An inside view of how Israel can warm your heart and make your blood boil. It’s a show by a journalist, a professor and an NGO professional who live in and love...
Allison Kaplan Sommer, Miriam Herschlag and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon —Why Does a Knitted Kippah Mean Keep-on Fighting?— Religious-Zionists oppose the hostage and prisoner release and ceasefire agreement more than any other sector of society (more than secular Zionists, more than Haredim). Why? —War Games— There’s a strange and profound simpatico between sports clubs, athletes and fans, on the one hand, and the hostages and their families on the other. —What We Knew and When Did We Know It— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: Bringing home the bodies of the Bibases (and Oded Lifshitz). All that and the 40th anniversary of the most popular protest song in Israel’s history. Plus, more music of our troubled times.
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1:44:27
The “Sins: Past, Present & Future” Edition
Sara Yael Hirschhorn, Gilad Halpern and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon —Rite of Return— How and why did the images of the gaunt, shrunken, clearly-tortured hostages change something and cast into doubt the future of the present ceasefire agreement? —Our Side, Their Side, Genocide— What should we make of Historian Benny Morris’s warning that, if Palestinians and Israelis do not find to see in each other humans deserving of life, liberty and dignity, a genocide is inevitable (though just who kills whom is still up in the air)? —Arguing With Celebs on Twitter— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: When you find yourself arguing with TV stars on Twitter. All that and an appreciation of Liri Albag. Plus, a new war record by Maor Ashkenazi.
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1:37:02
The “No One Expects the Pax Trumpiana!” Edition
Allison Kaplan Sommer and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon —Nobody Expects the Pax Trumpiana!— What’s behind US President Donald Trump’s plan to move Gazans to Jordan and Egypt and turn Gaza into a place where maybe they’ll film the next season of White Lotus? —Suitable for Framing?— Why do Hamas men in black balaclavas and semi-automatic rifles give gift bags and souvenir swag to hostages they let go? —Peter Beinart Questions Israel’s Right to Exist— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: When Peter Beinart writes in the times that “States Don’t Have a Right to Exist. People Do,” he ain’t talking about Mississippi! All that and an appreciation for Yisroel Rutnitsky, may his memory be for a blessing, and tales of returning hostages. Plus, a sad and soulful new album by Ravid Plotkik.
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1:29:33
The “Justices Supreme and Crises Constitutional” Edition
Allison Kaplan Sommer and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon —A New Crisis, and this Time, It’s Constitutional— What does it augur when the Justice Minister refuses to “recognize” the newly selected chief justice of the Supreme Court? —Survivors— Why did this year’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day become a referendum on October 7th? —The Trump-Netanyahu Tete-A-Tete— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: What should we think, ahead of the Trump-Netanyahu tete-a-tete next week? All that and how living-and-dead have stopped being a simple binary. Plus, the music of Aviv Shriki.
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1:35:24
The “Word” Edition
Miriam Herschlag, Linda Gradstein and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon —You Be the Judge— Is the new “compromise” proposal for judicial reform any good, and is now the time to debates such matters? —Word— How have the hostages become the aperture through which we understand most everything that has happened here since October 7? —What A Week— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: None of us have ever had a week like this last week. All that a stab at making sense of this weird, wonderful, unnerving week of great joy and high anxiety. Songs Yakir Hillel — Laila Bar Tzabari — Chan Yunis, Live Esther Shamir — Od Neshama Ehat
An inside view of how Israel can warm your heart and make your blood boil. It’s a show by a journalist, a professor and an NGO professional who live in and love Israel even though it drives them crazy, and who each week discuss the latest in Israeli politics, culture, and society.
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