The Promised Podcast

Noah Efron, Ha'aretz journalist Allison Kaplan Sommer, and Don Futterman discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Looking for extra segments, in-depth prep material, and other patron-only perks? Support the show on Patreon and gain access to these and more. UNRWA ShmUNRWA Should the very job description of the UN agency that provides aid to Palestinians be revisited and changed? Pascal's Meteorology Last week the Israeli minister of agriculture organized a huge vigil at the Western Wall to pray for rain. Was there something untoward and inappropriate about a minister initiating and taking part in a public prayer? Rachael Ray's Rapine Recipes Celebrity chef Rachael Ray sparked controversy with a picture of an "Israeli nite" feast. Is there something to the claims that the popularity of Israeli cuisine is, among other things, an erasure of Palestinian cuisine? If there is anything to these claims, how ought we feel about them and react to them? Music: Efrat Ben Zur, in honor of her brand new single, "Al Derekh Ha-Teva", lyrics by Dahlia Rabikovitch Al Derekh ha-Teva Storm (Lyrics by Emily Dickinson) Mifletzet Be-Mo Yadai

Noah Efron, Ha'aretz journalist Allison Kaplan Sommer, and Times of Israel's 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. Looking for extra segments, in-depth prep material, and other patron-only perks? Support the show on Patreon and gain access to these and more. Likud's Settlement-Schizoid New Year's Resolutions On the last day of 2017, the Israeli prime minister's party made two precedented statements about the future of the Palestinian territories. How do we make sense of the two different voices we heard from Likud concerning settlements on December 31, 2017? Linguaphobia Some Israelis recently went into a tizzy when white-on-black billboards in Arabic filled their landscape. What accounts for many Jewish Israelis' fear of one of the country's two official languages? Now That's Israeli! A recent poll asked Israelis to pick the "most Israeli" thing in a number of categories, including the most Israeli PM, what the most Israeli character flaw is, and much more. What to make of the answers, and how do we answer the question of what is "most Israeli"? Music by Nadav Hollander, from his new, debut record, Matat va'Ogen: Rega Levad Matat Offanaim Biladai

Noah Efron, Don Futterman, and Ha'aretz journalist Allison Kaplan Sommer discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Looking for extra segments, in-depth prep material, and other patron-only perks? Support the show on Patreon and gain access to these and more. New Right? After right-wing voices join (albeit hesitantly) protests against the putative corruptions of the Netanyahu government, we ask whether this marks an important (and perhaps portentous) change. Does it mark an important change in the attitudes of (at least a portion of) the right? Only Sixteen Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi is only lately the most recognizable face in a venerable activist family. Most recently, she appeared in another video that drew international attention. We try to puzzle out what sense to make of the latest incident. What, if anything, do we learn from it? The "Herem" of Public Opinion: On Excommunication and Rehabilitation After writer and pundit Ari Shavit cancels a lecture over past sexual harassment, we ask: Should we be crowdsourcing judgment, or meting out tribal justice, when there seems to be no other way to get justice at all? If so, then how do we know when the punishment ought to end? Music by Sheila Ferber, in honor of her performance today at Beit ha-Yotzer, Hangar 22 in Tel Aviv's port: "Yehiye Beseder" "Koresh 11" "Ha-Yalkut ha-Adom" "Bishvilkha"

Noah Efron, Don Futterman, and Ha'aretz journalist Allison Kaplan Sommer discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Looking for the extra segments and topic prep material? Support the show by becoming a patron. Learn more on Patreon. Capital Crimes? Israeli and global pharmaceutical giant Teva – once the most successful company to come from the soil of the holy land – has announced it will close factories in Israel and fire 1,700 workers. Should the factories be nationalized? More Thomas Hobbes, Less Dale Carnegie? Do Israel's opposition politicians to be less civil towards Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government? Webbutz? Is there something particularly Israeli behind the ideology of Israeli entrepreneur Adam Neuman's WeWork communal work spaces? Music by Noam Rotem, off his new tenth anniversary rerelease of his beautiful record, Ezra Ba-Derekh: Lalekhet k'mo Arieh Oleh ve-Yored Ezra ba-Derekh K'mo Ruah

Noah Efron, Don Futterman, and Ha'aretz journalist Allison Kaplan Sommer discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Looking for the extra segments and topic prep material? Support the show by becoming a patron. Learn more on Patreon. See No Evil? Evil Not to See? After an Israeli musician covered his eyes with duct tape rather than see women dancing, offending many, we ask: Should we really be mad at him? If so, why precisely? The Perplexing Problem of Patriotism Why does Israel's Left consistently fail to persuade fellow citizens that they are, indeed, just as patriotic as other Israelis? Who Killed Hanukkah? What explains the downgrading of Hanukkah from one of the most important Zionist holidays -- secular and political in nature -- to one of the least important Israeli holidays? Music by Yonatan Raz'el, a musicians' musician who unleashed an uproar this week when, for religious reasons, he taped over his eyes at a concert rather than watching women dance in front of the stage: Hallelujah Nafshenu Hiktah Poteah Lev Ivdu et ha-Shem be-Simha

