The Z3 Podcast

Join Z3 Podcast host Rabbi Amitai Fraiman and Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody, Executive Director of Ematai (https://www.ematai.org), for a thought-provoking conversation about the complex intersection of Jewish wisdom and the ethics of war – from the moral considerations of going to war to the ethical dilemmas in combat tactics. Tune in as they discuss the role of religion in shaping moral frameworks, the necessity of warfare, and the broader geopolitical context shaping military decisions. Follow Z3 here: Instagram - instagram.com/z3project/ TikTok - tiktok.com/@z3project LinkedIn- linkedin.com/company/z3-project Facebook - facebook.com/Z3Project/ Twitter - twitter.com/Z3_Project Website - z3project.org/

In this episode of the Z3 podcast, host Rabbi Amitai Fraiman engages in a timely conversation with Yossi Klein Halevi, an award-winning journalist, author, and senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute. Yossi shares his personal journey toward understanding what it meant to be a Jew in America as he grew up in the generation after the Holocaust, and he reflects on how the landscape of American Jewish identity is once again changing in the post-October 7th social and political world. This episode provides insight into the growing identity divide between anti-Zionist Jews and pro-Israel Jews, as well as how Israel needs to find the balance between being a historical underdog with the new reality of it having significant power. Together, Amitai and Yossi outline some of the challenges facing global Jewish communities by offering frameworks for making sense of our changing world order. Dive into the episode for all this and more. Follow Z3 here: Instagram - instagram.com/z3project/ TikTok - tiktok.com/@z3project LinkedIn- linkedin.com/company/z3-project Facebook - facebook.com/Z3Project/ Twitter - twitter.com/Z3_Project Website - z3project.org/

Z3 Podcast host Rabbi Amitai Fraiman is joined by Avi Melamed (author, educator and Middle East strategic intelligence analyst) as they deep dive into the intricate layers of politics, ideologies, and regional power dynamics that define this enduring struggle. From unraveling the complexities of Hamas governance to dissecting the influence of major players like Iran and Saudi Arabia, this conversation sheds light on the multifaceted landscape of the Middle East. Discover the pivotal role of education in navigating this volatile and nuanced terrain, as Avi offers insights for a path forward in a region rife with tension and uncertainty, especially in the aftermath of October 7th. Follow Z3 here: Instagram - instagram.com/z3project/ TikTok - tiktok.com/@z3project LinkedIn- linkedin.com/company/z3-project Facebook - facebook.com/Z3Project/ Twitter - twitter.com/Z3_Project Website - z3project.org/

Join Z3 Podcast host Rabbi Amitai Fraiman as he is joined by comedian Daniel-Ryan Spaulding as they delve into the complexities of advocating for empathy in progressive discourse, particularly concerning the Israel-Palestine conflict. Last autumn, Daniel-Ryan went viral online when he began making videos about the October 7th attack in Israel. What followed was a journey exploring the challenges and motivations behind speaking out against perceived hypocrisy as he created comedic content aiming to address misconceptions with humor and information. Delve into the nuanced dialogue surrounding sensitive topics like Israel and anti-Semitism, as Amitai and Daniel-Ryan emphasize the importance of empathy alongside information dissemination. From navigating extremism and radicalization to promoting empathy and love, this conversation offers valuable insights into fostering understanding and dialogue in today's polarized world. Follow Z3 here: Instagram - instagram.com/z3project/ TikTok - tiktok.com/@z3project LinkedIn- linkedin.com/company/z3-project Facebook - facebook.com/Z3Project/ Twitter - twitter.com/Z3_Project Website - z3project.org/

