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 “‘We Did Nothing Special’: Remembering Uri Lupolianski” Edition
Uri Lupolianski was the first ultra-Orthodox mayor of Jerusalem, and he was convicted of corruption. A week after his death, Noah says that he was also a reflection of all of us, at our imperfect best.
Early Retirement
The word פרישה means retirement, and these days פרישה המוקדמת is on everyone's mind. Guy explains פרישה and other words from its root פרש.
The Beginning of the End of Israeli Democracy
For Michael Sfard, one of Israel's most prominent human rights lawyers, the government's anti-democratic proposals, collectively known as the "judicial overhaul", are a culmination of the decades-long occupation of the Palestinians
The Ottoman World of Sports
Dr. Murat Yildiz, a historian of the Middle East at Skidmore College, discusses his book, "The Ottoman World of Sports: Refashioning Bodies, Men and Communities in Late Imperial Istanbul"
The “Candles in the Wind and Candles in the Window” Edition
We discuss: 1) What to make about Bondi Beach and the many, many violent things around the world that maybe led up to it 2) What does Hanukkah mean in 2025?
It’s a Serious Leak
From leaking documents to a leaky faucet at home, the root דלפ is an interesting one, and from which we get the Hebrew word for whistleblower.
The “Aftermaths” Edition
We discuss: 1) whether we are headed towards what some experts call a "mental health tsunami" 2) Kibbutz Be'eri's decision not to preserve the wrecked houses where almost a hundred of their loved ones were murdered
A Tragedy of Miscalculations
Robert Malley, a former US negotiator and president and CEO of the International Crisis Group, discusses his book, "Tomorrow is Yesterday: Life, Death and the Pursuit of Peace in Israel/Palestine"
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.