In this episode of PeaceCast, NJN's Maxxe Albert-Deitch sits down with Ariel Beery, a mission-driven entrepreneur and civil society activist who has spent three decades building institutions at the intersection of Israel, the Jewish world, and global development. He is the editor and publisher of Prophecy: A Journal for Tomorrow, and a frequent contributor to the Times of Israel. Earlier this year, he published his book, Being Israeli After the Destruction of Gaza.

After the destruction of Gaza, Ariel kept encountering the same argument: that what Israel had done proved the Zionist project was finished. He didn't believe it, and had trouble explaining why because his objection was instinctual, emotional, reflexive. So he did what he does when he can't yet explain how he feels: he spoke with others. Being Israeli After the Destruction of Gaza is the record of those conversations. Over three months in early 2026, he sat with Israelis he trusted — peacebuilders, journalists, academics, and civil society leaders who had spent the year before October 7th opposing the Netanyahu government and didn't stop protesting after. He asked each of them the same question: How does it feel to be Israeli after the destruction of Gaza?

Learn more about Ariel's work and buy the book: https://alighthouse.substack.com/p/being-israeli