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'

When an ultra-Orthodox mob attacked two women soldiers in the city of Bnei Brak earlier this week, Israelis were shocked and horrified. 

But for Uri Keidar, CEO of Free Israel, this violent expression of ultra-Orthodox opposition to being drafted into the military did not come as a surprise. 

“It’s not the first violent occurrence we have seen, and unfortunately, it probably also won't be the last incident. But it's definitely a sad moment for us as a country,” Keidar said, speaking on the Haaretz Podcast. 

As the Netanyahu government continues to seek a way to pass legislation exempting tens of thousands of able-bodied ultra-Orthodox men from mandatory military service in order to preserve their political coalition, Keidar sees the country at a “historic” crossroads in which Israelis will stand up and refuse to let it happen. 

“It's a very basic idea, I think, that the law applies to everyone,” he said on the podcast. In a post-October 7 reality alongside the IDF in a manpower crisis, he said, “the Israeli public just will not accept the fact” that “there are tens of thousands of young haredi men who are totally healthy, who can join the IDF at any given moment, and are refusing to do so.”

That refusal, he said, represents the country’s “biggest civil disobedience movement since its history” and Israelis “from the right, left and center” are uniting to oppose it.

Read more:

Explained: The Military Conscription Bill Driving Riots in Haredi Cities

Overturned Cars, Motorcycles on Fire: Police Arrest 26 in Haredi Riot Sparked When Two IDF Soldiers Visit Bnei Brak

Bnei Brak Riots Break From Ideology and Become an Outlet for Aimless Rage

Israel Police Tells IDF They Will Not Assist in Arrest of ultra-Orthodox Draft Dodgers

When an ultra-Orthodox mob attacked two women soldiers in the city of Bnei Brak earlier this week, Israelis were shocked and horrified.&nbsp;
But for&nbsp;Uri Keidar, CEO of Free Israel, this violent expression of ultra-Orthodox opposition to being drafted into the military did not come as a surprise.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not the first violent occurrence we have seen, and unfortunately, it probably also won't be the last incident. But it's definitely a sad moment for us as a country,&rdquo; Keidar said, speaking on the Haaretz Podcast.&nbsp;
As the Netanyahu government continues to seek a way to pass legislation exempting tens of thousands of able-bodied ultra-Orthodox men from mandatory military service in order to preserve their political coalition, Keidar sees the country at a &ldquo;historic&rdquo; crossroads in which Israelis will stand up and refuse to let it happen.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It's a very basic idea, I think, that the law applies to everyone,&rdquo; he said on the podcast. In a post-October 7 reality alongside the IDF in a manpower crisis, he said, &ldquo;the Israeli public just will not accept the fact&rdquo; that &ldquo;there are tens of thousands of young haredi men who are totally healthy, who can join the IDF at any given moment, and are refusing to do so.&rdquo;
That refusal, he said, represents the country&rsquo;s &ldquo;biggest civil disobedience movement since its history&rdquo; and Israelis &ldquo;from the right, left and center&rdquo; are uniting to oppose it.
Read more:
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-politics/2026-02-19/ty-article-magazine/.premium/explained-deserters-and-dodgers-what-led-to-a-violent-haredi-riot-this-week-in-israel/0000019c-6dd8-d759-a7bf-ffdaca610000">Explained:&nbsp;The Military Conscription Bill&nbsp;Driving Riots in Haredi Cities</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-politics/2026-02-15/ty-article/.premium/police-arrest-22-in-haredi-riot-sparked-when-two-idf-soldiers-visit-bnei-brak/0000019c-616b-d468-adbf-e9eb46ac0000">Overturned Cars, Motorcycles on Fire:&nbsp;Police Arrest 26 in Haredi Riot Sparked When Two IDF Soldiers Visit Bnei Brak</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2026-02-16/ty-article-magazine/.premium/bnei-brak-riots-break-from-ideology-and-become-an-outlet-for-aimless-rage/0000019c-6703-de36-a19f-ef8f468f0000">Bnei Brak Riots&nbsp;Break From Ideology and Become an Outlet for Aimless Rage</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-02-01/ty-article/.premium/israel-police-tells-idf-they-will-not-assist-in-arrest-of-ultra-orthodox-draft-dodgers/0000019c-19a7-df12-abdc-3fff589b0000">Israel Police Tells IDF They Will Not Assist in Arrest of ultra-Orthodox Draft Dodgers</a>

'It’s a disgrace. Israelis have had enough': Amid ultra-Orthodox riots, fury over IDF draft-dodging peaks

Even by the most extreme “Romeo and Juliet” standards, Sari Bashi’s romance and marriage to her partner, Osama, has overcome impossible odds. 

