With Israelis preparing to vote on October 27, we're sharing a special Reform movement election webinar featuring Times of Israel political correspondent Tal Schneider, IMPJ CEO Anna Kislanski, and IRAC Executive Director Orly Erez-Likhovski. Moderated by Shoshana Dwek of Arzenu, the conversation brings together an analysis of Israel's political landscape and a discussion of what's at stake for democracy, religious freedom, and Reform Judaism.

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Israel enters this election after four years marked by war, political divisions, and profound challenges to its democratic institutions. The political landscape is unusually difficult to predict, with voter turnout, smaller parties, and the negotiations required to form a coalition all playing significant roles. Understanding these dynamics is essential to making sense of what happens on election day — and afterward.

For Israel's Reform movement, the election is also an opportunity to advance a concrete agenda for the country's future. Anna Kislanski and Orly Erez-Likhovski discuss proposals for equal recognition and public funding of liberal Jewish institutions, religious freedom, stronger democratic protections, and equality for all Israelis. Rather than focusing only on opposing legislation or reversing government policies, they describe the importance of preparing specific proposals that can translate shared values into government action.

The conversation also connects these developments to the future of Israel–Diaspora relations. Reform Jews around the world have a meaningful stake in the Jewish character of Israel, and lasting partnerships with Israeli communities can help strengthen religious pluralism and a shared commitment to democracy.

In the webinar, they discuss:

·       The political landscape ahead of the October 27 election, including voter turnout, polling uncertainty, and coalition negotiations

·       The issues influencing Israeli voters, from security and military service to judicial reform and economic concerns

·       The Reform movement's priorities for the next government, including equal funding, institutional recognition, and Jewish education

·       Religious freedom in Israel, including marriage, conversion, civil burial, and the Western Wall

·       Concrete policy proposals to strengthen democratic institutions, women's equality, and religious pluralism

·       Protecting election integrity and addressing the risks of disinformation and intimidation

·       Jewish-Arab shared society, racism, and equal citizenship

·       How Diaspora Reform Jews can strengthen their relationships with Israeli communities and remain engaged beyond the election

Originally presented as a Reform movement election webinar, this recording is being shared through The Pluralist Podcast to make the conversation accessible to a wider audience.

As Israel marks three years since the October 7 massacre, Orly Erez-Likhovski and Rabbi Josh Weinberg reflect on how the day has changed Simchat Torah, Israeli society, and the relationship between Israel and Diaspora Jews — and what it means to remember while also choosing life and looking toward the future.

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The conversation begins with Simchat Torah and the challenge of celebrating a holiday forever connected to October 7. Orly and Josh ask whether it is possible to begin anew while so much remains unresolved — particularly the absence of accountability for the failures of October 7 and the government's handling of the hostage crisis.

They also look at what happens after the immediate crisis ends: how returned hostages and their families rebuild their lives, how Israelis are choosing to commemorate October 7, and whether the extraordinary solidarity between Israelis and Diaspora Jews after the attack can endure.

And they wrestle with a harder question three years later: how to hold Israel's trauma alongside Palestinian suffering, and how liberal Zionists can remain deeply connected to Israel while confronting government failures, racism, violence, and the consequences of the war. The conversation ultimately returns to Simchat Torah and to the possibility of beginning again — not by forgetting, but by remembering and choosing life.

In the conversation, they discuss:

• How Simchat Torah has changed since October 7 — and whether it is possible to celebrate again
• Why Israel still has not established a state commission of inquiry into the failures of October 7
• The unresolved questions surrounding the hostages and government accountability
• How returned hostages and their families rebuild their lives after captivity
• How Israelis are choosing to commemorate October 7 three years later
• What October 7 revealed about Israeli civil society and the solidarity of Diaspora Jews
• Whether the connection between Israel and North American Jews has changed since the immediate aftermath of the attack
• How Israelis and Diaspora Jews are grappling differently with Palestinian suffering and the consequences of the war
• The challenge of maintaining a nuanced, liberal Zionist position amid growing polarization
• And what it means, three years later, to remember — and choose life

As 5787 begins, Orly Erez-Likhovski and Rabbi Josh Weinberg sit down with Rabbi Jonah Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, to explore how Jewish values can be translated into political action — and how progressive Jews can stay engaged with both democracy and Israel in a deeply polarized time.

💙 Support the work of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC)
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📝 A Call to Shared Responsibility Ahead of Israel's National Elections
A Diaspora statement supporting Israel as the Jewish homeland and affirming peace, democracy, pluralism, and the rights and dignity of Palestinians.
Sign the letter here: https://bit.ly/4jdYQAc

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The conversation looks at what it takes to organize liberal Jews at a moment of democratic strain, political exhaustion, and growing polarization in both the United States and Israel.

Together, they examine why democracy can be understood as a Jewish responsibility, how effective organizing turns broad concern into focused action, and how progressive Jews can remain in coalition with people who disagree sharply about Israel. They also explore Israel’s changing place in American politics, the strain in the relationship between liberal American Jews and Israel, and what meaningful partnership between Jews in Israel and the Diaspora should look like in the year ahead.

