Iyun Podcast

About Iyun Podcast

The Iyun Podcast explores the many dynamics of chareidim in relation to the broader context of Israeli society and beyond. Hosted by long-time podcaster Rabbi Ari Koretzky, Iyun features stimulating and courageous conversations with guests from a diverse range of stakeholders in the future of chareidi society. Join us on this exciting new adventure in Jewish podcasting!

Publisher

Rabbi Ari Koretzky

Category

religion & spirituality · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

28 Mar 2024

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

40 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Episode 40 - "A New Charedi Party" with Ziva Glanz

   In this episode, I speak with Ziva Glanz, an American-born Haredi woman living in Israel and a candidate with the new Haredi political party, HaTzibor HaHaredi (the Haredi public).Ziva shares her personal journey from Passaic to Israel, her family’s experience with Aliyah (immigration to Israel), and her work helping Anglo families build sustainable communities in Israel. We discuss her efforts to create a new Anglo-Haredi community in Mevaseret, the broader challenge of “reverse Aliyah,” and why successful Aliyah requires not only ideology, but housing, schools, community and support.From there, the conversation turns to politics. Ziva explains why she joined HaTzibor HaHaredi, a new party seeking to represent Haredim who are committed to Torah but also believe that Haredi society must take greater responsibility for Israel’s future.We discuss the draft issue, appropriate service frameworks for Haredim, workforce participation, Haredi poverty, Mamachti Haredi (state-Haredi) education, the role of women, October 7th, “citizen government,” and the need for what Ziva calls Israel 2.0 and Politics 2.0.This is a conversation about Aliyah, Haredi society, Israeli politics, Torah, responsibility, social healing and whether a new kind of Haredi political voice can emerge from within the community itself. For more quality content, join our weekly newsletter: https://iyun.org.il/en/join-our-newsletterOur Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Tzarichiyun

2. 

   15 Sept 2026

   Episode 39 - "It Wasn't Always So" with Professor Yair Halevy

   It Wasn’t Always So In this episode, I speak with Yair Halevy, a researcher of Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) history, thought and sociology, about one of the most fascinating and surprising shifts in modern Jewish history: the transformation from what he calls “old Haredism” to “new Haredism.” Today, many people assume that the Haredi relationship to the State of Israel, Zionism, the army and broader Israeli society has always looked more or less the way it does now. Yair’s research challenges that assumption. We discuss his work on the mainstream Haredi response to the Six Day War, including the remarkable enthusiasm that appeared in Haredi newspapers and among major rabbinic voices at the time. In some cases, the victory was described in deeply religious and even redemptive language, including references to Geula (redemption) and the possibility that history was moving in a dramatically new direction. From there, we explore what changed in the following years. Yair describes three major features of “old Haredism”: a more positive posture toward the State of Israel, greater power in the hands of Haredi politicians and journalists, and a broader social and cultural openness to general Israeli society. By the 1970s, much of that began to shift. The conversation touches on the Six Day War, the rise of a more separatist Haredi identity, the movement of public authority toward rabbinic leadership, the brother-and-sister affair involving Rav Goren, the relationship between Haredim (ultra-Orthodox Jews) and religious Zionists, and the ways communities reshape their own memory over time. This is a conversation about Haredi society, Israeli history, Zionism, Geula (redemption), authority, openness, separation and the question of whether the present was really as inevitable as it often appears. Learn more about Yair Halevy’s doctoral dissertation, “The ‘New Haredism’ Revolution in Israel in the 1970’s,” here: https://cris.biu.ac.il/en/studentTheses/the-new-haredism-revolution-in-israel-in-the-1970s/

3. 

   24 Aug 2026

   Episode 38- Between Torah and Derech Eretz

   In this episode, I speak with Rabbi Rafael Dembovsky about his new book, Between Torah and Derech Eretz: A Hashkafic and Halachic Analysis of the Torah im Derech Eretz and Torah Only Viewpoints. The conversation explores one of the most enduring and consequential debates in Orthodox Jewish life: What is the proper relationship between Torah and the broader world? For some, the ideal religious life means engaging the world and using its opportunities, disciplines and responsibilities in the service of G-d. For others, the ideal is withdrawal from the outside world in pursuit of spiritual purity, personal perfection and full immersion in Torah. These are often treated as sociological camps or communal identities, but Rabbi Dembovsky argues that the question is much deeper. It is a serious Torah debate, rooted in Chazal (the Sages), Rishonim (early rabbinic authorities) and Acharonim (later rabbinic authorities), with major implications for how we think about education, work, secular studies, bitachon (trust in G-d), hishtadlus (human effort), and the shape of a Torah society. We discuss why this topic cannot be reduced to slogans, why each side has deep sources and serious claims, and how a clearer understanding of the dispute can lead not only to sharper thinking, but also to greater respect across different parts of Klal Yisrael (the Jewish people). This is a conversation about Torah im Derech Eretz (Torah with worldly involvement), Torah Only, work, learning, modernity, hashkafa (Jewish thought), halacha (Jewish law), and the challenge of pursuing truth without flattening complex Torah debates into simple communal labels. Order the book from Mosaica Press here: https://mosaicapress.com/product/between-torah-and-derech-eretz/ For more quality content, join our weekly newsletter: https://iyun.org.il/en/join-our-newsletterOur Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Tzarichiyun

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

16 ratings

Spotify

4.3 / 5

17 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 33 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

35

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

77

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.