Call Me Back - with Dan Senor

What does Tisha B'Av ask of us after October 7?

Tisha B'Av is the saddest date on the Jewish calendar, but Rachel Goldberg-Polin argues it also offers hope and opportunity. In a conversation shaped by the personal and collective trauma of October 7, she explains why Jewish tradition gathers centuries of loss onto a single day, why it compels us to look inward, and how mourning is meant to become the first step toward repair.

Rachel’s suggested reading:  This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation by Rabbi Alan Lew

___

Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

Become a Subscriber - Inside Call me Back

____

In this episode:

- Why Tisha B'Av became Judaism's day of mourning

-  The original national failure: The spies and the Promised Land, 

- The centrality and importance of the Temples we can’t comprehend

- Sinat chinam and the danger of baseless hatred

- Why Jewish tradition looks inward after catastrophe

- How Tisha B'Av is observed and why the rituals matter

- Rav Kook's answer: from baseless hatred to baseless love

- Finding hope, repair, and "yet" after grief

More Ark Media:

Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings.

Explore Israel Votes

Listen to Ark News Daily

Listen to For Heaven's Sake

Listen to What’s Your Number?

Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal

Instagram | Ark Media | Dan

X | Dan

Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel

Get in touch

Credits: Ilan Benatar, Ryan Lohr, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

This is a sneak peek from the members-only edition of Inside Call Me Back. Dan and Nadav Eyal discuss the emergence of a new right-wing party led by Hili Tropper and Yoaz Hendel, what it reveals about Israel's evolving political landscape, and whether a new generation of leaders can reshape the country's future.

___

Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

For the full episode, subscribe here to - Inside Call me Back

In this full episode Dan was asked for reliable sources for Israel news and talking points. We include those here:

- Nadav Eyal’s Substack by Nadav Eyal

- It’s Noon in Israel by Amit Segal

- Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor by Yossi Klein Halevi | Amazon |  Barnes & Noble

- Israel on Trial: Examining the History, the Evidence, and the Law by Roy Altman |  Amazon | Barnes & Noble

- Israel: A concise History of a Nation Reborn by Daniel Gordis | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

- AJC’s Combating Antisemitism Playbook: Strategies to Understand, Respond to, and Prevent Antisemitism

____

You can access the full episode here, where Dan and Tal answer listener questions about:

- Does Gadi Eisenkot's Sephardic background strengthen his political appeal?

- The raging political and legal battle behind the draft exemption bill

- Why does Netanyahu's political base remain so loyal?

- What is the best strategy for Israel on Lebanon?

- How do you push back against anti-Israel claims?

More Ark Media:

Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings.

Explore Israel Votes

Listen to Ark News Daily

Listen to For Heaven's Sake

Listen to What’s Your Number?

Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal

Instagram | Ark Media | Dan

X | Dan

Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel

Get in touch

Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

Can Israel break the paralysis over the Palestinian question without risking its own security?

Israelis and Palestinians have been stuck for years, with no practical or diplomatic progress and little confidence that anything can change. Tal Becker argues that while the obstacles are real, accepting paralysis carries its own costs for Israel's security, regional relationships, international standing, and  national moral identity. He lays out what he believes the next Israeli government can realistically do to start moving forward without ignoring the lessons and trauma of October 7.

___

Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

Become a Subscriber - Inside Call me Back

____

In this episode:

- Why Israelis and Palestinians are stuck in a cycle of paralysis

- What a Palestinian state is supposed to solve

- The urgent imperatives of why change must happen soon

- Can regional normalization still move forward?

- Five priorities for Israel's next government

- The role of Arab states regarding the Palestinians

- What concrete step should Israeli leaders take next?

More Ark Media:

Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings.

Explore Israel Votes

Listen to Ark News Daily

Listen to For Heaven's Sake

Listen to What’s Your Number?

Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal

Instagram | Ark Media | Dan

X | Dan

Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel

Get in touch

Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

What will it take to save the U.S.-Israel alliance? 

Dan is joined by Rahm Emanuel, a Democratic party powerhouse who was a former Chicago mayor, White House Chief of Staff, and U.S. Ambassador to Japan. Dan challenges Emanuel on ideas from the speech he delivered in Tel Aviv that ignited debate across Israel and the United States. Emanuel argues that Israel's current course is putting the U.S.-Israel alliance at risk, while Dan presses him on whether October 7 fundamentally changed the assumptions behind his vision for Israel's future. They discuss Israel’s security, Palestinian statehood, the future of a more hostile Democratic Party, and whether Emanuel's message is ultimately an act of tough love or tough luck for Israel.

Watch Rahm Emanuel’s Tel Aviv speech HERE.

___

Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

Become a Subscriber - Inside Call me Back

____

In this episode:

- Rahm Emanuel remembers Senator Lindsey Graham

- How October 7 changed Israel’s security doctrine

- Rahm Emanuel’s 23-state solution for Israel and the Arab states

- Is its isolation becoming a security threat for Israel?

- How Emanuel would reshape the U.S.-Israel alliance

- Are calls for “From the River to the Sea” and Greater Israel equivalent?

- Emanuel’s response to fears antisemitism reshaping the Democratic Party

- Is Emanuel really advocating tough love or tough luck for Israel?

More Ark Media:

Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings.

Explore Israel Votes

Listen to Ark News Daily

Listen to For Heaven's Sake

Listen to What’s Your Number?

Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal

Instagram | Ark Media | Dan

X | Dan

Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel

Get in touch

Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

This is a sneak peek from the members-only edition of Inside Call Me Back. Dan and Tal Becker discuss Rahm Emanuel's speech in Israel, why support for Israel has become increasingly tied to America's culture wars, and whether that shift can still be reversed.

___

Call Me Back is made possible by our subscribers. If these conversations are where you turn to understand Israel and the Jewish world, consider joining them. It's what keeps this show going.

For the full episode, subscribe here to - Inside Call me Back

____

You can access the full episode here, where Dan and Tal answer listener questions about:

- Is the potential for Arab-Israeli alliances slipping away?

- Is the Jewish diaspora becoming irreparably divided?

- Should American Jews have an elected leadership body?

- How do we make antisemitism taboo again?

- What role should Israelis abroad play?

- Could the far left and far right turn on each other?

- How is Hamas still functioning in Gaza?

More Ark Media:

Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings.

Explore Israel Votes

Listen to Ark News Daily

Listen to For Heaven's Sake

Listen to What’s Your Number?

Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal

Instagram | Ark Media | Dan

X | Dan

Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel

Get in touch

Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo