David Ze'ev reminisces about the night that the Gulf War started in 1991, when Israeli military intelligence proved to be impressively accurate. He also reviews and analyzes the new parties headed by former generals Benny Gantz and Moshe Ya'alon, and offers three stories about the Real Israel, involving bus drivers, Arab pita makers, American tourists, and ultra-Orthodox Jews praying for the Israeli army.
The Israeli political landscape is changing almost daily, and David Ze'ev tries to make some sense of everything that's happened before the next political earthquake shakes things up once again. In this episode, David discusses the Bennett-Shaked union, the Gabbay-Livni breakup, and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's promises to Netanyahu, which are apparently too secret to tell anyone. David concludes with two of his patented Israel stories, including a tale of Chareidi-secular brotherhood on New Year's Eve. Music: “Energy” by bensoud.com
As Israel starts to prepare for elections on April 9, David Ze'ev asks why Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed to dissolve the Knesset, when only one month ago he argued that doing so would be inappropriate. David also analyzes Trump's decision to leave Syria, and how it may be related to the Jamal Khashoggi murder. And after reviewing questions of corruption, deceit, and murder, David offers a brighter side of Israel with the story of an elderly woman whose parked car has led her to being invited to join the president's motorcade.
Welcome to the NEW David Ze'ev in Israel, with David's week in review, commentary, and his patented Israel stories. Today David discusses Israel's relationship with the Gulf States, Hezbollah tunnels from Lebanon, U.S. troops exiting Syria, economic protests, and rising oil prices... plus a blind teenager's 100 shekel loss, and a black-coated jolly Hareidi Santa Claus in Jerusalem.
When a woman starting a Haredi political party tries to put an ad in a Haredi newspaper, what happens? David Ze'ev speaks to Susan Weiss, Executive Director of the Center for Women's Justice, about its lawsuit against two ultra-Orthodox newspapers for refusing to print an ad for Ruth Colian, founder of U’Bezchutan, Israel’s first Haredi women’s political party. David also talks to Eli Ovits, Chief Executive of Limmud, about their grassroots activities to promote Jewish educational initiatives around the world, and their new program in Israel.
One man helps Israel improve the world, the other helps Israel improve itself. In this episode of David Ze'ev in Israel, David speaks with Yotam Polizer, Co-chief Executive Officer at IsraAid, about that organization's work in disaster zones around the globe - including in some surprising areas that, in other contexts, would rather ignore Israel altogether. David also talks to Rabbi Seth Farber, Founder and Director of Itim, and recipient of an award by the Minister of Immigrant Absorption, Sofa Landver, about his work in helping to make Israel's Rabbinate more user friendly in the areas of conversion, marriage, divorce, and burial. Music: “Energy” by bensoud.com
Now that Nikki Haley has resigned as United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Israelis from across the political spectrum are noting that she has been one of the greatest friends the State of Israel has ever had. David Ze'ev tells producer Scott Kahn about his own encounter with Nikki Haley, and whether or not he should be considered one of her speechwriters. David also talks to Zionist Union/Labor Member of Knesset Dr. Nachman Shai about Haley's tenure, whether Israel should be concerned about her departure, and about his expectations for the upcoming Knesset session. Finally, David and Lenny Solomon discuss Lenny's new album, his upcoming film, and his online venture to help disseminate Jewish music. Music: “Energy” by bensoud.com
After a New York Post report publicized her experience of anti-Zionism and antisemitism at Columbia University, Ofir Dayan, Vice President of Students Supporting Israel and daughter of the Consul General of Israel in New York, Dani Dayan, spoke to David Ze'ev about how much her experience is typical or otherwise, and what it means for Jewish students in other universities in the U.S. David also spoke with Emanuel Shahaf, Deputy Chairman of the Israel Indonesia Chamber of Commerce, about the commercial relationship between the two countries, and about Israel's offer of aid following the recent earthquake and tsunami which has taken many lives there. Finally, David interviewed Aryeh Green, who walked 1000 kilometers from Eilat to the northern Golan, and who chronicled his experience in his book, My Israel Trail. NOTE: After the interview with Emanuel Shahaf took place, we were advised that apparently Israeli help that was offered was accepted, and water treatment units are being supplied to the stricken area. Music: “Energy” by bensoud.com
Recorded in the hours after the terrorist murder of Ari Fuld HY"D, David Ze'ev in Israel first speaks with David Lange, family friend of the Fulds and fellow Israel advocate, about who Ari was, and the loss Israel has endured with his death. David also speaks with Jenny Aharon, who is involved in Israel advocacy in Belgium with the World Jewish Congress and with her own organization, Golden Gate, about her efforts in combating anti-Israel sentiment in Europe. Finally, David talks to "serial entrepreneur" Jon Medved, founder and CEO of Our Crowd, the world's largest equity crowdfunding platform, in advance of his annual investor breakfast this Sukkot.
