State of Tel Aviv, Israel Podcast

Jacqui Rivers Vital was in Ottawa visiting her family when she learned of the carnage unfolding in Israel on October 7. Her daughter, Adi Vital-Kaploun lived on a kibbutz on the border with Gaza with her husband and two young children. A second daughter lived on another kibbutz in the area. Her husband was visiting with Adi. Jacqui tells STLV in detail about the nightmare she faced to unravel the barbarism that befell her family, in real time; the murder of Adi and the Hamas exploitation of her 3-year-old grandson in a propaganda video. And more. And then there is the unfathomable absence of the Government of Canada, starting at the top, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Melanie Joly. Only Canada’s storied RCMP – the police force in the iconic red serge uniforms – supported and helped Jacqui. If you want to skip to the policy and conduct of the Canadian government, start at 23:20,  more or less. But you really should listen to the whole thing. It is an unfathomable story. The world must not turn away. Thank you, Jacqui, for sharing it with us.State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe

In this episode we speak with Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, IDF spokesperson, discussing the ongoing conflict in Gaza. We talk about the recent release of two elderly female Israeli hostages by Hamas and the need to understand the psychological manipulation employed by Hamas regarding hostages. Hamas had meticulously planned and executed the hostage-taking operation to gain political leverage. Hamas' strategic aim was to delay Israel's ground maneuver in Gaza. Future releases and video executions as tactics employed by Hamas are still on the table. Israel's commitments are twofold: to dismantle Hamas militarily and administratively and to bring all its people home. Conricus acknowledges the challenges but stresses Israel's determination to achieve these goals.State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe

When war broke out in Israel on October 7th, Moti Jungreis wasted no time in getting on a plane so that he could assist in the massive civilian relief and support effort. A former investment banker based in Toronto, Jungreis has split his time between Israel and Canada in recent years.He spent today, Monday, harvesting fruit in farmer's fields just outside the closed military zone in southern Israel, adjacent to the Gaza Strip. And he has been doing so much more over the last two weeks. In the midst of the carnage and horror, it is people like Moti Jungreis who exemplify the Israeli spirit and allow us to hope.State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe

Iraqi Lebanese American, journalist and foreign policy specialist at DC-based think tank Federation for Defense of Democracies, Hussain spent his first 20+ years living in Saddam Hussein's Iraq and Lebanon. He explains the different "camps" in the very diverse Arab world and exposes Hamas. Hizballah. Iran. For the death cults they are. We discuss this war on the west, on Israel, on Jews and the dangerously uninformed activists demonstrating in support of Hamas in western countries. We need unity. Clarity. And fortitude. These extremists neither fear death nor do they value life. Not even Palestinian life. Or hostages. Hussain is one of the most reasonable, principled, informed and authoritative voices out there. He must be heard. Now. State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work during this time of crisis, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe

Ruben is a 25 year-old-university student who woke up on Saturday, October 7 and by late afternoon had reported to a makeshift base set up in a school in southern Israel. Since then, this reservist serving in the IDF Home Front Command, has been providing civilian relief and rescue after missiles strike, assisting people trapped in rubble, ensuring funerals may proceed safely. He also talks about his friend, Noa Argamani, who was abducted and taken hostage by Hamas terrorists as she screamed. Ruben talks about her and his support of her family. The story of another quiet hero.State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work during this time of crisis, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe

In today's episode of State of Tel Aviv and Beyond, our guest is Dr. Michael Halbertal, the CEO of Rambam Hospital in Haifa. We discuss the challenging circumstances in Israel over the past 11 days, marked by a surge in casualties and horrific incidents, including the injuries and death of infants and children. Dr. Halbert reflects on the emotional toll and the close-knit community in Israel that makes these events deeply personal. He describes the remarkable and innovative transformation of Rambam Hospital into a fortified underground facility, highlighting the hospital’s commitment to providing medical care to citizens in any scenario. We touch on the rapid preparations for potential conflict and the hospital's ability to withstand unconventional warfare, ensuring self-sufficiency for days in various aspects, including electricity, water, food, and medical resources. State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work in this crucial time for Israel, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe

State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe

War in Israel, Day 9, Sunday, October 15th, 2023. We speak today with Hadar Green, 25 years old, woke up on Saturday, October 7th, early in the morning to a massive attack and bombardment of Israeli civilians. Hadar was to be married the following day. Listen to his harrowing story of that day and the week that has followed.State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe

We’re doing our best to deliver timely reports and with a candor that you will not hear on MSM. We are also scrambling as our team is working under very trying circumstances. So please excuse any editing that isn’t up to our usual studio standard. This is war.We have Ya’akov Katz back today to brief us on the military situation on the ground in Israel and fill us in as to how civilians there are managing. Most touching moment was when he shared with me that his daughter – who serves in a combat unit and is currently in the south – is okay. They facetimed briefly so that Ya’akov could bless her with the weekly shabbat prayer that fathers do for all children. Please, please, he wept quietly as he blessed her, let our children be safe.No paywall today. Please share widely and sign up if you value what we’re delivering. Shabbat Shalom. Weird to write that. Impossible to understand that it has been a week, tomorrow,, since the Gates of Hell opened up on Israeli babies, children, mothers, elderly, fathers.As French President Emmanuel Macron so aptly stated: “There are no ‘buts’ anymore...”State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe

“There’s a feeling in the air that the country is on the line.”Today we speak with Ya’akov Katz, military affairs and political expert, author, and former editor of The Jerusalem Post. He is brilliant and distills the last day and a half of indescribable horror in Israel for us: morale, terror, intelligence and military failures and the incomprehensible savagery of Hamas terrorists. This first pod is without a paywall. Going forward the podcast – which will be very frequent as this complex and ongoing situation develops – will be accessible to paying subscribers only. We’re not sleeping and like to think we are doing worthwhile work. It takes resources. Please support us.Huge thanks to my awesome editor and general tech wiz – Amir White, graphics, marketing and so many other things guru – Ioan Szabo, and the amazing Blake Flayton – social media guy and then some. For those of you in Israel – I hope you and your loved ones are safe. Horrific beyond belief.Sorry for the not awesome sound quality today – it’s all my fault. Boomer Luddite. But Amir will whip me into shape in no time.State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe