The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
Welcome to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing: Your update on what’s important in Israel, the Middle East and The Jewish World.
IDF bolsters forces on all fronts ahead of Yom Kippur
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
The Israeli military said on Friday that it was ramping up its forces on all fronts ahead of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, which starts on Sunday evening and ends on Monday night. Fabian explains what this means in practice.
A Hamas commander who invaded Israel during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught was killed in...
The Reel Schmooze on 'You Had To Be There': How a musical about Jesus shaped Jewish comedy
Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.
This week, we chew on the new documentary now in theaters, "You Had To Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution, Spread Love & Overalls, and Created a Community That Changed the World (In a Canadian Kind of Way)."
As depicted in the delightful film, if you ever wondered how a whole parcel of comedy greats got their starts, it was in a...
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib: Hamas is to blame for October 7 and Gaza's ‘collateral damage’
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 Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, the head of Realign for Palestine, an Atlantic Council project that challenges entrenched narratives in the Israel and Palestine discourse.
Before Alkhatib gives us an overview of the conditions on the ground right now in the Gaza Strip, he speaks to social media allegations that he is a "Zionist" or "pro-Israel stooge" because of his staunch anti-Hamas stance and willingness to engage with Israelis and Jews.
...
Benny Gantz: Netanyahu is responsible for October 7, dividing society
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, join host diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
Benny Gantz was in the headlines in Israel and often across the globe for the better part of two decades. He was the 20th IDF chief of staff during two major operations against Hamas, was opposition leader, served as defense minister, and for the eight months after October 7, was a senior member in the war cabinet.
His fortunes have changed, however, His party is polling well b...
Foreign Ministry tells diplomats to dial down attacks on ‘NAZA’ film
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Following headlines worldwide and widespread anger in Israel over the allegations made in documentary film ‘NAZA’ about Israel's policies on civilian fatalities in the Gaza war, Magid reports that the Foreign Ministry has recommended to diplomats to dial down attacks on the Israeli filmmakers, assessing that ongoing furious Israeli denials are harming rather than helping.
While the next...
From Mecca to Mokha: Houthis flex as Saudis flail
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen’s Houthis accused the rebels on Wednesday of targeting Islam’s holy city Mecca, sparking outrage across the Muslim world. The rebels immediately denied the accusation but did announce later in the day that they had shot down a Saudi fighter jet.
At the same time, the Houthis have captured more strategic islands in t...
How upstart parties could determine the Israeli election
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Political correspondent Ariela Karmel joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Israel’s upcoming election officially took shape last week, as the last of 38 parties submitted their candidate slates for the October 27 vote. We learn about the last-minute drama and surprises.
Yesterday, the left-wing Democrat Party petitioned the Central Elections Committee to bar National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit slate from running. The party, led by Yai...
IDF rejects film's claim Israel killed Gazans with AI-assisted targeting
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
As Israeli politicians assail the Israeli filmmakers behind documentary “NAZA,” about Israel’s alleged AI-assisted killing of civilians in Gaza, Fabian discusses the IDF's immediate response, accusing the filmmakers of making false and unverified claims.
Fabian reports on recent IDF strikes in Gaza that killed several well-known, senior Hamas commanders, and notes that these strikes receive less attention than the...
How Oct. 7 proved value of IDF's women warriors
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Political correspondent Tal Schneider joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Today, we're taking a break from the news and getting a sneak peek into Schneider's new Hebrew-language book, "Milchama Mishelahen" ("Israel's Women Warriors").
Recently published by Yediot Aharonoth, the book charts Israel's female fighters -- from the pre-state underground resistance movements to the landmark court case of Alice Miller, to today's combat soldiers.
Schneider describes how, imm...
Yohanan Plesner: 3 existential issues facing Israel’s voters
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 the head of the Israel Democracy Institute, Yohanan Plesner.
As millions of Israeli voters will cast a fateful ballot on October 27, what are the top three issues driving them to the polls -- and why?
Plesner, a former member of Knesset for the now-defunct Kadima party, begins the program by explaining the purpose and goals of the IDI, which he calls a "think-and-do-tank."
