Podcasts

Matan Berenbaum-Williams is Black and American by birth. Jewish by heritage. Israeli by choice. And a Zionist in his soul.

Galina Abramovich-Azoulay has a story to tell. Specifically, the story of Jewish life in the Soviet Union… and the sometimes-difficult adjustment to a new life in Israel. Along with roughly one million other Jews, Galina’s family joined the Soviet Aliyah, transforming the world’s only Jewish state.

When her shared taxi breaks down on the highway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, American college student Emily Cohen takes the opportunity to get to know her fellow passengers. And her seat mate, Alain Checroun, has a story to tell. His birthplace, Morocco, was once home to nearly 300,000 Jews. But after the creation of the state of Israel, hundreds of thousands of Moroccan Jews made their way to the world’s only Jewish state. Like all immigration stories, Alain’s is a story of resilience. Of challenges. Of triumphs. And ultimately, it’s about the joys of coming home.

When a bus breaks down off an Israeli highway and leaves its passengers stranded, Emily, American journalism student, decides to put her skills to the test…much to the chagrin of her fellow travelers. As she eventually coaxes each person to share their story, Emily uncovers the rich and complex history that every Israeli holds. Each episode is a deep dive into a new character’s world; from Morocco to Russia, all paths lead to Israel in this narrative style pod.

On the night before Shavuot, 1981, Prime Minister Menachem Begin shocked his cabinet by announcing they would be launching a surprise attack on a nuclear reactor in Iraq, known as Osirak. It was a gamble, one that the outside world, not to mention in Israel itself, most people didn’t approve of. In this episode, Noam takes us on a tour of Begin’s decision, the aftermath, and how it still impacts Israel today.

It doesn’t sound like a particularly spicy question, does it? Because the obvious answer is… “Israelis.” Case closed, next question. But in this episode, Noam breaks down why Haredim, a massive force in Israel, don’t serve. He goes through the history and asks, how does this choice impact the country?