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In this special ‘War Edition’ of the show, Dan and Benny take a deep dive into the geopolitical context of the October 7th war with Col. (Res.) Dr. Eran Lerman.  Together, they discuss the war’s progress, impact, and possible outcomes both near- and long-term.  About Col. (Res.) Dr. Eran Lerman: Colonel (Res.) Dr. Eran Lerman is a lecturer in the Shalem College Departments of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and Strategy, Diplomacy, and Security and in the Tel Aviv University Department of Political Science. He is also the Vice President of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security and, since 2021, the editor-in-chief of Jerusalem Strategic Tribune. A historian by training and the former deputy for foreign policy and international affairs at Israel’s National Security Council, Lerman has also served as director of the American Jewish Committee’s Israel/Middle East Office and in senior positions at the Israel Defense Forces’ Directorate of Military Intelligence. He holds a PhD in Government from the London School of Economics and a mid-career MPA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. A third-generation “Sabra,” he is married to Annelies, the father of three, and the proud grandfather of four.   A special message from Benny & Dan: Our thoughts and prayers go out to the thousands of victims - murdered, kidnapped, and injured - of the deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel on the morning of October 7th.  This episode of the show is dedicated to the brave men and women of the IDF and Israel's security forces as they bravely serve to eliminate the destructive threats faced by Israel and the Jewish People both near and far - and to the People of Israel who are struggling at this unprecedented time. For those interested in donating to help the Israeli people in this time of need, please check out the following resources. Your help is highly appreciated at this urgent time: The Jewish Agency for Israel's Fund for Victims of Terror - CLICK HEREFriends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Emergency Campaign 2023 - CLICK HEREIsrael Trauma Coalition (ITC) - CLICK HEREJNF-USA Israel Resilience Campaign - CLICK HERE עם ישראל חי!  Am Yisrael Chai! Additional Links: ·       Follow Dr. Lerman on X @EranLerman ·       Visit Dr. Lerman’s page at Shalem College HERE. A special word about Israel travel from Kenes Tours:  Saturday, October 7th will go down in infamy. Israel was brutally and horrifically attacked by Hamas terrorists who violently infiltrated the country and penetrated southern Israeli communities. Thousands of Israelis were murdered, terrorized, and kidnapped.   Deadly rockets are being fired upon southern and central Israel from the Gaza Strip and upon communities in the northern Galilee from Lebanon. The Israel Defense Forces are working

In this special ‘War Edition’ of the show, Dan and Benny cover updates on the war as well as discuss Israel’s PR battle with special guests Joanna Landau, founder and president of Vibe Israel, and Haisam Hassanein, a fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies specializing in Israel’s relations with Arab states and Muslim countries. About Joanna Landau: Best-selling author of “Ethical Tribing: Connecting the Next Generation to Israel in the Digital Era,” Joanna is an expert on country branding, Israel’s soft power, and the unique challenges Israel faces when building its global reputation. Recognized by Forbes Israel as one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Israel, Joanna worked as a lawyer in Israel’s high-tech industry, established two Tel Aviv-based start-ups, and is the Founder and President of Vibe Israel, a nonprofit that has generated over a billion positive mentions about Israel online. She is a director of Tel Aviv Global & Tourism, a governor of Tel Aviv University, and a member of the International Education Committee of Taglit-Birthright. Born in London and raised in Israel, Joanna lives in Tel Aviv with her husband, 3 children and 2 dogs. About Haisam Hassanein: Haisam Hassanein is an adjunct fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, where he is analyzing Israel’s relations with Arab states and Muslim countries. He has published in The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, The National Interest, the Hill magazine, the New York Daily News, and The Jerusalem Post. He was the first Egyptian to be named a graduate school valedictorian by an Israeli academic institution.  Hassanein also sits on the advisory board of Sharaka, a leading organization working to shape a new Middle East, built on dialogue, understanding, cooperation, and friendship. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the thousands of victims - murdered, kidnapped, and injured - of the deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel on the morning of October 7th, and is dedicated to the brave men and women of the IDF and Israel's security forces as they valiantly serve to eliminate the destructive threats faced by Israel and the Jewish People both near and far - and to the People of Israel who are struggling at this unprecedented time. For those interested in donating to help the Israeli people in this time of need, please check out the following resources. Your help is highly appreciated at this urgent time: The Jewish Agency for Israel's Fund for Victims of Terror - CLICK HEREFriends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Emergency Campaign 2023 - CLICK HEREIsrael Trauma Coalition (ITC) - CLICK HEREJNF-USA Israel Resilience Campaign - CLICK HERE עם ישראל חי!  Am Yisrael Chai! Additional Links: Learn more about Vibe Israel – HERETo buy Joanna Landau’s book, ‘Ethical Tribing: Connecting the Next Generation to Israel in the Digital Era’ click HERE.Learn more about The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies – a href="https://www.fdd.org/"...

