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Tikvah Podcast at Mosaic

A weekly podcast, produced in partnership with the Tikvah Fund, offering up the best thinking on Jewish thought and culture.

Podcast: Daniel Rynhold on Thinking Repentance Through

A Jewish philosopher stops by to talk about how Jews—and one major non-Jew—have thought about repentance.

Sept. 22 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Jon Levenson on Understanding the Binding of Isaac as the Bible Understands It

The temptation is overwhelming to excuse or soften the drama of Genesis 22. A leading professor of Jewish thought explains how to get past that, and what meaning lies beyond it.

Sept. 15 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Yonatan Jakubowicz on Israel's African Immigrants

Some 40,000 non-Jewish immigrants from Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Sudan now live in Israel. How did they get there, why did they come, and what obligation, if any, does Israel have to them?

Sept. 8 2023 12:07AM

Podcast: Mordechai Kedar on the Return of Terrorism in the West Bank

Since the end of the second intifada nearly twenty years ago, the main source of violence against Israel has been the Gaza Strip rather than the West Bank. Is that changing?

Sept. 1 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Ran Baratz on the Roots of Israeli Angst

The Israeli journalist stops by to talk about the deeper emotions at play on all sides of the current civil crisis, and how they can be addressed.

Aug. 25 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Dovid Margolin on Kommunarka and the Jewish Defiance of Soviet History

The author took a recent journey to a Soviet mass gravesite where his great-grandfather is buried, and speaks about how it helped him understand Jewish and Soviet history.

Aug. 18 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Shlomo Brody on Capital Punishment and the Jewish Tradition

Earlier this month, the man who killed eleven Jews in Pittsburgh in 2018 was sentenced to death. A rabbi and ethicist joins us to think about Jewish views of capital punishment.

Aug. 11 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Dara Horn on Why People Love Dead Jews (Rebroadcast)

The author talks about the world’s fascination with dead Jews and its indifference to living ones.

Aug. 4 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Izzy Pludwinski on the Art and Beauty of Hebrew Calligraphy

The author of a new book on the subject joins Mosaic’s editor to talk about the technology and artistry of Hebrew writing, and the vocation of the Hebrew scribe.

July 28 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Joshua Berman on the Traumas of the Book of Lamentations

The author of a new commentary stops by to talk about one of the most disturbing days in Jewish history, and how its survivors and their descendants tried to understand it.

July 21 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Meir Soloveichik on Ten Portraits of Jewish Statesmanship

The rabbi and podcast host stops by to talk about his new book, Providence and Power: Ten Portraits in Jewish Statesmanship.

July 14 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Tevi Troy on the Biden Administration’s Plan to Fight Anti-Semitism

The D.C. veteran joins us to talk about what the government can do to fight anti-Semitism, and what, despite good intentions, it can’t.

July 7 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Avital Levi on Loyalty

An Israeli philosopher joins the podcast to talk about what keeps nations together, even when their populations are so deeply divided.

June 30 2023 1:04AM

Podcast: Michael Doran on the Ambiguities in Biden's Middle East Strategy

The veteran foreign-policy analyst thinks the Biden administration is both strengthening Israeli security and facilitating the greatest threat to it. Can both be true?

June 23 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Eric Cohen on the Questions Graduating Jews and Their Parents Must Confront

The Tikvah CEO addresses the practical and ideological challenges facing Jewish daughters and sons—and mothers and fathers—today.

June 16 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Eli Steinberg on the Warriors of Torah

What were 27,000 ḥaredi men doing in a sports arena in Philadelphia last week, and what does it reveal about their world?

June 9 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Cynthia Ozick on "The Conversion of the Jews"

The legendary author joins us to talk about her new short story, about a search for the reason why a 13th-century Jewish man became a Catholic priest.

June 2 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Leon Kass on Reading Ruth

The eminent scholar talks about Ruth, and Reading Ruth, the 2021 book he co-authored with his granddaughter.

May 25 2023 12:02AM

Podcast: Tara Isabella Burton on the Creation and Curation of the Modern Self

The author of Self-Made stops by to talk about how the modern self came to be, and how it differs from older, traditional modes of living.

May 19 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Nathan Diament on Whether the Post Office Can Force Employees to Work on the Sabbath

The author of a Supreme Court amicus brief talks about a recently argued case that could have enormous consequences for religious Americans.

May 12 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Yaakov Amidror on Why He’s Arguing That Israel Must Prepare for War with Iran

The influential former Israeli national security advisor elaborates on the recent comments that raised eyebrows on both sides of the Atlantic.

May 5 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Liel Leibovitz on the Return of Paganism

Is America becoming less religious or merely less Christian?

April 27 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Rick Richman on History and Devotion

The author of And None Shall Make Them Afraid stops by to talk about his new book and how history has a role to play in forming devotion to the Jewish people.

April 21 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Yuval Levin on How America's Constitution Might Help Solve Israel's Judicial Crisis

The editor and political analyst stops by to discuss American constitutional structures and how relevant they are to Israel.

April 10 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Neil Rogachevsky and Dov Zigler on the Political Philosophy of Israel's Declaration of Independence

The authors of a new book explore the principles animating Israel’s founding moment.

March 31 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Yehoshua Pfeffer on Israel's Social Schisms and How They Affect the Judicial Reform Debate

A ḥaredi rabbi and editor who also clerked on the Supreme Court, Pfeffer is uniquely positioned to talk about a major aspect of the current crisis.

March 24 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Jonathan Schachter on What Saudi Arabia’s Deal with Iran Means for Israel and America

The foreign-policy analyst on how the China-brokered deal came about and what signals the Saudis are sending.

March 17 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Peter Berkowitz and Gadi Taub on the Deeper Causes of Israel's Internal Conflict

An American political scientist and an Israeli media personality talk about the cleavages in Israeli society that have made the present debate over judicial reform so intense.

March 10 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Jordan B. Gorfinkel on His New Illustrated Book of Esther

The former manager of the Batman comics has turned his attention to creating a graphic novel of the book of Esther. Why, and what went into it?

March 3 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Malka Simkovich on God's Maternal Love

A professor of Jewish studies joins us to talk about why the Hebrew Bible sometimes portrays God as a mother, and what that means.

Feb. 24 2023 12:51AM

Podcast: Joshua Karlip on the Demise of Jewish Studies

The author of “The Demise of Jewish Studies in America—and the Rise of Jewish Studies in Israel” joins us to discuss his essay and the troubles of his chosen field.

Feb. 16 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Richard Goldberg on Recent Joint Military Exercises Between America and Israel

What’s it like when thousands of troops, planes, ships, and batteries from different countries operate together?

Feb. 9 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Russ Roberts on the Disappointment and the Promise of Prayer

The academic and podcast host joins us to talk about why the words of prayer don’t work for him, and why nonetheless he’s prayed daily for 30 years.

Feb. 2 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Joshua Berman on Traveling to Biblical Egypt

A rabbi and Bible scholar joins us to talk about his trips to biblical Egypt, and about the role of Egypt in the Jewish imagination.

Jan. 27 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Elliott Abrams on American Jews and the New Israeli Government

The veteran Israel observer and foreign-policy expert joins the podcast to talk about why many American Jews are speaking so apocalyptically about Israel’s new governing coalition.

Jan. 20 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Carl Gershman on What the Jewish Experience Can Offer the Uighurs of China

A Jewish democracy activist joins us to talk about the oppression of the Uighurs in western China, and whether the Jewish experience has any survival strategies to offer.

Jan. 12 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Our Favorite Broadcasts of 2022

Here are excerpts from some of our favorite conversations last year, with subjects including Jewish life in Ukraine, Arabs and the Holocaust, China’s Haifa port, and more.

