For Heaven’s Sake is a weekly podcast presented by Ark Media and the Shalom Hartman Institute, hosted by Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi. The podcast draws its name from the Jewish concept of machloket l’shem shemayim, “disagreeing for the sake of heaven,” which is exactly what takes place each week as Donniel and Yossi discuss the moral aspects of topics affecting Israel, world Jewry, and the future of Zionism.
How does a Jewish state navigate its future when the most fiercely contested issue at the ballot box is the definition of Judaism itself? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi dissect the profound ways religion is shaping Israel's upcoming elections. They explore the Likud's historical transformation into enablers of the ultra-Orthodox, the messianic fervor driving the settlement movement, and the opposition's attempt to reclaim a broad, inclusive Jewish identity. ---- Watch the video version of our podcast on our YouTube channel . Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org . For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org , or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST . Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Learn more about our Wellspring programming for young Jews and the professionals who serve them.
What happens to a nation's psyche when the basic need to breathe is blocked by the geopolitical reality of an endless war? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi explore this dreamlike summer interlude where Israeli life appears suspended between political campaign trails and impending regional conflict. They parse the deep frustration of a public realizing that its historic moment of deterrence may have slipped away, the dangerous escalations threatening international shipping lanes and neighboring countries, and an unsteady order where tactical firefighting has replaced genuine strategy. ____ Watch the video version of our podcast on our YouTube channel . Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org . For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org , or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST . Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Learn here how Siach helps young Jews grapple with big questions.
Is it possible to rebuild a shared national vision when a society remains deeply traumatized and divided over its own moral obligations? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi examine the newly announced October election date and look beyond immediate legislative battles to articulate the change they truly hope for. They dissect the urgent structural need to undo mass ultra-Orthodox military exemptions, explore how to restore national accountability through an independent commission of inquiry into October 7th, and confront the total breakdown of principled moral discourse in the public square. Rather than focusing purely on political survival, they lay out a framework centered on repairing systemic damage, restoring civic responsibility, and reclaiming long-term vision. ____ Watch the video version of our podcast on our YouTube channel . Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org . For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org , or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST . Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.
Hello For Heaven’s Sake listeners. We are adjusting our publishing schedule this week, and you won’t see an episode in your feed today. Please make sure you are subscribed to us wherever you get your podcasts, so new episodes download automatically as soon as they are released. Thank you for listening to For Heaven's Sake . ___ Watch the video version of our podcast on our YouTube channel . Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org . For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org , or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST . Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.
What do four political earthquakes in a single week - as the Knesset is on the brink of dissolving -reveal about the election that will define Israel's future? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi open Israel's election season by mapping the upheaval: the sudden formation of new parties, Gadi Eisenkot's rise to rival Likud as Naftali Bennett fades, a blitz of contentious legislation, and a government openly declaring it will defy the Supreme Court. Together they ask what Israelis actually want and whether this moment marks the true end of the Netanyahu era. A clear-eyed guide to the opening shot of the most consequential election in years. Watch the video version of our podcast on our YouTube channel . Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org . For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org , or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST . Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Read Covenant & Country: Jewish in America , the newest issue of Sources . Watch our summer live streams HERE
Is Israel’s social contract breaking under the weight of the ultra-Orthodox draft exemption? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi dissect the explosive civic and theological crisis surrounding the ultra-Orthodox draft exemption in Israel. They examine the historical roots of Haredi separatism, the post-October 7th need for additional soldiers, and the sense of mutual betrayal gripping secular and ultra-Orthodox communities. Watch the video version of our podcast on our YouTube channel . Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org . For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org , or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST . Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive alerts about special livestreamed programming from Jerusalem.