In the conversation, they discuss:

• Why democracy is not just a political system, but a Jewish responsibility
• What successful organizing actually looks like — and why movements need to choose battles they can win
• How to keep people engaged when fear, anger, and exhaustion start to take over
• What the upcoming U.S. and Israeli elections reveal about the political moment facing liberal Jews
• Whether political change in Israel could begin repairing Israel’s standing in America
• How Israel and AIPAC became flashpoints in U.S. campaigns — and when political criticism crosses into antisemitic tropes
• What it takes to stay in coalition with people who strongly disagree about Israel
• Why “calling in” can sometimes accomplish more than calling out
• How liberal Jews can remain deeply connected to Israel without defending everything Israel does
• And what Israelis and Diaspora Jews should actually expect from one another in 5787

Just before Yom Kippur, Orly Erez-Likhovski and Rabbi Josh Weinberg sit down with Dr. Tomer Persico—scholar of religion, liberalism, Jewish identity, and fundamentalism—to explore the rise of Jewish extremism in Israel, the crisis facing liberal Jews, and whether these trends can still be reversed.

💙 Support the work of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC)

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✍️ Read and subscribe to Tomer Persico’s Substack

📖 Buy In God’s Image: How Western Civilization Was Shaped by a Revolutionary Idea

As Yom Kippur approaches, Tomer argues that liberal Jews are being asked to hold several difficult truths at once: to confront racism, Jewish fundamentalism, and violence carried out in the name of Judaism, while also pushing back against antisemitism, the justification of terrorism, and efforts to delegitimize Israel entirely.

That tension is challenging, but this is precisely where our Jewish values should help us navigate complexity with honesty and nuance.

In our conversation, we discuss:

• What Israeli society should be reckoning with as Yom Kippur approaches.
• How Religious Zionism changed—and how fundamentalist currents within it gained political influence.
• Why Tomer distinguishes mainstream Religious Zionists from Kahanists, Hilltop Youth extremists, and other fundamentalist movements.
• How the theology of Rav Kook, the Six-Day War, and the 2005 disengagement from Gaza shaped the Religious Zionist movement.
• Why Jewish terrorism in the West Bank has been tolerated—and whether the state can still confront armed extremist groups.
• How liberal Jews can acknowledge serious Israeli wrongdoing without abandoning Zionism or Israel’s right to exist.
• Why parts of the progressive left have come to view Islamist terrorist organizations as liberation movements.
• Whether political change can repair Israel’s international standing and reverse deeper trends within Israeli society.
• Why Tomer remains hopeful about liberalism despite its current global crisis.
• And whether liberal Jews can reclaim Judaism itself from those who present racism and fundamentalism as its most authentic expression.

Just before Rosh Hashanah, Orly Erez-Likhovski and Rabbi Josh Weinberg sit down with Rabbi Professor Dalia Marx—scholar of Jewish liturgy, author, and one of the leading voices in Israeli Reform Judaism—to explore what teshuvah, prayer, and hope can mean in this moment.
💙 Support the work of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC)
Donate to IRAC

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📖 Buy From Time to Time: Journeys in the Jewish Calendar
http://time.ccarpress.org/

🎵 Listen to “Adaraba,” discussed in the episode
https://youtu.be/JFlGge5Dtjw

After years of war, political division, religious extremism, protest, and trauma, Dalia argues that Rosh Hashanah does not ask us to forget what has happened or abandon justified anger. Instead, teshuvah begins with a deeply optimistic Jewish idea: that there is something good within us to return to—and that we must allow ourselves to believe that things can be different.

In our conversation, we discuss:

• What Rosh Hashanah means when the calendar changes but the problems around us do not.
• Why October 7 pushed so many Israelis to search for prayer, ritual, and spiritual meaning.
• What Israelis should carry with them into 5787—and what they should leave behind.
• How Havdalah became part of the language of protest and what Jewish ritual offered that politics alone could not.
• Why Dalia believes liberal Jews must offer a compelling Jewish alternative to religious extremism.
• Whether a society can do teshuvah—and what accountability, repair, and changed behavior would actually require.
• Why justified anger should be channeled rather than simply abandoned.
• The difference between teshuvah and forgiveness.

And what Dalia would say from the pulpit as we enter a new Jewish year.

In this episode:

• What Israeli and North American Jewish teens learned from one another this summer — and what those encounters reveal about Israel today.
• If Israel elects a new government, how long will it actually take to repair its relationship with Diaspora Jewry?
• Looking back at 5786: where did we actually make progress — from bringing the hostages home to long-running IRAC struggles entering the Israeli mainstream?
• The darkest developments of the past year — from religious extremism and violence in Israel to attacks on Reform congregations in Israel and North America.
• What rising antisemitism in North America means for Israel and the Diaspora.
• Looking ahead to 5787: where Orly and Josh see opportunities for change, what worries them most, and whom they are asking for forgiveness — or willing to forgive.

The elections may change Israel’s political direction, but rebuilding trust, strengthening democratic and pluralistic Jewish life, and repairing the relationship between Israel and Diaspora Jewry will take much longer. For Orly and Josh, that is also the meaning of hope: not assuming things will get better, but continuing to work toward the society we want to see.

Upcoming Israeli Election Webinars

In partnership with Israel Policy Forum, join the “Everything You Want to Know About the Israeli Elections” series:

• September 9, 2:00pm ET — Israeli Elections 101 — Register
• September 16, 2:00pm ET — Security Issues & Geopolitics — Register
• September 23, 2:00pm ET — Religious Pluralism — Register

And on October 11 at 1:00pm ET, join IRAC and global Reform Movement partners for a special webinar on what the election could mean for the Israeli Reform Movement, religious pluralism, and democracy. Register here

All election webinars and shareable materials: arza.org/webinars

In this episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Rabbi Josh Weinberg and Orly Erez-Likhovski speak with Eyal Ostrinsky, Chair of KKL-JNF, the youngest person to hold the position and the first Reform Jew to lead one of the Zionist movement’s most powerful institutions.