On September 13, 1993, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin shook hands with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat on the White House lawn, marking the signing of the Oslo Accords that were supposed to conclude with a Palestinian State and peace for Israel. Looking back after 25 years, with neither of those objectives achieved and often appearing more distant than ever, David Ze'ev speaks with David Makovsky, who reported these momentous events for the Jerusalem Post; Josh Block, CEO of the Israel Project and formerly of AIPAC; and Yael Patir, the J Street Israel Director. Music: "Energy" by bensoud.com
In a special pre-Rosh Hashanah episode of David Ze'ev in Israel, David speaks with Joseph Gitler, founder and chairman of Leket Israel, about the tremendous work they're doing in helping to feed the hungry in Israel during the holidays and year round. David also talks to Rabbi Naftali Schiff, founder of the Jewish Futures Trust, a platform that unites educational initiatives in Great Britain and Israel, about how uniting them under the same larger organization can empower them all. Finally, David offers an "Only in Israel" story that's a great lead in to Rosh Hashanah. Music: "Energy" by bensoud.com
Is Bibi Netanyahu letting Lithuania get away with murder? Dr. Efraim Zuroff, director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Jerusalem office, thinks he is doing just that. On this episode of David Ze'ev in Israel, Dr. Zuroff takes the Israeli prime minister to task for pretending that Lithuania has honestly confronted its behavior towards Jews during the Shoah, when, he claims, its government has done the exact opposite. David also speaks with American firefighter Jerry Eizen, who has been deployed to Israel twice in order to fight fires here, and asks him about his experiences putting out fires in Israel as well as in Michigan. David also explores Avigdor Lieberman's recent meeting with officials from Qatar, and concludes with one of his patented "bus stories." Music: "Energy" by bensoud.com
Last Shabbat, vandals painted elaborate Nazi imagery - including Nazi flags and iron crosses - by the side of Congregation Shaarey Tefillah in Carmel, Indiana. Despite this painful event, the local community, Jews and non-Jews, has expressed powerful solidarity with the members of the synagogue. David Ze'ev speaks with Rabbi Ben Sendrow of Congregation Shaarey Tefilla, about what this event means, and whether it is representative of a larger problem of antisemitism in the city. David also talks to Anita Tucker, who lived in Gaza for thirty years before she was removed by the Israeli government along with 8000 other Jews in 2005, about life after the Disengagement. Finally, David tells a story of coexistence in Israel, involving a surprising interaction between two couples - one ultra-Orthodox and one secular - sitting together in a gazebo. Music: "Energy" by bensoud.com
The world has been up in arms this week after the passage of the so-called Nation-State Law in Israel, which declares Israel to be the nation-state of the Jewish people. David Ze'ev speaks to Anton Goodman, director of development for the Abraham Fund, about why he strongly opposes this new basic law, and the reasons that the law hurts Israel's democratic character. In addition, activist Yisrael Medad suggests several reasons that more Jewish people are ascending the Temple Mount - officially under the religious jurisdiction of the Islamic Wakf - than ever before. Finally, David relates a short story about an encounter on a local bus, and what that anecdote indicates about the possibilities of coexistence among Jews. Music: "Energy" by bensound.com
