Leading Conversations - the Begin Center Podcast

Begin Center
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The Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem has a new podcast in English. Each episode will feature Begin Center Senior Fellow Paul Gross in conversation with a leading thinker, political figure or activist on issues that affect Israel and the world today, informed by the legacy of Menachem Begin - Jewish pride, unapologetic Zionism, liberal nationalism, principled leadership. The Conversation BEGINs here!

Episodes

  1. FEB 12

    Ep. 8 - The Palestinian Authority: Is Reform Possible? - with Prof. Hillel Frisch

    This episode is a recording of a live webinar, the third in our series in collaboration with the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy & Security (JISS), one of Israel's leading think tanks. The Trump plan which ended the war holds out the conditional offer to the Palestinian Authority of resuming governance of Gaza in the future, the condition being “reform”. In such a scenario, the Trump proposals also promise a “credible pathway” toward greater Palestinian self-determination.What does this all mean in practice? How realistic is this kind of “reform” of the PA?Podcast host Paul Gross was in conversation with Prof. Hillel Frisch to answer these questions, and more.

    1 hr

  2. JAN 28

    Ep. 7 - The Future of Gaza after Trump's Plan - with Dr. Eran Lerman

    This episode is a recording of a live webinar, the second in a series of eight, in collaboration with the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy & Security (JISS), one of Israel's leading think tanks. Begin Center Senior Fellow Paul Gross was joined by the Vice-President of the JISS, Eran Lerman, who shared his assessment of the current situation in Gaza and the possible developments, as President Trump and his team are busy creating a ‘Board of Peace’ and an executive board to run Gaza. Dr. Lerman was deputy director for foreign policy and international affairs at the National Security Council in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. He held senior posts in IDF Military Intelligence for over 20 years. He also served for eight years as director of the Israel and Middle East office of the American Jewish Committee. He teaches in the Middle East studies program at Shalem College in Jerusalem, and in post-graduate programs at Tel Aviv University and the National Defense College. He is an expert on Israel’s foreign relations, and on the Middle East. A third-generation Sabra, he holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, and a mid-career MPA from Harvard University.

    59 min

  3. JAN 15

    Ep. 6 - Israel’s Strategic Assessment - with Brig. General (Res.) Yossi Kuperwasser

    This episode is a recording of a live webinar, the first in a series of eight, in collaboration with the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy & Security (JISS), one of Israel's leading think tanks. Begin Center Senior Fellow was joined by the Head of the JISS, Yossi Kuperwasser, who gives a wide-ranging assessment of Israel’s strategic options as it surveys the much-changed, post-war Middle East. Brig. General (res.) Kuperwasser was formerly the Director General of the Ministry of International Affairs and Strategy, this followed a distinguished career in military intelligence

    1h 5m

  4. JAN 7

    Ep. 5 - "Self-Defense: A Jewish Manifesto" - a conversation with Benjamin Kerstein

    This episode is a recording of a live webinar that took place in November. In his new book Benjamin Kerstein issues a powerful call to action for American Jews confronting the rising tide of antisemitism. He challenges Jews to break free from long-standing patterns of passivity and embrace the Jewish legacy of physical self-defense, in the spirit of Zionist thinkers like Ze’ev Jabotinsky.In conversation with Begin Center Senior Fellow, Paul Gross, he discusses why he wrote the book and outlines its main themes.Benjamin Kerstein is an award-winning Israeli-American writer and an Associate Fellow at the Z3 Institute. He writes regularly at his Substack site, No Delusions, No Despair.

    58 min

  5. 12/22/2025

    The Liberal-National Idea, Episode 4 - with Steven B. Smith

    In this fourth episode of the Begin Center's new podcast series on the idea of "liberal nationalism", the political philosophy underlying the worldviews of Ze'ev Jabotinsky and Menachem Begin, Senior Fellow Paul Gross talks to Professor Steven B. Smith, the Alfred Cowles Professor of Political Science at Yale University and author of "Reclaiming Patriotism in an Age of Extremes". Prof. Smith discussed his concept of "enlightened patriotism" and how liberalism flourishes best alongside national pride; focusing on the United States, but also on what the US can learn from Israel in this regard.This episode can also be viewed on YouTube, here: https://youtu.be/mYA8dBp2Ev4

    57 min

  6. 12/08/2025

    The Liberal-National Idea, Episode 3 - with Polly Bronstein

    In this third episode of the Begin Center's new podcast series on the idea of "liberal nationalism", the political philosophy underlying the worldviews of Ze'ev Jabotinsky and Menachem Begin, Senior Fellow Paul Gross talks to Polly Bronstein, CEO and founder of the One-Hundred initiative and author of the book: “How I became a moderate - a journey from left to center”. Polly explains how the political centrism that she believes is the solution to the division in our society relies on embracing both liberalism and nationalism - and also embracing the contradictions. This episode can also be viewed on YouTube, here: https://youtu.be/vhq2d6Jr5hs

    53 min

  7. 11/06/2025

    The Liberal-National Idea, Episode 2 - with Michal Cotler-Wunsh

    In this second episode of the Begin Center's new podcast series on the idea of "liberal nationalism", the political philosophy underlying the worldviews of Ze'ev Jabotinsky and Menachem Begin, Senior Fellow Paul Gross talks to former MK and former Special Envoy for Combatting Antisemitism, Michal Cotler-Wunsh.Cotler-Wunsh was recently appointed CEO of the International Legal Forum, a global network of lawyers standing up for Israel & fighting terror, antisemitism & BDS in the international legal arena.

    49 min

  8. 10/30/2025

    The Liberal-National Idea, Episode 1 - with Dan Meridor

    The Menachem Begin Heritage Center's new podcast in English begins with a series of conversations about the idea of "liberal nationalism", the political philosophy underlying theworldviews of Ze'ev Jabotinsky and Menachem Begin. In this first episode, Begin Center Senior Fellow Paul Gross talks to former Justice Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Dan Meridor. Meridor served as cabinet secretary to Prime Minister Menachem Begin and went on to hold elected office himself over a 20 year career beginning with his election to the Knesset in 1983 as an MK for the Likud Party. The episode can also be viewed on YouTube, here: https://youtu.be/YxZJWcoP1b0

    57 min
  • 8 Episodes

About

The Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem has a new podcast in English. Each episode will feature Begin Center Senior Fellow Paul Gross in conversation with a leading thinker, political figure or activist on issues that affect Israel and the world today, informed by the legacy of Menachem Begin - Jewish pride, unapologetic Zionism, liberal nationalism, principled leadership. The Conversation BEGINs here!

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