Jan. 6 2023 12:01AM

Podcast: Benjamin Netanyahu on His Moments of Decision

Israel’s past and future prime minister joins the podcast to discuss how he weighs consequential decisions, and three crucial choices he made in his career.

Dec. 27 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll on the Virtues and the Excesses of Jewish Modesty

The director of an organization dedicated to the healthy depiction of women in the Jewish public square joins us to talk modesty, what it’s good for, and how it can be abused.

Dec. 16 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Maxim D. Shrayer on the Moral Obligations and Dilemmas of Russia's Jewish Leaders

A professor of Russian and Jewish studies joins us to talk about the tenuous situation of Russian Jews and their leaders.

Dec. 9 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Ryan Anderson on Why His Think Tank Focuses on Culture and Not Just Politics

The new leader of an important Washington think tank feels that cultural renewal is just as important as policy reform. Why does he think that and how does he intend to accomplish it?

Dec. 2 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Simcha Rothman on Reforming Israel’s Justice System

The member of Knesset and architect of the effort to reform Israel’s judiciary speaks about the issue.

Nov. 18 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Michael Doran on Iran's Growing Military Dominance in the Middle East

The foreign-policy analyst joins us to talk about his recent essay “Overmatch.”

Nov. 11 2022 1:33AM

Podcast: Scott Shay on How BDS Crept Into the Investment World, and How It Was Kicked Out

Until recently, campus BDS resolutions were being used to penalize companies doing business in or with Israel. This week’s podcast guest explains how he helped put a stop to it.

Nov. 4 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Haviv Rettig Gur on Netanyahu, Lapid, and Another Israeli Election

The Israeli political analyst joins us to talk about the upcoming election, and the tribal identities that play into it.

Oct. 28 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Yoav Sorek, David Weinberg, and Jonathan Silver on What Jewish Magazines Are For

A conversation about how small magazines develop and publish big Jewish ideas.

Oct. 21 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Tony Badran Puts Israel’s New Maritime Borders with Lebanon into Context

Under heavy pressure from America, Israel has agreed to new maritime borders with Lebanon. Is that a good thing?

Oct. 14 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: George Weigel on the Second Vatican Council and the Jews

The author of To Sanctify the World: The Vital Legacy of Vatican II joins us on the 60th anniversary of the meeting that changed the Christian world’s attitude toward the Jews.

Oct. 7 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Shay Khatiri on the Protests Roiling Iran

Protests are rocking Iran after the death of a young woman in police custody. An Iranian writer joins us to think about how they connect to past protests, and where they could lead.

Sept. 30 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Gil Student on the Journey into Orthodoxy

With the Days of Awe just on the horizon, we rebroadcast a fascinating conversation about the nature of the Jewish Orthodox community and the human capacity for change.

Sept. 23 2022 12:01AM

Watch, Read, or Listen to Eli Spitzer on the New York Times's Controversial Yeshiva Report

Watch the recording or read the transcript of our columnist’s conversation last week about the hasidic yeshiva controversy.

Sept. 21 2022 12:02AM

Podcast: Meir Soloveichik on Jerusalem's Enduring Symbols

The leading rabbi joins us to walk through the fascinating ways that Jews have related to Jerusalem, from the time of King David to today.

Sept. 9 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Daniel Polisar on the First Zionist Congress, 125 Years Later

This week, in Basel, the World Zionist Organization convened to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the First Zionist Congress. What was the original meeting like?

Sept. 2 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Hussein Aboubakr on the Holocaust in the Arab Moral Imagination

Mahmoud Abbas says that the Israelis committed “50 Holocausts” against the Palestinians. Why does he believe that, and what does the rest of the Arab world think about the Shoah?

Aug. 26 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Jonathan Schanzer on Israel's Weekend War against Islamic Jihad

A Middle East expert joins us to explain how the conflict came about and why it was so different from Israel’s last operation against terrorists in Gaza.

Aug. 19 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Yair Harel on Haim Louk's Masterful Jewish Music

A musical expert joins us to chat about one of the most important and unique figures in the world of Jewish music, and share some of his most captivating songs.

Aug. 12 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Micah Goodman on Politics, Power, and Kingship in Deuteronomy

In a rebroadcast, the Israeli intellectual talks about his best-selling book on the revolutionary political ideas in the last speech of Moses.

Aug. 5 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter on Why So Many Jewish Soldiers Are Buried Under Crosses, and What Can Be Done About It

The rabbi joins us to talk about Operation Benjamin, a project that helps to identify and place Star of David headstones on the graves of fallen Jewish soldiers.

July 29 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Robert Nicholson on the Changing Face of Evangelical Zionism

Has Christian Zionism already peaked in the United States at the same time that it’s just beginning to pick up steam in Africa, Asia, and Latin America?

July 21 2022 12:01AM

Daniel Gordis and Asael Abelman on the Personality of the New Jew

Two top Israeli observers examine the dominant Jewish personalities in Israel today, and how they compare to the ideas of pre-state Zionist writers.

July 15 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Douglas Murray on the War on the West

The British writer joins us to think about the ideological battle over the Western tradition and the role Israel plays in that fight.

June 30 2022 12:33AM

Podcast: Jeffrey Woolf on the Political and Religious Significance of the Temple Mount

A rabbi and historian explores the history of the Temple Mount, its presence in the Jewish imagination, and why more and more Jews are now going there to pray.

June 23 2022 12:06AM

Podcast: Zohar Atkins on the Contested Idea of Equality

In what way are human beings equal? A philosopher and rabbi joins this week’s podcast to trace the idea of equality through the ages.

June 17 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Steven Smith on Persecution and the Art of Writing

A Yale political scientist joins us to talk about esoteric writing and how to understand its relation to politics.

June 10 2022 12:46AM

Podcast: Jon Levenson on the Moral Force of the Book of Ruth

This week’s podcast guest uncovers the many layers to the biblical book that Jews traditionally read on the upcoming holiday of Shavuot.

June 3 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Tony Badran on How Hizballah Wins, Even When It Loses

Lebanon’s recent elections make Hizballah seem weak. This week’s podcast explains why that’s misleading, and why it’s exactly what Hizballah wants the world to think.

May 27 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: John Podhoretz on Midge Decter’s Life in Ideas

The late Midge Decter was a penetrating critic and a powerful writer. Her son joins the podcast this week to reflect on her legacy.

May 20 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Motti Inbari on the Yemenite Children Affair

Did the Israeli government kidnap Yemenite Jewish children in the state’s early days? A historian joins us to explain the story, why it’s a myth, and why it won’t go away.

May 12 2022 12:41AM

Podcast: Christine Emba on Rethinking Sex

Is consent, and consent alone, sufficient for modern sexual ethics? That’s the question the writer Christine Emba, this week’s podcast guest, takes up in her fascinating new book.

May 6 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Shany Mor on How to Understand the Recent Terror Attacks in Israel

An Israeli analyst joins us to provide essential context for the recent wave of terror against the Jewish state.

April 28 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Abraham Socher on His Life in Jewish Letters and the Liberal Arts

The founding editor of the Jewish Review Books joins us to discuss his educational formation, his intellectual preoccupations, and the essays that make up his new book.

April 21 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Yuval Levin on Exodus and Freedom

As the Jewish people begins to celebrate Passover, a political philosopher asks how Exodus can clear up the ways that the left and right misunderstand what it takes to be free.

April 15 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Ilana Horwitz on Educational Performance and Religion

A new book finds that religious children do better in school than their nonreligious counterparts. The author joins us to explain why.

April 8 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: David Friedman on What He Learned as U.S. Ambassador to Israel

The former U.S. ambassador to Israel joins the podcast to reflect on his tenure and to provide an inside look at some of the most consequential American policies toward Israel in decades.

April 1 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Andy Smarick on What the Government Can and Can’t Do to Help American Families

There’s been a flurry of new ideas to help American families. This week’s podcast guest explores the problem they’re trying to solve, and whether any of them can actually work.

March 24 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Aaron MacLean on Deterrence and American Power

America’s adversaries are testing its boundaries more and more, a sign of its diminished deterrent power. A former Marine officer explains where it went and how to restore it.

March 18 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Ronna Burger on Reading Esther as a Philosopher

A scholar of philosophy joins us to take a close look at the book of Esther, and the lessons it has to teach about human success and divine providence.

March 11 2022 12:02AM

Podcast: Dovid Margolin on Jewish Life in War-torn Ukraine

The Chabad writer joins us to discuss how the Jewish communities of Ukraine have adapted to the war.

March 4 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Vance Serchuk on the History and Politics Behind Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has begun. To explain how it came about and what can be done, a top foreign-policy scholar joins the podcast this week.

Feb. 25 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Ruth Wisse on the Stories Jews Tell

The Mosaic columnist joins us to talk about her new podcast and the poetry and literature it will explore.

Feb. 18 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Yossi Shain on the Israeli Century

The author of a new book arguing that Israel is the lodestar of Jewish life even for Jews in the Diaspora joins us to talk about his argument.

Feb. 11 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Michael Doran on the Most Strategically Valuable Country You've Never Heard Of

Situated between Russia and Iran, Azerbaijan could be a key partner in the struggle for Eurasia. And a stronger alliance between Washington and Baku could benefit Jerusalem, too.

Feb. 4 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Mitch Silber on Securing America’s Jewish Communities

The leader of a new security initiative joins us to explain what it takes to protect Jewish institutions from anti-Semitic violence.

Jan. 28 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Jesse Smith on Transmitting Religious Devotion

A new study finds that the family—not the synagogue or the church or the school—is the best way of inculcating religious practice.

Jan. 21 2022 12:00AM

Podcast: Matti Friedman on China’s New Haifa Port

The Israeli journalist joins us to talk about how a Chinese propaganda mission led by a man known as “Chinese Itzik” has dazzled Israeli citizens.

Jan. 14 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Jay Greene on Anti-Semitic Leanings Among College Diversity Administrators

The author of a new report scrutinized hundreds of public statements from those who work in diversity offices on campus. He joins us to explain what he found.

Jan. 7 2022 12:01AM

Podcast: Our Favorite Broadcasts of 2021

The podcast covered everything from Israeli political challenges to Yiddish education controversies this year. This week, we feature excerpts from some of our favorites.

Dec. 31 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Three Young Jews on Discovering Their Jewish Purposes

Tamara Berens, Talia Katz, and Dovid Schwartz talk about their journeys to Jewish service, and how the Beren Summer Fellowship helped guide them.

Dec. 24 2021 12:04AM

Podcast: Annie Fixler on Cyber Warfare in the 21st Century

A cyber security expert explains the major cyber threats facing the United States, and the role Israel could in play in securing both countries.

Dec. 17 2021 12:17AM

Podcast: Victoria Coates on the Confusion in Natanz

A former deputy national security adviser analyzes the mysterious recent explosion in Iran, and along the way, shares what it’s like to make decisions amidst uncertainty.

Dec. 10 2021 12:04AM

Podcast: Avi Helfand on Jewish Life and Law at the Supreme Court

An upcoming Supreme Court case could have profound effects on American religious communities. Does the nature of Jewish law offer a unique perspective on the question at hand?

Nov. 19 2021 12:33AM

Podcast: Nicholas Eberstadt on What Declining Birthrates Mean for the Future of the West

America’s birthrate is declining rapidly. A distinguished social scientist joins us to discuss why that’s happening, whether it can be reversed, and, if it can’t, how America can cope with it.

Nov. 11 2021 12:06AM

Podcast: Suzy Weiss on the Childless Lives of Young American Women

There’s a sterilization sensation in America: young women are choosing to make having children biologically impossible. What’s going on, and why?

Nov. 4 2021 12:26AM

Podcast: Michael Eisenberg on Economics in the Book of Genesis

The author and businessman joins us to talk about what can and can’t be learned about labor, wealth, trade, debt, and credit from the Hebrew Bible.

Oct. 29 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Elisha Wiesel on His Father's Jewish and Zionist Legacy

The son of the human-rights icon joins us to discuss his father’s legacy, including his views on Zionism, Judaism, and Holocaust memory.

Oct. 22 2021 12:04AM

Podcast: Antonio Garcia Martinez on Choosing Judaism as an Antidote to Secular Modernity

The modern way of life works if you want to make money, but there are bigger questions that it just can’t answer. Judaism, the author of a new essay argues, can fill the gap.

Oct. 14 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Haviv Rettig Gur on the Jewish Agency in 2021

With the election of a new chairman happening soon, a former spokesman for the Jewish world’s biggest nonprofit joins us to examine its past and future.

Oct. 8 2021 12:02AM

Podcast: Yedidya Sinclair on Israel's Shmitah Year

This year is one in which Jews are commanded to let the Land of Israel lie fallow. On this week’s podcast, an expert explains what this commandment means and how it’s applied there today.

Oct. 1 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Peter Kreeft on the Philosophy of Ecclesiastes

The philosopher joins us to offer a look at a biblical book whose philosophical premises encompass the modern condition.

Sept. 24 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Dara Horn on Why People Love Dead Jews

The author of an attention-grabbing new book explores the world’s fascination with dead Jews and its indifference to living ones.

Sept. 2 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Elliot Kaufman on the Crown Heights Riot, 30 Years Later

Thirty years ago, Jews were violently attacked over three days in Brooklyn. This week’s podcast revisits what happened, and whether it could recur.

Aug. 26 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Allan Arkush on Ahad Ha'am and "The Jewish State and Jewish Problem" (Rebroadcast)

In 1897, the great Zionist writer Aḥad Ha’am argued that Jewish culture, not politics, was the best avenue to bring about a new Jewish state. This week’s podcast revisits his important ideas.

Aug. 20 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Cynthia Ozick on Her New Novel "Antiquities"

The eminent writer joins us to reveal the Jewish dimensions of her latest book.

Aug. 13 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Jenna and Benjamin Storey on Why Americans Are So Restless

Two college professors were intrigued by the restlessness of their students. In a new book, they trace where it comes from and what it means for young Americans today.

Aug. 6 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Nir Barkat on a Decade of Governing the World’s Most Spiritual City

Jerusalem’s former mayor joins us to discuss the lessons he learned during his ten years in office.

July 23 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Daniel Gordis on the Rift between American and Israeli Jews (Rebroadcast)

Daniel Gordis argued in this 2019 conversation that Israeli and American Jews are fundamentally divided. With a new government now in place, has he been proven correct?

July 16 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Yehoshua Pfeffer on How Haredi Jews Think About Serving in the IDF

Why do Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jews so adamantly decline to serve in the military—and could that change? A communal leader walks us through the deliberations taking place.

July 9 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Shalom Carmy on Jewish Understandings of Human Suffering

In wake of the tragedy in Surfside, a distinguished theologian joins us to explain what Jewish tradition teaches about human suffering.

July 2 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Dru Johnson on Biblical Philosophy

A new book argues that the Hebrew Bible has a distinct and consistent intellectual tradition. The author joins us to explain.

June 24 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: David Rozenson on How His Family Escaped the Soviet Union and Why He Chose to Return

The Jewish leader recalls his upbringing in Soviet Russia and explains what inspired him to return to the land from which his family fled.

June 17 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Matti Friedman on How Americans Project Their Own Problems onto Israel

The Israeli journalist joins us to talk about his recent Atlantic essay on how when Americans look at Israelis they see a reflection of themselves.

