Who Are We?

Israel Story's mission is to promote a deeper understanding of - and connection to - Israel, through non-political, human-interest storytelling.

Our Goals Are To…

Use the power of storytelling to expand the circle of those engaged with Israel
Promote greater awareness of, and interest in, the complexities of modern Israeli society
Combat stereotypes by showcasing the country’s rich human tapestry and telling the story of a diverse, more nuanced, Israel

Our Story

Israel Story, or ‘Sipur Israeli,’ was born as a late-night project in 2011 at the hands of childhood friends Mishy Harman, Yochai Maital, Shai Satran, and Ro’ee Gilron. Our hope was to step outside of our social bubbles and explore the diversity of our own country. We had no relevant experience but nevertheless dreamed of creating a small podcast, meant primarily for friends and family. Our first episode initially had eleven downloads. Yet what followed exceeded our wildest dreams: Within a few months, our show was picked up by Galey Tzahal and soon offered a prime time slot on national radio. Suddenly reaching hundreds of thousands of listeners, we were inundated by messages saying that Israel Story offered a unique way of encountering the rich human tapestry of the country.

In 2014, we decided to add a new facet to our operation, and – in addition to the Hebrew show – started producing episodes in English, in partnership with Tablet Magazine. Then, in 2021, we began partnering with The Jerusalem Foundation as well. We figured that the Israel people loved, as well as the Israel people hated, was – largely speaking – an imaginary place. We, on the other hand, wished to tell stories of the ‘real’ Israel; to showcase a different, more nuanced, and more diverse, Israel. We do not, therefore, focus on politics, the BDS movement or governmental propaganda. Instead, we collect stories that celebrate the plurality of local communities and traditions, and try to present a cross-section of ‘Israeliness.’ We have come to think of our microphones as magic wands that allow us to enter homes and communities that are often sidelined and silenced in the mainstream media.

Israelis are a nation of storytellers. And our job is to amplify voices and shine a spotlight on the small and large dramas that make up Israeli life.

The Team

Mishy Harman
Host, Senior Producer

Mishy is a Jerusalemite, through and through. Following his military service, he studied history at Harvard, archeology at Cambridge and…

Mishy is a Jerusalemite, through and through. Following his military service, he studied history at Harvard, archeology at Cambridge and wrote his PhD – a biography of the first Protestant missionary in Ethiopia – at the Hebrew University. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife Federica and their two dogs, Nomi and Golda.

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Zev Levi
Managing Producer

Zev grew up in Perth, Australia, and started out as a mechatronics engineer. Having lived and worked in Perth’s music…

Zev grew up in Perth, Australia, and started out as a mechatronics engineer. Having lived and worked in Perth’s music scene, he developed a passion for high-quality production and well-crafted audio. Now living in Jerusalem, Zev is involved with religious movements that pursue equality in Israel.

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Yochai Maital
Senior Producer

Yochai grew up in Haifa, but now can’t imagine calling anywhere but Tel Aviv his home. After eight years as…

Yochai grew up in Haifa, but now can’t imagine calling anywhere but Tel Aviv his home. After eight years as an intelligence officer in the army, Yochai embarked on a new trajectory, and started studying creative writing at Tel Aviv’s Minshar College for Arts. Ecologically minded, Yochai has built multiple eco-houses, and co-founded Tel Aviv’s first (and still only) organic food Co-Op. He lives with his wife, young daughter and son, and, of course, Trotsky the dog.

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Adina Karpuj
Producer

Adina is a Chilean native who grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. After traveling the world for a year, she moved…

Adina is a Chilean native who grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. After traveling the world for a year, she moved to Israel in 2015, and has since become a Jerusalemite through and through. Adina has a BA in psychology, sociology, and anthropology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and she’s fascinated by narrative identities and the ways in which they determine how we understand, and relate to, the world. In her spare time, you can find Adina running through one of Jerusalem’s many parks, hiking by the Dead Sea and in the Galilee, or searching for plants to propagate.

