Reclaiming the Jewish Story - with Sarah Hurwitz

Subscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’: arkmedia.org/amitsegal/Subscribe to Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.orgGift a subscription of Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.org/giftsWatch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcastCheck out Ark Media’s other podcasts: For Heaven's Sake: lnk.to/rfGlrA‘What’s Your Number?’: lnk.to/rbGlvMFor sponsorship inquiries, please contact: [email protected] contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorgDan on X: x.com/dansenorDan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenorTo order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdnToday’s Episode: On Tuesday, the Israeli Airforce carried out strikes on a building in Doha, Qatar, where Hamas’s top leaders were believed to be gathered to discuss the recent American Gaza ceasefire proposal. As of now, it seems unlikely that Israel managed to eliminate its targets. Qatar called the attack a “violation of all laws and norms.” Other Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, and Turkey strongly condemned the attack as well. President Trump gave somewhat contradictory statements on the topic, expressing disapproval at Israel’s decision while calling it an opportunity for peace.Joining us to discuss how the strike and its possible results impacts Israel’s position in the Gaza war and the region, we were joined by Ark Media Contributors Nadav Eyal and Amit Segal and Call me Back Veteran Ronen Bergman.00:00 Introduction03:41 What do we know so far about the Doha attack?10:11 How Israel can measure success13:43 What was Israel’s goal?18:58 Did the US know about the attack in advance?24:41 This attack sends a message 25:59 How the assassination attempt failed 27:39 What is Israel’s strategy?28:56 The implications for Israel’s relationship with the Gulf 34:13 When will we know if Hamas leaders were killed?CREDITS:ILAN BENATAR - Producer & EditorADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive ProducerMARTIN HUERGO - Sound EditorMARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional EditingMAYA RACKOFF - Operations DirectorGABE SILVERSTEIN - ResearchYUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

On Tuesday, September 9, Israel struck a building in Doha – the capital city of Qatar – where senior Hamas leaders were believed to be gathered to discuss the recent American ceasefire proposal. We will cover this major development at length in our Thursday episode with Amit and Nadav. Until then, Dan sent a voice memo to Ark Media contributors Amit Segal and Nadav Eyal, asking: what now? How has Israel’s strike on Qatar changed the landscape for the war in Gaza?To learn more about our premium subscription, Inside Call me Back, please go to inside.arkmedia.orgCREDITS:ILAN BENATAR - Producer & EditorADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive ProducerMARTIN HUERGO - Sound EditorMARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional EditingMAYA RACKOFF - Operations DirectorGABE SILVERSTEIN - ResearchYUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Support Birthright Israel: https://birthrightisrael.foundation/callmebackTo register for Wednesday’s (09/10) Streicker Center event featuring Sarah Hurwitz, Dara Horn, Abigail Pogrebin, and Dan Senor:  streicker.nyc/events/hurwitzTo order As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story From Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us: sarahhurwitz.net/books/as-a-jewSubscribe to Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.orgYou can listen to more from Sarah Hurwitz on the Hartman's Institute's Identity Crisis podcast here: https://link.chtbl.com/Identity-Crisis-CMBGift a subscription of Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.org/giftsSubscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’: arkmedia.org/amitsegal/Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcastCheck out Ark Media’s other podcasts: For Heaven's Sake: lnk.to/rfGlrA‘What’s Your Number?’: lnk.to/rbGlvMFor sponsorship inquiries, please contact: [email protected] contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorgDan on X: x.com/dansenorDan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenorTo order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdnToday’s Episode: On today’s episode we are joined by Sarah Hurwitz, author of the new book  As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story From Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us. It is an urgent exploration of how antisemitism has shaped Jewish identity and how Jews can reclaim their tradition. Sarah was a senior speechwriter in the White House under President Obama, including as Chief Speechwriter for Michelle Obama from 2010-2017.(00:00) Introduction(05:30) How American Jews identify with Judaism(08:35) Sarah’s Jewish journey(11:36) Why “cultural Judaism” isn’t enough(13:00) What prompted Sarah to write As a Jew(18:00) The phenomenon of antizionist Jews(25:12) Blaming Jews for antisemitism (29:00) Normalizing Israeli history(33:08) How Jewish kids will experience Israel(38:47) Antisemitism on the Right(40:35) Using Jewish wisdom in modern American life CREDITS:ILAN BENATAR - Producer & EditorADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive ProducerMARTIN HUERGO - Sound EditorMARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional EditingMAYA RACKOFF - Operations DirectorGABE SILVERSTEIN - ResearchYUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Subscribe to Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.orgGift a subscription of Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.org/giftsSubscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’: arkmedia.org/amitsegal/Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcastCheck out Ark Media’s other podcasts: For Heaven's Sake: lnk.to/rfGlrA‘What’s Your Number?’: lnk.to/rbGlvMFor sponsorship inquiries, please contact: [email protected] contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorgDan on X: x.com/dansenorDan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenorTo order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdnToday’s Episode: October 7, 2023 was Israel’s biggest security failure since the country’s founding. Over the past twenty-three months, we’ve discovered a lot about how Hamas terrorists managed to penetrate deep into Israel’s borders. But there’s still much the public does not yet know or understand. On today’s episode we are joined by Israeli journalist Yaakov Katz to discuss how a nation known worldwide for its security capabilities failed so monumentally on October 7. Yaakov is the former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post and founder of the Middle East American Dialogue, a conference that brings together American and Middle Eastern leaders.  