Boundless Insights - with Aviva Klompas

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas.After more than two years, the mission to bring home every Israeli held hostage in Gaza has come to an end. For many Israelis, that moment has lifted an enormous emotional weight and raised a difficult question: Is the October 7 war over?Host Aviva Klompas is joined by Dr. Michael Oren, former Israeli ambassador to the United States, to reflect on what this moment represents and what comes next. They discuss how wars actually...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas.Israel’s political system is famously complex. It’s parliamentary, based on proportional representation, and rarely produces a clear majority - meaning governments are constantly being built, rebuilt, and threatened from within by their own coalitions.In this episode of Boundless Insights, host Aviva Klompas is joined by Lahav Harkov, Senior Political Correspondent for Jewish Insider, to offer a clear primer on how Israeli elections work and what to expect as the country moves towa...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas.Iran faced its most serious wave of unrest in years, as anti-government protests erupted across the country. Host Aviva Klompas is joined by Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Iran Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, to examine what’s happening on the ground, the role of U.S. signaling, the regime’s violent response, and what could realistically follow if the Islamic Republic were to weaken or collapse.Guest Bio<...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas.In this episode of Boundless Insights, host Aviva Klompas is joined by Isaac Herzog, President of the State of Israel, for a conversation about leadership at a time of profound national strain.Since October 7, Israel has been carrying deep loss alongside urgent questions of accountability, responsibility, and unity. Trust has been shaken, and Israelis - together with Jews around the world - are grappling with how a wounded society begins to heal....

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas.In this episode, host Aviva Klompas is joined by former Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Oren for a wide-angle look at the regional landscape heading into 2026. Together, they examine how recent diplomatic moves, shifting U.S.–Israel dynamics, internal pressure inside Iran, and Israel’s own political calendar fit into a broader picture of power, deterrence, and decision-making.They look at how the balance of power may be shifting, where risks are accu...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas.Aviva closes out 2025 with actor, comedian, and podcaster Michael Rapaport for a funny and thoughtful look back. They reflect on how the last two years have reshaped Jewish life and identity, revisit the cultural and political moments that defined 2025, and talk about what they’re carrying into 2026 — including Michael’s upcoming documentary. Along the way: New Year’s resolutions, a mini therapy session, and “Mike’s Hot Takes” on everything from AI to tariffs to the pope, plus a h...

Sociologist and Jewish studies scholar Dr. Shaul Kelner joins Dr. Rachel Fish to examine the rise of antizionism as a distinctly American political and social movement. Kelner argues that contemporary antizionism is less an intellectual critique of Zionism than a political mass movement defined by praxis: the othering and exclusion of Jews through social and institutional action. Their conversation explores why debates over whether antizionism equals antisemitism often obscure more than they clarify, the distinction between 'anti-Zionism' and 'antizionism', how ambiguity about end goals of the pro-Palestine movement enables broad coalition-building, why higher education became especially fertile g...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas.Host Aviva Klompas speaks with Loay Alshareef, an Arab Muslim peace advocate whose personal journey challenges some of the most entrenched assumptions in the Middle East.Raised in Saudi Arabia in an environment steeped in anti-Jewish narratives, Loay describes the beliefs he absorbed growing up and the profound turning point that reshaped his worldview after living with a Jewish family in France. That experience led him to reexamine what he had been taught about...