Join Rabbi Amitai Fraiman, our podcast host and head of Z3, as he delves into a fascinating discussion with Luc Bernard, video game developer turned consultant on Holocaust education. Luc is the director of The Light in the Darkness, the first videogame about the Holocaust on PS5, PS4 and on the Epic Games Store, and also created a virtual Holocaust museum within the popular online game Fortnite. Together, they explore the potential of gaming platforms in fostering empathy and relationship-building, particularly within the context of Holocaust education, by putting players in the shoes of characters. They discuss importance of bringing education to young people where they are and how leveraging digital platforms can aid that goal. Their conversation also touches on the limitations of traditional museum exhibits and the potential of digital platforms to make stories more accessible. All this and more in this episode. Follow Z3 here: Instagram - instagram.com/z3project/ TikTok - tiktok.com/@z3project LinkedIn- linkedin.com/company/z3-project Facebook - facebook.com/Z3Project/ Twitter - twitter.com/Z3_Project Website - z3project.org/

Delve into a captivating conversation between Amitai Fraiman, head of Z3 and our podcast host and guest David Hazony explore the dynamic landscape of Jewish identity and culture in Israel and the diaspora. Focusing on Hazony’s recently published book in collaboration with Adam Bellow “Jewish Priorities”, they discuss how fresh perspectives and innovative approaches are shaping the future of American Jewish identity, and about the transformative potential of secular Jewish mass movements in reclaiming tradition From the importance of investing in intellectual engagement to the value of collaborative partnerships, Hazony offers compelling insights into revitalizing Jewish life across the diaspora. Gain valuable insights into navigating the challenges and opportunities facing the global Jewish community, and discover how partnerships can drive positive change. Don't miss this enlightening discussion on shaping the future of Jewish culture and resilience. Follow Z3 here: Instagram - instagram.com/z3project/ TikTok - tiktok.com/@z3project LinkedIn- linkedin.com/company/z3-project Facebook - facebook.com/Z3Project/ Twitter - twitter.com/Z3_Project Website - z3project.org/

In this episode of the Z3 Podcast, Rabbi Amitai Fraiman, our host and head of Z3, is joined by Former Member of Knesset Michal Cotler-Wunsh, who is currently an Israeli special envoy to combat antisemitism. Join them as they delve into the urgent topic of combating antisemitism in today's world. From reclaiming identity to fostering unity and agency, Michal provides powerful insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by Jewish communities globally. Discover how hope, courage, and collective action are driving the fight against antisemitism in all spheres, and learn how individuals and communities can come together to make a meaningful difference. About our guest: Michal Cotler-Wunsh is a prominent public speaker, researcher, and independent policy and strategy advisor on intersecting issues of antisemitism, law, human rights, and Zionism. Michal’s focus on process, transparency, and accountability, continues to inform and guide her in the role of Israel’s Special Envoy for Combatting Antisemitism, engaging local and global partners around the shared responsibility to comprehensively identify and address the rise and mainstreaming of ever-mutating antisemitic hate. Michal was a Member of Israel’s 23rd Knesset and served as the first Knesset Liaison to the Issue of the International Criminal Court (ICC), was co-chair of the Canada-Israel Interparliamentary Friendship Group, was a member of several interparliamentary working groups, and Chair of the Caucus for Ethiopians in Israel. She received her LL.B. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and her LL.M. from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Follow Z3 here: Instagram - instagram.com/z3project/ TikTok - tiktok.com/@z3project LinkedIn- linkedin.com/company/z3-project Facebook - facebook.com/Z3Project/ Twitter - twitter.com/Z3_Project Website - z3project.org/

In this episode of the Z3 Podcast, Rabbi Amitai Fraiman, our host and head of Z3, is joined by Yossi Ben Harush, a Jewish academic and educator. Together, their discussion delves into the evolving landscape of the Religious Zionist movement in Israel. They uncover the delicate balance between religious observance and secular activities, and the debate between ideology and sociology in guiding individual lives. Hear more about how recent events have prompted a reevaluation of ideological narratives within religious Zionist communities, leading to anticipation of significant societal shifts. All this and more in this episode. About our guest: Yossi Ben Harush is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Jewish Thought at Ben Gurion University and writes about Hasidism in the Land of Israel at the beginning of the 20th century. A faculty member in the Shalom Hartman Gap Year Program, Havrutah, Yossi recently returned to Israel from New York with his family, where he taught at SAR High School. Yossi lives in Jerusalem with his wife and three children. Follow Z3 here: Instagram - instagram.com/z3project/ TikTok - tiktok.com/@z3project LinkedIn- linkedin.com/company/z3-project Facebook - facebook.com/Z3Project/ Twitter - twitter.com/Z3_Project Website - z3project.org/

