Prelude to a Nation
Prof. Ruth HaCohen-Pinczower, co-author of “Singing Freedom: The Interplay between Music and Politics in the West,” discusses the power of music as well as power and music.
The “My Temple Was Destroyed & All I Got Was This Lousy Podcast” Edition
Are the demonstrators in front of the PM’s home a new political class? Is our next PM a dyspeptic 76-year-old named Ron? How do you solve a problem like the Eretz Israel Museum?
Meir Shalev’s “My Wild Garden”
Meir Shalev's “My Wild Garden. Notes from a Writer’s Eden,” is a beautiful book, from the size and shape of the hardcopy, to the feel of the paper. Even the font type is notable. The watercolor illustrations subtly draw out the descriptions, rather than compete with them.
My Condolences To You And Your Family
In Hebrew, נחמה means consolation, comfort. It’s also a woman’s name. The difference comes down to pronunciation. Today Guy explains how to give your condolences and how to jokingly comfort a friend who was delivered a cold pizza.
Israel And The Family Of Nations
After decades of diplomacy, Oded Eran, former Amb. to the EU and Jordan, provides a comprehensive checkup of Israeli foreign policy, and considers what impact annexation will have on Israel's standing in the world
The “Reflections on the Revolution in Jerusalem” Edition
What happens now that trust in our leaders has eroded and each night brings new scenes of police water-cannoning protestors? What's the legacy of the “withdrawal to end all withdrawals” that took place 15 years ago?
Your Israeli Soundtrack for July
An incredible show to get you in a fantastic summer mood. New releases from Static & Ben-el, Omer Adam, Eden Ben Zaken, Stephane Legar, and Itai Levi. But the cherry on top is a massive Kol Cambridge exclusive.
The History, Memory And Myth Of The Kishinev Pogrom
The Kishinev Pogrom was among the seminal events of modern Jewish history. It shaped Jewish identity, from the early Zionist national narrative to Jewish American social activism. Prof. Steven Zipperstein examines the history, memory and myth of the violence.
The “What Are We Fightin’ For?” Edition
As demonstrations grow, what should Netanyahu do about Israel’s economic crisis? What’s wrong with judging judges? And is it okay for a kibbutz to bar folks from visiting the banks of a river that winds through its grounds?
Miri Ben-Simhon’s “The Absolute Reader”
The literary critic Yitzhak Laor once noted about Ben-Simhon’s work and perspective, that “In the literary arena at the beginning of the 1980s, it took a lot of courage – not to speak about Mizrahim, but as one.”
Did You Just Cancel on Me?
For the first time in its history, the Eurovision Song Contest was cancelled, all because the Coronavirus. How do we say “to cancel” in Hebrew, in the present? How about in the past? And what army radio comm talk breached the divide and made its way to civilian slang?
How New Conspiracy Theorists Undermine Democracy
A rival politician might be running child prostitutes from a pizzeria. Election results you dislike are rigged. In their new book “A Lot of People are Saying,” Professors Nancy Rosenblum and Russell Muirhead argue that new conspiracists in Donald Trump's America have no evidence and no argument - in essence, no theory at all.
The “From COVID Heroes to COVID Zeros” Edition
How did Israel go from one of the best to one of the worst at keeping COVID at bay? What does Israel’s newest mega-hit TV series tell us about how Israelis see Persian politics and culture? What can we learn from Peter Beinart’s new essays?
300th Episode Special! Hebrew Bloopers From Around the World
Join us in celebrating our 300th episode with the best פספוסים, bloopers, by Hebrew learners around the world.
Can We Inoculate Democracy From Populism?
Prof. Jan Werner Muller considers "militant democracy," when constitutions protect countries from populist injury, Christian democracy, conservatives and populism, and how communities of democratic countries can deal with members who stray.
The “A Time to Build Up, A Time to Break Down” Edition
Will a smaller annexation sidestep the worst consequences? Are there memorials and statues here that should be torn down? Why ’o why should an army have a broadcast studio?
Shimon Adaf’s “Aviva-No”
Marcela examines “Aviva-No,” Shimon Adaf’s wrenching and linguistically innovative elegy to his sister, who died at the age of 43. It won the 2010 Yehuda Amichai Prize.
It Is a Sighted Man’s World
Dr Gili Hammer, anthropologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, discusses her book exploring how visually impaired Israeli women grasp and perform the interface between blindness and gender.
Lost in Translation
This episode features true stories on the theme “Lost in Translation,” as told by Nancy Cahners, Sarah Goldberg, Jacqui Mautner, Benji Lovitt, Milton Roller, Miriam Herschlag, and Elana Dorfman.
The “We All Wanna Change the World” Edition
Why are many LGBTQA folks hating on a new documentary that's about them? Why are 8 female teenagers living alone, on a hill in the foothills of Samaria, without running water & electricity? What's behind the ultra-Orthodox plan to make weddings smaller & cheaper?
Workers Needed!
When job hunting, the Hebrew word דרושים, wanted, is what you'll find written on job ads. Guy also talks about a slang term that, well, doesn't hold anything back. A real hitter, one could say.
Martin Buber: A Beautiful Mind?
In a new biography, Paul Mendes-Flohr explores the journey of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, from his early years as a polyglot cosmopolitan intellectual under the waning Habsburg empire, to a voice of political dissent in the new state of Israel.
The “Making & Breaking History” Edition
Are diaspora Jews “revolting” against Bibi’s planned annexation? Is a cemetery that stopped being a cemetery more than 100 years ago still a cemetery? Has the time come to focus on the Haganah's darkest deeds?
Kol Cambridge’s 10 Year Aliyahversary Special
Host Samuel Green, aka DJ Antithesis, reminisces on the songs that impacted him over his ten years in Israel.
Last Boarding Call for Flight #303 to Hebrewville
In this episode, Guy covers the different words and meanings derived from the root ק.ר.א, like how to say, “Call an ambulance”, “Let’s call a spade a spade,” and perhaps the most useful sentence of all, “Let me read to you the text he sent me.”