By the summer of 2023, it was clear that judicial reform was never really the story: The real battle was over Israel’s identity. And that battle touched on the deepest fears and disagreements Israelis were too busy surviving to address ever since the nation’s inception.

Can an Israel occupied by a religious majority remain recognizable to the nation’s secular elites? Can its institutions be reformed to better reflect the will of the country’s democratically elected majority? And can Israelis resolve all of these deep and difficult quarrels and still remain one people?

Early in 2023, Benjamin Netanyahu’s newly elected government announced its intention to embark on sweeping reforms to the country’s judicial system. The announcement was soon met with the biggest wave of popular protests in the nation’s history, dividing Israel like few issues before. But what did the reform actually propose? What were its architects trying to achieve? And what, precisely, did its detractors find objectionable?

In this episode, we hear directly from the thinkers, lawmakers, and activists behind the overhaul, including the people who spent years developing the ideas that eventually became judicial reform. And we emerge with some shockingly unexpected confessions that shine a very different light on the entire conversation.

The real fight tearing Israel apart these days isn’t against Hamas, Hezbollah, or even Iran. It’s a struggle to answer some very urgent—and very old—questions, the same questions that haunted Zionism’s founding fathers more than a century ago. Should Israel be a state for the Jews, the thoroughly modernized Vienna on the Mediterranean imagined by Theodor Herzl? Or a Jewish State, a vision championed by many of Zionism’s more traditional and religious followers? In this episode, we trace the roots of a conflict that long predates Benjamin Netanyahu, the Supreme Court, or the protests of 2023, and shed light on the historic reasons that drove hundreds of thousands of Israelis to take to the streets and protest.

Early 2023 was a good time in Israel. The attack of October 7 was months in the future, and Israelis were enjoying a period of peace and prosperity. The economy was booming. The country came out fourth in the ranking of the world's happiest nations. You'd expect Israelis to sit back and celebrate their good fortune. Instead, they took to the streets en masse, sending the country into a tailspin that now, three years later, only grows stronger.

The catalyst for these protests was an attempt by Bibi Netanyahu's government to reform the country's judicial system, but, very soon, it became clear that the battle being fought in the streets was about something much bigger. It was about Israel's soul. What did each side want? And which will win? Featuring prominent voices from all sides of the debate, this series explores the ideas and anxieties driving one of the most consequential struggles in modern Israeli history.

Tablet has launched a new print magazine, beginning this June.  Why start something so "old fashioned" in the year 2025? Alana Newhouse, our editor in chief, joins us to explain why the current media landscape is actually begging for news you can hold in your hands.  

If you’re interested in subscribing, click here. 

Pnina Tornai became a recognizable name to Americans across the country as a personality and designer on TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress. She shares the surprisingly spiritual story of her success and talks about what it means to represent Israel on the global stage.

Ada Karmi-Melamede is an architect who has designed famous buildings across Israel, including the Supreme Court building and the gateway to Ben Gurion airport.  

Her daughter, filmmaker Yael Melamede, talks to us about her new film, ADA: My Mother the Architect, which is a heartfelt investigation of Ada’s work, philosophical approach, and her relationships with her family. 

These days, it seems like everyone is a so-called activist. Activism itself seems to have morphed into something different; it’s not about organizing communities or advocating for legislation, it’s about blocking roads and intimidating anyone with a different opinion.

This week on Rootless, Liel talks with three different activists, with two very different causes, who are doing activism right. First, he talks with Jay Ruderman, author of the new book Find Your Fight, who advocates for disability rights. Then he talks with Tuly Weisz and Pesach Wolicki of Israel365, who will tell us about a little-known election, coming up in a few days and that we’re all eligible to vote in, which is far more influential than most realize.

Zarna Garg is a comedian whose standup centers around her life as an Indian mom in America. She joins us to discuss her new book, This American Woman: A One-in-a-Billion Memoir, as well as how she's supporting the Jews in a post 10/7 world.

There’s no more divisive Israeli public figure than Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir. Starting out his career as a Kahanist firebrand known for his controversial stances—like decorating his living room with a photograph of Baruch Goldstein, or working to free Yigal Amir, Yitzhak Rabin’s assassin—Ben-Gvir evolved from a political sideshow to kingmaker, winning several Knesset seats and joining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition. For some Israelis, he’s the strong-willed, strong-armed course correction after too many years of being too soft on terror. To many others, he’s an abomination, subverting the nation’s democratic values. Visiting New York this week, Ben-Gvir attended a live event moderated by Liel to talk about his past, his actions in office, and his vision for the future of the war against Hamas.

After bursting onto the music scene with his 2005 single “King without a Crown,” Matisyahu has built a career mixing a unique combination of reggae, hip hop, and deeply Jewish soul. We talk to him about his wandering journey with Judaism, his experiences touring after October 7th, and even the Jews’ love for jam bands.