KKL-JNF is known around the Jewish world for blue boxes, forests, and tree planting. But it is also a major political institution whose decisions affect land, education, environmental policy, the rebuilding of Israel’s north and south, and the relationship between Israel and Diaspora Jewry.

Eyal explains how participation in the World Zionist Congress elections enabled Reform and liberal Zionist representatives to gain real influence over those decisions. He discusses KKL-JNF’s investments in communities devastated since October 7, its approach to community-led memorialization, and his commitment not to purchase land in the West Bank during his leadership.

The conversation also examines the decision to stop support for agricultural farm outposts where programs presented as education for at-risk youth were contributing to settlement expansion, as well as KKL-JNF’s responsibilities toward Bedouin, Druze, and other non-Jewish communities.

At a time when many liberal Jews feel alienated from Israel’s government, this episode asks whether national Zionist institutions can offer a different path: neither disengagement nor uncritical support, but organized participation capable of shaping policy, budgets, and the future of Zionism itself.

Subscribe to The Pluralist Podcast for conversations from both sides of the ocean about Israel, democracy, Jewish life, religious freedom, and pluralism.

Please share this episode with someone who believes liberal Jews should have a meaningful voice in shaping Israel’s future.

Support IRAC’s work to defend democracy, equality, religious freedom, and pluralism in Israel:
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In this special live episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Rabbi Josh Weinberg and Orly Erez-Likhovski sit down in Jerusalem with participants from Yallah! Israel, the URJ’s immersive Israel experience for teenagers.

The students reflect on what surprised and challenged them: praying together at the egalitarian section of the Kotel, meeting Palestinian Arab teenagers, visiting Druze and Bedouin communities, confronting Israel’s security reality, and hearing perspectives that did not fit neatly together.

Their experiences did not give them a simpler story about Israel. They gave them the knowledge, relationships, and confidence to begin forming their own views.

The conversation asks what it takes to build a relationship with Israel that can hold Jewish connection, criticism of the government and Israeli society, responsibility, and hope. It also explores what young Diaspora Jews can do after returning home—not as uncritical defenders or distant observers, but as partners with Israelis working for democracy, equality, religious freedom, and pluralism.

Yallah! Israel gives young people the opportunity to see Israel for themselves—and to begin building a relationship worth continuing.

Learn more about Yallah! Israel:
https://yallahisrael.org/

Subscribe to The Pluralist Podcast for conversations from both sides of the ocean about Israel, democracy, Jewish life, religious freedom, and pluralism.

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#YallahIsrael #IsraelEducation #ReformJudaism #JewishYouth #PluralistPodcast #IRAC

In this episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Rabbi Josh Weinberg and Orly Erez-Likhovski speak with Rabbi Professor Michael Marmur, theologian, educator, activist, former provost of Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion, and former chair of Rabbis for Human Rights.

Together, they explore what Jewish mourning means in an age of sovereignty. If Jerusalem has been rebuilt and Israel represents a renewed Jewish national home, what remains broken—and what would a truly rebuilt Jerusalem look like?

The conversation examines sinat chinam, religious and nationalist zealotry, and the dangers of calls for unity that obscure racism, violence, and attacks on democracy. It also confronts one of the most difficult questions facing Jews today: how to grieve Jewish trauma and suffering without becoming blind to the devastation of Palestinian lives, homes, and communities in Gaza and the West Bank.

Drawing on the Book of Lamentations, Rabbi Marmur reflects on the line, “Is there any pain like my pain?” and challenges us to recognize that there is pain like our pain. Jewish grief and Palestinian grief are not in competition, and acknowledging one does not diminish the other.

The episode concludes with a demanding alternative to easy hope: even when hope feels distant, we still possess responsibility and agency.

Subscribe to The Pluralist Podcast for conversations from both sides of the ocean about Israel, democracy, Jewish life, religious freedom, and pluralism.

If this conversation matters to you, please consider supporting IRAC’s work to defend democracy, equality, religious freedom, and pluralism in Israel.

In this episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Rabbi Josh Weinberg and Orly Erez-Likhovski speak with Shanie Reichman, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Director of IPF Atid at Israel Policy Forum, about young liberal Jews’ relationship with Israel, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Diaspora engagement, and the institutions and political power needed to advance a different vision for Israel.

Learn more about IPF Atid:
https://israelpolicyforum.org/atid/

Subscribe to The Pluralist Podcast for more conversations from both sides of the ocean about Israel, democracy, Jewish life, religious freedom, and pluralism.

If this conversation matters to you, please consider supporting IRAC’s work to defend democracy, equality, religious freedom, and pluralism in Israel:
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Many young liberal Jews remain deeply connected to Israel while feeling profoundly troubled by its government and uncertain about how their involvement can make a difference. Shanie challenges the idea that they have simply stopped caring. Many are instead watching from a distance, discussing Israel only with trusted friends, and becoming increasingly isolated.

This conversation asks how they can move from concern and “quiet doomscrolling” to meaningful partnership with Israelis working for democracy, equality, religious pluralism, peace, and human rights.

It also explores what liberal Zionists can learn from movements that have invested patiently in education, leadership, funding, institutions, and political action. Safeguarding the future of both Israel and American Judaism will require a deeper partnership between liberal Jews in Israel and the Diaspora—and a shared ability to help shape Israel’s future.

This is a conversation about liberal Zionism, Israel-Diaspora relations, young Jewish leaders, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, democracy, civil society, institution-building, political power, and the future of Israel.

