For Heaven's Sake

Please take 5 minutes to fill out For Heaven's Sake’s LISTENER SURVEY ____ How do you go about daily life — bar mitzvahs, trips, work — when every two hours the news cycle shifts, every Israeli with a cousin in the Air Force has a take, and even seasoned analysts can't say what comes next?  In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi take us inside the strange collective experience of Israeli life: suspended in waiting, saturated with rumors, and bracing for a military confrontation that could reshape the entire Middle East — before anything has happened yet. Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel.   Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.  For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.  Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.  Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week:  Register for this summer’s Community Leadership Program or Rabbinic Torah Seminar.  Educators, apply now to the Wellspring Summit for Educators!  

Can a country survive when tribal loyalty overwhelms collective responsibility? This week on For Heaven's Sake, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi examine something unprecedented: while Israel defends its borders from external threats, it's losing the ability to govern within them. From ultra-Orthodox attacks on IDF soldiers to epidemic crime within and against Arab communities to ministers contradicting national policy—Israel faces a sovereignty crisis from within. - 01:35: Not Iran — Israel’s Internal Sovereignty Collapse- 04:15: Bnei Brak: When the IDF Can’t Enter an Israeli City- 06:00: Murder, Mayhem, and Government Retreat- 08:20: The Draft Revolt Goes Mainstream- 16:00: Governing vs. Surviving: The Coalition Choice- 22:00: From “Who’s Sovereign?” to Sovereignty Lost- 27:30: Tribes, Territory, and the Fracturing StateWatch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel.  Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org. For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST. Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Listen to “America Betrays the Stranger” on Identity/Crisis.  

Antisemitism is everywhere in Jewish conversation. But what are we missing? Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi zoom out to examine the assault on the Jewish story, the cost-benefit calculus of Jews around their identity, and the abuse of antisemitism discourse within Israel. An exploration of what antisemitism is doing to us—beyond the fear. 02:00 – A New Era of Antisemitism? Old Threat or New Reality06:00 – Anti-Zionism and the Assault on the Jewish Story13:00 – Jewish Identity as Choice: Will Antisemitism Push Jews Away?19:00 – Defiance or Drift? Lessons from Soviet Jewry22:30 – Are We Letting Antisemitism Define Jewish Identity?26:00 – The Internal Danger: “Weaponizing” Antisemitism in Israel34:00 – What Does Persistent Hatred Say About the Jewish People? Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel.  Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org. For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST. Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.  Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Register for this summer’s Community Leadership Program or Rabbinic Torah Seminar. Educators, apply now to the Wellspring Summit for Educators! 

Israel is headed toward elections again, but can either side form a stable government? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi take a step back to examine the current political climate: the politics of exclusion, the historic unification of Arab parties around domestic issues, and the stalemate that could leave Israel stuck in another cycle of deadlocked elections. They offer a clear-eyed look at where Israeli politics stands—and where it might be headed. 00:00 - Elections in the Shadow of War05:00 - The New Fault Line: Ultra-Orthodox vs. Arab Parties14:30 - Arab Politics Recentered on Personal Security18:45 - A Jewish–Arab Civic Moment in Tel Aviv26:30 - Israel’s Returning Political Stalemate30:00 - Interim Governments and Uncertain EndgamesWatch the video version of our podcast on our YouTube channel.  Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org. For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST. Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. 

The hostage clock stopped at 843 days, 12 hours, and 6 minutes. But did the healing begin?Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi reflect on the return of the body of Ran Gvili—the last hostage from October 7th—and what this moment reveals about Israel's wounds, its divisions, and its desperate need for goodness. A meditation on trauma, ritual, and the human need for moments of grace—even when the underlying problems remain.Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel. Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week:Learn more about Rabbanut North America, our three-year rabbinic ordination program, and the newest cohort!

What can Israel do when unpredictability becomes U.S. policy?In this episode of For Heaven’s Sake, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi reckon with what it means for Israel to live in “Trump’s world”—where unpredictability isn’t just a style, it’s a strategy that can have life-and-death consequences. They explore how Israel’s political drift and Netanyahu’s lack of a “day after” plan have left a political vacuum the U.S. is now filling, and what it would take for Israel to reclaim a measure of self-determination in an unsteady new order.Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel. Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Listen to young Israeli changemakers from our Hazon program on the Canadian Jewish News's North Star podcast.

Iran's regime is under pressure—and so are the assumptions that have shaped Western policy for decades. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi explore the "conceptia" behind the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Jewish theology of power, and the strange silence from progressives as Iran's uprising escalates. For Israelis, this isn't abstract: it's about once again stocking shelters and praying, this time for the Iranian people.  Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel. Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Listen to young Israeli changemakers from our Hazon program on the Canadian Jewish News's North Star podcast.

Is former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett a right-wing ideologue or Israel's great national healer? Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi grapple with this paradox as they examine the only candidate currently ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in national polling. They explore Bennett's extraordinary transformation from an ideological conservative to national unifier, discuss his brief but transformative year as Prime Minister, and consider what his return might mean for Israel's future. Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel.  Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org. For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST. Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.

