Episodes

- Short Episode
- 00:14:56
- 2024
Robbie Gringras

Last week, after nearly 14 months of war, bombardments and suffering, Israel and Lebanon signed a ceasefire agreement. While we…
- Short Episode
- 00:31:20
- 2024
Shaked Kestleman

On November 30, 2023, Yuval Kestleman from Mevaseret Zion was driving to work. He stopped at a red light at…
- Short Episode
- 00:18:58
- 2024
Anwar Ben Badis

The war has, among many other things, been incredibly tough on parents. Simply understanding what’s going on – factually, emotionally,…
- Short Episode
- 00:18:44
- 2024
Gadi Ezra

38-year-old Gadi Ezra recently published his first book, a memoir about his service in Gaza. He lives in Tel Aviv…
- Short Episode
- 01:11:20
- 2024
One Year

This is an episode we never wanted to air. One that marks a year of war and a year of…
- Short Episode
- 00:14:34
- 2024
Sapir Bluzer

Today’s episode is about one inspiring woman, whose energy and work have impacted the day-to-day lives of hundreds of thousands…
- Short Episode
- 00:15:01
- 2024
A Tale of Two Bus Stops

Today’s episode is a bit different – a story, not of a person, but of a bus stop. Or really,…
- Short Episode
- 00:10:51
- 2024
Toby Einhorn

Today is Tu B’Av – the less commercial, more Mishna-bound, Jewish version of Valentine’s Day. The war has, it goes…
- Short Episode
- 00:18:41
- 2024
Maryam Younnes

Though the escalating tension on Israel’s northern border has been part of the war from the very start, our collective…
- Short Episode
- 00:15:52
- 2024
Michael Vivier

For the last nine-and-a-half months, we’ve been experiencing different kinds of battlefields: There are actual battlefields, where people fight and…
- Short Episode
- 00:23:31
- 2024
Amira Mohammed and Ibrahim Abu Ahmad

Arab-Israelis, or Palestinian Citizens of Israel, or Palestinian-Israelis – all these definitions are obviously complicated and personal and have hefty…
- Short Episode
- 00:24:51
- 2024
Moriah Cohen

On Saturday, four hostages – Noa Argamani, Shlomi Ziv, Almog Meir Jan and Andrey Kozlov – were heroically rescued by…
- Short Episode
- 00:21:30
- 2024
Lihi Lapid

Lihi Lapid is a celebrated photojournalist, columnist and best-selling author – of children’s books, cookbooks and award-winning novels. She’s also…
- Short Episode
- 00:25:15
- 2024
Amit Halivni Bar-Peled

It’s Yom HaZikaron again, Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror. Since the start of the war, 1511 Israeli…
- Short Episode
- 00:18:34
- 2024
Tzvika Mor

Forty-seven-year-old Tzvika Mor is from the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba, near Hebron. His son, Eitan, was kidnapped from…
- Short Episode
- 00:28:57
- 2024
Mishael Zion

Next week, millions of Jews around the world will sit down at their Passover tables, for what will invariably be…
- Short Episode
- 00:21:58
- 2024
Walter Bingham

The horrific events of October 7th reminded many people of the darkest chapter in Jewish history – the Holocaust. And…
- Short Episode
- 00:26:56
- 2024
Shai Davidai

In the immediate aftermath of October 7th, Shai Davidai – an Assistant Professor at Columbia University – became an unlikely…
- Short Episode
- 00:26:47
- 2024
Idit Ohel

Alon Ohel – a talented young jazz pianist – was kidnapped from the Nova party on October 7th, and has…
- Short Episode
- 00:14:46
- 2024
Sharon Gutman Gilor

One of very few positive outcomes of this war is that the ongoing debate surrounding the participation of female soldiers…
- Short Episode
- 00:19:26
- 2024
Aliza Raz-Melzer

There has been endless talk of the “Home Front” during this war. The “Home Front,” as in what goes on…
- Short Episode
- 00:18:38
- 2024
Noam Tsuriely

Some 350,000 Israelis have been called up to reserve duty since the start of the war, in what has been…
- Short Episode
- 00:17:27
- 2024
Maya German and Benjamin Fainsod

Today’s “Wartime Diary” takes us to a place that is, under normal circumstances, one of the most visited sites in…
- Short Episode
- 00:22:06
- 2024
Hugo (Uri) Wolaj

The war has been going on for over three months, and many of us have settled into some sort of…
- Short Episode
- 00:02:20
- 2024
100 Days

Today is the hundredth day of the war. And, though our Wartime Diaries series continues, we want to stop, mark…
- Short Episode
- 00:19:28
- 2024
Charlene Seidle