In this episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Rabbi Josh Weinberg and Orly Erez-Likhovski speak with Rabbi Michael Holzman, rabbi of Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation and founder of Faith 250, about America’s 250th birthday, democracy, religious nationalism, and how communities can practice the habits liberal democracy needs.

Learn more about Faith 250:
https://faith250.org/

Subscribe to The Pluralist Podcast for more conversations from both sides of the ocean about Israel, democracy, Jewish life, religious freedom, and pluralism.

If this conversation matters to you, please consider supporting IRAC’s work to defend democracy, equality, religious freedom, and pluralism in Israel:
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As America approaches its 250th birthday, this conversation asks how we celebrate an imperfect democracy without denial or despair. Rabbi Holzman helps us think about houses of worship as “little democracies” — places where people can practice listening, disagreement, responsibility, and care for the vulnerable.

This is a conversation about religion, democracy, America at 250, Israel, religious nationalism, interfaith work, civic responsibility, and hope.

In this episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Rabbi Josh Weinberg and Orly Erez-Likhovski speak with Dr. Yakir Englander — a scholar, educator, and community bridge-builder who grew up inside Israel’s Haredi community, later left it, served in the IDF, and has spent much of his life working across Jewish, Israeli, and interfaith communities.

To learn more about Yakir’s work or to connect with him directly, visit:
https://yakirenglander.com/about/

Subscribe to The Pluralist Podcast for more conversations from both sides of the ocean about Israel, democracy, Jewish life, and religious freedom.

If this conversation matters to you, please consider supporting IRAC’s work to defend democracy, equality, religious freedom, and pluralism in Israel:
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As Israel approaches elections, the place of Haredi society has reached a boiling point. Mass protests over army service are disrupting daily life, while the political system continues to avoid a real solution. At the same time, the debate over Haredi integration touches some of the deepest questions facing Israel: shared civic responsibility, women’s rights, equality, education, religious freedom, and the rule of law.

Yakir helps us understand Haredi society from the inside — not as a slogan, demographic threat, or political bloc, but as a complex community with different leaders, different fears, different relationships to the state, and growing numbers of Haredim seeking a more modern path.

For Orly and IRAC, the question is not only whether Haredim can become more integrated into Israeli society. It is whether Israel can make that integration possible without sacrificing the liberal democratic values that protect us all.

If integrating Haredi men into the army requires pushing women out of sight, what happens to female soldiers? If opening academia to Haredi students requires gender-segregated programs, what happens to female lecturers? And if public funding continues to support schools that refuse to teach core subjects, what kind of future are we building — for Haredi children, and for Israel as a whole?

This is a conversation about Haredim, democracy, responsibility, fear, power, and the possibility of a shared future.

Together, they discuss the partnership between RAC and IRAC, the threats facing democracy and religious pluralism in Israel and the United States, and the ways organizing can turn fear and helplessness into agency.

The conversation touches on the Kotel bill, attacks on Reform Judaism, public pressure, elections in both countries, antisemitism, religious extremism, and the evolving work of IRAC — from litigation to advocacy, media, community organizing, and local power.

At a time when democratic values are being tested across the world, this episode asks what Reform Jews in Israel and North America can learn from each other, how we can act together, and why partnership matters now more than ever.

Subscribe to The Pluralist Podcast for honest conversations from both sides of the ocean about Israel, democracy, Jewish pluralism, and the future of liberal Judaism.

To access all On Demand videos from Israel in Depth, register at this link

In this episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Orly Erez-Likhovski and Rabbi Josh Weinberg speak with Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie—an Israeli-born rabbi, storyteller, queer Jewish leader, and co-founding spiritual leader of Lab/Shul in New York.

Raised in one of Israel’s most prominent Orthodox rabbinic families, Amichai became the first openly queer rabbi in 39 generations of his family. His remarkable journey is also at the center of the award-winning documentary Sabbath Queen.

Together, they discuss:

• Growing up queer in a prominent Orthodox rabbinic family and the journey to Progressive Judaism in New York
• The connection between LGBTQ+ equality, democracy, and human rights

• The progress and remaining prejudice facing LGBTQ+ people in Israel
• Whether Judaism can become not only more accepting, but a place where LGBTQ+ Jews can fully belong and thrive
• Rabbi Benny Lau’s outspoken support for LGBTQ+ and the critical importance of family support and allyship in helping LGBTQ+ people live openly, authentically, and safely
• The role of religious leaders, legal advocacy, and community partnerships in creating change
• The challenge of being queer, Jewish, Israeli, and Zionist in progressive spaces after October 7

This is a conversation about Pride and prejudice, progress and backlash, and the kind of Judaism—and Israel—we still have the power to build.

Subscribe to The Pluralist Podcast and share this episode to help amplify liberal Jewish values, equality, religious freedom, and democracy in Israel and beyond.

This is a conversation about J Street — but it is also about something larger: how Jews who care deeply about Israel argue about its future without turning disagreement into demonization.

At a time of war, trauma, rising antisemitism, devastation in Gaza, and deepening divisions between Israel and Diaspora communities, questions about liberal Zionism, U.S. military aid, democracy, security, and Palestinian statehood have become more urgent — and more painful.

Nadav shares how he understands his work with J Street as part of a lifelong commitment to Israel, including his years in the Foreign Ministry, at Israel’s Embassy in Washington, as Consul General in Boston, and as an adviser to President Shimon Peres. He also speaks about the complexity of advocating for American Jewish engagement with Israel while his own son is serving in the IDF.

The conversation does not erase disagreement. It makes room for it.

