In this episode, Ilan Troen, historian and founding scholar of the field of Israel studies, speaks about his new book, Israel/Palestine in World Religions: Whose Promised Land? He examines the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the lens of religion and argues that religious perspectives should be considered alongside studies of nationalism and geopolitics as essential components of the conflict. Ethan Katz moderates the conversation. This episode was recorded in late November 2024. Featuring:Ilan Troen, Professor Emeritus and Founding Director, Schusterman Center, Brandeis University; Professor Emeritus, Ben Gurion UniversityEthan Katz (Moderator), Associate Professor of History and Jewish Studies; Faculty Director, Center for Jewish Studies, UC Berkeley About the Helen Diller Institute:The Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies provides a rich academic forum for our nation’s future leaders to explore the breadth and complexity of Israel and contemporary Jewish issues. At a time when polarization is more severe than ever, we bring integrity, excellence, and grit to fostering dynamic spaces where students and the wider community can thoughtfully exchange ideas. To learn more about our mission and work, please visit hdi.berkeley.edu.&nbsp; Production by Yellow Armadillo Studios. Click here to <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DjOj7L7CmxcXz8jHxMXPRt9t9_QtjndxntxreBkQJ4A/edit?usp=sharing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">view</a> a transcript of this episode.

Israel/Palestine in World Religions: Whose Promised Land?

In this episode, Nadav Eyal (prominent Israeli author and journalist) and Professor Kenneth Bamberger (Berkeley Law) discuss the fast-changing developments in Israel and in the region – including the continuing hostage crisis, the firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Israeli society and the burdens of reserve service in the 14th month of war, and the reelection of Donald Trump in relation to Israel and the Netanyahu government. This episode was recorded in mid-November 2024. Featuring:Nadav Eyal, Senior Columnist, Yediot Ahronot; Senior Commentator, Keshet 12; 2024–2025 Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs, Columbia School of International and Public Affairs; Winner, Sokolov AwardKenneth Bamberger, The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Professor of Law; Faculty Co-Director, Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies, UC Berkeley About the Helen Diller Institute:The Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies provides a rich academic forum for our nation’s future leaders to explore the breadth and complexity of Israel and contemporary Jewish issues. At a time when polarization is more severe than ever, we bring integrity, excellence, and grit to fostering dynamic spaces where students and the wider community can thoughtfully exchange ideas. To learn more about our mission and work, please visit hdi.berkeley.edu.&nbsp; Production by Yellow Armadillo Studios. Click <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FPnOB997vWbkVwgP1N8qldMOheg-E36acbldsqS5rx8/edit?usp=sharing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a> to view a transcript of this episode.&nbsp;

Countries at a Crossroads: Reporting on Israel and the US in Times of Crisis (Part II)

In this episode, leading expert on Jewish-Arab relations in Israel Mohammad Darawshe, and Professor Masua Sagiv (Koret Visiting Professor of Jewish and Israel Studies at the Helen Diller Institute) discuss the challenges and opportunities for building shared society in Israel post-October 7. The events of October 7 and the Israel-Hamas War have had a unique impact on Jewish and Arab-Palestinian communities across Israel, and have posed significant challenges for intergroup relations. Darawshe and Sagiv discuss Darawshe’s vision for a way forward at this precarious juncture. This episode was recorded in November 2024.&nbsp; Mohammad Darawshe, Director of Strategy, Center for Shared Society, Givat HavivaMasua Sagiv, Koret Visiting Assistant Professor of Jewish and Israel Studies at UC Berkeley (2021–2025); Senior Faculty, Shalom Hartman Institute; Researcher at the Menomadin Center for Jewish and Democratic Law, Bar-Ilan University Law Faculty The Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies provides a rich academic forum for our nation’s future leaders to explore the breadth and complexity of Israel and contemporary Jewish issues. At a time when polarization is more severe than ever, we bring integrity, excellence, and grit to fostering dynamic spaces where students and the wider community can thoughtfully exchange ideas. To learn more about our mission and work, please visit hdi.berkeley.edu.&nbsp; Production by Yellow Armadillo Studios. Click <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/16Z8wtY9gaZWmO1oB7x_A8Z-_g-QTYOKElDOIJmAm7cA/edit?usp=sharing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a> to view a transcript of this episode.&nbsp;

