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.
Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
An Israeli airstrike in Gaza City overnight Friday-Saturday targeted Ali al-Amoudi, the terror group’s de facto leader in the enclave, according to the military, with Palestinian media reporting five people killed, including a number of women. This morning, a Hamas official claimed that al-Amoudi has survived the strike. Fabian fills us in.
The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday said it determined that 170 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who were identified as journalists following their deaths were actually members of terror groups. We delve into the ways in which the IDF has determined these so-called journalists were linked to terror organizations and the problematic nature of reporting from the Gaza Strip.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir convened senior officers on Sunday for a conference on the lessons learned from the October 7 attack, three years on. During the conference, Zamir presented a certificate of appreciation to Chief Warrant Officer “Vav,” a member of the signals intelligence Unit 8200 — identified only by her first initial in Hebrew — who warned before October 7, 2023, that Hamas had a clear plan in place to attack Israel. Senior intelligence officers had dismissed and ignored her warnings. We delve into this painful saga.
The IDF has established a new military school that aims to boost the combat training of combat support soldiers, preparing them for the day when they may have to put down the clipboard and pick up a gun. The commander of the school, a lieutenant colonel, told The Times of Israel that the new program “was established as part of the lessons of October 7.” Fabian explains how this school is a totally new concept for the IDF.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
IDF strike on Hamas’s Gaza chief kills 5, including mother and daughter; his fate unclear
IDF documents terror affiliations of 170 Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza war
IDF chief honors officer whose Hamas invasion warnings were ignored by her superiors
Lt. Col. Aryeh Amidror named as Gaza Division intel officer involved in Oct. 7 failures
IDF steps up combat training for troops behind front lines after Oct. 7 exposes gaps
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.
Jewish world and real estate correspondent Zev Stub joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Following the fierce Shabbat protests in Bnei Brak in early September, Stub discusses the real estate market in the largest ultra-Orthodox city, and developments in the poor, dense city, including better public transport that draws businesses that pay higher tax rates and unusual residential requirements.
After Rabbi Yitz Greenberg, an influential thinker of liberal Orthodox Judaism, updated decades-old essays about Israel and American Jewry, Stub reports on his interview with the 93-year-old rabbinic leader and his views that God's role in history changes over time.
Stub also reviews two recent archaeological findings: the ritual baths discovered south of the Temple Mount, used by pilgrims arriving in Jerusalem for the pilgrimage holidays and an exploration of how wine was made 2,000 years ago.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.For further reading:
In the Haredi city of Bnei Brak, real estate follows a different set of rules
After Oct. 7, Rabbi Yitz Greenberg’s post-Holocaust theology faces its biggest test
Ancient public mikveh complex, used for festival pilgrimage, uncovered at foot of Temple Mount
How did ancient Israelites make wine? Scientists are stomping grapes to find out
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.
IMAGE: Jewish world, real estate and archaeology reporter Zev Stub appears on the Daily Briefing with host Jessica Steinberg (Flash 90)
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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.
Last week, Borschel-Dan threw down a challenge: Can anyone suggest a Sukkot-themed film?
Dozens of loyal listeners wrote in with 2004's "Ushpizin," directed by Gidi Dar.
The unforgettable Israeli film -- which both of our Schmoozers had actually seen decades ago and blanked on -- explores the life of an unlucky ultra-Orthodox couple about to celebrate the Sukkot holiday.
The couple, played by Shuly Rand (who also wrote the script) and his then-wife Michal Bat Sheva Rand, is fairly new to religion, but extremely devout. And so when their last shekel is spent, they pray fervently for a miracle. As they say, God works in mysterious ways, and so when their prayers are answered, a pair of reprobates made sure to stir the pot.
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.
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Welcome to "A Mandatory Listen," a new weekly podcast in which The Times of Israel deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan asks the big questions facing Israel and the Jewish people.
For this second episode in the new series, who better to ask the big questions than a philosopher? We turn to author and public intellectual Micah Goodman for an in-depth conversation on the one burning issue that unites America's radical right and left.
Spoiler: They hate Israel.
But the reasons why the far left and the far right despise the Jewish state come from very different narratives, explains Goodman. Likewise, their "final solutions" for Israel would result in divergent conclusions.
In the second half of the program, we turn the tables and ask: Are Israelis aware that the fate of the Jewish state is an election issue in the US? Why is this fissure in the essential US-Israel relationship trumpeted as a main existential issue on Israeli politicians' campaign trails?
Israelis, says Goodman, need to wake up.
But will they?
A Mandatory Listen podcast episodes are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Yitzchak Ledee.
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Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, join host diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
It was a stormy week politically in Ireland.
It wasn't over an attempted terrorist attack like we had here in Israel this week.
It wasn't over the rising cost of energy or immigration, like elsewhere in Europe.
It was a soccer match against Israel. That was enough to dominate the country's headlines.
How did Ireland become so focused on Israel, and so hostile to the Jewish state?
Alan Shatter, a leading Jewish figure in the country and former justice and defense minister, says a pro-Palestine 'cult' has taken over the country's politics.
The country has always had a checkered past with its Jews, he said. The Provisional IRA had deep ties with Palestinian terrorists, and their political movement Sinn Fein 'contaminated' Irish politics by putting the Palestinian cause front and center.
That obsessive focus has spread from politics across Irish society, Shatter lamented, and now trade unions, teachers, artists, and athletes have significant pro-Palestinian movements.
The angst over the soccer match against Israel a new "level of complete and utter absurdity," he said. Now, he said, many Jews are asking whether they have a future in the country in the face of daily abuse online and a toxic environment around Israel.
"There's a deep problem here," Shatter said. "It's one the government refuses to recognize. It's one the government is contributing to."
Lazar Focus is available on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and video edited by Ari Schlacht.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.