Bonus Episode
Bonus: The Queen Rania Tree, Revisited
- 31:38
- 2020
As a special Hanukkah treat, and just before we enter the final stretch of the season, we travel back in time to revisit - and update - one of our all-time favorite episodes, “The Queen Rania Tree.”
On March 29, 2020 – during the very early days of the pandemic – Israel Story fans from around the world tuned in for what was then still very much a novelty – a live online conversation. Mishy Harman “sat down” with Ghazi Albuliwi, the hilarious protagonist of one of our most outrageous early episodes, to hear what had transpired in the five years since his story aired. Has the fatwa caught up with him? And – most importantly – has he finally settled down?
Act I: The Queen Rania Tree
Ghazi Albuliwi’s father was (supposedly…) dying of cancer when he begged his thirty-four-year-old son to find a nice Palestinian woman and get married. Guilt-ridden and dutiful, Ghazi traveled to Tulkarm, in the West Bank. There, he hoped to meet a mate as beautiful as the native Queen Rania. But – unsurprisingly perhaps – that’s where things started to turn south. And, today, well… let’s just say that Ghazi isn’t exactly a welcomed guest in the Palestinian city.
Credits
The original story was reported, produced and scored by Shoshi Shmuluvitz, with music from Podington Bear. The update was produced by Skyler Inman, Yoshi Fields and Marie Röder. The end song, “Seen,” is by Tzachi Halevi and Lucy Aharish. It was written and composed by Diane Warren and produced by Tal Forer.
