Kol Cambridge’s 15th Birthday Special
Can you believe it! Kol Cambridge is celebrating 15 years of playing the best in Israeli and Jewish music with a special show full of reminiscing, special messages and of course - great music!
Falafel 101: Your Guide to Ordering Falafel in Hebrew
Ordering falafel in Israel may seem simple. But when learning Hebrew, the many different options and the barrage of short and direct questions from the seller could make the whole experience a bit stressful. Today, Guy explains how to keep calm through the mayhem of an Israeli falafel stand at lunch time.
Why Can’t America Embrace Palestine?
Khaled Elgindy writes that America's fundamental ambiguity over the Palestinian national cause has been an underlying and unappreciated factor in the failure of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations over the years, in his new book, “Blind Spot – America & the Palestinians, From Balfour to Trump.
The “Tube and Other Boobs” Edition
Do the recently united Meretz and Labor-Gesher parties actually agree about anything? What do we make of the unity agreement between 3 of the 4 right-wing parties that leaves the far-right, neo-Kahanists to run on their own? Are reality shows political activism by other means?
Ronit Matalon’s “And the Bride Closed the Door”
This podcast is dedicated to marriage—all the engaged couples with cold feet, newly married couples, and long-married couples who survived the wedding day. Marcela reads from and discusses Ronit Matalon's last book written before her death, which was awarded Israel’s prestigious Brenner Prize.
7 Tips That Will Improve Your Spoken Hebrew
Many podcast listeners have written to ask, “How can I improve my Hebrew?” So on this episode, Guy provides 7 tips that will help anyone, from those highly proficient to those just getting started, improve their spoken Hebrew.
Populism for the Popular Audience
Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser provides a comprehensive look at the elusive phenomenon of populism, spanning left to right, south to north, people to leaders, and explains why democracies are the most vulnerable to populist trends.
The “There Will Be Blood” Edition
What's all the fracas over an interview with a sociologists who says Israeli “liberals” are the least tolerant folks? Is “activist journalism” what we need in an age of “fake news”? Should HMOs be providing free tests of “ritual purity” to religious women who want it?
The Best Music of 2019
As we begin a new year, we pause to reflect on the most entertaining tunes of 2019, and look forward to another fantastic year of Israeli music.
Surely You Know What I’m Referring To
The Hebrew word הרי (harei) is a tiny elusive word used to emphasize the words that follow it. Listen to the examples Guy prepared to help explain this somewhat fancy word.
The Israeli Economy: A Report Card
Prof. Karnit Flug, former Governor of the Bank of Israel and currently Vice President for Research at the Israel Democracy Institute, analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the Israeli economy.
Zionism Explained to My Neighbor
Yossi Klein Halevy, American-Israeli writer and public intellectual, discusses his best-selling book “Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor,” an attempt to engage in Israeli-Palestinian dialogue while transcending the temptation to try to converge the conflicting narratives.
The “Pipe Dreams?” Edition
Should the Left unite before the upcoming elections? What are we to make of Palestinian President Abbas’s odd & moving decision to republish a memoir by an Iraqi-Israeli author? And an activist campaign against the new natural gas pipeline calling everyone liars?
Sara Aharoni’s “The First Mrs. Rothschild”
The novel, “The First Mrs. Rothschild,” by Sara Aharoni, tells the story of the wife of Meir Amschel Rothschild, the founder of the banking dynasty, and is written in the form of a personal journal.
It’s Chilly Outside
It’s winter time in the northern hemisphere. It is also the time we start over-using the word קר (cold) because, for us Israelis, 14-17° C (57-63° F) is cold. So to get us ready for cooler temperatures, Guy prepared warm-up exercises consisting of words and phrases from the root ק.ר.ר
How to Deal With the Oldest Hatred
Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger, a Reform rabbi at the West London Synagogue and a member of the House of Lords, discusses her book “Antisemitism: What it is. What it isn’t. Why it Matters.”
In His Image
Dr Tomer Persico, a religions scholar, currently Shalom Hartman Institute Bay Area Scholar in Residence and the Koret Visiting Assistant Professor of Jewish and Israel Studies at UC Berkeley, discusses his forthcoming book, The Image of God: The Idea that Changed the World and Judaism.
The “The Decade Surveyed” Edition
We discuss 1) the decision by the Religious Bayit ha-Yehudi party to run in these elections with the far-right Jewish Might party 2) a TV expose debunking claims that kids were kidnapped from immigrant parents in the '50s 3) the most important people, events and trends of the past decade
Kol Cambridge Chanukah Soundtrack Special
Chanukah is upon us once more! It's a show full of fantastic Chanukah music and a feature on Eden Ben Zaken’s latest album!
How to Fight Back Against Populists, Politely
Dr. Yaniv Roznai analyzes the multiple layers of damage populist leaders wreak on democracy, often attacking the constitution, yet argues that this is not a losing battle.
‘To Celebrate Independence Day Is to Make a Statement of Faith’
Rabbi Prof. Irving (Yitz) Greenberg, one of the most prominent Jewish thinkers and community leaders in Postwar America, discusses the place of Israel in his theological worldview, and the shifting characteristics of the Jewish-American experience in the 21st century.
The “Gettin’ Schooled!” Edition
We discuss 1) the Likud primaries which Bibi will almost certainly win 2) why young Israelis did so poorly on int'l standardized tests and what it says about our future 3) the decision by a Tel Aviv high school to have boys sit with boys and girls sit with girls during a meeting with visiting religious kids
Grosman’s “The Shop on Main Street”
Today we read from the story “The Shop on Main Street,” written by Ladislav Grosman, a Slovak novelist and screenwriter. It is both comical and tragic, and it asks the question—are we not our brother’s keeper? Who is our brother, anyway?
Boys and Girls! It’s Story Time
The Hebrew word סיפור means a story. Though in certain situations it could also mean a matter, a thing, or a mess. The root ס.פ.ר acts a bit funny in some of its verb formats. But no need to worry because Guy explains it all.
The “Challenging Assumptions” Edition
Is former US Ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk, right that America needs to wean itself off the dream of bringing peace to the Middle East? Do Israelis really vote by straight class-interests, proving identity politics less powerful than we think? Is it finally time to get religion out of politics?