Shatnez

Israeli society is often described as a collection of demographic bubbles – self-contained ecosystems, each with its own population, its own press, its own culture and – above all – its own version of reality. But in such a small country, those bubbles are bound to butt up against each other, and – inevitably – there is a certain degree of intermingling. Some see that as the secret of Israeli vitality, while others view it as an existential threat. But no taboo on social mixing has persisted for quite as long, or with quite as much vigor, as that pertaining to Jews and Arabs. Our episode today explores the product of one such unlikely union.