When the two met in 2006, she related on the Haaretz Podcast, “It was very confusing for both of us, both because of the overwhelming social taboos, and the fact that it was also literally illegal for us to meet up together.”

The two met after he had been “trapped” for six years in the city of Ramallah, where he was pursuing a career in academia. Registered as a resident of Gaza, where he was born, travelling elsewhere in the West Bank – or abroad – meant that the authorities would send him back to Gaza. Bashi had recently founded the human rights organization Gisha, and was assisting him gain permission from the Israeli authorities to study for his doctorate abroad. 

Bashi’s new book “Upside-Down Love” – written diary-style from both Bashi’s and Osama’s perspective – chronicles the story of the logistics of their courtship, like a date in which they took a hike in a West Bank countryside and “as we encountered more and more settlers with guns, it became apparent that I had an identity and a language that was common with the people who terrified him.”

But despite the ongoing identity and security challenges, their love persevered. Bashi, who is also the newly appointed executive director of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, talks about their life as a family in the West Bank – and the evolving complicated identities of their two Palestinian Jewish children, as she watches them “engage more in a process of trying to assert who they are. I think it'll change probably a million times before they become adults.”

Read more:

A Jewish Mom and a Palestinian Dad Raise a Family Full of Endless Contradictions

Browse the Umm Forat column (2019-2022) in Haaretz

Israeli Human Rights Groups Tell UN That Israel Increased Use of Torture During Gaza War

Even by the most extreme &ldquo;Romeo and Juliet&rdquo; standards, Sari Bashi&rsquo;s romance and marriage to her partner, Osama, has overcome impossible odds.&nbsp;
When the two met in 2006, she related on the Haaretz Podcast, &ldquo;It was very confusing for both of us, both because of the overwhelming social taboos, and the fact that it was also literally illegal for us to meet up together.&rdquo;
The two met after he had been &ldquo;trapped&rdquo; for six years in the city of Ramallah, where he was pursuing a career in academia. Registered as a resident of Gaza, where he was born, travelling elsewhere in the West Bank &ndash; or abroad &ndash; meant that the authorities would send him back to Gaza. Bashi had recently founded the human rights organization Gisha, and was assisting him gain permission from the Israeli authorities to study for his doctorate abroad.&nbsp;
Bashi&rsquo;s new book &ldquo;Upside-Down Love&rdquo; &ndash; written diary-style from both Bashi&rsquo;s and Osama&rsquo;s perspective &ndash; chronicles the story of the logistics of their courtship, like a date in which they took a hike in a West Bank countryside and &ldquo;as we encountered more and more settlers with guns, it became apparent that I had an identity and a language that was common with the people who terrified him.&rdquo;
But despite the ongoing identity and security challenges, their love persevered. Bashi, who is also the newly appointed executive director of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, talks about their life as a family in the West Bank &ndash; and the evolving complicated identities of their two Palestinian Jewish children, as she watches them &ldquo;engage more in a process of trying to assert who they are. I think it'll change probably a million times before they become adults.&rdquo;
Read more:
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2021-06-21/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/a-jewish-mom-and-a-palestinian-dad-raise-a-family-full-of-endless-contradictions/0000017f-e7ce-df2c-a1ff-ffdf4d280000">A Jewish Mom and a Palestinian Dad Raise a Family Full of Endless Contradictions</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/ty-WRITER/0000017f-da5a-d494-a17f-de5b7af20000">Browse the Umm Forat column (2019-2022) in Haaretz</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-11-26/ty-article/.premium/israeli-human-rights-groups-tell-un-that-israel-increased-use-of-torture-during-gaza-war/0000019a-bf63-db55-a7bb-fff7c6d80000">Israeli Human Rights Groups Tell UN That Israel Increased Use of Torture During Gaza War</a>

Between Tel Aviv and Ramallah: Sari Bashi on her 'upside down' marriage and raising Jewish Palestinian kids

Following the hastily arranged three-hour meeting between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, it still remains unclear whether a military attack on Iran is in the cards, but the two leaders appear “more aligned than not” on their positions, Haaretz’s Washington D.C. correspondent Ben Samuels said on the Haaretz Podcast.

