PeaceCast

This is a recording of a New Jewish Narrative webinar from August 26, 2026, the first part in our Israeli Election Webinar Series. Most of the coverage between now and October 27 and then will center on the politicians, public opinion surveys, and the speculative math behind any future coalition. But this Israeli election may very well be decided by a small number of Israeli voters who are undecided. Haaretz's Judy Maltz has a special series reporting on the different communities within the Israeli electorate that may matter most. So far, in her "Countdown to Election Day" series, Maltz has already reported from: a Bedouin city that could play kingmaker, West Bank settlements where support for the far right is softening, Haifa's Russian-speaking community and its Palestinian citizens, a Chabad town, and a Gaza-border community that was devastated on October 7 and is now weighing where to put its vote. Join us for an hour with Judy Maltz to map out who these communities are, what she heard from them, and what it tells us about the 2026 Israeli elections. Judy Maltz is the Jewish World correspondent for Haaretz, where she has covered Israeli society, immigration, religion, and diaspora affairs for more than a decade. Her current series, "Countdown to Election Day," reports from the Israeli communities whose votes are most likely to determine the outcome on October 27.

In this episode of PeaceCast, NJN's Maxxe Albert-Deitch sits down with Ami Fields-Meyer, a strong and trusted voice on issues of democracy, authoritarianism, civil and human rights, and political power. Fields-Meyer has been an advisor to political candidates, leaders of top civil rights groups, and major philanthropic foundations, and high-profile public officials, from the mayor of Los Angeles and cabinet members to the vice president of the United States. His book On Courage, co-authored with Julia Angwin, debuted on the New York Times bestseller list in July 2026. Blending rich, previously untold narratives with history, spirituality, and movement research, Angwin and Fields-Meyer deliver a highly accessible book full of practical lessons – an inspiring resource for anyone, anywhere, who feel the walls of history closing in on them. On Courage is a roadmap to political courage and a powerful case for how taking personal risks can help save the free world. Hailed by Rachel Maddow as "a classic of our time," this book is a deeply reported manual about how anyone can defy an authoritarian – based on original interviews with more than 100 dissidents, activists, and theorists across the world. You can learn more and read it HERE.

Givat Haviva's Center for a Shared Society aims to build an inclusive, socially cohesive society in Israel by engaging divided communities in collective action towards the advancement of a sustainable, thriving Israeli democracy, and a shared vision of the future. In this episode of PeaceCast, NJN's Maxxe Albert-Deitch sits down with Givat Haviva's Director of Strategy Mohammad Darawshe to discuss how education, policy, technology, and social dynamics all play a part in bringing people together to achieve that goal. The conversation touches on grassroots dialogue programs, the ways in which the peacebuilding world has evolved over the last 20 years in response to changes on the ground, as well as the upcoming Israeli and Palestinian elections.

In this episode of PeaceCast, NJN's Maxxe Albert-Deitch sits down with Ariel Beery, a mission-driven entrepreneur and civil society activist who has spent three decades building institutions at the intersection of Israel, the Jewish world, and global development. He is the editor and publisher of Prophecy: A Journal for Tomorrow, and a frequent contributor to the Times of Israel. Earlier this year, he published his book, Being Israeli After the Destruction of Gaza. After the destruction of Gaza, Ariel kept encountering the same argument: that what Israel had done proved the Zionist project was finished. He didn't believe it, and had trouble explaining why because his objection was instinctual, emotional, reflexive. So he did what he does when he can't yet explain how he feels: he spoke with others. Being Israeli After the Destruction of Gaza is the record of those conversations. Over three months in early 2026, he sat with Israelis he trusted — peacebuilders, journalists, academics, and civil society leaders who had spent the year before October 7th opposing the Netanyahu government and didn't stop protesting after. He asked each of them the same question: How does it feel to be Israeli after the destruction of Gaza? Learn more about Ariel's work and buy the book: https://alighthouse.substack.com/p/being-israeli  

This is a recording of a New Jewish Narrative webinar from July 1, 2026. The US-Israel Memorandum of Understanding – $3.8 billion a year in Foreign Military Financing – expires in 2028. Formal talks on a replacement framework have already begun, and Prime Minister Netanyahu is trying to shape what comes next. This is a political change, not a policy victory. The new framework embeds US support for Israel in Pentagon contracts and co-production agreements. That makes it less visible, and far harder for advocates and Congress to condition or challenge. Join NJN President & CEO Hadar Susskind and VP for Government Relations Madeleine Cereghino for a live webinar on what's changing, why it matters, and where advocacy to shift Israel's conduct goes from here.

This is a recording of a New Jewish Narrative webinar from May 28th, 2026, moderated by Noam Shelef. Join New Jewish Narrative for a timely conversation with Hagit Ofran, Israel's foremost expert on settlement activity and Director of Peace Now's Settlement Watch. The Israeli government is advancing construction in E1, a settlement plan long recognized – by Israelis, Palestinians, and the international community – as a decisive threat to a future political agreement. On June 1, bids are expected to open for new construction tenders, with the submission period closing on July 6. Recent government actions indicate a coordinated effort to prepare the ground for E1's implementation. What does this mean for the future? What might come next? And what action can we take now to keep the worst from happening?

In this episode of PeaceCast, NJN's Maxxe Albert-Deitch is joined by Yoni Shimshoni, retired IDF Brigadier General. Some of our listeners may be familiar with Yoni's work as part of Commanders for Israel's Security, a volunteer movement of over 550 retired IDF colonels and generals as well as Mossad, Shin Bet (Internal Security), Police, NSC and Diplomatic corps equivalents. He recently wrote the opinion piece "Israel cannot live securely on force alone," arguing that overreliance on force is likely to provide less – not more – security for Israelis in the long run. Read the op-ed: https://en.cis.org.il/2026/03/28/israel-cannot-live-securely-on-force-alone/ Learn more about CIS: https://en.cis.org.il/  

This is a recording of a New Jewish Narrative webinar from April 28th, 2026, moderated by Hadar Susskind. This conversation features Eid Suleiman Hadaleen, Becca Strober, and Mattan Berner-Kadish. Drawing on lived experience and on-the-ground work, this discussion both centers the realities too often abstracted or ignored and shines a light on the partnerships that exist on the ground. Our panelists tackle questions such as:  What does daily life under occupation actually look like? What is the impact of settler violence? What does it take for Jews and Palestinians to confront it together? EID SULEIMAN HADALEEN is a Palestinian activist and community member from Umm al-Khair, in the South Hebron Hills, working to protect his community and resist displacement. BECCA STROBER is an Israeli-American organizer and educator on the Israeli occupation who works closely with Israeli and American Jewish communities. They are the Director of Achvat Amim - Solidarity of Nations, and run the Instagram page @becca.explains.the.occupation. MATTAN BERNER-KADISH is an Israeli-American activist who has spent much of his life between the United States and Israel/Palestine. He leads From Here Forward, a grassroots documentation, education, and leadership-building project.