During the Nine Days of mourning for the destroyed Temple in Jerusalem, David Ze'ev speaks with Simon Fisher, the executive director of Save A Child's Heart, an Israeli organization that gives medical help to children from 57 developing countries around the world, including countries that are nominally at war with Israel. David also talks to Josh Flaster, the director of The Lone Soldier Center - In Memory of Michael Levin. Michael Levin was killed in the Second Lebanon War in 2006, and on the occasion of the twelfth anniversary of his death, they discuss Michael's legacy, and the activities of the Center. And David also describes an interaction he had with a journalist on the streets of Jerusalem, and how that relates to the Nine Days. Music: "Energy" by bensound.com
As the areas around Gaza continue to burn due to the Hamas "terror kites," David Ze'ev talks to Eric Narrow, Israel Communications Officer at the Jewish National Fund, about the damage accrued as a result, and the surprising hope he sees for the future. David also talks to Rabbi Avi Baumol, rabbi of Krakow, Poland, about the many people there who discover late in life that they're Jewish, and about the history of the Polish law forbidding the mention of Polish concentration camps. Finally, David speaks with Shira Lankin Sheps, publisher of The Layers Project Magazine, about her very recent move to Israel, and her hopes and plans for the future. Music: "Energy" by bensound.com
Israel faces many challenges, some internal and some in its relationship with countries around the world. In this week's podcast, David Ze'ev speaks with Efrat Mayor and Yesha Council Chief Foreign Envoy Oded Revivi, and Darkenu founder Polly Bronstein, about their work in bridging the gaps between the different populations in Israel, and their belief that dialogue and moderation - even among groups with vastly different political views - can overcome some of the intransigence that characterizes Israeli politics. David also talks to Ambassador Paul Hirschson, Israel's ambassador to Senegal and several other African countries, about the work he's doing to improve Israel's image abroad. Music: "Energy" by bensound.com
David Ze'ev asks Ambassador Danny Ayalon, formerly Israel's deputy foreign minister and ambassador to the United States, and now the head of The Truth About Israel, about the Trump administration's decision to pull out of the UN Human Rights Council, as well as the reasons for Israel's demonization at the UN and what can be done to improve the situation. David also talks with Jeremy Saltan of the Bayit Yehudi party about the secret Trump peace plan, Isaac Herzog's new position as the chairman of the Jewish Agency, and how Bayit Yehudi head and Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett will work together with former Labor leader Herzog on joint initiatives. Music: "Energy" by Bensound.com
Recent news reports have emphasized the security issues on Israel's border with Gaza, but most analysts view the threat from Hezbollah on the northern border as the greater long-term threat. David Ze'ev speaks to Dr. Erez Carmon, manager of emergency preparedness at Rambam Hospital in Haifa, which has used the lessons of the 2006 conflict with Hezbollah to create the world's largest hospital designed to be functional in wartime conditions. David also discusses the benefits of aliya to Southern Israel, and the advantages of moving there rather than to Central Israel, with Donna Horwitz of the Nefesh B'Nefesh Go South initiative.
There is a new form of attack against Israel that has been barely noticed, but is causing real damage in the communities near the Gaza Strip: flaming kites flown from Gaza into local Israeli communities. These kites have started numerous fires, and sometimes have deadly explosives attached, as well. This week, David Zeev talks with Adele Raemer of Kibbutz Nirim, who began an intiative using Google Maps to help spread the word about what is taking place in the Gaza Envelope. David also talks to Likud Central Committee member Mordechai Taub about Prime Minister Netanyahu's reelection prospects, and with Erica Lyons of the Jewish community in Hong Kong about the challenges and opportunities of Jewish life in the Far East. Music: "Energy" by Bensound.com