Together, Josh, Orly, and Nadav discuss:
* Why Nadav chose to join J Street in service of Israel's Future
* The growing gap between Israeli and American Jewish conversations about Israel
* Liberal Zionism after October 7- Democracy, occupation, security, and Jewish peoplehood
* The debate over U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel
* How to criticize Israeli policy without giving up on Israel’s future

If liberal Zionists cannot argue seriously with one another about Israel’s security, democracy, military power, diplomacy, and moral future, then the space for honest Zionist conversation becomes smaller and smaller.

Criticism is legitimate and disagreement is part of democratic life.

Demonization is not the answer.

Watch the full conversation and join us in asking what responsible disagreement about Israel can look like today.

Over the past two and a half years, Rachel Goldberg-Polin has become one of the most important moral voices to emerge from the struggle to bring the hostages home after October 7. In this conversation, she reflects on Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s life and legacy, grief, faith, “tragic optimism,” and what it means to continue living after unimaginable loss.

Rachel speaks about:

• faith, love, memory, and continuing forward after loss and why she believes that “grief is a badge of love”
• Hersh’s prophetic journal writings years before October 7
• the emotional reality of grief and public mourning
• Learning about Hersh’s experience in captivity
• Experiencing “tragic optimism” and connection with Victor Frankl

This conversation is not only about tragedy. It is also about humanity, compassion, dignity, and the struggle to remain emotionally open during one of the most painful periods in modern Israeli and Jewish life.

📖 Rachel’s book:
When We See You again

🎧 Subscribe to The Pluralist Podcast for thoughtful conversations about Israel, democracy, Jewish life, pluralism, and shared humanity.

In this episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Orly Erez-Likhovski and Rabbi Josh Weinberg sit down with Haaretz Jerusalem correspondent Nir Hasson for an honest and deeply important conversation about the realities shaping Jerusalem today: the growing extremism surrounding the Flag March, the unequal realities between East and West Jerusalem, the changing demographics of the city, and the surprising places where coexistence and shared life still exist.

Drawing on years of reporting — and after covering the devastation of Gaza throughout the war — Nir reflects on why Jerusalem remains both one of the most painful and one of the most hopeful places in Israel.

Together, they discuss:
• Why Jerusalem Day has become so controversial
• The reality of life in East Jerusalem for Palestinians
• The rise of racism and violence during Jerusalem Day’s Flag March
• The growing “Israelization” and shared daily life between Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem
• The changing character of Jerusalem and tensions inside Jewish society itself
• Why Nir still finds hope in Jerusalem despite everything

The Pluralist Podcast: From Both Sides of the Ocean is hosted by Orly Erez-Likhovski, Executive Director of IRAC, and Rabbi Josh Weinberg, Vice President for Israel and Reform Zionism at the URJ and Executive Director of ARZA.

In this episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Rabbi Josh Weinberg and Orly Erez-Likhovski discuss the rising violence, extremism, racism, and democratic erosion shaping Israeli society — and why they believe it is becoming impossible to look away.

Together, they examine the murder of Yemaenu Zelka, attacks against Christian clergy in Jerusalem, the normalization of political violence and hateful rhetoric, growing concerns around the politicization of the police, and the broader atmosphere being created under Israel’s current government.

Orly also reflects on a recent visit to the West Bank with Rabbis for Human Rights and Reform communities, where they witnessed violence, intimidation, displacement, and a growing sense of lawlessness firsthand — and why more Israelis are beginning to understand that these realities cannot simply be ignored.

But this conversation is not only about despair.

Josh and Orly also discuss the recent People’s Peace Conference in Tel Aviv, where thousands gathered to insist that even now, we cannot give up on democracy, equality, shared society, and the possibility of peace. They explore the political shifts already beginning to emerge ahead of Israel’s coming elections — and why they still believe a different future is possible.

📌 IN THIS EPISODE:
• The rise in violence, racism, and extremism in Israeli society
• Democratic erosion and the growing crisis facing Israeli institutions
• What Orly witnessed during her recent visit to the West Bank
• The People’s Peace Conference and the fight for a shared future
• Why hope and democracy are still worth fighting for

🗓️ Join “Israel in Depth” on May 17:
A half-day virtual learning experience exploring some of the biggest questions facing Israel and the Jewish world today, featuring Orly Erez-Likhovski, Rabbi Jonah Pesner, Rabbi Lindsay Danziger, Blake Ziegler, and more.
👉 https://events.urj.org/event/8dc0ff1b-c691-4634-95a5-aefbf9663898/summary?utm_medium=web&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=podcast

📚 Mentioned in this episode:
Rabbi Jonah Pesner’s article on voting rights, democracy, and the recent Supreme Court decision:
https://forward.com/opinion/822799/voting-rights-act-civil-rights-jews/

The Pluralist Podcast exists because we believe Israel can be better — for all who live here, and for all who care about it from afar.

If these conversations are important to you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who should be part of this conversation.

But this conversation goes far beyond one incident.

Together, we explore what it means to love Israel honestly at a time when many are struggling with the gap between their values and the actions of the state — and what it looks like to hold onto a vision of a more just, pluralistic future.

