Unpacking Israeli History

*** Don’t miss the 3-part miniseries on the YK war, starting September 6th ***Between 1989 and 2000, over a million Jews from the former Soviet Union arrived in Israel, fundamentally changing the nature of the country. But the road from the USSR to the Middle East was long, winding, and painful. This is the story of how a group of American students and Soviet dissidents wrenched back the Iron Curtain, guaranteeing the religious freedom of over one million Jews.~~~~  Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VSbxCEDWZv3bs8Sm8elQELJpDysL0p4hch3SWo_gaWI/edit

*** Don’t miss the 3-part miniseries on the YK war, starting September 6th ***Maybe you’ve heard of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held for five years by the terrorist group Hamas. And maybe you’ve heard about the lengths that Israel went to to get him back, like swapping over a thousand prisoners for one missing man. But Shalit isn’t the first Israeli POW to be redeemed at a high price. In this episode, Noam asks Why does Israel pay such a high price to return captured soldiers? And, even more poignantly, Is doing so good for the Jewish state?~~~~  Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HbAQrIlyEX8ivxrX0CkP_CPzgVd3U1_W_UCTkBt6n-4/edit

This podcast explores the controversial property dispute in Sheikh Jarrah, a neighborhood in East Jerusalem. It delves into the history and changing ownership of the area, the complex identity of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, and the tensions leading up to the violent clashes in Israel. The podcast also includes listener appreciation and highlights the significance of the events in Sheikh Jarrah.

*** Don’t miss the 3-part miniseries on the YK war, starting September 6th ***John Demjanjuk seemed like any other middle-aged immigrant living the American dream in the Ohio suburbs. Until the US Department of Justice accused him of being an SS guard, stripped him of his citizenship, and extradited him to Israel to stand trial for war crimes. In Israel, he stood accused of ghastly abuse. And still, doubt persisted: could this stereotypical guy-next-door really have been the infamously sadistic SS guard at Treblinka? Was this a case of mistaken identity? And what is the line between justice, vengeance, and the law?~~~~  Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19U0j4G961PuGuFchjagiCuhrjgCWPeytkvNkcbBQfW4/edit?usp=sharing~~~~ This episode of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Dorit Naftalin & Harry Nelson, and Barbara Sommer & Alan Fisher.

We’re back! Get ready...for Season 5, for more twists, turns, triumphs, and tragedies that define Israeli history. Are you ready? Yalla, let’s do this!

Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurveyIt was the spring of 1948, and in just a few short weeks, the British were scheduled to ship out, leaving Palestine to the Arabs and Jews who had been waging war against each other for six months. But beyond the bombs and the bullets, another war raged behind the scenes. One that continues to this day. The war for the soul of the Jewish state.This is the story of Israel’s declaration of independence – and of its ongoing evolution as a modern state.~~~~  Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10VpS6Bh1JQ-4HTxatuSJHq4y9P1HyT9KhGSiFk-TqFk/edit?usp=sharing~~~~ This Israel@75 mini-series is generously sponsored by the Jewish Agency for Israel - North American Council, and Ari and Jody Storch.

Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurveyToday, the Etzion bloc is home to more than 20,000 Jews. But back in 1948, roughly 500 Jews lived in the tiny parcel of land nestled between Hebron and Jerusalem. The four isolated, vulnerable kibbutzim of the bloc were an easy target for Arab attacks. But the Jews of Etzion weren’t going down without a fight. And the Palmach – the Haganah’s elite strike force – would do anything to keep these tiny communities strong and well-supplied. Like sending a convoy of 35 fighters weighed down with supplies through miles of hostile territory. But war is hell. And the story of Gush Etzion, and the brave convoy that supplied it, is both a tragedy – and a story of brotherhood, heroism, and resilience in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.~~~~  Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1REJt_UGndGrngPsww3Ra4PLBcKJB67xBM6Sd3TVG_nE/edit?usp=sharing~~~~ This Israel@75 mini-series is generously sponsored by the Jewish Agency for Israel - North American Council, and Ari and Jody Storch.

Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurveyYou probably know the story of Israeli independence: Ben Gurion declared a Jewish state on May 14, 1948. The next day, multiple Arab armies invaded. And though the war was long and brutal, the Jewish state emerged victorious. That story is true. But it’s incomplete. Because the war for Israel didn’t start on May 15, 1948. It started back in November of 1947, the morning after the UN voted to partition Palestine into two states. And if you want to understand Israeli history, you have to understand the six bloody months that preceded its creation…~~~~  Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KEyXoESRtJWiULNjtXUXMokGHKtKRIj62Fmz29cXx3I/edit?usp=sharing~~~~ This Israel@75 mini-series is generously sponsored by the Jewish Agency for Israel - North American Council, and Ari and Jody Storch.

Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurveyThe modern state of Israel is only 75 years old. But the Israeli identity was forged long before the partition vote of 1947 or the War of Liberation in 1948, in the earliest decades of the 20th century. The three figures we’ll talk about today were not Israelis. They died before they ever saw an independent Jewish state. But their stories shaped the country we know today.~~~~  Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JoCjNZV__Qwpu0k9Sth16tMQ8bhlTqe_ogsFBpvLjFk/edit?usp=sharing~~~~ Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci and Andrew Spitzer, and this episode is generously sponsored by Barbara Sommer and Alan Fisher.

Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurveyNovember 19, 1977. It was perhaps the most unusual Shabbat in Israel’s history. Because after the havdala service, Israeli families glued themselves to their TVs or radios, waiting anxiously for a visitor they never dreamed would arrive. Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt, had come to Jerusalem to speak of peace. What happened next changed the Middle East forever.~~~~  Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VLl6H1mbapNkhWq8aNnMFylTQ9w__9WDxIsqvlniORs/edit?usp=sharing~~~~ Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci and Andrew Spitzer, and this episode is generously sponsored by Barbara Sommer and Alan Fisher.