Can a country confront its past without putting its founding ideals into question?
The renowned and controversial historian of the Holocaust Omer Bartov has spent decades studying genocide, war, and the ways societies understand their own histories. In his new book Israel: What Went Wrong, he turns that expertise—and his own experience growing up in Israel in a Zionist family—to one of the most urgent questions facing the country.
Bartov discusses the two faces of Zionism: the promise of refuge for Jews fleeing persecution, and the movement's impact on Palestinians. He reflects on how Israel's understanding of the Holocaust has changed, how the events of October 7 and the war in Gaza transformed his own thinking, and why he believes the country must confront difficult truths about its past.
Can a different path still be imagined? Bartov discusses the missed opportunity for a constitution, the possibility of historical reckoning and reconciliation, and the fierce criticism his views have drawn from opposing sides.
A challenging conversation about history, identity, and what it means to take responsibility for the past.
The episode is sponsored by the Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History at UCLA and co-hosted by Prof David N. Myers.
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