The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

Day 801 - Anguish in Australia after bloody terror attack at Hanukkah event

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Diaspora reporter Zev Stub [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/zev-stub/] and religion and archaeology reporter Rossella Tercatin [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/rossella-tercatin/] join host Amanda Borschel-Dan [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/amanda-borschel-dan/] for today's episode. Two gunmen shot dead at least 15 people and wounded dozens of others on Sunday at a Hanukkah event being held at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach to mark the first night of the Jewish holiday. There were about 1,000 Jews in attendance. We learn about the timeline of the attack and the identities of the murdered that were released by recording time. Stub reports on what is known so far about the father-son attackers' potential motives and a potential direction police are investigating. We learn how a bystander, filmed tackling and disarming a gunman during yesterday’s terror attack, was named as Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Muslim father of two who owns a local produce store. And after a series of conversations yesterday with Australian Jewish leaders, Stub reports how they feel as though their fears for the community's safety were left unheeded. Tercatin explains how in Sydney, the Chabad movement’s annual Bondi Beach Hanukkah gathering is a massive event that usually features a petting zoo, face painting and box after box of free jelly donuts. She delves into the history of large-scale Chabad-led Hanukkah events. We then learn about Jerusalem's "cursed" museum, the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum in East Jerusalem. Now again -- kind of -- open to the public. Hear what can be seen in a place where time has stood still. And finally, we hear about a rare, 1,300-year-old lead pendant decorated with a menorah symbol was uncovered during an archaeological excavation beneath the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount, north of the City of David. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. [https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-december-15-2025/] For further reading: Chabad rabbis, Holocaust survivor, 10-year-old among victims of Sydney Hanukkah attack [https://www.timesofisrael.com/chabad-rabbis-ukrainian-holocaust-survivor-among-those-killed-in-sydney-hanukkah-attack/] Sydney gunmen identified as father and son, reportedly possessed ISIS flag [https://www.timesofisrael.com/shooters-in-sydney-attack-ided-as-father-and-son-isis-flag-said-found-in-their-car/] ‘A genuine hero’: Unarmed Muslim bystander filmed disarming Sydney terrorist [https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-genuine-hero-unarmed-muslim-bystander-filmed-disarming-sydney-terrorist/] ‘Horrified, not shocked’: Australian Jews blame Bondi attack on ongoing ‘incitement’ [https://www.timesofisrael.com/horrified-but-not-shocked-australian-jews-say-bondi-attack-was-inevitable/] Bondi Beach attack comes amid years of escalating antisemitic incidents in Australia [https://www.timesofisrael.com/bondi-beach-attack-comes-amid-years-of-escalating-antisemitic-incidents-in-australia/] Targeted Hanukkah lighting underscores decades-old Chabad mission to illuminate the world [https://www.timesofisrael.com/targeted-hanukkah-lighting-underscores-defiant-chabad-mission-to-set-globe-aglow/] Jerusalem’s ‘cursed’ antiquity museum reopens its doors amid rumors it may become a hotel [https://www.timesofisrael.com/jerusalems-cursed-antiquity-museum-reopens-its-doors-amid-rumors-it-may-become-a-hotel/] Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-times-of-israel-daily-briefing/id1547404042], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/1vhvFPvN0fFn5YRHCEcxrn], YouTube, [https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnR6FOcOvFdMbb0w1n0Ev0orcVkufgZ89] or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves. IMAGE: Rabbi Yossi Freidman, left, holds a prayer at a flower memorial for shooting victims outside the Bondi Pavilion at Sydney's Bondi Beach, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, a day after a shooting. (AP Photo/Mark Baker) See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Day 800 - Ceasefire tensions escalate after top Hamas commander is killed

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/lazar-berman/] and environmental reporter Sue Surkes [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/sue-surkes/] join host Jessica Steinberg [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/jessica-steinberg/] for today's episode. Following the IDF strike that killed top Hamas commander Raad Saad in Gaza City, Berman reviews the obstacles for Israel and Hamas in moving toward the second phase of the broader ceasefire. He discusses how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump will need to find a way to agree on the thorny and fundamental issue of how to get Hamas to disarm. As the IDF postponed a planned airstrike on Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon, Berman reports on the ongoing issue of needing Hezbollah to disarm, the Lebanese Army's efforts to work to accomplish that, and Israel's dissatisfaction with Lebanon's progress. After the Water Authority began channeling desalinated water to the Sea of Galilee, the first ever attempt anywhere in the world to top up a freshwater lake with processed seawater, Surkes reports on hopes that it will raise the level of the sea by half a centimeter a year. Surkes also discusses the new facility for the National Sea Turtle Rescue Center, featuring the world’s only sea turtle breeding program, helping protect and preserve these creatures that have existed on the planet for 330 million years. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. [https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-december-14-2025/] For further reading: US State Department said to ask 70 countries to contribute to Gaza stabilization force [https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-state-department-said-to-ask-70-countries-to-contribute-to-gaza-stabilization-force/] Report: Israel agrees to US demand to pay for massive Gaza rubble-clearing operation [https://www.timesofisrael.com/report-israel-agreed-to-us-demand-to-pay-for-massive-gaza-rubble-clearing-operation/] Beirut has been warned of possible Israeli offensive against Hezbollah — Lebanese FM [https://www.timesofisrael.com/beirut-received-warnings-of-possible-israeli-offensive-against-hezbollah-lebanese-fm/] Scientists tracking impact as desalinated water flows into Sea of Galilee for first time [https://www.timesofisrael.com/scientists-tracking-impact-as-desalinated-water-flows-into-sea-of-galilee-for-first-time/] Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-times-of-israel-daily-briefing/id1547404042], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/1vhvFPvN0fFn5YRHCEcxrn], YouTube, [https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnR6FOcOvFdMbb0w1n0Ev0orcVkufgZ89] or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves. IMAGE: Palestinians inspect a car belonging to Hamas commander Raad Saad after it was hit in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, on December 13, 2025. (Fathi Ibrahim/Flash90) See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Bonus episode [SPONSORED]: Identity/Crisis - Staying Human in the Age of AI - with David Zvi Kalman

In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer talks with technology guru, Hartman scholar, and founding Identity/Crisis Producer David Zvi Kalman about the religious and ethical dilemmas AI poses for Jewish life — from sermons written by bots to the erosion of truth and authority. This thoughtful conversation is for anyone wondering whether Judaism can move fast enough to meet technology’s challenges while preserving the core Jewish value of human dignity. Join our mailing list [https://toi.li/WdUb6z]for more Hartman ideas. Subscribe to Identity/Crisis on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/identity-crisis/id1500168597], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2hqwE9vn7TWsAryUYoFJTk] or wherever you receive your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Day 799 - ToI's movie maven reviews 'Jay Kelly,' now on Netflix

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/jordan-hoffman/] and host Amanda Borschel-Dan [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/amanda-borschel-dan/], where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. This week, the pair speaks about two new movies, the feature film, "Jay Kelly," and the short documentary "Carol & Joy." But first, we hear in this week’s “Jangle” segment, an update on a story from last week regarding one of the Holocaust survivors featured in the film, "Eleanor the Great," Sami Steigmann, who was asked not to speak at a Brooklyn middle school about antisemitism due to his pro-Israel views. Our second Jangle involves the impending sale of Warner Bros Studio. Hoffman has some passionate thoughts. We then speak about "Jay Kelly," a 2025 comedy-drama directed by Noah Baumbach and written by Baumbach and Emily Mortimer. For Borschel-Dan, it was a screening in two sleepy parts that ended with a "meh" rating. Hoffman was (slightly) kinder. Both were united in their appreciation for the documentary, "Carol & Joy," directed by Nathan Silver and starring actress Carol Kane and her 98-year-old mother, Joy Kane. It is a delight of a film and... executive produced by a The Reel Schmooze regular, Natalie Portman. Hear which film got a seal of approval on this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by the PodWaves and can be found wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: George Clooney, from left, director Noah Baumbach, and Adam Sandler pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Jay Kelly' during the London film festival, October 10, 2025. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP) See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Day 798 - Jacob Magid on the day that never came - Blinken's vision for postwar Gaza

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus [https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/friday-focus/]. Each Friday, join host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/amanda-borschel-dan/] and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/lazar-berman/] for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. This week, US bureau chief Jacob Magid fills in for Berman and goes in-depth into an exclusive report [https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-day-after-that-never-came-how-time-ran-out-on-blinkens-plan-for-postwar-gaza/] he published on just how close the Saudis were to normalization with Israel ahead of the Hamas onslaught on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and the finer details of former Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s vision for post-war Gaza. We learn that months ahead of Hamas’s attack on Israel, the US had been hard at work crafting a document with Saudi Arabia, laying out what Israel would need to do in exchange for Riyadh joining the Abraham Accords. We begin by discussing what steps were taken towards a pathway to a Palestinian state. A few weeks following the Hamas massacre, Blinken presented his "Tokyo Principles," to G7 countries, essentially outlining his guiding principles in working towards a day after the war. We learn about the 5 "nos" and the three "musts." Magid compares and contrasts the differences between Blinken's eventual 14-point plan and the finally adopted 20-point Trump peace plan, including the idea of a multinational force and the role of the Palestinian Authority. We discuss the role of former British prime minister Tony Blair, who is the most well-known personality who worked with both the Biden and Trump administrations. And we hear about what a Hamas official told Magid [https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-source-to-toi-well-hold-talks-on-disarming-but-we-cant-be-forced-to-give-up-guns/] over the weekend regarding why the terrorist organization took the current ceasefire deal. Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: Jacob Magid (courtesy) / Then-US Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves as he arrives at Ben Gurion Airport, June 10, 2024. (Jack Guez/Pool via AP) See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.