The Pluralist Podcast - with Orly Erez-Likhovski and Rabbi Josh Weinberg

Women’s rights are facing new challenges in both Israel and the United States.In this episode of Pluralist: From Both Sides of the Ocean, Orly Erez-Likhovski and Rabbi Josh Weinberg speak with Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch, CEO of Women of Reform Judaism, about the fight for gender equality, religious pluralism, and democratic values across the Jewish world.Drawing on her long-standing connection to Israel, Liz reflects on the tensions many progressive Jews feel today: how to remain deeply connected to Israel while confronting policies that challenge the egalitarian values many in the Jewish world hold dear.Together, they explore how women’s leadership, cross-ocean partnerships, and honest conversations can strengthen the fight for equality across the Jewish world.IN THIS EPISODE• The current challenges facing women’s rights in Israel and the United States• The growing phenomenon of women’s exclusion from the public sphere in Israel• Why progressive Jewish voices remain deeply connected to Israel despite political tensions• How organizations like WRJ and IRAC are working together to defend equality and democracyAbout the guestRabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch is the CEO of Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ), representing tens of thousands of Reform Jewish women across North America and advocating for gender equality, Jewish leadership, and social justice.

As Israel faces a new phase of war with Iran, daily life has again become defined by sirens, shelters, and uncertainty.In this special Purim episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Orly Erez Likhovski (Israel Religious Action Center) and Rabbi Josh Weinberg (URJ / ARZA) reflect on what it means to navigate a complex and painful moment — from both sides of the ocean.This conversation is not geopolitical analysis. Instead, it models how Reform Jewish leaders think, wrestle, and remain grounded in Jewish values during moments of crisis.Recorded during Purim — with the possibility of sirens interrupting the conversation — the episode explores how Jewish tradition, leadership, and moral responsibility intersect when the world feels unstable.In this episode• What daily life in Israel looks like right now — sirens, shelters, and exhaustion• How American Jews are experiencing the moment from afar• How to navigate a complicated geopolitical situation when trust in leadership is low• Why the story of Purim lands differently in the middle of war• What Jewish tradition teaches about power, fear, and responsibilityAt a moment when many voices are shouting certainty, this conversation offers something different: honest wrestling with complexity.

For generations, Jews around the world have faced Jerusalem in prayer.Now, a bill in Israel’s Knesset could give the Chief Rabbinate the power to define which prayer is “acceptable” at the Western Wall — and potentially criminalize egalitarian worship.In this clip from The Pluralist Podcast, Orly Erez Likhovski and Josh Weinberg discuss:• Why dismissing this bill as “just politics” is dangerous• What message it sends to liberal Jews worldwide• Why the Kotel is more than a plaza — it’s the symbolic heart of Jewish peoplehood• And what Israelis and Diaspora Jews can do nowAt a time of rising antisemitism globally — and unprecedented support from Diaspora communities for Israel — this debate raises a deeper question:Is Israel the homeland of all Jews?🎧 Watch or listen the full episode and share it with a friend📩 Send a letter to your representative: https://arza.org/send-an-email-to-your-local-consulate/

War. Democracy. Relationship.In this special episode of The Pluralist Podcast, we share an edited conversation recorded live at the Religious Action Center’s Consultation of Conscience conference in Washington, D.C.Moderated by Daryl Messinger and featuring Orly Erez-Likhovski (IRAC), Rabbi Josh Weinberg (ARZA), and Michael Koplow (Israel Policy Forum), this panel wrestles with the evolving U.S.–Israel relationship in the shadow of war and growing democratic strain.How are Israel’s internal political battles affecting its relationship with American Jewry?What responsibility do American Jews have — and what influence do they actually hold?How do we remain in relationship when disagreement feels sharp and generational divides widen?This episode opens up a conversation that often happens in leadership rooms and brings it to you.The Pluralist exists to make these tensions speakable — and to strengthen the relationship between Israel and Diaspora Jewry through honesty, accountability, and shared responsibility.▶️ Watch, listen, and join the conversation.Subscribe to The Pluralist Podcast, share this episode, and help keep thoughtful conversations about Israel, Judaism, and democracy going.

