Two Nice Jewish Boys

A few months ago Tel Aviv celebrated Pride month with a glorious parade. This annual event has already become a tradition and attracts hundreds of thousands of people from all over Israel and from across the globe to this tiny Mediterranean city. Indeed, Tel Aviv is known as the Pride capital of the world, but that status was not bestowed upon it, but rather earned. When you come to think of it, it’s not obvious that in a religious, conservative country like Israel, such a vivacious sub-culture of LGBT would flourish. And yet, it does. Uriel Yekutiel is maybe one of the biggest international symbols of the Israeli LGBT community. As a renowned performer, Yekutiel is tearing up the stages of Tel Aviv’s night life. As a dancer and an actor, he's been creating viral video clips for years, and in 2015 he even danced with Bar Refaeli in a commercial. Yekutiel’s videos are young, fun and provocative. Yekutiel also led the revolution of mizrahi-themed gay parties, and apart from that, he devotes much of his time to social causes, like the struggle against suicide in the gay community. Uriel Yekutiel joins 2NJB to talk about his fascinating life and career.

It can be safely said that Benjamin Netanyahu is one of the most controversial figures in Israeli politics. He’s seen by many as the savior of the Jewish people while many others consider him the antithesis to everything democratic and Israeli. He’s worshiped, he’s cursed. He’s praised and he’s ridiculed. One thing is for sure, no one is indifferent to Bibi. It’s only fitting that such a leader would be embroiled in corruption charges for most of his political career. Most recently, the cases nicknamed cases 1000 through 4000 have intermittently surfaced in the headlines here in Israel and around the world. Cigars and champagne, German submarines, secret deals for favorable coverage, conflicts of interest, conflicts of interest, conflicts of interest. However, Netanyahu is also held up as one of the great leaders of our time. He’s hailed for taking a hardline against some of Israel’s staunchest critics and most hostile enemies. His international diplomacy is unrivaled in the Israeli political sphere. His free market capitalism and the policies he set in motion during his tenure as Finance Minister are credited by many with restoring Israel’s economy after the Second Intifada. So it’s about time: we need to talk about Bibi. Lahav Harkov is the Senior Knesset Reporter and Analyst for The Jerusalem Post. She’s often invited to lecture on Israeli Government and Politics in Israel and abroad. The BBC, France 24, Sky News and many others have sought her insights about breaking news. She’s published articles in Commentary, The New York Post, Tablet and Makor Rishon, just to name a few. And she was recently recognized by the JTA as the 5th-most influential person on “Jewish Twitter.” Lahav Harkov joins us today to help tackle the man that is Bibi… not literally. (Photo credit: the Kremlin)

Palestinian Arabs are 20% of Israel’s population. They have the same rights and obligations like every Israeli: they vote, pay taxes, they get social support and medical insurance, and their children go to public schools funded by the state. But what do Israeli arabs really think about Israel? If you ask the Arab members of parliament, the answer will be contempt: contempt from the discrimination which they claim goes way back to the beginning of the state, from the fact that Israel is occupying territories in Judea and Sameria, and from many other reasons. Those Members of Knneset serve in the Israeli parliament, but they refuse to recognize the legitimacy of the State of Israel as home to the Jewish people. But do those members of parliament represent all Israeli Arabs? In recent years, more and more Israeli Palestinians promote another voice, a voice that says - I’m an Arab, and I’m zionist. But how could those two statements coexist? Yayha Mahamid was born in Umm Al-Fahm, one of the largest arab cities in Israel. A city which is not well known for it’s sympathy towards the country of which it’s a part of. Nothing in Yahya’s path led him to be like any other Umm Al-Fahm-born kid, and his direction towards hatred was a clear one. But at a young age something happened which has led him to see everything differently, and to become, as he defines himself, an Israeli-Arab-Zionist. Since then Yahya has devoted his life to fight the BDS movement around the world, as part of the Stand With Us organisation. He joins 2NJB to talk about his view on life in Israel. A little about StandWithUs: Stand With Us (SWU) is a sixteen year-old, international, non-profit Israel education organization. Through fellowships, conferences, materials, social media, educational films and missions to Israel, StandWithUs supports people around the world who want to educate their campuses and communities about Israel. We also played awesome music by Folly Tree!

When people talk to journalists, they tend to be extra careful as to what comes out of their mouths. It takes a whole new level of journalism to penetrate into the depths of the soul of a person - you have to smoothen your way in, create intimacy, have a drink or two together, and then, and only then - maybe you’ll get a glimpse into the what someone really thinks. Tuvia Tenenbom has made this practice an art. Tuvia was born as Haredi in Israel to a German speaking family, but eventually moved to the States where he founded the Jewish Theater of New York, which is currently the only English speaking Jewish theater at the Big Apple. He wrote 16 plays for that theater. As a columnist, Tuvia’s essays were published in the most highly esteemed papers out there, including a column in De Zeit, Germany’s leading newspaper. In recent years Tenenbom has devoted his time to write books. His very unique genre is a non-fiction, journalistic, humoristic, books which describe the journeys that Tuvia embarks on - “I sleep in Hitler’s Room”, his debut book, depicts his journey throughout Germany, talking to Germans, sometimes pretending to be a German himself, hiding his Jewish identity. In the book “Catch the Jew” Tuvia pretends yet again he’s a German journalist, thus infiltrating the highest ranks of Palestinian regime in the Territories, to find out what the Palestinians really think about Israel and the Jews. His third book, “The Lies They Tell”, described a painful journey throughout the United Stated, when Tuvia goes to places in America, so deprived of government or God, that no one knew still exist. Tuvia’s upcoming book will unfold his adventures at the refugee camps in Europe. 2NJB is thrilled to have Tuvia Tenenbom with us.