In this episode:

• What actually happened in the café — and why it resonated so widely
• The challenge of being a liberal Zionist in this moment
• The line between criticism, loyalty, and responsibility
• What gives hope, even now

Learn more from Alex Sinclair:

📘 Perfect Enemy (novel):
http://alexjsinclair.com/perfectenemy

📘 Loving the Real Israel:
https://a.co/d/06Ookd4H

📝 Alex’s original Facebook post:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18eLhedZ5v/?mibextid=wwXIfr

📰 Jerusalem Post article:
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-894260

📰 HAARETZ article:

https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2026-04-26/ty-article-opinion/.premium/a-kippa-with-israel-and-palestine-flags-got-me-detained-this-is-why-i-wear-it/0000019d-ca74-d11b-a7df-ef7e1aff0000?utm_source=App_Share&utm_medium=iOS_Native

IN THIS EPISODE

·       The emotional transition from Remembrance Day to Independence Day, especially since October 7

·       1 year since the Ra’anana synagogue Pogrom and what it reveals about Israeli society

·        The absence of accountability—and its impact on national mourning, reclaiming Zionism, the Israeli flag, and the Declaration of Independence

·       State Independence Day ceremony vs. alternative torch-lighting in Tel Aviv

·       How to stay connected and deepen engagement in a time of tension

·       Why “peace” must return to the conversation—and what that could look like today

In this episode, Orly Erez-Likhovski and Rabbi Josh Weinberg speak with Hungarian public figure and activist Peter Arvai about what it actually felt like to live through the erosion of democratic institutions—and what changed in the recent elections that led to a dramatic political shift.

This conversation goes beyond Hungary. It asks whether similar trajectories in Israel and the United States can be reversed, and what conditions make that possible.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• How democratic systems are gradually weakened from within
• What daily life feels like under long-term political erosion
• Why change seemed impossible—and what made people believe again
• The role of moral “breaking points” in political transformation

As Israel and the U.S. approach critical elections, this conversation offers a grounded look at what it takes not just to defend democracy—but to rebuild it.

About the Guest

Peter Arvai is a Hungarian public figure and longtime activist in civil society, Jewish communal life, and efforts to promote pluralism and minority rights. He has worked in both the financial sector and academia and has been deeply engaged in Hungary’s political and civic landscape, including service in local government in Budapest. He brings a firsthand perspective on democratic erosion—and what it takes to challenge it. Peter is Vice-president of the Szim Salom Progressive Jewish Community, member of the MAZSIHISZ general assembly, participates in the work of several international Jewish organizations (ARZENU), and a board member of the European Union of Progressive Judaism (EUPJ).

Dana shares her experience on the ground, providing protective presence to Palestinian communities facing increasing violence and displacement. She describes how these incidents are unfolding, why they are increasing, and the risks faced by those who choose to show up.

This conversation takes place at a difficult moment — during ongoing war, fear, and deep polarization. But it is also a moment that calls for clarity about values and responsibility.

As we approach Pesach, this episode reflects on the transition from vulnerability to power — and what it means to act on Jewish values in that reality.

In this episode

• What settler violence looks like on the ground
• Why incidents are increasing in recent months
• The risks faced by those who choose to show up
• What responsibility looks like in a violent reality

IN THIS EPISODE

• How racism is rising in Israel and the United States during times of crisis
• The work of IRAC’s Racism Crisis Center supporting victims and shaping policy
• Why fear and trauma can deepen division — and how to respond
• Where hope comes from: small victories, shared society, and everyday action

About the guests:
Samah Darwish is the Director of IRAC’s Racism Crisis Center, leading efforts to combat racism in Israel through legal advocacy, policy engagement, and public education. Yolanda Savage-Narva is Vice President for Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the Union for Reform Judaism, where she leads work on racial justice and belonging in North American Jewish life.

In this special Purim episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Orly Erez Likhovski (Israel Religious Action Center) and Rabbi Josh Weinberg (URJ / ARZA) reflect on what it means to navigate a complex and painful moment — from both sides of the ocean.

This conversation is not geopolitical analysis. Instead, it models how Reform Jewish leaders think, wrestle, and remain grounded in Jewish values during moments of crisis.

Recorded during Purim — with the possibility of sirens interrupting the conversation — the episode explores how Jewish tradition, leadership, and moral responsibility intersect when the world feels unstable.

In this episode

• What daily life in Israel looks like right now — sirens, shelters, and exhaustion
• How American Jews are experiencing the moment from afar
• How to navigate a complicated geopolitical situation when trust in leadership is low
• Why the story of Purim lands differently in the middle of war
• What Jewish tradition teaches about power, fear, and responsibility

At a moment when many voices are shouting certainty, this conversation offers something different: honest wrestling with complexity.

In this episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Orly Erez-Likhovski and Rabbi Josh Weinberg sit down with Lama Yassin of The Abraham Initiatives to unpack the rise in violence in Arab society, the policy failures behind it, and what would be required to reverse it. 

This is a conversation about policing, governance, shared society, and whether Israel is living up to its democratic commitments. 

In this episode, we discuss: 

• What daily life looks like under persistent violence in Arab towns and cities 
• The dramatic gap in murder-solving rates between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel 
• The dual reality of over-policing and under-policing 
• Poverty, land shortages, and structural neglect 
• What changed under previous governments — and what reversed under the current one 
• Why this crisis is not cultural — but policy-driven 

If you want to better understand the systemic roots of violence in Arab communities — and what can realistically be done — this episode offers clarity, data, and lived experience. 

▶️ Watch, listen, and join the conversation. 

Subscribe and share to help expand thoughtful discussions about Israel, democracy, and Jewish-Arab partnership. 

#Israel #ArabCommunities #IsraeliDemocracy #SharedSociety #PluralistPodcast 

In this special episode of The Pluralist Podcast, we share an edited conversation recorded live at the Religious Action Center’s Consultation of Conscience conference in Washington, D.C.