What do American Jews owe Israel when their own political and moral worlds feel under threat? In this episode, recorded live from our Beit Midrash in Jerusalem as part of Hartman’s Community Leadership Program, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi confront recent flashpoints in the Jewish-American relationship: new data from the Pew Research Center on declining favorability of Israel among Americans, Vice President Vance’s public break with Israel, and anti-Israel winners in multiple primaries in New York City, where the mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is under fire for controversial comments about AIPAC. Together, they unpack the severe erosion of Israel's international standing, investigate the deep political dilemmas confronting North American Jewry, and debate whether the Jewish state must drastically change its trajectory to win back hearts and minds. Ultimately, they reflect on what is required to heal this growing divide, challenging both diaspora communities and Israeli leadership to reclaim a unified moral vision. ____ Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel . Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org . For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org , or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST . Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.
Hello For Heaven’s Sake listeners. We are adjusting our publishing schedule this week, and you won’t see an episode in your feed today because we will be livestreaming our show from the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Community Leadership Program in Jerusalem on Wednesday, June 24 at 12:00PM ET. You can tune in to watch it here . The audio episode of the livestream will be released this Friday. Please make sure you are subscribed to us wherever you get your podcasts, so new episodes download automatically as soon as they are released. Thank you for listening to For Heaven's Sake . ____ Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel . Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org . For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org , or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST . Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.
Subscribe to Inside Call me Back . ____ Why is Israel’s next election being driven more by fear than hope? Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi join Dan Senor to discuss the emotional forces shaping Israel's coming election. As Israelis prepare to vote, different communities are carrying different traumas, fears, and visions for the country's future, from tensions over Arab and Haredi political power to questions of national unity, leadership, and diminishing hope that life there can improve. They also consider whether Israelis can rediscover the unity of October 8th and what Israelis and diaspora Jews are each looking for in the country's next leader. Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel . Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org . For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org , or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST . Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.
If Israel has successfully degraded the capabilities of Hamas and Hezbollah, why do so many Israelis feel less safe today than they did a year ago? In this episode, following a resumption of fire between Israel and Iran, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi explore the deep strategic divide over Israel's military progress. They assess the looming threat of a resurgent, economically rehabilitated Iran and investigate the failures of both military hubris and international diplomacy in an urgent examination of what happens when a country finds itself trapped between the futility of endless conflict and the illusion of easy political solutions. Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel . Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org . For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org , or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST . Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.
Can American Jews define themselves through love of both Israel and America? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi unpack a parade transformed by October 7, Mamdani's boycott, and how a historically innocuous parade has transformed into a profound act of defiance and vulnerability. They explore America as a "nation of nationalities" and its special place in Jewish identity, and Israel's obligation to celebrate world Jewry rather than simply demand its support. Ultimately, they challenge the Jewish community to reclaim an unmediated sense of pride, refusing to let enemies dictate the terms of their joy and connection. Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel . Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org . For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org , or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST . Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Join the Hartman Beit Midrash for America at 250. Learn more about and register for Hartman's summer programs in Jerusalem.
Can a country recover its sense of agency when every front — external and internal — refuses to stay resolved? In this episode, recorded just as Prime Minister Netanyahu issued another emergency call-up of exhausted reservists, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi wrestle with the deepening Israeli loss of control. They dissect the gap between the Prime Minister's promise of "absolute victory" and the reality of an enemy that has emerged stronger since its recent conflicts, and trace how the trauma of October 7 still haunts a society that thought it had moved past helplessness. Looking ahead to the coming election, they explore why "who's in charge?" may once again become the defining slogan — and why the answer this time will determine far more than a coalition. Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel . Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org . For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org , or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST . Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Learn more about and register for Hartman's summer programs in Jerusalem.
Is it possible to win every battle and still lose where it matters? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi confront what may be the most dangerous front Israel faces today — the narrative. They lay bare the forces converging against Israel’s legitimacy: the collapse of Western institutions and the global spread of antisemitism amplified by social media and a systematic anti-Zionist campaign decades in the making. They reflect on the way this has reframed every chapter of Israel's story — from founding to present — as settler colonialism, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and genocide — and the psychological toll of this multi-front narrative war. Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel . Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org . For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org , or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST . Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Watch the full Guidelines for Jewish-Democratic Policy Conference featuring Yair Lapid, Avigdor Lieberman, and Yair Golan. Learn more about the Hartman Institute’s Center for Shared Society .