Please donate to support and the families affected by the Bondi Beach terror attack: www.charidy.com/supportsydneyWe want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @AvivaKlompas.Aviva speaks with survivors of the terror attack at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach that left 15 people dead and dozens wounded. What began as a public gathering to mark the first night of the Jewish festival became one of the deadliest attacks on Jews in Australia’s history.Sorella’s fund...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas.In this episode, Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis reflects on what Hanukkah asks of us this year, in the wake of the antisemitic attack on Jews in Australia. He explores how an ancient story of courage, conviction, and spiritual resilience speaks to a moment when Jewish communities are confronting rising antisemitism, deep communal strain, and the challenge of remaining visible in difficult and frightening times.The Chief Rabbi discusses the enduring meaning of the...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas.Israel is facing a moment without precedent: a sitting prime minister on trial for corruption is now asking the president for a pardon. Benjamin Netanyahu has spent years fighting charges of fraud, breach of trust, and accepting gifts from wealthy associates. The trial has dragged on through political crises, judicial reform battles, and two years of war. He insists he’s the target of a political conspiracy. Others say the case is a test of...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas.In this episode of Boundless Insights, host Aviva Klompas speaks with Dr. Einat Wilf about her decision to launch a new political party in Israel and what she believes the country urgently needs right now. Wilf explains why she founded the Oz Party, arguing that Israel must move from what she calls “exile-consciousness” to true sovereign behavior — reclaiming clarity, responsibility, and strategic purpose in a time of political exhaustion.Their conversation explores Wilf’s insisten...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org, or message Aviva on X at @AvivaKlompas. Boundless relies on your support to produce courageous conversations and nuanced analysis at a time when clarity matters more than ever. If this episode – or any of our work – has helped you better understand the moment we’re living in, please consider making a contribution at boundlessisrael.org/donate.Host Aviva Klompas sits down with Dr. Michael Oren to examine how the U.S.–Israel relationship has been reshaped over the course of the war — and...

Middle East analyst David Makovsky joins Dr. Rachel Fish to unpack the “phase one to phase two” handoff in Gaza: what the Trump plan actually changed, why returning the remaining hostages bodies still matters, and why an international stabilization force is unlikely to disarm Hamas. Makovsky outlines a de-Hamas future for Gaza built on a West-Berlin model that pairs PA-Israel security coordination with technocratic Palestinian governance, while Arab states provide funding and public cover. They also map the Saudi calculus on normalization, the risks of delay, and how Israel’s coming election could reshape U.S.–Israel ties, reg...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org, or message Aviva on X at @AvivaKlompas.In this episode, Aviva sits down with Dr. Michael Oren to examine the troubling spike in settler violence in Judea and Samaria. In recent weeks, attacks on Palestinian communities and farmers have become more frequent and more brazen, raising alarms among Israel’s top political and military leaders.Although the government maintains that only a small fringe is responsible, the surge has exposed deeper problems in enforcement, politics, and public trust. Aviva and Dr. Or...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @AvivaKlompas.The Republican Party is in flux. Once unified around faith, freedom, and family, it now finds itself wrestling with internal divisions — between traditional conservatives, populists, and the MAGA movement — over what it means to be a Republican in America today.In this episode, Florida Congressman Randy Fine joins host Aviva Klompas to talk about the battle for the soul of the GOP and the rise of antisemitism on the right.This Giving Tues...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @AvivaKlompas.Zohran Mamdani’s election as mayor of New York City has stirred a deeper conversation about the Democratic Party’s identity. Once defined by pragmatism and broad coalitions, the party is now grappling with a rising current of ideological purity and moral outrage — one that increasingly casts Israel, and sometimes Jews, as symbols of injustice.Aviva Klompas speaks with political commentator and lifelong Democrat Brianna Wu about what’s driving this transformation, how the Democrat...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @AvivaKlompas.The day after New York City elected its first openly anti-Israel mayor, many Jews in America’s largest Jewish community are asking the same question: what now?In this episode, Michael Rapaport joins Aviva to talk about what Mamdani’s win reveals about the political and cultural shifts happening in New York — and what it means for Jews everywhere.They trace Rapaport’s unexpected journey from actor and comedian to one of the most...

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @AvivaKlompas.Eli Sharabi spent 491 days in Hamas captivity — hidden in homes, held in tunnels, and forced to survive the unthinkable. When he finally emerged, Israel rejoiced, but his freedom came with unbearable news: his wife and daughters were among the victims of October 7.In this powerful conversation, Eli reflects on life before the massacre, the will to survive, and what it means to rebuild after loss. He also speaks about the moral clarity that came fr...

Gazan-born analyst Ahmed Fouad AlKhatib joins Dr. Rachel Fish for a conversation about Gaza after the war’s “freeze.” He explains why the current deal hasn’t solved core problems, how Hamas is using the pause to re-entrench and terrorize rivals, and why outside power in the form of an international stabilization force with real teeth is the only path to disarmament, reconstruction, and a future for Palestinians that isn’t held hostage by Hamas. Rachel and Ahmed also dig into Qatar and Turkey’s roles, UNRWA’s entanglements, and what Western activists miss when “ending Israeli violence” becomes the only objective...