Omer Bartov on Israel, Zionism, and the Reckoning with History
Can a country confront its past without putting its founding ideals into question? Historian Omer Bartov reflects on how Israel’s understanding of the Holocaust has changed, how the events of October 7 and the war in Gaza transformed his own thinking, and why he believes the country must confront difficult truths about its past.
The “The Case for Netanyahu” Edition
We discuss: 1) Why, despite all the hardships and miseries of the past three years, Netanyahu is still a viable candidate for PM 2) What the hell are these elections about again?
The “Denominators, Common & Otherwise, are Hard!” Edition
We discuss: 1) The so-called “Statement of Principles” signed this week by the leaders of the “Parties of Repair & Hope”, and why it left us so-called “unimpressed” 2) How schools ought to mark the third anniversary of Oct. 7th.
All Together Now
The word יחד means together. This root has many useful words you should know: singular, unique, individual and more.
Theorizing Israel/Palestine
A Palestinian political and legal philosopher explores political theory, citizenship, competing Israeli and Palestinian historical narratives, and the challenges of translating between Palestinian demands and Jewish Israeli fears.
The “Fruit of the Beautiful Tree” Edition
In a very special episode in celebration of the holiday of Sukkot, Noah goes on about the etrog, its complicated past, and the hope it holds for the futures of all of us.
The “Screenings” Edition
We discuss: 1) Why so many Jewish-Israeli politicians and parties rule out joining a coalition with Palestinian-Israeli politicians and parties 2) The eventful week in Israeli cinema.
The “New Beginnings & Grisly Ends” Edition
We discuss: 1) The weird party mergers and odd-couples running together for Knesset in the upcoming elections 2) The “Nili force”, started after Oct. 7, dedicated to capturing or killing every last one of the 5,000-odd Gazans who poured over the border on that day.
The “Two Years of Mourning Hersh” Edition
Two years ago, this week, Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin and Libi & Orly Goldberg-Polin buried their son and brother Hersh. The rest of us did, too. In this episode, we hear Rachel Goldberg-Polin during those 328 days when Hersh was in those tunnels alive, until he wasn’t.
Once and for All
The word אחד means one. From its root we also get the words for homogeneous and unity. Oh, and you should definitely know what אחד פלוס אחד means.
The “Generis, sure, but Sui?” Edition
We discuss: 1) Whether or not the upcoming elections are the most consequential in the country’s history 2) How a small, new right-wing party might dash the hope that lots of us have for a better future after the elections.