June 11 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Benjamin Haddad on Why Europe Is Becoming More Pro-Israel

After harshly criticizing the Jewish state for decades, Europe seems to be tilting towards Israel and away from the Palestinians. Why?

June 4 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Seth Siegel on Israel's Water Revolution

The expert joins us to talk about the history and future of Israeli water technology.

May 27 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Michael Doran on America's Strategic Realignment in the Middle East

The analyst joins us to talk about his essay explaining why President Biden seeks to downgrade allies and elevate adversaries in the Middle East.

May 21 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Sohrab Ahmari on Why Americans Must Recover the Sabbath

The journalist joins us to talk about his new book and to explain how keeping the Sabbath can benefit Americans of all faiths.

May 14 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Shlomo Brody on Reclaiming Biblical Social Justice

The rabbi joins us to enumerate the principles of Jewish social justice, and to explain how you can differentiate between your own views and those of the Hebrew Bible.

May 6 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Christine Rosen on the New Crime Wave and Its Consequences

Crime is rising across major American cities, where most Jews live. The author of a new essay about law enforcement and urban disorder joins us to explain what’s happening.

April 29 2021 12:25AM

Podcast: Jonathan Schanzer on the Palestinians' Political Mess

The author of Hamas vs. Fatah: The Struggle for Palestine joins us to talk about the upcoming Palestinian elections, and what went wrong the last time.

April 23 2021 12:32AM

Podcast: Meena Viswanath on How the Duolingo App Became an Unwitting Arbiter of Modern Jewish Identity

With its new Yiddish course, the language-learning app Duolingo sparked major disagreements over Jewish identity. One of the course developers joins us to discuss what happened.

April 15 2021 12:22AM

Podcast: Mohammed Alyahya on Two Competing Visions of Power in the Middle East

The editor of Al Arabiya’s English edition joins us to talk about where the real rifts in the Middle East are, and to share what Saudis think about the Iran deal.

April 9 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Jacob J. Schacter on Joseph B. Soloveitchik and the State of Israel

The noted scholar joins our podcast to analyze an important speech Soloveitchik gave on the eve of the Suez Crisis, deriving meaning for the circumstance from the Bible’s Song of Songs.

April 2 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Sean Clifford on the Israeli Company Making the Internet Safe for American Families

With pornography on the rise and sexting now commonplace, the Internet is a perilous place for children. Here’s how an Israeli technology company is trying to make it safer.

March 25 2021 12:27AM

Podcast: Mark Gerson on How the Seder Teaches Freedom Through Food

On Passover, Jews are commanded to retell the story of the Exodus, but the book they use to do it seems just as focused on food and drink as it is on the story itself. Why?

March 19 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Daniel Gordis on the Israeli Supreme Court's New Conversion Ruling

The Israeli intellectual joins us to explain his country’s newest conversion controversy, and the underlying tensions it illuminates within Israeli public life.

March 11 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Gil and Tevi Troy's Non-Negotiable Judaisms

The historian brothers join us to talk about their Jewish upbringing, and the different paths they took away from the Conservative Judaism of their parents.

March 4 2021 9:37AM

Podcast: Richard Goldberg on How Iran Is Already Testing the Biden Administration

When it comes to the new administration’s relationship with Iran, the honeymoon is already long over. A foremost national-security expert joins us to explain what’s going on.

Feb. 25 2021 12:02AM

Podcast: Shany Mor on What Makes America's Peace Processors Tick

The Israeli researcher joins us to talk about his blockbuster essay in Mosaic.

Feb. 18 2021 12:02AM

Podcast: Yehoshua Pfeffer on the Coronavirus and Rethinking the Relationship between Haredim and Israeli Society

The coronavirus has dramatized the tensions in Israeli society. This week, a ḥaredi communal leader joins us to chart a path forward.

Feb. 11 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Gerald McDermott and Derryck Green on How Biblical Ideas Can Help Bridge America's Racial Divide

Two Christian leaders join us to discuss how the Jewish idea of national covenant can help bring about race reconciliation in America.

Feb. 4 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Emmanuel Navon on Jewish Diplomacy from Abraham to Abba Eban

The author of a new book about Israel’s diplomatic history joins us to discuss the enduring lessons he’s learned from surveying 3,000 years of Jewish history.

Jan. 28 2021 12:02AM

Podcast: Michael Oren on Fiction and Foreign Policy

Historian, ambassador, public servant—Oren’s done it all. Now, after the publication of a new book of fiction, he joins us to talk about his multifaceted career.

Jan. 22 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Joel Kotkin Thinks About God and the Pandemic

The American social scientist joins us to assess what’s happening in American religious culture as the pandemic continues to take its toll.

Jan. 14 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Dore Gold on the Strategic Importance of the Nile River and the Politics of the Red Sea

Israel’s former ambassador to the United Nations joins us to talk about the politics of water in the Middle East.

Jan. 8 2021 12:01AM

Podcast: Yuval Levin on How Religious Minorities Survive in America—Then and Now

The editor of National Affairs joins us to talk about the changing majority culture in America, and what anxieties that culture provokes in the minority.

Dec. 31 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Mark Gottlieb on the Everlasting Hanukkah

The rabbi joins us to talk about the deeper theological meaning of the holiday through the lens of a fascinating essay by the Modern Orthodox thinker Joseph B. Soloveitchik.

Dec. 18 2020 1:42AM

Podcast: Ambassador Ron Dermer Looks Back on His Years in Washington

The outgoing Israeli ambassador to the U.S. joins us to talk about what he’s worked on over his tenure, what he’s proud of, and where he sees the alliance between the two countries going.

Dec. 10 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Richard Goldberg on the Future of Israeli-Saudi Relations

The foreign-policy expert joins us to talk about the odds of a deal between the two nations, and how the incoming American administration plays in their thinking.

Dec. 4 2020 12:02AM

Podcast: Matti Friedman on the Russian Aliyah—Thirty Years Later

The Israeli journalist and author of our November essay joins us to talk about the lives featured in his work.

Nov. 19 2020 12:27AM

Podcast: Daniel Gordis on Jewish Responses to Misery

The author of our October essay joins us to talk about the sources of Jewish resilience, and to share his memories of the Six-Day War.

Nov. 13 2020 12:36AM

Podcast: John Podhoretz on 75 Years of Commentary

The editor of the great Jewish magazine joins us to talk about its illustrious history.

Oct. 30 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Yossi Klein Halevi on Jabotinsky 140 Years Later

The Israeli writer and thinker joins us to discuss Jabotinsky’s Zionism and why “The Iron Wall” still matters today.

Oct. 22 2020 12:04AM

Podcast: Michael McConnell on the Free Exercise of Religion in America

A leading constitutional scholar joins Mosaic’s editor for a discussion on the history of religious liberty in the United States and the legal debate surrounding the free-exercise clause.

Oct. 15 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Ruth Wisse on the Five Books Every Jew Should Read in Lockdown

The master of Jewish letters on what to do if you’re sick of baking bread and reorganizing your closet.

Oct. 9 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Dan Senor with an Update on Israel's Economy in 2020

The co-author of Start-Up Nation joins us to look at the damage the Israeli economy has taken this year and how it can be repaired.

Oct. 2 2020 12:04AM

Podcast: Dan Senor with an Update on Israel's Economy in 2020

The co-author of Start-Up Nation joins us to look at the damage the Israeli economy has taken this year and how it can be repaired.

Oct. 2 2020 12:04AM

Podcast: Reflections for the Days of Awe

This week, we dig through the archives to bring you excerpts from our best conversations on faith, mortality, tradition, obligation, and sin.

Sept. 25 2020 12:02AM

Podcast: Reflections for the Days of Awe

This week, we dig through the archives to bring you excerpts from our best conversations on faith, mortality, tradition, obligation, and sin.

