The Promised Podcast

Times of Israel Ops & Blogs editor Miriam Herschlag, Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon —If It Please the Court— Is it time for Israeli courts to stop allowing improperly gotten evidence? A newly proposed law would outlaw "the fruit of the poisonous tree." —Gold— What do the Olympics tell folks here about what it means to be an Israeli? —Under Another Sun— What does an award-winning documentary about growing up on a kibbutz tell us about what it means to be an Israeli? —Your Only Choice Is Zionism Or Anti-Zionism. Which One Do You Choose?— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion, we discuss an essay in Tablet by Liel Liebovitz called, "Us & Them: Your only two choices are Zionism and Anti-Zionism, Pick Wisely", asking: Are those really our only two choices? Can't we be Yiddishists? Can't we be Vegans or Kantians or Olivia Rodrigo fans? All that and Yoni Poliker!

Times of Israel Ops & Blogs editor Miriam Herschlag, Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Listen to the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon —Growing Pains— Israel's new government says, let "the market" decide who grows what where. Is it time to let the "Invisible Hand" till our soil? —Keeping Kosher— Israel's new government says, let a thousand hekhshers (Kosher certifications) bloom. Who stands to gain and who stands to lose? —Thought for Food— Tel Aviv's beautiful new "Culinary Institute of Israel" is attacked for cultural appropriation and "food-washing". Is it possible to make a meal without a side of politics? —Why Is Vaccinating Kids at School Controversial?— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion, we discuss why Israel's Education Ministry refuses to vax kids in school. Do they have a point? All that and the genius originality of Bar Tzabari.

Times of Israel Ops & Blogs editor Miriam Herschlag, Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Listen to the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon —Keeping Tabs— An Israeli company leases super spy software to allies who use it to surveil journalists and activists. Has Realpolitik gotten too real? —Apartheid & Our Trip Ahead— One in four American Jews think Israel is an apartheid state, and one in five that it's committing genocide. What family doesn't have its ups and downs? —Ben! Jerry! How Could You, Bros?!?— Ben & Jerry's freezes out settlers, and things get hot. —Making Sense of the Brouhaha Over Remarks by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion, we try to make sense of the brouhaha over remarks by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid at the "Global Forum For Combating Antisemitism", suggesting that anti-Semitism is racism is homophobia is xenophobia is sexism. What's so controversial about that? All that and the music of Shay Hamber, who we fell in love with when she was 13, nine years ago, on a kids' reality music show, and who we're falling in love with all over again today, on an adults' reality music show!

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon —Face the Nation-State— Israel's Supreme Court votes 10 to 1 to let the controversial "Nation-State Law" stay on the books. Could both the 10 and the 1 be right at the same time? —Sins of the Fathers— Toddler's whose fathers study full-time in Yeshivas just lost their day-care subsidies. Should tots suffer because dads don't work? —Is a Dream a Lie if It Don't Come True, or Is It Somethin' Worse— Ten years ago this week, Israel was rocked by the biggest protests in the country's history. Did they make any difference? —The State of Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Migrant Workers in Israel— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion, we talk with Julie Fisher, the founder and director of the Consortium for Israel & the Asylum Seekers, about the state of asylum seekers, refugees and migrant workers in the age of Corona, in Tel Aviv, and Israel in general. All that and the strange and uncategorizable charm of Onili!

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. —Unsettling— Settlers peaceably evacuate a wildcat West-Bank outpost in a compromise that may lead, someday, to their return. What does the compromise say about Israel's new government? —All President and Accounted For— Reuven Rivlin was Israel's president for seven stormy years. What is his legacy? —Bi-Sockuals— A shocking and controversial ruling about Hebrew grammar by the Academy for the Hebrew Language. But are they the boss of us? All that and the uncategorizable genius of Masok!

