As Israel marks its 77th Independence Day, we step back from the headlines to reflect on the extraordinary, improbable story of its survival and triumph.

Aviva Klompas opens with a moment from November 1947: just hours after the UN vote to establish a Jewish state, Golda Meir warned a jubilant crowd that the dream would not come easily. It would have to be fought for—and it would come at a cost.

Israel’s early years were defined by war, scarcity, and isolation. But against overwhelming odds, the state didn’t just survive—it reinvented itself, again and again, turning the impossible into the possible.

Each week on Boundless Insights, we tackle hard news: war, hostages, internal turmoil. But today, we remember where Israel began—and why hope remains central to its story.

Dr. Michael Oren joins the episode to bring that story to life. He reflects on pivotal moments that reveal the many faces of Israeli identity: courage, innovation, grief, and defiance. Together, we revisit the spirit of the founding generation, the resilience that shaped the nation, and the enduring hope that still lights the way forward.

A celebration of Israel at 77—through memory, storytelling, and the enduring miracle of the Jewish state.

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Learn more about Boundless: https://boundlessisrael.org

Israel is facing a domestic crisis with sweeping implications for its democracy, national security, and political leadership.

In a sworn affidavit to Israel’s Supreme Court, Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of demanding personal loyalty above the rule of law. Among the explosive allegations: that Netanyahu urged him to spy on Israeli citizens, interfere with the premier’s corruption trial, and defy Supreme Court rulings in the event of a constitutional crisis.

Bar says he was fired not for any professional failings—but for refusing to turn the Shin Bet into a political tool and refusing to protect the prime minister from legal accountability.

This episode isn’t just about one affidavit. It’s about the integrity of Israel’s institutions, the balance of power in a democracy without a written constitution, and what happens when security and politics collide.

To break it all down, host Aviva Klompas is joined by historian and former Israeli ambassador to the United States, Dr. Michael Oren.

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Learn more about Boundless: https://boundlessisrael.org/

Since October 7, antisemitism has surged across American college campuses—setting off one of the fiercest debates in higher education today. In response, the Trump administration has launched an aggressive crackdown: threatening to pull federal funding, investigating elite universities, and detaining foreign students accused of supporting terror groups. Supporters see this as long-overdue protection for Jewish students. Critics call it a dangerous overreach aimed at silencing dissent and reshaping academia.

Host Aviva Klompas sits down with Alyza Lewin, President of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and a leading legal voice in the fight against campus antisemitism.

In this wide-ranging conversation, they explore the line between protected speech and targeted harassment, what Jewish students are experiencing on the ground, and whether the federal response will ultimately safeguard civil rights or erode academic freedom. Alyza offers a frank and clear-eyed assessment of the legal and political stakes—and what students, families, university leaders, and lawmakers need to grapple with next.

Guest Bio:

Alyza D. Lewin is President of The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, where she leads legal and educational efforts to combat antisemitism and defend civil rights, particularly on college campuses. She is also a partner at Lewin & Lewin, LLP, specializing in litigation, mediation, and government relations.

Lewin successfully represented Avi Zinger in securing the rights to sell Ben & Jerry’s in Israel and argued the landmark Zivotofsky v. Kerry case before the U.S. Supreme Court, which helped pave the way for U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. She has also litigated key terror finance cases, clerked on Israel’s Supreme Court, and led the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists. A graduate of Princeton and NYU Law, she is a member of the New York and D.C. bars and a trained mediator.

Referenced in this episode:
Trump’s Jewish Cover Story by Yair Rosenberg in The Atlantic

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Learn more about Boundless: https://boundlessisrael.org/

As nuclear talks between the United States and Iran get underway, Israel is watching with unease. What’s being billed as technical negotiations over uranium levels and verification protocols is, in truth, a high-stakes diplomatic gamble with enormous implications for the Middle East.

Iran is dragging its feet, playing for time. Former President Donald Trump, eager for a foreign policy win ahead of the election, wants a deal sealed fast. And Israel is stuck in the middle—between a regime that seeks its destruction and an ally willing to look the other way to score political points.

Dr. Michael Oren returns to Boundless Insights to discuss the deal and what’s at stake. Drawing on his experience as Israel’s former ambassador to Washington, he shares why the current moment echoes the lead-up to the 2015 Iran deal—and why this time, the risks may be even greater.

We talk about the limits of trust in any deal with Tehran, the challenges of verification, and what Israel can do when it’s excluded from decisions that threaten its security. And we ask a central question: can the West afford to underestimate Iran again?

