The Barak Tapes: Inside the Three-Hour Epstein Recording That Shook Israeli Politics

On January 30, 2026, the Department of Justice released millions of pages of records from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. Buried in that mass of paper and digital files was something unusual: a three-hour audio recording of a private conversation between Epstein and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

The recording, dating to approximately 2013 or 2014, is the most unfiltered window yet into a relationship that stretched across more than a decade and touched Israeli politics, American tech money, international diplomacy, and the personal lives of both men. Its contents have reignited a political crisis in Israel and drawn fresh scrutiny to one of the most consequential friendships in the Epstein case files.

The Recording

The audio captures Barak and Epstein in a rambling, informal exchange. They jump between Israeli immigration policy, geopolitical strategy, mutual acquaintances, and financial gossip. The tone is familiar, even casual, the kind of conversation two men have when they have spent years in each other's company and expect to spend many more.

The central topic is a plan Barak describes as "mass conversion" and "selective immigration" to Israel. He tells Epstein that Israel could "easily absorb another million" immigrants from Russian-speaking countries. He frames this as a demographic project. Israel, he argues, should break the Orthodox rabbinate's monopoly on defining who counts as Jewish. "We have to break the monopoly of the Orthodox rabbinate," Barak says on the recording, "on marriage and funerals, the definition of a Jew." Opening the gates, he contends, would trigger "massive conversion into Judaism" because "it's a successful country, many will apply."

He draws a line between this vision and earlier waves of immigration. Past absorption, particularly of Jews from North Africa and the Arab world, was done "out of necessity," Barak says. Now, he tells Epstein, Israel can "be selective" and "control the quality much more effectively."

He says he discussed the idea directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling Putin that Israel needed "not just one more million" but a strategically chosen cohort of immigrants. According to Barak, Putin was receptive.

Then comes the passage that drew the sharpest reaction. Describing the demographics of this proposed immigration wave, Barak remarks that "a lot of young, beautiful girls will come, tall and slim."

In a subsequent interview with Israel's Channel 12, Barak called this "an unfortunate choice of words and metaphor, really with associations of inappropriate stereotypes." He did not explain what the metaphor was intended to convey. Given that he was sitting across from a convicted sex offender while describing young women in those terms, the explanation satisfied few observers.

Peter Thiel and Tony Blair

The recording also names other powerful figures. Epstein tells Barak to "check out" Palantir, the data analytics company co-founded by Peter Thiel. Epstein says he has never met Thiel personally but that "everybody says he sort of jumps around and acts really strange, like he's on drugs."

This was not idle chatter. Separate emails in the case files show that Epstein attempted to arrange a dinner between Barak and Thiel in May 2014. Nili Priell, Barak's wife, replied to cancel: "Sorry, but Ehud has to go back as he supposed to give a lecture on the Herzliya Conference June 9. Thank you, next time" (EFTA02584586). Another email from April 2014 shows Barak responding to news of a possible Thiel meeting: "Peter Thiel, could be very interesting. But I'm flying to Europe on May 18 4pm. Next time" (EFTA01751638).

In a separate section of the recording, Epstein and Barak discuss the consulting income of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Epstein mentions hearing "gigantic numbers" and quotes figures: "$5 million here, $10 million here, $5 million there." He speculates that Blair's stated income of around $11 million per year from the Kazakh government may not be the full picture. Barak suggests Blair "leaves some of it to the others, probably some of the providers." A spokesperson for Blair later called the figures discussed on the tape "rubbish."

"I Regret Meeting Him"

In February 2026, after the recording became public, Barak sat for an interview with Channel 12 in Israel. "I regret the moment I met him in 2003," he said. He acknowledged there was "room to question whether I should have exercised better judgment."

He said he did not know the full scope of Epstein's crimes until 2019 and maintained that during the years of their friendship, Epstein was widely treated in American society as someone who had "paid his debt to society" after his 2008 conviction.

He claimed he visited Epstein's private island, Little Saint James, only once, for a three-hour daytime visit accompanied by his wife and three bodyguards. He said the island contained only Epstein and local workers. He did not address why, if the visit was so brief and innocent, it required three bodyguards.

