Two Nice Jewish Boys

From HBO's In Treatment to Showtime's Homeland, Israel has become a prominent exporter of quality content for the American television industry. As an emerging studio, Netflix wasn't about to miss out. They set their eyes on Fauda. Fauda is one of the most successful and critically acclaimed Israeli TV shows in recent years. It tells the story of Doron, a member of a covert anti-terror unit in the Israeli military, whose world is split in two, between his undercover identity and his life back home. Three months ago, Netflix acquired Fauda for global distribution. Avi Issacharoff, Fauda's co-creator and an analyst of Middle Eastern affairs for Walla News and The Times of Israel, joins 2NJB to tall about the show and its worldwide success.

Every year under the sweltering sun of the Negev Desert, a city forms for just 5 days. This city is called Midburn. Inspired by the Burning Man Festival in the Nevada desert, Midburn is currently the 2nd biggest “burn” event outside of the US, boasting 8,000 people in 2016. The community of people which gather each year have a fascinating story and a bona fide culture. Itamar Cohen, Midburn’s Head of Operations, joins 2NJB to talk about what it takes to be a “burner”. We also played amazing music by Ziv! Photo by Sharon Avraham

The right of return for the Jewish people states that anyone with at least one Jewish grandparent may become a citizen of the State of Israel. The reasoning: this was the criteria by which the Jews were persecuted under the Third Reich. On the other hand, if you want to have an ordained marriage in the State of Israel, the par is set a little higher: your mother must be Jewish. This dissonance leads to an inevitable rift in Israeli society: people who live here as lawful citizens, but are unable to legally marry their partner. Jessica Fishman, author of the new book “Chutzpah and High Heels”, joins Two Nice Jewish Boys to share her story of Aliyah and talk about her devastation at the hands of this little known discrepancy in Israeli law.

Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign was sprinkled with promises that resonated strongly with many on Israel’s right. From reversing the Iran deal to a more lenient settlements policy and moving the embassy to Jerusalem, these campaign promises turned into expectations on November 8, 2016. The question now is will Israel's right ultimately be disillusioned or rejoice in Trump’s success? Oren Nahari joins 2NJB to talk about Trump’s first 30 days from the Israeli perspective. Nahari is head of the foreign news desk at Walla News and is the author of several bestsellers including “World History Atlas: a Chronology of the Human Race”

Shen Liberman is the head of the Culture Desk at Channel 10 News. She started her career as a radio anchor for Galatz, Israel’s military radio (it’s a thing). From there, she continued on to 7 years of exile in the barren wastelands of New York and Los Angeles. Between serving hummus dishes as a waitress, staying in the most luxurious hotels and interviewing celebrities, Shen built an impressive career as a journalist. This week Shen joins Two Nice Jewish Boys to share her tales of the media world here in Israel and abroad.

This Sunday is the birthday of the iconic 16th American President and it turns out that Abraham Lincoln was in fact a pretty good friend of the Jews (at a time when it wasn’t necessarily so popular to befriend the “Hebrews”). Abraham Jonas, who the president himself described as his “most valued friend”, was first to advise Lincoln to run for president. Issachar Zacherie, foot-doctor and spy, alleviated many a pains on Lincoln's feet but also helped the president secure his second election. These, and many others, are a testament to the important relationship between Lincoln and the American Jewish community. In celebration of Lincoln's 208th birthday, Two Nice Jewish Boys visited the Giv'at Ram campus of the Hebrew University for a special episode with Professor Jonathan Sarna. Professor Sarna’s newest book “Lincoln and the Jews” is a fascinating biography examining the former president’s close ties with the Jews of his time. The historical narrative is accompanied by Benjamin Shapell’s vast and gripping collection of rare documents and photographs which really transport the reader in a way that few historical non-fiction books manage to do. Tune into our latest episode to hear about all this and more.

MK Sharren Haskel joined the parliament not too long ago, in late 2015. Nevertheless, she's managed to do quite a bit in the last year and a half. Haskel, the youngest MK of the Likud party, is the flag-bearer for the cannabis bill which was long opposed, and recently endorsed by Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan. In addition to being an active member on several Knesset committees, Haskel works diligently on issues such as public diplomacy, the environment, health care, and animal rights. Returning from the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Haskel sat with Two Nice Jewish Boys to talk about her life and service as a Knesset Member.

Episode 22 - Uri Geller, Spoon Bender and Spy by Eytan and Naor

Jonathan Elkhoury was only 9 years old when he fled Lebanon with his mother and brother in 2001. The family reunited with Jonathan's father, an ex-officer of the SLA (South Lebanon Army) who had sought refuge in Israel the year before. Today Elkhoury is a proud Zionist and the spokesman for the Israeli Christians Recruitment Forum. 2NJB sat with Jonathan to talk about his amazing life story. Today we also feature the amazing song Dissipating Dream by Telalit!

Professor Deborah Lipstadt’s amazing story has been recently adapted into the beautiful Hollywood movie “Denial” starring Rachel Weiss. She sat with 2NJB as we spoke about Holocaust Deniers, her career and the life-turning event that unfolded as she was sued by Holocaust Denier David Erving.