What do you say when defending yourself only makes things worse? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi respond in real time to Nicholas Kristof's New York Times column accusing Israel of systemic sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees — an article that dropped on the same day Israel's Civil Commission released its report on Hamas's use of mass rape on October 7. They assess the latest barrage of allegations leveled against Israel, examine the deep disconnect between the mainstream Jewish story and international media narratives, and confront the troubling realities of prisoner abuse in an environment lacking moral guardrails. Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel . Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org . For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org , or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST . Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Read the Kogod Research Center’s new White Paper, Building Communities of Belonging: Jewish Identity, Conversion, Intermarriage, and Adjacency .
A brief update from For Heaven's Sake on the release schedule for this week's episode. Make sure you are subscribed to or following the show on your preferred podcast app so new episodes download automatically as soon as they are released.
Can an army of the people maintain its ethical compass when a faction of the public it protects and consists of embraces ideological lawlessness? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi dissect the IDF Chief of Staff's urgent warning regarding military discipline, examine the ideological evolution of the Hilltop Youth and the government and public responses to it. Together, they confront the dangerous "Torah of dominance" taking root and ask what it will take to reclaim the soul of Zionism for future generations. From the episode: IDF chief said to order investigation into claims of widespread looting by troops in south Lebanon , Times of Israel , April 24, 2026 Entire Villages Razed – Report Reveals Scale of Destruction Israel Unleashed on South Lebanon , Haaretz , May 5, 2026 Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel . Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org . For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org , or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST . Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Learn how Hartman is building the pipeline of young Jewish leadership.
In light of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid recently announcing the launch of a unified party for the Knesset elections, we are re-releasing our episode Bennett 2026, recorded on January 6, 2026. Donniel and Yossi will be back with a new episode next week. Is former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett a right-wing ideologue or Israel's great national healer? Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi grapple with this paradox as they examine the only candidate currently ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in national polling. They explore Bennett's extraordinary transformation from an ideological conservative to national unifier, discuss his brief but transformative year as Prime Minister, and consider what his return might mean for Israel's future. Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel . Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org . For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org , or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST . Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. If you read our journal Sources , complete our reader survey by January 15. Learn more about the Kogod Research Center , whose scholars develop the ideas of the Hartman Institute.
What do you wish for a country you love that is still learning to love itself? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi mark Israel's 78th Independence Day with a meditation on eulogies, blessings, and the distance between the two. They dissect the growing divide in world Jewry over Israel's future and the stranglehold of an "October 7 consciousness" on Israeli political imagination. Between the grief of Memorial Day and the joy of Independence Day, they articulate their wishes for a society desperate to heal, demanding a return to hope and the courage to envision a thriving Jewish future. Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel . Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org . For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org , or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST . Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Register to join Yossi Klein Halevi in Vancouver, Detroit, and Palo Alto and Yehuda Kurtzer in Toronto!
How do we observe national days of mourning when the nightmares of the past feel like the realities of the present? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi dissect Israel’s "10 Days of Awe," the intense period between Holocaust Memorial Day and Israel’s Independence Day, and how this year it demands a spiritual and moral readjustment for Jews everywhere. They consider the impact of October 7 on Jewish consciousness, confront the resurgence of modern blood libels, and contemplate the tension between mourning powerlessness and responsibly celebrating sovereignty. This episode is sponsored by the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization. Learn more and support their work at idfwo.org . Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel . Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org . For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org , or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST . Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.
When a word carries history, burden, and identity all at once, can the Jewish people afford to let it go? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi dissect the internal Jewish debate over the term Zionism, examining its classical promises of empowerment, the push to abandon it in the face of progressive critique, and why the term means something different in Israel and the Diaspora. Ultimately, they ask what it would take for Zionism to become not only defensible but inspiring again for world Jewry. Read Nadine Epstein's article cited in the show, “The Word Zionism Is Dead” here . Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel . Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org . For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org , or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST . Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.