Join Dan Feferman and Benny Scholder for the return of Jewanced as we present a special live podcast covering Swords of Iron - The Simchat Torah War. Taped Live on Friday, October 13, 2023, day 7 of the war, this will be the first in a series of episodes we're broadcasting to bring you ongoing updates and snapshots of the progress of this unfolding war - a horrific, devastating, and pivotal moment in the history of Israel and the Jewish People. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the thousands of victims - murdered, kidnapped, and injured - of the deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel on the morning of October 7th, and is dedicated to the brave men and women of the IDF and Israel's security forces as they valiantly serve to eliminate the destructive threats faced by Israel and the Jewish People both near and far - and to the People of Israel who are struggling at this unprecedented time. For those interested in donating to help the Israeli people at this time of need, please check out the following resources. Your help is highly appreciated at this urgent time: The Jewish Agency for Israel's Fund for Victims of Terror - CLICK HEREFriends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Emergency Campaign 2023 - CLICK HEREIsrael Trauma Coalition (ITC) - CLICK HEREJNF-USA Israel Resilience Campaign - CLICK HERE עם ישראל חי! Am Yisrael Chai!

Dr. Shlomo Fischer is a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute and teaches sociology in the School of Education at Hebrew University and at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev. He served as a research fellow at the Van Leer Institute. Fischer has worked in the field of education for the past 25 years. In the past 10 years, he has worked in the field of religion, democracy, and tolerance. He has edited (together with Adam Seligman) The Burden of Tolerance: Religious Traditions and the Challenge of Pluralism (Hebrew; HaKibbutz Hameuchad and the Van Leer Institute, 2007) which addresses these issues. From 1996 to 2007 he was the founder and Executive Director of Yesodot – Center for Torah and Democracy which works to advance education for democracy in the State-Religious school sector in Israel and was also one of the founders and is on the Board of the International Summer School for Religion and Public Life which is based in Boston, Mass. He is a graduate of the Mandel School for Educational Leadership in Jerusalem. Fischer’s research interests include the nexus of religion, politics and class in Israel, contemporary religion, and the sociology of the Jewish people. He has published extensively on radical religious Zionism and the West Bank settlers as well as on the Shas movement. Links: Shlomo Fischer at the JPPI – Jewish People Policy Institute (including a selection of his published writings and articles) Shlomo Fischer at The Blogs at The Times of Israel Buy The Burden of Tolerance: Religious Traditions and the Challenge of Pluralism (Hebrew) at the Van Leer Institute Visit Yesodot: The Center for Torah and Democracy  Visit the International Summer School for Religion and Public Life As always, make sure to subscribe to Jewanced on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe to our YouTube channel. For more information, visit us at http://www.jewanced.com

Rawan Osman was born in Damascus and raised in Lebanon. After high school, Osman moved back to Syria and in 2011, during the beginning of the unrest, left for France. In 2018, Osman moved to Strasbourg and started working on her first book, The Israelis, Friends or Foes. Osman is a contributor to Fikra Forum. A true believer in the potential for authentic and positive human interactions with Jews to change popular narratives in the Arab world and bring about peace, Rawan recently participated in the NGO Sharaka’s first-ever historic delegation of Arabs from across the Middle East, Europe, and America who traveled to Auschwitz together with their Jewish and Israeli peers to participate in the annual March of the Living, commemorating the victims of the Shoah on Israel’s Holocaust Memorial Day. Links: Watch an interview with Sharaka March of the Living delegation members that recently aired on I24 News. Read an article from The Jerusalem Post / JPost.com about Sharaka’s historic delegation to the March of the Living bringing together Arabs across the Middle East. Watch an interview of Saudi journalist Abdulaziz Alkhamis who participated in the March of the Living with a historical delegation from the Sharaka NGO at Auschwitz to commemorate the six million Jewish people who were exterminated by the Nazis (in Arabic). Read a feature piece in The Times of Israel about the historic delegation bringing together influencers from around the Middle East to learn firsthand about the Holocaust and partake in March of the Living (featuring interviews with both Dan Feferman and Rawan Osman). Rawan Osman on Facebook Rawan Osman at the Washington Institute Read a letter from Rawan Osman to Yossi Klein Halevi featured in his award-winning book, Letters To My Neighbor Visit the Fikra Forum at the Washington Institute As always, make sure to subscribe to Jewanced on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe to our YouTube channel. For more information, visit us at http://www.jewanced.com

Listener’s beware, this episode of the show is virtually guaranteed to leave you super hungry! NJ native and former screenwriter Joel Haber made aliya to Israel in 2009. Looking to leave his former profession behind in the Old Country, Joe did what anyone would do and became a licensed tour guide and soon found himself escorting travelers from all over the world to discover and uncover the wonder and beauty that is the Land and People of Israel.  Joel grew up in a modern orthodox home with a mother who was a great home cook, and a cosmopolitan one, and through her kitchen ate many traditional foods of his Ashkenazi Jewish background as well as dishes from other segments of Jewish culture.  Developing a diverse palate, Joel’s taste buds found their perfect habitat when he got to Israel and he quickly was able to enjoy the super-diverse variety that is today’s modern Israeli culinary scene (think everything from pickled herring and kugel to malawach, khachapuri, kuba & gondi).  Combining his passion for tours with his love of food, Joel is renowned for his incredible, one-of-a-kind tasting tours of Jerusalem’s iconic Machane Yehuda market and giving lectures on what our classic Jewish dishes say about Jewish culture. He is the author of the popular Jewish food blog, “The Taste of Jewish Culture” and author of the book “Chulent: How an Unassuming Sabbath Stew Traveled the World, Changed its Look, and Came to Embody the Jewish Experience.” Links: Joel’s popular Jewish food blog ‘The Taste of Jewish Culture’ Tour Israel with Joel Haber at Fun Joel’s Israel Tours Shuk Tours with Joel Haber New Passover Foods For Your Seder – by Joel Haber Learn all about Schmaltz with Joel Haber A selection of articles by Joel Haber at The Times of Israel Joel Haber on Twitter, @funjoel Joel Haber on Facebook As always, make sure to subscribe to Jewanced on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe to our YouTube channel. For more information, visit us at http://www.jewanced.com

DIG into history on this week’s episode of the show as Dan and Benny explore ancient Israel and the turbulent times of the 1st Jewish State and its destruction with guest Dr. David Gurevich, an archaeologist and expert on Jerusalem and the 2nd Temple period. Dr. David Gurevich is an archaeologist who studies Jerusalem and the Second Temple Period. His doctoral dissertation focused on the large water pools of Jerusalem and established the link between the Jewish pilgrimage to the Temple and the water management of the city. In 2014-2015, he was awarded the Fulbright Fellowship and became a post-doctoral scholar at Harvard University. In 2019, he published his co-edited volume Exploring the Holy Land that explores the story of the 19th-century British Palestine Exploration Fund (PEF), the scientific society that sent the first archaeologists to the region. He also studies the First Jewish-Roman Revolt, a topic of his chapter in the Sefer Yerushalayim volume of Yad Ben Zvi. Dr. Gurevich is a member of the Archaeological Council of Israel.  Dr. Gurevich also researches Antisemitism in the Orthodox Church. He established the academic program ‘Ambassadors Online’ at the University of Haifa, which trained students to become unofficial diplomats of Israel. In 2017-2018, he worked in the Jerusalem Municipality as an officer-in-charge on the relations of the city and Christian institutions. He is frequently invited to speak on Israeli matters on various forums worldwide, and also works as a tour guide who guides enhanced excursions on historical themes and geopolitics. Links: Dr. David Gurevich can be contacted via email at [email protected] Visit his website at https://www.israelincolor.com Follow his Facebook group הרצאות וסיורים עם ד''ר דויד גורביץ (Hebrew only) where you can learn about the archaeological history and heritage of the Land of Israel and the ancient near east, as well as join upcoming tours led by Dr. Gurevich. Click HERE for a selection of academic publications by Dr. Gurevich. BUY ‘Exploring the Holy Land – 150 Years of the Palestine Exploration Fund’, a book co-edited by David Gurevich and Anat Kidron Visit David's Instagram As always, make sure to subscribe to Jewanced on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe to our YouTube channel. For more information, visit us at http://www.jewanced.com

