The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

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.
We start the program with two "Jangles" -- Jewish angles -- on this week's entertainment news. In a follow-up to our previous program, we hear how the comic Modi dropped out of a Passover event after finding out that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was participating. A principled stance?
And then, Hoffman pays tribute to Tzruya ‘Suki’ Lahav, who played violin with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band half a century ago, and died last weekend.
However, in honor of the end of the Passover holiday, we turn our gaze to "The Ten Commandments," which this year turns 70.
The 1956 Cecil B. DeMille "sandal epic" sees Charlton Heston as Moses going head-to-head with Yul Brynner as Rameses. The supporting cast also glitters with Anne Baxter as Nefretiri, Edward G. Robinson as Dathan, Yvonne De Carlo as Sephora and Debra Paget as Lilia.
Although screened annually in the US, Hoffman hadn't watched it for several decades, and this is Borschel-Dan's first time. But it's a movie that, as Hoffman puts it, "people know even if they haven't seen it."
The duo goes into the weeds with the biblical and Jewish influences on the work, including a surprise member of the tribe for Hoffman. And, while dated in its treatment of women on screen, the film also offers an insightful feminist moment.
Stick around to see if "The Ten Commandments" got an "oy," "meh" or "not bad" in this week's The Reel Schmooze.
The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.
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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 Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
US President Donald Trump celebrated the rescue operation for a downed US airman in Iranian territory, reports Magid, offering new details of the daring operation that included significant sabotage against Iranian forces, and a contingency plan in which the rescue teams had to assemble helicopters on the spot.
It's crunch time for talks with Iran, Magid discusses, as Trump offered a deadline with his threat to blow up every bridge and power plant on Tuesday night if Iran doesn't accept the US proposal for a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
A Friday deadline also looms for Hamas with a phased disarmament plan over eight months, says Magid, as Nikolai Mladenov, the High Representative for the Board of Peace, issued his own ultimatum to the terrorist group.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Trump recounts rescue of 2 downed airmen in Iran: ‘We could have ended up with 100 dead, as opposed to one or two’
Downed US airman said to have directed strikes on Iranian positions from hiding place
Trump: US has plan to destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran Tuesday night if no deal
Hamas given until week’s end to accept disarmament proposal — sources
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.
IMAGE: A tall plume of smoke billows from a fire next to Azadi Tower (C) following strikes near Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran on March 7, 2026 (Atta Kenare/AFP)
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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.
Political correspondent Sam Sokol joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Following an interim High Court order allowing a larger gathering despite wartime restrictions for Saturday night's antiwar protest in Tel Aviv, Sokol reports on the backlash from the Knesset coalition and religious parties demanding similar treatment for the traditional Passover mass prayers at the Western Wall.
Sokol also discusses the passage of the 2026 budget, the government's largest budget to date, due to increased defense spending and billions of shekels in ultra-Orthodox educational expenditures following an unexpected political maneuver during a long night of voting.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Cops violently disperse protesters at Tel Aviv anti-war rally, after court raised attendance cap
Flouting wartime restrictions, over 1,000 men gather for address by top Haredi rabbi
High Court raises wartime limit on Western Wall, Temple Mount access from 50 to 100
Levin says government should ignore High Court ruling allowing wartime protests
AG halts transfer of budget funds for Haredi institutions after contentious vote
Opposition MKs voted to allocate NIS 800 million for Haredi schools. How did that happen?
Knesset approves 2026 budget, Israel’s largest ever, sending billions to Haredi institutions
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.
IMAGE: Israelis attending anti-war protest take shelter in Tel Aviv's Habima parking lot as alert for Iranian missile sounds on April 4, 2026 (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
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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.
Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
US intelligence has assessed that around half of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers are still intact despite over a month of US and Israeli bombardment across the country. Fabian explains why this is not the measure to take of the campaign's success.
We learn about the frequency of Iranian missiles shot at Israel and the damage that is being wrought, even as the IDF says it is turning to a new phase in its operations -- Iran's economy.
Turning to Lebanon, Fabian describes the massive build-up of soldiers there, and an operation that saw the death of Sgt. First Class Guy Ludar, 21, and seriously wounded another from the Commando Brigade’s Maglan Unit. We hear what the war goals are for Lebanon, even as leaked statements from a high-ranking IDF officer indicate that it is not a total disarmament of the terrorist organization.
All is somewhat quiet on the Gaza front, says Fabian, even as many soldiers are still stationed there, as well as the West Bank. The issue of a lack of manpower in the IDF was addressed over the holiday weekend with a surprise announcement that reservists will now be required to serve nine weeks instead of six.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
US intelligence said to assess around half of Iran’s missile launchers still intact
Iran said restoring bombed missile bunkers within hours after being struck
6 wounded as Iran cluster bombs smash homes in central Israel; IDF hits Iran infrastructure
IDF says soldier killed, another seriously hurt by ‘friendly-fire’ in southern Lebanon
Hezbollah attacks damage homes in north; IDF said to destroy east Lebanon bridge
IDF official says disarming Hezbollah unrealistic, not a goal of Lebanon operation
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.
IMAGE: IDF reservists of the 226th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade operate in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo issued by the military on April 5, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
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Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Jessica Steinberg speaking with Rabbi Angela Buchdahl.
Buchdahl speaks about being a rabbinic figure and representative of the mainstream American Jewry, particularly while on book tour for her recently published memoir, "Heart of a Stranger, An Unlikely Rabbi's Story of Faith, Identity and Belonging."
Buchdahl weighs in on the current rise in antisemitism entering the workplace and discourse, and how it has made Jewish identity rise to the fore as a kind of primary identity.
Speaking to the Times of Israel right before Passover, Buchdahl discusses the master narrative of Passover and the need to have faith in Jewish continuity and to hold on to resilience and grit in the face of oppression.
Buchdahl speaks about New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the conversations she's held with people deeply connected to the mayor about her concerns.
The Central Synagogue rabbi talks about her congregation's Zionism, their reactions after the Hamas terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, and their deep connections to hostage families over the course of the two years of the war in Gaza.
She also speaks about her own connection to Israel as a second home, even when she takes issue with some of its policies and actions of the government.
What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.
IMAGE: The sanctuary of Central Synagogue in Manhattan, New York, photographed in 2010, and where Rabbi Angela Buchdahl is senior rabbi (Courtesy)
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