In this episode of the Z3 Podcast, Rabbi Amitai Fraiman, our host and head of Z3, is joined by Roger Studley, the founder of Berkeley Moshav, a growing Jewish cohousing community in Berkeley, California. Together they explore what are the essential ingredients of a thriving Jewish community and how to break down barriers to accessing Jewish life. Roger talks about what it’s like to be building a new kind of Jewish village in urban America through the cohousing model, and about how members are partners in co-creating the Jewish life they want for themselves through shared responsibilities and community gatherings. They discuss how incorporating Jewish expression in your daily life is made much easier when it’s already an integral part of your home and community, and share how Jewish tradition and cohousing share similar approaches to creating that shared community. All this and more in this episode. Meet Roger Studley: Roger is is the original convener of the Berkeley Moshav project. He is a certified cohousing consultant, trained by the 500 Communities program, and serves on the National Advisory Council for the Cohousing Association of the U.S. Roger also serves as a community advisor for Hakhel, the international incubator of Jewish intentional communities, and has contributed to all six of its Jewish Intentional Community Conferences. He is married to Rabbi Chai Levy of Congregation Netivot Shalom in Berkeley, CA. Follow Z3 here: Instagram - instagram.com/z3project/ TikTok - tiktok.com/@z3project LinkedIn- linkedin.com/company/z3-project Facebook - facebook.com/Z3Project/ Twitter - twitter.com/Z3_Project Website - z3project.org/

In the latest Z3 podcast episode Rabbi Amitai Fraiman, our host and head of Z3, is joined by Dr. Mijal Bitton, who serves as the Rosh Kehilla (communal leader) of the Downtown Minyan community in Lower Manhattan. Examining the effects of the Oct. 7 massacre on the Jewish communities in Israel and America, they dig into what the role of grief plays in the Jewish response to tragedy and how it can connect us and also empower us to action. They also discuss the ways in which different types of support are needed for different areas of communities: how do we support Israelis who were directly impacted and still suffer accutely? How do we support young people on campuses who are now facing rising levels of antisemitism? All this and more in this episode. More about Dr. Mijal Bitton: Mijal is a Visiting Researcher at NYU Wagner and the Director of the first national study of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews in the United States. She earned her doctorate from New York University, is an alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship, and was featured in the New York Jewish Week’s “36 under 36” in 2018 as a “public intellectual” with ‘public values.” Mijal is a fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, a Sacks Scholar, a Maimonides Fund fellow, and a New Pluralist Field Builder. Follow Z3 here: Instagram - instagram.com/z3project/ TikTok - tiktok.com/@z3project LinkedIn- linkedin.com/company/z3-project Facebook - facebook.com/Z3Project/ Twitter - twitter.com/Z3_Project Website - z3project.org/