Upwards of $1 billion in donations have been sent to Israel since the start of the war. For years Charlene…
- Short Episode
- 00:26:47
- 2023
Omer Ohana

The war has brought many new people into the limelight: For nearly three months we’ve been hearing countless stories of…
- Short Episode
- 00:16:11
- 2023
Issa Kassissieh

It’s a sad Christmas Eve in Jesus’ homeland. The alleyways of Jerusalem’s Old City, the streets of Nazareth, the churches…
- Short Episode
- 00:20:40
- 2023
Shira Masami

More than 200,000 Israelis – from both the South and the North – have been forced to leave their homes…
- Short Episode
- 00:22:29
- 2023
Riyad Ali

Since the start of the military operation in Gaza, countless reports by journalists embedded with the IDF troops have appeared…
- Short Episode
- 00:18:18
- 2023
Adam Ben Shabath

As has been said many times in the past, identity is like an onion: There are layers of family and…
- Short Episode
- 00:20:48
- 2023
Shalom Weil

As of today, more than 400 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the war. Each one of those deaths, of…
- Short Episode
- 00:25:05
- 2023
Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin

Many of you have probably heard, or read about, Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin, the parents of 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin,…
- Short Episode
- 00:24:41
- 2023
Elliot Cosgrove and Mishy Harman

Last week, our host Mishy Harman was interviewed by Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove for the Park Avenue Synagogue Podcast. And as…
- Short Episode
- 00:17:19
- 2023
Doron Krakow

This war is a humbling experience for us all. People — no matter who they are or what they normally…
- Short Episode
- 00:16:11
- 2023
Hagit Maoz

Almost immediately after the start of the attack of October 7th, as rockets were being launched at Jerusalem, and sirens…
- Short Episode
- 00:19:02
- 2023
Datya Itzhaki

In the summer of 2005, the government of Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza. The roughly 8,000 residents of the 21…
- Short Episode
- 00:14:50
- 2023
Hai Ashkenazi

53-year-old Hai Ashkenazi from Tel Aviv is an archeologist, but never imagined he would find himself excavating a 21st-century Kibbutz….
- Short Episode
- 00:15:41
- 2023
Ronit Farm

Normally Chavat Ronit – or Ronit Farm – is a high-end event venue north of Herzliya. Ra’anan Arizon’s seventy dunams…
- Short Episode
- 00:18:47
- 2023
Chaya Gilboa

Chaya Gilboa is a Talmud teacher, an activist, a flaming redhead, and was – for the last three years –…
- Short Episode
- 00:16:20
- 2023
Faiz Abu Sabehan

Over the last five weeks we’ve spoken to many families of hostages. That’s how we met Faiz Abu Sabehan, whose…
- Short Episode
- 00:20:57
- 2023
Mishka Ben-David

Mishka Ben-David might seem – at first – like a harmless and cuddly grandpa, but the truth is that he’s…
- Short Episode
- 00:09:55
- 2023
Agi Mishol

77-year-old Agi Mishol is one of Israel’s most prominent, beloved and widely-read poets. Over the years she’s won practically every…
- Short Episode
- 00:23:41
- 2023
Sahar Vardi

Israel is in the midst of a brutal war it didn’t want and didn’t initiate. And here at Israel Story…
- Short Episode
- 00:14:58
- 2023
Louish Rijal

Among the thousands of people who had the terrible misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time…
- Short Episode
- 00:19:23
- 2023
Angela Buchdahl and Shlomo Nisanov

The nature of the attacks on October 7th, together with certain subsequent reactions around the world, have blurred the lines…
- Short Episode
- 00:16:22
- 2023
Gidon Lev

There’s a lot of Holocaust rhetoric in the air. ‘Never Again’ slogans have resurfaced, Netanyahu has said – on several…
- Short Episode
- 00:07:21
- 2023
Noga Friedman

45-year-old Ido Rosenthal from Moshav Ben Shemen served in an elite commando unit and was killed on the first day…
- Short Episode
- 00:16:11
- 2023
Matti Friedman

The war caught everyone by surprise, of course, and since it broke out at the tail end of the chagim,…
- Short Episode
- 00:13:03
- 2023
Alon Shalev

Many people sprung into action since October 7th. And yet, at the very same time, many Israelis feel… lost. Not…
- Short Episode
- 00:11:55
- 2023
Tomer Oshri

During normal times Tomer Oshri – a 48-year-old history teacher from Jerusalem – works at JDC-Israel and runs an educational…
- Short Episode
- 00:17:58
- 2023
Adva Gutman Tirosh

