An Announcement From The Middle Ground

A milestone and something new.

Dear readers,

The Middle Ground just passed a thousand subscribers.

When I started this project just a few months ago, I was mainly writing for my lovely mother and a few dozen others. It was a personal project to get some of my thoughts on the page: the hopes and frustrations, the tragedy and the promise that comes with living in Israel in 2026.

Yet it became clear very quickly that my Ima wasn’t the only one who wanted a different perspective on Israel, Zionism, and the Jewish world. There are so many who want something new, something that hits that nuance between thoughtless cheerleading and reflexive condemnation.

I’ve heard from people in Israel and around the Diaspora with strong feelings, some agreement, some disagreement. I’ve been flattered to have my work shared by people whom I deeply admire like Judea Pearl, Ambassador Daniel Shapiro, Magdi Jacobs, Dan Senor, and Michael Koplow; it’s also been mentioned on major podcasts and featured in newsletters. And I’ve attracted a couple of haters. It comes with the territory.

Now I want to tell you about what’s coming next.

I’ll continue to publish my regular essays, and these will remain free for everyone.

Starting next Thursday, July 30, I’ll be launching Notes From Tel Aviv, a series of short personal dispatches that capture the things that don’t fit neatly into my political essays: a slice of life, what it really feels like to write from Israel, to be raising a young family here, and to be working for a Jewish, democratic future for this country.

New installments in Notes From Tel Aviv will drop every Thursday evening—a little something before Shabbat. The first one will be available to all readers; after that, these pieces will be exclusive to paid subscribers. You can support The Middle Ground and get access to this series by joining at just $8 a month or $72 for an annual subscription. This will help me grow The Middle Ground and put out even more work like this.

And if you’re one of the handful of people who were already paying—before any subscriber benefits were announced—first, I’m incredibly honored, and second, you will, of course, get access to Notes From Tel Aviv!

Whether you’ve been here since the first post, or are just joining now: toda raba, a thousand times over.

— Eli