We discuss 1) whether calling the flaming kites from Gaza “terror kites” distorts and cheapens the word “terror”, 2) the controversy over a musical featuring songs by Eyal Golan, accused of having consensual sex with underaged girls, and 3) whether we need “secular politics” that advance a “secular agenda” in Israel’s upcoming local elections.
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We discuss 1) a plan to annex some settlement blocks and freeze others in West Bank as a unilateral step towards accommodation with the Palestinians 2) the Argentinian National Football team’s decision not to come play a match against Israel, and 3) Michael Chabon’s commencement address arguing in favor of intermarriage and against Zionism.
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We discuss 1) a poll finding that Israelis think our gov shouldn’t care what American Jews think we should do, 2) a parody of Israel’s Eurovision-winning song that smells like anti-semitism, and 3) Lockheed-Martin’s philanthropic decision to open high-techy kindergartens in Jerusalem.
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We discuss 1) why Israelis favor 2-4 political parties instead of 11 in today’s Knesset, 2) whether we are sorting ourselves according to political beliefs, and 3) why the promotion of a gay IDF officer to Major-General is a cause for concern to some radical LGBTQ activists.
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We discuss 1) the clashes at the Gaza Border, in which IDF soldiers killed 61 Palestinians, while the new American Embassy was being dedicated in Jerusalem, 2) Jerusalem’s decision to ban a right-wing billboard for incitement, even as Tel Aviv-Jaffa allowed the billboards to dapple the city, and 3) why so many leftists responded to Netta Barzilai’s Eurovision song contest victory with mirthless bah-humbug-itude.
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We discuss (1) our thoughts, fears, hopes, and worries that stem from the US leaving the nuclear deal and the military escalation in Northern Israel, (2) whether the Rabbinic Courts Bill is as risible as critics make it seem, despite its goal of ameliorating the suffering of thousands of women, and (3) our take on ‘tiyul’ culture.
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We discuss (1) the great divide between those who think that Israelis have it in our power to bring peace and those fatalists who think, in the end, it just ain’t up to us, (2) the assertion of three leading industrialists that it’s time to put “Israel First,” and (3) the controversial decision of a museum to cover up the evolution exhibits when Ultra-Orthodox kids come to visit.
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We discuss: 1) the ways today’s Israel is a product of Benjamin Netanyahu, and Benjamin Netanyahu the product of Israel, 2) whether Israel’s old Labor elite should be lionized nostalgically or instead consigned to the dustbin of history, and 3) our worry surrounding L’Affaire de Portman.
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We discuss: 1) whether seeing IDF soldiers as “our kids” cloud our moral judgment? 2) a new exhibit of painting portray Sefardi men as oppressors of Russian immigrants. Is it racist? 3) on the occasion of our 70th anniversary, a round-robin of the top 70 reasons we love this place!
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We discuss: 1) Israel’s response to the “Great March of Return,” 2) a campaign persuading folks not to swap seats with ultra-Orthodox passengers on flights, and 3) a proposal to erect huge Stars of David across Israel.
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