Even today, nearly three weeks after the devastating attacks of October 7th, there are still hundreds of people who are…
- Short Episode
- 00:10:37
- 2023
Raz Newman

Israel has, of course, branded itself as the Start-Up Nation. And in many ways, Raz Newman is the classic Israeli…
- Short Episode
- 00:19:49
- 2023
Sivan Avnery

For months Sivan Avnery – a physical therapist from Kfar Shmaryahu – was active in the demonstrations against the judicial…
- Short Episode
- 00:14:52
- 2023
David Broza

There’s a long tradition of musicians and entertainers performing on the frontlines during times of war. And, indeed, almost immediately,…
- Short Episode
- 00:17:35
- 2023
Yarnin Peled

Wars are often told through numbers – of the dead, the wounded, the missing, the misplaced. But behind each one…
- Short Episode
- 00:14:51
- 2023
Mor Maisel

This war has forced many people to reevaluate their identities and political sensibilities—not an easy task during these shocking and…
- Short Episode
- 00:16:24
- 2023
Hedai Offaim

During this dark time, Israeli civil society has risen to the occasion. Hedai Offaim – a chef, farmer and social…
- Short Episode
- 00:12:21
- 2023
Ofer Tamir

After the entire team of Kibbutz Kissufim’s dairy farm was murdered, Ofer Tamir from Nahalal rushed down south to rescue…
- Short Episode
- 00:11:58
- 2023
The Eulogy for Roi Rotberg

In 1956, Moshe Dayan – then the IDF’s Chief of Staff – delivered a eulogy for a fallen member of…
- Short Episode
- 00:12:35
- 2023
Katherine Leff

Despite everything, life continues amid the horror. For Katherine Leff, this meant going ahead with the day she’d been dreaming…
- Short Episode
- 00:13:16
- 2023
Itai Kramer

At age 50, Itai Kramer is no longer obligated to serve in the reserve forces, yet he volunteered anyway. Itai…
- Short Episode
- 00:14:17
- 2023
Ariel Markose

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have been called up to reserve duty. But what about the families they leave behind?…
- Short Episode
- 00:13:31
- 2023
Sasha Ariev

Everything in this corner of the world has changed since Saturday, October 7. All around us, friends, family, colleagues, people…
- Episode 94
- 00:28:25
- 2023
A Life After Death – Part II

“When someone dies,” Gal Zaychner writes, “there are all kinds of things you have to take care of: You have…
- Episode 93
- 00:30:29
- 2023
A Life After Death – Part I

In a series of heartwrenching essays, told over the course of two episodes, Gal Zaychner returns to the most painful…
- Episode 92
- 00:21:01
- 2023
Meir Argov

Meir Argov was born as Meir Grabovsky in Rîbnița, Bessarabia, in 1905. At the age of 14, while his family…
- Episode 91
- 00:27:30
- 2023
Herzl Rosenblum

Herzl Rosenblum was born in 1903, a year before the death of his namesake, Theodor Herzl, who – of course…
- Episode 90
- 00:34:30
- 2023
Yitzhak Meir Levin

Rabbi Yitzhak Meir Levin was – in every way possible – Hasidic royalty. He was born in 1893 in the…
- Episode 89
- 00:21:32
- 2023
Moshe Kol

Moshe Kolodny, who’d later on change his surname to Kol, was born in 1911 in the heart of the Pale…
- Episode 88
- 00:21:58
- 2023
Pinchas Rosen

Pinchas Rosen, or Felix Rosenblüth (as he was called in his youth), was born in Berlin in 1887, and grew…
- Episode 87
- 00:25:25
- 2023
Sa’adia Kobashi

Sa’adia Kobashi was born in the small village of Khubesh, Yemen, in 1902. During Passover of 1909 his father Yihye,…
- Episode 86
- 00:20:59
- 2023
Daniel Auster

Daniel Auster was born in Galicia in 1893 and earned a law degree from the University of Vienna before making…
- Episode 85
- 00:22:56
- 2023
David Remez

David Remez was born as Moshe David Drabkin in what is today Belarus, in 1886. As a boy he studied…
- Short Episode
- 00:08:27
- 2023
Bonus: The Broadcast

“Signed, Sealed, Delivered?” introduces us to all 37 signatories of Israel’s Declaration of Independence, through the recollections of their closest…
- Episode 84
- 00:21:46
- 2023
Rachel Cohen-Kagan

Rachel Cohen-Kagan was born in 1888 into the Zionist Lubarsky family of Odessa. Her father, Ya’akov, was one of the…
- Episode 83
- 00:20:39
- 2023
Mordechai Schattner

