Episodi

  • The Making of the Kristof Column — with Matti Friedman

    The Making of the Kristof Column — with Matti Friedman
    May 14 2026
    Subscribe to Inside Call me Back. ____ Subscribe to Ark News Daily ____ Content warning: This episode includes discussion of sexual violence How do unverified claims become a New York Times column? On Monday, the New York Times published an opinion column by Nicholas Kristof titled "The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians" — an explicit attempt to draw a moral equivalence between Hamas and Israel by alleging that both equally engage in systematic sexual violence. The piece, based on interviews with 14 unnamed Palestinians, cited a Geneva-based NGO calling Israeli sexual abuse a "standard operating procedure" and described, among other things, trained dogs used to sexually assault prisoners. Kristof quoted former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appearing to validate the charges - but Olmert subsequently issued a statement clarifying that he did not, in fact, confirm the column's most serious claims, including that Israeli authorities directed the rape of children or that systematic sexual torture is state policy. The morning after Kristof's column appeared, an Israeli civil commission released a 300-page report - built on more than 10,000 photographs, thousands of hours of video, and over 400 testimonies - concluding that Hamas's sexual violence on October 7th was systematic, widespread, and deliberate. The New York Times, which had been told the report was coming months in advance, published it nearly 24 hours after running Kristof's op-ed. Reporters who spent the day going through Kristof's column claim by claim found it largely unverifiable - no dates, no locations, no names - recycled from dubious sources and in many cases almost certainly false. The deeper question this episode asks is not simply whether the column is fair, but how something like it gets published in the paper of record at all: what is the pipeline, from NGO to press release to Pulitzer Prize winner's byline, that turns unverified claims into fact? And why does that pipeline flow so reliably in one direction? To answer that, Dan is joined by Matti Friedman, a former AP reporter and editor in Jerusalem, and author of the 2014 Atlantic essay "What the Media Gets Wrong About Israel" - who has spent years documenting the specific mechanisms by which NGOs hostile to Israel have shaped, and in some cases dictated, Western coverage of this conflict. In this episode: 02:12 - What Kristof’s column alleged 09:39 - Which claims are documented, unverifiable, or implausible 14:21 - How NGO claims become mainstream coverage 17:21 - Euro-Med, activist sourcing, and the New York Times 23:47 - Matti Friedman’s warning about Western media 27:21 - The October 7th sexual violence report and the timing problem This episode was sponsored by Birthright: Invest in the Jewish future today at onetripchangeseverything.com. More Ark Media: Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings.Explore Israel VotesListen to For Heaven's SakeListen to What’s Your Number?Watch Call me Back on YouTubeNewsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav EyalInstagram | Ark Media | DanX | DanDan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of IsraelGet in touch Credits: Ilan Benatar, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo
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    45 min
  • Australia's Royal Commission on Antisemitism - with Alon Cassuto & Lisa Mittelman

    Australia's Royal Commission on Antisemitism - with Alon Cassuto & Lisa Mittelman
    May 11 2026

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    Five months after the Bondi Beach attack, Australia’s Royal Commission on Antisemitism is hearing testimony about what Jewish life has become since October 7th.

    Dan is joined by Alon Cassuto, CEO of the Zionist Federation of Australia, and Lisa Mittelman, Director of Public Affairs, to discuss what the hearings have revealed, why the government resisted the commission before finally giving in, and whether this process can lead to real change.

    They also examine how anti-Zionism is being used to exclude Jews from progressive spaces, what real solidarity requires from non-Jewish Australians, and why young Australian Jews are asking whether they can still build their futures in Australia.

    In this episode:

    04:21 - Why Australia’s Royal Commission matters

    04:39 - What the testimonies revealed about Jewish life after October 7th

    07:27 - Antisemitism from neo-Nazis to progressive spaces

    12:33 - Why Australia finally agreed to a Royal Commission

    14:42 - Where anti-Israel rhetoric crosses into antisemitism

    20:27 - What non-Jewish Australians are still failing to confront

    23:48 - How Australian Jews are experiencing the commission

    32:02 - Can young Australian Jews still see a future in Australia?

