Haaretz Podcast host Allison Kaplan Sommer welcomes Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, to discuss the challenges of leading progressive American Jews during Israel's Gaza war and ahead of a second Trump presidency. Rabbi Jacobs opens up about generational divides, love for Israel despite government policies, and the urgency of Jewish unity in the face of rising antisemitism. From engaging young members of the community to addressing political polarization, this candid conversation explores how Jewish values endure in complex times.

Haaretz Podcast host Allison Kaplan Sommer welcomes Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, to discuss the challenges of leading progressive American Jews during Israel's Gaza war and ahead of a second Trump presidency. Rabbi Jacobs opens up about generational divides, love for Israel despite government policies, and the urgency of Jewish unity in the face of rising antisemitism. From engaging young members of the community to addressing political polarization, this candid conversation explores how Jewish values endure in complex times.

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – a weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – a weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.

Your audio guide to Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.

Haaretz Podcast

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – the Haaretz weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer. 

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – the Haaretz weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.

'We show up in places that some of the Jewish community has abandoned'

U.S. President Donald Trump “needs to find an off ramp” from the war with Iran as soon as possible, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro said on the Haaretz Podcast.

While Shapiro said the military results of the war – the decimation of Iranian military assets and elimination of top leaders – are “incredibly impressive,” the United States must recognize that “the weaker party has cards to play, and their cards grow more influential as this conflict drags on,” pointing to the choking of world oil supply in the Strait of Hormuz, draining of U.S. and Israeli anti-missile resources, and attacks by proxies and terrorist groups. 

Shapiro, who was ambassador from 2011–2017, said he wants regime change in Iran, but “not through a military campaign. That's not really something we're capable of at any acceptable cost.”

Additionally, he warns, a fall of the Iranian regime will spark “a great deal of chaos, a great deal of spillover of instability to neighboring countries, perhaps a civil war, waves of terror outside of Iran” and more.

“All of that has the potential to suck the United States in much further to the whole region. I could imagine that this is not a high concern for Israelis. Israelis could live with that set of concerns in ways that the United States and the American people will maybe feel differently about and certainly have not been prepared for.” 

Read more:

What a Difference 12 Days Make: Why This Israel-Iran War Is Different From the Last One

Trump 'Shocked' That Iran Attacked Gulf Neighbors in Retaliatory Strikes

House Democrats Urge Congressional Testimony by Trump Administration Officials on Iran War

Analysis by Amos Harel | IDF's Grandiose Plans for South Lebanon Ground Offensive Won't Topple Hezbollah

Netanyahu Isn't Dead. But Even His 'Proof of Life' Video Is Being Derided as AI

U.S. President Donald Trump &ldquo;needs to find an off ramp&rdquo; from the war with Iran as soon as possible, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro said on the Haaretz Podcast.
While Shapiro said the military results of the war &ndash; the decimation of Iranian military assets and elimination of top leaders &ndash; are &ldquo;incredibly impressive,&rdquo; the United States must recognize that &ldquo;the weaker party has cards to play, and their cards grow more influential as this conflict drags on,&rdquo; pointing to the choking of world oil supply in the Strait of Hormuz, draining of U.S. and Israeli anti-missile resources, and attacks by proxies and terrorist groups.&nbsp;
Shapiro, who was ambassador from 2011&ndash;2017, said he wants regime change in Iran, but &ldquo;not through a military campaign. That's not really something we're capable of at any acceptable cost.&rdquo;
Additionally, he warns, a fall of the Iranian regime will spark &ldquo;a great deal of chaos, a great deal of spillover of instability to neighboring countries, perhaps a civil war, waves of terror outside of Iran&rdquo; and more.
&ldquo;All of that has the potential to suck the United States in much further to the whole region. I could imagine that this is not a high concern for Israelis. Israelis could live with that set of concerns in ways that the United States and the American people will maybe feel differently about and certainly have not been prepared for.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Read more:
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-03-15/ty-article-magazine/.premium/what-a-difference-12-days-make-why-this-war-with-iran-is-different/0000019c-f113-d82c-a1dd-f19bbeed0000">What a Difference 12 Days Make: Why This Israel-Iran War Is Different From the Last One</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2026-03-17/ty-article/.premium/trump-shocked-that-iran-attacked-gulf-neighbors-in-retaliatory-strikes/0000019c-f880-df16-a3dc-feb55e140000">Trump 'Shocked' That Iran Attacked Gulf Neighbors in Retaliatory Strikes</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2026-03-16/ty-article/.premium/house-democrats-urge-congressional-testimony-by-trump-officials-on-iran-war/0000019c-f78b-df50-a9de-f7bbf7e10000">House Democrats Urge Congressional Testimony by Trump Administration Officials on Iran War</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-03-17/ty-article/.premium/israels-plan-for-ground-op-in-southern-lebanon-wont-end-hezbollah-threat/0000019c-f874-d686-adbd-fc7e51c10000">Analysis by Amos Harel |&nbsp;IDF's Grandiose Plans for South Lebanon Ground Offensive Won't Topple Hezbollah</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2026-03-17/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-isnt-dead-but-even-his-proof-of-life-video-is-being-derided-as-ai/0000019c-fa95-df16-a3dc-feb580990000">Netanyahu Isn't Dead. But Even His 'Proof of Life' Video Is Being Derided as AI</a>

'Soon, Trump will have had enough’: Dan Shapiro on clashing Israel-U.S. war goals in Iran

Under the shadow of the Gaza war, even before the current conflict with Iran, Israeli filmmaker Hilla Medalia found it “very surprising” that her short film “Children No More: Were and Are Gone” was nominated for an Academy Award – but she was thrilled. 

