The Promised Podcast

Noah tells the story of one song that is also, in a way, the story of Israel itself.

In this very special episode of sustainably recycled stuff devoted to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, hear about the evolution of the great piyyut and prayer, u’netanah tokef, and hear how members of the crew make sense of the strange and beautiful holiday from their strange and beautiful perspectives. Jeremy Benstein, “The Bikes and Vibes of Yom Kippur in the first modern, Jewish city” Miriam Herschlag, “Sins for the Internet Age” Noah, “And to think that I saw it on Yom Kippur” All that and indie songs of Yom Kippur!

In this very special holiday Turducken of a podcast, we’ve stuffed into our own carcass an interview that Allison did for the Haaretz Weekly podcast with Noah and his comrade-in-politics Inbal Orpaz on why they are running for city council and what they stand for.  The tryptophan alone is reason enough to listen!

After a momentous week, after many momentous months, the Promised Podcast wishes you and yours a new year of every good thing!

Maybe no one is a better symbol of how Israel is changing (and did more to cause this change) than Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, who died at 83 in 2020.

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —It Ain’t the Economy, Stupid!— Israel may be the most expensive country in the world, and that fact has zero-zilch-nada impact on politics here. How come? —Elul, 5783— Elul is a month of soul-searching. What could we have done better, politically speaking? —Yair Netanyahu Pays the Price— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: The court orders first son Yair Netanyahu to pay 130,000 NIS in damages to a woman he defamed on Twitter. Should people have to pay cash money for their scumbaggery on social? All that and songs of Elul, to put us in the mood!

Linda Gradstein, Noah Efron, and scholar-public intellectual-podcaster Masua Sagiv discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Extremism in the Name of Moderation— Extremism in the name of moderation is no vice? —Won’t Anyone Think of the Children?!?— What’s it like to be a kid living through the tumult and angst of Israel in 2023? —Does the Road to Coexistence Run Through “Silicon Wadi”?— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: Does one road to coexistence pass through “Silicon Wadi”? All that and meat from a machine, Netta Barzilai’s Ha-Tikva, and some great new music by wunderkind Itamar Ramati!

Linda Gradstein and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Out of Dodge?— A recent poll shows that almost one in three Israelis are thinking about leaving the country. But are all these folks really about to leave? —General Malaise— What happens when the army gets political? —What to Do With Someone Like Yair Netanyahu?— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: Is Yair Netanyahu a trollish Dr. Hyde to his father’s sometimes more refined Dr. Jekyll? All that and a tenth-anniversary tribute to TLV1 and the odd, amazing music of Itay Blau, only some of which was recorded live in a cave.

Allison Kaplan Sommer and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Shikma— Does it matter that the first-among-equals leader of Israel’s biggest-ever protest movement is a woman (and a renowned particle physicist and a mother of five)? —Gal, or, Toward a Grand Unified Theory of Gal Gadot— Why is Gal Gadot, among Israelis, the most beloved Israeli since maybe Moshe Dayan? It needs to be explained, once and for all. —Thoughts on Disrupting Politicians’ Vacations— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: Protesters disrupt politicians’ vacations, scaring their kids and vowing there’ll be no R&R for the people behind the judicial reform. Is that cricket? All that and a slam poetry tribute to all things parve, and some great new music by Oren Lotenberg!

Allison Kaplan Sommer and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —National Unity?— Does the idea of tossing out of the government the far-right parties, and swapping in the center-left, makes a lick of sense? Is this even possible anymore? —Save Us from Ourselves, Joe Biden !?!— Is Israel’s left sending to DC a droid with the message: “Help us, Joe Biden. You’re our only hope”? —News Consumption Overload— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: What happened to all the news? All that and a tribute to one of Israel’s great feminist pioneers, Esther Ellam, who died this week. Plus, the punky pop (or is it poppy punk) of Yishai Berger!