Modeling Shared Society in Israel

In this episode, Israeli author and memoirist Ayelet Tsabari and Professor Yael Segalovitz (Israel Institute Visiting Professor at the Helen Diller Institute) discuss Tsabari’s newly released, debut novel Songs for the Brokenhearted, a poignant story about family, loss, and lost family stories, and the unbreakable bonds between a mother and a daughter. They also explore Tsabari’s writing process, literary choices, and the social, political, and historical contexts in which the stories of this Yemeni Israeli family unfold. This episode was recorded in October 2024.&nbsp; Ayelet Tsabari, Israeli author of The Art of Leaving; Finalist, Writer’s Trust Hilary Weston PrizeYael Segalovitz (Moderator), 2024–2025 Israel Institute Visiting Professor at the Helen Diller Institute; Lecturer at Ben-Gurion University of the NegevAbout the Helen Diller Institute: About the Helen Diller InstituteThe Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies provides a rich academic forum for our nation’s future leaders to explore the breadth and complexity of Israel and contemporary Jewish issues. At a time when polarization is more severe than ever, we bring integrity, excellence, and grit to fostering dynamic spaces where students and the wider community can thoughtfully exchange ideas. To learn more about our mission and work, please visit hdi.berkeley.edu.&nbsp; Production by Yellow Armadillo Studios. Click <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/12TEBQ2Xqoly8vykpRO4dGKBBUyDMjE38TcTVkjIwXUg/edit?usp=sharing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a> to view a transcript of this episode.&nbsp;

Songs for the Brokenhearted

In this episode, Israeli author and clinical psychologist Ayelet Gundar Goshen and Professor Yael Segalovitz (Israel Institute Visiting Professor at the Helen Diller Institute) discuss the fragile emotional state of Israeli society one year after October 7, and in the wake of the murders of hostages Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, and Carmel Gat. With a keen interplay of literary and psychological sensibilities, they explore in depth Gundar Goshen’s clinical work with October 7th survivors and the impact of trauma and war on her literary process. This episode was recorded in October 2024. Ayelet Gundar Goshen, Award-winning Israeli author; Winner, Sapir Prize for Literature of Israel; Clinical PsychologistYael Segalovitz (Moderator), 2024–2025 Israel Institute Visiting Professor at the Helen Diller Institute; Lecturer at Ben-Gurion University of the NegevAbout the Helen Diller Institute: The Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies provides a rich academic forum for our nation’s future leaders to explore the breadth and complexity of Israel and contemporary Jewish issues. At a time when polarization is more severe than ever, we bring integrity, excellence, and grit to fostering dynamic spaces where students and the wider community can thoughtfully exchange ideas. To learn more about our mission and work, please visit hdi.berkeley.edu.&nbsp; Production by Yellow Armadillo Studios. Click <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K8K-3LWDFsxuwGd5R-nVFQUvnAvVwbwhQf2F8ph6iKU/edit?usp=sharing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a> to view a transcript of this episode.

Layers of Trauma and Paths to Healing

In this episode, Professor Keren Friedman-Peleg (College of Management-Academic Studies) and Dr. Rebecca Golbert discuss Friedman-Peleg’s ongoing ethnographic fieldwork examining processes of meaning-making after trauma among October 7th survivors. They also explore the fragile mood of Israeli society following the murder of six hostages in Gaza. This episode was recorded in October 2024. Featuring:Keren Friedman-Peleg, Spring 2025 Helen Diller Institute Visiting Professor; Senior Lecturer and Dean of Students at the College of Management-Academic StudiesRebecca Golbert (Moderator), Executive Director, Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies About the Helen Diller Institute:The Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies provides a rich academic forum for our nation’s future leaders to explore the breadth and complexity of Israel and contemporary Jewish issues. At a time when polarization is more severe than ever, we bring integrity, excellence, and grit to fostering dynamic spaces where students and the wider community can thoughtfully exchange ideas. To learn more about our mission and work, please visit hdi.berkeley.edu.&nbsp; Production by Yellow Armadillo Studios. Click <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U1tPI0rkbH5KrWCw3rV0ZzIxWUltfAmECkzuxVZQDl0/edit?usp=sharing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a> to view a transcript of this episode.