Mordechai Schattner was born in Eastern Galicia – then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire – in 1904. He was a…
- Episode 82
- 00:22:58
- 2023
Zorach Warhaftig

Warhaftig was an important leader of the Mafdal – the National Religious Party. During WWII, he saved the lives of…
- Episode 81
- 00:20:23
- 2023
David Ben-Gurion

David Ben-Gurion, perhaps the most influential Jewish leader since Moses, needs no introduction. Here though are a few facts about…
- Short Episode
- 00:03:12
- 2023
We Hereby Declare

“Signed, Sealed, Delivered?” looks at our founding moral compass – Megillat Ha’Atzmaut, or the Declaration of Independence. Through the descendants…
- Episode 80
- 00:29:06
- 2023
Introducing “Signed, Sealed, Delivered?”

Israel’s Declaration of Independence was forged amid strife and turmoil. It was a birth that, everyone knew, would trigger war….
- Episode 79
- 00:37:29
- 2023
My Dad, David

David taught his son, Mishy, life’s most fundamental lesson – one that is also the deep premise of Israel Story:…
- Episode 78
- 00:50:01
- 2023
Hello Operator

On June 29, 2007, Apple released its first iPhone. Less than sixteen years later, our world is an entirely altered…
- Episode 77
- 01:23:27
- 2023
Free as a Bird

These are – it goes without saying – tumultuous times here in Israel. But especially now, we believe it is…
- Episode 76
- 00:59:15
- 2022
Going, Going, Gone

This is our final episode of the season, and it has been quite a journey. We began with our day…
- Episode 75
- 01:12:40
- 2021
Sbarro – Twenty Years Later

Israel has, unfortunately, witnessed many terror attacks throughout its history. But few are as memorable as the Sbarro suicide bombing….
- Episode 74
- 00:59:45
- 2021
Shatnez

Israeli society is often described as a collection of demographic bubbles – self-contained ecosystems, each with its own population, its…
- Episode 73
- 00:35:26
- 2021
DIY

People often say that there is something particularly Israeli about the concept of ‘doing it yourself.’ And that makes sense….
- Bonus Episode
- 00:16:53
- 2021
Bonus: Turkey Time!

As many of us celebrate the holiday and think about all that we are thankful for, we hope you will…
- Bonus Episode
- 00:25:06
- 2021
Bonus: Yalla Banaat

The only way we manage to survive, the only way we’re able to produce season after season, is with your…
- Episode 72
- 00:43:06
- 2021
Lost and Found – Part II

In Part I of our ‘Lost and Found’ double-hitter, we heard how Steve Gray and Anat Harrel of Kibbutz Hanaton…
- Episode 71
- 00:47:04
- 2021
Lost and Found – Part I

We all know that sinking feeling of having lost something dear to our heart. Sometimes these things are gone for…
- Short Episode
- 00:17:54
- 2021
Bonus: Behind the Scenes of “Soul Food”

When we decide to pursue a story, we identify the relevant characters, reach out to them and go interview them….
- Episode 70
- 00:58:03
- 2021
Soul Food

While “soul food” has come to mean a specific type of cuisine, for the women we encounter in today’s episode,…
- Short Episode
- 00:13:46
- 2021
Bonus: Behind the Scenes of “Pigging Out”

Pigging Out was supposed to come out long ago: The stories had been recorded, drafts had been written and we…
- Episode 69
- 01:09:50
- 2021
Pigging Out

Not once, but twice, does the Bible admonish us to abstain from eating the flesh of the pig. And though…
- Episode 68
- 01:01:54
- 2021
No Place Like Home

In different ways, we are all constantly searching for a place to call home. For some that home is physical,…
- Episode 67
- 01:12:14
- 2021
A Day at the Y

On June 7, 2021 the entire Israel Story team – nine radio producers – descended upon the Jerusalem International YMCA….
- Episode 66
- 00:49:45
- 2021
Game Changer

With the fate of the 2020 – now 2021 – Tokyo Olympic Games still up in the air, our season finale tells the story of a dream to introduce a sport to a nation, and a nation to a sport. But it is a dream made up of as many tears of pain and disappointment as it is of joy and triumph.
- Episode 65
- 00:25:28
- 2021
The Stories We Killed

Like everything else in life, stories die. And, more often than not, we are the killers. Today we give you a behind-the-scenes peek into some of the stories you didn’t get to hear this year.
- Episode 64
- 00:53:37
- 2021
Tell Saki – Part II