Sixty Meetings, and Counting

The recording is one data point in a relationship that the case files document in granular detail. According to an analysis by Jacobin based on the released records, Barak and Epstein held more than 60 documented face-to-face meetings between September 2010 and March 2019. At least seven of those meetings took place while Barak was serving as Israel's Minister of Defense, a position he held until 2013.

The frequency increased over time. Between January and October 2016, the two men met at least monthly. In September 2013 alone, they met at least seven times over a period of days. The Wall Street Journal, drawing on its own review of the files, reported at least 30 meetings between 2013 and 2017, with monthly meetings beginning in December 2015 and continuing for 11 consecutive months.

These were not quick handshakes at public events. Barak and his wife stayed at Epstein's apartment building at 301 East 66th Street on Manhattan's Upper East Side repeatedly, sometimes for 5 to 12 days in a single month. By 2015, Epstein's staff noted internally that the apartment was "slowly becoming his apartment." Multiple residents of the building later told The Daily Beast they had seen Barak there on numerous occasions. Nearly half a dozen described encounters with his security detail. One resident recalled the guards sprawled out in the lobby: "They would sprawl out, they'd put all their shit on the couches."

The building, a 16-story residential tower, was majority-owned by Mark Epstein, Jeffrey's brother, through a company called Ossa Properties. It had been tied to Epstein's alleged New York trafficking operation.

"I'm Proud to Be Able Calling You My Friend"

The case files contain direct correspondence that tracks the emotional tenor of the relationship. On January 20, 2014, Barak sent Epstein a birthday email. "We are joining in wishing you Happy Birthday and all that you wish for yourself," he wrote. "I'm proud to be able calling you my friend. Tried to surprise you with live performance of The Song but failed to reach you. All the best from Nili as well" (EFTA02363656).

Two years later, for Epstein's 63rd birthday in January 2016, Barak and Nili Priell sent a typed letter praising Epstein as "A COLLECTOR OF PEOPLE." They wrote: "There is no boundary to your inquisitiveness" and "You remain like a sealed volume to numerous guests but you understand everything about every individual." The letter wished him "long and healthy life" and expressed hope that friends could "enjoy your table for many more years."

As late as November 2018, Barak referred to Epstein as a "great friend" in correspondence.

Nili Priell and the Apartment

Barak's wife, Nili Priell, is a recurring presence in the case files. She communicated directly with Epstein and with his executive assistant Lesley Groff about logistics at the 301 East 66th Street apartment. The emails show her coordinating cleaning schedules, requesting faster internet upgrades, and hosting private dinners at the property (EFTA02258506, EFTA02258655). In one exchange, Epstein authorized Nili to hold private dinners at the apartment.

In August 2014, Nili sent Epstein a message reading: "R U Ok? Long time no hear. We're missing you."

In May 2018, she requested an "urgent short meeting," a phrase that suggests the relationship carried operational weight beyond social pleasantries.

Nili's stepson, Nimrod Priell, also appears in the files. In May 2010, he sent Epstein his resume and transcript, asking for help gaining admission to New York University. By June 2010, he informed Epstein he had been accepted.

Reporty, Carbyne, and the Money

The financial dimension of the relationship centered on a startup called Reporty Homeland Security, later renamed Carbyne. The company built emergency call technology designed to transmit location data, live video, and other information to 911 dispatchers.

On December 18, 2014, Barak sent Epstein two emails about the venture. In one, he wrote: "Good conversation yesterday. To be continued on Monday after the CEO and his team will prepare more material." He asked whether he could introduce his Israeli accountant to Epstein's financial team "so that we'll be well coordinated on this issue," noting that from an Israeli tax perspective, the partnership needed to be structured as a U.S. LLC (EFTA01748029). In a second email sent nine minutes later, Barak wrote: "Enjoyed meeting you yesterday over the phone. Thanks for your advise and support. What is your impression?" (EFTA01748050).