Sept. 25 2020 12:02AM

Podcast: Haviv Rettig Gur Talks Israel’s Deep State

The Israeli journalist joins us to talk about the group of people in his country who are responsible, and the group of people who because of them don’t have to be responsible.

Sept. 17 2020 12:46AM

Podcast: Haviv Rettig Gur Talks Israel’s Deep State

The Israeli journalist joins us to talk about the group of people in his country who are responsible, and the group of people who because of them don’t have to be responsible.

Sept. 17 2020 12:46AM

Podcast: Hillel Halkin and Ruth Wisse on His Life in Hebrew

The two giants of Jewish literature come together for a wide-ranging discussion centered around his new book on the seminal Hebrew writers of modernity.

Sept. 10 2020 12:35AM

Podcast: Hillel Halkin and Ruth Wisse on His Life in Hebrew

The two giants of Jewish literature come together for a wide-ranging discussion centered around his new book on the seminal Hebrew writers of modernity.

Sept. 10 2020 12:35AM

Podcast: Gil Troy on His New Book with Natan Sharansky

The Israeli historian joins us to talk about his partnership with Sharansky, what he calls the Sovietization of American culture, and much more.

Sept. 4 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Gil Troy on His New Book with Natan Sharansky

The Israeli historian joins us to talk about his partnership with Sharansky, what he calls the Sovietization of American culture, and much more.

Sept. 4 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Jared Kushner on How American Diplomacy Created the Conditions for the Israel-UAE Deal

An interview with the senior adviser to the president on the thinking behind the deal, and America’s role in the Middle East.

Aug. 26 2020 12:10AM

Podcast: Ron Dermer on His Hopes for the Relationship between Israel and the UAE

Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. joins us to share his vision for the region and the strategic insight that brought us to this moment.

Aug. 20 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Micah Goodman on Politics and Power in Deuteronomy

The Israeli intellectual joins us to talk about the ideas in his best-selling book on the revolutionary political teachings in Moses’s last speech.

Aug. 13 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Micah Goodman on Politics and Power in Deuteronomy

The Israeli intellectual joins us to talk about the ideas in his best-selling book on the revolutionary political teachings in Moses’s last speech.

Aug. 13 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Michael Doran on China’s Drive for Middle Eastern Supremacy

The foreign-policy expert joins us to explain how China seeks hard power and not just economic influence in the region.

Aug. 6 2020 12:32AM

Podcast: Michael Doran on China’s Drive for Middle Eastern Supremacy

The foreign-policy expert joins us to explain how China seeks hard power and not just economic influence in the region.

Aug. 6 2020 12:32AM

Podcast: Peter Berkowitz on Connecting Unalienable Rights to Foreign Policy

There probably aren’t many interviews out there with State Department officials in which the topics of discussion include Genesis, Plato’s Republic, and the philosophy of John Locke.

July 31 2020 12:19AM

Podcast: Peter Berkowitz on Connecting Unalienable Rights to Foreign Policy

There probably aren’t many interviews out there with State Department officials in which the topics of discussion include Genesis, Plato’s Republic, and the philosophy of John Locke.

July 31 2020 12:19AM

Podcast: Wilfred McClay on the Warming Relations between Christians and Jews

The author of our July essay joins us to talk about his ideas.

July 24 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Wilfred McClay on the Warming Relations between Christians and Jews

The author of our July essay joins us to talk about his ideas.

July 24 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Amos Yadlin on the Mysterious Explosions Sowing Chaos in Iran

The Israeli general and security expert joins us to talk about what’s going on, who might be responsible, and how Iran might retaliate.

July 16 2020 12:36AM

Podcast: Amos Yadlin on the Mysterious Explosions Sowing Chaos in Iran

The Israeli general and security expert joins us to talk about what’s going on, who might be responsible, and how Iran might retaliate.

July 16 2020 12:36AM

Podcast: Matthew Continetti on Irving Kristol’s Theological Politics

The editor and writer joins us to talk about a figure whose watchwords were the very opposite of America’s present utopian fever.

July 10 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Matthew Continetti on Irving Kristol’s Theological Politics

The editor and writer joins us to talk about a figure whose watchwords were the very opposite of America’s present utopian fever.

July 10 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Jason Bedrick on the Supreme Court's Blockbuster School-Choice Ruling

The school-choice advocate joins us to talk about what the just-released ruling means for education in America generally, and for Jews specifically.

July 2 2020 12:05AM

Podcast: Jason Bedrick on the Supreme Court's Blockbuster School-Choice Ruling

The school-choice advocate joins us to talk about what the just-released ruling means for education in America generally, and for Jews specifically.

July 2 2020 12:05AM

Podcast: Meir Soloveichik on the Genius of the Late Norman Lamm

A look at the legacy of the man who revitalized Modern Orthodoxy and who was perhaps “the greatest composer of sermons in the English-speaking rabbinic world.”

June 25 2020 12:02AM

Podcast: Meir Soloveichik on the Genius of the Late Norman Lamm

A look at the legacy of the man who revitalized Modern Orthodoxy and who was perhaps “the greatest composer of sermons in the English-speaking rabbinic world.”

June 25 2020 12:02AM

Podcast: Tara Isabella Burton on New Religions and Strange Rites

The author of Strange Rites joins us to talk about the expansion of spiritual energy into nearly every domain of contemporary life, from shopping to health to politics.

June 18 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Tara Isabella Burton on New Religions and Strange Rites

The author of Strange Rites joins us to talk about the expansion of spiritual energy into nearly every domain of contemporary life, from shopping to health to politics.

June 18 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Gary Saul Morson on the New "Leninthink"

The humanities professor joins us to talk about “cancel culture” and the many new varieties of online shaming.

June 11 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Gary Saul Morson on the New "Leninthink"

The humanities professor joins us to talk about “cancel culture” and the many new varieties of online shaming.

June 11 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Chaim Saiman Talks Zoom Seder Out Loud

The author of our May essay on the Zoom seder joins us to talk about his ideas and the debate surrounding them.

June 4 2020 1:07AM

Podcast: Chaim Saiman Talks Zoom Seder Out Loud

The author of our May essay on the Zoom seder joins us to talk about his ideas and the debate surrounding them.

June 4 2020 1:07AM

Podcast: David Wolpe on How Reform and Conservative Judaism Will Weather the Coronavirus

The leading Conservative rabbi joins us to a look at the task facing America’s liberal denominations.

May 28 2020 12:28AM

Podcast: David Wolpe on How Reform and Conservative Judaism Will Weather the Coronavirus

The leading Conservative rabbi joins us to a look at the task facing America’s liberal denominations.

May 28 2020 12:28AM

Podcast: Leon Kass on the Formation of the People of Israel

The author of our April essay joins us to talk about how to read the book of Exodus, how the Israelites became a people, and plenty more.

May 15 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Leon Kass on the Formation of the People of Israel

The author of our April essay joins us to talk about how to read the book of Exodus, how the Israelites became a people, and plenty more.

May 15 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Einat Wilf on the Persistence of the Palestinian Refugee Problem

The former Israeli Knesset member joins us to talk about her new book on the Western indulgence that fuels delusions about the right of return.

May 7 2020 12:06AM

Podcast: Einat Wilf on the Persistence of the Palestinian Refugee Problem

The former Israeli Knesset member joins us to talk about her new book on the Western indulgence that fuels delusions about the right of return.

May 7 2020 12:06AM

Podcast: Matti Friedman on the Last Gasp of the Israeli Left

Israel’s Labor Party—the political organization that erected the governing structures of the country—has now been reduced to a mere three seats in the Knesset. What happened?

April 30 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Matti Friedman on the Last Gasp of the Israeli Left

Israel’s Labor Party—the political organization that erected the governing structures of the country—has now been reduced to a mere three seats in the Knesset. What happened?

