Jewish Crossroads: Jewish Identity in Times of Crisis

Tamar Ish Shalom

Renowned Israeli journalist Tamar Ish Shalom will embark on a journey to engage with leaders and key figures in American Jewry to analyze how the war in Israel is reshaping American Jewish identity. Together, they will explore the challenges and opportunities facing American Jews and what the future holds for their relationship with Israel, especially against the backdrop of political developments in both the U.S. and Israel.  If you would like to be in touch with us contact: jewishcrossroadspod@gmail.comTamar on X: https://x.com/tamarishshalomTamar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamarishshalom/JPPI on X: https://x.com/JewishPolicyJPPI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jewishpeoplepolicyinstitute/

  1. JAN 11

    Maya Tevet Dayan on Being Israeli on Campus After October 7

    In this episode of Jewish Crossroads, journalist Tamar Ish Shalom sits down with Maya Tevet Dayan for a deeply reflective conversation. Tevet Dayan is an Israeli poet, writer, and public intellectual, widely regarded as one of the most important voices in contemporary Israeli literature and feminism. A recipient of the Israeli Prime Minister’s Award for Literature, she holds a PhD in Indian philosophy and literature and has taught and lectured at leading universities in Israel and abroad for many years. The conversation unfolds across geographies and states of mind. Tevet Dayan speaks about her time as a visiting poet in the United States in the aftermath of October 7, where she confronted the difficulty, often the impossibility, of translating Israeli grief, fear, and moral clarity in academic and cultural spaces that could feel alienating or dismissive. At the same time, she reflects on an unexpected encounter with Jewish peoplehood in the Diaspora, experienced not as an abstraction but as a living and vulnerable bond. Upon her return to Israel, the questions intensified rather than receded. Tevet Dayan recounts a harrowing night spent sheltering at her father’s home as an Iranian missile landed nearby, an experience that sharpened her thinking about safety, home, exile, and what it means to remain rooted when instability becomes a permanent condition. This episode weaves poetry and philosophy with lived experience, tracing how language, identity, and belonging are reshaped in moments when history presses in on the most intimate spaces of life. If you’d like to be in touch with us, contact: jewishcrossroadspod@gmail.com Tamar on X: https://x.com/tamarishshalom Tamar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamarishshalom/ JPPI on X: https://x.com/JewishPolicy JPPI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jewishpeoplepolicyinstitute/ Maya Tevet Dayan website: https://www.mayatevetdayan.com/en/ Maya Tevet Dayan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maya_tevet_dayan/

    47 min
  2. 08/24/2025

    Biden, Harris, and the Middle East: Behind the Scenes with Ilan Goldenberg

    In this episode of Jewish Crossroads, Tamar is joined by Ilan Goldenberg, Senior Vice President and Chief Policy Officer at J Street. Goldenberg served in both the Obama and Biden administrations and has a profound understanding of Israel, the Middle East, and the American Jewish community. His perspective is shaped not just by his years in policy, but by a personal biography that bridges worlds. Born in Jerusalem to American parents, Ilan moved to New Jersey at the age of eight. He grew up straddling identities — fluent in Hebrew, versed in Arabic, and deeply rooted in both American and Israeli life. In the Obama administration, Ilan advised on Middle East policy from the Pentagon to the State Department, working on issues ranging from Iran’s nuclear program to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. He served as chief of staff to the U.S. Special Envoy under Secretary Kerry. In the Biden era, he continued shaping U.S. policy as special advise Biden, Harris, and the Middle East: Behind the Scenes with Ilan Goldenbergr to Vice President Kamala Harris on Middle East defense and technology, and later as national director for Jewish Outreach in Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign. With his unique background and wealth of experience, he offers insight into some of the most urgent debates shaping U.S.-Israel relations, the future of American diplomacy in the region, and the evolving role of the Jewish community in American politics. If you’d like to be in touch with us, contact: jewishcrossroadspod@gmail.com Tamar on X: https://x.com/tamarishshalom Tamar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamarishshalom/ JPPI on X: https://x.com/JewishPolicy JPPI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jewishpeoplepolicyinstitute/ Ilan Goldenberg: https://x.com/ilangoldenberg?lang=en

    53 min

Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

Renowned Israeli journalist Tamar Ish Shalom will embark on a journey to engage with leaders and key figures in American Jewry to analyze how the war in Israel is reshaping American Jewish identity. Together, they will explore the challenges and opportunities facing American Jews and what the future holds for their relationship with Israel, especially against the backdrop of political developments in both the U.S. and Israel.  If you would like to be in touch with us contact: jewishcrossroadspod@gmail.comTamar on X: https://x.com/tamarishshalomTamar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamarishshalom/JPPI on X: https://x.com/JewishPolicyJPPI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jewishpeoplepolicyinstitute/

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