“Whether or not that turns into a world war remains to be seen,” he added, in view of the “Armada in the Middle East and more military assets on their way” that the United States has positioned around Iran to keep the option of a military move on the table. 

Netanyahu rushed to Washington to lobby Trump to hold firm in his negotiations with Iran to include demands beyond a halt to their nuclear program. The Israeli position is that in order to forestall an attack, Iran must be forced to limit their ballistic missile capabilities and support for regional proxy organizations – in addition to a commitment from Tehran to improve its treatment of protesters, who have been killed in the tens of thousands by the regime in since late December.

“What you're seeing from Israel is a very articulated view that any sort of negotiation at any deal has to be all inclusive,” Samuels said.

The Trump administration’s position, by contrast, he said, is far from clear. 

“Part of this is intentional misdirection on Trump's part, but part of it is also very unintentional. Trump is doing diplomacy by the seat of his pants and by whatever whims are taking over him at that very moment.”

Read more:

Analysis by Ben Samuels | Trump and Netanyahu Prioritize a United Front Over Rocking the Boat on Iran

Trump Says He 'Insisted' That Negotiations With Iran Continue in Meeting With Netanyahu

Netanyahu Joins Trump's Board of Peace Set to Discuss Gaza Reconstruction, Hamas Disarmament Sidelined

Why This Iranian Revolution Scholar Won't Encourage Iranians to Topple the Regime

Following the hastily arranged three-hour meeting between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, it still remains unclear whether a military attack on Iran is in the cards, but the two leaders appear &ldquo;more aligned than not&rdquo; on their positions, Haaretz&rsquo;s Washington D.C. correspondent Ben Samuels said on the Haaretz Podcast.
&ldquo;Whether or not that turns into a world war remains to be seen,&rdquo; he added, in view of the &ldquo;Armada in the Middle East and more military assets on their way&rdquo; that the United States has positioned around Iran to keep the option of a military move on the table.&nbsp;
Netanyahu rushed to Washington to lobby Trump to hold firm in his negotiations with Iran to include demands beyond a halt to their nuclear program. The Israeli position is that in order to forestall an attack, Iran must be forced to limit their ballistic missile capabilities and support for regional proxy organizations &ndash; in addition to a commitment from Tehran to improve its treatment of protesters, who have been killed in the tens of thousands by the regime in since late December.
&ldquo;What you're seeing from Israel is a very articulated view that any sort of negotiation at any deal has to be all inclusive,&rdquo; Samuels said.
The Trump administration&rsquo;s position, by contrast, he said, is far from clear.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Part of this is intentional misdirection on Trump's part, but part of it is also very unintentional. Trump is doing diplomacy by the seat of his pants and by whatever whims are taking over him at that very moment.&rdquo;
Read more:
Analysis by Ben Samuels | <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2026-02-12/ty-article/.premium/trump-and-netanyahu-prioritize-a-united-front-over-rocking-the-boat-on-iran/0000019c-4f06-d638-a3fe-7f96aac20000">Trump and Netanyahu Prioritize a United Front Over Rocking the Boat on Iran</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2026-02-11/ty-article/.premium/trump-says-he-insisted-talks-with-iran-continue-in-meeting-with-netanyahu/0000019c-4e33-dc30-a9de-cffbcea50000">Trump Says He 'Insisted' That Negotiations With Iran Continue in Meeting With Netanyahu</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-politics/2026-02-11/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-joins-board-of-peace-set-to-discuss-gaza-reconstruction/0000019c-4d1d-d369-adbc-6f9f56a30000">Netanyahu Joins Trump's Board of Peace Set to Discuss Gaza Reconstruction, Hamas Disarmament Sidelined</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/life/2026-02-05/ty-article-magazine/.premium/why-this-iranian-revolution-scholar-wont-encourage-iranians-to-topple-the-regime/0000019c-2871-d4c5-a7bc-6cf55aff0000">Why This Iranian Revolution Scholar Won't Encourage Iranians to Topple the Regime</a>

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

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