We conclude our two-part Tell Saki story by returning to the soldiers after the battle and following their respective journeys – full of pain and regret, but also full of longing and camaraderie – in the years since the Yom Kippur War.
- Short Episode
- 00:22:10
- 2021
Bonus: The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be God, Revisited

As a little respite from the intensity of war explored in our two-part Tell Saki series, we replay a short piece of fiction by our beloved Etgar Keret. And, as a special bonus, we include highlights of a conversation we held with Etgar during lockdown.
- Episode 63
- 01:00:18
- 2021
Tell Saki – Part I

We embark on a two-episode journey back to the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and specifically to one small hill – a dormant volcanic tell – in the southern Golan Heights. There, we follow a group of young IDF soldiers who, trapped in a small bunker for thirty-six hours, went to hell and back.
- Short Episode
- 00:22:22
- 2021
Bonus: The Most Beautiful Book Ever Written, Revisited

On the very first day of 2021, when so many of us are busy making New Year’s resolutions and embarking on new and hopeful journeys, we re-air one of our favorite stories, all about a quixotic, improbable, yet inherently optimistic, search for love.
- Episode 62
- 00:53:18
- 2020
Round Trip

Many of us would normally be on the move around this time of year. But 2020 has, of course, been everything but normal. So in our episode today, we bring you two less-than-normal travel stories about people going back home – but doing so having gained a new understanding of the place from which they come.
- Bonus Episode
- 00:31:38
- 2020
Bonus: The Queen Rania Tree, Revisited

On March 29, 2020 – during the very early days of the pandemic – Israel Story fans from around the…
- Bonus Episode
- 00:33:55
- 2020
Bonus: The Pitcher, Revisited

In celebration of Hanukkah, we revisit – and update – one of our fan favorites. An episode that – much like the tale of Hanukkah itself – is all about a miraculous jug of liquid.
- Episode 61
- 00:56:46
- 2020
The Princess

Most Israelis remember the 2005 disengagement from Gaza as a dramatic moment of national upheaval. But for Hodaya Azulay of the Jewish settlement of Netzarim, the drama was of a different nature altogether – it marked a traumatic turning point in her relationship with her favorite mare, Sheleg.
- Bonus Episode
- 00:58:38
- 2020
Bonus: Man, I Feel Like A Woman, Revisited

On April 13, 2020 – in the middle of our first pandemic Passover – Israel Story fans from around the…
- Episode 60
- 00:42:26
- 2020
Horsing Around

Cowgirls with oversized belt buckles and horse breeders fantasizing about producing world champions are not exactly what come to mind when you think of Israel. But today we take you into arenas, rings, and stables around the country to uncover a surprising subculture of equine enthusiasts.
- Episode 59
- 00:43:59
- 2020
The Last Laugh

Forty years after Carl Sagan’s ‘Golden Records’ began their long voyage into the depths of outer space, Eyal Gever – an Israeli high-tech-wunderkind-turned-conceptual-artist – received an unusual call: NASA asked him to create the first artwork to be printed in space. What, he now had to decide, truly captured the essence of humanity?
- Episode 58
- 01:04:46
- 2020
The Dreamer

David Ben Shabat hates being called a prophet. As he sees it, he’s just a guy who stumbled upon a deep truth and wants to share it with the people. But, come to think of it, isn’t that precisely the definition of a prophet?
- Bonus Episode
- 01:08:47
- 2020
Bonus: Love Syndrome, Revisited

Now that “Alone, Together” is over, and before we turn to stories that – gasp – have little to do with the virus, we revisit and update our most popular episode ever – “Love Syndrome.”
- Episode 57
- 00:30:00
- 2020
“Alone, Together” Part VII – Something Like A Brother

Stories matter. They have the power of connecting us over time and space. And in the finale of our “Alone, Together” miniseries, we see how a podcast episode turned two strangers – a man from Migdal HaEmek, Israel, and a woman from Porto Alegre, Brazil – into soulmates.
- Episode 56
- 00:41:59
- 2020
“Alone, Together” Part VI – Six Feet (Under)

Israel’s one thousandth COVID-19 casualty passed away this weekend. And for all of us, death has sadly been an ever-present part of life over the past six months. In the penultimate episode of our “Alone, Together” series, we bring you two stories about dying in times of Corona.
- Episode 55
- 01:07:01
- 2020
“Alone, Together” Part V – Enjoy Your Stay

Around the world, the tourism industry essentially dried up during the pandemic. But in Israel there was one category of hotels – the so-called “Corona Hotels” – that actually thrived. And depending on whom you ask, they were either a post-apocalyptic heaven or an exit-less hell.
- Episode 54
- 00:45:31
- 2020
“Alone, Together” Part IV – The Lifesavers

The global pandemic has introduced us to many “lifesavers”—doctors, nurses, and medical staff who are on the frontlines day in and day out. But what happens when those ‘superheroes’ need to be saved themselves? And can saving a life end up saving your life, too?
- Episode 53
- 00:40:38
- 2020
“Alone, Together” Part III – Gevalt

Israel’s ultra-orthodox community was hit twice during COVID-19: First, and in disproportionate numbers, by the virus itself, and then by a wave of anti-Haredi sentiment that pervaded the country. Here’s what it looked like from their perspective.
- Episode 52
- 00:45:50
- 2020
“Alone, Together” Part II – In the Beginning

Six months ago, very few people knew what ‘sheltering in place’ or ‘flattening the curve’ meant. Today, we live in a new world, and it’s often hard to remember what it was like at the beginning.
- Episode 51
- 01:10:46
- 2020
“Alone, Together” Part I – Mazal Tov!

The global pandemic has—to state the obvious—reshaped our lives, refocused our priorities, and forced us to reevaluate countless things we’ve long taken for granted…
- Short Episode
- 00:08:00
- 2020
Introducing Our New Miniseries – “Alone, Together”

Like the rest of the world, Israel experienced curfews and lockdowns, shifting social distancing guidelines, layoffs, economic hardship, illness and…
- Episode 50
- 00:39:56
- 2019
Keep Calm and Carry On

Some people operate within the confines of reality. Others don’t. Instead, they will things into existence. Today we’ll meet one such determined woman who – faced with countless obstacles …
- Episode 49
- 00:59:33
- 2019
We Share The Same Sky

Hana Dubova was born in Kolín, Czechoslovakia, in 1925. Her granddaughter Rachael Cerrotti was born in Boston in 1989. But the unusual bond they share transcends both time and space. …
- Short Episode
- 00:19:40
- 2019
Short: “Achoti”

With the kind of storytelling we do, most of our interviews end up on the proverbial “editing room floor.” And we’re often sorry they do, since we’d like you to …
- Episode 48
- 00:46:51
- 2019
“Achi”

Growing up, Benjamin and Reuven Berger never imagined they’d be roommates well into their seventies. Nor did they imagine their lives would unfold as brothers in faith. But from their …
- Short Episode
- 00:18:48
- 2019
Short: The Last “Rabbi” of Baghdad – A Thanksgiving Special

It’s a busy week. Many of you will be traveling, and those of you staying put will probably be cooking turkeys and preparing cranberry sauce. And while you are doing …
- Episode 47
- 00:54:38
- 2019
By the Rivers of Babylon

Jews first arrived in what is today Iraq in the 6th century BC, after the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar sacked Solomon’s Temple. It was from there that Ezra and Nehemiah led …
- Episode 46
- 00:44:28
- 2019
The Needle

Last month, the world marked the eightieth anniversary of Hitler’s invasion of Poland and the start of WWII. In Israel, too, this was a big milestone: Kids discussed it at …
- Episode 45
- 00:31:20
- 2019
Explosive Confession – A Yom Kippur Special

In 1989, Robby Berman – a recent Yeshiva University grad and enthusiastic Zionist – made aliyah and was drafted into the IDF. But nothing in his basic training prepared him …
- Episode 44
- 00:29:59
- 2019
Dear God – A Rosh HaShanah Special

For many folks, visiting the Kotel is emotional, meaningful and – more than anything – private. In fact, the single most common experience people have at the Western Wall is …
- Episode 43
- 01:05:22
- 2019
“The Wall” Part IV – This Wall is My Wall

Walls can make us feel safe, warm and protected. But that’s also their greatest danger. After all, walls can cut us off from what is going on outside, and hiding…
- Episode 42
- 00:58:24
- 2019
“The Wall” Part III – The Invisibles

Walls are something you can see. Something you can touch. Something you can run into and get a nasty bump on your head. Or… are they?! In our episode today…
- Episode 41
- 01:13:50
- 2019
“The Wall” Part II – The Other Side

For the last seventeen years, when people say “the wall’ and “Israel” in the same sentence, they’re usually referring to something very specific: A four-hundred-and-forty-mile-long barrier – some 95% of…
- Episode 40
- 00:55:00
- 2019
“The Wall” Part I – Operation Hulda

Everywhere we turn these days, it seems as if walls are staring back at us. Their powers are magical: They protect and alienate; keep people both in and out…
- Episode 39
- 00:43:42
- 2018
“Mixtape” Part IV – War, Peace and Bumper Stickers

Over the last four episodes, we’ve told the stories behind some of Israel’s most iconic songs. When we set off on this musical journey, we hoped to find a unicorn, …
- Episode 38
- 00:47:50
- 2018
“Mixtape” Part III – Eastward Bound

In Israel today, Mizrahi – or “Eastern” – music is ubiquitous. In fact, to many, it is practically synonymous with Israeli music. But that wasn’t always the case. For decades, …
- Episode 37
- 00:44:26
- 2018
“Mixtape” Part II – Iron and Gold

In 1968, an up-and-coming left-wing politician by the name of Uri Avnery brazenly suggested replacing Israel’s national anthem, HaTikvah. His proposal was surprising, given the fact that the would-be replacement was the unequivocal …
- Episode 36
- 00:36:36
- 2018
“Mixtape” Part I – Our Hope?

Let’s face it – when it comes to Israel, everything is complicated. Politics are complicated, religion is complicated, democracy is complicated, the conflict is complicated. Even our complications are complicated. …
- Episode 35
- 01:08:56
- 2018
Whither Thou Goest

Somewhere between post-Passover fatigue and summer-is-around-the-corner excitement, Shavout tends to be overlooked. But in reality, it is the secret gem of the Jewish calendar: A festival that’s all about strong women, wheat …
- Episode 34
- 01:05:22
- 2018
Coming Out, Getting In

Tonight, Jews around the world will gather together at their seder tables. They will drink wine, ask questions, search for the Afikoman and recite the obligation to see themselves as if they…
- Episode 33
- 00:52:30
- 2018
Milk, Honey and Sweet Mary Jane

According to a recent study conducted by the Israeli Anti-Drug Authority, the Holy Land might as well be rebranded as a ‘Weedtopia.’ More than a quarter of adults aged 18…
- Episode 32
- 01:08:26
- 2017
King of the Hill

Imagine an abandoned White House, covered with graffiti, open to the winds, full of trash, broken bottles and condom wrappers. Now go a step further and picture it against…
- Short Episode
- 00:16:04
- 2017
Short: Fed-Ex Over Your Snow

People in one-hundred-and-eighty-seven countries around the world – including Iran, Iraq and Papua New Guinea – tune in to Israel Story. And today, we went out to talk to…
- Episode 31
- 01:05:08
- 2017
Dear Lord Rothschild

On November 2, 1917, Arthur James Balfour – Britain’s mustached Foreign Secretary – signed his name at the bottom of a short, typed letter addressed to a shy banker-turned-zoologist by…
- Episode 30
- 00:49:32
- 2017
Food Fight

Food, it turns out, is a serious business. And as we recently came to appreciate, it can lead folks to embark on all kinds of unlikely crusades. In today’s episode…
- Episode 29
- 00:52:48
- 2017
A Better Place?

In 2007, long before Tesla and Elon Musk became household names, a thirty-nine-year-old Israeli tech entrepreneur by the name of Shai Agassi came out with an announcement that rattled the…
- Episode 28
- 00:58:19
- 2017
On the Outs

Eli Amir, Eliyahu Rips and Eliezer Sonnenschein couldn’t be more different: the first is a celebrated Baghdad-born author, the second is a brilliant mathematician from Latvia, and the third is…
- Episode 27
- 00:36:24
- 2017
Jarab

More often than not, we think of Jewish-Arab relations in Israel as being adversarial. We frequently hear tales of hatred, violence, animosity and discrimination. But reality is, of course, much…
- Episode 26
- 00:46:44
- 2017
Oath of Blood

In the early summer of 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon. The First Lebanon War — as it would later be called — would ultimately lead to thousands of casualties, an eighteen-year-long …
- Episode 25
- 00:31:48
- 2017
Peace Now. Almost.

Though few people grasped it at the time, the Six-Day War put the young state of Israel on an entirely new trajectory. Some see the war’s outcome as a historic…
- Episode 24
- 00:49:18
- 2017
Losing My Religion

In 1991, REM’s Michael Stipe famously sang, “That’s me in the spotlight, losing my religion, trying to keep up with you, and I don’t know if I can do it.”…
- Episode 23
- 00:27:30
- 2017
A Severe Case of Second Generation

Early next week we will mark Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. There are just about 160,000 Holocaust survivors still living in Israel, but they are rapidly vanishing. More than forty…
- Episode 22
- 00:49:21
- 2017
And in the End…

It’s springtime in Israel and renewal is in the air: Wildflowers are blooming, short pants make their first appearances of the year, and – most importantly – we are back…
- Episode 21
- 00:49:33
- 2016
68 and Counting – Part II

In the second installment of this two-part series (and our season two finale), we pick up where we left off last week: Presenting small stories – one per decade…
- Episode 20
- 00:52:10
- 2016
68 and Counting- Part I

This is the first in a two-part series that takes us through Israel’s short but dramatic history. Over the last few months, we’ve spent many hours, in all kinds of …
- Episode 19
- 00:48:42
- 2016
Of Numbers and Names

This Thursday, May 5th, Israelis observe Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. At 10 a.m., according to custom, an air raid will sound and the country will fall quiet for …
- Episode 18
- 01:00:24
- 2016
Thicker Than Water

On today’s show, we delve into the world of family bonds. We’ll ask how they’re formed, and how they change over time, and are challenged in a bunch of different …
- Episode 17
- 00:54:12
- 2016
Stop That Bus!

Israeli buses regularly make international headlines, be it for suicide bombings, fights over gender segregation or clashes concerning Shabbat schedules. On this week’s episode, we delve into the world of lesser known bus-related conflicts.
- Episode 16
- 01:11:19
- 2016
Over and Out

Stories of relationships that have ended, and the things (the often slightly nutty things) that people do in the aftermath.
- Episode 15
- 00:45:47
- 2016
Love, Revisited

The stories in today’s episode come from our most recent live show, “Israel in Love.” We’ll meet three couples looking back at their love affairs from very different vantage points.
- Episode 14
- 00:44:06
- 2016
Besties

How Moshe Dayan’s wife and Yasser Arafat’s mother-in-law became bosom buddies, and other tales of unlikely friendships.
- Episode 13
- 00:54:33
- 2016
Sacred Plants

How we change nature and nature changes us, from wildflower picking in Israel to ayahuasca retreats in Peru.
- Episode 12
- 00:50:29
- 2016
Now Boarding

The first place travelers to Israel encounter is usually Ben Gurion Airport. What they’ll remember of that experience depends in part on their relationship to the country. Are they coming home? Arriving to a place they’ve always dreamed of visiting? Passing through, with fear or wariness, en route to someplace else?
- Episode 11
- 00:37:16
- 2016
Herzl 48 Live

Israel Story producers crisscrossed the small country, visiting every 48 Herzl Street and collecting stories from whomever they encountered.
- Episode 10
- 01:05:55
- 2016
Birthstory

An Israeli couple flies to Nepal to pick up their three babies from two surrogate mothers and discover that the transaction is not as straightforward as it seems.
- Episode 9
- 00:40:52
- 2015
Man, I Feel Like a Woman

What do you do when you realize that in order to be true to yourself, you have to shatter everything around you, including the lives of those you love most?
- Episode 8
- 01:05:56
- 2015
Rabin Is…

Rabin is a symbol. An icon. Twenty years later, it isn’t so simple to understand what he truly stands for anymore.
- Episode 7
- 00:41:14
- 2015
Out of Africa…And Back Again

Two journeys – in very different directions, and taken for very different reasons – out of, and then into, Africa.
- Episode 6
- 00:56:52
- 2015
What’s Love Got to Do With It?

Valentine’s Day is not native to Israel, but the country does not lack for tales of love, romance, and the pursuit thereof.
- Episode 5
- 01:02:06
- 2015
Holy Cow!

We’ve got four featured moo-ers: a red heifer that some think will bring the messiah, a cow that’s become the symbol of radical Israeli veganism, buffalos that hold the future for a self-described “Israeli redneck,” and the golden calf that was biblical big-business.
- Episode 4
- 00:55:35
- 2014
A Man on A Mission

Three Israelis who are not religious but have pursued unusual hobbies with missionary zeal. One is a hitman-for-hire, another collects a highly specific classification of autographs, and the third is a professional whistler.
- Episode 3
- 01:00:59
- 2014
People of the Book

Three stories that all revolve around people who rescue books, chase after books, or otherwise allow books to determine their destiny—from a Yiddish book collector based in the Tel Aviv central bus station to a lonely college student to bibliophiles in search of the lost fragments of the Aleppo Codex.
- Episode 2
- 00:57:06
- 2014
Love Syndrome

For Enid, the birth of her sixth child—born with Down syndrome, started her and her family on an incredible journey—to Tzfat, Israel, and from there to court rooms, hospitals, ultra-Orthodox yeshivas, and wedding halls, all so she could do right by her child and the other special-needs children she picked up along the way.
- Episode 1
- 00:58:42
- 2014
Faking It

From our relationship with Ira Glass to priceless antiquities all the way to coveted sick passes – Israeli stories that are anything but real. In our very first episode, the Israel Story team delves into the realm of fakes, forgeries, and mimicry.