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron, and Times of Israel Ops & Blogs editor Miriam Herschlag discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Listen to the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/posts/53164847 —Mistakes Were Made, Uncle Sam— Can Israel's new government "reset" relations with the U.S.? —My Grandfather, the Zionist— A grandson looks at his Zionist late-grandfather and wonders how he missed all that is wrong about Israel. But is the grandson missing something, too? —Dudu, I Have a Feeling We're Not in Kfar Saba Anymore— An Israeli goes to explore the strange worlds of American Jews, like Alice in Wonderland, Gulliver in Lilliput, and Dorothy in Oz. But does he learn say more about Israel than it does about the United States? —The Un-Jews— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion, we grapple with a challenging recent article in Tablet Magazine by luminaries Natan Sharansky and Gil Troy, called "The Un-Jews: The Jewish Attempt to Cancel Israel and Jewish Peoplehood." All that and new music by Dudu Aharon, one of the best things ever to come from Kiryat Ekron!

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Listen to the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/posts/52877485 —My Way or Norway?— The "Norwegian Law" lets ministers resign from the Knesset and get replaced by party cronies. Is that corrupt cronyism, or just good government? —Deunification by Reunification— Only a week passed before Israel's new government came up against a controversy that threatens to blow it apart, over whether Palestinians who marry Israeli citizens should automatically get citizenship. What should MKs do when politics demands something their conscience cannot allow? —A Brook of One's Own?— The Parks Authority wants to set aside times when brooks, streams, rivers and lakes are open only to women bathers, or only to men bathers. But is that cool? —Delta, "Keep Climbing"?— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion, we gulp and ask, how freaked-the-f*ck out should we be over rising COVID numbers, including among fully vaccinated folks. All that and new music by Itai Toren, the 22 year old son of one of Israel's best rocker-songwriters!

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Sally Abed and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Listen to the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on https://www.patreon.com/posts/52610627 —"A Coalition Exposition"— Eight documents tell us tons about what Israel's new government plans to do, and plans not to do, and also about the exquisite tensions knitted into the fabric of this right-center-left/Jewish-Arab/religious-secular/straight-and-queer/feminist-and-not-so-feminist coalition. —Bye Bye Bibi Bye Bye— Benjamin Netanyahu dominated Israeli politics for a dozen years. What legacy did he leave? —The Bare Necessities of the Naked Truth— Why are so many Israelis squeamish about nudity? —All Bets Placed?— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion, we place bets on how long Israel's new government is gonna last. Plus, a celebration of Alon Tal, on his journey from the Promised Podcast to the Knesset! All that and the fresh-from-the-barricades music of the Barak Cohen Band!

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Ohad Zeltzer-Zubida and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Listen to the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/promisedpodcast —"Who Are You, Naftali Bennett?"— Is Israel's incipient prime minister, Naftali Bennett, the hard-line ideologue that most people take him to be? —No Place Like Home?— Must the Prime Minister's family live in the official Prime Minister's residence, even if they'd rather stay in their villa in Ra'anana, not far from Allison? —Who Let the Dogs In?— What explains Israel's canine-mania? —So We Dropped-in on the New Clubhouse App, And…— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion, after we spent hours on the drop-in audio social media app "Clubhouse," listening to Palestinians and Israelis try to talk, we try to get out of fetal position long enough to describe what we heard. All that and the moving new record from 75-year-old Shalom Hanoch!

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Listen to the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon —"I Have Been Able to Form a Government!"— Just before the deadline passes, Israel has maybe the oddest government in the country's history, including a coalition of 8 very different parties, some from the pretty far right, some from the pretty far left, including one an Islamist party. What's it mean and what's it augur? —President & Accounted For— Yitzhak "Bugzhi" Herzog, one-time leader of the labor party, and son of Israel's sixth President, Chaim Herzog, was just overwhelmingly elected by the Knesset this week to serve as Israel's eleventh President. Herzog is a consummate insider, the elite son of an elite son of an elite son, and his opponent was a poor immigrant from Morocco who suffered inspeakably over the course of her life, and rose to be one of the country's most revered figures. Is Herzog the right person at the right time for this job? —Ripping Point?— Why so many young Jewish-American progressives are saying (sadly) they're done suffering for the sins of a Jewish state that makes no sense to them anymore. —"Israel's Problems Are Not Like America's"— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion, we talk about a new, viral article in the Atlantic by one of our faves, Matti Friedman, called "Israel's Problems are Not Like America's." Do Americans (and especially American Jews) have an Ari Ben-Canaan problem? (And who the hell is Ari Ben-Canaan, anyway?) All that and fun with The White Trash!