My College Roommate Yitzhak Sokoloff joins me for a wide ranging discussion on where we stand today.

In today’s episode of Tel Aviv Diary, I sit down with an old friend and former college roommate, Yitzhak Sokoloff, for a wide-ranging and candid conversation. Our views often diverge—he leans a little right, I lean a little left—(although we both think those definitions are no longer valuable) but our shared history and mutual respect make for an engaging and honest debate.We trace Yitzhak’s journey from our days at Columbia University through his visit to Israel during the Yom Kippur War, his decades of teaching and community work, and his life in Efrat. Along the way, we dive into some of the most pressing issues facing Israel today: the war in Gaza, the fate of the hostages, the role of Hamas, and the absence of a credible “day after” strategy.The discussion is spirited but thoughtful, balancing our disagreements with reflections on Israel’s deeper challenges—existential threats, internal divisions, and the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations.This is the longest podcast I’ve ever recorded, and perhaps one of the most important, because it captures not only two contrasting viewpoints but also the urgent, unresolved dilemmas facing Israel at this critical moment. 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