Shop, Pray, Run
The pandemic has transformed, perhaps forever, how we experience the most banal of activities. In this episode, we hear why Miriam Herschlag keeps muttering “amen” on her evening jogs in Jerusalem, and Ann Bar-Dov's epic journey to pick up groceries in Karmiel.
The “Small Screen, Big Government” Edition
We discuss: our new and biggest gov' in history; whether broadcasting live Supreme Court hearings will add to the stature of the court, or diminish it; whether or not an Evangelical cable TV station broadcasting in Hebrew should keep its license.
A Gazillion Stuffed Eggplants
This is the second episode on the Hebrew word מלא. Derived from it is the slang word מלאנתלפים (malantalafim). What does it mean and how do we say “a stuffed eggplant”?
In God We Trust? Nationalism and Secularization Revisited
Dr Zohar Maor, co-editor of “Nationalism and Secularization,” discusses new views on the crux of political modernity, and old views revisited.
The “A Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery Inside an Enigma Tucked in a Virus” Edition
We discuss the Supreme Court’s earth-shaking verdict, why Israel is suddenly racing to undo coronavirus restrictions, and a crowdsource campaign to pay the legal fees for a British woman assaulted by Israeli young men in Cyprus
Getting Better
Noam Shuster was having her dream year at Harvard when the pandemic hit. On her way back to Israel, she contracted COVID-19. She tell the tale of her stint in a "corona hotel" where she was found a microcosm of a fractious society bound together in radical compassion by a shared cough.
“Ladies From the Bible Tell Their Tales”
The bible devotes quite a bit of space to the minds of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — we know how they feel, what makes them angry or happy. Through her poetry, Karen Alkaly-Gut gives the matriarchs a voice.
Sorry, We’re Fully Booked
In Hebrew, מלא means full, like how we feel after eating too many fries. So what does the phrase מודה בפה מלא mean? Guy discusses the root מ.ל.א
Tough Love or Tough Luck? EU and the Middle East Peace Process
Hugh Lovatt of the European Council on Foreign Relations explains the EU dilemmas regarding Israel, Palestine and an elusive peace.
The “Pandemic & Patriarchy” Edition
Who killed the Labor Party? Is art an essential need, and should artists receive priority governmental support? How might the coronavirus be a feminist issue, and is it time for “feminist civil disobedience?”
Fraught Friends: Israel and the EU, Past and Present
Israel and the EU were both founded following WWII - Israel would protect the Jews and the EU would inoculate the continent from another war. Yet their relationship with each other has been uneven. Dr. Maya Sion of Hebrew University explains why.
Back Porch Kaddish
Bill Slott brings us a personal story of a community gathering closely together while safely keeping its distance.
The “What is Israeli?” Edition
What do we need to know about the just signed coalition agreement? Do Israelis have less of a stomach for COVID-19 deaths than people in other countries? On this independence day we ask, what is Israeli?
Track Changes, Part 2
Kashua’s protagonist is a nameless “I” who shares considerable biographical overlaps with the author. His confessions are hardly reliable, making every level of his storytelling suspect, which Kashua further visually underscores by “track changes”-style crossed-out text.
Have Any Plans for the Weekend?
What are your plans for the weekend? What are your plans for next year? Planning anything? Was this planned? Guy explains the Hebrew root ת.כ.נ and how to say that something was unplanned.
Cherchez Les Femmes
Dr Rachel Mesch, professor of French and English at Yeshiva University, discusses her new book “Before Trans: Three Gender Stories from Nineteenth-Century France.”
The “Still Wandering the Desert” Edition
Are negotiation of an “emergency government” failing? Will Israel’s “Exit Strategy” committee miss important things because it lacks diversity? Does Israel’s militarist, masculinist, xenophobizing reaction to coronavirus in need of a good “queering”?
Seder Improv
This episode features true stories of neighbors finding ways out of isolation to join together, why home confinement was better during the 1st Gulf War, and of the realization that you’ve got to crack a few eggs to make an omelet.
Market Forces and Super Powers
The Hebrew word כוח means power, strength, or energy. Other than the frequently used saying, אין לי כוח, there are other words and expressions that we must cover, like “super powers,” “evil forces” and “gravity”
The Crypto-Jews of the Mid-Atlantic
Ronnie Perelis discusses his book “Narratives from the Sephardic Atlantic,” a collective biography of three Iberian crypto Jews in the late 16th and 17th centuries
The “Dialectics of Dayenu” Edition
We discuss: 1) Labor's plan to merge into Blue & White 2) why most COVID-19 victims are Ultra-Orthodox 3) whether the song Dayenu says something profound about Israeli politics
Eggs
For Miriam and her great Passover egg hunt, relief arrived from the friend next door. Ed’s Jerusalem eggspedition led him to discover that egg shortages know no borders. And Amanda, who found out that eggs were not the only item in short supply, eventually ended up with far more than she bargained for.
An Infectious Laugh and Sticky Rice
How do we say the words “contagious” and “infect” in Hebrew, and how are they related to the Hebrew word for glue?
Kol Cambridge Returns for Pesach
Escape with us on a journey through Israeli music – with no mention of current affairs – with brand new releases from the hottest Israeli artists. You will not want to pass-over this show!
Israel – Populist in Its Own Special Way
With comparative global context, Prof. Dani Filc asks how Israeli political populism differs from all others, or does it differ? What other countries share similar qualities in their own populist movements? He has surprising answers.