The Desert: A Cultural History
Yael Zerubavel, Professor Emerita of Jewish Studies and History at Rutgers University, discusses her new book “Desert, Island, Wall: Symbolic Landscapes and the Politics of Space in Israeli Culture”
The “Serene & Calm” Edition
We discuss: 1) When and whether “targeted killing” (aka, assassination) is o.k. 2) Whether or not we are facing the threats from Iran and Lebanon with a sufficiently stiff upper lip
The Rise of Israeli Diaspora
Dr. Jonathan Grossman explores Israel's evolving attitude and discourse toward Israeli emigrants, shifting from viewing them as selfish deserters to embracing them as loyal partners, fostering a legitimate and valuable diaspora community abroad
The “Northern Fights” Edition
We discuss: 1) The awful, heartbreaking attack on Majdal Shams, and whether it will lead to all-out war 2) What the tragedy tells us about the identity and place of Druze folks here in Israel
The Olympics Are Here!
The Paris 2024 Olympics are here! What Hebrew words and phrases must we know in order to understand the broadcasts and fully enjoy the games? The hardest of them might just be טניס שולחן. Stam!
Human Rights in Troubled Times: How Much Individualism Do We Need?
Anne Rethmann examines post-1945 human rights discourses, highlighting the concept of justice by the Austrian-Jewish lawyer Franz Bienenfeld. Comparing it with T. W. Adorno's notion of maturity, she emphasizes the significance of dignity within the framework of human rights
Your Israeli Soundtrack for July 2024
On this episode, DJ Antithesis is back with more music making the airwaves here in our little corner of the Middle-East
The “Making It About Us” Edition
We discuss: 1) Netanyahu’s speech to a joint session of the US Congress and what it was and was not 2) Who is Kamala Harris, and if she becomes president, what will it mean for, well, us?
Are You a Real Estate Agent?
The Hebrew word מתווך means a real estate agent. Some people really really dislike מתווכים. Let’s learn why.
Jewish Nationalism, Sovereignty, and International Law
Prof. Rotem Giladi discusses his book “Jews, Sovereignty, and International Law: Ideology and Ambivalence in Early Israeli Legal Diplomacy” (Oxford 2021), which explores the role of ideology in shaping Israel’s early attitudes towards international law
The “The Valley of the Shadow of Deif” Edition
We discuss: 1) the likely impacts of the likely assassination of Mohammad Deif, a man personally responsible for thousands of Israeli deaths 2) a new TikTok trend of videos of the everyday life of Gazans during the war, and what Israelis can learn from them
The “Time Is on His Side?” Edition
We discuss: 1) Netanyahu’s big interview in Time Magazine, and what we learn from it about him and about us 2) The surprising rise of Netanyahu’s standing in polls, even though this has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year