At Passover Seders all around the world, a place setting was laid before a chair left empty for one of the 133 hostages held in Gaza. We look back at the 200 days of anguish, hope, and despair that divide Simchat Torah on October 7 from this week’s holiday.

It’s summertime and everybody is going somewhere for hofesh, holiday. That being the case, let’s talk about flights, package deals and checking-in –Hebrew style. Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Hofesh – Holiday –חופש Ha-hofesh ha-gadol – The summer holiday –החופש הגדול Hofesh ha-dibur – Freedom of speech –חופש…

The already volatile situation of the Palestinian citizens of Israel has been exacerbated by the October 7th massacre and the war with Hamas that ensued. Dr Ahmad Agbaria of the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas, Austin, talks about how their status and democratic rights have been affected, and what role they might pla…

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. —Going Too Farsi? (Or, the Persian Incursion)— We — with the help of the US, UK, Jordan and other capable allies — buffly rebuffed the biggest missile and drone attack on Israel ever. But wh…

The Hebrew word זהות means identity. It’s a word we Israelis use many times throughout the day, like any time we call customer service in Israel. Any guesses as to why? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Zehut – Identity – זהות “Zehut achat la-boker, achat la-laila” – One identity for the morning, one for the night – …

Adam Shatz, author and writer, US Editor for the London Review of Books and a visiting professor at Bard College, discusses his book The Rebel’s Clinic: The Revolutionary Lives of Frantz Fanon.

DJ Antithesis is back with more music influenced by the Israel-Gaza war, and dives deep into Dudu Aharon’s latest album. Become a Patron at patreon.com/kolcambridge Playlist: Tachzir Otam HaBayta – Guy & Yahel Eich Ze – Livnat Hadar Toledano Michtav MiYosi – Shlomi Shabat Abba Bo – Nunu Bein HaIr LaPardes – Tuna At – Raskay Natek Oti – Neta Barzila…

Marking six months since the massacres and the start of the war, 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 —Us, Here— Whether and how we Israelis have changed, in light of al…

It happens to all of us: we have a task to accomplish and we promise ourselves to do it right after this one last thing. So how did an entire week pass by so quickly and yet we’re staring at an even longer to-do list? Let’s talk about procrastination in Hebrew. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Dachyanoot – Procrasti…

The October 7th attack undermined some of the basic assumptions Israelis have had about the tenets of their sovereignty. Will the crisis send the country into a post-nation-state phase? Dr. Julie Cooper, Senior Lecturer in Political Science at Tel Aviv University, and a fellow of the Institute of Advanced Israel Studies at Brandeis University’s Sch…

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 —Families 2.0— The organization of the families of the hostages has decided to change strategies, linking its ca…

We recently had our local elections here in Israel, and we're still talking about the results. A b’chira is a 'choice.' Guy Sharett teaches us how to choose, elect, and select in Hebrew. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Bchirot – Elections, choices – בחירות Bchira, bchirot – Choice, choices – בחירה, בחירות Bacharti …

Dr Dafna Hirsch, senior lecturer at the Open University of Israel’s Department of Sociology, Political Science and Communication, discusses her edited book, Entangled Histories in Palestine/Israel: Historical and Anthropological Perspectives.

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and newly-minted Doctor of Thinkology Gilad Halpern 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 —Abstention Dissension— There seems to be a very fast decline in US-Israel rel…

Dr David Barak-Gorodetsky, Lecturer in Israel Studies at the University of Haifa and the Director of the Ruderman Program for American-Jewish Studies, discusses his book Judah Magnes: The Prophetic Politics of a Religious Binationalist, a biography of one of the more unusual characters in the history of Zionism.…

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Noah Efron and ubermensch writer Bradley Burston 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 —Despite It All, Peace?— Is all we are sayin’, just give peace a chance? —Amalek— Is it like…

The Hebrew words להתיישב and לשבת are both translated as ‘to sit down’, but they are not used in the same manner. And how are these words related to the West Bank? Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: “Bo maher, hayeshiva kvar hitchila” – Come quick, the meeting has already started – בוא מהר, הישיבה כבר הת…

Dr Avi-Ram Tzoreff, a Polonsky Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, discusses his new book R. Binyamin, Binationalism and Counter-Zionism, dedicated to one of the most unusual Jewish and Zionist intellectuals of the 20th century. The episode is sponsored by the Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History at UCLA and co-hosted …

DJ Antithesis is back with more music influenced by the Israel-Gaza war. Playlist: At Ishti – Dudu Aharon Nahafoch Kol Even – Sagiv Cohen, Nati Madani & the Hostage Families Malachim – Eden Ben Zaken HaTmunot SheBeAlbum – Sarit Hadad Nitzachti B’Dami – Binyamin Luria Giborei Al – Hatikva 6 Aza Bubi – Moshe Korsiya Kmo Paam – Zehava Ben Fireproof – …

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 —אַ סוף צו אַ גאָלדען עלטער אין אַ גאלדענע מדינה— This month’s Atlantic cover story argues that the “Golden A…

The word לשבת means to sit, and there’s a plethora of uses for this verb in Hebrew. We’ll be talking about jails and cafes, dog trainers, Ottoman Jews, and restaurant hosts, all in the same episode! Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Yoshev – Sitting – יושב Yoshev al ha-gader – Sitting on the fence – יושב על הגדר Yosh…

Yaroslav Trofimov, chief foreign affairs correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, discusses his new book Our Enemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine’s War of Independence. What parallels can be drawn between Ukraine’s war with Russia and Israel’s with Hamas?

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 —Jerusalem, Mon Amour?— What’s it mean that Jerusalem just elected to its city council a straight-up majority …

The Hebrew word ארץ means land/country. But it changes when we add prepositions to it. It’s also an important word if you are training your dog to lie on the floor. Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Eretz – Land, country – ארץ Eretz Israel – The land of israel – ארץ ישראל Be-khol ha-aretz – All over the…

Dr Geoffrey Levin, Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern and Jewish Studies at Emory University, discusses his book Our Palestine Problem: Israel and American Jewish Dissent, 1948-1978. The book looks at a network of early anti-Zionist and pro-Palestinian thought leaders, active in the immediate aftermath of the establishment of the State of Israel…

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 —Going Local— They say that, in a democracy, even the most humble among us can be elected to public office. N…

Yael Sternhell, Professor of History and American Studies at Tel Aviv University, discusses her book, War on Record: The Archive and the Afterlife of the Civil War, a historians’ history which looks at Washington’s Civil War archive, rather than through it.

138 days in, The Promised Podcast looks back. —Premonition— —City of Slaughter— —Sally— —The Wheat Grows Again— —The Battalion’s WhatsApp—

Yosef Halper, a legendary Tel Aviv bookdealer, discusses his book The Bibliomaniacs: Tales from a Tel Aviv Bookseller.

DJ Antithesis is back with more music influenced by the Israel-Gaza war and a tribute to Lior Farchi z”l. Playlist: Medina Soeret - Lior Farchi & Chaim Yisrael Chasmal Ba’Avir - Lior Farchi Yeled Ra - Lior Farchi Chai Kmo Parpar - Lior Farchi Yeled Sheli - Eyal Golan Shomer Alai - Shiri Maimon Nahar Ha’Dmaot - Shlomo Arzi & Pe’er Tasi Admat HaAhava…