Israelis love tips and recommendations in order to speed up their decision making. So it’s no surprise that the word כדאי – ‘it’s worth it’ – is so popular in everyday use. How do we tell our friends they should totally check out a certain bar? And how do we make sure they don’t go and see the new superhero movie? Guy Sharett introduces us to the I…

Linda Gradstein and Noah Efron discuss one topic 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 Making Sense of Sinwar, asking four questions: Now that Yahya Sinwar is dead, should Israel take the win or fight on? In light of the …

From antique cars to very slow, local buses, Guy picks up where we left off in the last episode and explains additional בניינים from the root אספ. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Asfanoot – Collecting (a collection) – אספנות Rechev asfanoot – Antique car – רכב אספנות Richvei asfanoot – Antique cars – רכבי אספנות Hi…

Historian Dr Nimrod Lin, Managing Editor of the Journal of Israeli History, discusses his forthcoming book People Who Count: Zionism, Demography and Democracy in Mandate Palestine. This interview is part of the "Democracy and Its Alternatives: The Origins of Israel's Current Crisis" conference, held at Brandeis University and organized in partnersh…

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and Tova Cohen discuss two 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 —Best Laid Schemes (Lea’e Us Nought but Grief An’ Pain), With Apologies to Robert Burns (And to Mice)— Bringing dow…

The Hebrew word לאסוף is to collect, to gather. We use this verb in supermarkets, airports, and when we talk about people with unique collections. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Esof – Collect, gather (Imp.) – אֱסוף “Esof et ha-ma’asim” – Collect the deeds – אֱסוף את המעשים Asif – Harvest – אסיף Le’esof kesef – To…

Roni Stauber, Professor of Jewish History at Tel Aviv University, discusses his book Diplomacy in the Shadow of Memory: Israel and West Germany, 1953-1965. This episode is made possible by the Israel office of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, which promotes peace, freedom, and justice through political education.…

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman and Noah Efron discuss two 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 —Regional Inferno?— Israel’s war with Gaza may soon become an all-out regional war. How do you say “Yikes!” in F…

A New Year and a year since. What are we remembering when we remember October 7?

Dr Matthias Becker, research fellow at Reichman University and the University of Cambridge, discusses his Decoding Antisemitism project, using novel scholarly and technological tools to monitor and analyze online hate speech. This episode is made possible by the Israel office of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, which promotes peace, freedom, and justice t…

Elul is here and people all over the country are keeping the before-the-high-holidays tradition of saying Selihot, asking for forgiveness and offering atonement. All this as rockets and planes fly, and bombs fall.

Eran Halperin, professor of psychology at the Hebrew University and the founding director of aChord, a leading research center dedicated to promoting social change in Israel through the tools of social psychology, discusses his new book, Warning: Hate Ahead. Why is hate such a powerful emotion, and what can be done to contain it? The episode is spo…

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Linda Gradstein and Noah Efron discuss two 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 —Major Pager Rager— A stunning attack-by-pager left dozens of Hezbollah militiamen dead and thousands maimed an…

What’s the right way to pack a suitcase and what should you say to airport security when asked about your packed bags? From the root ארז we get the Hebrew words for packaging, gift boxes and more. Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Hu araz – He packed – הוא ארז Arazta/arazt levad – Have you packed it you…

Dr Yoav Fromer, a senior lecturer at the Department of English and American Studies and the head of the Center of US Studies at Tel Aviv University, discusses his new book (co-edited with Ilan Peleg), The Americanization of the Israeli Right.

On this episode, DJ Antithesis is back with more music making the airwaves here in our little corner of the Middle East. Playlist: B’Gan HaChayim Mai – Yishai Levi BSof HaKol Over – Maor Ashkenazi ft Ro’i Adam & Noam Cohen Ben Adam – Odeya Sufa – Sarit Hadad Tismechi al Achotech – Sarit Hadad Al HaBoker – HaYotzrim H’tov H’ra Ve Odeya – Odeya ft E-…

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Miriam Herschlag and Noah Efron discuss two 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 —Not Too Brotherly, Not Much Love— How did the “Philadelphi Corridor” become a matter of life and death? —Err…

How do you watch your favorite television series? And what genre do you like most? Guy explains all things TV series in Hebrew, and what verbs go along with them. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Sidra – Series – סדרה Sidrat televizya – A TV series – סדרת טלוויזיה Sidrat ha-televizya – The TV series – סדרת הטלוויזיה…

Joshua Leifer, an American journalist (Dissent, The New York Review of Books, The Guardian) and PhD candidate in history at Yale University, discusses his new book Tablets Shattered: The End of an American Jewish Century and the Future of Jewish Life. The episode is sponsored by the Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History at UCLA and co-hosted…

For 331 days, Rachel Goldberg-Polin went everywhere, spoke to everyone and did everything to save her son, Hersh.

The Hebrew word יוזמה means initiative. We also use יוזמה when talking about new educational or social projects. Using the verb ליזום, we Israelis often give unsolicited advice to family, friends, and even passersby, telling them to take some initiative in their life! Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Yozma – Initiat…

Eviatar Zerubavel, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Rutgers University, discusses his new book “Don't Take It Personally: Personalness and Impersonality in Social Life.”

703 IDF soldiers have fallen since October 7th. Each was an entire world. This is a small bit of the story of one of them, Zachariah Haber.

Prof. Orit Rozin, a historian at Tel Aviv University, discusses her new book Emotions of Conflict: Israel 1949-1967, analyzing the efforts of the Israeli establishment in the 1950s and 60s to control the people's emotional response to the impending sense of insecurity.

Linda Gradstein, Allison Kaplan Sommer and Noah Efron discuss two 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 —Bennett, Done That— Israel’s next prime minister will be … Naftali Bennett? —Jewish Life During Wartime— Why …

Liora Halperin, Professor of International Studies and History and Distinguished Endowed Chair of Jewish Studies at the University of Washington in Seattle, discusses her book The Oldest Guard: Forging the Zionist Settler Past.

On this episode, DJ Antithesis is back with more music making the airwaves here in our little corner of the Middle-East.

Miriam Herschlag, Allison Kaplan Sommer and Noah Efron discuss two 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 —TIME Is on His Side?— Prime Minister Netanyahu gives his longest interview since October 7. What’s it tell u…