killed two Israeli brothers driving through the West Bank town of Huwara, which was later rampaged by Jewish settlers who burned cars and buildings overnight and into the day. Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain talk through the grief, shame and devastation that marks this week's events as well as this broader breakdown of justice in Israeli society.

Should Israelis be inviting Diaspora Jews to intervene in Israel’s internal debates? In a recent open letter, Yossi Klein Halevi, Matti Friedman, and Daniel Gordis argue that they must. In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain talk though the letter and explore the tensions between Jewish Peoplehood and national identity, and the responsibility of all Jews to protest policies in the Jewish state that may be antithetical to Jewish values.

The recent spike in violence including the terrorist attack last Friday in Neve Yaakov, which was the worst terrorist attack in over a decade, left seven dead at a neighborhood synagogue. This happened against the political backdrop of Netanyahu's government openly opposing a two-state solution, with parts of the coalition pushing for massive settlement expansion and eventual annexation. Meanwhile the Palestinian Authority has suspended security cooperation with Israel, which has been crucial in preventing terror attacks against Israel from Hamas – as well as protecting the Palestinian Authority itself from Hamas. How do we speak realistically about our aspirations for a path forward for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore why mainstream Israeli society has become disinterested in discussing the conflict and the importance of maintaining hope.

For those who oppose Netanyahu's far-reaching plans to weaken the independence of the judiciary, this is an essential moment that has the potential to fracture the Israeli public beyond repair. But what will that fracturing look like, and will it turn into something more violent than we've seen in the past? In this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain discuss what motivated hundreds of thousands to protest in Tel Aviv (including our co-hosts), the growing schism in Israeli society, and what a civil war would mean for Israel.

North American Jews have maintained a balancing act between their commitment to Israel and their commitment to liberal values. Members of the new Israeli government have been making provocative, anti-democratic statements as well as taking positions that aren’t just complicated – they’re simply wrong. Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain explore keeping one's love of Israel at the forefront, whether Jewish Israeli or part of the Jewish Diaspora, while responding to the new government's problematic policies.

The Shin Bet, IDF, and Israel’s judiciary should serve the nation regardless of the government’s political leanings. But Prime Minister Netanyahu seems determined to bend these institutions to serve his will and that of his right-wing coalition. Despite his visibly corrupt behavior, he may already be succeeding at instilling autocracy into Israel’s highest public institutions.

This week, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi unpack the unbelievable recent absurdities and tragedies—from Netanyahu’s whiplash dismissal of his new Shin Bet chief and his response to Qatargate, to IDF arrests in the West Bank village of Jinba—and the choice Israelis face in allowing the current leadership to remain in power.

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How can Israelis respond constructively to the threat to democracy posed by Netanyahu's new government including ultra-orthodox and ultra-nationalist coalition partners? Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain ask how Liberal Zionists can reorient themselves, their political alliances, and their conversations to protect Israel as a Jewish and Democratic state.

We hope that Hartman has become an intellectual and spiritual home for you to make sense of the present moment. Help us put Jewish ideas into action. Every dollar you contribute will be matched 100%, up to $100,000 this December. 

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The Law of Return stipulates that any Jew can return to the Jewish homeland and claim immediate Israeli citizenship. Who qualifies as a Jew, under that law, has been a source of contention throughout the history of the state. Netanyahu's newly-formed coalition government may seek to change major aspects of the law, bringing the debate back into the public conversation. On this episode, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain maneuver through thought-provoking questions about belonging to the Jewish people. Is Israel the state of the Jewish people or is it the state of Judaism? Who should be defined as Jews? Is Jewishness an ethnicity, a set of religious observances, or both?

In the fallout of Israel's election, Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain navigate the strangeness of this moment for many in the liberal Jewish camp who are experiencing it as a moment of mourning. In this episode they ask: How do Jews who oppose the values of the coming governing Israeli coalition make themselves heard right now? Can Israel learn from Americans' experience under Trump? Is it possible to build bridges with extremists, and is it possible to separate peoples' ideologies from the candidates they support?

This is a recording of a live event held on November 1, 2022. In the minutes before the election results come in, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss the campaign and then reflect on the right's electoral victory and what it portends for the State of Israel, the future of Zionism, and the Jewish people.

