In this episode of Yalla, Let's Go!, Erica and Abbey sit down with Melissa Weiss — executive editor of Jewish Insider and olah from the United States — for a candid conversation about journalism in wartime Israel, building community as a single immigrant, and why she has never once considered leaving.
Melissa grew up in a small, secular Jewish community in upstate New York before discovering Israel through youth groups, Birthright, and winter break trips. After living in South Korea, Washington DC, New York, and Mexico City, she made aliyah four years ago — and hasn't looked back. She now leads Jewish Insider's Israel operations from Tel Aviv, covering US-Israel politics, campus antisemitism, and the war, often while sirens are going off overhead.
Also in the episode:
From the Catskills to Tel Aviv: Melissa's unlikely path to aliyah
Building Jewish Insider from Israel — covering DC politics from a Tel Aviv time zone
Reporting during October 7th, the Iran war, and life between bomb shelters and deadlines
Making friends, finding community, and dating as a single Anglo immigrant in Israel
The bureaucracy, the beauty, and the Shabbat smells from her mirpeset
Aliyah advice: rolling with the punches when nothing is intuitive
At 80, looking back: finally doing the one thing she always wanted to do
This is a warm, funny, and deeply honest conversation about purpose, resilience, and what it means to build a life in Israel from scratch.
Subscribe for more conversations with people who live, work, build, and stay in Israel.
#MelissaWeiss #JewishInsider #Israel #Aliyah #TelAviv #JournalismInIsrael #October7 #IsraeliLife #AngloCommunity #JewishIdentity #YallaLetsGo #LifeInIsrael #WomenInJournalism #MakingAliyah #WarCorrespondent
KEY TOPICS
0:00 – Intro
0:57 - Meet Melissa Weiss: Executive Editor of Jewish Insider and Tel Aviv Olah
3:02 - From the Catskills to Tel Aviv: Melissa's Path to Aliyah
4:04 - Why She Finally Made Aliyah After 20 Years of Thinking About It
5:48 - From Advocacy to Journalism: The Israel Project, Campus Coalitions, and Jewish Insider
7:33 - Running Jewish Insider's Israel Operations: Building a Newsroom Across Time Zones
8:24 - Covering DC Politics from Tel Aviv: How She Stays Plugged In
9:54 - Journalism Under Fire: Reporting October 7th, Iran, and Wartime Israel
12:17 - Sending the Newsletter From the Bomb Shelter: Normalizing the Abnormal
13:05 - Building Community as a Single Anglo Immigrant in Tel Aviv
15:35 - Dating in Tel Aviv: Apps, the Beach, and Israeli Men
17:57 - Has She Ever Considered Leaving? Her Answer.
18:10 - What It Means to Wake Up Every Day with Purpose
20:10 - What Grates on Her About Life in Israel
21:38 - The Go-To Girl: Building a Reputation as a Resource for Fellow Olim
23:00 - Aliyah Advice: Roll With the Punches, Lose the Expectations
24:44 - At 80, Looking Back: She Did the One Thing She Always Wanted
25:26 - Rapid Fire: Pomelo, Mamash & the Mount of Beatitudes
RESOURCES
Follow Melissa on X: https://x.com/melissaeweiss
Subscribe to Yalla, Let’s Go here: https://www.aleph.vc/yalla-lets-go
Learn more about Aleph: aleph.vc
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CREDITS
Hosts: Erica Marom, Abbey Onn
Executive Producer: Sarah Bard
Producer: Sofi Levak, Dalit Merenfeld, Myron Shneider
Video and Editing: Nadav Elovic, Yotam Kushnir
Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar
Content and Editorial: Jackie Goldberg
Design: Nimrod Sapir