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Mitch Ginsburg
Producer

Mitch Ginsburg, a reporter, editor, writer, and literary translator, grew up in Queens, NY and has lived in Jerusalem since…

Mitch Ginsburg, a reporter, editor, writer, and literary translator, grew up in Queens, NY and has lived in Jerusalem since the days of the asimon and the Edison Theater. He’s translated several Hebrew novels into English, including “Second Person Singular” and “Track Changes” by Sayed Kashua, “The World of the End” by Ophir Touche Gafla, and “Thera” by Zeruya Shalev. He has written for the Wall Street Journal and served as a staff writer for the Jerusalem Report and as the military correspondent for the Times of Israel. A fiction editor at “The Ilanot Review,” his short stories have appeared in “Tablet” magazine and elsewhere. When not working on stories, he loves to mountain bike, ski, and chill with his four children and his wonderful wife (who appeared on Israel Story long before he ever did).

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Yael Ben Horin
Producer

Yael grew up in Madrid, Spain, where she developed an obsession with libraries and people-watching. She recently acquired her MSc…

Yael grew up in Madrid, Spain, where she developed an obsession with libraries and people-watching. She recently acquired her MSc in Medical Anthropology and Sociology at the University of Amsterdam, which allowed her to explore memory and storytelling practices linked to expressions of inter-generational trauma involving spirits and other invisible agents in contemporary Israel.

She loves to geek out on fantasy novels, getting lost on purpose, and drawing strangers; and cannot wait to fall in love with Jerusalem while continuing her ongoing quest to find the best mangoes in town.

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Jennifer Cutler
Production Coordinator

Born in Philadelphia, Jennifer moved to Jerusalem in 2018 to study at the Hebrew University and by the time she…

Born in Philadelphia, Jennifer moved to Jerusalem in 2018 to study at the Hebrew University and by the time she completed her MA in Jewish Studies, she had decided to officially relocate. Now a proud Jerusalemite, Jennifer likes to spend hours sitting in cafes reading, drawing, and getting to know the many special people of her chosen home.

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Alexandra Moller
Project Manager

Alexandra (Ali) hails from the Big Apple. Her journalism experience includes stints in broadcast news at ABC News, and at…

Alexandra (Ali) hails from the Big Apple. Her journalism experience includes stints in broadcast news at ABC News, and at Congressional Quarterly’s magazine, where she helped cover events on Capitol Hill.

Recently, after completing a family history project—about her grandmother’s escape from Nazi Germany—she was inspired to offer ghostwriting services to clients interested in self-publishing memoirs or biographies. Ali lives in Jerusalem with her eight-year-old son Sam. A pastime they enjoy is searching for the city’s best pizza restaurant.

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Elik Fromchenko
Video Producer

Elik Fromchenko is a journalist, documentary filmmaker and professional whistler. For 18 years Elik was the editor in chief and…

Elik Fromchenko is a journalist, documentary filmmaker and professional whistler. For 18 years Elik was the editor in chief and owner of Auto, the largest automotive media in Israel. The content of Auto appeared in a monthly magazine, online and on Keshet TV. Recently, he turned his focus to documentary cinema and his short movie “Bush” was screened in festivals around the world

Elik loves to travel the world and is constantly seeking his next adventure. One of these adventures even appeared in the Israel Story episode, A Man on a Mission. He is married to Ganit and has 3 amazing kids.

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Lily Lieber
Production Intern

Lily grew up in Paris, France, and graduated from Brown University in May of 2024 with a B.A. in Philosophy….

Lily grew up in Paris, France, and graduated from Brown University in May of 2024 with a B.A. in Philosophy. Her love of video production paired with her interests in Israeli politics and culture, as well as reverence for real life stories, are what compelled her to join Israel Story and move to Jerusalem. She loves watching niche experts review film scenes on YouTube, Game of Thrones lore, and, like any true Parisian, people-watching at cafes.

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Husam Abu Diab
Producer

Husam is a Jerusalemite. He studied Acting and Video Art/Documentary Production at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design and likes…

Husam is a Jerusalemite. He studied Acting and Video Art/Documentary Production at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design and likes to spend his time traveling around Jerusalem, running, reading and watching documentaries.

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Rotem Zin
Chief Financial Officer

Rotem was Born in Seattle, Washington, and lives in Haifa with his wife, four kids, and their dog Billie. He…

Rotem was Born in Seattle, Washington, and lives in Haifa with his wife, four kids, and their dog Billie. He has a BA in economics and accounting from the University of Haifa, and a CISA certification by ISACA.

Rotem has enjoyed traveling the world, trekking in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Rotem has been Israel Story’s CFO since 2017, and is passionate about sports, music, and politics.

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