Adam Ferziger: Agents of Change [Israel & Diaspora II 4/4]
18Forty Podcast
18Forty
4.7 • 704 Ratings
🗓️ 12 May 2026
⏱️ 80 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode we discuss:
—Why are Jewish religious boundaries in Israel often “more porous” than those in America?
—Why did McDonald’s succeed in Israel while Starbucks failed?
—What can Israelis take from the thick communal culture of American Judaism?
Tune in to hear a conversation about Religious Zionism, American aliyah, and the emergence of a distinctly Israeli Judaism shaped by sovereignty, Hebrew culture, and modern religious life.
Interview begins at 9:32.
Professor Adam S. Ferziger is a historian of modern Jewish religious movements and responses to secularization. He holds the Samson Raphael Hirsch Chair at Bar-Ilan University and is a senior associate at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies. He is the author of several influential books, including Beyond Sectarianism: The Realignment of American Orthodox Judaism, winner of the National Jewish Book Award.
References:
“Orthodoxy in American Jewish Life” by Charles S. Liebman
Beyond Sectarianism: The Realignment of American Orthodox Judaism by Adam S. Ferziger
Agents of Change: American Jews and the Transformation of Israeli Judaism by Adam S. Ferziger
The Israeli Century: How the Zionist Revolution Changed History and Reinvented Judaism by Yossi Shain
18Forty Podcast: “Shayna Goldberg: Inside Israel’s Religious Zionist Community”
“Conan O’Brien on Failure and Conviction”
For more 18Forty:
NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join
CALL: (212) 582-1840
EMAIL: info@18forty.org
WEBSITE: 18forty.org
IG: @18forty
X: @18_forty
WhatsApp: join here
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Torah deserves more than a swipe. If you want serious Torah learning, you have to show up for it. |
| 0:06.2 | This summer, come do exactly that in Jerusalem at Nishmat Summer Bait Madrash for women, running June 28th through July 16th. |
| 0:16.6 | Step into a space where Torah is learned the way it was meant to be, in-depth, text-based, and |
| 0:23.6 | fully engaged. No shortcuts, no summary, just real learning with exceptional educators. Whether you're |
| 0:30.3 | just beginning your journey or already comfortable inside the text, you'll find your place here, |
| 0:36.3 | with three levels of classes designed to challenge and grow you. |
| 0:41.1 | And because real life doesn't pause, the program is flexible. |
| 0:45.3 | You can join for one, two, or all three weeks. |
| 0:48.8 | Trade doomscrolling for depth, trade likes for real engagement, trade screen time for growth. To learn more or register, |
| 0:57.0 | visit nishmot.net slash summer dash bait dash midrash. Nishmat.net slash summer dash bait dash midrash. |
| 1:06.9 | Nishmat summer bait midrch climb to greater spiritual heights. |
| 1:12.8 | Hi friends, a quick word from our sponsors, the incredible organization Mugin Divid Adom. |
| 1:20.0 | There's a symbol most of us have seen our entire lives yet rarely stop to think about. |
| 1:25.2 | The Red Star of David on the side of an ambulance or emergency |
| 1:28.6 | motorcycle. Mugend David Adom was founded in 1930, 18 years before the state of Israel even existed. |
| 1:36.4 | There was no Israeli flag yet, no army, no government, just Jews in pre-state Israel who understood |
| 1:42.7 | that when someone needs emergency care, someone must show up. |
| 1:47.3 | 95 years later, that is still exactly what they do. |
| 1:51.1 | From missile attacks to heart attacks, from mass casualty incidents to delivering babies. |
| 1:56.2 | Mug and Davida Dome, or MDA, is Israel's National Emergency Medical Service. their mission, protecting, saving, and giving life. |
| 2:05.1 | MDA is responsible for Israel's national blood supply, collecting and storing it safely in the world's first underground blood bank. |
| 2:13.7 | They partner with the Israel Defense Forces, the IDF, as well as Israel's police and fire services, responding to every kind of emergency across the country. |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 3 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from 18Forty, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of 18Forty and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.