Did we learn anything useful about the future of Israel from the Trump-Netanyahu Mar-a-Lago summit?  In this episode, recorded just hours after the summit concluded, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi wrestle with the disconnect between Trump's optimistic assurances—"everything's going to be fine"—and the hard realities facing Israel in 2026. They debate whether Iranian regime change is achievable, if Gaza represents an existential or spiritual threat, and what it means when the second stage of victory—the political solution—remains elusive. Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel.  Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org. For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST. Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Learn more about and apply to the Hevruta Gap-Year Program.Learn more about and register for our 2026 Rabbinic Torah Seminar.

For 60 years, Israel has counted on the United States. Is the "special relationship" between the U.S. and Israel now in jeopardy—not from the left, but from the MAGA right? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi unpack Vice President J.D. Vance's recent troubling statements, the rise of "America First" isolationism, why Israel may need to rethink its dependence on American aid, and what this means for Jews on both sides of the Atlantic. Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel.  Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org. For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST. Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Learn more about and register for our Community Leadership Program.

What does the horrific attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach mean for the future of Diaspora Jewish life?Australian Jews have built one of the most vibrant, cohesive, creative Jewish communities in the world. Shaped by Holocaust survivors and a deep sense of Zionism, it has become a model for Jewish life in the Diaspora. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi explore whether small Diaspora communities can thrive in the current environment, and if the post-Holocaust era of Jewish immunity has definitively ended.Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel.Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week:Learn more about and register for our Community Leadership Program.

With elections less than a year away, Israel's political center faces an existential test. What does it stand for—and can it beat Netanyahu?In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi analyze the state of Israel's center and center-left. They trace the historical collapse of the left, the rise of centrist politics under Ariel Sharon, and the post-October 7 reality where moral discourse about Palestinians has disappeared from mainstream Israeli conversation.Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel. Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week:Read the newest issue of Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas and subscribe to our print edition.

Can Israel's right-wing reclaim its principles? Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi examine the mainstream Israeli right's evolution from Jabotinsky's ideals of security and dignity to today's personality-driven politics.  They explore the critical divide between Prime Minister Netanyahu’s loyalists and principled conservatives, identifying three challenges facing the next right-wing government: articulating affirmative policies, healing internal divisions, and rejecting the false choice between security and morality. Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel.  Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org. For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST. Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Join Pathways to Hope and meet young Israeli changemakers.Learn more about positions available at Hartman North America.If you read Sources, complete a brief reader survey.

With Israeli politics deadlocked, could Arab parties provide the path to a new coalition? Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi discuss the extraordinary political journey of Mansour Abbas, the complexities of Palestinian-Israeli identity, and the future of Israeli democracy. Listen to the Shalom Hartman Institute's new Thoughts and Prayers podcast: https://go.hartman.org.il/Thoughts-and-Prayers-FHS-202Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel.Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.

Who's afraid of a Palestinian state? According to Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi, the answer is: almost every Israeli. In this urgent conversation recorded after the UN Security Council backed President Trump's Gaza peace plan, Donniel and Yossi explore why an entire generation of Israelis has stopped talking about Palestinian statehood—and why their silence may be unsustainable.Listen to the Shalom Hartman Institute's new Thoughts and Prayers podcast: https://go.hartman.org.il/Thoughts-and-Prayers-FHS-202Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel.Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.

What happens when 30% of NYC Jews vote for a candidate others see as antisemitic? In this week’s episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi consider issues of betrayal, tolerance, red lines, and unity in a conversation about whether some positions cross from legitimate dissent into existential threat.From the episode:Rabbi Eliot Cosgrove, “On the Record”Identity/Crisis with Howard WolfsonWatch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel.Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.

What happens when everything becomes instantly politicized and no institution is safe from attack? Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi dissect how October 7 has transformed Israel's moral landscape, as the Netanyahu government shifts focus from defeating external enemies to waging war against internal opponents.Through the lens of the explosive scandal involving Israel's former top military lawyer, they examine whether Israeli society can survive when accountability becomes partisan, institutions lose legitimacy, and the pursuit of political ends justifies any means.Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel.Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.

What does the possible election of Zohran Mamdani mean for Jewish identity, Diaspora-Israel relations, and the boundaries of Jewish community?As New Yorkers head to the polls in the coming week to elect their next mayor, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi wrestle with the return of 'conditional acceptance' for Jews in progressive spaces, compare this moment to Jeremy Corbyn's impact on British Jewry, and grapple with the painful reality of Jewish division in the face of perceived threats.From the episode:Rabbi Eliot Cosgrove, “On the Record”Identity/Crisis with Howard WolfsonWatch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel. Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.

How are Israelis processing the transition from 760+ days of war to a fragile peace?Nearly two weeks into the ceasefire with Gaza, Israeli society is grappling with hope, trauma, and unsettling questions about who actually won. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi unpack Hamas’ ceasefire violations, Trump's bear hug diplomacy, and why 48% of Israelis believe nobody emerged victorious from this conflict.  Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel. Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.

Will this moment of national unity in Israel transcend politics and open new possibilities for transformation after the celebration?Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi reflect on the profound emotional impact of Israel's recent hostage return - a day that united the nation in tears and joy. They explore what this spiritual turning point means for Israeli society's future, the strategic debates around prioritizing lives over military goals, and whether peace can re-enter Israeli discourse after 25 years.Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel. Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.