A Mandatory Listen16 Sep 2025

What Matters Now to Daniel Gordis: The lonely man of Zionism

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with Daniel Gordis.

Gordis, an author, scholar, rabbi, activist and sometime Times of Israel blogger, is the creator of the popular Substack blog and podcast, "Israel from the Inside." He recounts how he began the blog in 2021 to pull the curtain back on the Jewish state for those living abroad.

In this episode, we discuss the evolution Gordis's decision to be a pro-Israel, yet critical voice in a tricky global environment of rising antisemitism and uncertainty.

Wearing his rabbi hat, he speaks about how existential loneliness is a part of the experience of this season of High Holy Days and he further describes the loneliness of being Israeli at this time in history.

Gordis challenges American Jews to consider that Israelis are fighting for their homeland -- both in Gaza and during the ongoing protests in the streets.

And so this week, we ask Daniel Gordis, what matters now?

What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: Daniel Gordis (courtesy) / A California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer detains a protestor while clearing a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel encampment after dispersal orders were given at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, on May 2, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (MARIO TAMA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

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