Are we headed towards a Cold War – Round Two?     Our guest this week, Daniel Rakov, might have the answer for that ominous question and it might not be what you think… Lt. Col. (Res). Daniel Rakov is an expert on Russian policy in the Middle East and Great-Power Competition in the region.  He served in the Israel Defense Forces for over 20 years, mainly in the Israeli Defense Intelligence Division (Aman).  From 2019-2021, he was a research fellow at the Russian Studies Program at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS).  Today, Daniel is a Senior Fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS), and he is internationally recognized as one of Israel’s premier experts on Russia today.  He is the author of ‘Thirty Years of Russian-Israeli Relations: Past, Present, Future(currently available only in Russian). Links: Daniel’s page at the JISS A selection of articles by Daniel in the Israeli and international press Daniel Rakov on Facebook Download Daniel’s book, ‘Thirty Years of Russian-Israeli Relations: Past, Present, Future’ (currently available only in Russian) As always, make sure to subscribe to Jewanced on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe to our YouTube channel. For more information, visit us at http://www.jewanced.com

Len Khodorkovsky has one of those heartwarming American Jewish stories: A refugee from the Soviet Union finds safe haven in America, where he thrives, builds a family and reaches professional success… then helps the president of the United States tweet Game of Thrones memes.  Len Khodorkovsky served at the State Department as a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Global Public Affairs. He was also a Senior Advisor to the US Special Representative for Iran and the Chief Marketing Officer of America’s economic diplomacy.  He was also the Trump State Department’s secret weapon, the guy who helped the President of the United States tweet some of his most famous (or infamous?) memes! Prior to joining government, Len was an advertising executive for more than two decades, where he helped Fortune 100 companies develop global ad campaigns and grow their brands. He is now the Chief Marketing Officer of the Technology Trust Network, an organization working to secure freedom through widespread adoption of trusted technologies. Links: Jpost article- Len Khodorkovsky: The State Department’s Secret Weapon Len on Twitter, @MessageFromLen Len on LinkedIn Len on Facebook Visit WatchYalla, a fast-paced, entertainment program in Arabic that gives a glimpse into the exciting characters shaping the future of the Middle East, promoting peaceful, people-to-people connections between the Arab World and Israel. Visit WatchYalla on Facebook WatchYalla on Twitter, @WatchYalla WatchYalla on Instagram   As always, make sure to subscribe to Jewanced on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe to our YouTube channel. For more information, visit us at http://www.jewanced.com

How do China, Hezbollah, int’l NGO’s, Iran, Palestinian politics, Gaza, Israel, Jihadism, and illicit financial networks connect? Dan and Benny sat down with Dr. Jonathan Schanzer, terrorism finance analyst and Senior VP of Research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies to find out! Dr. Jonathan Schanzer is senior vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he oversees the work of the organization’s experts and scholars. He is also on the leadership team of FDD’s Center on Economic and Financial Power, a project on the use of financial and economic power as a tool of statecraft. Jonathan previously worked as a terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where he played an integral role in the designation of numerous terrorist financiers. He has held previous think tank research positions at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the Middle East Forum. Jonathan has written hundreds of articles on the Middle East, along with more than a dozen monographs and chapters for edited volumes. His new book, Gaza Conflict 2021: Hamas, Israel and Eleven Days of War (FDD Press 2021), challenges and corrects the some of the wildly inaccurate news reported during the conflict. It is the first book published on the war. His three other books have made unique contributions to the field. State of Failure: Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Unmaking of the Palestinian State (Palgrave Macmillan 2013) argues the main roadblock to Palestinian statehood is the Palestinian Authority’s political dysfunction and mismanagement. Hamas vs. Fatah: The Struggle for Palestine (Palgrave Macmillan 2008) is still the only book on the market that analyzes the ongoing Palestinian civil war. Al-Qaeda’s Armies: Middle East Affiliate Groups and the Next Generation of Terror (Washington Institute for Near East Policy 2004) was the first to explore the al-Qaeda franchises of the Middle East.  Jonathan testifies often before Congress and publishes widely in the American and international media. He has appeared on American television channels such as Fox News and CNN, and Arabic language television channels such as Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera.  Links: Visit Foundation for Defense of Democracies Read Gaza Conflict 2021: Hamas, Israel and Eleven Days of War  Read State of Failure: Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Unmaking of the Palestinian State Read Hamas vs. Fatah: The Struggle for Palestine  Read Al-Qaeda’s Armies: Middle East Affiliate Groups and the Next Generation of Terror Read a recent article by Jonathan in the Boston Herald: The Hamas Caucus gets it wrong on Gaza Listen to Jonathan on NPR’s All Things Considered View all news articles by Jonathan...

