Unpacking Israeli History

UIH survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey~~~~ Who should serve in the Israeli military? It doesn’t sound like a particularly spicy question, does it? Because the obvious answer is… “Israelis.” Like, duh. Case closed, next question. But in this episode, Noam breaks down why Haredim, a massive force in Israel, don't serve. He goes through the history and asks, how does this choice impact the country?VOTE IN OUR POLL HERE:jewishunpacked.com/israeliarmy  ~~~~  This season of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci & Andrew Spitzer and Barbara Sommer & Alan Fisher, and this episode is generously sponsored by Lisa and Phil Baratz, and by the Center For Advancement of Jewish Education.  ~~~~ 

UIH survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey ~~~~   The relationship between Jews and their host countries, for the past several thousand years, is complicated. And Iraq is no exception. While Jews have lived there for thousands of years, today, virtually no Jews are left in the country. This week's episode tells that story, through the lens of the Farhud, the devastating 1941 massacre in which Iraqis murdered, raped, mutilated, looted, and destroyed Baghdad’s Jewish community. ~~~~     This season of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci & Andrew Spitzer and Barbara Sommer & Alan Fisher, and this episode is generously sponsored by the Center For Advancement of Jewish Education.     ~~~~

UIH survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey~~~~ You may have heard about the first Gulf War - basically the entire world vs. Saddam Hussein. But though 34 countries - 34! - entered the alliance against Iraq, Israel didn't. So why on earth did missiles begin to rain down on Israel? In this episode, Noam breaks down how the 1991 Gulf War affected ordinary Israelis, tested the US-Israel relationship, and even challenged the long-held Zionist ethos.  ~~~~  This season of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci & Andrew Spitzer and Barbara Sommer & Alan Fisher, and this episode is generously sponsored by the Center For Advancement of Jewish Education, and The Jewish Federation of Northern NJ.  ~~~~ Bibliography available at https://jewishunpacked.com/saddam-husseins-gulf-war-legacy-is-still-felt-in-israel/

UIH survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey ~~~~   Qibya is one of the saddest and most difficult events in Israeli history. A military unit enters a village, and when the raid is over, 43 homes had been demolished, and 69 civilians – mostly women and children – had been killed. This week, Noam asks, what happened here, and how does it impact the story we tell ourselves about Israel?   ~~~~   This season of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci & Andrew Spitzer and Barbara Sommer & Alan Fisher, and this episode is generously sponsored by the Center For Advancement of Jewish Education, and The Jewish Federation of Northern NJ. ~~~~   Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/ Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked  Unpacking Israeli History about Black Saturday: https://jewishunpacked.com/black-saturday-how-far-would-you-go-for-a-homeland/ Unpacking Israeli History about the Mossad: https://jewishunpacked.com/the-mossad-three-tales-of-assassination/ ~~~~ Bibliography: Daniel Gordis, “Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn.” Howard Sachar, “A History of Israel, From the Birth of Zionism to Our Time.” Sapir Journal on power, vol 2, 2021.  Rise and Kill First, Ronen Bergman On the Kanias family https://www.haaretz.co.il/misc/1.853441 https://www.sharett.org.il/downloads/doc-pics/doc03486.pdf  On Israel’s GDP: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?end=2020&locations=ZQ&most_recent_value_desc=true&start=2020&view=map On tzenna (austerity): https://gould.usc.edu/why/students/orgs/ilj/assets/docs/18-1%20Seidman.pdf On Israeli borders:  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-54116567#:~:text=The%20fighting%20ended%20in%201949,Bank%20(occupied%20by%20Jordan) https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/arm01.asp On Moshe Dayan:  Mordechai Bar-On, “Moshe Dayan: Israel’s Controversial Hero.” https://jiss.org.il/en/henkin-high-price-blood-israels-security-doctrines/#:~:text=The%20Dayan%20doctrine%20was%20designed,war%20of%20attrition%20against%20Israel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzVrRStVo9k&ab_channel=ThamesTv   On Ariel Sharon:  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ariel-Sharon,  “Warrior: The autobiography of Ariel Sharon,” p. 1989 Battle for Latrun: https://www.jpost.com/israel-guide/tel-aviv-and-center-tours/latrun-the-battle-for-latrun Participant account of Qibye (note he wasn’t actually in the village, he was outside of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nQpBsvdzZ4&ab_channel=ToldotYisrael) Letter to UN Security Council from Jordanian envoy: https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-185828/ On the aftermath: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2538005,

