The Jewish People Policy Institute - JPPI

11/10/2026

October 7 was a catastrophe, a day of massacre and failure. But there was another day as well: October 8, and the difficult days that followed. Out of the devastation, Israel revealed itself at its best. Civilian emergency centers sprang up across the country. People collected equipment for soldiers, cooked meals, packed supplies, and drove them to the border. Families opened their homes to evacuees from the north and south. Hotels, kibbutzim, and boarding schools became homes overnight for entire displaced communities. All this was done by the same Israelis who, just a day earlier, had stood on opposite sides of a bitter divide. Protest organizations became aid operations within hours. Rabbis and high-tech workers, settlers and Tel Avivians, packed boxes together in the same warehouse. No one asked the person standing beside them how they had voted. October 6 teaches us that the threat of civil war is real. October 7 teaches us that such a massacre must never happen again. October 8 teaches us that another Israel is possible. By: JPPI Director-General, Dr. Shuki Friedman. Read:

The solidarity that emerged after October 7 was no illusion. It showed us another Israel is possible — and that we need not accept division as our fate

08/10/2026

"I was caught by surprise on Oct. 7. And I served as a lieutenant colonel in military intelligence in the Israel Defense Forces." Read an insiders analysis on the intelligence failures of October 7th. By JPPI Senior Fellow Or Horvitz:

And I served as a lieutenant colonel in military intelligence in the Israel Defense Forces.

07/10/2026

Three years after October 7, Yaakov talks to Yonah Jeremy Bob, co-author of In the War Room, for a behind-the-scenes look at how Israel’s war has been managed at the highest levels. They discuss the tensions between the prime minister, cabinet ministers and Israel’s security chiefs, the decisions that shaped the war, and what lessons - if any - have been learned since the day that changed the country.

05/10/2026

This report is based on a survey conducted September 15–17, 2026, among participants in JPPI’s Voice of the Jewish People respondent panel. The survey primarily reflects the views of "connected" Jews – those with relatively strong ties to the Jewish community, Israel, and/or Jewish identity – and is not representative of all U.S. Jews. For the full survey findings: https://bit.ly/4htCidx

04/10/2026

Israelis are a nation of heroes. That might sound like a slogan, but every so often something happens that reminds us how true this is. But courage cannot only be demanded of soldiers and civilians; it must be demanded of politicians as well. Political courage is different. It is about making difficult decisions, accepting risk, challenging traditional assumptions and, most importantly, telling the public where you actually want to take the country. Instead of spending the next few weeks telling Israelis what they will never do, whom they will never sit with, and why everyone else is dangerous, politicians should tell us where they want to take this country.

Yaakov Katz

30/09/2026

Why I’m Running with Ofer Winter. Fleur Hassan-Nahoum פלר חסן-נחום joins the podcast to explain why she decided to run with Amcha Yisrael, what the new party hopes to bring to Israeli politics, and what it means for her to make the jump from Jerusalem politics to a national Knesset campaign as an Anglo olah.

23/09/2026

Ex Military Intelligence officer Or Horvitz joins the podcast to explain the escalating Houthi threat, Israel’s early intelligence blind spots, Iran’s role in the conflict, and what it means that Gulf leaders are discussing the region’s future with Trump while Israel is not in the room.

16/09/2026

As Israel heads toward elections, the word “peace” has virtually disappeared from its political vocabulary — and the Israeli left is weaker than it has been in decades. Shira Ben Sasson, Executive Director of New Israel Fund joins Yaakov Katz to discuss violence in Judea and Samaria, the impact of October 7 on Israeli politics, why peace has become such a toxic concept for many Israelis, and whether the Israeli left can find a way back into the national conversation.

14/09/2026

"Even if you subscribe to a worldview in which the presence of a woman poses a sexual or religious challenge, dealing with that challenge is your responsibility, not hers. You do not get to turn her into an object to be moved aside so that you can comfortably maintain your way of life." By JPPI senior fellow Prof. Michal Bar-Asher Siegal
Read: https://bit.ly/3SKqAln
Photo: IDF Spokesperson

10/09/2026

Ahead of Rosh Hashanah: Israelis More Optimistic Than Last Year – but Mostly on One Side of the Political Spectrum. 43% of Israeli Jews believe that Israel is improving and will continue to improve, compared with just 36% on the eve of Rosh Hashanah last year. Among those who identify with the right, the figure is 76%; among those who identify with the center-left, it is far lower. There has been no change among Arab Israelis since last year. By specific domain, the past year is viewed more favorably economically than a year ago, while assessments of the social sphere are unchanged – 52% describe the outgoing year as "bad from a social standpoint."