Noah Efron, Don Futterman, Ha'aretz International Director Charlotte Hallé, and and ARZA President Josh Weinberg are live in Boston to discuss three topics of incomparable importance. Looking for the patron-supported extra segments? Find them on Patreon. It Happens in the Best of Families What can be done to allow American Jews to identify with a state whose leaders break deals with them, accuse them of living soft and convenient lives, and disparage them in a variety of ways? If I Don't Recognize You, O Jerusalem What fears and hopes are sparked by Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital city? What Do and Don't Demonstrations Do? What do demonstrations do? What have demonstrations done? Must we admit that they may have become an empty ritual? All this live at the fabulous Union for Reform Judaism Biennial, through the largesse of the Association of Reform Zionists in America and J-Street, plus the brilliant music of young jazz sensation Lior Tzemach.

Noah, Gilad Halpern, host of TLV1's Tel Aviv Review and Miriam Herschlag, Times of Israel Ops & Blogs Editor discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Looking for the extra segments? Access them by becoming a patron of the show. Learn more on Patreon. Why Oh Why Won't You Try Me? An IDF officer and spokesperson for human rights NGO Breaking the Silence demanding to be prosecuted for beating a Palestinian man, only to find that the State Attorney's Office insists he is innocent. The Revolution Won't Be Televised A proposed amendment to the elections advertising law that will do away with government sponsored free TV spots during election campaigns, but is it too early to eulogize the place of television in electoral politics? Bewarebnb Airbnb is driving up rent in Tel Aviv and driving out folks who desperately want to live there. Should we prefer hip German tourists over our own (also hip) college kids who just want to live in the big city? All this and the soulful music of Toot Ard, in celebration of their great new record, Lassez Passer!

If you wish to attend our live show at the Boston URJ Biennial conference you must fill out this form by this Sunday, Nov. 26th! Noah Efron, Don Futterman, and Ha'aretz International Director Charlotte Halle discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Help support the show. Learn how on Patreon. Take From Us Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses Yearning to Breathe Free Israel contemplates paying $8,500 a head for African asylum seekers to leave for Rwanda. Is this solving a thorny problem, or indulging an ugly xenophobia? Losing Our Religion? Has Israel's left "forgotten what it means to be Jews," as the new head of the Labor Party says? The End of the Zooish People? Tel Aviv is closing all its zoos and petting zoos, because they are inhumane and harmful to animals. But isn't something crucial lost when kids grow up seeing no animals besides dogs, cats, pigeons and rats? Music by Avior Malasa, off his new, eponymous debut album: Kaitz Matzanu Ahava Makom Leshinui (with Noa Kirel) Baleilot

Noah Efron, Don Futterman, and roving reporter extraordinaire Naomi Zeveloff discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Help support the show. Learn how on Patreon. Unscrewed Why do members of Israel's secular and Mizrahi right not seem to feel the sense of grievance often attributed to them, and why do relatively well-off liberal-left voters feel they are subject to discrimination? Expatriotism What is the Israeli-American Council? Why does it exist? And what is its impact on American Jewry and on Israel? Between a Rock and a Hard-On: Israeli Women and the Patriarchy Amid ongoing revelations about powerful men committing harassment, abuse, and assault against women, we ask what this moment means, and also ask, particularly in the context of Israel, what can and must be done? Music: Oshrat Masala, in celebration of Sigd! Kamah Ra'ash Awaki Al Tevater Tavoi Ahava

Noah Efron, Don Futterman, 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. Help support the show. Learn how on Patreon. Body Politic Five Islamic Jihad militants were killed when the tunnel they burrowed to attack an Israeli kibbutz was destroyed. Should Israel immediately return the bodies, or use them as a "bargaining chip" to barter the return of the bodies of Israeli soldiers held by Hamas? Refugee Repatriation Expectation: Acceleration to Reconciliation or Mummification of Negotiation? As Israel considers what a peace deal would look like, the debate continues about whether or not the descendants of Palestinians dispossessed of homes and lands in 1948 should be allowed to return. On the Road to Perdition with Waze The Israeli-designed community-based traffic and navigation app Waze is one of the so-called start-up nation's biggest success stories. But could Waze be harming our environment and our democracy? Music Salsa-ish songs by Rotem Cohen, because sometimes only a Karaite pop star will do! Palavra Kol Kach Yafah Lach Ecoute Cheri (with Maggi Azarzar) Kimat She-Hitragalti