Here’s a transcript:
Sneak Peek: Inside Call Me Back with Dan Senor and Nadav Eyal
Dan Senor: Last week, Nadav Eyal joined me on our members-only show Inside Call Me Back to answer listener questions. The first question was: What’s one thing Israelis don’t get about diaspora Jews, and what’s one thing diaspora Jews don’t get about Israelis? It led to such a riveting discussion that we considered making it its own episode. Instead, we’re sharing that segment here as a preview of the kinds of conversations happening on Inside Call Me Back.
This particular conversation went well beyond the teaser. We also discussed the future of the remaining hostages and how Hamas continues to rearm. To hear the full episode, you can become a member through the link in the show notes or at arcdia.org.
Dan: Hi Nadav.
Nadav Eyal: Hi Dan. I’m excited to speak with the insiders of Call Me Back. I recently did events across the U.S. and met people who had signed up for this subscription. They were excited, so this is my first time on the insiders’ show—I hope I don’t disappoint.
Dan: You won’t. For every regular episode we record, Nadav and I have lots of off-the-record conversations—comparing notes, testing ideas, gossiping. Often those are more interesting than the formal episodes. That’s what we’re trying to capture here.
Nadav: I actually got a phone call after one of our recent episodes—someone cautioning me that maybe I shouldn’t have said something the way I did. So for today’s conversation, I’ll throw caution to the wind.
Dan: Perfect. First question is from Sarah Silver: What’s one thing Israeli Jews don’t get about diaspora Jews, and one thing diaspora Jews don’t get about Israelis?
Nadav: Israelis don’t understand what it means to live as a minority. They assume they do, because Jews are a minority globally and because Zionism was built in response to the Holocaust. But in Israel, Jews grew up as the majority. The confidence, the directness, the “chutzpah” you see in Israelis comes from being a majority culture.
Diaspora Jews live as a minority. Anti-Semitism is always present. Most people they meet aren’t Jewish. That shapes everything. Israelis don’t really get it.
On the flip side, diaspora Jews don’t understand the discourse of a majority culture. Israelis see a protest against Israel and their instinct is: confront it. For Americans, the instinct is different, because they know things can turn against them quickly.
Another thing: Zionism historically looked at the diaspora as something to be overcome—the shame of exile. But the diaspora is Jewish history and Jewish culture. For 2,000 years, Jewish life was shaped in the diaspora. Without it, Israel wouldn’t exist.
Dan: That’s fascinating. It also explains something I hear constantly: diaspora Jews complain that Israelis are bad at telling their story. Diaspora Jews spend so much time defending Israel in hostile environments, and they get frustrated that Israel itself doesn’t communicate well. But Israelis don’t feel the same need—they live in their own majority country.
That’s why, for many diaspora Jews of my generation, Benjamin Netanyahu looms so large. Whatever you think of him, he was the one Israeli constantly engaging with the Western media. For years, he was almost the only one making Israel’s case in English.
Nadav: True. Israelis don’t always see that. They also don’t consider how domestic politics—the opposition loudly attacking the government—makes life harder for diaspora Jews who are out there defending Israel.
Dan: Exactly. I’ve gone on TV to defend Israel, and anchors will say, “But I’m just quoting Israelis—tens of thousands are marching in the streets against their own government.” Israelis see that as democracy. Diaspora Jews experience it as fuel for Israel’s critics.
Nadav: That’s part of Israel being a real country. Opposition parties don’t moderate their criticism because it might hurt Israel’s image abroad. And sometimes Israeli ministers say reckless things. Diaspora Jews then have to answer for it in their own countries.
But here’s the bigger point: Israel has always struggled with the paradox of wanting to be “a nation like every other nation” and also “a shining city on a hill.” What Zionism didn’t fully recognize was that the diaspora is essential to Jewish survival. Israel itself is a product of the diaspora.
Dan: That ties to a listener question from Zoe in Melbourne. She asked: As a young religious Australian Jew, I feel my community may not endure. Should I make aliyah to Israel, or fight for my diaspora community?
Nadav: My short answer: do what’s best for your children’s future while maintaining your Jewish identity. As a Zionist, I believe Israel is the best place to do that. But my late grandmother, a sabra and pioneer’s daughter, always said: Zionism was a rational choice for Jewish preservation, not a messianic mission.
Jewish survival has always depended on mobility—being able to move when things became dangerous. In places where Jews were not allowed to leave, like Portugal in the 15th century or Europe during the Holocaust, communities were destroyed. Preservation means being pragmatic.
Dan: That reminds me of advice my brother-in-law once gave: Don’t make aliyah just as an act of solidarity. Ask yourself—where do you want to raise your kids? That’s the real Zionist question. The early Zionists wanted to build not just a safe place, but a better society. That’s why, for example, health care and women’s voting rights were established in the Yishuv even before Israel was founded.
Nadav: Exactly. Israel was designed to draw Jews not just out of ideology, but because it would offer a better life.
Dan: And even with all the migration to Israel, diaspora connections run deep. So many diaspora Jews have nephews, cousins, siblings, or friends serving in the IDF right now. Israelis shouldn’t dismiss diaspora concerns with, “It’s our kids on the front lines,” because for many diaspora Jews, it’s their kids too.
Nadav: That’s right. The bond is deeper than either side sometimes realizes.
Dan Senor: That’s our sneak peek. If you found it interesting, you can hear more by subscribing to Inside Call Me Back.