Epstein invested through a British Virgin Islands entity called Southern Trust. A March 2015 promissory note, since made public, documents a $1 million non-recourse loan from Southern Trust to Ergo (E.B. 2014) Ltd., the holding company Barak used for his investment. The note carried 3% interest and was designated for the purchase of Series A Preferred Shares in Reporty. It stated explicitly that "Ehud Barak is the sole beneficial owner of the Borrower." A January 2016 agreement converted this loan into a partnership interest, giving Southern Trust preferred distribution rights and the power to replace the general partner if Barak became incapacitated.

Nicole Junkermann, a German-Israeli investor who also appeared in Epstein's files, invested alongside Epstein. A December 2015 email shows her coordinating with Barak and copying Epstein on board reports for the company (EFTA00666389).

In 2025, Axon, the American technology firm that manufactures Tasers and police body cameras, acquired Carbyne for $625 million. Barak's stake, seeded with Epstein's money, would have been worth a significant fraction of that figure.

The Wexner Foundation and the Wire to Yoni Koren

The Carbyne investment was not the only money that flowed through the relationship. Between 2004 and 2006, Barak received $2.4 million from the Wexner Foundation, a philanthropic vehicle controlled by Leslie Wexner, the retail billionaire who was Epstein's most significant financial patron. The payments were described as compensation for research and book-writing. Barak agreed to produce two books but delivered only one, citing his return to politics.

In February 2015, Barak sent Epstein an email with the subject line "Yoni acc. Info" containing Citibank wire transfer details for an account belonging to "Itzhak Koren," identified elsewhere as Yoni Koren, a senior Israeli military intelligence officer who served as Barak's aide. Epstein forwarded the banking information to his financial manager, Richard Kahn (EFTA02510902, EFTA02712214). The purpose of the wire transfer has not been publicly established. Drop Site News reported that it was unable to confirm whether funds were successfully transferred.

Koren, who held the rank of lieutenant colonel in Israeli military intelligence reserves, stayed at Epstein's Manhattan apartment on at least three separate occasions: February 2013, a two-week stretch from September 30 to October 13, 2014, and ten days in September 2015.

Fallout in Israel

The political consequences of the recording's release have been severe.

Former Chief Rabbi of Moscow Pinchas Goldschmidt rejected the immigration plan described on the tape. When former minister Haim Ramon had previously approached him about converting "100,000" Russian immigrants, Goldschmidt refused, saying Jewish law "doesn't speak in numbers." After the recording became public, Goldschmidt called Barak's framing "extremely racist," particularly offensive to Israelis of Middle Eastern heritage and to traditional religious communities. "I am glad when I was the chief rabbi of Moscow, we stopped this crazy initiative," he said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used the recordings to attack his longtime political rival. He accused Barak of seeking to "replace the people" through selective Jewish immigration. The language echoed the rhetoric of demographic anxiety that has animated Israeli politics for decades but carried a particular sting coming from a sitting prime minister.

The recordings reopened wounds from 2019, when the Daily Mail published photographs of Barak entering Epstein's Manhattan townhouse. In one image, Barak was photographed with his coat collar raised, as if trying to avoid being recognized. He later threatened to sue the Daily Mail over what he called "sordid insinuations."

What the Database Shows

Ehud Barak is connected to 5,643 documents in the Epstein Exposed database, one of the highest totals for any individual. The volume reflects years of email correspondence between Epstein and contacts in Barak's orbit, financial records, scheduling documents, and the audio recording itself.

The files show a relationship that was not a casual acquaintance. It was a working partnership that combined personal friendship, business investment, political strategy, and access to Epstein's real estate, his aircraft, and his network. Barak's assertion that he "regrets" meeting Epstein does not change what the documents record: a former head of state who spent more than a decade in close, regular, and financially entangled contact with a convicted sex trafficker.

No congressional deposition of Barak has taken place. As a foreign national and former head of state, he would be difficult to compel under a U.S. congressional subpoena.

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Sources: Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera (Blair), Al Jazeera (Barak response), Jerusalem Post, Jerusalem Post (N12 interview), Times of Israel, Jacobin, The Daily Beast, Drop Site News, Mondoweiss, Israel Hayom, JNS/Cleveland Jewish News, Ynet