Referenced in the episode:
There’s only one way US-Iran talks should end: Halt Tehran’s nuclear terror for good by Dr. Michael Oren in the New York Post

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Learn more about Boundless: https://boundlessisrael.org/

Since October 7, Israel has been fighting a war unlike any in modern history — against a terror group that hides in hospitals, stores weapons in schools, and holds hostages underground. The IDF is operating under intense pressure, with international demands for zero civilian casualties, blocked operations in key Hamas strongholds, and constant pauses driven more by perception than fact.

Urban warfare expert John Spencer joins Aviva Klompas to explain what’s really happening on the ground in Gaza. He’s been inside Hamas’s tunnels, studied the world’s most complex battlefields, and advised top U.S. generals. Together, they unpack the realities of urban combat, the misinformation war playing out across social media, and what the world gets dangerously wrong about how Israel is fighting.

Guest Bio:

John Spencer is an award-winning scholar, internationally recognized expert and advisor on urban warfare, military strategy, tactics, and other related topics. Considered one of the world’s leading experts on urban warfare, he served as an advisor to the top four-star general and other senior leaders in the U.S. Army as part of strategic research groups from the Pentagon to the United States Military Academy. John currently serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, Co-Director of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast.

Recent Articles from John Spencer:
The lies behind the Gaza casualty figures and the thousands of names removed without explanation

How Hamas Can Be Destroyed With Military Force

Why doesn’t Israel have a constitution and what would it mean to finally write one

Aviva Klompas sits down with Dr. Michael Oren to discuss one of the most foundational—and contentious—questions about Israeli democracy: the absence of a formal constitution.

Despite a promise made at the country’s founding in 1948, Israel continues to operate under a framework of Basic Laws and judicial precedents, with no singular document that defines the principles, powers, and limits of governance.

As Israel faces political upheaval, protests, war on multiple fronts, and a deepening struggle over the role of the judiciary, the debate over a constitution has resurfaced with urgency. Once an opponent of adopting a constitution, Dr. Oren now believes it’s essential to Israel’s future—and even to its security.

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Learn more about Boundless: https://boundlessisrael.org/

Referenced in the episode:
2048: The Rejuvenated State by Michael Oren
Israel needs a constitution to prevent civil war by Michael Oren

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an unplanned stop at the White House after a visit to Hungary, aiming to persuade Donald Trump to reverse a looming 17% tariff on Israeli goods. But the real story was playing out just beneath the surface.

Trump dropped a surprise announcement: senior U.S. officials would be holding direct talks with Iran — a shift that appeared to blindside the Israeli leader. Netanyahu stuck to his hard line on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, while Trump emphasized diplomacy and pointedly reminded everyone of the billions in U.S. aid to Israel.

Was this an act of diplomatic finesse or a political gamble gone sideways?

Aviva Klompas speaks with Dr. Michael Oren — historian, author, and former Israeli ambassador to Washington — to break down the visit, the messaging, and what it all signals about the road ahead for Israel and Iran.

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Definition of adumbration - the act of providing vague advance indications.

In this longform edition of Boundless Insights, Dr. Rachel Fish sits down with Michal Cotler-Wunsh — Israel’s Special Envoy for Combatting Antisemitism and a former Member of Knesset — for a wide-ranging conversation about the evolution of antisemitism, the weaponization of international law, and the global implications of October 7.

Michal argues that the misuse of human rights language, including terms like "genocide" and "apartheid," has served to delegitimize Israel, and she calls urgently for moral clarity and consistency in applying human rights principles globally.

Drawing from her own personal journey — from early childhood in Jerusalem’s Knesset corridors to formative years in Canada — Michal brings a rare perspective to understanding Israel from both the inside out and the outside in. She shares deeply personal stories, including memories of playing in the Knesset and visiting the home of Menachem Begin, while also offering sharp political insight into the modern-day challenges facing the Jewish people and the international community.

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Learn more about Boundless: https://boundlessisrael.org/

Guest Bio:

Michal Cotler-Wunsh, LL.B, LL.M, is Israel’s Special Envoy for Combatting Antisemitism and a Senior Policy and Strategy Advisor. A former Member of Knesset, she chaired and served on several key parliamentary committees and was the first Knesset liaison to the International Criminal Court. She also co-founded the Inter-parliamentary Task Force to Combat Online Antisemitism.

Michal’s work focuses on antisemitism, international law, human rights, and Zionism. Her diverse legal, academic, and professional background includes roles with the Jewish Federations of North America, Nefesh B’Nefesh, and Reichman University in Herzliya. She also serves as a trustee of The Rabbi Sacks Legacy. Michal lives in Ra’anana, Israel, with her husband and four children.

Mentioned in this episode:

Working definition of antisemitism from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)