Israel Story

There are a zillion ways of being an outsider. That, of course, we all know. But what does it mean to belong, why do we want it so badly, and just how far are we willing to go in order to be on the 'inside'?Eli Amir, Eliyahu Rips and Eliezer Sonnenschein couldn’t be more different: the first is a celebrated Baghdad-born author, the second is a brilliant mathematician from Latvia, and the third is the enfant terrible of modern Israeli art. But they are all, in their own unique ways, outsiders. Their struggle for recognition took on different forms, and enjoyed – naturally – different degrees of success. But whether it’s the hora dancing circles at Kibbutz Mishmar Ha’Emek, the pages of prestigious statistical journals, or the hallowed galleries of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, our episode explores just how far we go to feel as if we belong.The original music in ‘Skipping the Torah,’ was composed and performed by Ruth Danon. The final song, “Yeladim Kamonu”, is by Elai Botner and Yaldey Ha’Chutz. The episode also features music by Karolina, Tristan Lohengrin, Dana Boulé and Robert Schumann. It was edited by Julie Subrin and mixed by Sela Waisblum and Aviv Meshulam.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or Tablet Magazine.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or The Times of Israel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

They're enemies and cousins, neighbors and rivals, lovers and haters, and at times even one and the same. Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the complicated world of Israel's Arabs and Jews.More often than not, we think of Jewish-Arab relations in Israel as being adversarial. We frequently hear tales of hatred, violence, animosity and discrimination. But reality is, of course, much more complicated: Not only are some Jews actually Arabs, and vice-versa, but there is a tremendous amount of intermingling, sharing and cooperation. In this episode, we explore some of these fascinating points of contact.The original music in this episode was composed and performed by Eran Zamir, Ruth Danon, Nili Fink and Noam Sadan. The final song, ‘Tamally Ma’ak,’ is by Amr Diab and covered here by Tsahi Halevi. Ahmed Ali Moussa wrote the lyrics and Tag Sherif composed the music. The episode was mixed by Sela Waisblum.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or Tablet Magazine.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or The Times of Israel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imagine getting the worst news possible, learning it isn’t true, and then realizing it is after all — in the span of a single day. That’s what happened to the Harels of Jerusalem, in the chaotic frenzy of the First Lebanon War.In the early summer of 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon. The First Lebanon War — as it would later be called — would ultimately lead to thousands of casualties, an eighteen-year-long Israeli presence in Southern Lebanon, and growing political disillusionment around the region. In a way, it ushered in a new era in Israel, one in which the necessity of wars was publicly doubted, and leaders’ intentions were questioned and scrutinized.But for two Jerusalem families, who just happened to share the same surname, the first days of war were an even more devastating emotional whirlwind. They each went through an unimaginable cycle of shock, grief, hope and despair. By the end of that cycle, the war had formed an oath of blood between them, a covenant of sorts.The original music in this episode was composed and performed by Ruth Danon and features Sher Niv on the guitar. This episode was edited by Julie Subrin, and mixed by Sela Waisblum.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or Tablet Magazine.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or The Times of Israel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the immediate aftermath of the Six-Day War, a Palestinian lawyer and two Israeli reservists nearly brokered a peace agreement. Just imagine how history would have unfolded had they succeeded.Though few people grasped it at the time, the Six-Day War put the young state of Israel on an entirely new trajectory. Some see the war’s outcome as a historic triumph and almost messianic return of the Jews to their ancestral lands. Others, of course, view it as the start of a downward spiral that led to internal political fragmentation and an oppressive occupation. For proponents of both positions, and everyone in between really, the 50th anniversary of that war provides an excellent excuse to pause, think, and evaluate.So while everyone else is busy considering the meaning of the last half century, we returned to the days immediately following the Six-Day War, and to a little-known saga that could have changed the face of the Middle East as we now know it. Yochai Maital tells the story of two reserve officers, Dan Bavly and Dave Kimche, who stumbled upon an unlikely ally: A prominent Ramallah lawyer by the name of Aziz Shehadeh. Together they soberly imagined a peaceful future; a dream that most Israelis, including the political and military leadership at the time, were too drunk from victory to even consider.The original music in this episode – including the final song, “It’s Time” – was composed and performed by Ronnie Wagner, Ruth Danon, and Eden Djamchid.This episode was mixed by Sela Waisblum, and produced in partnership with Libby Lenkinski and the New Israel Fund.