The Future is Now! Hey, Jewanced fans. We have missed you. Wondering where we went? Well, it all goes back to the Abraham Accords. We recorded this episode with our good friend (and Dan's colleague) Omar Al Busaidy. In case you are curious, Benny was about to head off for his first trip to the UAE. Omar, who usually lives in the US, was in his hometown of Dubai, and Dan just got back from Dubai and was getting ready to ship off to California (with Omar) to be a part of a Sharaka delegation promoting awareness of the Abraham Accords. This episode was recorded before these trips. We hope you enjoy.  CEO of Sharaka USA and may we say, a super friend of Jewanced Omar Al Busaidy is a Fulbright Scholar, Author and Economic Affairs Liaison at the Consulate General of the United Arab Emirates in New York. He is also the Co-Founder of Creative Space Events Management based in Saudi Arabia.  With a master’s degree in International Affairs & Intelligence at Florida State University, Omar is also a Non-Resident fellow at Trends Research & Advisory a geopolitical think tank based in Abu Dhabi, UAE.   His multiple roles have allowed him to achieve several accomplishments, from publishing his self-help book ‘Just Read It’ and his upcoming book on futurism titled “Why Jobs are Robots and Life is for People’, to investing in startups in the tech sector. A former Global Shaper at the World Economic Forum and an alumnus of the State Department’s IVLP, Omar has been invited to mentor students on entrepreneurship, communication and leadership at several universities and conferences across the UAE and around the world. Links: Buy Omar’s book, Just Read It Follow Omar on Twitter Omar on Facebook Follow Omar’s Instagram Experience Sharaka As always, make sure to subscribe to Jewanced on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe to our YouTube channel. For more information, visit us at http://www.jewanced.com

Join us on a journey of discovery into the heart some of Israel’s best kept gems of history!  Our guest this week, Shakked Beery AKA The Wandering Jewess, spent this episode of the show as our expert tour guide as together we explored some of Israel’s most fascinating and least-known secret places – the ones most visitors to the country never get to see. Native to Israel for ten generations, Shakked's family arrived at the land more than 200 years ago and took an active part in reconstructing the Jewish homeland. Following her family’s heritage, she combines her love for the land with her passion for storytelling. She is a third-generation tour guide. While guiding people from all over the world, she experienced firsthand the negative views people hold against Israel, and how different they are from reality. Her mission became to deliver Israel to people “as is”, challenges and beauty combined, driven by a strong faith that only truth can bring peace. To better pursue her goal, she earned a Masters in Israel Studies from Haifa University, and a teaching certification from Oxford, specializing in Critical Antisemitism and the Delegitimization of Israel. Today, Shakked is an international speaker, dividing her time between guiding in Israel and speaking around the world, telling stories about the Israel she loves. The halt of incoming tourism caused by the pandemic gave Shakked the time to write her first book: "SECRET ISRAEL – The Israel Most Visitors Miss". After guiding for ten years she seized the opportunity to finally tell the stories of the places she loves most. In the book, she reveals the incredible stories behind ten secret gems most tourists never get to visit.  Links: Buy SECRET ISRAEL: The Israel Most Visitors Miss, by Shakked Beery The official website of The Wandering Jewess: Speaker Follow Shakked Beery – The Wandering Jewess on Facebook Follow Shakked Beery – The Wandering Jewess on Twitter Official website of Home Free, a seriously awesome country acapella band mentioned on the show Reg’s 7 Mile SteakHouse of Columbus, Nebraska – as recommended by Shakked As always, make sure to subscribe to Jewanced on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe to our YouTube channel. For more information, visit us at http://www.jewanced.com