Boundless Insights - with Aviva Klompas

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Israel will head to the polls on October 27 in what promises to be one of the most consequential elections in its history. It will be the first Israeli government to complete a full term in more than five decades.

Host Aviva Klompas is joined by former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Dr. Michael Oren to examine what this election is really about. While much of the international media will frame the vote as a referendum on Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israelis are weighing far broader questions about security, leadership, national priorities, and the country's future nearly three years after October 7.

Together, they discuss how the war has reshaped Israeli politics, whether the government's wartime record will help or hurt Netanyahu at the ballot box, how Israelis are balancing military achievements with unresolved challenges, and what coalition scenarios are most likely to emerge after the vote. They also explore whether international opinion will influence Israeli voters and what this election could mean for Israel's direction in the years ahead.

Guest Bio:

Michael Oren served in the IDF as a Lone Soldier in the paratroopers. He was Israel’s ambassador to the United States from 2009 to 2013 and later served as a Member of Knesset and Deputy Minister of Diplomacy.

He is the author of several New York Times bestsellers including Six Days of War, Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israel Divide, and Power, Faith, and Fantasy. Ambassador Oren published 2048: The Rejuvenated State in 2023 and is the founder of Israel Advocacy Group.

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org

The rise of democratic socialism is no longer confined to a handful of high-profile politicians. Across the country, insurgent candidates are defeating establishment Democrats, building sophisticated political organizations, and reshaping the future of the Democratic Party.

Host Aviva Klompas is joined by political strategist and former congressional candidate Brianna Wu to examine what is driving this movement and why its influence extends far beyond a few headline-grabbing elections.

They discuss the growing divide between traditional Democrats, progressives, and democratic socialists; why opposition to Israel has become a defining feature of the movement; the role of activist networks and political infrastructure; and what recent primary victories reveal about the Democratic Party's future.

The conversation also explores the upcoming Michigan Senate race, the rise and fall of insurgent candidates like Graham Platner, and whether the party is undergoing a temporary shift or a more lasting political realignment.

Guest Bio:

Brianna Wu rose to national prominence during Gamergate, a flashpoint in the video game industry that pioneered many of the toxic tactics now common in online political discourse. She ran for Congress in 2018 as a progressive Democrat, but experienced a sharp break with her party following the October 7th Hamas attacks. Today, she is a prominent advocate for U.S./ Israel national security cooperation and a leading voice in the evolving debate over liberalism, extremism, and the future of the trans movement.

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org

Former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel used a major speech in Israel to lay out what many see as the foreign policy vision of a potential 2028 presidential campaign and his message was blunt: the U.S.-Israel relationship is at a crossroads.

In this episode, host Aviva Klompas is joined by Dr. Michael Oren to examine Emanuel's diagnosis of Israel's strategic position and the future of the alliance between Jerusalem and Washington.

They discuss Emanuel's claim that Israel has become too reliant on military power and his argument that decades of unconditional American support enabled some of Israel's worst decisions.

Guest Bio:

Michael Oren served in the IDF as a Lone Soldier in the paratroopers. He was Israel’s ambassador to the United States from 2009 to 2013 and later served as a Member of Knesset and Deputy Minister of Diplomacy.

He is the author of several New York Times bestsellers including Six Days of War, Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israel Divide, and Power, Faith, and Fantasy. Ambassador Oren published 2048: The Rejuvenated State in 2023 and is the founder of Israel Advocacy Group.

Mentioned in This Episode:
Rahm Emanuel’s Speech

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas.

Just when it seemed the conflict between the United States and Iran might be settling into an uneasy stalemate, the region lurched back toward escalation.

In this episode, host Aviva Klompas is joined by Ambassador Dan Shapiro, former U.S. ambassador to Israel and a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council, to make sense of a fast-moving and often contradictory situation.

They discuss the latest military exchanges between the United States and Iran, the uncertain future of the MOU, the status of Iran's nuclear program, and whether diplomacy is gaining ground—or simply delaying another round of conflict.

Guest Bio:

Ambassador Daniel Shapiro is a distinguished fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative. He previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East from 2024 to 2025, Senior Adviser on Regional Integration in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, and US Ambassador to Israel from 2011 to 2017.

For generations, American Jews were among the Democratic Party's most loyal supporters, seeing liberal politics as a natural extension of Jewish values. Today, that relationship is under increasing strain.

Host Aviva Klompas sits down with columnist, television host, and author Batya Ungar-Sargon to discuss her new book, The Jews and the Left. Together, they examine how a century-long political alliance evolved—and why so many Jews now feel politically and culturally homeless.

They explore why Jews became Democrats in the first place, the ideological transformation of the modern Left, and how opposition to Israel became a defining issue within progressive politics. Batya explains why she believes October 7 exposed deep fault lines for many progressive Jews, addresses the debate over anti-Zionism and antisemitism, and discusses whether similar political shifts could emerge on the Republican right.

Whether you agree with Batya's conclusions or not, this conversation offers a thoughtful look at one of the most consequential political and cultural questions facing American Jews today.

Guest Bio

Batya Ungar-Sargon is the host of Batya! on NewsNation, where she is a weekend anchor. She is a frequent contributor to the New Yok Post and a columnist for the Free Press. An Orthodox Jew, she earned her PhD in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.