Tel Aviv Review

Behind the political bogeyman of modern Iran lie centuries of Persian poetry and literature. Orly Noy, journalist and political activist, translates Farsi literature into Hebrew, from the novels of Mahmoud Dowlatabadi to the poems of Forough Farrokhzad. Her work brings the soul of Iran to Israel - and her readings bring the music. This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social...

Khaled Elgindy, formerly at the Brookings Institute and currently Senior Fellow and Director of the Program on Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs at the Middle East Institute, writes that America's fundamental ambiguity over the Palestinian national cause has been an underlying and unappreciated factor in the failure of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations over the years, in his new book, Blind Spot – America & the Palestinians, From Balfour to Trump. This season of the Tel Aviv Review...

Scholars and co-authors Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser and Cas Mudde provide a comprehensive look at the elusive phenomenon of populism for the general reader. Their treatment of populism spans left to right, south to north, people to leaders, and explains why democracies are the most vulnerable to populist trends. This episode is made possible by the Israel office of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, which promotes peace, freedom, and justice through political education.

Prof. Karnit Flug, former Governor of the Bank of Israel and currently Vice President for Research at the Israel Democracy Institute, analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the Israeli economy. This episode is made possible by the Israel Democracy Institute, an independent center of research and action dedicated to strengthening the foundations of Israeli democracy.

Yossi Klein Halevy, American-Israeli writer and public intellectual, senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, discusses his best-selling book Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor, an attempt to engage in Israeli-Palestinian dialogue while transcending the temptation to try to converge the conflicting narratives. This episode is made possible by the Z3 Project, an initiative of the Oshman Family JCC, committed to creating an ongoing, dynamic forum for opinions and ideas...

Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger, a Reform rabbi at the West London Synagogue and a member of the House of Lords, as well as a member of several philanthropic organizations, including the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, of which she is chair, discusses her book Antisemitism: What it is. What it isn’t. Why it Matters. This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Dr Tomer Persico, a religions scholar, currently Shalom Hartman Institute Bay Area Scholar in Residence and the Koret Visiting Assistant Professor of Jewish and Israel Studies at UC Berkeley, discusses his forthcoming book, The Image of God: The Idea that Changed the World and Judaism. This episode is made possible by the Z3 Project, an initiative of the Oshman Family JCC, committed to creating an ongoing, dynamic forum for opinions and ideas about Diaspora Jewry and Israel. The Oshman...

Israeli law scholar Dr. Yaniv Roznai analyzes the multiple layers of damage populist leaders wreak on democracy, often attacking the foundation of political life: the constitution. But he also argues that this is not a losing battle, and analyzes legal mechanisms for limiting the injury, and preserving liberal democracy values in the long game. This episode is made possible by the Israel office of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, which promotes peace, freedom, and justice through political...

Rabbi Prof. Irving (Yitz) Greenberg, one of the most prominent Jewish thinkers and community leaders in Postwar America, discusses the place of Israel in his theological worldview, and the shifting characteristics of the Jewish-American experience in the 21st century. This episode is made possible by the Z3 Project, an initiative of the Oshman Family JCC, committed to creating an ongoing, dynamic forum for opinions and ideas about Diaspora Jewry and Israel. The Oshman Family JCC is a...

Two of the most prominent figures in America's efforts to advance a two-state solution, Ambassador Dennis Ross and David Makovsky, take a deep look at four Israeli leaders and their pivotal decisions. Their book, Be Strong and of Good Courage: How Israel's Most Important Leaders Shaped Its Destiny, shows how the strength of these leaders lay in their vision of knowing when to make historic compromise. This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute,...

The prominent New York Times columnist joins the Tel Aviv Review at the Z3 conference to discuss politics in the US and across the pond. This episode is made possible by the Z3 Project, an initiative of the Oshman Family JCC, committed to creating an ongoing, dynamic forum for opinions and ideas about Diaspora Jewry and Israel. The Oshman Family JCC is a premier source in the Silicon Valley of exciting and innovative programming; focused on architecting the Jewish future.

Edna Harel-Fisher, a research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute and a former legal adviser to several government bodies, discusses her position paper on the government's role in financing culture as part of ensuring the freedom of expression - before, during and after Miri Regev. This episode is made possible by the Israel Democracy Institute, an independent center of research and action dedicated to strengthening the foundations of Israeli democracy.

Sara Haetzni-Cohen, the director of My Israel, a grassroots organization dedicated to promote Zionism online and a columnist in the weekly Makor Rishon newspaper, explains the role of the hard right in challenging Likud centrists and center-left moderates alike. This episode is made possible by the Z3 Project, an initiative of the Oshman Family JCC, committed to creating an ongoing, dynamic forum for opinions and ideas about Diaspora Jewry and Israel. The Oshman Family JCC is a premier...

Israeli television's veteran foreign affairs reporter Nadav Eyal has hung out with miners in Pennsylvania, Molotov-cocktail wielding anarchists in Greece, neo-Nazis in Germany, Marine LePen and other good company. In his book The Revolt Against Globalization, he argues that globalization provides the unifying context for some of the most powerful, and worrying, political movements of our age. This episode is made possible by the Israel office of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, which promotes...

Rabbi Sigalit Ur, a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, discusses her study encompassing hundreds of dialogues between Jews and Gentiles in Rabbinic literature. This episode is made possible by the Z3 Project, an initiative of the Oshman Family JCC, committed to creating an ongoing, dynamic forum for opinions and ideas about Diaspora Jewry and Israel. The Oshman Family JCC is a premier source in the Silicon Valley of exciting and innovative programming; focused on architecting...

Avishai Margalit, Prof. Emeritus of Philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Institute of Advanced Studies in Princeton, as well as a senior research fellow at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, discusses his 2017 book On Betrayal, a philosophical exploration of the similarities and differences between adultery, treason and apostasy as well as other forms of breach of trust. This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which...

Dr Ben Kasstan, medical anthropologist at the University of Sussex and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, discusses his new book Making Bodies Kosher: The Politics of Reproduction Among Haredi Jews in England with Gilad Halpern and guest co-host Dina Kraft.

Shmuel Rosner, journalist, editor and senior research fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute discusses his new book (co-authored with Prof. Camil Fuchs), Israeli Judaism, an attempt at a snapshot of current Israeli attitudes towards Judaism as a religion, as peoplehood and as tradition. This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Liza Rozovsky, culture reporter for Haaretz newspaper, writes about contemporary Russian culture under ongoing forms of political oppression, alongside artistic expressions of the experiences former Soviet immigrants to Israel. Her subjects touch on alienation, marginalization, subversion and defiance in literature, drama, art and politics. This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in...

How did Ben Gurion and first post-war German chancellor Konrad Adenauer become sincere political allies just a few years after the end of the war? David Witzthum, historian and longtime journalist, explores how Germany and Israel built a critical and controversial political alliance, in his book, The Beginning of a Wondrous Friendship? The story of Israeli-German reconciliation 1948-1960. Z3 Conference Tickets to The Promised Podcast Live Show (use promo code TLV1xZ3) This episode of the...