Unpacking Israeli History

Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurveyYou’ve heard their name. Watched their propaganda videos. Seen their bloody handiwork up close and personal.But how well do you really know the story of Hamas?This episode delves into the surprising history of Israel’s charming next door neighbor. It’s a deep dive into their history, their ideology, their legacy. Because if we want to truly understand Israeli history, we’ve got to face the parallel history that has developed alongside it.~~~~  Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DBe4s5ArwlF7ACLUoztotb9EarUYqK7nd1Z0pCXyMR4/edit?usp=sharing~~~~ Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci and Andrew Spitzer, and this week’s episode is sponsored by Adam Neuman.

Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurveyKfar Qassem is a small bucolic city northeast of Petach Tikva. It is also the little-known site of the first salvo of the Suez Canal Crisis. On October 29, 1956 – as Israel prepared for war with Egypt – an IDF commander made a decision that would permanently scar Israel’s Arab community. Today, we tell the story of the 49 Israeli citizens murdered at Kfar Qassem. This episode is dedicated to them. Ibrahim Abdalhadi Himad Isaa, 35Abed Muhammad Abdalhadi Isaa, 9Abdallah Ahmad Himad Isaa, 15Talal Shaker Abdallah Isaa, 8 Abdallah Sliman Isaa, 90 Ahmad Muhammad Sous Freij, 35 Ali Uthman Ali Tah, 30 Muhammad Abed Samaha Asi, AKA Abu Samaha, 50 Ghazi Mahmoud Darweesh Isaa, 20Muhammad Abdalraheem Isaa, 50 Fathi Uthman Abed Isaa, 12 Uthman Abed Himad Isaa, 30Saleh Mahmoud Naser Amer (age unknown)Mahmoud Abdalghafer Rayan, 35Mahmoud Abdalrazeq Sarsour, 16 Ali Nimer Nuwwara Freij, 17Saleh Salameh Ahmad Amer, 40 Salim Ahmad Basheer Budeir, 50 Abdallah Abdalghafer Budeir (age unknown)Abed Salim Saleh Isaa (age unknown)Atta Yacoub Abed Sarsour, 26Riyad Raja Hamdan Dahoud, 8 Jamal Salim Muhammad Tah, 11Jumma Muhammad Abed Sarsour, 17Mousa Thiab Abed Freij, 18 Abdalkarim Salim Nuwwara Freij, 14 Saleh Mustafa Ahmad Isaa, 17 Abdalraheem Ismir Budeir, 25 Ahmad Muhammad Jouda Amer, 17Jumma Tawfik Ahmad Isaa, 16Mahmoud Khader Jaber Sarsour, 27Yousef Muhammad Ismail Sarsour, 52 Muhammad Salim Khader Sarsour, 15 Muhammad Ali Thiab Sarsour, 35Abdallah Muhammad Abed Sarsour, 14 Safa Abdallah Usus Sarsour, 45 Amne Qasem Tah, 50Khamise Faraj Muhammad Amer, 50 Zaghlouleh Ahmad Basheer Isaa, 45 Hilwe Muhammad Odeh Budeir, 65 Fatme Dahoud Sarsour, 30 (nine months pregnant)Unborn child of Fatme Dahoud SarsourFatme Mustafa Khamran Isaa, 18Fatme Mahmoud Budeir (Age unknown)Fatme Saleh Ahmad Sarsour, 14Rashika Faek Ibrahim Budeir, 14 Zeinab Abdalrahman Ahmad Tah, 45Latife Dahoud Khamran Isaa, 12Bakriya Mahmoud Ismail Tah, 14 Mahmoud Muhammad Habib Masarwa, 25 ~~~~  Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y38W4EVV9CKKwHNHSC_nV6T1DNXSM-NeFZ3WMG1XZkA/edit?usp=sharing~~~~ This season of Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci & Andrew Spitzer.

Take the survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurveyIt was supposed to be a fun field trip. A little celebration in honor of Israel’s 26th birthday. Over a hundred religious high school students, exploring northern Israel and sleeping under the stars. But the three Palestinian terrorists who sneaked in from Lebanon had other plans. This is the story of the Ma’alot massacre. It’s a story of horror and blood. But it’s also a story of hope and resistance. A reminder that every hour of our lives matters.~~~~  Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Marci and Andrew Spitzer and this episode is generously sponsored by Neil and Pam Weissman.~~~~  This episode is dedicated to the memory of the victims:Hasibah Shala, 27 Yosef (Jojo) Cohen, 45Fortuna Cohen, 38 (7 months pregnant)Unborn child of Fortuna CohenMoshe Eliahu Cohen, 4Sylvan Zerach, 27Ilana Turgeman, 15 Zvia Mor-Yoseph, 15 Rachel Aputa, 16 Yocheved Mazoz, 15 Sarah Ben-Shim’on, 15 Yona Sabag, 15 Yafa Cohen, 17 Shoshana Cohen, 17Michal Sitrok, 16 Malka Amrosy, 15Aviva Saada, 15 Yocheved Deri (age unknown)Yakov Levi, 17 Yakov Kabla, 17 Rina Cohen, 15Sarah Madar, 15 Tamar Dahan, 16Sarah Sofer, 15 Lilly Morad, 16David Madar, 17 Yehudit Madar, 16 Sources and Citations: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KMKO3YYqYpzceUaJuZ9pEXpTfnzVqLdh7fAFseqHovU/edit?usp=sharing

We’re back!By popular demand, Unpacking Israeli History is back for another season. Get ready for the twists, turns, triumphs, and tragedies that define Israeli history. So strap in. Because for the next 8 weeks, we’re going to shine a light on some of the wildest stories you can imagine. Are you ready?Yalla, let’s do this!

Unpacking Israeli History introduces another podcast from Unpacked: Jewish History Unpacked. Whoever said history was boring clearly never heard these stories Join hosts Yael and Schwab each week as they take a dive into some deep cuts of Jewish history. From the Jewish Da Vinci Code to mass suicide pacts, explore true stories that feel larger than life.This episode tells the story of Josephus Flavius. It's maybe one of the wildest characters in Jewish history, and that's saying something. That's largely because unlike most historians, he didn't just chronicle the story; as Yael tells Schwab in this week's episode, Josephus, or Yosef ben Matityahu, wrote himself into the story - and what a story it is. This week, we learn about Josephus and the siege of Yodfat, and they ask, what does it mean for us to write yourself into the story of Jewish history?

UIH survey here: https://jewishunpacked.com/uihsurvey~~~~ On the night before Shavuot, 1981, Prime Minister Menachem Begin shocked his cabinet by announcing they would be launching a surprise attack on a nuclear reactor in Iraq, known as Osirak. It was a gamble, one that the outside world, not to mention in Israel itself, most people didn't approve of. In this episode, Noam takes us on a tour of Begin's decision, the aftermath, and how it still impacts Israel today.~~~~  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 Jack Zager and Ellen Kahan, and by Pam and Neil Weissman, in memory of their parents, Mama Bashe and Saba Royal Rockman, and Safta Alice and Saba Irving Weissman.

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,