While Israel Slept by Yaakov Katz & Amir Bohbot: https://a.co/d/6xUDPa6 TORN: The Israel-Palestine Poster War on NYC Streets: https://www.torn-film.com/ CREDITS:ILAN BENATAR - Producer & EditorADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive ProducerMARTIN HUERGO - Sound EditorMARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional EditingMAYA RACKOFF - Operations DirectorGABE SILVERSTEIN - ResearchYUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Nadav’s Op-ed in Hebrew: ynet.co.il/yedioth/article/yokra14492636Subscribe to Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.orgGift a subscription of Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.org/giftsSubscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’: arkmedia.org/amitsegal/Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcastCheck out Ark Media’s other podcasts: For Heaven's Sake: lnk.to/rfGlrA‘What’s Your Number?’: lnk.to/rbGlvMFor sponsorship inquiries, please contact: [email protected] contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorgDan on X: x.com/dansenorDan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenorTo order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdnToday’s Episode: On Thursday, Ark Media Contributor Nadav Eyal published an op-ed on Ynet titled “An Existential Crossroads: between exile and state,” in which he argued that both Diaspora Jews and Jews in Israel are at a crossroads. On today’s episode, we discuss Nadav’s provocative piece with Nadav himself and Ark Media’s other contributor, Amit Segal, who, as usual, comes at the issues from a different perspective. CREDITS:ILAN BENATAR - Producer & EditorADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive ProducerMARTIN HUERGO - Sound EditorMARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional EditingMAYA RACKOFF - Operations DirectorGABE SILVERSTEIN - ResearchYUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Subscribe to Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.orgGift a subscription of Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.org/giftsSubscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’: arkmedia.org/amitsegal/Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcastCheck out Ark Media’s other podcasts: For Heaven's Sake: lnk.to/rfGlrA‘What’s Your Number?’: lnk.to/rbGlvMFor sponsorship inquiries, please contact: [email protected] contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorgDan on X: x.com/dansenorDan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenorTo order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdnToday’s Episode: On Friday, August 22, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) – a global hunger monitor backed by the U.N. – declared for the first time that famine had struck North Gaza. Israel quickly denied the charge, accusing the IPC of “biased and self-interested sources originating from Hamas.”It’s hard to identify the truth about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, but one thing is clear: the U.N. has worked to weaponize the famine narrative as part of its campaign against Israel and against the Israel/US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which supplanted much of the U.N.’s role in Gaza.To discuss this disturbing part of the equation, we are joined by Rich Goldberg. Rich is a senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He served in both Trump administrations, including on the White House National Security Council staff. He also spent a decade on Capitol Hill, as an aide to a U.S. House Member and U.S. Senator, where Rich worked on congressional oversight of U.N. Programs in the Middle East. CREDITS:ILAN BENATAR - Producer & EditorADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive ProducerMARTIN HUERGO - Sound EditorMARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional EditingMAYA RACKOFF - Operations DirectorGABE SILVERSTEIN - ResearchYUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Subscribe to Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.orgGift a subscription of Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.org/giftsSubscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’: arkmedia.org/amitsegal/Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcastCheck out Ark Media’s other podcasts: For Heaven's Sake: lnk.to/rfGlrA‘What’s Your Number?’: lnk.to/rbGlvMFor sponsorship inquiries, please contact: [email protected] contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorgDan on X: x.com/dansenorDan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenorTo order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdnToday’s Episode: Last week, on Inside Call me Back, Nadav and Dan had a conversation prompted by an especially insightful listener question that wound up generating lots of feedback from the “insiders.” The topic was, what do Israelis and diaspora Jews misunderstand about one another? It was an example of the types of discussions we strive for at Inside Call me Back: unfiltered, challenging, and often unresolved while still illuminating. On today’s bonus episode, we’re giving the general Call me Back audience a taste of what goes on at our members-only edition of the podcast. If you want more of this content, where we bring you into the kind of conversations we have when the cameras stop rolling, subscribe at inside.arkmedia.org. CREDITS:ILAN BENATAR - Producer & EditorADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive ProducerMARTIN HUERGO - Sound EditorMARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional EditingMAYA RACKOFF - Operations DirectorGABE SILVERSTEIN - ResearchYUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Subscribe to Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.orgGift a subscription of Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.org/giftsSubscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’: arkmedia.org/amitsegal/Europe’s far-right rise: axios.com/2025/08/22/europe-far-right-afd-germany-france-ukWatch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcastCheck out Ark Media’s other podcasts: For Heaven's Sake: lnk.to/rfGlrA‘What’s Your Number?’: lnk.to/rbGlvMFor sponsorship inquiries, please contact: [email protected] contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorgDan on X: x.com/dansenorDan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenorTo order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdnToday’s Episode: On Friday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) — an internationally recognized set of standards established by a group of NGOs for determining food insecurity — was applied to Gaza to declare for the first time that famine has struck North Gaza. It was a charge Israel quickly denied. This comes after many countries – including Britain, France, Canada, and Australia – have announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state.On today’s episode, we ask how Israelis are reacting to the world’s ire. Do they recognize the severity of the situation, or are they insulated from global opinion? Is Israel’s plummeting global standing cause for serious concern? Ark Media contributor Amit Segal joined us to discuss.00:00 Introduction03:57 Israel’s plummeting global image05:44 Israel’s lack of PR strategy08:20 Why is anti-Israel sentiment worse now than ever?11:20 How Israeli leaders make the problem worse14:18 How influential is the far-right in Netanyahu’s coalition?16:21 How Israel’s internal debate reaches an international audience18:00 How Netanyahu approaches PR23:00 Israel is the mistress of Europe25:45 Europe’s funding of Israeli research28:55 Why aren’t Israelis talking about their global image?34:04 How do Israelis react to claims of famine in Gaza?35:35 Israel does not invest enough in PR37:50 The practical affects of Israel’s standingCREDITS:ILAN BENATAR - Producer & EditorADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive ProducerMARTIN HUERGO - Sound EditorMARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional EditingMAYA RACKOFF - Operations DirectorGABE SILVERSTEIN - ResearchYUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Check out ‘What’s Your Number?’: lnk.to/rbGlvMSubscribe to Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.orgGift a subscription of Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.org/giftsArk Media is looking to add a Production Manager to the team: https://tinyurl.com/ark-prod-mgrSubscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’: arkmedia.org/amitsegal/Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcastFor sponsorship inquiries, please contact: [email protected] contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorgDan on X: x.com/dansenorDan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenorTo order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdnToday’s Episode: Last week, Michal Lev-Ram and Yonatan Adiri – co-hosts of Ark Media’s second original podcast, What’s Your Number? – conducted a fascinating interview with Josh Wolfe that I wanted to bring to your attention. They discussed the boom in defense tech and Israel’s outsized role in the sector.Josh Wolfe is the co-founder of Luxe Capital,  a venture firm with $5 billion under management focused on deep-tech and science-driven investments. Josh has also been particularly outspoken on issues related to Israel and antisemitism since October 7. In this episode, Josh talks with Michal and Yonatan about how and why he was early to the defense tech sector, when and why he began investing in Israeli defense tech, the reactions he  got from his own investors, and what this sector means for Israel’s postwar geopolitical position. If you enjoy this interview, you can follow What’s Your Number? on all podcast players, or subscribe on our website, Arkmedia.org. CREDITS:ILAN BENATAR - Producer & EditorADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive ProducerMARTIN HUERGO - Sound EditorMARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional EditingMAYA RACKOFF - Operations DirectorGABE SILVERSTEIN - ResearchYUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Subscribe to Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.orgGift a subscription of Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.org/giftsArk Media is looking to add a Production Manager to the team: https://tinyurl.com/ark-prod-mgrSubscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’: arkmedia.org/amitsegal/Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcastCheck out Ark Media’s other podcasts: For Heaven's Sake: lnk.to/rfGlrA‘What’s Your Number?’: lnk.to/rbGlvMFor sponsorship inquiries, please contact: [email protected] contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorgDan on X: x.com/dansenorDan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenorTo order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdnToday’s Episode: On Sunday, Hamas announced that it agreed to a hostage-ceasefire proposal, which Israel officials are now reviewing. This comes after Sunday’s massive protests against the government’s plans to expand the war and conquer Gaza City. In preparation for the Gaza City operation, the IDF has called up another 60,000 reservists. On Tuesday, the Hostage and Missing Families Forum announced they are postponing another big protest originally scheduled for next Sunday in order not to disrupt the ongoing negotiations. On today's episode, we are joined by Miri Eisin to discuss Israel’s strategic position as it weighs whether to go for a deal or continue the war. Miri is a retired Col. in the IDF, who spent her career focused on military intelligence, and who served alongside current IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. She currently serves as a fellow at Reichmann University’s International Institute for Counter-terrorism and is the Chair of the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel. CREDITS:ILAN BENATAR - Producer & EditorADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive ProducerMARTIN HUERGO - Sound EditorMARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional EditingMAYA RACKOFF - Operations DirectorGABE SILVERSTEIN - ResearchYUVAL SEMO - Music Composer