April 30 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Yehoshua Pfeffer on the Response of Ultra-Orthodox Jews to the Coronavirus Pandemic

Ultra-Orthodox Jews have been one of the hardest-hit groups in Israel and elsewhere. Why?

April 23 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Yehoshua Pfeffer on the Response of Ultra-Orthodox Jews to the Coronavirus Pandemic

Ultra-Orthodox Jews have been one of the hardest-hit groups in Israel and elsewhere. Why?

April 23 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Menachem Wecker Fleshes Out His Ideas on Yoga and Idolatry

The author of “Shibboleths and Sun Salutations: Should Religious Jews Practice Yoga?” joins us to defend his ideas.

April 8 2020 11:50AM

Podcast: Menachem Wecker Fleshes Out His Ideas on Yoga and Idolatry

The author of “Shibboleths and Sun Salutations: Should Religious Jews Practice Yoga?” joins us to defend his ideas.

April 8 2020 11:50AM

Podcast: Michael Doran on Why the Coronavirus Is Hitting Iran so Hard

The foreign-policy expert joins us to talk about how things there have got so bad, what the regime is thinking, and what it means for tensions with America.

April 2 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Michael Doran on Why the Coronavirus Is Hitting Iran so Hard

The foreign-policy expert joins us to talk about how things there have got so bad, what the regime is thinking, and what it means for tensions with America.

April 2 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Yossi Klein Halevi on the Transformation of Israeli Music

The noted author and political thinker drops by our studio to talk about his other passion: Israeli music and the ways it has shaped the country.

March 26 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Yossi Klein Halevi on the Transformation of Israeli Music

The noted author and political thinker drops by our studio to talk about his other passion: Israeli music and the ways it has shaped the country.

March 26 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Richard Goldberg on the Future of Iran Policy

The foreign-policy expert joins us to talk about how to slow down Iran’s march toward nuclear weapons—without getting entangled in a military confrontation.

March 19 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Richard Goldberg on the Future of Iran Policy

The foreign-policy expert joins us to talk about how to slow down Iran’s march toward nuclear weapons—without getting entangled in a military confrontation.

March 19 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Rafael Medoff on Reconsidering Roosevelt

The historian and author of The Jews Should Keep Quiet: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, and the Holocaust joins us to talk about his work.

March 13 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Rafael Medoff on Reconsidering Roosevelt

The historian and author of The Jews Should Keep Quiet: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, and the Holocaust joins us to talk about his work.

March 13 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Eugene Kontorovich on the New American Peace Plan and How It Differs from the Old Ones

The expert on international law joins us to explain why he thinks the new plan might work where others have failed.

March 5 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Eugene Kontorovich on the New American Peace Plan and How It Differs from the Old Ones

The expert on international law joins us to explain why he thinks the new plan might work where others have failed.

March 5 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Mark Gottlieb on Jewish Life in the Shadow of the Sexual Revolution

The rabbi joins us to talk about the great theologian Eliezer Berkovits and his distinct vision of Jewish sexual ethics.

Feb. 27 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Mark Gottlieb on Jewish Life in the Shadow of the Sexual Revolution

The rabbi joins us to talk about the great theologian Eliezer Berkovits and his distinct vision of Jewish sexual ethics.

Feb. 27 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Michael Avi Helfand on the Urgent Religious-Freedom Case Now before the Supreme Court

The expert on religious law joins us to talk about the importance of Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue.

Feb. 20 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Michael Avi Helfand on the Urgent Religious-Freedom Case Now before the Supreme Court

The expert on religious law joins us to talk about the importance of Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue.

Feb. 20 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Joshua Berman on How Traditional Jews Can Respond to the Challenges of Academic Bible Criticism

On reading the Hebrew Bible in a spirit of intellectual honesty without losing your faith.

Feb. 13 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Joshua Berman on How Traditional Jews Can Respond to the Challenges of Academic Bible Criticism

On reading the Hebrew Bible in a spirit of intellectual honesty without losing your faith.

Feb. 13 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Ruth Wisse on Saul Bellow the Thinker

Our resident scholar joins us to talk about her recent essay on the novelist Saul Bellow and to expand on her sense of him as a full-fledged Jewish intellectual.

Feb. 6 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Ruth Wisse on Saul Bellow the Thinker

Our resident scholar joins us to talk about her recent essay on the novelist Saul Bellow and to expand on her sense of him as a full-fledged Jewish intellectual.

Feb. 6 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Daniel Cox on Why Millennials Are Leaving Religion and the Family

The co-author of a worrisome new report on the quickening secularization of American young people joins us to talk about his findings.

Jan. 30 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Daniel Cox on Why Millennials Are Leaving Religion and the Family

The co-author of a worrisome new report on the quickening secularization of American young people joins us to talk about his findings.

Jan. 30 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Yuval Levin on the Failure of America's Institutions

The author of A Time to Build joins us to talk about why institutions matter and what communities of faith can do to contribute to American renewal.

Jan. 24 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Yuval Levin on the Failure of America's Institutions

The author of A Time to Build joins us to talk about why institutions matter and what communities of faith can do to contribute to American renewal.

Jan. 24 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Neil Rogachevsky on the Roots of Israel's Political Crisis and How to Fix It

As the nation gears up for its third election in a year, the time may have come to consider a different way of voting.

Jan. 16 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Neil Rogachevsky on the Roots of Israel's Political Crisis and How to Fix It

As the nation gears up for its third election in a year, the time may have come to consider a different way of voting.

Jan. 16 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Yuval Levin on the Victorian Values of Gertrude Himmelfarb

The intellectual and editor of National Affairs joins us to discuss Himmelfarb and the moral and political virtues she deemed necessary for a healthy democratic society.

Jan. 9 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Yuval Levin on the Victorian Values of Gertrude Himmelfarb

The intellectual and editor of National Affairs joins us to discuss Himmelfarb and the moral and political virtues she deemed necessary for a healthy democratic society.

Jan. 9 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: The Best Conversations of 2019

In 2019, some 40 different guests joined our podcast. Now it’s time to take stock in ten of the most interesting and provocative nuggets of conversation that we recorded last year.

Jan. 3 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: The Best Conversations of 2019

In 2019, some 40 different guests joined our podcast. Now it’s time to take stock in ten of the most interesting and provocative nuggets of conversation that we recorded last year.

Jan. 3 2020 12:01AM

Podcast: Arthur Herman on the Impact of China on the U.S.-Israel Relationship

The historian and foreign-policy expert joins us to talk about strains between friends and how to overcome them.

Dec. 27 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Arthur Herman on the Impact of China on the U.S.-Israel Relationship

The historian and foreign-policy expert joins us to talk about strains between friends and how to overcome them.

Dec. 27 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Walter Russell Mead on Looking Past the Ups and Downs of Daily Politics and World Affairs

The veteran columnist and scholar of foreign affairs joins our podcast to talk about how he sees the state of the world.

Dec. 20 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Walter Russell Mead on Looking Past the Ups and Downs of Daily Politics and World Affairs

The veteran columnist and scholar of foreign affairs joins our podcast to talk about how he sees the state of the world.

Dec. 20 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Joe Lieberman on American Jews and the Zionist Dream

The former U.S. senator stops by our studio to talk about, among other things, fraying bipartisan support for Israel.

Dec. 12 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Joe Lieberman on American Jews and the Zionist Dream

The former U.S. senator stops by our studio to talk about, among other things, fraying bipartisan support for Israel.

Dec. 12 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Avital Chizik-Goldschmidt & Batya Ungar-Sargon on Why No One Cares about Violence Directed at the Orthodox

Two Jewish journalists join us to talk about attacks that most others prefer to ignore.