We learn about the overabundance of...
The Reel Schmooze on 'The Runner': Starring lovely London -- and a sprinting Gal Gadot
Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.
This week, we abandon all pretense of intellectuality and hunker down to watch the new Gal Gadot vehicle, "The Runner," now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
The film is a fast-paced sprint through London, during which Gadot must arrive at a certain location to save her son, who is in an induced diabetic coma.
The plot seems simple, but the end carries a...
Yossi Abravanel: Despite sanctions, Israel must keep communication open with Europe
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, join host diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
Israel's relationship with the West, especially Europe, took an unhappy turn this week, as UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced that his country would be imposing widespread sanctions on Israel's settlements.
France and Canada said they would impose similar penalties, while other European countries called for EU measures against Israeli settlements.
The European Leadership Network, or ELNET, works to improve ties between Israel and E...
Board of Peace says PM cooperated on Gaza — until he entered campaign mode
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Following this week's MEAD conference in Washington, DC, Magid reports on a conversation with a Board of Peace official who says that cooperation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding Gaza was mostly positive, until the Israeli leader entered campaign mode and wants to avoid any notion that he is acquiescing to Hamas.
On the topic of Gaza, M...
'As a Jew,' UK's Miliband announces sanctions on settlements
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband on Tuesday announced a ban on all dealings with West Bank settlements, as well as sweeping sanctions and a range of other punitive measures. His speech in the House of Commons featured Britain’s strongest-ever criticism of the settlement enterprise and Israel’s “unlawful occupation.” We delve into the various allegations leveled at Israel and how Milib...
NY anti-Israel activists recycle 'greedy Jewish landlords' trope
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
US reporter Luke Tress joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
For the past several years, Tress has noted an uptick in hateful rhetoric and flyers that are attributing housing disputes in New York City to Israel or “Zionists.” The rhetoric appears to mark a growing new front in anti-Zionist activism in the city. We delve into a history of disputes between Jews and their neighbors, including about housing, and what makes t...
Desalination plant shutdowns break dam on water security risks
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Environmental reporter Sue Surkes joins host Gabriella Jacobs for today's episode.
We open by diving into the unprecedented shutdown of five of Israel’s six desalination plants last week. Surkes reports that the closures have exposed a growing strategic vulnerability: the country’s near-total dependence on large coastal facilities for drinking water.
Surkes explains that the plants, all along the southern Mediterranean coast, were forced offline by microalgae swept nort...
Netanyahu has burned bridges. How will that play out at the polls?
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
News editor Ben Sales joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
After US Ambassador Mike Huckabee met with Palestinians on Saturday and called for severe consequences for violent settlers, Sales notes the American diplomat is trying to say two things, continuing his longtime support of the settlement enterprise in the West Bank alongside the need to deal with Jewish terrorists.
Sales then turns to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, questioning w...
Star Trek: 60 years to the most gloriously nerdy enterprise
Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.
This month marks the 60th anniversary of the pioneering sci-fi series, Star Trek. Expert in all things Trekky, Hoffman, when he's not schmoozing with Borschel-Dan, also hosts the STARLOG podcast and co-wrote The Star Trek Book of Friendship.
So this week, the duo nerd out on all things Jewish behind the beloved franchise -- Spock's famous hand gesture is adapted from the Priestly Blessing, in...
Jonathan Greenblatt: Surging antisemitism brings ADL to a moment of reckoning
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 the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt.
As antisemitism surges worldwide by some 900% over the past decade, Greenblatt explores how the 113-year-old organization's mission to protect Jews has -- and has not -- evolved to meet the new challenge.
In light of the drastic uptick in hate, Borschel-Dan jokes that the ADL commands more money than a very small sovereign state (she erroneously names Nauru) and asks if the organization...
Will sanctions succeed against Iran where military force hasn’t?
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Amid the resumed US-Iran fighting, US President Donald Trump is playing down the potential for escalation, reports Magid, and telling Israel not to worry.
Additionally, Magid discusses the administration's attempts to pressure Iran with economic sanctions, a lengthy process that will impact pricing for Americans at the gas pump, and will also require cooperation from a range of...