Only two years ago, Netanyahu declared that Itamar Ben Gvir, the most popular leader on the far-right with deep roots in the racist Kahanist movement, wasn’t fit to be a minister. Now, Netanyahu affirms that he would be a part of any future government. Will a coalition with Ben Gvir unravel the social fabric of Israel? Is the threat he represents exaggerated? How should Israeli liberals and moderates respond? Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss Israel's upcoming fateful and potentially dangerous election.

Register here for Donniel and Yossi's Election Day livestream on Tuesday, Nov 1, 10:30pm Israel / 3:30pm Eastern.

Israeli voters have been stalwart in their political party loyalties and no amount of campaigning seems able to sway them. When voters define themselves by their party, what values are they actually expressing? Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain ask what are the meaningful divisions that we can discern within the parties themselves and is the political divide an expression of ideological, tribal, or cultural divides?

What can public and private observances of Rosh Hashana teach us about the relationship between Jewishness and Israeliness today? Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain explore how the High Holidays are experienced in Israel, what this tells us about the state of Judaism and Jewish identity in the country, and how Israeli observance is different from that of American Jews.

With Israeli elections less than two months away, polls are showing that the Religious Zionist party, a coalition of religious ultra-nationalists and followers of the late, racist Rabbi Meir Kahane, could win as many as 13 seats, making it an indomitable political force. After a summer hiatus, For Heaven's Sake is back with Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain to ask about the causes of this unprecedented rise in religious fanaticism in Israel?

The ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av (Tisha B'Av) commemorates the destruction of the two Temples and the exile from the land of Israel. It is a day of national reckoning with our collective sins and failures asking us to mourn as a means of preventing future tragedy. How realistic is that expectation? And if Tisha B’Av isn’t working, how do we encourage a culture of collective introspection in our increasingly polarized society? Join Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi as they explore whether national sovereignty is a condition for collective penitence and spiritual renewal.

When Haredi men recently attacked American Jews celebrating a Bar Mitzvah at the egalitarian section of the Western Wall, there was little outrage in Israel. When Jews are attacked anywhere in the world, we respond. Why does Israeli society tolerate this kind of antisemitism? Listen to Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain's live recording from Jerusalem as they discuss the roots of Haredi aggression against fellow Jews and the seeming indifference of the Israeli mainstream.

With the return to war in Gaza, a wave of fresh recruits would relieve the intense pressure on Israel’s fatigued fighting force and struggling economy. But those potential new recruits—Ultra-Orthodox young men—are refusing or ignoring their conscription orders, often at the behest of their rabbis and leaders.

This week, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi untangle the enigma of Haredi draft refusal. Why has this community—whose livelihoods rely so heavily on Israel’s taxpayer funds—acculturated such disdain against national service amidst a war of survival, and what can the country do about it?

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This week, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett dissolved the one-year-old government that he formed (in his words) “l’shem shamayim,” for the sake of heaven, to affirm the unity of the people of Israel. Bennett’s opponents on the right have insisted that they, too, were acting for the sake of Heaven by affirming their deeply held truths. Join Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain in an episode recorded live from Jerusalem as they discuss the balance between truth and love of the Jewish people and ask: when is one required to affirm his or her truth and when is compromise necessary?

Israel may have the most diverse government – not only in its history but anywhere in the democratic world. For its supporters, this government is a model of pluralism and dedication to the common good but that is not the feeling among a majority of the public. Why is there such a vast gap between those who see this coalition as a government of national salvation and those who see it as a government of national catastrophe? Join Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi and Elana Stein Hain as they discuss why this government is failing to win the hearts of Israelis.

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.

In the early hours of Tuesday, March 18, the IDF resumed airstrikes on Gaza, breaking the two-month ceasefire with Hamas.

Israel’s decision to return to war can be debated, but what is harder to understand is why Netanyahu, after promising to fire the chief of the Shin Bet—Israel’s counter-terrorism agency—and with a new Haredi draft exemption in the works, has chosen this moment to thrust Israel back into the fray.

This week, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss Hamas’s resurgence, the impasse in ceasefire negotiations, and the fate of the hostages as the Prime Minister continues to erode Israel’s democratic institutions and divide the Israeli people.

This episode is sponsored by Wayne Robbins in honor of his grandson, Charlie Jacob Robbins’ first birthday.

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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.