Welcome to Times Will Tell, the weekly podcast from The Times of Israel.

This week we're marking International Women’s Day by speaking with the Director of Jerusalem’s Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital, Dr. Tamar Elram.

Born in England, Elram moved to Israel as a child with her family and lived in Jerusalem. A trained gynecologist, Elram has served in leadership positions at the Hadassah hospitals for the past decade. In November 2017 she became the director of Mount Scopus.

We discuss the powerful female history behind the Hadassah hospitals and Elram's own hard-won wisdom around what she calls “Awareness-Based Leadership.” We also have a frank conversation about important developments in women’s health perspectives and how the #metoo movement has affected the field of gynecology.

IMAGE: Dr. Tamar Elram, CEO of Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital (Arnon Bosani)

Welcome to Times Will Tell, the weekly podcast from The Times of Israel.
This week we're marking International Women&rsquo;s Day by speaking with the Director of Jerusalem&rsquo;s Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital, Dr. Tamar Elram.
Born in England, Elram moved to Israel as a child with her family and lived in Jerusalem. A trained gynecologist, Elram has served in leadership positions at the Hadassah hospitals for the past decade. In November 2017 she became the director of Mount Scopus.
We discuss the powerful female history behind the Hadassah hospitals and Elram's own hard-won wisdom around what she calls &ldquo;Awareness-Based Leadership.&rdquo; We also have a frank conversation about important developments in women&rsquo;s health perspectives and how the #metoo movement has affected the field of gynecology.
IMAGE: Dr. Tamar Elram, CEO of Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital (Arnon Bosani)

A weekly exploration of one key issue shaping Israel and the Jewish World right now.

A weekly exploration of one key issue shaping Israel and the Jewish World right now.

What Matters Now

How women built and are still building - and leading - Hadassah Mt. Scopus Hospital

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with author and journalist Matti Friedman.

On May 31, 2026, President Isaac Herzog attended the memorial ceremony for the fallen soldiers of the First Lebanon War (Operation 'Peace for the Galilee'), held at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. On the same day, the IDF announced that Israel had captured the historic Beaufort Castle and the surrounding strategic ridge as it pushed deeper into Lebanon.

This week, we call upon Friedman to delve into the cultural resonance of this Crusader fort for Israelis. He shares his perspective on the site based upon his personal experiences as a soldier before the IDF pullout from the security zone in 2000, which he recounted in his book, "Pumpkin Flowers."

After Friedman gives us the historical background to understand the conflict, we discuss the catch-22 Israel is again sucked into in southern Lebanon.

And so, this week, we ask Matti Friedman, what matters now.

What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was edited by Ari Schlacht.

IMAGE: Author Matti Friedman (Jonathan Bloom) / A view of he Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/amanda-borschel-dan/">Amanda Borschel-Dan</a> speaking with author and journalist Matti Friedman.
On May 31, 2026, President Isaac Herzog attended the memorial ceremony for the fallen soldiers of the First Lebanon War (Operation 'Peace for the Galilee'), held at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. On the same day, the IDF announced that Israel had captured the historic Beaufort Castle and the surrounding strategic ridge as it pushed deeper into Lebanon.
This week, we call upon Friedman to delve into the cultural resonance of this Crusader fort for Israelis. He shares his perspective on the site based upon his personal experiences as a soldier before the IDF pullout from the security zone in 2000, which he recounted in his book, "Pumpkin Flowers."
After Friedman gives us the historical background to understand the conflict, we discuss the catch-22 Israel is again sucked into in southern Lebanon.
And so, this week, we ask Matti Friedman, what matters now.
What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/il/podcast/times-will-tell/id1067953235?mt=2">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5Hqgs4Cy5VkdXB51eW2jjd">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnR6FOcOvFdMHmmVLVJUNrE198zXKQWna">YouTube</a> or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was edited by Ari Schlacht.
IMAGE: Author Matti Friedman (Jonathan Bloom) / A view of he Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Matti Friedman: As Israel plays king of the castle in Lebanon, what's its endgame?

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan, speaking with author and scholar Dara Horn.

Horn visited ToI's Jerusalem studio while on a break from this year’s International Writers Festival in Jerusalem, taking place May 25-28 at the city’s Mishkenot Sha’ananim cultural center

An author of novels and non-fiction, including “People Love Dead Jews,” “Eternal Life,” “A Guide for the Perplexed,” Horn's latest book -- her first for young readers -- is “One Little Goat.”

Her newest nonfiction work will be published by Simon & Schuster in September under the title, "The Final Solution to the Jewish Question: A Love Story for the Living."

We hear about how, after Horn published her bestselling work, "People Love Dead Jews," readers asked her for the solution to this problem. This week, she speaks about her new education initiative, Tell, which is bent on teaching American schoolchildren about real, living Jews, and Jewish culture.