Meaning-Making after Trauma

In this episode, Nadav Eyal (prominent Israeli author and journalist) and Professor Kenneth Bamberger (Berkeley Law) discuss the fast-changing developments in Israel and in the region — including in Gaza and in Lebanon — and consider Iran’s response as well as U.S. foreign policy in advance of the U.S. election. This episode was recorded in late September 2024. Featuring:Nadav Eyal, Senior Columnist, Yediot Ahronot; Senior Commentator, Keshet 12; 2024–2025 Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs, Columbia School of International and Public Affairs; Winner, Sokolov AwardKenneth Bamberger, The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Professor of Law; Faculty Co-Director, Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies, UC Berkeley About the Helen Diller Institute:The Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies provides a rich academic forum for our nation’s future leaders to explore the breadth and complexity of Israel and contemporary Jewish issues. At a time when polarization is more severe than ever, we bring integrity, excellence, and grit to fostering dynamic spaces where students and the wider community can thoughtfully exchange ideas. To learn more about our mission and work, please visit hdi.berkeley.edu.&nbsp; Production by Yellow Armadillo Studios. Click <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t6ULF-P8W7SBP3dstwdqzkcSJCSsbyhe7DkepbTyEeI/edit?usp=sharing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a> to view a transcript of this episode.&nbsp;

Countries at a Crossroads: Reporting on Israel and the US in Times of Crisis (Part I)

In this episode, Israeli author Yossi Klein Halevi joins Ethan Katz (UC Berkeley) for an in-depth discussion on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, exploring the deep-rooted challenges and what it will take to move beyond the current stalemate. Together, they examine potential pathways to peace and the critical steps needed to overcome the enduring obstacles in this complex and long-standing conflict. This episode was recorded in April 2024. Featuring:&nbsp;Yossi Klein Halevi, Author; Senior Fellow, Shalom Hartman Institute in JerusalemEthan Katz, Associate Professor of History and Jewish Studies; Faculty Director, Center for Jewish Studies, UC Berkeley About the Helen Diller Institute:The Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies provides a rich academic forum for our nation’s future leaders to explore the breadth and complexity of Israel and contemporary Jewish issues. At a time when polarization is more severe than ever, we bring integrity, excellence, and grit to fostering dynamic spaces where students and the wider community can thoughtfully exchange ideas. To learn more about our mission and work, please visit hdi.berkeley.edu.&nbsp; Production by Yellow Armadillo Studios. Click <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/14h0YlX5GWWqJjUUkdFho7iKYZWKKg7kweby7zdXrixg/edit?usp=sharing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a> to view a transcript of this episode.

Debates over Zionism and the Future of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

Content Warning: This episode features explicit description of sexual violence.&nbsp; After October 7th, it quickly became clear that Hamas had committed acts of sexual violence during their attack on civilians in Israel. Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, Former Vice-Chair of the UN Committee on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, soon found herself on the front lines of a campaign to communicate the severity and scope of these crimes to the United Nations. In this episode, she tells the story of what happened in the days following the attack, the evolution of international responses, advocacy for an international investigation, and the pursuit of justice against the perpetrators. This episode was recorded in April 2024.&nbsp; Featuring:&nbsp;Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, Professor of Law, Founding Academic Director, Rackman Center for the Advancement of the Status of Women Bar-Ilan University Faculty of Law; Former Vice-Chair, UN Committee on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)Masua Sagiv (Moderator), 2021–2024 Koret Visiting Assistant Professor of Jewish and Israel Studies, UC Berkeley; Scholar-in-Residence, Shalom Hartman Institute If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual assault, rape, or domestic violence, it's crucial to know where to turn for help and support. Here are some resources available in the US and Israel that offer assistance to individuals in need:&nbsp; In the US, individuals can reach out to the US Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or the US Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for support and assistance. In Israel, the Women’s Hotline for Sexual Assault and Rape can be contacted at 1202, while the Men and Youth Hotline for Sexual Assault and Rape is reachable at 1203. Additionally, individuals experiencing domestic violence can call the Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-22-0000 for help and support. About the Helen Diller Institute:The Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies provides a rich academic forum for our nation’s future leaders to explore the breadth and complexity of Israel and contemporary Jewish issues. At a time when polarization is more severe than ever, we bring integrity, excellence, and grit to fostering dynamic spaces where students and the wider community can thoughtfully exchange ideas. To learn more about our mission and work, please visit hdi.berkeley.edu.&nbsp; Production by Yellow Armadillo Studios. Click <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AJ2QFKNBFKcHIBKJXnA8ZE5ainxQS3FeD8XtQrVOYRA/edit?usp=sharing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a> to view a transcript of this episode.

Sexual Violence Committed by Hamas on October 7th 

Lectures and conversations from the Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies at UC Berkeley.

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