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What does grief actually look like, and what does it mean to live with it?

In this live conversation recorded at Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center on the eve of Yom HaZikaron, Rachel Goldberg-Polin joins Dan Senor to reflect on love, loss, faith, and the story behind her new book, about the loss of her son, Hersh, who was taken hostage on October 7 and later killed in captivity.

This conversation explores how Rachel understands suffering, why she rejects the idea that grief “gets better,” and how she holds onto faith, love, and what she calls “tragic optimism.” It is a raw and deeply human discussion about what remains when everything changes, and what it means to keep going.

Purchase Rachel’s book here: When We See You Again.

In this episode:

- Life before October 7 and the meaning of Shabbat in Rachel’s family

- The morning of October 7 and the moment everything changed

- What it was like to advocate for Hersh while he was in captivity

- The discovery that Hersh knew his family was fighting for him

- The night Rachel and her family learned he had been killed

- Why Rachel rejects the idea that grief fades over time

- “Toxic positivity” vs. “tragic optimism”

- What grief really is, and what it reveals about love

This episode is sponsored by American Friends of Israel Navy SEALs (AFINS). For a brief video on Buddy Line and to support the program, visit AFINS.us/warriorcare.

More Ark Media:

• Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings.
• Explore Israel Votes
• Listen to For Heaven's Sake
• Listen to What’s Your Number?
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• Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel
• Get in touch

Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

Subscribe to Inside Call me Back to listen to our 4-part series with Ronen Bergman.
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What do we owe the stories of people who sacrificed everything, even when they did not succeed?

As Israel approaches Yom Hazikaron after two and a half years of war, Dan speaks with author and journalist Matti Friedman about one of the most iconic and least understood stories in Israeli history: the parachutists of 1944. At the center is Hannah Senesh, whose name became synonymous with courage, even though the mission itself failed in military terms.

Purchase Matti’s book here.

In this episode:

- The real story behind Hannah Senesh and the parachutists of 1944

- The 1944 parachutist mission

- Why the mission had no clear or achievable objective

- Why the parachutists chose to act despite knowing they would likely fail

- How the parachutists understood their role as shaping a future story

- What Hannah Senesh’s life and death reveal about sacrifice

- How Israel turned this mission into a national myth

- What this story offers Israelis after October 7

This episode is sponsored by the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization. Learn more and support their work at idfwo.org.

More Ark Media:

• Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings.
• Explore Israel Votes
• Listen to For Heaven's Sake
• Listen to What’s Your Number?
• Watch Call me Back on YouTube
• Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal
• Instagram | Ark Media | Dan
• X | Dan
• Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel
• Get in touch

Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo

For the full episode, subscribe here to Inside Call me Back.
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This is a sneak peek from the members-only edition of Inside Call Me Back, the final installment of our four-part series with Ronen Bergman.

After the U.S. exits the JCPOA, Israel and the U.S. launch a campaign of sanctions, sabotage, and targeted assassinations, what Bergman calls “death by a thousand cuts.”

In this preview, Bergman details the AI-assisted assassination of Iran’s top nuclear scientist and why, despite the scale and sophistication of the operation, it was not enough to stop Iran’s nuclear program.

More Ark Media:

• Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings.
• Explore Israel Votes
• Listen to For Heaven's Sake
• Listen to What’s Your Number?
• Watch Call me Back on YouTube
• Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal
• Instagram | Ark Media | Dan
• X | Dan
• Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel
• Get in touch

Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo