Two Nice Jewish Boys

Science and Religion. The ultimate standoff. It’s hard to imagine two more dichotomous extremes, right? Well, maybe not. Maybe these age old rivals have much more in common than we have been led to believe. Maybe the mythologies that make up religion have nestled in them some deeper truths. Maybe science is a mythology of its own. Do the two not ultimately attempt to answer the same underlying questions: How was the universe created? How did life on earth begin? How does our consciousness work? What is morality? Regardless of your personal beliefs, it’s hard to deny that both Science and Religion are extremely captivating. But whereas the mythologies of religion have been refined to perfection, its stories inducted into sacred canons, crafted into bestsellers, science has been left to the scientists. The mythologies of science have been and are still being written in dry, technical, unapproachable language bereft of any poetic prose that will both enchant the reader and do justice to the vast knowledge scientists possess in 2018. This ambitious mission is exactly what it seems Dr. Oren Harman took upon himself to accomplish in his new book, “Evolutions: 15 Myths that Explain our World” . Dr. Harman is a professor in Bar Ilan University, where he’s the Chair of the Graduate Program in Science, Technology and Society. He studied in Harvard and received his PhD with distinction from Oxford University. His fields of expertise include the history and philosophy of biology, the theory of evolution, the evolution of altruism, the cultural history of science and more. Harman’s work featured in Science, Nature, the New York Times, The Economist and many other honorable platforms. Prof. Oren Harman joins 2NJB today to talk about his very own mythology of science.

What makes someone a Jew? Some might say: I’m a Jew because I believe in Judaism, and I feel Jewish. But to many, including most Orthodox and conservative rabbis, that’s not enough. Some might say: I’m Jewish because I’ve been converted. But the State of Israel, for example, doesn't recognize Jews who were converted by reform and conservative Rabbis. And to many, even those who converted by the most stringent of laws, are not REALLY Jews, and referred to as “Meguyar” or "Converted" But some people choose to take their own path, disregarding what others think, and pursue their dream with all their might. Frances Wilson, is undoubtedly one such person. Wilson is an African-American from Hawaii, who converted to Judaism and now came for one year of teaching and volunteering in Israel. Winner of several beauty contests, Frances’s path to recognition in Israel is not without struggle, and she’s joining us today to talk about why she came here, and the bewildering choice to join one of the most exclusive and often loathed religions in the world.

Never underestimate the task of a journalist. In the maelstrom of political commentary which seems to pull every news outlet into its powerful grip, it’s probably pretty difficult to swim against the newsfeed and remain true to, well, truth. Especially in today’s endless stream of information. Many English speakers in Israel, and around the world, turn to the Times of Israel for honest reporting on the Middle East. Reading through their articles, you get a sense that the Times of Israel is not looking to please any specific readership. Despite their relative youth, The Times also has an impressive record of investigative journalism including the piece known as “The Wolves of Tel Aviv” written by Simona Weinglass (who was a guest on the podcast). The expose and Weinglass’ journalism are widely accredited for playing the central role in taking down the fraudulent Binary Options industry in Israel. David Horovitz, the founding editor of the Times of Israel, began his career in 1983 at the Jerusalem Post where he eventually became editor-in-chief. After leaving the Post in 2011, Horovitz launched the Times on Israel in 2012 and has since grown the website to a reach of 3.5 million readers a month. Horovitz has also authored several books including Still Life with Bombers: Israel in the Age of Terrorism and A Little Too Close to God: The Thrills and Panic of a Life in Israel. We’re thrilled to have David Horovitz on the podcast today to speak about Israel, Journalism and free speech.

Reading through a list of Achinoam Nini’s performances, you can’t help but be taken aback by the sheer magnitude of her career. Carnegie Hall, Olympia in Paris, the Colosseum, just to name a few. From humble beginnings, Nini, or Noa as she is known outside of Israel, has conquered the world with her music. In 1994, in the presence of Pope John Paul II, Nini performed Ave Maria for a live audience of 100,000 and a television audience of millions at the Vatican in Rome. In 2000, Nini recorded “La vita e bella”, the theme song for Roberto Benini’s Oscar winning film, “Life is Beautiful.” The list of her accomplishments goes on, and on, and on. She performed in the white house before President Clinton, and collaborated up until today with Sting, Steivie Wonder, Santana, Sheryl Krow, Mercedes Sosa and many others. There is no question that Nini and her music are a pillar not only in Israeli music, but in the global music world as well. We are beyond thrilled to be joined by one of the greats, the legendary, Achinoam Nini. (Photo by the Vatican)

Humans yearn for beauty from the moment they are born. And though nature has the ability to supply us with pretty impressive amounts of it, we decide, time and time again, to prove that we can do better, and bigger. It’s hard to know when it was that people started designing things but one thing’s for sure: today, design is deeply intertwined with each and every aspect of our lives. From the mug of coffee you’re just about to sip from, to the handle on your bathroom door, and even the app which you’re using right now to listen to this podcast. Everything today MUST be designed. Enter Ron Arad, an Israeli Born Designer and Architect based in London. Ron is not only one of the most successful Israeli designers - he’s one of the most renowned designers in the world. His works are sold worldwide, in stores and luxurious auction halls alike. His products were showcased in London’s Design Museum, the Barbican Art Gallery, Pompidou Center, and New York’s Museum of Art. As an architect, Ron’s buildings include the currently-under-construction ToHA office complex in Tel Aviv, which will be Israel’s tallest building, and the future UK Holocaust Memorial. From his London studio and offices, we’re extremely honored to talk to Ron Arad.