Moderated by Daryl Messinger and featuring Orly Erez-Likhovski (IRAC), Rabbi Josh Weinberg (ARZA), and Michael Koplow (Israel Policy Forum), this panel wrestles with the evolving U.S.–Israel relationship in the shadow of war and growing democratic strain.

How are Israel’s internal political battles affecting its relationship with American Jewry?
What responsibility do American Jews have — and what influence do they actually hold?
How do we remain in relationship when disagreement feels sharp and generational divides widen?

This episode opens up a conversation that often happens in leadership rooms and brings it to you.

The Pluralist exists to make these tensions speakable — and to strengthen the relationship between Israel and Diaspora Jewry through honesty, accountability, and shared responsibility.

▶️ Watch, listen, and join the conversation.

Subscribe to The Pluralist Podcast, share this episode, and help keep thoughtful conversations about Israel, Judaism, and democracy going.

Sparked by a recent tragedy in an unsupervised childcare setting, the conversation moves beyond headlines to examine deeper questions of power, accountability, and belonging. What happens when a community holds significant political power but feels alienated from state institutions? How should a democracy balance religious autonomy with public safety, equality, and shared civic obligations?

Drawing on legal advocacy, Jewish history, and lived experience in Israel and the Diaspora, this episode insists on dignity without demonization — and pluralism with responsibility.

▶️ Watch, listen, and join the conversation

Subscribe to The Pluralist Podcast, share this episode, and help keep thoughtful conversations about Israel, Judaism, and democracy going.

In this episode of The Pluralist Podcast: From Both Sides of the Ocean, Orly Erez-Likhovski and Rabbi Josh Weinberg listen to three young Reform Jewish leaders — Tamara Upfall, Daniel Block, and Blake Ziegler — as they reflect on Israel, campus life, peer pressure, and identity in a moment that leaves little room for nuance.

These voices are not walking away from Israel. They are wrestling with how to hold Jewish peoplehood, Zionism, democracy, grief, and empathy at the same time — often feeling caught between generations and pushed to choose sides.

This conversation is about listening, bridging generational gaps, and staying in relationship when it’s hardest.

🔔 Subscribe to The Pluralist Podcast for thoughtful conversations on Israel, Judaism, and Jewish peoplehood — and share this episode with someone who cares about Israel’s future.

How do we hold deep commitment to Israel while speaking honestly about the actions of its government?

While much of the world has been focused on war, grief, and recovery after October 7, Israel’s Knesset has quietly returned to an agenda that threatens democratic guardrails — not loudly, not dramatically, but steadily.

From inside Israel’s parliament and from the perspective of Reform Zionism in North America, this conversation explores:
- The renewed push to weaken key democratic institutions, including the Attorney General
- Legislative efforts targeting civil society, independent media, and academic freedom
- How the judicial overhaul is advancing in quieter, more incremental ways
- Why accountability for October 7 is a democratic necessity, not a political attack
- What real resistance looks like today — in the courts, in Knesset committees, and in civil society

Orly draws on her work leading the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), offering an inside view of how democratic defense actually happens: through legal filings, position papers, and relentless presence behind the scenes.

Josh gives voice to what many in the Diaspora are feeling — the pull between solidarity and alarm, loyalty and moral responsibility.

This is not a conversation about abandoning Israel.
It’s about protecting the democratic foundations that make Israel worth standing with.

If these conversations matter to you, please subscribe.
Subscriptions help this podcast grow and reach people who are trying to stay engaged — without denial or despair.

In this episode of The Pluralist Podcast: From Both Sides of the Ocean, Orly Erez-Likhovski (Executive Director of IRAC) and Rabbi Josh Weinberg (URJ VP for Israel & Reform Zionism, Director of ARZA) sit down with Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, for a wide-ranging, values-driven conversation on Israel, Zionism, and what it means to be in community through crisis.

“This moment demands more than solidarity. It demands partnership.”

→ Support IRAC’s work for religious freedom, democracy, and equality in Israel:

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→ Sign up for Orly’s weekly updates from Israel:

https://www.irac.org/sign-up

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https://cloud.email.rj.org/blankSubCenter?formid=701UG00000Is8uHYAR

Together, they ask:

How do we show up for Israel—and each other—when the stakes are this high?

🎧 In this episode, Rick, Orly, and Josh explore:

• Why liberal Jews must not stay silent on Israeli policy: “To criticize the policies of the State of Israel? It’s not only permitted — it’s required.”

• A generation struggling with false binaries: “What have we done wrong, that Jewish students don’t know they can say both: I’m a Zionist and I care about Palestinian dignity?”

• A shifting paradigm: “We’ve been living near each other for decades. But now, finally, we’re meeting.”

• Showing up beyond solidarity: “We’re not just here to give Israel a hug when it’s hurting. We’re here to agitate, to participate, to be real partners.”

They also reflect on moments that shaped their leadership—from college in Jerusalem after the Yom Kippur War, to the streets of Tel Aviv during the pro-democracy protests, to campus conversations and congregational tensions across North America.

“I’m a Zionist, 100%. And yes, I believe in the dignity and rights of Palestinians. These are not contradictions.”

This episode is for anyone navigating Jewish identity, moral clarity, and the hope of a more just future—on both sides of the ocean.

In the launch episode of The Pluralist Podcast: From Both Sides of the Ocean, Orly Erez-Likhovski, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), and Rabbi Josh Weinberg, Executive Director of ARZA and URJ Vice President for Israel & Reform Zionism, sit down in New York for an honest, thoughtful conversation about Israel, Jewish identity, and the future of pluralism.