    This episode was sponsored by Hadassah. Please go to Hadassah.org to make a gift that helps Hadassah continue its longstanding, life-changing support for the people in Israel.

    More Ark Media:

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    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo
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    41 min
  • Sneak Peek: Amit Segal on the outcome of the Iran War and Israel’s next era

    Sneak Peek: Amit Segal on the outcome of the Iran War and Israel’s next era
    May 9 2026

    For the full episode, subscribe here to Inside Call me Back.
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    This is a sneak peek from the members-only edition of Inside Call me Back, where Dan is joined by Ark Media contributor Amit Segal to discuss whether Israel’s war with Iran can be considered a success while the regime and parts of the nuclear threat remain intact, and whether Israel today has a leader, political movement, or civic vision capable of defining the country’s next chapter.

    In the full episode, Amit also takes on listener questions about:

    • Netanyahu’s responsibility for October 7
    • How long does he plan to stay in power?
    • Trump’s Gaza “Riviera” plan in hindsight
    • Amit’s thoughts on his father’s controversial essay about Diaspora Jews
    • Whether the country could be headed back into another cycle of repeat elections

    To hear the full conversation, subscribe to Inside Call Me Back here.

    Read Amit’s father’s piece here.

    More Ark Media:

    • Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings.
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    • Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal
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    • Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel
    • Get in touch

    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo
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    14 min
  • Epic Fury has ended, now what? - with Ed Husain and Nadav Eyal

    Epic Fury has ended, now what? - with Ed Husain and Nadav Eyal
    May 7 2026

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    The Iran war is coming to an end. What leverage do Israel and the U.S. have for what comes next?

    Dan Senor is joined by Ed Husain and Nadav Eyal to unpack the fragile aftermath of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. As Washington signals that the operation is over, Iran is still testing the Strait of Hormuz, its nuclear program remains unresolved, and the regime’s internal fractures may now matter as much as its military capabilities. They discuss what Iran thinks it has won, what the U.S. and Israel actually achieved, and whether the next front is no longer the battlefield, but inside Iran itself.

    Read Ed’s article, Iran is Not a Monolith: The Case for Exploiting the Country’s Internal Fractures.

    In this episode:

    02:42 - What “the operation is over” actually means

    06:09 - Iran’s strategy at the Strait of Hormuz

    08:42 - Why Tehran may believe it won the war

    13:21 - What remains of Iran’s nuclear program

    20:15 - Why economic pressure may not be enough

    20:54 - The IRGC’s grip on the regime

    29:24 - Can Iran’s internal fractures bring down the regime?

    34:18 - Israel’s return to a shadow-war strategy

    34:51 - The regional alliance needed after the war

    38:42 - What the U.S. must do to avoid a nuclear Iran and a closed strait

    More Ark Media:

    • Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings.
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    • Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal
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    • Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel
    • Get in touch

    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo
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    44 min
  • My diaspora Jewish world is crumbling - with Jesse Brown

    My diaspora Jewish world is crumbling - with Jesse Brown
    May 4 2026

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    What is happening to Jewish Canadians, and what it tells us about the country Canada thought it was?

    In today’s episode, Dan is joined by Jesse Brown, founder, editor, and publisher of Canadaland, to discuss how Jewish life in Canada has changed since October 7. Drawing on months of reporting for his six-part investigative series What Is Happening Here, Jesse explains why antisemitism in Canada feels more targeted, more tolerated, and more systemic than many outsiders understand. They discuss attacks on Jewish schools and synagogues, the role of progressive institutions and campus culture, the collapse of old assumptions about diaspora belonging, and whether Canadian Jewish life can ever go back to what it was.

    Listen to Jesse’s six-part investigative podcast series here.

    See Jesse at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan on May 21. More info here.