In the latest Z3 podcast episode Rabbi Amitai Fraiman, our host and head of Z3, is joined by Professor Yuli Tamir, the President of Beit-Berl Teachers' Training College and an adjunct professor at the Blavatnik School of Government Oxford. Israel was already in a state of commotion when the October 7th massacre occurred. There had been 39 weeks of demonstrations about the democratic reform occurring in Israel, and Amitai and Yuli discuss the public’s reaction to the crisis and how the demonstrations changed. How did Arabs in Israel respond to the massacre, and what tensions do they now feel during the war in Gaza where they feel pulled in different directions? And how can Jews and Arabs both pursue the right to self-determination? All this and more in this episode. More about Prof. Yuli Tamir: In the past, she was a deputy speaker of the Israeli Parliament (the Knesset) and served as Israel's Minister of Immigration and Minister of Education representing the Labor party. In this capacity she led a comprehensive school reform, rising teachers' salaries and introducing innovative patterns of teaching. Tamir is also the author of three books, as well as of numerous articles in the fields of moral and political philosophy, philosophy of education, feminism and human rights. She is the editor of Democratic Education in a Multicultural State (Blackwell) and, Moral and Political Education together with Professor Stephan Macedo (New York University Press). As well, she served as the president of Shenkar College of Art, Design and Engineering (2000-2010). Follow Z3 here: Instagram - instagram.com/z3project/TikTok - tiktok.com/@z3project LinkedIn- linkedin.com/company/z3-project Facebook - facebook.com/Z3Project Twitter - twitter.com/Z3_ProjectWebsite - z3project.org

In this Z3 podcast episode, Rabbi Shai Held meets with our host and the head of Z3 Rabbi Amitai Fraiman to discuss the emotional and spiritual impact of the war in Gaza on the Jewish community. Rabbi Held is a philosopher, theologian, and Bible scholar who has been named multiple times by Newsweek as one of the fifty most influential rabbis in America, and by the Jewish Daily Forward as one of the fifty most prominent Jews in the world. Together, they explore finding hope and inspiration through a religious lens, while also examining the ways that Jewish tradition struggles in navigating the ethics of power and war. Rabbi Held is president and Dean of the Hadar Institute, which he co-founded in 2006, and his contributions to Jewish education were recognized with the prestigious Covenant Award for Excellence. Rabbi Held is the author of Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Call of Transcendence (2013) and The Heart of Torah (2017). His next book, Judaism is About Love, will be published by Farrar, Straus, & Giroux in 2024. Follow Z3 here: Instagram - instagram.com/z3project/TikTok - tiktok.com/@z3project LinkedIn- linkedin.com/company/z3-project Facebook - facebook.com/Z3Project Twitter - twitter.com/Z3_ProjectWebsite - z3project.org

In this Z3 Podcast episode, Rabbi Amitai Fraiman, our host and head of Z3, talks with Rabbi Dr Shmuly Yanklowitz about the state of American Jewry in light of the October 7th massacre and the ensuing war. They talk about difficult moments and the most pressing issues facing humanity both locally and globally in the wake of the war, as well as touching on themes of universal humanity, how to find allyship, feelings of abandonment by the non-Jewish world, as well as how to find a sense of security and rootedness in Jewish identity. Rabbi Yanklowitz received a Masters from Harvard University, a Masters from Yeshiva University, and his Doctorate from Columbia University. He was ordained as a rabbi by Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, along with 2 private ordinations in Israel. He serves as the President & Dean of Valley Beit Midrash (a global Jewish learning and action center). He has twice been named one of America’s Top Rabbis by Newsweek and has been named by The Forward as one of the 50 most influential Jews and one of The Most Inspiring Rabbis in America. Rabbi Yanklowitz is the author of 23 books on Jewish ethics and his writings have appeared in outlets as diverse as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Guardian, and the Atlantic among many other secular and religious publications. He has served as speaker at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and a Rothschild Fellow in Cambridge, UK. Connect with Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz here: Facebook - facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz Instagram - @rabbishmuly Twitter - @RavShmuly Follow Z3 here: Instagram - instagram.com/z3project/ TikTok - tiktok.com/@z3project LinkedIn- linkedin.com/company/z3-project Facebook - facebook.com/Z3Project/ Twitter - twitter.com/Z3_Project Website - z3project.org/

In the latest Z3 podcast episode Rabbi Amitai Fraiman, our host and head of Z3, is joined by Janine Zacharia, a journalist and professor at Stanford University to discuss what has changed in how the media and students view Israel and Palestine in this current period of war. Janine Zacharia has reported on Israel, the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy for close to two decades including stints as Jerusalem Bureau Chief for the Washington Post, chief diplomatic correspondent for Bloomberg News, Washington bureau chief for the Jerusalem Post, and Jerusalem correspondent for Reuters. She appears regularly on cable news shows and radio programs as a Middle East analyst and is currently a visiting lecturer in the Department of Communication at Stanford University.