Undoubtedly, over the past several weeks, you’ve received countless emails from services ranging from Spotify to that restaurant in Ashburn, Virginia whose app you once downloaded to get 10% off their late night delivery, updating you on their new privacy policy. This was due to a little regulation recently passed into law by the EU called GDPR or General Data Protection Regulation. It can be easy to get lost in the conversation about privacy but it is an important conversation to have. In fact, it is extremely relevant to our everyday lives. In a time when your every step is recorded trough your phone’s GPS and your voice is recorded by smart speakers or even your phone’s microphone, the question of who looks after our privacy becomes more crucial than ever. Luckily for us, we have with us today Jules Polonetsky, THE go-to-guy when it comes to privacy. He is the CEO of the Future Privacy Forum, a non-for-profit think tank based in DC, that helps hundreds of companies by consulting with them on their privacy policies. The Forum is supported by AT&T, Google, Facebook, Microsoft and many other including corporations and foundations. Before his work at the Forum Jules served on boards of numerous privacy and consumer protection organizations, and he’s a regular speaker at privacy and technology events. He joins today to help us to understand if there’s anything left of our privacy. Photo credit: www.homewatersoftenerreviews.com/

Every nation needs a mythical hero, a key figure in its history that against all odds, rebelled and fought the malicious powers that be in order to promise a future. To us, Zionist Israelis, the Aharonson family and the Nilly underground is as close to a mythical legend as it gets. So much has been said and written about the British and their ruthless 31 years of occupation in Israel/Palestine between 1917 and 1948. But many seem to forget that before the British, the Ottoman Empire ruled this land for centuries. And when the first Zionists came here in the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, they had to face a ruthless, cruel and primitive regime that was soon to bring a Holocaust on the Armenian people. It was under these circumstances that the Aharonson family, who were Romanian zionists that dwelled in the just-established village of Zikron Yaakov - decided to rebel and assist the British from within. Their underground became a remarkable story which would inspire generations. Gregory J. Wallance is an American lawyer and an author. His book Papa’s Game was nominated to the Edgar Allan Poe Award, and he wrote several other critically acclaimed books, alongside op-eds for leading American newspapers such as the New York Times and the LA Times. His most recent book is called “The Woman Who Fought an Empire: Sarah Aharonson and her Nili Spy Ring”, and it depicts the incredible story of the Aharonson undergrounds. We're thrilled to have him on our show to talk about these turbulent and adventurous times.

Few figures in Israeli politics, or in global politics for that matter, arouse such extreme levels of both antagonism and diehard support as the man the world has come to know as Bibi. Benjamin Netanyahu was the inheritor of a long dormant dynasty known as the Revisionist movement which eventually developed into the Likud, Israel’s current ruling political party. Every human who rises to such levels of fame and infamy, becomes to a certain degree, mythological. But not too many people know the story of the man behind the myth. Today, by many, Bibi is seen as the inexorable protector of Zion, the ultimate diplomat, the only man fit to lead the Jewish people. By many others, he’s forgone all ethical and moral boundaries and is destined to doom our nation. But before Benjamin Netanyahu was all these things, before he was Prime Minister of Israel, he was a kid, enchanted by his older brother Yoni, he was a furniture salesman, a two time divorcee, he was Ben Nitay studying architecture at MIT. Today, embroiled in corruption allegations and staving off a world of condemnations, it’s hard to see Bibi as much else than transcendent good or evil. But that won’t stop us from trying. Anshel Pfeffer has been a journalist for the Israeli Daily, Haaretz, since 2014 and has recently published his biography titled “Bibi: the turbulent life and times of Benjamin Netanyahu” We’re very excited to be joined today by Anshel Pfeffer to discuss the man, the legend, Bibi. (Photo: WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM/swiss-image.ch/Photo Jolanda Flubache)

When we hear about cyber attacks, systems getting hacked and ransomware, we usually imagine a bunch of masked hoodlums in a dark basement, probably on the outskirts of Moscow, plotting to bring anarchy upon the world. What we seldom imagine, though, are a bunch of intelligent, successful computer scientists in a luxurious office, looking for security breaches, hacking into systems, and sometimes even taking part in cyber warfare. Keren Elazari was a geeky kid in the 90s when she discovered, at a very young age, that her peculiar hobby actually has a name: hacking. It wasn’t long before she was participating in international hacking conventions, serving in a secret military intelligence unit, and finally receiving grants to conduct research in her field. Keren Elazari was the first ever Israeli woman to lecture on TED. She’s an analyst and cyber researcher at Tel Aviv University, and her articles were published in many international magazines. We’re very excited to have her here today to talk about cyber security and hacking.

Yariv Bash had a simple idea: taking Israel to the moon, for the first time. To pursue his new dream he quit a luxurious job in the prime ministers office, and founded the NGO SpaceIL. Together with his co-founders, they quickly joined Google’s spaceX competition, battling with groups from all around the world to be the first to send a spacecraft to the moon. For many years, spaceIL was leading the competition. But then something unexpected happened. Bash, an enthusiast of extreme sports, had a severe ski accident, which left him on a wheelchair. Yariv Bash joins us today to talk about Israel’s race to the Moon, and his journey race to get his old life back.