Can a society traumatized by October 7 learn to hope again?

As Trump unveils his Arab supported Gaza peace plan, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi examine why Israelis struggle to embrace hope after October 7. They discuss the plan's moral dimensions, its focus on defeating Hamas while offering Palestinians a future, and what it means to believe in change when your world feels broken.

A timely conversation about transformation, just before Yom Kippur.

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Can we maintain the highest ethical standards without betraying national solidarity?

As the war in Gaza surpasses 700 days and the High Holidays approach, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi explore what it means to love Israel unconditionally while grappling with the challenges of moral responsibility during time of war. They discuss maintaining ethical credibility while under attack and advocate making space for the "troubled committed"—Jews who refuse to choose between loyalty and ethics—concluding that the hardest questions often come from the place of deepest love.

From the episode:

“Our season of reckoning: Israel’s moral crossroads in Gaza” by Yossi Klein Halevi, Times of Israel

“The Troubled and the Committed” by Liel Leibovitz, Tablet Magazine

“Liberal Zionism and the Troubled Committed” by Donniel Hartman, Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas, Fall 2021

As the Gaza war reaches day 703 and the High Holidays approach, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi wrestle with the challenge of moral reflection in wartime after a painful week. How do you maintain ethical standards without betraying solidarity?

They address soldiers’ sacrifices, the fate of hostages, Gazan civilians, and the stakes of a potential ceasefire decision, exploring what it means to love Israel unconditionally while grappling with difficult moral questions. They discuss the "troubled committed" - Jews who refuse to choose between loyalty and ethics, and why making space for their voices strengthens rather than weakens support for Israel.

A raw, honest conversation about maintaining ethical credibility while under attack, and why the hardest questions often come from the deepest love.

From the episode:

“Our season of reckoning: Israel’s moral crossroads in Gaza” by Yossi Klein Halevi, Times of Israel

“The Troubled and the Committed” by Liel Leibovitz, Tablet Magazine

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• Yossi’s article: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/our-season-of-reckoning-israels-moral-crossroads-in-gaza/
• Tablet Article: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/uja-gaza-donation-troubled-committed-liel-leibovitz

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In a headline-grabbing speech, Benjamin Netanyahu asked Israelis to embrace life as a “super-Sparta,” cut off from a hostile world— which begs the question: who do Israelis want to be after October 7?

In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi unpack the implications of embracing an isolationist strategy: was this merely a pep talk, or the burial of Start-Up Nation for Sparta Nation? What does Sparta really symbolize, and why are even right-wing voters feeling uneasy? With new polls showing 78% of Israelis prefer diplomacy over permanent siege, could a new Israeli identity movement be rising in response?

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In striking Hamas leaders in Qatar, Israel is invoking a decades-old principle: enemies of the Jewish people have no sovereign immunity. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi examine how the 1961 Eichmann Trial, which established the doctrine of universal jurisdiction for crimes against humanity and crimes against the Jewish people, continues to shape modern Israeli thinking and military operations.

As day 704 of the war in Gaza unfolds, they grapple with hard questions: is Israel a nation that excels at precise military strikes but struggles with long-term strategic solutions? What does this action mean for hostage negotiations? And how do democracies fight evil without losing their moral standing?

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Is pushing into Gaza City a necessary step—or a purposeless escalation that jeopardizes hostages, multiplies civilian suffering, and splinters national unity?

As Israel weighs an assault on Gaza City, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi debate the IDF chief’s four-part warning—military efficacy, the fate of the hostages, a spiraling humanitarian crisis, and global isolation—and whether this phase risks tearing Israel apart.

They revisit lessons from Lebanon 1982 and Yom Kippur 1973, consider if the war’s military purpose lapsed months ago, and ask whether public outrage can still halt an escalation that could endanger the hostages Israel seeks to save.

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Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.

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This episode originally aired on January 16, 2025.

A ceasefire deal has just been reached.

In the past, Israelis have been united in elation and relief about the return of hostages, even at a high cost to national security. But not this time. Far-right MKs and ultranationalists had vigorously decried the deal, protesting any concession that would allow Hamas to hold on to power, no matter how small. What is behind their bitter dissent, and will this deepen rifts in Israeli society?

In this episode, recorded as the deal was still being finalized, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi consider closure, family loyalty, and the basic value of derech eretz (common decency) in negotiating the return of the hostages, and why the lens for ultranationalists in Israel is so starkly different.

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Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.

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What does it mean to lead Jewish communities through crisis? And how can North American Jews navigate complex relationships with Israel during wartime?

In a raw and honest conversation recorded live at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem on July 14, 2025, Institute presidents Donniel Hartman and Yehuda Kurtzer tackle difficult questions about Jewish leadership, trauma, and the responsibility to stay "okay" when the world feels broken.

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Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.

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What if October 7 didn't only traumatize Israel and Jews worldwide—but actually changed the course of Jewish history?

On this special episode of For Heaven’s Sake, Yossi Klein Halevi and Shalom Hartman Institute of North America CEO Rachel Jacoby Rosenfield explore his bold thesis that October 7 marked the end of the post-Holocaust era of increased Jewish security and acceptance. Their wide-ranging conversation tackles antisemitism, Jewish power, generational divides, and the urgent need for a new Jewish story.

This conversation was recorded live at the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Jerusalem campus on July 16, 2025.

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Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.

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