From Young Judaea to Times of Israel: Miriam Herschlag on Journalism, Trauma, and Jewish Anxiety

In this episode of Tel Aviv Diary, Marc Schulman is joined by Miriam Herschlag, the Opinion and Blogs Editor at The Times of Israel, for a wide-ranging conversation that moves from the deeply personal to the sharply contemporary. Marc and Miriam go back decades — to Jerusalem in the early years of their lives here, and even earlier through Young Judea ties that connect Miriam with Marc’s wife, Amy. The tone is warm and wry, but the moment is heavy: the conversation opens on the day Israel learned that the remains of Ran Gvili, the last hostage still held in Gaza, had been recovered and returned for burial — a development that closes a 14-year chapter in which Israelis, living or dead, were held in Gaza. The episode captures the bittersweet relief of “bringing everyone home,” while grappling with what that closure does — and does not — resolve.Miriam then traces her own journey: from New York to Young Judea leadership, to early experiences in Israel including Yerucham, and ultimately to aliyah in an era when — as she tells it — the Interior Ministry could turn someone Israeli in days, not years. She recounts the formative years in Israeli broadcast journalism, including the early English news broadcasts at the IBA and the surreal acceleration of Israel’s media environment during the Gulf War — when technology, unions, and emergency collided to move the news operation from film into video and a 24-hour footing. Along the way, Miriam reflects on the unromantic mechanics of reporting tragedy, the psychological distance newswork creates, and the moments when that distance collapses. It’s an intimate look at how a journalist becomes Israeli — not as an idea, but as an immersion.From there, the discussion turns outward: what Miriam has learned after more than a decade shaping one of the most influential platforms in Jewish public life. She offers a candid view of the Jewish diaspora after October 7 — from the rise of what she calls “October 8 Judaism,” to political homelessness, fear, and the struggle to rebuild community. She also explains what it means to curate a high-volume opinion and blogs ecosystem — tens of thousands of posts per year — while trying to balance community with diversity of views, and where editorial lines are drawn when rhetoric turns toxic. The episode then confronts the looming challenge of our time: AI, misinformation, and the erosion of trust. Miriam describes AI as “fire” — a force that can both destroy and illuminate — and shares how it is already reshaping writing, editing, elections, and the basic question of what “human” content even means. It’s a conversation about Israel, journalism, and Jewish life — and about the uneasy future arriving faster than anyone feels ready for. 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