“The Young and the Feckless” Edition
We discuss 1) why Israeli young people are more right wing than their elders 2) Peter Beinart’s conclusion that the lesson of the last election is that the time has come to make Israelis suffer for our sins 3) what Exodus story we plan to tell our kids this Passover
Your Israeli Soundtrack for Pesach 2019
This special holiday episode of Kol Cambridge features Pesach themed songs, together with brand new music releases. This week, new tunes from Eyal Golan, Lior Narkis, Stephane Legar, and more!
Robert Alter’s Bible: Like Two Worlds at Once
Robert Alter’s historic one-man translation of the entire Hebrew Bible is like two worlds at once, the heavens and the earth, with the translation above and the commentary below. One can spend a lifetime in either of these worlds.
Setting a Good Example
In Hebrew dugma (דוגמה) is “an example,” and ledugma (לדוגמה) means “for example.” This root, d-g-m, is quite handy and from it we derive words and phrases like fashion model, sample, and the perfect husband.
To Fight and Die for Someone Else’s Country
Dr Nir Arielli, Associate Professor of International History at the University of Leeds, discusses his book “From Byron To Bin Laden: A History of Foreign War Volunteers.”
The “Deep Breath” Edition
We discuss 1) the election results and what they mean 2) whether it's time to consider the sane-ish right and the center joining forces to form a gov without the most extreme of the extremists 3) as we on the left lose election after election, how are we supposed to keep getting out of bed in the morning?
“I Am the Daughter of Lot”
The poetry of Bracha Serri is intertextual, not only for its Biblical references, but for its dialogue with Yemenite culture, feminism, politics, and religion. She often adopts the first person voice of a Yemeni woman, crushed between an oppressive patriarchal background and the discriminatory nature of her everyday life.
High Heels and Social Media Followers
How many followers (עוקבים) do you have on Facebook? What about Instoosh? Twitter? And what do high heels (עקבים) have to do with social networks? Well, not much except that they share a common Hebrew root. Follow closely as Guy talks about followers, following, follow up, and so much more.
L’Etat C’Est Moi: The Personalization of Politics in Israel
In Israel, people vote for a party rather than a candidate. But over the years, there's been a shift towards the personalization of politics. Why have our elections become a competition among single personalities rather than a confrontation among different parties and ideas?
The “Bullets, Ballots and Breastbeating” Edition
We discuss 1) our near-stumble into war and whether the upcoming elections affected Bibi’s response 2) what we make of the election campaign that has so many of us scratching our heads 3) an angry essay by an Israeli poet, listing all he is ashamed of here
This Week’s Israeli Soundtrack
Brand new music releases from Omer Adam, Miri Mesika, and a cool collaboration between Infected Mushroom, A-WA and, Tuna. Put on a pair of headphones and click play!
The Poetry of Ayman Agbaria
Several of Agbaria's poems, written in Arabic, have been translated into Hebrew, and have been well received. Among the themes found in his poetry are the extreme alienation from the self that of living as a religious and linguistic minority in Israel can produce.
Tell Me Sweet Little Lies
We're getting ever closer to elections day in Israel. Over the past few weeks, every time we turned on the news we heard politicians calling one another a liar. How do we say “liar” in Hebrew? How do we say “white lies?” Guy tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about the root “sheker” (ש.ק.ר).
Masked and Unmasked
This episode features true stories from Israel on the theme “Masked and Unmasked,” as told by Eve Lifson, Milton Roller, Alison Bender Kellner, Sophie Jabès, Noah Efron, and Zeev Engelmayer.
What Do Haredi Voters Really Want?
How did the influence and power of ultra-Orthodox parties shaped Israel’s political life? Gilad Malach, director of the ultra-Orthodox in Israel program at the Israel Democracy Institute offers his take.
The “Crossing Lines” Edition
We discuss 1) Trump’s proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan 2) A video by Bernie Sanders applauding his opposition to the “apartheid-like conditions in Palestine” 3) The Gesher Party, which may be king-makers after the votes are counted in these elections.
“The Orange Exploded in My Hand”
Today we commemorate the life of Ella Bat Tsion, who passed away one month ago. We begin the episode with the poem “I waited with Endless Patience.”
Covering the Conflict from Washington
In this special panel discussion recorded in Wash., DC, Gilad Halpern and Ori Nir speak to Amir Tibon and Said Arikat about covering consecutive US administrations, journalism in the age of social media, and the role of diaspora groups in setting the dynamic of the Israeli-Palestinian-American love-hate triangle over the years.
Let’s Talk About Our Feelings
It's time we talk about our emotions, our feelings. On this episode, Guy sets aside his feelings to talk about the Hebrew root r-g-sh.
The Hackers Are Coming, the Hackers Are Coming
Iran apparently hacked the cellphone of Benny Gantz, Netanyahu's main challenger in the upcoming elections. Eli Bahar, former legal adviser to Shin Bet, and Ron Shamir, the former head of the tech division at Shin Bet, discuss the danger posed by potential cyber attacks on Israeli democracy.
The “Château Latour” Edition
We discuss 1) why the Labor Party is defaming centrist Blue & White Party as stooges of the right 2) whether a key to understand Israel today is to see that it is increasingly a “post-Secular” society 3) a new project to build a cable-car connecting Jewish West Jerusalem with the Wailing Wall
Your Israeli Soundtrack for Purim 2019
Joined by a special in-studio guest, we take a look back at some Israeli classics and then gear up for Purim celebrations!
King Ahasuerus and the Persian Court
This Purim, we turn to Robert Alter’s excellent new translation, “Strong as Death Is Love: The Song of Songs, Ruth, Esther, Jonah, and Daniel.” Alter writes that the Book of Esther, unlike any other book of the Bible, seems to have been written primarily for entertainment.
Pulling It All Together
The Hebrew root מ.ש.כ (mashach) pulls together seemingly unrelated matters like gravity, ATMs, and the act of stalling for time. Mashach is highly resourceful and provides plenty of interesting uses and meanings. As always, Guy provides some serious slang insight.
Outsiders United: Blacks, Jews and the American Experience
Dr Jonathan Karp, Associate Professor of History and Judaic Studies at Binghamton University, discusses the crossover between Jewish-American and African-American cultural, economic and intellectual histories.