Haredi society. Shared responsibility. Israeli democracy.In this episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Orly Erez-Likhovski and Rabbi Josh Weinberg take on one of the most sensitive and misunderstood questions in Israeli society today: the place of Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) society in a shared Jewish and democratic state.Sparked by a recent tragedy in an unsupervised childcare setting, the conversation moves beyond headlines to examine deeper questions of power, accountability, and belonging. What happens when a community holds significant political power but feels alienated from state institutions? How should a democracy balance religious autonomy with public safety, equality, and shared civic obligations?Drawing on legal advocacy, Jewish history, and lived experience in Israel and the Diaspora, this episode insists on dignity without demonization — and pluralism with responsibility.▶️ Watch, listen, and join the conversationSubscribe to The Pluralist Podcast, share this episode, and help keep thoughtful conversations about Israel, Judaism, and democracy going.

What does it mean to grow up Jewish when the only Israel you’ve ever known is a Netanyahu-era Israel — and October 7 made everything harder?In this episode of The Pluralist Podcast: From Both Sides of the Ocean, Orly Erez-Likhovski and Rabbi Josh Weinberg listen to three young Reform Jewish leaders — Tamara Upfall, Daniel Block, and Blake Ziegler — as they reflect on Israel, campus life, peer pressure, and identity in a moment that leaves little room for nuance.These voices are not walking away from Israel. They are wrestling with how to hold Jewish peoplehood, Zionism, democracy, grief, and empathy at the same time — often feeling caught between generations and pushed to choose sides.This conversation is about listening, bridging generational gaps, and staying in relationship when it’s hardest.🔔 Subscribe to The Pluralist Podcast for thoughtful conversations on Israel, Judaism, and Jewish peoplehood — and share this episode with someone who cares about Israel’s future.

What does it mean to stand with Israel without looking away?In this episode of The Pluralist Podcast: From Both Sides of the Ocean, Orly Erez-Likhovski and Rabbi Josh Weinberg take on one of the hardest questions facing Jews today:How do we hold deep commitment to Israel while speaking honestly about the actions of its government?While much of the world has been focused on war, grief, and recovery after October 7, Israel’s Knesset has quietly returned to an agenda that threatens democratic guardrails — not loudly, not dramatically, but steadily.From inside Israel’s parliament and from the perspective of Reform Zionism in North America, this conversation explores:- The renewed push to weaken key democratic institutions, including the Attorney General- Legislative efforts targeting civil society, independent media, and academic freedom- How the judicial overhaul is advancing in quieter, more incremental ways- Why accountability for October 7 is a democratic necessity, not a political attack- What real resistance looks like today — in the courts, in Knesset committees, and in civil societyOrly draws on her work leading the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), offering an inside view of how democratic defense actually happens: through legal filings, position papers, and relentless presence behind the scenes.Josh gives voice to what many in the Diaspora are feeling — the pull between solidarity and alarm, loyalty and moral responsibility.This is not a conversation about abandoning Israel.It’s about protecting the democratic foundations that make Israel worth standing with.If these conversations matter to you, please subscribe.Subscriptions help this podcast grow and reach people who are trying to stay engaged — without denial or despair.

What happens when anti-Zionism and antisemitism blur together—and the people most affected are left to navigate the fallout alone?In this episode of The Pluralist Podcast: From Both Sides of the Ocean, Orly Erez-Likhovski (Executive Director of IRAC) and Rabbi Josh Weinberg (URJ Vice President for Israel & Reform Zionism, Director of ARZA) are joined by Marc Dollinger, Professor of Jewish Studies at San Francisco State University, for a deeply human conversation about life on campus after October 7.Drawing on more than two decades of teaching—and lived experience on one of the most politically charged campuses in the United States—Professor Dollinger reflects on what it means to defend nuance in environments that increasingly punish it.“At one university, I was labeled a self-hating leftist Jew,” he recalls. “And after a 400-mile drive north, I arrived in San Francisco as a right-wing Zionist colonial conspirator.” The journey between those two labels, he explains, is not just personal—it reveals how easily complex identities are flattened into caricatures.→ Support IRAC’s work for religious freedom, democracy, and equality in Israel:https://apzprxtx.donorsupport.co/page/PluralistPodcast→ Sign up for Orly’s weekly updates from Israel:https://www.irac.org/sign-up→ Get Josh’s newsletter on Israel and Reform Zionism:https://cloud.email.rj.org/blankSubCenter?formid=701UG00000Is8uHYARTogether, they ask:How do we distinguish legitimate political critique from antisemitism—not in theory, but in the lived reality of students and educators?The conversation explores how academic ideas like “constructed narratives” move from theory into real-world clashes, and how groupthink on campus often replaces curiosity with certainty.“If I treated all anti-Zionism as antisemitism,” Professor Dollinger explains, “that’s all I would be doing—and I’d burn out.”They also reflect on the emotional toll this moment has taken on Jewish students, many of whom feel isolated or afraid to speak, and on the limits of institutional responses in spaces driven by polarization rather than care.And yet, the conversation does not end in despair.“My hope is in the humanity of individuals,” Professor Dollinger says. Not in slogans or movements, but in moments when people sit down, take a breath, and allow their souls to be open. In those encounters, he argues, understanding—fragile but real—is still possible.This episode is for anyone trying to hold complexity without hardening, to listen without surrendering values, and to believe that individual openness can still push back against fear, flattening, and false binaries.

What happens to the Israel–Diaspora relationship when solidarity isn’t enough—and silence isn’t an option?In this episode of The Pluralist Podcast: From Both Sides of the Ocean, Orly Erez-Likhovski (Executive Director of IRAC) and Rabbi Josh Weinberg (URJ VP for Israel & Reform Zionism, Director of ARZA) sit down with Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, for a wide-ranging, values-driven conversation on Israel, Zionism, and what it means to be in community through crisis.“This moment demands more than solidarity. It demands partnership.”→ Support IRAC’s work for religious freedom, democracy, and equality in Israel:https://apzprxtx.donorsupport.co/page/PluralistPodcast→ Sign up for Orly’s weekly updates from Israel:https://www.irac.org/sign-up→ Get Josh’s newsletter on Israel and Reform Zionism:https://cloud.email.rj.org/blankSubCenter?formid=701UG00000Is8uHYARTogether, they ask:How do we show up for Israel—and each other—when the stakes are this high?🎧 In this episode, Rick, Orly, and Josh explore:• Why liberal Jews must not stay silent on Israeli policy: “To criticize the policies of the State of Israel? It’s not only permitted — it’s required.”• A generation struggling with false binaries: “What have we done wrong, that Jewish students don’t know they can say both: I’m a Zionist and I care about Palestinian dignity?”• A shifting paradigm: “We’ve been living near each other for decades. But now, finally, we’re meeting.”• Showing up beyond solidarity: “We’re not just here to give Israel a hug when it’s hurting. We’re here to agitate, to participate, to be real partners.”They also reflect on moments that shaped their leadership—from college in Jerusalem after the Yom Kippur War, to the streets of Tel Aviv during the pro-democracy protests, to campus conversations and congregational tensions across North America.“I’m a Zionist, 100%. And yes, I believe in the dignity and rights of Palestinians. These are not contradictions.”This episode is for anyone navigating Jewish identity, moral clarity, and the hope of a more just future—on both sides of the ocean.

What does it mean to be a Jewish pluralist in Israel—and why does it matter right now?In the launch episode of The Pluralist Podcast: From Both Sides of the Ocean, Orly Erez-Likhovski, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), and Rabbi Josh Weinberg, Executive Director of ARZA and URJ Vice President for Israel & Reform Zionism, sit down in New York for an honest, thoughtful conversation about Israel, Jewish identity, and the future of pluralism.Together, they ask a deceptively simple question:What does Jewish pluralism look like in Israel today—and why is it so contested?Support IRAC’s work in Israel:👉 https://apzprxtx.donorsupport.co/page/PluralistPodcastSign up for Orly’s weekly updates:👉 https://www.irac.org/sign-upSign up for Josh’s weekly updates:👉 https://cloud.email.rj.org/blankSubCenter?formid=701UG00000Is8uHYARIn this conversation, Orly and Josh explore:Why there isn’t really a Hebrew word for pluralism—and what that reveals about Israeli societyThe current status of Reform Judaism in Israel and how it is perceived by Israeli JewsShared struggles around women’s rights, LGBTQ+ equality, and confronting racism in Israel and North AmericaThe evolving relationship between Israel and the Diaspora at a critical moment for Israel’s democratic futureThey also reflect on their personal Zionist journeys:Orly’s story—from a secular Israeli upbringing to discovering Reform Judaism through a preschool in Mevasseret Zion, and finding her life’s work at IRAC defending democracy and challenging religious extremism through lawJosh’s story—from a Chicago youth movement kid to rabbi and Zionist leader, shaped by the Oslo years, the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, and years of living and teaching in IsraelThis episode sets the tone for the entire season of The Pluralist Podcast:honest, nuanced, deeply rooted in love for Israel, and committed to liberal Jewish values—on both sides of the ocean.