In bold Israeli op, Hamas commander nabbed in Gaza City
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
“Special forces” of the Shin Bet captured the commander of Hamas’s internal security apparatus in a “bold operation” in Gaza City on Tuesday morning, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the military, and the domestic security agency. It is the first time since the ceasefire that Israel is publicizing a raid deep inside the Gaza Strip. Fabian takes us through wha...
What makes a Jewish legislator join forces with an Arab party?
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Ruling out a nuclear option, US President Donald Trump on Monday vowed a response to Iran’s overnight strikes on US forces in Jordan, as tensions again ramped up between the sides after a monthlong lull in fighting. Horovitz brings us up to speed with what is happening -- and not -- with the war right now.
Some 2.6 million stud...
Splinter parties jockey for position as election deadline looms
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Political correspondent Sam Sokol joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
With a growing number of new splinter parties on the right and center-right, some of them founded by former Netanyahu allies, Sokol reviews the latest additions, noting that most of these third-bloc parties, not part of the coalition or opposition blocs, are polling below the electoral threshold as all jockey for position.
Sokol reports on the campaign of f...
Golan Druze rethink their ties to Syria
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Health reporter Diana Bletter joins host Gabriella Jacobs for today's episode.
Following a recent reporting visit to Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, Bletter discusses the significant uptick in Druze applications for Israeli citizenship instead of permanent residency, a change due to the recent regime change in Syria.
Bletter turns to health issues, including the scientific risks of UV tanning. Bletter reports that the UV index has gone viral on...
The Reel Schmooze on 'Don't Say Good Luck': The Sunny (Sandler) side of life, with cancer
Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.
Taking a break from pulling classics out of the vaults, this week's film, "Don't Say Good Luck," just dropped on Netflix.
Sunny Sandler stars as a 16-year-old theater kid, backed up by a cast including Melanie Lynskey, Max Greenfield, Stephanie Beatriz, Bebe Neuwirth, and Steve Buscemi.
Within minutes, it's clear that what could have been a superficial teen flick produced by Adam and...
Yossi Klein Halevi: Why Jewish extremism is so seductive - and dangerous
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 Yossi Klein Halevi.
The Hartman Institute senior fellow, writer and thinker joins us in our Jerusalem studio for a probing conversation about Jewish extremism.
Klein Halevi is the author of the 1995 "Memoirs of a Jewish Extremist," based on his time spent as a disciple of far-right racist firebrand Meir Kahane. He is uniquely poised to delve into the psyche of the violent fringe terrorizing West Bank Palestinian and shaking members...
Israel risks opening a new front with strike deep in Syria
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
ToI founding editor David Horovitz joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
After Israel struck a military base in Syria, where Turkey was apparently ready to deploy forces, Horovitz reviews the ensuing diplomatic ruckus between Israel, Turkey and Syria, with a US envoy castigating Israel but the White House silent.
Following this week's meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump aide Jared Kushner regarding the Board of Peace p...
Former Hamas hostage fulfills a dream at Nir Oz
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Culture editor Jessica Steinberg joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Former hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen took to the stage last week to sing nine songs he composed in his head during 498 days of Hamas captivity in Gaza. Steinberg was there and sets the scene ahead of a broader discussion on what other creative efforts are produced by former hostages, now thrust into a strange celebrity status.
Director Avi Nesher’s l...
US holds direct talks with Hamas. Why it's the new normal
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and top aide Jared Kushner met with Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in the Egyptian coastal city of El-Alamein on Sunday before meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem yesterday. We discuss the normalization of the US conducting direct talks with Hamas and a potential new way forward being floated by the Board of Pea...
NY Jews train for mass casualty event amid heightened threats
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
US reporter Luke Tress joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
A man disrupted Shabbat services and attacked a guard and a congregant at Central Synagogue in Manhattan on Friday night. The violent disturbance comes days after rabbis from a swath of Jewish denominations met with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, warning him that his repeated broadsides against the Jewish state were harmful to the Jewish community. Tress weighs in, explaining tha...
