Promoted Podcast For Heaven's Sake

Israeli-American relations at a crossroads

What do American Jews owe Israel when their own political and moral worlds feel under threat?

(From L-R) Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, US State Department Counselor Dan Holler and Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh sign a framework agreement for a partial IDF withdrawal from south Lebanon at the State Department on June 26, 2026. (Screen capture/YouTube)

In this episode, recorded live from our Beit Midrash in Jerusalem as part of Hartman’s Community Leadership Program, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi confront recent flashpoints in the Jewish-American relationship: new data from the Pew Research Center on declining favorability of Israel among Americans, Vice President Vance’s public break with Israel, and anti-Israel winners in multiple primaries in New York City, where the mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is under fire for controversial comments about AIPAC.

Together, they unpack the severe erosion of Israel’s international standing, investigate the deep political dilemmas confronting North American Jewry, and debate whether the Jewish state must drastically change its trajectory to win back hearts and minds. Ultimately, they reflect on what is required to heal this growing divide, challenging both diaspora communities and Israeli leadership to reclaim a unified moral vision.

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