    In this episode:

    - Jesse Brown’s life as a Canadian Jew before October 7

    - Why Jesse says his diaspora Jewish world is crumbling

    - What Jewish life in Canada feels like now

    - How Jewish schools, synagogues, and neighborhoods became targets

    - Why antisemitism in Canada feels more systemic

    - Canada’s postnational identity and the politics of settler colonialism

    - The role of Islamist extremism and what Canada refuses to name

    - Why anti-Zionist activism in Canada has become more explicit

    - Zionism, anti-Zionism, and why Jesse says the labels matter less than the harm

    - The fractures inside Canada’s Jewish community

    - Why Jesse still wants to fight for diaspora Jewish life

    More Ark Media:

    • Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings.
    • Explore Israel Votes
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    • Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal
    • Instagram | Ark Media | Dan
    • X | Dan
    • Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel
    • Get in touch

    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo
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    56 min
  • Sneak Peek: Tal Becker on the Judea-Israel divide

    Sneak Peek: Tal Becker on the Judea-Israel divide
    May 2 2026

    For the full episode, subscribe here to Inside Call me Back.
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    This is a sneak peek from the members-only edition of Inside Call Me Back, where Dan is joined by Ark Media contributor Tal Becker. In this sneak peek Tal answer a question from our community: are we witnessing the splintering of Israeli society into the two Kingdoms of Israel and Judah?

    If you want to hear the rest of the episode, please consider supporting our work at Ark Media, by subscribing to our members-only feed - Inside Call me Back

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    14 min
  • Ark News Daily: Bennett-Lapid leak | Bondi Attack investigation | Gaza flotilla

    Ark News Daily: Bennett-Lapid leak | Bondi Attack investigation | Gaza flotilla
    May 1 2026

    This is a news update from Ark News Daily. Subscribe here to Ark News Daily

    In this episode:

    • A leaked report reveals Naftali Bennett privately disparaged his alliance with Yair Lapid as a “strategic mistake,” raising doubts about whether their new joint party can successfully unify the opposition against Netanyahu.
    • An Australian investigation into a deadly Sydney terror attack found authorities failed to act on prior warnings, highlighting a broader pattern of under-resourced prevention and potential Iran-linked threats across Western countries.
    • Israel’s interception of a Gaza-bound activist flotilla has sparked a global narrative battle, underscoring the widening gap between accusations against Israel and its efforts to counter them through public diplomacy.
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    10 min
  • ISRAEL VOTES: A Political Shakeup in Israel? - with Amit Segal and Nadav Eyal

    ISRAEL VOTES: A Political Shakeup in Israel? - with Amit Segal and Nadav Eyal
    Apr 30 2026

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    This episode was sponsored by Birthright: Invest in the Jewish future today at onetripchangeseverything.com.
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    Bennett and Lapid unite, but does it change anything?

    On Sunday, without any prior warning, Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid announced they’re joining forces, launching a new unified party called “Beyachad” — “together.” The move comes months ahead of Israel’s October elections, and it immediately raises more questions than answers.

    What are they really trying to accomplish? Does this strengthen the anti-Netanyahu bloc — or unintentionally weaken it? And what does it mean for Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the other centrist party and is being pressured by Bennett to join him and Lapid?

    This is already shaping up to be one of the most dramatic election cycles in Israel’s history — and one the Jewish diaspora will be watching more closely than ever.

    In this episode:

    6:30 – Bennett and Lapid's history

    21:50 – Bennett's theory of the race

    26:35 – The role of the war in the elections

    31:00 – Structural strengths and weaknesses of both blocks

    34:00 – Gadi Eisenkot's next move

    42:25 – Avigdor Lieberman's strategy

    More Ark Media:

    • Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings.
    • Explore Israel Votes
    • Listen to For Heaven's Sake
    • Listen to What’s Your Number?
    • Watch Call me Back on YouTube
    • Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal
    • Instagram | Ark Media | Dan
    • X | Dan
    • Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel
    • Get in touch

    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo
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    50 min