The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

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.
Health reporter Diana Bletter joins host Gabriella Jacobs for today's episode.
Bletter joins us from her home near Nahariya after speaking with residents across Israel's north about life during an uneasy, on-again-off-again ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
She describes a region unable to move forward. Residents are exhausted after another disrupted school year, uncertain about what the coming months will bring, yet determined to remain in the communities they call home. She shares stories of hardship and resilience from communities living just kilometers from the Lebanese border.
Later in the episode, we move on to discuss a breakthrough in cancer therapy developed by scientists from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, who have engineered nanoparticles that treat aggressive “triple-negative” breast cancer tumors without chemotherapy or drugs.
We conclude by diving into a revolutionary method of identifying life beyond Earth by analyzing the diversity of molecular groups, pioneered by Israeli researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Bletter explains how scientists plan to use this method on Eureka, an Israeli spacecraft concept currently in planning.
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and edited by Ari Schlacht.
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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.
News editor Ben Sales joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
A round of US-Iran negotiations on implementing the agreement to end the war was set to kick off in Switzerland today. US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reportedly added a special session on Lebanon to their packed agenda.
The talks come after an Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed and 13 were wounded in southern Lebanon in an attack by the Hezbollah terror group early Saturday morning, and a four-man IDF tank crew was killed early Friday. The IDF said Saturday it “halted its fire” outside its declared “security zone” in southern Lebanon, but would continue operations within it. Sales discusses how Vance's personal opinion of Israel -- including harsh statements on Israel's supposed ingratitude to the Trump administration and an accusation that Israel tries to kill its way out of every problem -- could color the negotiations.
In the second half of the program, we ask, is it the end of a golden age of Jewish American travel to Israel? Is it because the sponsoring institutions have shifted away from thinking that an American Jew who has traveled to Israel is more likely to stay Jewishly involved, marry Jewish and support the Jewish state? And why, despite the offer of a free trip, are many fewer young adults coming? Sales weighs in.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
US-Iran set for new talks; Trump threatens US tolls in Hormuz if deal not reached in 60 days
Vance slams Israeli ‘freakout’ over Iran deal, says Trump only world leader who still likes Israel
IDF soldier killed, 13 injured in overnight Hezbollah attack in southern Lebanon
Trump’s unfiltered commentary on Lebanon is leaving Israel with an impossible choice
Canceled flights, high prices: Is the golden age of American Jewish travel to Israel ending?
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Yitzchak Ledee.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.
This week, as Borschel-Dan continues to read Hoffman's recommendation -- "My Name Is Barbra," Barbra Streisand's verrrrry long biography -- we turn to an audience favorite, the 1972 screwball comedy, "What's Up, Doc?"
Directed by Peter Bogdanovich, the film is a cleverly stylized updated homage to the golden era of Hollywood. It features Streisand playing a wacky vagabond and hunky Ryan O'Neal as a nerdy musicology prof, plus a slew of then-unknown Jewish stars, including Madeline Kahn. But the real star of the show is the 1970s fashions and cars.
Let's hear who gave it an "oy," "meh" or the prized "not bad" this week on The Reel Schmooze.
The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World.
This week, we hear from former prime minister Naftali Bennett in conversation with founding editor David Horovitz and political correspondent Tal Schneider.
Speaking with ToI on June 11 at the campaign headquarters of Together, the new, merged party he now leads with former prime minister Yair Lapid, Bennett said Israel is facing “an existential moment,” and warned that another term under the current government would leave the country without a functioning economy, society or international position.
“Another four years with this government, we won’t have an economy, we won’t have a society,” he charged. “The Haredi issue will just crash us all. We won’t have an international standing anywhere. We have to act now.”
And so, this week, we ask Naftali Bennett, what matters now.
For further reading:
Bennett to ToI: ‘We’re at an existential moment. Another four years with this government, we won’t have a society’
What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was edited by Yitzchak Ledee.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett (ToI) / Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men scuffle with police during a protest against military recruitment and call for the release of detained draft resisters outside a military prison near Kfar Yona, Israel, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
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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.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a deal Wednesday meant to end the Middle East war, causing it to go into effect two days earlier than originally envisioned, with Tehran agreeing to dilute its enriched uranium in return for large-scale economic relief. Magid takes us through the points of primary concern for Israel, including its right of self-defense against Hezbollah attacks.
In a lengthy press conference at the G7 summit in France yesterday, Trump claimed Iran should be allowed to keep some of its ballistic missiles. He also repeatedly castigated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including stating he is less justified in criticizing the memorandum of understanding that Trump signed with Iran because the Israeli premier purportedly pulled out of a joint operation to kill top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in 2020. We hear other sharp criticisms of Netanyahu, including accusations of disproportionate force.
In the second half of the program, Magid brings his exclusive scoop that the US is in talks with the Palestinian Authority about boosting what has been a strained bilateral relationship, as Washington seeks Ramallah’s cooperation to advance its landmark policy initiatives in the region. And who is chaperoning the reforms DC is seeking? Enter Saudi Arabia.
And finally, Magid explains how former UK prime minister Tony Blair is taking on a larger role in the Board of Peace, where he will be tasked with managing the various mechanisms that are meant to oversee the postwar management of Gaza.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
US, Iran sign war-ending deal, which enters into effect 2 days earlier than planned
‘Shall not develop nuclear weapons’: The 14-point memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran
As deal takes force, Trump says ‘it’s okay’ for Iran to have some ballistic missiles
Trump suggests Israel in no place to criticize Iran deal since it backed out of 2020 strike on Soleimani
US weighs boosting ties with PA as it seeks to advance Gaza plan and Abraham Accords
Tony Blair takes on larger role as US-led Board of Peace struggles to advance Gaza plan
Gaza mediators glum on chances for breakthrough before Israeli elections in the fall
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.