About Leading Conversations - the Begin Center Podcast
The Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem has a new podcast in English.
Each episode will feature Begin Center Senior Fellow Paul Gross in conversation with a leading thinker, political figure or activist on issues that affect Israel and the world today, informed by the legacy of Menachem Begin - Jewish pride, unapologetic Zionism, liberal nationalism, principled leadership.
The Conversation BEGINs here!
Continuing our series on Israel's Prime Ministers, “The Buck Stops Here”.
To discuss Yitzhak Shamir, we welcomed Dan Meridor, a veteran politician who started his career in public life as Begin’s cabinet secretary and continued in that role after Shamir succeeded Begin as Prime Minister. He would go on to be Justice Minister under Shamir.
This was recorded in front of a live audience at the Begin Center.
10 Aug 2026
Ep. 16 - "The Buck Stops Here" – Menachem Begin
Continuing our series on Israel's Prime Ministers, “The Buck Stops Here”.To discuss Menachem Begin, we were joined by the Begin Center’s very own erstwhile President, Herzl Makov. He joined the Center on Day One as CEO, then working alongside founding President Harry Hurwitz.
This was recorded in front of a packed house in the Begin Center's auditorium.
27 Jul 2026
Ep. 14 - "The Buck Stops Here" – Yitzhak Rabin
This episode continues our series of conversations about the men - and one woman – who served as Prime Minister of Israel.
For our discussion about Israel’s fifth Prime Minister, we welcomed the author of "Soldier, Leader, Statesman", a biography of Yitzhak Rabin. Itamar Rabinovich was also Israel’s Ambassador to the United States under Rabin and is a distinguished historian and currently Vice-Chair of the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.
5 Jul 2026
Ep. 14 - "The Buck Stops Here" – Levi Eshkol
This episode continues our series of conversations about the men - and one woman – who served as Prime Minister of Israel.
Michael Oren is a historian, author, diplomat, and former Israeli Ambassador to the United States. Dr. Oren is the bestselling author of several books on Middle Eastern history and international affairs, including "Six Days of War" and "Ally".
*We apologize for some problems with the sound quality of this recording.
9 Jun 2026
Ep. 13 - "The Buck Stops Here" – Golda Meir
This episode continues our series of conversations about the men - and one woman – who served as Prime Minister of Israel.
Prof. Meron Medzini, who worked as Golda Meir’s spokesperson and wrote an acclaimed biography of her, discusses Israel’s iconic fourth Prime Minister – one of the country’s most popular leaders abroad, but under-appreciated at home.
*We apologize for some problems with the sound quality of this recording.
24 May 2026
Ep. 12 - "The Buck Stops Here" - Moshe Sharett
This episode continues our series of conversations about the men - and one woman – who served as Prime Minister ofIsrael.
Prof. Yoav Gelber, professor emeritus of history at the University of Haifa discusses Moshe Sharett; Israel’s first foreign minister and second prime minister, who tirelessly pursued diplomacy and the possibilities of peace.
*We apologise for some problems with the sound quality of this recording.
7 May 2026
Ep. 11 - "The Buck Stops Here" - David Ben Gurion
This episode marks the first in a new series of conversations about the men - and one woman – who served as Prime Minister of Israel.Prof. Michael Bar Zohar discusses David Ben Gurion, whose leadership and decisions in Israel’s early years set the agenda for so much that followed.Prof. Bar Zohar is a former member of Knesset, journalist and writer of several books; including biographies of both David Ben Gurion and Shimon Peres.
30 Mar 2026
Ep. 10 - The Qatari Puzzle - with Dr. Ariel Admoni
This episode is a recording of a live webinar, part of a series in collaboration with the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy & Security (JISS), one of Israel's leading think tanks.
Qatar has an outsize influence in the Middle East and beyond because of its vast wealth from oil and natural gas, and because of the reach of its Al Jazeera news network. As the principal funder of Hamas and as a promoter of anti-Israel propaganda, it is largely viewed as a malign actor by Israel. Nevertheless it has a strong relationship with the United States and is now on the receiving end of Iranian missile attacks.Qatar-expert Ariel Admoni joined us to help piece together the Qatari puzzle.Dr. Ariel Admoni is a researcher specializing in Qatari policy, and lectures in academic, media, governmental, and security forums on issues related to Qatar.
10 Mar 2026
Ep. 9 - Lessons for the IDF from October 7 - with Prof. Gabi Siboni
This episode is a recording of a live webinar, part of a series in collaboration with the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy & Security (JISS), one of Israel's leading think tanks.
Prof. Gabi Siboni is a long-time military expert who serves as a consultant to the IDF and is the former director of the military and strategic affairs program of the Institute for National Security Studies. He is also the author of a recently published book on October 7 and its aftermath.In this conversation with Paul Gross, he shared his assessment of what October 7 told us about the flaws in the IDF system, what changes have already made by the Israeli military, and what more needs to be done.
12 Feb 2026
Ep. 8 - The Palestinian Authority: Is Reform Possible? - with Prof. Hillel Frisch
This episode is a recording of a live webinar, the third in our series in collaboration with the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy & Security (JISS), one of Israel's leading think tanks.
The Trump plan which ended the war holds out the conditional offer to the Palestinian Authority of resuming governance of Gaza in the future, the condition being “reform”. In such a scenario, the Trump proposals also promise a “credible pathway” toward greater Palestinian self-determination.What does this all mean in practice? How realistic is this kind of “reform” of the PA?Podcast host Paul Gross was in conversation with Prof. Hillel Frisch to answer these questions, and more.
28 Jan 2026
Ep. 7 - The Future of Gaza after Trump's Plan - with Dr. Eran Lerman
This episode is a recording of a live webinar, the second in a series of eight, in collaboration with the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy & Security (JISS), one of Israel's leading think tanks.
Begin Center Senior Fellow Paul Gross was joined by the Vice-President of the JISS, Eran Lerman, who shared his assessment of the current situation in Gaza and the possible developments, as President Trump and his team are busy creating a ‘Board of Peace’ and an executive board to run Gaza.
Dr. Lerman was deputy director for foreign policy and international affairs at the National Security Council in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. He held senior posts in IDF Military Intelligence for over 20 years. He also served for eight years as director of the Israel and Middle East office of the American Jewish Committee. He teaches in the Middle East studies program at Shalem College in Jerusalem, and in post-graduate programs at Tel Aviv University and the National Defense College. He is an expert on Israel’s foreign relations, and on the Middle East. A third-generation Sabra, he holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, and a mid-career MPA from Harvard University.
15 Jan 2026
Ep. 6 - Israel’s Strategic Assessment - with Brig. General (Res.) Yossi Kuperwasser
This episode is a recording of a live webinar, the first in a series of eight, in collaboration with the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy & Security (JISS), one of Israel's leading think tanks.
Begin Center Senior Fellow was joined by the Head of the JISS, Yossi Kuperwasser, who gives a wide-ranging assessment of Israel’s strategic options as it surveys the much-changed, post-war Middle East.
Brig. General (res.) Kuperwasser was formerly the Director General of the Ministry of International Affairs and Strategy, this followed a distinguished career in military intelligence
7 Jan 2026
Ep. 5 - "Self-Defense: A Jewish Manifesto" - a conversation with Benjamin Kerstein
This episode is a recording of a live webinar that took place in November.
In his new book Benjamin Kerstein issues a powerful call to action for American Jews confronting the rising tide of antisemitism. He challenges Jews to break free from long-standing patterns of passivity and embrace the Jewish legacy of physical self-defense, in the spirit of Zionist thinkers like Ze’ev Jabotinsky.In conversation with Begin Center Senior Fellow, Paul Gross, he discusses why he wrote the book and outlines its main themes.Benjamin Kerstein is an award-winning Israeli-American writer and an Associate Fellow at the Z3 Institute. He writes regularly at his Substack site, No Delusions, No Despair.
22 Dec 2025
The Liberal-National Idea, Episode 4 - with Steven B. Smith
In this fourth episode of the Begin Center's new podcast series on the idea of "liberal nationalism", the political philosophy underlying the worldviews of Ze'ev Jabotinsky and Menachem Begin, Senior Fellow Paul Gross talks to Professor Steven B. Smith, the Alfred Cowles Professor of Political Science at Yale University and author of "Reclaiming Patriotism in an Age of Extremes". Prof. Smith discussed his concept of "enlightened patriotism" and how liberalism flourishes best alongside national pride; focusing on the United States, but also on what the US can learn from Israel in this regard.This episode can also be viewed on YouTube, here: https://youtu.be/mYA8dBp2Ev4
8 Dec 2025
The Liberal-National Idea, Episode 3 - with Polly Bronstein
In this third episode of the Begin Center's new podcast series on the idea of "liberal nationalism", the political philosophy underlying the worldviews of Ze'ev Jabotinsky and Menachem Begin, Senior Fellow Paul Gross talks to Polly Bronstein, CEO and founder of the One-Hundred initiative and author of the book: “How I became a moderate - a journey from left to center”. Polly explains how the political centrism that she believes is the solution to the division in our society relies on embracing both liberalism and nationalism - and also embracing the contradictions.
This episode can also be viewed on YouTube, here: https://youtu.be/vhq2d6Jr5hs
6 Nov 2025
The Liberal-National Idea, Episode 2 - with Michal Cotler-Wunsh
In this second episode of the Begin Center's new podcast series on the idea of "liberal nationalism", the political philosophy underlying the worldviews of Ze'ev Jabotinsky and Menachem Begin, Senior Fellow Paul Gross talks to former MK and former Special Envoy for Combatting Antisemitism, Michal Cotler-Wunsh.Cotler-Wunsh was recently appointed CEO of the International Legal Forum, a global network of lawyers standing up for Israel & fighting terror, antisemitism & BDS in the international legal arena.
30 Oct 2025
The Liberal-National Idea, Episode 1 - with Dan Meridor
The Menachem Begin Heritage Center's new podcast in English begins with a series of conversations about the idea of "liberal nationalism", the political philosophy underlying theworldviews of Ze'ev Jabotinsky and Menachem Begin.
In this first episode, Begin Center Senior Fellow Paul Gross talks to former Justice Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Dan Meridor. Meridor served as cabinet secretary to Prime Minister Menachem Begin and went on to hold elected office himself over a 20 year career beginning with his election to the Knesset in 1983 as an MK for the Likud Party.
The episode can also be viewed on YouTube, here: https://youtu.be/YxZJWcoP1b0
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