Journalism in Israel doesn’t happen at a distance. It happens up close, in hallways, offices, and crowded Knesset corridors where everyone knows everyone — or at least knows someone who knows someone. Covering Israeli politics means being physically present, making endless cold calls, chasing down statements on tight deadlines, and building relationships that can determine whether a story moves forward or hits a wall.

A reporter covering the Knesset isn’t just observing power; they’re constantly negotiating access to it. That can mean interviewing prime ministers and senior ministers one day, and the next day trying to convince a spokesperson to pick up the phone, answer a WhatsApp, or confirm a quote before a deadline hits. In a small country, relationships matter. Trust matters. Knowing how — and when — to ask for a comment matters.

Today’s guest lives inside that world. Lahav Harkov is a journalist who covers Israeli politics from the Knesset, navigating the pace, proximity, and pressure that define Israeli journalism. In this conversation, we talk about what it actually means to report from inside Israel’s political system — how stories get made, how access works, and how the job has changed in the age of social media and AI.

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In this episode, we sit down with Joseph Cedar, director of the Oscar-nominated film, Footnote, to explore the world of Israeli cinema. From moral ambiguity to inventive storytelling, Cedar discusses what makes Israeli film uniquely compelling — how it thrives in the gray, turns limitations into creativity, and tells deeply personal yet universal stories. We dive into his filmmaking process, the challenges and surprises of telling Israeli stories, and why ambiguity, nuance, and ingenuity define cinema from Israel.

In this episode, we hear from Yonatan Nir as he explores how documentary film in Israel functions not only as storytelling, but as a therapeutic act.

Drawing on his work as a filmmaker and pioneer of docutherapy, he examines what happens when the camera becomes a space for listening, witnessing, and emotional repair. The conversation moves between the personal and the collective - how individual stories of trauma, memory, and identity intersect with Israel’s broader social reality, and how the process of filming itself can foster healing, insight, and transformation.

This episode looks beyond documentary as art or journalism and asks what it means for film to actively participate in care, resilience, and meaning-making.

As mentioned in the episode, Yonatan is also the host of DocuNation, an organization that publicizes Israeli documentaries for the world to see. You learn more here.