Jewish Crossroads: Jewish Identity in Times of Crisis

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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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/