The Arab King and the American Republic
In his most recent book, Aaron Magid explores the fascinating story of Jordan’s King Abdullah II: a monarch shaped by American culture, dependent on American support, yet ruling one of the region’s most fragile and strategically vital countries.
The “School Daze” Edition
We discuss: 1) How the war with Iran quickened a surprisingly close strategic relationship between Israel and the UAE 2) How Israel is seen on college campuses, from the quad to the student union to the seminar room to the faculty lounge.
The “This Feeling is Called Hope” Edition
We discuss: 1) President Herzog’s split-the-baby reply to PM Netanyahu’s request for a pardon 2) The announcement that former PM Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid will run together in the upcoming elections, and whether the whole they make is bigger or smaller than the sum of its parts.
A Nightmare on Herzl Street
A generation raised on VHS, torrents, and global cinema reinvented horror in Israel—turning familiar tropes into sharp, funny, and deeply local cultural critique. As Prof. Olga Gershenson explains, Israeli horror is anything but escapist—it’s subversive, original, and long overdue.
The “Men & Gods” Edition
We discuss: 1) The imposed cease-fires and whether Israelis ought to worry we’re becoming a vassal state 2) What explains why an IDF soldier took a sledgehammer to a statue of Jesus in a yard in a village in Lebanon.
The “Bombs and Balms” Edition
We discuss: 1) Whether or not war has become the norm for Israel rather than a deliberate strategy 2) Why Israelis remain among the happiest people in the world, even after October 7th
You the Landlord or the Tenant?
Oftentimes, Israelis mix up the Hebrew words משכיר and שוכר. It's the difference between "renting" an apartment and "renting out" an apartment. It's a common mistake that you don't have to make!
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.
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 “Paths to Perdition” Edition
We discuss: 1) The controversial opinion piece in the Times suggesting that Israeli guards and soldiers sexually assault Palestinian prisoners 2) Why Jerusalem Day has become an almost sectarian holiday for religious Zionists.