Together, they ask a deceptively simple question:
What does Jewish pluralism look like in Israel today—and why is it so contested?

Support IRAC’s work in Israel:
👉 https://apzprxtx.donorsupport.co/page/PluralistPodcast

Sign up for Orly’s weekly updates:
👉 https://www.irac.org/sign-up

Sign up for Josh’s weekly updates:
👉 https://cloud.email.rj.org/blankSubCenter?formid=701UG00000Is8uHYAR

In this conversation, Orly and Josh explore:

• Why there isn’t really a Hebrew word for pluralism—and what that reveals about Israeli society
• The current status of Reform Judaism in Israel and how it is perceived by Israeli Jews
• Shared struggles around women’s rights, LGBTQ+ equality, and confronting racism in Israel and North America
• The evolving relationship between Israel and the Diaspora at a critical moment for Israel’s democratic future

They also reflect on their personal Zionist journeys:

• Orly’s story—from a secular Israeli upbringing to discovering Reform Judaism through a preschool in Mevasseret Zion, and finding her life’s work at IRAC defending democracy and challenging religious extremism through law
• Josh’s story—from a Chicago youth movement kid to rabbi and Zionist leader, shaped by the Oslo years, the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, and years of living and teaching in Israel

This episode sets the tone for the entire season of The Pluralist Podcast:
honest, nuanced, deeply rooted in love for Israel, and committed to liberal Jewish values—on both sides of the ocean.

Together, they reflect on how the current government, dominated by religious extremists, is weaponizing Judaism to justify anti-democratic policies, including attacks on the judiciary and the abandonment of core Jewish values like human dignity and the sanctity of life. But the conversation is also one of hope: Talia and Orly speak about the unprecedented awakening of Israel’s liberal public, the growing demand for spiritual meaning, and how Reform Judaism is offering an inclusive, egalitarian alternative rooted in tradition.

From Talia’s personal journey from a secular kibbutz to becoming a Reform rabbi, to the responsibility we all share in reclaiming Jewish texts and values from the margins, this episode is both a call to action and a vision for a more pluralistic, democratic future — in Israel and beyond.

Want to stay in touch?

• Sign up for The Pluralist - IRAC's weekly newsletter
• Contact us about arranging a visit in Israel, North America, or a webinar
• Support IRAC's work with a monthly or one-time donation

💬 “We are citizens of a country yet to be formed,” Rabbi Mazor says. This episode is a testament to those actively working to shape that country with dignity, courage, and compassion.

🎙 Listen now for a conversation about Judaism, justice, and the radical act of believing in a better future.

🔗 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share this episode to amplify a Jewish voice for democracy, equality, and shared society.

In this powerful opening episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Orly Erez-Likhovski, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center, sits down with Rabbi Talia Avnon-Benveniste, head of the Reform Rabbinical Seminary at Hebrew Union College, to explore the deep connection between Judaism and democracy — and why both are under threat in today’s Israel.

Together, they reflect on how the current government, dominated by religious extremists, is weaponizing Judaism to justify anti-democratic policies, including attacks on the judiciary and the abandonment of core Jewish values like human dignity and the sanctity of life. But the conversation is also one of hope: Talia and Orly speak about the unprecedented awakening of Israel’s liberal public, the growing demand for spiritual meaning, and how Reform Judaism is offering an inclusive, egalitarian alternative rooted in tradition.

From Talia’s personal journey from a secular kibbutz to becoming a Reform rabbi, to the responsibility we all share in reclaiming Jewish texts and values from the margins, this episode is both a call to action and a vision for a more pluralistic, democratic future — in Israel and beyond.

Want to stay in touch?

• Sign up for The Pluralist - IRAC's weekly newsletter
• Contact us about arranging a visit in Israel, North America, or a webinar
• Support IRAC's work with a monthly or one-time donation
• Vote4Reform in the World Zionist Congress

In this special Shavuot episode of The Pluralist, Orly Erez-Likhovski, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center, reflects on her own connection to Ruth’s story and the ongoing struggle for inclusive conversion in Israel. She’s joined by Rabbi Galia Sadan, head of the Reform Movement’s Beit Din for Conversion and rabbi at Congregation Beit Daniel in Tel Aviv.

Together, they explore:

• Why the Chief Rabbinate's monopoly on conversion excludes so many

• How the Reform Movement provides a meaningful, welcoming path to Judaism

• What recent Supreme Court victories mean for converts—and what challenges remain

• The real-life stories behind the headlines

🎧 Tune in to hear how the spirit of Ruth is alive today—and why keeping the gates open matters more than ever.

➡️ Support IRAC’s work: https://apzprxtx.donorsupport.co/page/PluralistPodcast

What happens when courts stop protecting us—and start protecting power?

In this urgent episode of The Pluralist Podcast, IRAC Executive Director Orly Erez-Likhovski is joined by award-winning journalist and legal analyst Dahlia Lithwick to explore the fragile state of democracy in Israel and the United States. From the refusal to appoint justices in Israel to the partisan tilt of the U.S. Supreme Court, the two legal minds unpack what Princeton Professor Kim Lane Scheppele calls “autocratic legalism”—when leaders use the law itself to dismantle democracy from within.

📌 Topics include:

– The erosion of judicial independence in Israel and the U.S.

– How Netanyahu and Trump use legal systems to consolidate power

– Why the courts must be both respected and defended

– The public’s role in protecting democracy

– What IRAC is doing on the legal front lines in Israel

🎧 The Pluralist Podcast is where Jewish values meet the struggle for a just, equal, and inclusive Israel.