In the latest Z3 Podcast episode Amitai Fraiman, our host and head of Z3, is joined by Yochai Shavit. In this episode Yochai and Amitai discuss their time together in the IDF and the complexities of being an Israeli living in America during these difficult times. Yochai draws from his experiences as a psychologist to explain the vital role that Jewish community engagement plays in our mental health. He and Amitai talk about how essential both mindfulness and community are to navigating the trauma we’re all continuing to experience.

In the latest Z3 Podcast episode Amitai Fraiman, our host and head of Z3, is joined by Masau Sagiv, visiting Assistant Professor Of Jewish and Israel Studies at UC Berkeley and a scholar in residence at the Shalom Hartman Institute. In this episode, Masua gives a nuanced description of the roots of the current crisis in Israel and offers insight into finding a path forward.

In the latest Z3 Podcast episode, our host and head of Z3 Amitai Fraiman is joined by Rabbi Jessica Kirschner, Executive Director of Hillel at Stanford. In this episode, Jessica discusses the intersection of American individualism and Jewish communal living. She offers a unique take on what Jews in Israel may be lacking by exploring the wisdom of the Diaspora and the benefits of living within a pluralistic society. This discussion opens up new ways of thinking about American Jewry and contests the idea that living in Israel is the ideal way to live an authentic Jewish life.

Welcome to the third episode of the Z3 Podcast, the home for Diaspora and Israeli Jewish communal dialogue! In the latest Z3 Podcast episode, our host and head of Z3 Amitai Fraiman is joined by Visiting Fellow in Israel Studies at Stanford and Head of the MA Program in Diplomacy & Conflict Studies at the Lauder School of Government at Reichman University, Amichai Magen. In this episode, Amichai explains the lesser-understood aspects of Israeli democracy, especially what makes it surprisingly resilient as well as its unique vulnerabilities that many may not be aware of. The conversation is a fascinating exploration of the state of Israeli democracy... and the chances of democracy itself surviving in the world at large. Connect with Amichai here: https://www.facebook.com/amichai.magen https://www.linkedin.com/in/amichai-magen-b393777/ Follow Z3 here: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/z3project/ TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@z3project Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Z3Project/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/Z3_Project Website - https://z3project.org/

Welcome to the second episode of the Z3 Podcast, the home for Diaspora and Israeli Jewish communal dialogue! The podcast is an outgrowth of the Z3 Project and Z3 Conference, where thinkers and creators come to engage every year on the most important topics facing our people. In this episode, our host and head of Z3 Amitai Fraiman is joined by Associate Editor of 70 Faces Media, Leo Lazar. Together, they delve into the state of Jewish Media today from the local to the national level. Learn more about our team, our approach, and our philosophy in this episode. And stay tuned for more! Follow us here: https://youtube.com/@Z3Project https://www.instagram.com/z3project/ https://www.instagram.com/z3project/ https://www.tiktok.com/@z3project

Welcome to the first episode of the Z3 Podcast, the home for Diaspora and Israeli Jewish communal dialogue! The podcast is an outgrowth of the Z3 Project and Z3 Conference, where thinkers and creators come to engage every year on the most important topics facing our people. In this episode, our host and head of Z3 Amitai Fraiman is joined by the CEO of the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto and founder of Z3, Zack Bodner. Together, they delve into the very idea of what Z3 is to set the foundation for the future of the podcast. Learn more about our team, our approach, and our philosophy in this episode. And stay tuned for more!