UIH survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey~~~~ It’s 1916 and World War I is raging. Countries are fighting for resources, land and power and the Ottoman Empire is on its deathbed. With all eyes on the Empire’s Middle Eastern territory, who will decide who gets control over what will become Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Iraq, and parts of Saudi Arabia? In this episode, Noam explores the secretive Sykes-Picot Agreement and the fallout it caused at the San Remo Conference. ~~~~This season of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Barbara Sommer & Alan Fisher, and Marci & Andrew Spitzer, and this episode is generously sponsored by ​​the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York, and the Jewish Federation of Northern NJ.~~~~Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked Unpacking Israeli History about Black Saturday: https://jewishunpacked.com/black-saturday-how-far-would-you-go-for-a-homeland/~~~~Bibliography: https://jewishunpacked.com/did-a-secret-1916-treaty-between-the-u-k-and-france-create-the-state-of-israel/

How much do you know about the Mossad, Israel’s legendary intelligence agency? In this episode, Noam regales three wild stories about the Mossad that seem like they're straight out of a movie. Welcome to the world of international espionage.   Our deepest gratitude to Israeli journalist Ronen Bergman and his deeply researched, one of a kind book Rise and Kill First. The bulk of our research came from this book. And with that, welcome to the shadowy world of international espionage.   ~~~~ This season of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Barbara Sommer & Alan Fisher, and Marci & Andrew Spitzer, and this episode is generously sponsored by ​​the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York, and the Jewish Federation of Northern NJ. ~~~~ Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/ Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked  Unpacking Israeli History about Sabra and Shatila: https://jewishunpacked.com/sabra-and-shatila-what-happened-and-why-it-matters/ Unpacking Israeli History about Entebbe: https://jewishunpacked.com/operation-thunderbolt-the-raid-on-entebbe/ Unpacking Israeli History about Oslo: https://jewishunpacked.com/oslo-the-peace-that-wasnt/ ~~~~ Bibliography: Rise and Kill First PLO Charter: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/plocov.asp Munich massacre refresher: https://www.britannica.com/event/Munich-Massacre Wrath of God refresher: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Operation-Wrath-of-God Eurovision stats: https://eurovisionworld.com/eurovision/1973 Uri Milstein interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWNEiChjXF8&ab_channel=AlexTseitlin  Popular songs of the 1970s: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_Annual_Hebrew_Song_Chart; https://www.myisraelimusic.com/episode1103 On 70s-era terror attacks in Israel: https://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/aboutisrael/maps/pages/1967-1993-%20major%20terror%20attacks.aspx On the PFLP: https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/pflp-dflp-pflp-gc-palestinian-leftists Haddad obit: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1978/04/02/110820416.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 Haddad funeral: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8bECeco57k&ab_channel=BloombergQuicktake%3ANow

UIH survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey~~~~ Prior to the Holocaust, the 1903 pogrom in Kishinev (now Moldova) was the most infamous occurrence of Jewish suffering in the Diaspora. In this episode, Noam explores the many myths that surround the massacre and how it inspired Theodor Herzl to propose the controversial Uganda Plan.  ~~~~ This season of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Barbara Sommer & Alan Fisher, and Marci & Andrew Spitzer, and this episode is generously sponsored by ​​the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York, and the Tampa Jewish Federation. ~~~~ Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked Unpacking Israeli History about the Uganda Plan: https://jewishunpacked.com/herzl-and-the-non-promised-land/~~~~ Steven J Zipperstein, Pogrom: Kishinev and the Tilt of History Edward Judge, Anatomy of a Pogrom http://faculty.history.umd.edu/BCooperman/NewCity/Slaughter.html Micah Goodman, The Wondering Jew: Israel and the Search for Jewish Identity https://sci-hub.hkvisa.net/10.2307/23877915 https://sci-hub.hkvisa.net/10.1093/mj/kjh017 https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/naacp/founding-and-early-years.html Ervin Birnbaum, In the Shadow of the Struggle https://sci-hub.hkvisa.net/10.2307/40574565 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EAQVYv-rqw

