Jewish Crossroads: Jewish Identity in Times of Crisis

In this episode of Jewish Crossroads, Tamar Ish Shalom sits down with Iranian-American author and journalist Roya Hakakian, a leading voice on Iran, exile, and the lived experience of life under the Islamic Republic.Born into a Jewish family in Tehran, Hakakian left Iran at 19 in the years following the revolution, carrying with her both the memory of a vanished world and a deep understanding of the regime that replaced it. Her work, spanning memoir, journalism, and political analysis, has consistently illuminated the human realities behind Iran’s ideological machinery, tracing not only the repression within the country but also the broader influence of the regime beyond its borders.Moving between past and present, personal memory and political reality, they explore how the current war reshapes our understanding of Iran’s trajectory. What has changed in the regime’s position, and what has not? How should we interpret the possibility of internal transformation? And what does it mean to speak about Iran not only as a geopolitical actor, but as a society still struggling under the weight of its rulers?If you’d like to be in touch with us, contact: jewishcrossroadspod@gmail.comTamar on X: https://x.com/tamarishshalomTamar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamarishshalom/JPPI on X: https://x.com/JewishPolicyJPPI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jewishpeoplepolicyinstitute/

In this episode of Jewish Crossroads, Tamar Ish Shalom sits down with Matti Friedman, one of the most perceptive and nuanced voices writing about Israel, war, and Jewish identity today.A former Associated Press correspondent in Jerusalem and a longtime contributor to the New York Times, The Atlantic, and the Free Press, Friedman has built a reputation for clarity in moments of confusion and for resisting the easy narratives that so often dominate coverage of Israel. Born in Canada and having made Aliyah at 17, he occupies a rare vantage point, both fully Israeli and slightly apart. It is precisely this dual perspective that lends his work its depth, skepticism, and moral precision.The conversation moves between biography and history, journalism and memory. What does it mean to choose Israel rather than be born into it? How does one write honestly about a society one loves? And what responsibilities does a journalist carry when covering a country so burdened by myth, projection, and misunderstanding?They also discuss his forthcoming book, Out of the Sky, and the enduring challenge of telling Jewish and Israeli stories in a world eager for simplification.If you’d like to be in touch with us, contact: jewishcrossroadspod@gmail.comTamar on X: https://x.com/tamarishshalomTamar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamarishshalom/JPPI on X: https://x.com/JewishPolicyJPPI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jewishpeoplepolicyinstitute/Matti's books: Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe - https://a.co/d/01RVQU8rWho By Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai -  https://a.co/d/06j2RmCISpies of No Country: Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel - https://a.co/d/02Oo5cf7Articles: Israel Had a Disorienting 2025. What Comes Next? Read here: https://www.thefp.com/p/israel-had-a-disorienting-2025-whatAn Insider’s Guide to the Most Important Story on Earth. Read here: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/israel-insider-guide

In this episode of Jewish Crossroads, Tamar Ish Shalom sits down with Jonah Platt, one of the most striking Jewish voices to emerge in American public life in the years since October 7.Platt was well known long before this moment as a producer, writer, and cultural commentator, and as the son of legendary Hollywood producer Marc Platt and Jewish communal leader Julie Platt. Over the past few years, however, he has undergone a visible and consequential transformation. Through his podcast Being Jewish, Platt has become an unapologetic Jewish voice deeply engaged with the moral and emotional stakes of Jewish life right now.Together, they turn to the present and a reckoning in American Jewish life. How should this moment be understood? What kind of leadership is being asked for now? And what responsibilities come with finding one’s voice when silence no longer feels possible?If you’d like to be in touch with us, contact: jewishcrossroadspod@gmail.comTamar on X: https://x.com/tamarishshalomTamar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamarishshalom/JPPI on X: https://x.com/JewishPolicyJPPI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jewishpeoplepolicyinstitute/

Yair Golan, a former IDF major general and leader of Israel's Democrats Party, dives deep into the complex interplay of security and democracy. He reflects on his firsthand experience during the October 7 attacks and how it reshaped his views on leadership and identity. Golan advocates for coalitions with Arab parties and warns of threats to democratic elections. He calls for a two-state solution and emphasizes the importance of Israel being a supportive homeland for diaspora Jews. His candid remarks challenge listeners to actively engage in liberal democracy's future.

In this episode of Jewish Crossroads, journalist Tamar Ish Shalom sits down with Maya Tevet Dayan for a deeply reflective conversation. Tevet Dayan is an Israeli poet, writer, and public intellectual, widely regarded as one of the most important voices in contemporary Israeli literature and feminism. A recipient of the Israeli Prime Minister’s Award for Literature, she holds a PhD in Indian philosophy and literature and has taught and lectured at leading universities in Israel and abroad for many years.The conversation unfolds across geographies and states of mind. Tevet Dayan speaks about her time as a visiting poet in the United States in the aftermath of October 7, where she confronted the difficulty, often the impossibility, of translating Israeli grief, fear, and moral clarity in academic and cultural spaces that could feel alienating or dismissive. At the same time, she reflects on an unexpected encounter with Jewish peoplehood in the Diaspora, experienced not as an abstraction but as a living and vulnerable bond.Upon her return to Israel, the questions intensified rather than receded. Tevet Dayan recounts a harrowing night spent sheltering at her father’s home as an Iranian missile landed nearby, an experience that sharpened her thinking about safety, home, exile, and what it means to remain rooted when instability becomes a permanent condition. This episode weaves poetry and philosophy with lived experience, tracing how language, identity, and belonging are reshaped in moments when history presses in on the most intimate spaces of life.If you’d like to be in touch with us, contact: jewishcrossroadspod@gmail.comTamar on X: https://x.com/tamarishshalomTamar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamarishshalom/JPPI on X: https://x.com/JewishPolicyJPPI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jewishpeoplepolicyinstitute/Maya Tevet Dayan website: https://www.mayatevetdayan.com/en/Maya Tevet Dayan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maya_tevet_dayan/

