The Promised Podcast

In this very special, collectors' edition of the Promised Podcast, we rebroadcast a conversation with one of our favorite writers, the brilliant and enchanting magical-realist writer Etgar Keret, soon after the publication of his 2015 memoir, The Seven Good Years. The interview was done by the wonderful Ilene Prusher, long-time fill-in Promised Podcast panelist, and one-time TLV1 program director. We also speculate, with Allison, Noah, and The Tel Aviv Review's Gilad Halpern, about what six items we would each send up in a Voyager-Spacecraft sort of time capsule, to teach eager aliens everything they need to know about Earth's only Jewish State. Etgar Keret, on life, literature and low expectations Etgar Keret on life, literature, longing and lowering expectations. Israel, Encapsulated What six items should we pack into a Voyager-Spacecraft sort of time-capsule, to teach eager aliens all they need to know about Earth's only Jewish State. (And, no, BDS has not yet reached the outer atmosphere.) Music Shahar Saul, the 24 year old Tel Aviv rapper who says that his goal is to conquer Israel with his music, then America, then the world: He just might succeed! "Bachur Shechunah" by Shahar Saul, along with Tzagai Boy and Avi Hailu "Instagram", by Shahar Saul with Tzukush "Mesiba Shehora" by Shahar Saul, with Tzukush

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron, and Gilad Halpern discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. "A New Chapter in the Sad Book of Our Lives": The Oslo Accords at 25 25 years ago this week, Yitzhak Rabin, Yassir Arafat and Bill Clinton gathered on the White House Lawn and made us believe that maybe a century of Palestinian-Jewish enmity was ending. What do we make of that unfulfilled hope, a quarter of a century later? Let them play X-Box!, or, The End of the People's Army? The IDF plans to draft some for eight years, others for one year, others not at all: Is it finally really time to stick a fork in the notion of a "People's Army"? The Hebrew Innoversity The Hebrew University makes all students – physicists, poets and philosophers – take a course on "entrepreneurship and innovation," so students will find their way in a gig-economy in a high-tech nation. Is the notion of learning-for-its-own-sake dying before our eyes? Extra Segment: Does the Israeli Left Need to Fight for Its Own Truth? For our most spectacularly generous patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra segment, we will discuss an essay in Haaretz called, "Israel's Opposition Needs Sincere Leaders", by one-time Labor-lion Uzi Baram, a minister throughout Rabin's second run as Prime Minister, who argues that "the great mistake of the camp opposing the right is that it hasn't clearly demarcated the 'good' and 'bad' players, and hasn't fought for its own truth." Does he have a point? Music Orphaned Land, whose video "Like Orpheus" just won the 2018 Progressive Music Award for Video of the Year, at the world-famous Globe Theatre in London, and whom an online petition nominates for a Nobel Peace Prize! The Cave Yedidi A'Salk El Meyod Na'ala

In an inspiring demonstration of environmental consciousness, this week the Promised Podcast mixes new discussions with gently repurposed discussions from our archives, producing an episode with the vintage grace of a fine wine and the bracing freshness of just-squeezed orange juice. The G Word A while back, in honor of the High Holidays, Haaretz polled all 120 Members of the Knesset, asking each of them whether or not they believe in God, and found, as one journalist later put it, mostly sycophancy and cowardice. But do we want and need to know whether or not our politicians believe in god, and what can we learn from the answers they gave us when asked if they did? You Can't Go Home Again The brilliant novelist, non-fiction impresario Ayelet Waldman returns to Israel (where she was born, and where she once considered spending her life) after many years away, and this inspires each of us to try to see the country afresh through her eyes, and ask how have things changed as we have been raising families, pursuing careers and made our different ways in the world. For the Sins As every year on Yom Kippur, Jews chant the "Al Heyt" prayer, for me one of the most affecting and beautiful of all that days very affecting and meaningful prayers. It is a list of sins that we have committed over the previous year, categorized in various ways, together mapping a rich ontology of iniquity. We search our souls and ask ourselves what our greatest political sins have been over the past year, on the Left, maybe in the country, maybe as individuals. Music Shuli Rand, off his brand-new record, Ratzoh va-Shov. HaHaklaim Avadim Etz va-Pri (beginning at 00:00:34) Da' B'ni Ahuvi

Don Futterman, Noah Efron, and roving freelance journalist Naomi Zeveloff discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Send These, the Homeless, Tempest-Tost, the Bill! Trump says to the UN that America won't pay anymore for food, medicine, schools or homes for Palestinian refugees. PM Netanyahu says, yahoo, but most every other Israeli responds with quiet anxiety. Home is Where the Homework Is The number of homeschooled Israeli kids increases 1,150% in ten years. What the hell is going on? 5778 As a new year begins, we ask, What were the most important people and events of the tired, waning year limping to a close? Extra Segment: What Can American Rabbis Say About Israel This Rosh Hashanah For our primo Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra segment, we discuss an intriguing essay in Haaretz called, "What on Earth Can American Rabbis Say about Israel this Rosh Hashana?", by the singular Rav. Eric Yoffie , onetime President of the Union for Reform Judaism in America. With him we wonder, well, what on earth can a rabbi tell his flock about this stiff-necked people in this beautiful and troubled land? Music Galatz Songs of the year, 5774-5777 (As we impatiently await the song of the year for 5778!) 5774: Shlomi Shaban and Chava Alberstein - Targil be-Hit'orrerut 5775: Nadav Guedj - Golden Boy 5776: Hanan Ben Ari - Tutim 5777: Nechi Nech - Kol ha-Zman ha-Zeh

