American Jews, Israel, and the Search for Hope After October 7

In this joint episode of Tel Aviv Diary and In This Moment: A Rabbi’s Notebook, Marc Schulman sits down with Rabbi Joshua Hammerman for a wide-ranging and deeply personal conversation on the state of Israel, American Jewry, and the fragile relationship between them.Broadcast during Schulman’s visit to the United States, the discussion captures a moment of profound anxiety and uncertainty. Both men reflect on the growing sense of fear among American Jews—driven by rising antisemitism, campus hostility, and political polarization—alongside a striking shift in public opinion, where Israel is no longer broadly supported across the American political spectrum. At the same time, they explore the Israeli experience of the past several years: a society shaped by war, repeated missile attacks, mass reserve duty, and an ongoing struggle over the country’s democratic institutions.The conversation moves between the political and the personal. They examine the impact of leadership—both in Israel and the United States—including the roles of Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump, and the consequences of increasingly centralized decision-making. They revisit critical turning points, from the Iran nuclear deal to October 7, and debate whether different choices might have altered the trajectory of events—or whether deeper forces were always at work.A central theme is the growing disconnect between Israeli and American Jewish realities. Schulman describes the daily pressures of life under fire in Tel Aviv, while Hammerman outlines the social and political pressures facing Jews in America, including the erosion of church-state boundaries and the reemergence of both traditional and new forms of antisemitism. Each challenges the other’s assumptions, underscoring how differently these communities now experience the same conflict.The discussion also turns to the battle over narrative—how Israel has struggled to communicate its story in a world dominated by visual media—and the long-term implications of losing the “public relations war.” They explore generational divides, the influence of social media, and the decline of unified Jewish leadership in the United States.Despite the gravity of the issues, the episode ultimately looks toward the future. Drawing on history—from the Holocaust to the peace with Egypt—they ask whether transformative leadership is still possible. Could a figure like Anwar Sadat emerge again? Is there a path to restoring trust between Israel and American Jewry? And can both societies find a way to move beyond trauma toward a renewed sense of purpose?This is a candid, unscripted conversation between two longtime colleagues and friends—one rooted in Tel Aviv, the other in American Jewish life—grappling with some of the most urgent questions facing the Jewish people today, and ending, deliberately, with a search for hope. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcschulman.substack.com/subscribe