To launch the wide-ranging conversation, Horn defines terms, explaining that Jews are not a religion, but a people with a religion. This difference, she states, is massive and must be internalized to understand the millennia of hate experienced by the Jewish people. 

Since the Hamas onslaught on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and the resultant retaliatory war in Gaza, there has been an outsized focus on the trend of "non-Zionist" or "anti-Zionist" Jews. Who are these Jews -- and are they significant in the chronicles of Jewish history?

And so, this week, we ask author Dara Horn, what matters now?

What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Yitzchak Ledee.


IMAGE: AP

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan, speaking with author and scholar Dara Horn.
Horn visited ToI's Jerusalem studio while on a break from&nbsp;this year&rsquo;s&nbsp;International Writers Festival in Jerusalem, taking place May 25-28 at the city&rsquo;s Mishkenot Sha&rsquo;ananim cultural center
An author of novels and non-fiction, including &ldquo;People Love Dead Jews,&rdquo; &ldquo;Eternal Life,&rdquo; &ldquo;A Guide for the Perplexed,&rdquo; Horn's latest book -- her first for young readers -- is &ldquo;One Little Goat.&rdquo;
Her newest nonfiction work will be published by Simon &amp; Schuster in September under the title, "The Final Solution to the Jewish Question: A Love Story for the Living."
We hear about how, after Horn published her bestselling work, "People Love Dead Jews," readers asked her for the solution to this problem. This week, she speaks about her new education initiative, Tell, which is bent on teaching American schoolchildren about real, living Jews, and Jewish culture.
To launch the wide-ranging conversation, Horn defines terms, explaining that Jews are not a religion, but a people with a religion. This difference, she states, is massive and must be internalized to understand the millennia of hate experienced by the Jewish people.&nbsp;
Since the Hamas onslaught on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and the resultant retaliatory war in Gaza, there has been an outsized focus on the trend of "non-Zionist" or "anti-Zionist" Jews. Who are these Jews -- and are they significant in the chronicles of Jewish history?
And so, this week, we ask author Dara Horn, what matters now?
What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/il/podcast/times-will-tell/id1067953235?mt=2">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5Hqgs4Cy5VkdXB51eW2jjd">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnR6FOcOvFdMHmmVLVJUNrE198zXKQWna">YouTube</a> or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Yitzchak Ledee. 
IMAGE: AP

Dara Horn: The answer to the Jewish question

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Jessica Steinberg speaking with author Yishay Ishi Ron.

Ishi Ron's award-winning 2023 book, "Dog," is about an Israeli combat officer returning from Gaza, grappling with PTSD and heroin addiction until a stray dog enters his life and helps save him.

The novel became a bestseller in Israel, was long-listed for the Sapir Prize, and is currently being adapted into a film by director Eran Ricklis.

After "Dog" was translated into English, it won two 2026 National Jewish Book Awards, in the Book Club and Hebrew Fiction in Translation categories.

A former commando in the elite Duvdevan unit fictionalized in the Netflix series "Fauda," Ishi Ron wrote "Dog" before he was diagnosed with PTSD, while he was self-medicating with alcohol and drugs.

Ishi Ron talks about writing books as part of his healing process and what has become his mission to help others in his situation.

He also discusses his latest book, a Holocaust drama called "The Girl Who Rode the White Lion," inspired by his grandfather, a Holocaust survivor.

What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.

IMAGE: Yishai Ishi Ron, author of the award-winning novel 'Dog,' appears on the May 19 What Matters Now podcast (Courtesy)

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/jessica-steinberg/">Jessica Steinberg</a> speaking with author Yishay Ishi Ron.
Ishi Ron's award-winning 2023 book, "Dog," is about an Israeli combat officer returning from Gaza, grappling with PTSD and heroin addiction until a stray dog enters his life and helps save him.
The novel became a bestseller in Israel, was long-listed for the Sapir Prize, and is currently being adapted into a film by director Eran Ricklis.
After "Dog" was translated into English, it won two 2026 National Jewish Book Awards, in the Book Club and Hebrew Fiction in Translation categories.
A former commando in the elite Duvdevan unit fictionalized in the Netflix series "Fauda," Ishi Ron wrote "Dog" before he was diagnosed with PTSD, while he was self-medicating with alcohol and drugs.
Ishi Ron talks about writing books as part of his healing process and what has become his mission to help others in his situation.
He also discusses his latest book, a Holocaust drama called "The Girl Who Rode the White Lion," inspired by his grandfather, a Holocaust survivor.
What Matters Now&nbsp;podcasts are available for download on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/il/podcast/times-will-tell/id1067953235?mt=2">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5Hqgs4Cy5VkdXB51eW2jjd">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnR6FOcOvFdMHmmVLVJUNrE198zXKQWna">YouTube</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.
IMAGE: Yishai Ishi Ron, author of the award-winning novel 'Dog,' appears on the May 19 What Matters Now podcast (Courtesy)

How women built and are still building - and leading - Hadassah Mt. Scopus Hospital

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