Merav Ben Ari became a Kenesset member in 2015, as part of the Kulanu party. Before that she served at the Tel Aviv city council and took charge of the portfolio for promoting youth. But the fame came long before that, when she participated in the Reality Show “In Search of a Leader” and won the first prize, 5 million NIS. In late 2016 MK Ben Ari publicly revealed her decision to give birth to a child on her own, with the assistance of a friend, and thus exposed Israeli society to the concept of modern, single-parent parenthood. In a relatively conservative country, this was a courageous act that was followed by very emotional responses from all parts of Israeli society. Ben Ari’s work in the Knesset is focused on the cost of living, educational issues and gay rights. She’s quoted in an article as saying: “I believe in the two states solution, but it’s not why I’m in the Knesset. I’m here for social issues.”

Anyone who’s visited Tel Aviv has walked down the famous, sometimes infamous, Allenby Street. It’s hard to miss this road that crosses Rothschild Blvd, runs by the entrance to the Carmel Market and leads to the Beach Promenade. Today, it’s a must see tourist attraction. But not so long ago, Allenby was still on the social fringes of Tel Aviv. Gadi Taub’s best-selling novel “Allenby”, named after the street itself, sheds light on the gritty underground scene of Tel Aviv - from its shadier dance bars to its strip clubs and brothels. Taub’s book was later turned into a TV series for Channel 10. But Gadi Taub’s resume does not end there. He received his PhD in American Studies from Rutgers University and is a senior lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has written extensively for various new publications including Haaretz, Yedioth Aharonoth, Maariv and more. Taub also wrote the novel “The Witch from Number 3 Meltchet Street” which too was adapted for the screen. Gadi Taub joins us today to talk about his life, his career and maybe a bit about his ideas.

Today we have the privilege to talk with Miri Ben Ari, aka the Hip Hop Violinist, and probably one of the most famous and influential Israelis to hit the contemporary international music scene. Miri was born in Tel Aviv and where she grew up playing classical music since the age of 5. Her encounter with world renowned violinist Isaac Stern brought her towards the violin, and ever since then her romance with this instrument flourished. Following her military service in the IDF string quartet, she moved to New York to study jazz. She played gigs and worked hard and after some time it all paid off, when Jay-Z noticed her talent and invited her to play with him. She then went on to extraordinary accomplishments like playing with Wyclef at Carnegie hall, co-writing Jesus Walks with Kanye West (which got her the Grammy) and being featured in four tracks on his debut album, releasing her own debut album The Hip Hop Violinist, Performing on David Letterman’s late night, performing for Barack and Michelle Obama at the White House and the list goes on and on and on. In addition to all that, Ben Ari has devoted her life to social causes. She is a UN ambassador of Music, and Her NGO Gedenk has set as its mission to educate American youth about the Holocaust. We are so honored to have Miri Ben Ari with us today.

Today we’re joined by Assaf Hanuka, co-author of “The Divine” together with his brother Tomer and Boaz Lavie. “The Divine” received the prestigious International Manga Award in Japan. Assaf’s work has been published in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Time and Rolling Stone and his most recent graphic novel “The Realist” was awarded the 2016 Eisener Prize. He joins us today to talk about his inspirations, his career and his successes, which weren’t reached without a fair share of struggle.

Before becoming a Knneset Member in 2015, Rachel Azaria got her BA in Psychology and Humanities and a Master’s in conflict resolution and peace studies. Her master’s thesis dealt with how the first israeli settelers percieved themselves. After graduating, she committed to various social causes - in Green Course, where she acted against polluting plants, and other social organisations, where her activity focused on aiding women who struggle to receive a gett, the state's religious and only divorce, from their husbands. From Azaria’s public activities her road was short to politics, and in 2008 she founded the Yerushalmim political party and was elected to city council. In the following years she encountered many political struggles on the council, but ultimately she also served as a deputy mayor of Jerusalem. In 2015 Azaria joined Moshe Kahlon’s Kulanu party, and was elected to the Knesset shortly after. She’s served as a knesset member ever since. MK Azaria joins 2NJB for a political discussion of the current issues which face her and the nation as a whole.

Exactly one year ago today episode one of 2NJB was released. Eytan and Naor reflect on favorite past episodes, tell nice stories from behind the scenes and discuss future endeavors. We also played bits from the following episodes: Episode 21 – 2001: A Lebanese Odyssey with Jonathan Elkhoury Episode 32 – Forever Pure: Between Sports and Racism in Jerusalem’s Soccer Team with Maya Zinshtein Episode 13 – Giuseppe Giordano of “Da Peppe” – Tel Aviv’s Godfather of Pizza Episode 20 – Putting Holocaust Denial on Trial with Prof. Deborah Lipstadt Episode 19 – Noble Prize Laureate Prof. Robert J. Aumann Talks Game Theory Episode 22 – Uri Geller: Spoon Bender and Spy