In this powerful episode, IRAC Executive Director Orly Erez-Likhovski sits down with @Rabbi Oded Mazor, spiritual leader of @Kol HaNeshama in Jerusalem, to explore how Jewish values can—and must—be used to fight racism and build a shared society between Jews and Arabs in Israel. From raising his children in a bilingual Hebrew-Arabic school, to leading interfaith initiatives during wartime, Rabbi Mazor speaks candidly about the challenges and necessity of hope in times of deep division. Together, they discuss the troubling rise of racism in Israel, the legal battles IRAC is leading against hate, and how faith can serve as a bridge instead of a barrier.💬 “We are citizens of a country yet to be formed,” Rabbi Mazor says. This episode is a testament to those actively working to shape that country with dignity, courage, and compassion.🎙 Listen now for a conversation about Judaism, justice, and the radical act of believing in a better future.🔗 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share this episode to amplify a Jewish voice for democracy, equality, and shared society.

In this powerful opening episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Orly Erez-Likhovski, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center, sits down with Rabbi Talia Avnon-Benveniste, head of the Reform Rabbinical Seminary at Hebrew Union College, to explore the deep connection between Judaism and democracy — and why both are under threat in today’s Israel.Together, they reflect on how the current government, dominated by religious extremists, is weaponizing Judaism to justify anti-democratic policies, including attacks on the judiciary and the abandonment of core Jewish values like human dignity and the sanctity of life. But the conversation is also one of hope: Talia and Orly speak about the unprecedented awakening of Israel’s liberal public, the growing demand for spiritual meaning, and how Reform Judaism is offering an inclusive, egalitarian alternative rooted in tradition.From Talia’s personal journey from a secular kibbutz to becoming a Reform rabbi, to the responsibility we all share in reclaiming Jewish texts and values from the margins, this episode is both a call to action and a vision for a more pluralistic, democratic future — in Israel and beyond.Want to stay in touch?Sign up for The Pluralist - IRAC's weekly newsletter Contact us about arranging a visit in Israel, North America, or a webinarSupport IRAC's work with a monthly or one-time donation

Coming Soon:In this powerful opening episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Orly Erez-Likhovski, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center, sits down with Rabbi Talia Avnon-Benveniste, head of the Reform Rabbinical Seminary at Hebrew Union College, to explore the deep connection between Judaism and democracy — and why both are under threat in today’s Israel.Together, they reflect on how the current government, dominated by religious extremists, is weaponizing Judaism to justify anti-democratic policies, including attacks on the judiciary and the abandonment of core Jewish values like human dignity and the sanctity of life. But the conversation is also one of hope: Talia and Orly speak about the unprecedented awakening of Israel’s liberal public, the growing demand for spiritual meaning, and how Reform Judaism is offering an inclusive, egalitarian alternative rooted in tradition.From Talia’s personal journey from a secular kibbutz to becoming a Reform rabbi, to the responsibility we all share in reclaiming Jewish texts and values from the margins, this episode is both a call to action and a vision for a more pluralistic, democratic future — in Israel and beyond.Want to stay in touch?Sign up for The Pluralist - IRAC's weekly newsletter Contact us about arranging a visit in Israel, North America, or a webinarSupport IRAC's work with a monthly or one-time donationVote4Reform in the World Zionist Congress