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or Tablet Magazine.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or The Times of Israel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From secret bathroom texting all the way to negotiating a divorce in Venice (of all places...), we bring you heart-wrenching tales of lost faith.In 1991, REM’s Michael Stipe famously sang, “That’s me in the spotlight, losing my religion, trying to keep up with you, and I don’t know if I can do it.” Just over a quarter-century later, we set out to explore what happens when religious couples no longer see eye to eye. Do you follow your heart? Do you tell your partner? And can the package stay intact, despite the tectonic shifts?The original music in this episode was composed and performed by Ruth Danon, Nili Fink, and Noam Sadan, who also covered songs by Vashti Bunyan and Ruth Dolores Weiss.This episode was mixed by Sela Waisblum, and recorded at Andrew Yeomanson’s City of Progress Studios. It was produced thanks to the generous support of the JCC Manhattan and the Natan Fund.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or Tablet Magazine.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or The Times of Israel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lizzie Doron always felt there was an invisible ghost in her life. She wasn't wrong.Early next week we will mark Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. There are just about 160,000 Holocaust survivors still living in Israel, but they are rapidly vanishing. More than forty survivors die each day. And that means that the memory of the Holocaust, and the stories we tell and hear about the Holocaust are also changing. There are fewer and fewer first-hand testimonies, and more and more tales – like our episode today – of second generation survivors.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or Tablet Magazine.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or The Times of Israel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our season opener takes us right to the end... An episode full of surprising stories that explore how we die, and what comes next.It’s springtime in Israel and renewal is in the air: Wildflowers are blooming, short pants make their first appearances of the year, and – most importantly – we are back with the start of our third season. But of course, it wouldn’t be Israel Story if there wasn’t a twist, and indeed our season opener takes us… right to the end. So tune in for an episode full of surprising stories that explore how we die, and what comes next.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or Tablet Magazine.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or The Times of Israel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second installment of this two-part series (and our season two finale), we pick up where we left off last week: Presenting small stories – one per decade – that took place on Israel’s Independence Day, Yom Ha’Atzmaut, and that, in some way, reflect their era. Part I, took us from 1948 to 1978. In today’s episode, which begins in 1988 and brings us all the way to the present, we encounter a Soviet ‘refusenik’ celebrating his first Yom Ha’Atzmaut in Israel; an American couple building a new West Bank settlement; Batsheva Dance Company dancers caught up in a heated culture war over tank-tops and long-johns; a controversy surrounding a tilted flag; and the four Israeli finalists in this year’s International Youth Bible Competition.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or Tablet Magazine.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or The Times of Israel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the first in a two-part series that takes us through Israel’s short but dramatic history. Over the last few months, we’ve spent many hours, in all kinds of archives, learning all we could about Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day. The result is a mosaic of stories that took place on Yom Ha’Atzmaut itself, in ten year intervals, and that in some way reflect their era.Part I will take us from 1948 to 1978: We’ll visit Israel’s first makeshift national radio studio, we’ll ride a bicycle piled high with Persian carpets, we’ll march in an extravagant military parade in Jerusalem, and finally we’ll sink some dramatic game-winning jump shots. Next week, Part II of the series will bring us all the way to the present.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or Tablet Magazine.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or The Times of Israel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Thursday, May 5th, Israelis observe Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. At 10 a.m., according to custom, an air raid will sound and the country will fall quiet for two long minutes.Silence won’t do for a podcast, so instead we bring you two stories. Act I, “B-1367,” is about an elderly father and his 53-year old son, and the inked number that binds them. In Act II, “Herr Eichmann,” we meet up with a group of men for whom Eichmann is not a symbol of Nazi evil, but a gaunt, balding prisoner for whom they were responsible, as guards and interrogators.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or Tablet Magazine.Stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or The Times of Israel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.