Dec. 5 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Avital Chizik-Goldschmidt & Batya Ungar-Sargon on Why No One Cares about Violence Directed at the Orthodox

Two Jewish journalists join us to talk about attacks that most others prefer to ignore.

Dec. 5 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Eugene Kontorovich on America and Its View of Israeli Settlements

The legal expert explains how an erroneous and hypocritical interpretation of international law became unquestioned dogma.

Nov. 29 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Eugene Kontorovich on America and Its View of Israeli Settlements

The legal expert explains how an erroneous and hypocritical interpretation of international law became unquestioned dogma.

Nov. 29 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: David Makovsky on What Can We Learn from Israel’s Founders

The co-author of a new book on Israel’s founding generation of leaders stops by to discuss their legacy.

Nov. 21 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: David Makovsky on What Can We Learn from Israel’s Founders

The co-author of a new book on Israel’s founding generation of leaders stops by to discuss their legacy.

Nov. 21 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Christine Rosen on Thinking Religiously about Facebook

A global presence that hovers above the world declaring that it desires nothing but to connect us with each other, Facebook now invites serious religious questions.

Nov. 14 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Christine Rosen on Thinking Religiously about Facebook

A global presence that hovers above the world declaring that it desires nothing but to connect us with each other, Facebook now invites serious religious questions.

Nov. 14 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Norman Podhoretz on Jerusalem and Jewish Particularity

The storied intellectual wonders why so many 21st-century men and women find Jewish particularity such a scandal.

Nov. 8 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Norman Podhoretz on Jerusalem and Jewish Particularity

The storied intellectual wonders why so many 21st-century men and women find Jewish particularity such a scandal.

Nov. 8 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: The Philosopher Who Reads the Talmud

Jacob Howland drops by our studio to talk about the ways in which Greek thought can illuminate the Talmud—and vice-versa.

Nov. 1 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: The Philosopher Who Reads the Talmud

Jacob Howland drops by our studio to talk about the ways in which Greek thought can illuminate the Talmud—and vice-versa.

Nov. 1 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Dru Johnson, Jonathan Silver, and Robert Nicholson on the New Center for Hebraic Thought

On the opening of a new academic institution devoted to study of the Hebrew Bible for its moral and political wisdom.

Oct. 25 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Dru Johnson, Jonathan Silver, and Robert Nicholson on the New Center for Hebraic Thought

On the opening of a new academic institution devoted to study of the Hebrew Bible for its moral and political wisdom.

Oct. 25 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Thomas Karako on Israel and America's Missile-Defense Partnership

The national-security expert tells us how an Israeli interceptor ended up launching from Alaska.

Oct. 17 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Thomas Karako on Israel and America's Missile-Defense Partnership

The national-security expert tells us how an Israeli interceptor ended up launching from Alaska.

Oct. 17 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: David Bashevkin on the Creation of Sin

The rabbi and author of Sin-a-gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought drops by our studio for a conversation about the nature and origins of sin.

Oct. 4 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: David Bashevkin on the Creation of Sin

The rabbi and author of Sin-a-gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought drops by our studio for a conversation about the nature and origins of sin.

Oct. 4 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Matti Friedman on How Jews from Arab Lands Have Shaped Israel

The journalist and author joins us to talk about Israel as a Mizraḥi nation.

Sept. 26 2019 12:18AM

Podcast: Matti Friedman on How Jews from Arab Lands Have Shaped Israel

The journalist and author joins us to talk about Israel as a Mizraḥi nation.

Sept. 26 2019 12:18AM

Podcast: Micah Goodman on the Right Way to Reduce the Israel-Palestinian Conflict

The Israeli public intellectual joins us to talk about the ideas in his bestselling Catch 67 and his recent essay in the Atlantic.

Sept. 20 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Micah Goodman on the Right Way to Reduce the Israel-Palestinian Conflict

The Israeli public intellectual joins us to talk about the ideas in his bestselling Catch 67 and his recent essay in the Atlantic.

Sept. 20 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Jack Wertheimer on the New American Synagogue

In the third and final episode of our podcast series, the eminent scholar of American Jewish life brings us into the typical synagogue to show how deeply it’s changing.

Sept. 12 2019 12:35AM

Podcast: Jack Wertheimer on the New American Synagogue

In the third and final episode of our podcast series, the eminent scholar of American Jewish life brings us into the typical synagogue to show how deeply it’s changing.

Sept. 12 2019 12:35AM

Podcast: Meir Soloveichik on the Purpose of Keeping Kosher (with Locusts)

The rabbi and public intellectual comes by our studio to discuss the meaning of kashrut, with the help of some unusual examples.

Sept. 5 2019 12:32AM

Podcast: Meir Soloveichik on the Purpose of Keeping Kosher (with Locusts)

The rabbi and public intellectual comes by our studio to discuss the meaning of kashrut, with the help of some unusual examples.

Sept. 5 2019 12:32AM

Podcast: Avi Weiss Talks about the AMIA Bombing Cover-Up

The rabbi, activist, and author of this month’s Mosaic essay drops by our studio to talk about his time in Argentina laboring to comfort, and to seek justice for, the bereaved.

Aug. 29 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Avi Weiss Talks about the AMIA Bombing Cover-Up

The rabbi, activist, and author of this month’s Mosaic essay drops by our studio to talk about his time in Argentina laboring to comfort, and to seek justice for, the bereaved.

Aug. 29 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Jack Wertheimer on the Many Rapid Changes in the Religious Life of American Jews

Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox look much different from the way they appeared fifty years ago. In part two of our conversation, we look at what’s changed.

Aug. 22 2019 12:05AM

Podcast: Jack Wertheimer on the Many Rapid Changes in the Religious Life of American Jews

Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox look much different from the way they appeared fifty years ago. In part two of our conversation, we look at what’s changed.

Aug. 22 2019 12:05AM

Podcast: Ruth Wisse on Tevye the Dairyman

The renowned expert on Yiddish literature stops by to talk everything Tevye, Fiddler, Sholem Aleichem, and more.

Aug. 15 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Ruth Wisse on Tevye the Dairyman

The renowned expert on Yiddish literature stops by to talk everything Tevye, Fiddler, Sholem Aleichem, and more.

Aug. 15 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Jack Wertheimer on the New American Judaism

The eminent historian of American Jewish life stops by to talk about the findings in his latest book The New American Judaism: How Jews Practice Their Religion Today.

Aug. 8 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Jack Wertheimer on the New American Judaism

The eminent historian of American Jewish life stops by to talk about the findings in his latest book The New American Judaism: How Jews Practice Their Religion Today.

Aug. 8 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Jeremy Rabkin on Why the "Lawfare" Threat to Israel Still Pales Next to Conventional Dangers

The expert on constitutional and international law tells us why the specter of “legal” warfare against Israel may not be as grievous as some worry.

Aug. 1 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Jeremy Rabkin on Why the "Lawfare" Threat to Israel Still Pales Next to Conventional Dangers

The expert on constitutional and international law tells us why the specter of “legal” warfare against Israel may not be as grievous as some worry.

Aug. 1 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Yehoshua Pfeffer on the Future of Ultra-Orthodox Politics and Culture in Israel

The leading ultra-Orthodox intellectual joins us to explain the key conflicts surrounding the place of his community within Israeli society.

July 25 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Yehoshua Pfeffer on the Future of Ultra-Orthodox Politics and Culture in Israel

The leading ultra-Orthodox intellectual joins us to explain the key conflicts surrounding the place of his community within Israeli society.

July 25 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Mona Charen on Sex, Love, and What Feminism Gets Right—and Wrong

The nationally syndicated columnist joins us for a discussion about contemporary sexual mores and family life.

July 19 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Mona Charen on Sex, Love, and What Feminism Gets Right—and Wrong

The nationally syndicated columnist joins us for a discussion about contemporary sexual mores and family life.

