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 accumulating, and what Israel, the United States, and regional actors should be preparing for next.

Mentioned in this episode:

Free Press: How Does Bibi Survive? by Michael Oren

Israel Hayom: 'We need to take advantage of Trump's time in office'

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 headline you didn’t see coming — Rapaport for mayor.

Guest Bio:

Michael Rapaport is an actor and comedian whose career spans film, television, and stand-up. In recent years, he has also become one of Hollywood’s most outspoken and unapologetic advocates for Israel and the Jewish people, using his platform to encourage others to stand up, speak clearly, and refuse to stay silent.

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 ground for this movement, and more.

Further Reading

Shaul Kelner, “American Antizionism,” Sources Journal

Isabella Tabarovsky, "The Cult of 'Antizionism'," Tablet Magazine

Isabella Tabarovsky, "Zombie Anti-Zionism," Tablet Magazine

David Hirsch, "'Anti-Zionism' and 'Antizionism'," Australia/Israel, and Jewish Affairs Council

Guest Bio

Shaul Kelner is a Professor of Jewish Studies and Sociology at Vanderbilt University, specializing in the study of contemporary Jewish life.

His latest book, A Cold War Exodus: How American Activists Mobilized to Free Soviet Jews received grant support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and won a National Jewish Book Award.

Prof. Kelner has been a Fellow of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute for Advanced Studies and the University of Michigan’s Frankel Institute for Advanced Judaic Studies, a visiting scholar in Tel Aviv University’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology and a resident scholar at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute. He has served as a board member of the Association for Jewish Studies and of the Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vanderbilt’s College of Arts and Science recognized him with an Innovative Teaching Award for Creating Engaging In-Person Learning Environments.