In this episode of Jewish Crossroads, journalist Tamar Ish Shalom sits down with Dr. Einat Wilf for a wide-ranging and intellectually bracing conversation. Dr. Wilf is a thinker, historian, former Knesset member, one of Israel’s most incisive public intellectuals. She is the author of several books, including The War of Return (with Dr. Adi Schwartz). In recent years, Wilf has undergone a significant ideological evolution, emerging as a leading voice challenging long-held assumptions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, international diplomacy, and Israel’s strategic choices. In this discussion, Wilf talks about her continued public work through writing and advocacy, and her latest move: the founding of a new political party, Oz, aimed at reshaping Israel’s political future.If you’d like to be in touch with us, contact: jewishcrossroadspod@gmail.comTamar on X: https://x.com/tamarishshalomTamar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamarishshalom/JPPI on X: https://x.com/JewishPolicyJPPI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jewishpeoplepolicyinstitute/

In this episode of Jewish Crossroads, Tamar Ish-Shalom speaks with Benny Gantz, the former IDF Chief of Staff who entered Israeli politics in 2019 after more than three decades of military service. Gantz has since held several senior government roles, including Minister of Defense, alternate prime minister, and deputy prime minister. Following the October 7 attacks, he and his party joined Israel’s emergency unity government, where he served in the war cabinet until his resignation in June 2024. Together, they discuss whether Donald Trump is good for American Jewry, the state of the U.S.–Israel relationship, and the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.Join us for a conversation that will make you stop, think, and maybe even rethink.If you’d like to be in touch with us, contact: jewishcrossroadspod@gmail.comTamar on X: https://x.com/tamarishshalomTamar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamarishshalom/JPPI on X: https://x.com/JewishPolicyJPPI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jewishpeoplepolicyinstitute/

In the season premiere of Jewish Crossroads, journalist Tamar Ish-Shalom sits down with opposition leader and former prime minister Yair Lapid for a candid conversation about the shifting landscape of Israel–U.S. relations. Lapid voices concern over the election of New York City’s new mayor, Zohrahn Mamdani, whom he accuses of applying double standards toward Israel and the Jewish people. The episode also revisits the impact of October 7 on American Jewry and sets the stage for the season’s wider exploration of political change, identity, and the evolving ties between Israel and the United States.Join us for a conversation that will make you stop, think, and maybe even rethink.If you’d like to be in touch with us, contact: jewishcrossroadspod@gmail.comTamar on X: https://x.com/tamarishshalomTamar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamarishshalom/JPPI on X: https://x.com/JewishPolicyJPPI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jewishpeoplepolicyinstitute/

In this episode, Tamar Ish Shalom sits down with journalist and commentator Batya Ungar-Sargon, whose journey from progressive to outspoken critic of “woke” culture has made her one of the most provocative voices in American political discourse.Batya is the author of two books (a third on Jews and the left is in the works) – Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy and Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America's Working Men and Women. She calls herself a “MAGA leftist” and an enthusiastic supporter of Donald Trump, while at the same time insisting that the voices of ordinary Americans be part of the national conversation.Agree or disagree with her, Batya challenges assumptions about media, politics, and democracy itself. Tamar and Batya discuss her unlikely trajectory, the blind spots of American elites, and why talking about class is so often avoided.Join us for a conversation that will make you stop, think, and maybe even rethink.If you’d like to be in touch with us, contact: jewishcrossroadspod@gmail.comTamar on X: https://x.com/tamarishshalomTamar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamarishshalom/JPPI on X: https://x.com/JewishPolicyJPPI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jewishpeoplepolicyinstitute/

In this episode of Jewish Crossroads, Tamar is joined by Ilan Goldenberg, Senior Vice President and Chief Policy Officer at J Street. Goldenberg served in both the Obama and Biden administrations and has a profound understanding of Israel, the Middle East, and the American Jewish community. His perspective is shaped not just by his years in policy, but by a personal biography that bridges worlds.Born in Jerusalem to American parents, Ilan moved to New Jersey at the age of eight. He grew up straddling identities — fluent in Hebrew, versed in Arabic, and deeply rooted in both American and Israeli life.In the Obama administration, Ilan advised on Middle East policy from the Pentagon to the State Department, working on issues ranging from Iran’s nuclear program to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. He served as chief of staff to the U.S. Special Envoy under Secretary Kerry. In the Biden era, he continued shaping U.S. policy as special advise Biden, Harris, and the Middle East: Behind the Scenes with Ilan Goldenbergr to Vice President Kamala Harris on Middle East defense and technology, and later as national director for Jewish Outreach in Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign.With his unique background and wealth of experience, he offers insight into some of the most urgent debates shaping U.S.-Israel relations, the future of American diplomacy in the region, and the evolving role of the Jewish community in American politics.If you’d like to be in touch with us, contact: jewishcrossroadspod@gmail.comTamar on X: https://x.com/tamarishshalomTamar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamarishshalom/JPPI on X: https://x.com/JewishPolicyJPPI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jewishpeoplepolicyinstitute/Ilan Goldenberg: https://x.com/ilangoldenberg?lang=en