SAPIR Conversations

• Welcome Host Rabbi David Wolpe! Our New Podcast

  Since its founding in 2021, SAPIR Conversations, the podcast companion to the quarterly journal has sought to elevate the discourse around Jewish life, identity, and ideas for a thriving Jewish future. As many of our readers (and listeners) know, SAPIR was born of conviction: namely, that the Jewish world—and indeed the broader intellectual landscape—deserves a forum where voices across the ideological spectrum can meet not in combat, but in conversation. For nearly five years, we’ve curated essays from leading thinkers, practitioners, public intellectuals, and change-makers, with a particular emphasis on prescription. Our goal was not to just diagnose the problems but also to conceive of solutions. Today marks a new chapter as we re-launch the SAPIR Conversations podcast with even more discussions and double the hosting power. Joins us as Rabbi David Wolpe, scholar-in-residence at the Maimonides Fund, Max Webb Emeritus Rabbi of Sinai Temple, prolific author, a SAPIR contributor, and a former pulpit rabbi who was once named by Newsweek as the most influential rabbi in America, joins Bret Stephens as co-host of SAPIR Conversations. Where Bret will still interview our SAPIR authors live via virtual events, Rabbi Wolpe will have the opportunity to expand the conversations by bringing in voices beyond the pages of SAPIR.  To launch our newly revamped podcast, our co-hosts got together to talk about the latest issue of SAPIR, on Chosenness.

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• Our Political Moment with Bret Stephens and Mijal Bitton

  Charlie Kirk, a conservative political activist, was murdered at a campus event in Utah on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 10th, 2025. As Americans reckon with this horrific act of political violence, many are alarmed at the grim message it offers about the state of our politics and where our democracy is headed. In a special SAPIR conversation with SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens and Maimonides Fund scholar-in-residence Mijal Bitton held days after this tragic event, they discuss the implications of these events for America and American Jews. 

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• Views from the Iranian Diaspora with Roya Hakakian and Mehdi Yahyanejad

  Twelve days of war between Israel and Iran sparked passionate debates about the future of the Islamic Republic. How did Israel’s strikes impact the stability of the regime? What are the implications of the war on Iranian dissidents, opposition figures, and everyday Iranian citizens? And what does the historically fractious Iranian diaspora hope for in the weeks and months ahead?To answer these questions and more, on July 3, SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman moderated a conversation between SAPIR contributors and prominent Iranian-American activists – Roya Hakakian, an acclaimed writer and author, Mehdi Yahyanejad, a tech entrepreneur who founded methods to bypass censorship in Iran.

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• Did Israel and the U.S. destroy or delay Iran's nuclear program? with Eyal Hulata

  It’s been less than a week since the unprecedented U.S. military strikes against the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities in Iran. Codenamed “Operation Midnight Hammer,” the attack was designed to degrade Iran’s nuclear weapons capabilities. However, there are conflicting reports about its success. Were the sites destroyed or severely damaged? What is the impact of the attacks on the Iranian nuclear weapon program? What are the implications for the United States and Israel moving forward?On Friday, June 27, SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman was joined by Eyal Hulata, for a timely conversation about what took place in Iran, and what that means for the region now. Hulata is Israel’s former National Security Advisor and former head of Israel’s National Security Council responsible for coordinating the national effort on Iran. He is currently a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).

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• S17E2: Renewing Jewish Activism with Sara Forman and Mark B. Rotenberg

  In the wake of October 7, many American Jews have grappled with what it means to not only engage in activism—a longstanding tradition in Jewish history and culture—but to advocate effectively for themselves across diverse environments. On Monday, June 23, 2025 SAPIR’s Editor-in-Chief, Bret Stephens, was joined by Sara Forman, Executive Director of the New York Solidarity Network (NYSN) and Mark B. Rotenberg, Senior Vice President for University Initiatives and General Counsel at Hillel International for a conversation on new forms of Jewish political and legal activism. Click on these links to read their pieces from the latest issue of SAPIR. Politics (Forman)Lawfare (Weiss & Rotenberg)

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