The Dialectics of a Special Relationship
Prof. Oz Frankel takes us inside a pivotal — and surprisingly complex — moment in Israeli history: the late 1960s and early 1970s, when Israel didn’t simply “become American”… it collided with America.
The “Egypt Within Us” Edition
We discuss: 1) The Jewish thugs attacking, hurting and terrorizing Palestinians on the West Bank and, relatedly, 2) What our exodus story needs to be this year.
The “Radio Days” Edition
Ninety years ago this week, Hebrew was heard on airwaves as the Voice of Jerusalem had its first broadcast. The feint echoes of the thing are worth listening for today.
Early Zionism’s Arabists
Historian Dr. Mostafa Hussein explores how Jewish scholars in late Ottoman and British Palestine didn’t just study the region around them — they actively engaged with Arabic language, Islamic traditions, and broader Middle Eastern culture in shaping modern Jewish thought.
The “Confounded, Unbounded & Undergrounded” Edition
We discuss: 1) What this thing with Iran is 2) Whether we’re seeing a new, more Strangelovian Prime Minister Netanyahu, and 3) What life underground in the homefront tells us about Israeli society at this strange moment
Bubbe-Meises for the Masses: A Gendered Reading of the US Yiddish Press
At the turn of the 20th century, the Yiddish press in America didn’t just report the news; they offered advice, shaped politics, and helped newcomers navigate a bewildering new society.
The “Ran’s Sheloshim” Edition
Today marks the thirtieth day since we buried Ran Gvili, the hostage who came home last. Noah explores how wars end in Israel, and what the end of this war is like for all of us going through it.
They’re Exploiting the Situation
The word נצלן is an exploiter - someone who’ll use you and dump you without giving it a second thought. This episode breaks down the word and its root נצל.
When Everybody Is LGBT, Nobody Is
Amir Naaman and Dr Ran Heilbrunn, Israeli writers based in Germany, discuss the next steps for queer theory after the impressive gains made by gay rights activism over the last few decades.
The “War is Over! (If You Ignore a Thing or Two)” Edition
We discuss: 1) The abrupt, maybe fleeting, end to the war with Iran, and what it means, 2) The “Death Penalty for Terrorists” law recently passed by the Knesset, and what it means.