Don Futterman, Allison Kaplan Sommer, and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Just the Vax Should it be illegal for kids in Israel to go to school, if they haven't gotten their vaccines? The Great, Digital Sort Rich Israelis surf real estate sites, poor ones gamble on-line – Is the internet tearing Israeli society apart? Symbolic Justice Is it weird to pardon 70 convicts in honor of Israel's 70th year? Extra Segment: Bursting Bibi-Haters' Bubble For our primo Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra segment, we discuss an intriguing essay in Haaretz arguing that we're all thinking all wrong about Prime Minister Netanyahu's opulent ways while travelling. Should give the guy a break when he orders the best wine to his room to wind down after a long day of diplomacizing? Music Mayonesa, off their debut album, Everything, that came out just this week. Beer Had I Walked Home, Again Suddenly Something

Chair of Tel Aviv University's Dept. of Public Policy Alon Tal, Allison Kaplan Sommer, and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Avoidably Detained The Shabak holds up journalist Peter Beinart at Ben Gurion Airport for a "cautionary conversation" about the perils of anti-Occupation activism. Are we sliding swiftly down a slippery slope? Unsettled Haaretz says all we need to do to implement a Two-State solution is to resettle 9,800 Jewish families. Have we overestimated how much Settlements are a barrier to peace? Faded Green? Is it time to stick a fork in Israel's Green Parties? Extra Segment: Prank Call for Democracy For our primo Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra segment, we discuss a recent bit of dada political prankerism by political activist Boaz Cohen, who published on social media the private phone numbers of all 120 members of Knesset, creating for MKs days of havoc, trolling, pranks, and perhaps too-direct-democracy. Did Cohen cross a line, we'll ask, or is this 21st century Abbie-Hoffmanism just the sort of shaking up that our politicians need? Music Ori Mark, 'cause this is journalism! Wolfgang Sigalit Landau Adom (live, with Iggy Waxman) Henei Mutalot Gufoteinu

This episode of WhyWhyWhy! features true stories on the theme of "Sweat" as told by Anna Levine, Ephraim Rinsky, Susan Warchaizer, Libby Weiss, Mira Fox, and Israeli basketball legend Tal Brody. Subscribe to the WhyWhyWhy! podcast in your favorite podcast app. The next live WhyWhyWhy! storytelling event will be held Sept. 3rd (details) and will feature the theme, "Good Deeds, Bad Deeds." Pitch us your story or just come have a beer and listen. Either way, you have nothing to lose but your chains! Well, also your sobriety, as the evening is free, with a one drink minimum.

Twenty years ago, a week after Israel celebrated its fiftieth anniversary, a 26 year-old former drag-queen and trans woman won the world's biggest song contest, The Eurovision. She also forever changed the way we Israelis see ourselves. In this very special edition of The Promised Podcast, Noah tells her story, and explains why he thinks that in this moment of anxiety and dreadful Nation-State laws, Dana International represents the humane and decent Zionism so many of us long for.

Times of Israel Ops & Blogs Editor Miriam Herschlag, Allison Kaplan Sommer, and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. A Big, Beautiful Wall? In building a massive 10 meter high wall all along the northern border with Lebanon and Syria, are we surrounding ourselves with ghetto walls of our own devising? Primum Non Nocere Nurses strike to keep from being punched, slapped and stabbed. How did our hospital wards and clinics become so damn violent? Living Small Co-housing takes off in Israel, launching an age of what some call "Kibbutz 2.0." Is this the result of an admirable embrace of communal values, or because young folks here are being crushed by the levers of capitalism? Extra Segment: Pen Pals For our primo Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra segment, we discuss, with ambivalence, a challenging Times of Israel essay by writer Yossi Klein Halevi called, "Letter to My Palestinian-Israeli Neighbors," exploring what, if anything, is the thread linking Palestinian and Jewish Israelis. Music Arutz Hakibud Or Barvaz (עור ברווז) Kacha zeh Etzleinu (ככה זה אצלנו) Muzarnik (מוזרניק) Tania (טניה)

Times of Israel Ops & Blogs Editor Miriam Herschlag, Allison Kaplan Sommer, 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 this week's extra segment. Blood Are Druze Israelis first among second-class citizens? Sweat (and Splendor) Was the rise of a Sephardi Ultra-Orthodox in 1983 the turning point of Israeli history? Milk "Stay the hell out of our bras!," say some Israeli women to the government. Are they right? Extra Segment: But God Said, "Love Thy Straight Neighbor" For our primo Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra segment, we ask if the anti-LGBTQ letter signed by 200 rabbis is a sign of confident strength or scared-sh*tless weakness? Music Sharif & Friends Sharif, Itzik Krief, and Maor Ben Simon - Abba Mechapes Otkha Sharif and Dudu Aharon - HaKol Koreh be Tel Aviv Sharif & Zahava Ben - Le-Ehov Sharif and Eti Levi - Gever B'li Milah