UIH survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey ~~~~   Welcome to Season 3 of Unpacking Israeli History!   In the summer of 1929, Jews and Arabs alike found themselves caught in an unbearably bloody battle. The aftermath of a deadly riot showed the Jews of British Mandatory Palestine that the British couldn’t protect them, leading them to unite under the banner of Zionism. In this episode, Noam unpacks the 1929 Hebron Riots and considers why it may be considered “Year Zero” of the Arab-Israeli conflict. ~~~~ This season of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Barbara Sommer & Alan Fisher, and by Marci & Andrew Spitzer, and this episode is generously sponsored by Liz and Moshe Neiman. ~~~~ Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/ Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked  Unpacking Israeli History about Black Saturday: https://jewishunpacked.com/black-saturday-how-far-would-you-go-for-a-homeland/ Unpacking Israeli History about UN Resolution 3379: https://jewishunpacked.com/is-zionism-racism-un-resolution-3379/ ~~~~ Once Upon a Country: A Palestinian Life, Sari Nusseibeh https://www.britannica.com/biography/Amin-al-Husayni https://www.britannica.com/topic/mufti https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/hajj-amin-al-husayni-the-mufti-of-jerusalem A History of Israel, From the Rise of Zionism to Our Time, Howard Sachar Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-1998, Benny Morris One Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs Under the British Mandate, Tom Segev Reapproaching Borders: New Perspectives on the Study of Israel-Palestine, Sandy Sufian and Mark Levine https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/1929-hebron-massacre-begins-1.5427655 https://www.jpost.com/features/in-thespotlight/this-week-in-history-the-1929-hebron-massacre City of Abraham, Edward Platt https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-hebron-massacre-of-1929 http://en.hebron.org.il/history/713 Israel: A History, Martin Gilbert The Claim of Dispossession, Aryeh Avneri Year after the Riots: American Responses to the Palestine Crisis of 1929-30, Naomi Cohen https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015066430987&view=1up&seq=7&skin=2021, The Shaw Report https://www.jta.org/archive/testimony-of-orphaned-jewish-children-moves-hebron-court Year Zero of the Arab-Israeli Conflict 1929, Hillel Cohen http://en.jabotinsky.org/media/9747/the-iron-wall.pdf https://www.sefaria.org/topics/mashiach?tab=sources https://hebronfund.org/the-return-to-hebron-1967/ ~~~~

UIH survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey~~~~ It’s January of 1954 and the Attorney General v. Gruenwald case, AKA the Kastner trial, has begun. This was seemingly an open and shut libel case between an elderly Hungarian Jew and Israeli government official, Israel Rudolph Kastner. Yet somehow the trial caused a government fallout, brought David Ben-Gurion out of retirement and led to Israel’s first political assassination. In this episode, Noam explores what exactly Kastner was guilty of and how to grapple with the impossible choices he faced at the hands of the Nazis. ~~~~ This season of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Barbara Sommer & Alan Fisher, and Marci & Andrew Spitzer, and this episode is generously sponsored by ​​the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York, and the Tampa Jewish Federation. ~~~~Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked Unpacking Israeli History about Black Saturday: https://jewishunpacked.com/black-saturday-how-far-would-you-go-for-a-homeland/~~~~Bibliography: https://jewishunpacked.com/the-kastner-trial-why-a-jew-who-saved-many-was-put-on-trial-for-working-with-the-nazis/

We are deep in the weeds prepping Season 3 of Unpacking Israeli History, and, dear listeners, you’re going to love it. As in past seasons, we’ll be exploring exciting, intense, and complicated topics. Stay tuned, and brush up on past episodes. Yalla, let’s do this.