Violence in Arab communities in Israel has reached unbearable levels — and many people are asking: what is actually happening? In this episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Orly Erez-Likhovski and Rabbi Josh Weinberg sit down with Lama Yassin of The Abraham Initiatives to unpack the rise in violence in Arab society, the policy failures behind it, and what would be required to reverse it. This is a conversation about policing, governance, shared society, and whether Israel is living up to its democratic commitments. In this episode, we discuss: • What daily life looks like under persistent violence in Arab towns and cities • The dramatic gap in murder-solving rates between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel • The dual reality of over-policing and under-policing • Poverty, land shortages, and structural neglect • What changed under previous governments — and what reversed under the current one • Why this crisis is not cultural — but policy-driven If you want to better understand the systemic roots of violence in Arab communities — and what can realistically be done — this episode offers clarity, data, and lived experience. ▶️ Watch, listen, and join the conversation. Subscribe and share to help expand thoughtful discussions about Israel, democracy, and Jewish-Arab partnership. #Israel #ArabCommunities #IsraeliDemocracy #SharedSociety #PluralistPodcast 

➡️ Subscribe to Pluralist Newsletter: Subscribe to the Pluralist — The Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC)➡️ Support IRAC’s work: https://apzprxtx.donorsupport.co/page/PluralistPodcastWhat happens when courts stop protecting us—and start protecting power?In this urgent episode of The Pluralist Podcast, IRAC Executive Director Orly Erez-Likhovski is joined by award-winning journalist and legal analyst Dahlia Lithwick to explore the fragile state of democracy in Israel and the United States. From the refusal to appoint justices in Israel to the partisan tilt of the U.S. Supreme Court, the two legal minds unpack what Princeton Professor Kim Lane Scheppele calls “autocratic legalism”—when leaders use the law itself to dismantle democracy from within.📌 Topics include:– The erosion of judicial independence in Israel and the U.S.– How Netanyahu and Trump use legal systems to consolidate power– Why the courts must be both respected and defended– The public’s role in protecting democracy– What IRAC is doing on the legal front lines in Israel🎧 The Pluralist Podcast is where Jewish values meet the struggle for a just, equal, and inclusive Israel.

What does it mean to be queer, religious, and Israeli in 2025? In this powerful Pride Month episode of The Pluralist Podcast, IRAC Executive Director Orly Erez-Likhovski speaks with Rabbi Efrat Rotem—an LGBTQ+ activist, liturgist, and the head of Maram, the Reform rabbinic council in Israel.Together, they explore:🌈 Rabbi Efrat’s journey from secular upbringing to queer Reform rabbi🕊 How the Reform Movement creates space for LGBTQ+ Jews in Israel📜 What it means to reinterpret Judaism with values of love and equality🔥 The growing backlash against LGBTQ+ rights—and why visibility matters more than ever💬 How queer rabbis are rewriting Jewish liturgy to reflect real, sacred livesThis is more than a Pride story. It’s a story about reclaiming faith, resisting erasure, and building a Judaism where everyone belongs.

Every Shavuot, we read the Book of Ruth—the ancient story of a woman who chose to join the Jewish people with the words: “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” But in today’s Israel, conversion is no simple act of faith. It’s a legal, political, and deeply personal challenge.In this special Shavuot episode of The Pluralist, Orly Erez-Likhovski, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center, reflects on her own connection to Ruth’s story and the ongoing struggle for inclusive conversion in Israel. She’s joined by Rabbi Galia Sadan, head of the Reform Movement’s Beit Din for Conversion and rabbi at Congregation Beit Daniel in Tel Aviv.Together, they explore:Why the Chief Rabbinate's monopoly on conversion excludes so manyHow the Reform Movement provides a meaningful, welcoming path to JudaismWhat recent Supreme Court victories mean for converts—and what challenges remainThe real-life stories behind the headlines🎧 Tune in to hear how the spirit of Ruth is alive today—and why keeping the gates open matters more than ever.

In this episode of The Pluralist Podcast, IRAC Executive Director Orly Erez-Likhovski sits down with Anna Kislanski, CEO of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, for a candid and moving conversation about the state of liberal Judaism in Israel today.From Anna’s personal journey—from a secular Soviet upbringing to becoming a leading voice for Reform Judaism in Israel—to the challenges of rising extremism and attacks on religious freedom, this episode explores what it means to lead with hope in a time of fear. Together, Orly and Anna discuss the dramatic rise in public support for Reform Judaism, the trauma and resilience following October 7, and the role our movement is playing in defending democracy, building community, and offering spiritual refuge to a hurting nation.Whether you’re in Tel Aviv or Toronto, this conversation will leave you inspired by the courage of those fighting for a more just, equal, and inclusive Israel.Listen now—because there is more than one way to be Jewish.