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The conversations that matter, unfiltered. In a world where headlines tell only half the story, "JPost sits down with..." brings you face-to-face with the voices shaping our reality. From Israeli leaders navigating existential challenges to global figures wrestling with the Middle East's complexities, we go beyond the soundbites to explore the stories behind the headlines. Each episode features candid, no-holds-barred conversations with politicians, thought leaders, activists, and newsmakers who are driving change—or standing in its way.  If you're seeking to understand the nuances of one of the world's most scrutinized regions, these intimate discussions reveal the motivations, struggles, and hopes of those at the center of it all. This isn't about easy answers or comfortable narratives. It's about real talk with real people making real decisions that affect millions. Join us as we sit down with the figures who matter most, when their stories matter most. New episodes drop when news breaks and voices need to be heard. Get more from The Jerusalem Post at JPost.com

  1. 2d ago

    NGO monitor founder: Hamas-linked groups shaped NYT op-ed

    Dr. Gerald Steinberg, founder of NGO Monitor, traces how Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, which he says has documented Hamas ties, helped shape a viral New York Times op-ed on Israeli sexual violence, published the day before a landmark report documenting Hamas atrocities on October 7. In this wide-ranging interview, Steinberg explains how NGOs with combined budgets in the billions coordinate simultaneous media campaigns to reframe Israel as perpetrator and Hamas as victim, what he calls "The Eighth Front" of the October 7 war. He details open-source evidence linking Euro-Med's founder, Rami Abdu, to Hamas leadership, including photographs with senior Hamas figures and a 2011 Israeli Defense Ministry designation of his activities as part of Hamas's propaganda operation. On Nicholas Kristof's column's central "dog" allegation, Steinberg points to a critical inconsistency: the lawyer who made the claim had given an extensive interview to a separate outlet just days earlier, with no mention of the incident. "Every NGO actor in the Israel demonization world knew this report was coming," Steinberg says. "It could be a headline story. That's the name of the game." Steinberg, who is stepping down as NGO Monitor president after 25 years to hand leadership to Olga Deutsch, places today's campaigns in a historical arc stretching from Soviet-era anti-Zionism through the 1975 "Zionism is racism" UN resolution to the Durban process, arguing that a network of radical-left and Arab-aligned actors captured the NGO sector by the early 2000s and now operates as a largely unaccountable political industry with no checks, no competition, and billions in annual funding. He says cracks are beginning to show, and the blowback against the Kristof column may mark a turning point.

    55 min

  2. May 25

    Ethiopian Jewish leader: Israel must learn to unite

    Dr. Shmuel Legesse, an Ethiopian Jewish writer and activist, described his life’s mission as a call to strengthen Jewish unity, defend Israel’s legitimacy, and give voice to the Ethiopian Jewish experience during a conversation on The Jerusalem Post podcast. Legesse said his sense of purpose began in childhood in Ethiopia, where his father would bless him and tell him he would one day “speak to the whole world” on behalf of his people.

    1h 9m

  3. May 24

    'Blood on their hands': Rabbi Brander on haredi draft refusal

    In this conversation with The Jerusalem Post's senior field reporter Sam Halpern, Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander, President of Ohr Torah Stone (OTS), opens up about the haredi draft, women in combat, the Jerusalem Day flag march, and the dangerous misuse of the term "Amalek." Anchored by the death of Maj. (res.) Itamar Sapir, the 26th OTS alumnus killed in the war, Brander argues that religious Jews who refuse to enlist are violating Jewish law, rejects the phrase "settler violence" while condemning the "1% of 1%" who cross the line, and says flatly, citing the Talmud, that there is no longer a nation of Amalek. Brander leads a 32-institution Modern Orthodox network whose students and faculty are serving at extraordinary rates. His son has done over 400 days of reserve duty. He speaks not as an outside critic but as someone whose community is bearing the cost.

    51 min

  4. May 18

    'Victims of Zionism's success': WZO vice chair on Israel's crisis

    Dr. Yizhar Hess, Vice chairman of the World Zionist Organization and a 10th-generation Jerusalemite, argues Israel has created an "unholy connection between state and religion" that pushes Jews away from their own tradition. In this candid Jerusalem Post interview, Hess unpacks the most consequential World Zionist Congress in years: how MERCAZ (the Masorti/Conservative slate) nearly doubled its mandates, why Itamar Ben-Gvir's faction was deliberately frozen out of the coalition, and what the Haredi entry into the Zionist movement really means. He explains why he believes "polite people seldom change the world," why he attended the judicial reform protests as a sitting WZO official, and why a pending Knesset bill criminalizing non-Orthodox prayer at the Kotel — punishable by up to seven years in prison, would be devastating for Israel-Diaspora relations. Hess offers a rare insider's perspective on the political body Theodor Herzl founded as "the parliament of the Jewish people."

    58 min

  5. May 17

    'Charisma of a boiled potato': Isfahani on Iran's new supreme leader

    Khosro Isfahani, research director at the National Union for Democracy in Iran, said anger is building inside Iran following months of war, internet shutdowns, economic damage, and mass repression. Speaking with The Jerusalem Post, Isfahani said Iranians see the Islamic Republic as unchanged, despite what he described as a regime effort to project normalcy after the recent conflict.

    39 min

  6. May 14

    Jerusalem Day: A son's tale of an Ammunition Hill hero

    Alon Wald never met his father, a paratrooper killed at Ammunition Hill during the Six-Day War when Alon was just 10 months old. Today, he runs the memorial site where his father fell. In this rare personal interview, Alon traces a life shaped by one absence, and by the extraordinary decision of his father's surviving unit to skip their own victory parade and knock on the doors of every bereaved family instead. Ten of those men became his surrogate fathers. Their promise: "You will never stand alone." Years later, Alon would follow his father into the paratroopers, convincing his widowed mother to sign a military waiver to make it happen. He also shares a little-known story from the battle itself: with no orders, his father's unit buried 17 fallen Jordanian soldiers and carved in English: "Buried here 17 brave Jordanian soldiers, Army of Israel, June 1967." Jordanian officers later came quietly to visit. Now director of Ammunition Hill for nearly 17 years, Alon connects generations: veterans, students, soldiers, and after October 7th, 22,000 displaced civilians who found shelter and strength at the site. His mission: making sure the other 99% of these men's lives, not just the battle, is never forgotten. Alon Wald is director of Ammunition Hill National Memorial Site in Jerusalem. The son of Captain Rami Wald, killed there in 1967 at age 32, he served as a paratrooper and IDF officer before dedicating his career to preserving and teaching his father's generation's legacy.

    43 min

  7. May 11

    From David to Goliath: how the media turned against Israel

    Prof. Eli Avraham has spent 25 years researching international media coverage of Israel — and his verdict is stark: Hamas earns a 9/10 for its media strategy while Israel scrapes a 3. His new book, From David to Goliath, dissects decades of structural failure and editorial bias. After October 7th, with roughly 1,000 journalists descending on Israel, the government's response was neighborhood WhatsApp groups scrambling for multilingual volunteers. Avraham traces the turning point to 1982, when the Lebanon War recast Israel's image from David to Goliath overnight — a shift the Palestinian leadership, coached in human rights framing since the 1970s, has exploited ever since. Avraham proposes a concrete fix: a politically independent national media strategy center drawing on diaspora communities and Israel's multilingual population. Written during 18 months of wartime, the book is a wake-up call — and somehow, he's still optimistic.

    39 min

  8. May 5

    Yeshiva University president highlights faith partnerships, post-Oct. 7 shift

    Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, president of Yeshiva University, outlined a vision of Jewish leadership rooted in faith, values, and cross-religious collaboration during a recent interview with The Jerusalem Post, emphasizing what he described as a growing global appetite for meaning and authentic identity. Speaking during a short visit to Israel, Berman pointed to Yeshiva University’s “Great Conversations” series as a reflection of its expanding influence, bringing together global figures, including political leaders and intellectuals, to engage students in substantive discussions about values and leadership.

    51 min
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About

The conversations that matter, unfiltered. In a world where headlines tell only half the story, "JPost sits down with..." brings you face-to-face with the voices shaping our reality. From Israeli leaders navigating existential challenges to global figures wrestling with the Middle East's complexities, we go beyond the soundbites to explore the stories behind the headlines. Each episode features candid, no-holds-barred conversations with politicians, thought leaders, activists, and newsmakers who are driving change—or standing in its way.  If you're seeking to understand the nuances of one of the world's most scrutinized regions, these intimate discussions reveal the motivations, struggles, and hopes of those at the center of it all. This isn't about easy answers or comfortable narratives. It's about real talk with real people making real decisions that affect millions. Join us as we sit down with the figures who matter most, when their stories matter most. New episodes drop when news breaks and voices need to be heard. Get more from The Jerusalem Post at JPost.com

Information

  • Creator
    Jerusalem Post Podcasts
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    55
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Jerusalem Post Podcasts
  • Show Website
    JPost sits down with...

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