In this episode of Seeking Sinai, Rabbi Natan sits down with Rabbi Sam Trief and Rabbi Rachael Miller and reflect on a powerful, woman-centered journey to Israel with a group of Davis Academy mothers during a moment of profound uncertainty and looming conflict. The conversation explores how shared motherhood, personal relationships with Israel, and collaborative rabbinic leadership created space for honest questions, emotional processing, and deep connection. More than a trip, it became a model of Jewish communal partnership—bridging congregations, families, and lived experience. This episode highlights how Jewish identity, leadership, and solidarity are strengthened through trust, vulnerability, and walking together.

In this emergency episode of Seeking Sinai, Rabbi Natan speaks with one of the leaders of the American Jewish Committee, Dov Wilker, about the rapidly unfolding confrontation between Israel, the United States, and Iran. Together they explore whether this moment is simply the next phase of the war that began on October 7th or a historic turning point in the region. The conversation also examines how the American Jewish community is processing these developments and what role advocacy organizations like AJC play behind the scenes. At stake are not only geopolitical outcomes, but also the future of Jewish security, solidarity, and leadership in a rapidly changing world.

After you listen to the conversation, check out ajc.orgto reference the statistics and articles mentioned in this episode, including the "Iran Explainer," "Tough Questions" as well as resources with graphics of drones and maps.

This episode of Seeking Sinai begins far from punditry or protest—at a poolside playdate between two fathers navigating Jewish life after October 7th. Rabbi Natan sits down with Josh Wikoff, a former IDF paratrooper and author of Contested Land, Uncontested Truth, to explore what it means to love Israel without defensiveness, slogans, or retreat. Drawing on lived experience, military service, and rigorous scholarship, Wikoff argues that commitment and critical thinking are not opposites—but obligations. Together, they discuss how communities can model confident, generous conversations about Israel, make space for disagreement, and resist the pressure to shout or simplify. This episode is an invitation to replace certainty with seriousness, and noise with moral courage.