The Jewish People's Podcast

Former Canadian ambassador to Israel Vivian Bercovici joins Yaakov Katz for a candid conversation about the alarming rise of antisemitism in Canada following October 7. Once considered one of the safest places in the world for Jews, Jews fear what the future holds.

Following a series of troubling incidents involving Christian clergy in Jerusalem – including the reported blocking of Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre – Yaakov speaks with JPPI’s Prof. Michal Bar-Asher Siegal about the growing strain on Jewish-Christian relations in Israel and the disappearance of meaningful interfaith dialogue from Israeli society.

What should Israel’s long-term strategy look like after October 7? Drawing on the Henry Jackson Society’s “Israel 2048” report, Barak Seener joins Yaakov to lay out a vision for shifting from reactive deterrence to proactive power projection – integrating military strength with regional alliances, economic corridors, and technological leadership. The conversation explores whether Israel can translate battlefield success into lasting strategic advantage, and what kind of state it aims to be by...

Israel and the U.S. inflicted serious damage on Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure – but was that enough to change the region for good? In this episode, Gil Troy and Shmuel Rosner join Yaakov to discuss whether the battlefield gains can now be turned into a real strategic success through diplomacy, pressure on the regime, and the high-stakes negotiations still to come.

What have we really learned from Iran’s missile campaign? In this episode, missile expert Tal Inbar breaks down why cluster munitions are so difficult to intercept, how Israel’s air defense systems are performing under real wartime pressure, and what this all means for the future of Israeli strategy - including the growing case for a dedicated offensive missile corps.

What does “winning” a war with Iran actually mean? Dennis Ross breaks down the possible endgames - from nuclear concessions to control of the Strait of Hormuz - and what the conflict means for U.S. politics and regional normalization.

As Israel fights a historic war with Iran, deeper questions are emerging about the country’s future. What kind of Israel will take shape after this conflict? What does the war reveal about Israel’s strengths and limits? And as the country moves toward another election cycle, how might the war reshape its politics and leadership? To unpack these questions, Yakkov is joined by Dr. Einat Wilf - former Knesset member, political thinker, and one of the most insightful voices in Israel’s strategic ...

As the war continues to reshape the Middle East, a critical question remains: what happened to the 450 kg of highly enriched uranium Iran reportedly buried under Isfahan? To explore the strategic and technical realities of this challenge, Yaakov speaks with Avner Vilan, who spent two decades inside Israel’s intelligence and defense communities focused on disrupting Iran’s nuclear ambitions. He provides a rare, expert perspective on the resilience of the Iranian program and what its survival m...

Gil Troy and Shmuel Rosner join Yaakov to discuss the latest developments in the war with Iran, the resilience of the Trump–Netanyahu relationship, and new polling on American Jewish support for the war - and what it could mean for Israel’s growing election debate.

Hezbollah has joined the war, firing rockets into Israel and widening the conflict with Iran. On day three of the campaign, what are the objectives, what has been achieved, and how deep is US–Israel coordination? LTC (Ret.) Or Horvitz, a former senior intelligence officer, joins Yaakov to break it down.

As tensions with Iran rise and the region watches Donald Trump’s next move, Israel faces a parallel crisis at home. The Haredi draft battle and the near-lynching of two female soldiers in Bnei Brak highlight growing internal strains. Yaakov Katz speaks with Shmuel Rosner and Shuki Friedman about how Israel confronts mounting pressure from Tehran while grappling with deep divisions within its own society.

Since October 7, Israeli politics has entered uncharted territory. Public trust, electoral dynamics, the future of the war, and the state of Israeli democracy are all in flux. Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin - political strategist, public opinion expert, and author of The Crooked Timber of Democracy in Israel - joins the podcast to unpack what Israelis really think, where the data is pointing, and what it all means for Israel’s political future.

With the return of Ran Gvili, Israel closes its longest and most painful hostage chapter. In this episode, Yaakov talks to Gil Troy and Sara Hirschhorn about what this means for Israeli society, the country’s core ethos of never leaving anyone behind, and how the end of the hostage crisis paves the way for Phase 2 of the Trump plan for Gaza.