SPECIAL: Hope in Collapse: Yehuda Shaul on Democracy, Occupation, and Moral Clarity

In this episode, I speak with Yehuda Shaul, longtime activist and
co-founder of Breaking the Silence. Yehuda has spent years
challenging the Israeli occupation from within — gathering
testimonies from soldiers, advocating for accountability, and
speaking to international audiences about the moral cost of
ongoing violence.


Today, he co-directs Ofek: The Israeli Center for Public Affairs,
a progressive think tank committed to ending the occupation and
promoting a political future based on equality and dignity for
both peoples.


We talk about what remains after October 7th — for activism, for
democracy, and for Israelis and Palestinians who still believe in
justice. Yehuda reflects on how Israel’s civic space has
contracted, how his work has shifted, and why international
pressure is more important than ever.


He also shares what it means to be called a “traitor” by your own
society, how he holds onto hope, and why giving up was never an
option.


A special thank you to OFEK: The Israeli Center for Public
Affairs!Thanks to Simon Eichinger for post-production, Jordi
Kuragari for video snippets, and Lea Volz and 365 Sherpas for
editorial support.


This podcast is a project of Gesellschaft im Wandel gGmbH, funded
by the Robert Bosch Stiftung.


Thanks for listening — please subscribe and share with your
friends and family!








In dieser Folge spreche ich mit Yehuda Shaul, Mitgründer
der Organisation Breaking the Silence. Seit Jahren setzt er sich
für ein Ende der israelischen Besatzung ein und sammelt Zeugnisse
von israelischen Soldat:innen. Heute leitet er die progressive
Denkfabrik Ofek: The Israeli Center for Public Affairs.


Wir sprechen über den Zustand von Israels Demokratie nach dem 7.
Oktober, über die Rolle internationaler Akteur:innen, die
Reaktionen auf seinen Aktivismus – und darüber, warum er nicht
aufgibt.








Guest: Yehuda Shaul


Host: Shai Hoffmann


Links: https://www.ofekcenter.org.il/eng/


https://www.instagram.com/breakingthesilenceisrael
https://herzl.cuni.cz/HERZL-62.html
https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/east-mediterranean-mena-israelpalestine/246-stemming-israeli-settler-violence
https://ngo-monitor.org/ngos/breaking_the_silence_shovirm_shtika_/


Produced by Gesellschaft im Wandel gGmbH and funded by the Robert
Bosch Stiftung.


Special thanks to OFEK: The Israeli Center for
Public Affairs, Simon Eichinger (post-production), Lea Volz &
365 Sherpas (editorial support) and Jordi Kuragari (video), 


Links




⁠Haaretz (2018)⁠




⁠972Mag⁠




⁠Haaretz (2025)⁠




⁠Jewish Voice for Labour⁠




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