July 19 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Dara Horn on Eternal Life (and "Eternal Life")

The noted author swings by to talk about the perils and the promises of human mortality.

July 11 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Dara Horn on Eternal Life (and "Eternal Life")

The noted author swings by to talk about the perils and the promises of human mortality.

July 11 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: David Evanier Talks about the World of the American Jewish Communists

The author of the recent Mosaic essay drops by to draw a picture of a now-vanished world of flamethrowers, washed-up ideologues, and true believers.

July 5 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: David Evanier Talks about the World of the American Jewish Communists

The author of the recent Mosaic essay drops by to draw a picture of a now-vanished world of flamethrowers, washed-up ideologues, and true believers.

July 5 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Michael Doran on America’s Standoff with Iran

The Middle East analyst stops by to talk about his recent blockbuster essay in Mosaic.

June 27 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Michael Doran on America’s Standoff with Iran

The Middle East analyst stops by to talk about his recent blockbuster essay in Mosaic.

June 27 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Daniel Krauthammer on His Father’s Jewish Legacy

The son of the late columnist discusses his father’s thinking about Israel, faith, and Jewish ideas, and summons memories of shared Jewish life at home.

June 20 2019 12:25AM

Podcast: Daniel Krauthammer on His Father’s Jewish Legacy

The son of the late columnist discusses his father’s thinking about Israel, faith, and Jewish ideas, and summons memories of shared Jewish life at home.

June 20 2019 12:25AM

Podcast: Yaakov Katz on Israel's "Shadow Strike" against a Syrian Nuclear Reactor

The inside story behind Israel’s bold 2007 decision to stop Syria from becoming a nuclear-armed state.

June 13 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Yaakov Katz on Israel's "Shadow Strike" against a Syrian Nuclear Reactor

The inside story behind Israel’s bold 2007 decision to stop Syria from becoming a nuclear-armed state.

June 13 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Annika Hernroth-Rothstein On Her Travels to the Most Far-Flung Jewish Communities

What this intrepid journalist learned from the pious Jews of Djerba, what it’s like to pray in a synagogue with Tehran’s remaining Jewish community, and more.

June 6 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Annika Hernroth-Rothstein On Her Travels to the Most Far-Flung Jewish Communities

What this intrepid journalist learned from the pious Jews of Djerba, what it’s like to pray in a synagogue with Tehran’s remaining Jewish community, and more.

June 6 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Menachem Wecker Talks about His Essay on the Problems of the Jewish Museum

The author of “The Wreck of the Jewish Museum” joins us in the studio to expand on his ideas.

May 30 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Menachem Wecker Talks about His Essay on the Problems of the Jewish Museum

The author of “The Wreck of the Jewish Museum” joins us in the studio to expand on his ideas.

May 30 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Francine Klagsbrun on Golda Meir

The author of LionessGolda Meir and the Nation of Israel sits down to discuss, among other things, the impact America had on Meir.

May 23 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Francine Klagsbrun on Golda Meir

The author of LionessGolda Meir and the Nation of Israel sits down to discuss, among other things, the impact America had on Meir.

May 23 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Jonathan Neumann on Jewish Politics Left and Right

The author of a book about the way progressive politics have come to define Judaism for many Jews drops by the studio to talk about the politics of the Jewish world.

May 16 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Jonathan Neumann on Jewish Politics Left and Right

The author of a book about the way progressive politics have come to define Judaism for many Jews drops by the studio to talk about the politics of the Jewish world.

May 16 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Dovid Margolin on the Rebbe’s Campaign for a Moment of Silence

How something as simple as a brief moment of reflection for schoolchildren could influence hearts and minds for the better.

May 2 2019 1:42AM

Podcast: Dovid Margolin on the Rebbe’s Campaign for a Moment of Silence

How something as simple as a brief moment of reflection for schoolchildren could influence hearts and minds for the better.

May 2 2019 1:42AM

Podcast: Scott Shay Pushes Back against the New Atheists

When he learned just how much power the likes of Richard Dawkins had amassed, the writer Scott Shay decided to fight back.

April 18 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Scott Shay Pushes Back against the New Atheists

When he learned just how much power the likes of Richard Dawkins had amassed, the writer Scott Shay decided to fight back.

April 18 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Joshua Berman on Evidence for the Exodus

The eminent bible scholar and author of the essay “Was There an Exodus?” joins us in the studio.

April 11 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Joshua Berman on Evidence for the Exodus

The eminent bible scholar and author of the essay “Was There an Exodus?” joins us in the studio.

April 11 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Daniel Gordis on the Rift between American and Israeli Jews

The scholar and commentator drops by the studio to illuminate what the divide is about, what it’s not about, and what it all means.

April 4 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Daniel Gordis on the Rift between American and Israeli Jews

The scholar and commentator drops by the studio to illuminate what the divide is about, what it’s not about, and what it all means.

April 4 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Nicholas Gallagher on Jewish History and America’s Immigration Debate

The author of Mosaic’s March 2019 essay stops by the studio to discuss and debate his argument about immigration.

March 28 2019 1:57PM

Podcast: Nicholas Gallagher on Jewish History and America’s Immigration Debate

The author of Mosaic’s March 2019 essay stops by the studio to discuss and debate his argument about immigration.

March 28 2019 1:57PM

Podcast: Special Envoy Elan Carr on How He Fights Anti-Semitism Across the Globe

America’s newly-appointed envoy stops by to talk about his plans for his office.

March 21 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Special Envoy Elan Carr on How He Fights Anti-Semitism Across the Globe

America’s newly-appointed envoy stops by to talk about his plans for his office.

March 21 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Malka Groden on Adoption Within the Orthodox Community

A Lubavitcher adoptive mother, and a passionate advocate of adoption within the Orthodox community, explains the unique challenges she faced while pursuing her goal.

March 14 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Malka Groden on Adoption Within the Orthodox Community

A Lubavitcher adoptive mother, and a passionate advocate of adoption within the Orthodox community, explains the unique challenges she faced while pursuing her goal.

March 14 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Eugene Kontorovich on the Legalities and Controversies of Anti-BDS Law

The noted legal expert explains why anti-BDS laws are not only permissible but also just.

March 7 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Eugene Kontorovich on the Legalities and Controversies of Anti-BDS Law

The noted legal expert explains why anti-BDS laws are not only permissible but also just.

March 7 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: David Wolpe on the Survival of Non-Orthodox Judaism

A leading American rabbi speaks frankly about the future of his own movement and other matters of pressing Jewish concern.

Feb. 28 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: David Wolpe on the Survival of Non-Orthodox Judaism

A leading American rabbi speaks frankly about the future of his own movement and other matters of pressing Jewish concern.

Feb. 28 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Michael Doran on Keeping Our Eye on the Ball in the Middle East

Mosaic’s key foreign-policy analyst elaborates on his latest big essay.

Feb. 21 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Michael Doran on Keeping Our Eye on the Ball in the Middle East

Mosaic’s key foreign-policy analyst elaborates on his latest big essay.

Feb. 21 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Jonah Goldberg on Marx's Anti-Semitism

“Money is the jealous god of Israel, in the face of which no other god may exist.”

Feb. 14 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Jonah Goldberg on Marx's Anti-Semitism

“Money is the jealous god of Israel, in the face of which no other god may exist.”

Feb. 14 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Ambassador Danny Danon on Life and Work at the UN

The first episode of our new podcast, produced in conjunction with the Tikvah Fund, is here. Listen now!

Feb. 7 2019 12:01AM

Podcast: Ambassador Danny Danon on Life and Work at the UN

The first episode of our new podcast, produced in conjunction with the Tikvah Fund, is here. Listen now!

Feb. 7 2019 12:01AM