Call Me Back - with Dan Senor cover art

Call Me Back - with Dan Senor

Call Me Back - with Dan Senor

By: Ark Media
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Summary

 Presenting the challenges and dilemmas facing Israelis to a global audience. Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • The Making of the Kristof Column — with Matti Friedman

    The Making of the Kristof Column — with Matti Friedman
    May 14 2026
    Subscribe to Inside Call me Back. ____ Subscribe to Ark News Daily ____ Content warning: This episode includes discussion of sexual violence How do unverified claims become a New York Times column? On Monday, the New York Times published an opinion column by Nicholas Kristof titled "The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians" — an explicit attempt to draw a moral equivalence between Hamas and Israel by alleging that both equally engage in systematic sexual violence. The piece, based on interviews with 14 unnamed Palestinians, cited a Geneva-based NGO calling Israeli sexual abuse a "standard operating procedure" and described, among other things, trained dogs used to sexually assault prisoners. Kristof quoted former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appearing to validate the charges - but Olmert subsequently issued a statement clarifying that he did not, in fact, confirm the column's most serious claims, including that Israeli authorities directed the rape of children or that systematic sexual torture is state policy. The morning after Kristof's column appeared, an Israeli civil commission released a 300-page report - built on more than 10,000 photographs, thousands of hours of video, and over 400 testimonies - concluding that Hamas's sexual violence on October 7th was systematic, widespread, and deliberate. The New York Times, which had been told the report was coming months in advance, published it nearly 24 hours after running Kristof's op-ed. Reporters who spent the day going through Kristof's column claim by claim found it largely unverifiable - no dates, no locations, no names - recycled from dubious sources and in many cases almost certainly false. The deeper question this episode asks is not simply whether the column is fair, but how something like it gets published in the paper of record at all: what is the pipeline, from NGO to press release to Pulitzer Prize winner's byline, that turns unverified claims into fact? And why does that pipeline flow so reliably in one direction? To answer that, Dan is joined by Matti Friedman, a former AP reporter and editor in Jerusalem, and author of the 2014 Atlantic essay "What the Media Gets Wrong About Israel" - who has spent years documenting the specific mechanisms by which NGOs hostile to Israel have shaped, and in some cases dictated, Western coverage of this conflict. In this episode: 02:12 - What Kristof’s column alleged 09:39 - Which claims are documented, unverifiable, or implausible 14:21 - How NGO claims become mainstream coverage 17:21 - Euro-Med, activist sourcing, and the New York Times 23:47 - Matti Friedman’s warning about Western media 27:21 - The October 7th sexual violence report and the timing problem This episode was sponsored by Birthright: Invest in the Jewish future today at onetripchangeseverything.com. More Ark Media: Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings.Explore Israel VotesListen to For Heaven's SakeListen to What’s Your Number?Watch Call me Back on YouTubeNewsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav EyalInstagram | Ark Media | DanX | DanDan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of IsraelGet in touch Credits: Ilan Benatar, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo
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    45 mins
  • Australia's Royal Commission on Antisemitism - with Alon Cassuto & Lisa Mittelman

    Australia's Royal Commission on Antisemitism - with Alon Cassuto & Lisa Mittelman
    May 11 2026

    Subscribe to Inside Call me Back.
    ____

    Subscribe to Ark News Daily
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    Five months after the Bondi Beach attack, Australia’s Royal Commission on Antisemitism is hearing testimony about what Jewish life has become since October 7th.

    Dan is joined by Alon Cassuto, CEO of the Zionist Federation of Australia, and Lisa Mittelman, Director of Public Affairs, to discuss what the hearings have revealed, why the government resisted the commission before finally giving in, and whether this process can lead to real change.

    They also examine how anti-Zionism is being used to exclude Jews from progressive spaces, what real solidarity requires from non-Jewish Australians, and why young Australian Jews are asking whether they can still build their futures in Australia.

    In this episode:

    04:21 - Why Australia’s Royal Commission matters

    04:39 - What the testimonies revealed about Jewish life after October 7th

    07:27 - Antisemitism from neo-Nazis to progressive spaces

    12:33 - Why Australia finally agreed to a Royal Commission

    14:42 - Where anti-Israel rhetoric crosses into antisemitism

    20:27 - What non-Jewish Australians are still failing to confront

    23:48 - How Australian Jews are experiencing the commission

    32:02 - Can young Australian Jews still see a future in Australia?

    This episode was sponsored by Hadassah. Please go to Hadassah.org to make a gift that helps Hadassah continue its longstanding, life-changing support for the people in Israel.

    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, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo
    Show More Show Less
    41 mins
  • Sneak Peek: Amit Segal on the outcome of the Iran War and Israel’s next era

    Sneak Peek: Amit Segal on the outcome of the Iran War and Israel’s next era
    May 9 2026

    For the full episode, subscribe here to Inside Call me Back.
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    Subscribe to Ark News Daily
    ____

    This is a sneak peek from the members-only edition of Inside Call me Back, where Dan is joined by Ark Media contributor Amit Segal to discuss whether Israel’s war with Iran can be considered a success while the regime and parts of the nuclear threat remain intact, and whether Israel today has a leader, political movement, or civic vision capable of defining the country’s next chapter.

    In the full episode, Amit also takes on listener questions about:

    • Netanyahu’s responsibility for October 7
    • How long does he plan to stay in power?
    • Trump’s Gaza “Riviera” plan in hindsight
    • Amit’s thoughts on his father’s controversial essay about Diaspora Jews
    • Whether the country could be headed back into another cycle of repeat elections

    To hear the full conversation, subscribe to Inside Call Me Back here.

    Read Amit’s father’s piece here.

    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, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo
    Show More Show Less
    14 mins
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