Despite the atmosphere in Hollywood even before the U.S.-Israel military attack in Iran, with petitions to boycott Israeli filmmakers circulated, two Israelis are nominated to take home golden statues at the March 16 ceremony: Medalia's film, in the category of Best Documentary Short, along with Meyer Levinson-Blount’s “Butcher’s Stain,” which is nominated for Best Live Action Short Film. 

The nominations are “an incredible achievement of course for both Meyer and I, but also for the entire Israeli film community,” she said, speaking on the Haaretz Podcast. 

Medalia’s film follows a group of Israeli activists who in March 2025, after the second cease-fire between Israel and Hamas collapsed, learned that 139 Palestinian children had been killed in a single day by IDF attacks in Gaza. 

The small group decided to print out photographs of the children, and stand holding the images silently as an accompaniment to the raucous demonstrations taking place in Tel Aviv calling for a cease-fire that would bring back the Israeli hostages. 

Over time their action, Medalia explained, “slowly grew into this bigger vigil that had more than 1,000 people. On each poster there is a picture of a child, their name, their age, where they're from, the day that they were killed. That's it. No political slogans. And they stood in silence.”

She was inspired and impressed by the group’s commitment to remaining silent – even as passersby insulted and cursed them. 

Unlike the other films Medalia is competing against, “Children No More” did not make the rounds of the prestigious film festivals to increase its Oscar chances – its path from conception to filming to release was unusually rapid.  

“We felt that we could not wait to share with the local Israeli audience and the world.”

 

Read more: 

Oscar-nominated Israeli Filmmaker on Gaza: 'Focusing on Dead Children Does Not Diminish Our Pain'

Why Israel Fears the Faces of Dead Palestinian Children on Its Streets


It Looks Like a Memorial Day Ceremony: The Israelis Protesting With Photos of Dead Gazan Children
Student Oscar-winning Film 'Mirrors the Experiences of Palestinians in Israel'

Under the shadow of the Gaza war, even before the current conflict with Iran, Israeli filmmaker Hilla Medalia found it &ldquo;very surprising&rdquo; that her short film &ldquo;Children No More: Were and Are Gone&rdquo; was nominated for an Academy Award &ndash; but she was thrilled.&nbsp;
Despite the atmosphere in Hollywood even before the U.S.-Israel military attack in Iran, with petitions to boycott Israeli filmmakers circulated, two Israelis are nominated to take home golden statues at the March 16 ceremony: Medalia's film, in the category of Best Documentary Short, along with Meyer Levinson-Blount&rsquo;s &ldquo;Butcher&rsquo;s Stain,&rdquo; which is nominated for Best Live Action Short Film.&nbsp;
The nominations are &ldquo;an incredible achievement of course for both Meyer and I, but also for the entire Israeli film community,&rdquo; she said, speaking on the Haaretz Podcast.&nbsp;
Medalia&rsquo;s film follows a group of Israeli activists who in March 2025, after the second cease-fire between Israel and Hamas collapsed, learned that 139 Palestinian children had been killed in a single day by IDF attacks in Gaza.&nbsp;
The small group decided to print out photographs of the children, and stand holding the images silently as an accompaniment to the raucous demonstrations taking place in Tel Aviv calling for a cease-fire that would bring back the Israeli hostages.&nbsp;
Over time their action, Medalia explained, &ldquo;slowly grew into this bigger vigil that had more than 1,000 people. On each poster there is a picture of a child, their name, their age, where they're from, the day that they were killed. That's it. No political slogans. And they stood in silence.&rdquo;
She was inspired and impressed by the group&rsquo;s commitment to remaining silent &ndash; even as passersby insulted and cursed them.&nbsp;
Unlike the other films Medalia is competing against, &ldquo;Children No More&rdquo; did not make the rounds of the prestigious film festivals to increase its Oscar chances &ndash; its path from conception to filming to release was unusually rapid.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;We felt that we could not wait to share with the local Israeli audience and the world.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
Read more: 
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/life/2026-02-28/ty-article-magazine/oscar-nominated-israeli-filmmaker-defends-focus-on-children-killed-in-gaza/0000019c-99b5-d26c-a79d-bfbdafd50000">Oscar-nominated Israeli Filmmaker on Gaza: 'Focusing on Dead Children Does Not Diminish Our Pain'</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/haaretz-today/2025-04-21/ty-article/.highlight/why-israel-fears-the-faces-of-dead-palestinian-children-on-its-streets/00000196-5985-d99b-a5ff-d9d7fa560000">Why Israel Fears the Faces of Dead Palestinian Children on Its Streets</a>
 <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-06-09/ty-article-magazine/.premium/like-a-memorial-day-ceremony-the-israelis-protesting-with-photos-of-dead-gazan-children/00000197-5575-ddae-a1ff-5f77290c0000">It Looks Like a Memorial Day Ceremony: The Israelis Protesting With Photos of Dead Gazan Children</a> <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/life/2025-09-01/ty-article-magazine/.premium/oscar-winning-student-film-mirrors-the-experiences-of-palestinians-in-israel/00000198-8412-d9db-a9be-871b5a2e0000">Student Oscar-winning Film 'Mirrors the Experiences of Palestinians in Israel'</a>

'Silence is louder than any scream': How a film about Israelis protesting the Gaza war made it to the Oscars

Reports of U.S. anger with Israel for targeting Iran’s oil fields in the intensifying conflict have been “massively exaggerated,” said Haaretz senior defense analyst Amos Harel on the Haaretz Podcast.

While the American president “probably felt that Israel took this a step too far,” Harel said, “the truth of the matter is that the Israelis and the U.S. military are deeply coordinated.”

Regarding the entrance of Hezbollah into the expanding war, Harel said that the Lebanese group is “still quite capable of creating damage” to Israel, which is why the IDF has deployed large-scale force against them with airstrikes across Lebanon. Still, he said, “most of the effort and most of the focus remains on Iran.”

Despite the disruption to life in Israel, he pointed out that in the first 12 days of this war, there has been far less actual damage and loss of life in Israel during the two weeks of war last June.

Also on the podcast, Haaretz Jewish World Editor Judy Maltz visits an underground parking lot tent city populated by Tel Aviv residents without adequate overnight protection from missiles - many of whom were second-time refugees.

“Most of the people I met had been there in June” she said. “When Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran, they just packed their bags and came back. They knew the drill already.” 

 

Read more:

Israel Focuses on Hitting Iran's Regime After Exceeding Military Target Expectations

Trump Signals Iran War Nearing End Amid Oil Fears as Hezbollah Surprises Israel

'Priciest Real Estate in Town': Tel Avivians Ride Out the War Deep Underground

Sleepless in Tel Aviv: Iranian Missile Barrages Trigger All-night Sirens in Central Israel

Reports of U.S. anger with Israel for targeting Iran&rsquo;s oil fields in the intensifying conflict have been &ldquo;massively exaggerated,&rdquo; said Haaretz senior defense analyst Amos Harel on the Haaretz Podcast.
While the American president &ldquo;probably felt that Israel took this a step too far,&rdquo; Harel said, &ldquo;the truth of the matter is that the Israelis and the U.S. military are deeply coordinated.&rdquo;
Regarding the entrance of Hezbollah into the expanding war, Harel said that the Lebanese group is &ldquo;still quite capable of creating damage&rdquo; to Israel, which is why the IDF has deployed large-scale force against them with airstrikes across Lebanon. Still, he said, &ldquo;most of the effort and most of the focus remains on Iran.&rdquo;
Despite the disruption to life in Israel, he pointed out that in the first 12 days of this war, there has been far less actual damage and loss of life in Israel during the two weeks of war last June.
Also on the podcast, Haaretz Jewish World Editor Judy Maltz visits an underground parking lot tent city populated by Tel Aviv residents without adequate overnight protection from missiles - many of whom were second-time refugees.
&ldquo;Most of the people I met had been there in June&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;When Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran, they just packed their bags and came back. They knew the drill already.&rdquo;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Read more:
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-03-11/ty-article/.premium/israel-pleased-by-scale-and-pace-of-attacks-on-iran-focuses-on-regime-targets/0000019c-d9be-d9b7-a5fd-dffe5e7d0000">Israel Focuses on Hitting Iran's Regime After Exceeding Military Target Expectations</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-03-10/ty-article/.premium/wary-of-an-oil-crisis-trump-tells-americans-that-the-iran-war-is-nearly-over/0000019c-d4a0-d3be-a7fd-fff0d3a80000">Trump Signals Iran War Nearing End Amid Oil Fears as Hezbollah Surprises Israel</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2026-03-11/ty-article-magazine/.premium/priciest-real-estate-in-town-tel-avivians-ride-out-the-war-deep-underground/0000019c-dc7f-d3be-a7fd-ffffc2d40000">'Priciest Real Estate in Town': Tel Avivians Ride Out the War&nbsp;Deep Underground</a> <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-03-11/ty-article/sleepless-in-tel-aviv-iranian-missiles-trigger-consecutive-overnight-sirens/0000019c-dbb3-d3be-a7fd-fff339a00000">Sleepless in Tel Aviv: Iranian Missile Barrages Trigger All-night Sirens in Central Israel</a>

'We show up in places that some of the Jewish community has abandoned'

In 1 playlist(s)

Haaretz Podcast

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips