The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and top aide Jared Kushner met with Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in the Egyptian coastal city of El-Alamein on Sunday before meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem yesterday. We discuss the normalization of the US conducting direct talks with Hamas and a potential new way forward being floated by the Board of Peace.
As the 60-day memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran has run out, in a wide-ranging phone interview with Fox News, US President Donald Trump said he had “no time schedule” for the conflict. Magid also delves into the visible mixed messaging between the president and Vice President J.D. Vance over the war's goals.
And finally, we turn to the ongoing saga taking place at the Palestinian village of Qusra, near Nablus. International media attention has been spotlighting the location for over a week after settlers began surrounding several new houses built on its outskirts, trapping residents inside in an apparent effort to force them out. The IDF’s actions — and inactions — have generated condemnation around the world.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Kushner meets Hamas chief in Egypt in push for Gaza disarmament; IDF continues strikes
Meeting with Kushner, PM doubles down on IDF remaining in Gaza until Hamas disarmed
Amid Israeli pushback, source reveals Board of Peace weighing new disarmament framework
Trump threatens to bomb Oman over its deal with Iran on Hormuz, as 60-day MOU expires
Palestinian-American raises US flag upon return to Qusra home besieged by settlers
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.
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Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
US reporter Luke Tress joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
A man disrupted Shabbat services and attacked a guard and a congregant at Central Synagogue in Manhattan on Friday night. The violent disturbance comes days after rabbis from a swath of Jewish denominations met with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, warning him that his repeated broadsides against the Jewish state were harmful to the Jewish community. Tress weighs in, explaining that Jews were targeted in 70% of all hate crimes in New York City in July.
On Thursday, Tress attended part of a course that Israeli first responders from Magen David Adom (MDA) taught to members of the US-based volunteer synagogue security group, the Community Security Service (CSS) to train them how to respond in mass casualty events. He reports back about this new, too-realistic threat.
In the second half of the program, we learn about an in-depth report Tress wrote about three recent federal US terrorism cases that investigated humanitarian crowdfunding campaigns out of, or relating to, Gaza. The cases highlight potential abuse of the loosely regulated platforms and the intersection of terror financing, social media and cryptocurrency.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Assailant disrupts Shabbat service at NYC synagogue, attacks congregant and guard
Jews targeted in 70% of all NYC hate crimes last month, NYPD data shows
Gazan sham charities’ crowdfunding funneled cash to alleged terrorists, US probes show
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Political correspondent Tal Schneider joins host Jessica Steinberg for today’s episode.
After three IDF soldiers were struck and severely wounded by a Hezbollah drone in Lebanon on Friday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the unusual move of announcing the incident in English during Shabbat, Schneider says, to ensure the US administration understood the seriousness of the ceasefire violation.
Schneider looks ahead to Monday’s Likud feverishly contested primary, in which members of Netanyahu’s party will choose some, but not all, of Likud's Knesset slate.
The latest Zman Yisrael poll showed Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party opening a four-seat lead over Likud ahead of the October 27 general election, but the anti-Netanyahu Zionist bloc still not quite able to muster a Knesset majority. Eisenkot, she notes, might nonetheless aim to form a minority government.
Check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Eisenkot opens up a lead on Netanyahu in new ToI poll, but both blocs shy of majority
Eisenkot vows ‘no compromise’ on IDF draft law, including for Haredim, if elected PM
MK Elazar Stern announces Yesh Atid exit ahead of likely run with Eisenkot
Report: Barkat co-led Likud effort to oust and replace Netanyahu after Oct. 7
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.
Political correspondent Tal Schneider appears on the Daily Briefing with host Jessica Steinberg (Flash 90)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.
This week, we spend the entire episode on Haifa-born iconic animator Ralph Bakshi's 1977 sci-fi adventure, "Wizards."
Distributed by 20th Century-Fox, the loose premise sets the film about 5,000 years in the future, following a World War III that left Earth so full of radiation to split humanity into fairy-type creatures and mutants.
The majority of the raunchy ride builds up to a battle between twin brothers -- two wizards who represent magic or technology.
Definitely not a kids' flick, the animation is violent and emphasizes several female fairies' -- ahem -- assets.
Hoffman delves deeply into why this is a foundational film and explains the ongoing resonance of Bakshi's work. Borschel-Dan is much less impressed.
Let’s hear who gave this film an “oy,” “meh” or the prized “not bad” this week on The Reel Schmooze.
The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with CEO of Community Security Service Richard Priem.
While guarding his Dutch synagogue as a 17-year-old, Priem knew there were two places where Jews wouldn't experience antisemitism: Israel and the United States. Whereas in Europe, where Jews regularly must go through security checks and metal detectors before entering community events, he was sure the Jewish State and the Goldene Medina were different.
That "age of security" for US Jewry changed around the time of the Pittsburgh Tree of Life shooting, he said.
This is where his NGO steps in: Founded in 2007, the not-for-profit aims to empower Jewish volunteers and strengthen their communal security toolboxes to prevent attacks and de-escalate situations as they arise.
As Priem, a former paratrooper in the IDF puts it, who better to preemptively ascertain something is amiss than the community regulars themselves?
In this episode, we hear real-life examples of how CSS volunteers saved lives. Later, Priem lays out a hypothetical plan to secure Borschel-Dan's upcoming speaking gig in Chicago.
We learn about the need for "digital hygiene" and how a force of thousands of volunteers -- and growing -- are allowing Jews to be loud and proud again.
And so this week, we ask Richard Priem, what matters now.
What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.