Who gets in? Likud candidates face a high-stakes primary
Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Political correspondent Tal Schneider joins host Jessica Steinberg for today’s episode.
After three IDF soldiers were struck and severely wounded by a Hezbollah drone in Lebanon on Friday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the unusual move of announcing the incident in English during Shabbat, Schneider says, to ensure the US administration understood the seriousness of the ceasefire violation.
Schneider looks ahead to Monday’s Likud feverishly...
The Reel Schmooze on 'Wizards': Does animated 1977 art film belong in the canon, or in the geniza?
Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.
This week, we spend the entire episode on Haifa-born iconic animator Ralph Bakshi's 1977 sci-fi adventure, "Wizards."
Distributed by 20th Century-Fox, the loose premise sets the film about 5,000 years in the future, following a World War III that left Earth so full of radiation to split humanity into fairy-type creatures and mutants.
The majority of the raunchy ride builds up to a battle between...
Richard Priem: The ‘age of security’ has ended for US Jews
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 CEO of Community Security Service Richard Priem.
While guarding his Dutch synagogue as a 17-year-old, Priem knew there were two places where Jews wouldn't experience antisemitism: Israel and the United States. Whereas in Europe, where Jews regularly must go through security checks and metal detectors before entering community events, he was sure the Jewish State and the Goldene Medina were different.
That "age of security" for US Jewry changed around the...
Lazar Focus with Bjorn Lomborg: Energy, climate, and the fight for a better world
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, join host diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
The US-Israeli war against Iran was initially about military capabilities -- Iran's nuclear program, its ballistic missiles, its armed proxies -- but very quickly became a war about energy.
It was Iran's ability to choke global energy supplies that forced US President Donald Trump to effectively stop the war.
We also saw how central the flow of natural gas has been to the Ukraine w...
As election nears, can voters see extremism in their own camps?
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
News editor Ben Sales joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
After Israelis ranked political violence as one of their top fears in a recent poll, Sales reports on the current state of political polarization in the country, ahead of the upcoming election.
Sales discusses the enduring legacy left by the Sbarro terrorist bombing that took place 25 years ago, and how perceptions have changed regarding that trauma following the Oc...
How Israeli intel triggered top secret Trump plane ploy
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
If Israel truly implements the 15-point plan proposed by US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace for Gaza -- ostensibly aimed at the disarmament of the Hamas terror group that staged the October 7, 2023, onslaught on southern Israel -- then Israel is required to pull back to the "Yellow Line" that divides the Strip between IDF and Hamas control.
As 2 Arab states reportedly plot war, how fortified are Israel's borders?
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Reports circulated on Hebrew-language media last night that Israel suspects that two Arab states are plotting to attack Israel by lulling it into a false sense of security through fake diplomatic agreements. According to two separate reports published by the Kan public broadcaster and Channel 12, the two countries — neither of which is identified by name due to an Israeli censor-dictated bla...
As PM rejects Gaza deal, Israel quietly begins reconstruction
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel “rejects” the Board of Peace Gaza disarmament roadmap. At the same time, Israel has essentially paused strikes on the Strip and there are reports that the premier and defense minister okayed a pilot reconstruction project in Rafah. Berman tries to separate rhetoric from facts on the ground.
What is and is no...
Emigration, urban growth and a changing Jerusalem
Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Jewish world and real estate correspondent Zev Stub joins host Gabriella Jacobs for today’s episode.
A record-setting wave of emigration from Israel continued in 2025, with nearly 50,000 Israelis leaving the country for more than 12 months. Stub describes how Israel’s prolonged military conflict and political tensions have contributed to elevated emigration that could threaten the country’s long-term strategic interests.
Next, Stub recounts the reinterring of Zionist visionary Theodore Herzl's grand...
The Reel Schmooze on 'The Frisco Kid': A (gefilte) fish out of water in the Wild West
Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.
We have two Jangles this week from our movie maven. In the first, we learn about just how Jewish the classic rock band Rush is, and how it was played up at its Madison Square Garden concerts this week.
In the second, we learn about Spider-Man's Jewish roots -- and the Member of the Tribe who is third billing in the new blockbuster.
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