Straus Scholar Tamara Yeshurun (SCW ’26) spent her summer assisting acclaimed Israeli journalist Amit Segal with his English-language newsletter and social media outreach. Through her work translating complex Hebrew articles, creating a glossary of Israeli political terms and producing Instagram content, Tamara helped make Israeli current events more accessible to an American audience while deepening her own understanding of Israeli politics and society. 

Translating Israeli Politics for an American Audience with Israeli Journalist Amit Segal

By Tamara Yeshurun

This past summer, I had the privilege of assisting Amit Segal, one of Israel’s most prominent journalists, with his English-language newsletter, It’s Noon in Israel, and its accompanying Instagram account. Segal launched the newsletter in March 2025 in response to a gap he saw: Americans often have a very limited sense of what is happening in Israel, and much of the coverage in U.S. media emphasizes only certain perspectives. The newsletter aims to give English-speaking readers concise, accessible summaries of Israeli news paired with Segal’s analysis, and my role was to help make complex political and security developments understandable for an American audience. 

My first task was developing a glossary of terms for readers unfamiliar with Israeli politics. I crafted entries for concepts such as the “Begin Doctrine,” “Operation Beeper” and the “Iron Dome,” as well as political parties including Likud, Yesh Atid, Shas, and United Torah Judaism. Each entry was designed to provide context and clarity, bridging the knowledge gap that often exists for Americans reading about Israel. 

In the second half of the summer, I managed Amit’s English Instagram account, producing stories and posts that highlighted what Americans needed to know—and what they were often missing—about Israeli current events. Translating Hebrew news for an English-speaking audience could be challenging, particularly when idiomatic or legal terms were involved. For example, I translated ומעל הכל מרחפת על נתניהו הסכנה הפוליטית as “And above all, Netanyahu faces a looming political danger,” and הממשלה יצאה ממנו חבוטה, אבל לא מרוסקת as “Battered but not broken.” My goal was to preserve the original meaning while keeping the language readable and engaging. One Instagram story mentioned a Din Rodef—without context, this literally reads as a “Halakhic license to kill,” which is alarming if not explained properly. These moments required careful translation that is loyal to the source and responsible for international readers. 

I also translated three of Segal’s earlier articles from January, February and June 2025 (“Does Trump’s Win Mean Smooth Sailing?”, “Forecast: Drizzle” and “Separation Anxiety”), an exercise that further sharpened my skills in translating complex reporting across languages and cultures. 

As a Straus Scholar, I found it especially meaningful to honor the relationship between American Jewry and the Jewish state. The cultural gap can be wide, but our communities are deeply connected at heart. This internship gave me insight into debates at the center of Israeli society today, while allowing me to contribute to making these issues understandable for an American audience. Working with Segal was a unique opportunity to see how journalism can shape understanding across communities, and it strengthened my commitment to engaging thoughtfully with both Israel and the broader Jewish world.

To learn more about the Straus Scholars program, click here. 

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